Vietnam Coast Guard combats IUU fishing

The Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) High Command has said that it will take more drastic measures to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, contributing to maintaining order and safety at sea, and sustainably developing the maritime economy while consolidating national defence and security.



Along with the implementation of directions from the Prime Minister and the steering committee for IUU fishing prevention and control, the VCG has coordinated with ministries and sectors to finalise legal documents, mechanisms and policies on fishing vessel management.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)





It has also helped build a national database for the management of fishing vessels and fishing permits with a monitoring centre, and install vessel monitoring and GPS positioning devices, helping to create a legal framework and corridor for forces to supervise fishing vessels in Vietnamese waters.



The VCG has also worked closely with other forces to manage, check and verify information of violations to put an end to IUU fishing.



The force has also focused on raising awareness of Vietnamese fishing regulations.



In the first half of 2022, the force worked with local authorities, and domestic and foreign competent agencies to arrest 29 IUU violation cases involving 48 ships and 326 fishermen.

They also applied administrative punishments on 178 vessels that contributed VND382 million (USD16,000 USD) to the State budget.
DPRK criticizes S. Korea-U.S. joint drills for negative impact on regional situation

Xinhua) 09:07, October 09, 2022

SEOUL, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Defense Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Saturday voiced grave concern over the escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

As a new round of South Korea-U.S. joint maritime drills is underway near the peninsula, involving the redeployed nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and South Korean warships, a spokesperson for the DPRK Defense Ministry called it "an event of considerably huge negative splash to the regional situation," as quoted by the KCNA.

The spokesperson denounced the drills as "military bluffing," saying the DPRK armed forces are taking a serious approach in the face of "the extremely worrisome development of the present situation."

South Korea and the United States on Sept. 26 launched their joint maritime drills near the Korean Peninsula, involving the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier along with over 20 warships from the two sides.

After the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group was redeployed to the peninsula on Wednesday to hold an exercise on Thursday with South Korean and Japanese navies, the United States and South Korea began another joint naval exercise east of the peninsula on Friday.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
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HP

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EV

Back in 2010, the MINI E was embarking on a pioneering journey. It started life as a prototype, created by the manufacturer only to test how the all-electric powertrain would fare in multiple environments. With its 200(203 PS), a 35-battery, and an estimated range of about 100 mi (162 km), the little car managed to reach an impressive feat  the MINI E became the firstto establish a record on the famous Nurburgring-Nordschleife.Nine years later, the British automotive brand owned by BMW finally went through with it and gave the world the first zero-tailpipe emission MINI  the 2020 Cooper SE. It was received pretty enthusiastically, considering only a month was necessary for over 45,000 reservations to be registered.Approximately two years ago, autoevolution was learning about a 181-HP (184-PS) MINI Cooper SE used mainly for all kinds of testing purposes that escaped a doomed fate. Usually, these cars are sacrificed by engineers to uncover useful data and then theyre scrapped. But this particular 2020 MINI Cooper SE managed to live on. The effort was spearheaded by one of BMWs Communication Manager named Alex Seremet. Afterward, partners like Michelin, Vitesco (formerly under Continental ownership), or big dealerships hopped on board.The first changes were timid. The people involved in the project started to work on the brakes, the suspension, and the thermal management system. Weight reduction was also an important concern and the discussions around cooling kept going back and forth. However, things kept happening for the all-electric model. It was the start of an amazing journey.In 2021, MINI launched the Formula E Safety Car in the shape of the Electric Pacesetter inspired by JCW. Two months later, the MINI E prototype was sitting side by side with the facelifted MINI Cooper SE. Meanwhile, in the Eastern European country of Romania, MINIs first all-electric racer continued to evolve. The small Romanian race workshop Engage Engineering joined the project late last year. Progress happened quickly! Just three months ago, the vehicle was registering a 30-second improvement at a race it ran in 2021 and this year. Now, MIMI has new partners like Renovation and Unicredit Leasing. Michelin remained onboard along the way.autoevolution met with MIMI EVO back in March. We discovered it at the beginning of a new season of racing. Now, six months later, we get to see it again after a busy season of changes and improvements.On the way to the shop that now takes care of everything the car needs to be done to it, I got to experience the all-new 306-HP (310-PS) 2022 MINI Clubman John Cooper Works. Admittedly, it was a tad bit anticlimactic to drive a gas-powered station wagon to rediscover the all-electric race-ready hatchback. However, the turbocharged four-cylinder power unit felt amazing at any point of the journey.Driving the Clubman is like meeting with an old friend. Its supportive and familiar, yet you trust it enough to continue pushing until all barriers are broken. Its easy to get accustomed to it. The fact that it has four doors and a decent-sized trunk makes it even more alluring. The best thing? Well, it does not attract everyones attention and remains sort of a pocket rocket. Keep in mind this is just an impression. I havent had the time to properly discover it.The Clubman brought me safe and sound to the place where the salvaged EV racer is now resting and getting ready for all kinds of future events. Its a tiny shop in a county from the Romanian region of Transylvania. I did not expect to see such a simple place. It looked like someones startup, but it felt like it was filled with incredible stories. It exuded confidence and passion.In this peculiar garage that almost made me feel like I was witnessing the first moments of something thats poised for greatness, I found out the EV went through many modifications. And, most of them, were done after intense testing and a lot of trial-and-error procedures. For example, the car now weighs 2,645 lb (1,200 kg) with no changes done to the battery. Its all thanks to a cabin overhaul and many clever tricks that allowed for the replacement of glass panels with lightweight plexiglass. Similarly, the cars body was modified to be as light as possible without compromising on body strength.All this allowed the car to reach a top speed of 124 mph (200 kph) and a zero-to-60 time of just six seconds  one second less than what the car was originally capable of.Thermal management was also a worry because of the intense drives. So, to not add ventilators or liquids that could impact the performance, the team that now continues to work on the car made use of dry ice.The engineers and technicians also sourced a John Cooper Works braking system, added some carbon fiber bits, and changed the differential. There have also been installed special hydraulic racing brake pumps that allow for better front-rear weight distribution.One important win for the project was the creation of a tuning solution that can now be ordered by any BMW i3/i3s or MINI Cooper SE owner for improved performance - the Drexler limited slip front differential.MIMIs current year ends with a total of 18 national races and multiple participations at international events. Most of the latest positive outcomes happened thanks to Engage Engineering founder Horia Platona. Besides working on it, he also got in the drivers seat for races or other events.Platona told autoevolution that he was impressed with the vehicle from the very beginning. It showed an unexpected level of resilience and, after figuring out the complicated programming, he and his team now know how to play with the software to make the car respond as best as it can under any circumstances.One remarkable thing is that MIMI was able to have an incredibly busy schedule, with races and events almost weekly and needed no special maintenance. This is a huge benefit when comparing the EV with an internal combustion equivalent vehicle.The complete pack of changes is worth about $19,490 (20,000). Now, its a tad bit complicated to argue in favor of it considering the starting price of the new MINI Cooper SE is $34,225 in the U.S. However, these changes would allow your EV to keep up on the track with the likes of Tesla Model 3 on winding slalom tracks.Lastly, there is a place where you can transform your two-door vehicle that provides a guilt-free go-kart experience  Engage Engineering, in Brasov, Romania. And it exists solely thanks to those that never dared to stop dreaming and aiming high!
The program moved quite rapidly, and in April 2019 five companies were involved: AVX Aircraft/ L3Harris Technologies, Bell Helicopter, Boeing, Karem Aircraft, and Lockheed Martins Sikorsky Aircraft. One year after that, the Army trimmed the list some more, and left in the competition are now Bell and Sikorsky.Bell's entry is called 360 Invictus , and itll be the focus of another coverage here on autoevolution at a later time. Today, well take a close look at everything we know about Sikorskys entry, the Raider X.The machine is described as a compound helicopter, meaning an aircraft that uses a main propulsion system, and an auxiliary one meant to provide extra thrust, thus allowing for greater speeds and faster acceleration.With twin, counterrotating, coaxial rigid rotors on top rotors and a pusher propeller to keep it stable at the rear, the helicopter is still a mystery as far as full specifications go. Available info point to it being powered by a General Electric (GE) turboshaft engine capable of developing up to 3,000 shaft horsepower  the unit was selected by the Army through the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP), which was initiated in 2009 and concluded a decade later.Called T901 , the engine is still in development and is the same that will make it into the UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache, as a replacement for the T700 units currently in use. In March this year, GE announced it has begun testing the T901.Aside from the increase in power (by comparison, the T700 is capable of close to 1,800 shaft horsepower), the new engine should also provide 25 percent more fuel efficiency and lower lifecycle costs.As said, the engine will spin three propellers, two of which will form what Sikorsky calls X2 rigid rotor. Its the same one being tried for the SB-1 Defiant , the companys entry, together with Boeing, in the other U.S. Army helicopter program, the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA).The X2 concept is not fully and publicly detailed, but we do know it can trace its roots all the way back to the XH-59A prototype flown back in the 1970s, but with improvements in vibration reduction, weight reduction and blade technology. We also know the design should enable the helicopter to be flown by a single pilot, with a single engine.When used on the Raider X (which evolved from something called S-97 Raider, which was about 20 percent smaller), the system should transform it into a highly-responsive machine, capable of low-speed hover, off-axis hover, and level acceleration and braking.As a whole, the Raider has been designed to be cheaper and easier to operate. This should be achieved by shifting from the usual way maintenance is being conducted to giving the aircraft the tools to self-monitor, and engineers the ones they need to provide condition-based maintenance.As far as avionics and mission systems are concerned, something called Modular Open System Architecture (MOSA) will be used. This will effectively transform the platform into one that could be upgraded on a plug-and-play basis, and that for pretty much all of its most important systems: computing, sensors, survivability and weapons.As far as military capabilities are concerned, nothing is certain or confirmed at the moment. FARA specs required a knife-fighter, meaning it should pack the biggest punch in the smallest possible package.At the time of writing, there is no estimate as to when the helicopter should be ready for duty. FARA initially called for a flight test evaluation for 2023, and production debut in 2028, but as things usually go in the defense industry, that may change.
kW

Celebrated on social media by platinum_group, it has Novitec to thank for the modifications, as thats the tuner behind the body kit. This includes the fender flares and attachments at the front, sides, and rear.All exterior chrome was removed, painted black, and then polished, so there are no shiny accents on deck anymore. The luxury SUV features a full custom wrap all around and sits much closer to the ground due to the adjustable lowering links.With its multi-spoke design, the alloy set is the final touch. It measures 11x24 inches at the front and 13x24 inches at the rear and has custom Rolls-Royce center caps in red that provide some contrast to the black overall looks of this project, next to the red brake calipers.Since no images of the interior have been released at the time of writing, we are going to assume that the cockpit has remained stock. But fret not, because it wasnt exactly in dire need of a makeover here, too, as you are looking at a vehicle born in Goodwood, England, that boasts numerous high-end materials, joined by many comfort, technology, and safety gizmos.We dont know if they did anything to the engine, but since Novitec was behind the build, some power mods cannot be excluded, though they are not a must, either. The twin-turbo 6.75-liter V12 is capable of kicking out 562 hp (570 ps / 419) and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm) of torque, and thats without anyone messing around with the internals and/or software. The stock Cullinan needs less than 6 seconds from rest to 62 mph (0-100 kph) and has a top speed electronically limited to 155 mph (250 kph).
Wtf. Hows this happened!? We lost a life in this situation years ago. We risk our lives, especially in conditions like this. We wanna race. But this Unacceptable.  Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) October 9, 2022

How can we make it clear that we never want to see a crane on track?



We lost Jules because of that mistake.



What happened today is totally unacceptable!!!!!



I hope this is the last time ever I see a crane on track!  Sergio Perez (@SChecoPerez) October 9, 2022

The sport is not as raw or brutal as it was in the days of Niki Lauda or Ayrton Senna. The cars are a lot more resilient to impacts, and the halo has solidified its position as a great addition. Even so, that does not mean we dont see incidents that make us hold our breath.I think many people can still vividly remember Romain Grosjeans crash in Bahrain or Zhou Guanyu upside-down at Silverstone. Both drivers luckily made it out and are still pursuing racing careers, with Grosjean having moved to IndyCar, but this goes to show that F1 still has room for improvement.Everyone who climbs into any kind of race car is aware that there are risks involved, and they willingly take them. But it is here that a problem appears, in the form of risks that the drivers are not aware of, as was the case today during the Japanese Grand Prix.The start of the race was a bit chaotic, with multiple incidents happening in the first lap due to the wet conditions. A crash for Carlos Sainz at turn 12 prompted a safety car to come out, followed by a red flag. However, before the field could return to the pits while following behind the safety car, a recovery vehicle had already gone out and was stationary on the track.Pierre Gasly was the last one to pass the crane as he was catching up to the back of the pack, and he was furious that there was a recovery vehicle out on the track while cars were still passing. The track was worsening and visibility was poor, to put it mildly. This categorically means that there should not have been a crane out on the track before all the cars made it back to the pits.This obviously infuriated the French driver, causing him to shout over the radio in bewilderment at the situation and urge people to remember what happened to Jules Bianchi in 2014. The Alpha Tauri driver has to take some of the blame for going because he was speeding. Still, this does not take away from the fact that there should not have been a recovery vehicle out on the track, especially in such poor conditions,and with some drivers unaware of it.Other drivers, including Lando Norris and Sergio Perez, were not happy about the situation either and took to Twitter to express that what happened was unacceptable. They both hinted at the risks involved with such decisions and mentioned the eerily similar incident that also happened at Suzuka in 2014 when Jules Bianchi sadly crashed into a recovery vehicle and lost his life. Carlos Sainz also explained how even behind a safety car, the speeds are still considerable and any minor mistake or aquaplaning can lead to disaster.Even people who were safe in the paddock expressed their concern with Martin Brundle saying there should have been an instant red flag and nothing out on track before the race had been neutralized. Red Bull boss Christian Horner also added to the comments urging for a full investigation regarding the incident.No matter if you think drivers have to take some of the blame for speeding, an event like this is totally unacceptable. A recovery vehicle should never be on track while the cars are not yet packed behind the safety car or in the pits. This is accentuated even more by the poor conditions hampering their visibility and making them more susceptible to errors or loss of control over the car.
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BAPS mandirs and centres around the UK and in Europe celebrated the 89th birth anniversary of Mahant Swami Maharaj with devotional festivities and an enlightening cultural programme.

As the sixth spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and present guru of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, Mahant Swami Maharajs striking humility, serene spirituality and profoundly insightful discourses continue to inspire and strengthen faith and higher living in countless people of all ages around the world. Through devotional singing, discourses and video presentations, the celebrations highlighted some of these divine virtues of the Gunatit Guru as an exemplary devotee of God and further explored the spiritual relationship between Mahant Swami Maharaj and Pramukh Swami Maharaj, as devotees continue to commemorate the centennial birth anniversary of Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
Amidst the United States longstanding national housing crisis, Alexander has conducted extensive research in legal and extra-legal rights to property, housing, and urban space. Most recently, she has examined how cities and states can use tiny-home villages to ameliorate homelessness and provide sustainable affordable housing. Through this and other work, she provides insights to policymakers on how to reimagine housing options and property rights for todays world.



I am elated to join the Boston College Law School community, said Alexander. Boston Colleges Jesuit tradition of service to others resonates with my long-standing approach to scholarly inquiry, teaching, and public reform. BC Laws location in Greater Bostonan intellectual center thats facing daunting housing challengesand the schools particular commitment to merge theory and praxis to solve public problems, make it a perfect place for me to enhance my intellectual interests, teach and learn from engaged students, and advance justice in U.S. housing markets and beyond.



Alexander received a bachelors degree from Wesleyan University and a juris doctorate from Columbia University School of Law. She was a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School from 2006 to 2017. At Texas A&M, she held a joint appointment, serving as a professor in both the School of Law and in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning.



She was named a 2018 Texas A&M University Presidential Impact Fellow, the first person in the history of Texas A&M School of Law selected for the honor. Her most recent article on tiny houses appeared in the Harvard Law & Policy Review, and she has published in the Minnesota Law Review, William & Mary Business Law Review, and Fordham Urban Law Journal, among many other publications.



In 2020, Alexander and Mitchell were selected by the University of Pennsylvania Law Schools Black Law Students Association to receive the Dr. Sadie Alexander Leadership Awards for their outstanding work in the study of property law, affordable housing, and legislative reform.



That same year, Mitchell was selected for a MacArthur Fellowship (commonly known as the Genius Grant) in recognition of his work reforming long-standing legal doctrines that deprive Black and other disadvantaged American families of their property and real estate wealth. In 2021, Mitchell received the Howard University Alumni Award for Distinguished Postgraduate Achievement; past recipients include former Supreme Court Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall, the courts first African American justice, and Vice President Kamala Harris. Earlier this year, he was selected for the American Bar Associations Jefferson Fordham Award for Advocacy, one of the ABAs premier awards for attorneys with exceptional careers.



Mitchells areas of expertise include property and land use law, estate planning, minority property ownership, legal reform, and race and inequality. At BC Law, in addition to teaching and research, Mitchell will serve as director of a new program, the Initiative on Land and Housing Rights. He is a prolific author with two books and dozens of articles, book chapters, essays, and policy briefs to his credit. His presentations at various conferences and symposia number more than 100, and he frequently appears in the news media with more than 100 interviews in just the past few years, including many with nationally prominent media outlets.



I am thrilled and truly honored to be joining Boston College Law School and Boston College more generally, said Mitchell. BC Law is a dynamic law school, and one with an outstanding faculty, a vibrant scholarly community, a robust commitment to experiential learning, numerous outstanding specialty programs, wonderful students, and great staff members. As an engaged scholar and legal reformer who seeks to tackle injustices in property law, BC Law will be a great home for me given the schools deep social justice commitments and the many ways it plays a positive role in the wider worldboth in Massachusetts and beyond.



Mitchell received a bachelors degree from Amherst College, a juris doctorate from Howard University, and a master of laws degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he later served on the faculty from 2000-2017.



Lisa Alexander and Thomas Mitchell bring a wealth of knowledge that will enlighten our students and widen our scholarly pursuits, said Diane M. Ring, interim dean of the Boston College Law School and the Dr. Thomas F. Carney Distinguished Scholar. They will enhance the expertise for which our already strong faculty is well known.



Phil Gloudemans | University Communications | October 2022


Jailed Philippine ex-senator Leila de Lima (left) talking to Senator Risa Hontiveros (right) after the former was briefly taken hostage by an inmate inside the national police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City in Metro Manila, Oct. 9, 2022.

Detained ex-senator Leila de Lima, a leading critic of former president Rodrigo Duterte and his war on drugs, was briefly held hostage on Sunday by an inmate during an attempted breakout by three detainees who were shot dead by police, authorities said.

The incident, which took place in the custodial center inside the Philippine National Polices Camp Crame headquarters in Quezon City, was a near-death experience, de Lima said in a statement after surviving the ordeal.

I am grateful to all who expressed concern for my well-being in the aftermath of the surreal hostage-taking incident that happened this Sunday morning, she said. I am now safe and sound except for the lingering pain on my chest where the hostage-taker pressed the point of his knife while holding me hostage.

Police said three detainees, facing criminal charges for their alleged links with terrorist groups Abu Sayyaf and Dawlah Islamiyah, attacked an officer with a crude knife while queueing for food. The suspects were identified as Arnel Cabintoy, Idang Susukan, and Feliciano Sulayao.

Based on an initial report, in their attempt to escape, they stabbed one police officer. Another police on duty was able to respond and fired towards the PUPs [persons under police custody], hitting Cabintoy and Susukan, national police spokesman Brig. Gen. Roderick Augustus Alba told reporters.

The third detainee, Sulayao, ran towards the cell of de Lima and held her as a hostage, Alba said, adding that attempts to negotiate with the inmate failed.

Since the situation escalated, members of the elite Special Action Force engaged Sulayao, and he was neutralized, Alba said, adding the stabbed police officer is in the hospital for treatment.

De Lima said if it were not for the timely intervention of the Philippine security force, she probably would not have survived.

After being told by the hostage-taker that since his two other companions were already dead, he might just as well also kill me, I consider what happened to me as a near-death experience, she said in a statement sent to media.

I have already endured more than five years of unjust detention inside the PNP Custodial Center Being so near death has only made me value life even more.

Philippine police escort Leila de Lima, a senator detained on drug charges, on her way to a local court in Quezon city, metro Manila, Mar. 13, 2017. [Romeo Ranoco/Reuters]





Rights group asks to release de Lima

The hostage situation prompted calls for the immediate release of de Lima and the swift dismissal of the drug-related charges filed against the former lawmaker.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said it was horrified by the hostage drama and renewed its call to release the former senator.

This only underscores the compelling need to release her from police detention. She should never have been there to begin with. The Philippine government has held her hostage for the past five years for her human rights advocacy, HRW said in a statement.

The international community, which is now keen on working with the Marcos administration in spite of the many human rights issues it faces, should exert pressure on President Marcos to end de Limas suffering and return her back to her family and friends.

De Lima was jailed in 2017 on charges that she profited from drug dealing when she was the justice secretary, and Dutertes government took her to jail to be tried. But at least three of the governments witnesses have backtracked and said they had been coerced into testifying against the former senator.

According to official government numbers, about 8,000 suspected addicts and dealers died during the Duterte administrations drug war, but human rights groups have said the figure could be three times higher.

Rights groups have all dismissed de Limas case as trumped up, while she has denied all the charges. The courts have so far dismissed one of three drug-related charges against her.

After Sundays incident, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a statement that he would talk to de Lima to check on her condition and offer the former senator an opportunity to be transferred to another detention canter.

The Commission on Human Rights dispatched a quick response operation team to investigate the hostage crisis to find out the truth and possible accountabilities.

It said it was gravely concerned about the welfare of de Lima because the incident puts into serious question the safety of the political opposition leader and other detainees.

In August, the Philippines allowed a high-level U.S. congressional delegation led by Sen. Ed Markey to check in on de Lima.

For too long, Senator Leila de Lima has been held on politically motivated charges. Despite this, her spirit remains undiminished. I call on the new government to release her and drop all charges without delay, Markey said in a statement after the visit to the Philippines.
HYDERABAD: The BJP has opened a new front in its battle with TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, alleging that he practices occult, and his decisions are driven by advice from a tantrik. Leading this attack launched on Saturday, Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar said Every month, KCR conducts occult rituals at his farm house using a black cat. Even the renaming of TRS as Bharat Rashtra Samiti was on the advice of this tantrik who told KCR that if he does not change the partys name, it would lose the Assembly elections.

Sanjay said he had received reliable information from a swamiji who was once Close to KCR who told me that he does not trust KCR anymore. Sanjay said, He told me that I must tell people that KCR will go to any extent for his family.

This is 100% true, Sanjay said, as he continued addressing the media the party headquarters: Once in three months, the Chief Minister holds occult rituals with a black cat at his farmhouse. Sanjay further said that three workers had died at the Chief Ministers farm house some months ago under suspicious circumstances, and there were whispers of sacrifices. Nobody knows what happened to the case.

Sanjays allegations were picked up by other BJP leaders including partys national general secretary Tarun Chugh, and Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Chugh, speaking with some reporters on Saturday, said, I am told that some big tantrik told KCR to change the party name otherwise he will have no political future and so, in haste, he changed the name to BRS. It does not matter what he calls it, Bharat Rashtra Samiti, or Brahmand Rashtra Samiti. It will not make any difference, as it has been done only to divert the attention of people from more pressing problems. KCR can rely on tantra and mantra, but the verdict in the 2023 elections is already clear, TRS is on its way out.

Elsewhere, Sitharaman said that the reason Chandrashekar Rao refused to have a woman in his Cabinet during his first term starting in 2014, and for more than a year in his second starting 2018, was because a tantrik told him that having a woman in the Cabinet would bring bad luck.

KTR says Bandi needs to be in Erragadda hospital

TRS working president and minister K T Rama Rao on Saturday dismissed allegations by BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao went by the advise of a tantrik. Rama Rao called on BJP leaders to admit Sanjay to the mental health hospital at Erragadda and get him treated.

Taking to Twitter after Sanjays press meet earlier in the day, Rama Rao said ,If this mans madness gets any stronger, he might even start biting people. He has become dangerous to the society with his senseless comments. There is a bed ready at Erragadda. Take him there quickly and get him treated (sic).
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Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Donna Denham and her daughter Eva Lacatena live separately. Denham is the sole tenant in her New Amsterdam rental.

PITTSFIELD  All day long, Kevin Lescarbeau hears about how hard it is to find affordable housing in the city.

As fast as people move out, people move in, he says.

As the maintenance director of the New Amsterdam apartment complex off Center and Bradford streets, Lescarbeau hears hard stories from couples, families and individuals priced out of their apartments by rising rents or living in poor conditions because its all they can afford.

The waitlists are incredibly long, Lescarbeau said of the New Amsterdam complex, which was built specifically as affordable housing. Our waitlist is probably a couple years out now.

The lack of affordable housing isnt a problem unique to Pittsfield, nor is it a new one. A decadeslong population decline in the Berkshires combined with a lack of new residential developments have left many communities with a limited and aging housing stock.

Those who can find affordable housing often feel fortunate. When Donna Denham was looking for an apartment in 2017, she just happened to be finishing up an internship with the Berkshire Regional Housing Authority.

Someone there knew about this place, New Amsterdam, and knew that I was looking for a place by myself, Denham said. I came and looked at it and I fell in love.

Denham, who lives in the apartment on a strict budget from her social security payments, said that without their enrollment in a rental assistance apartment, they wouldnt be able to afford the unit.

Making more apartments affordable for renters like Denham is one of the goals of the newly created Pittsfield Affordable Housing Trust. A board overseeing the trust met for the first time on Wednesday.

While the meeting itself was uneventful, two new reports that the board discussed offer hints at the challenges and possible solutions that lie ahead.

What is an affordable housing trust fund?

Its a tool that cities and towns can use to create or preserve affordable housing options. Municipalities in the Commonwealth have the option to accept the section of state law that creates and governs affordable housing trusts. In Berkshire County three other communities  Williamstown, Great Barrington and Lenox  have created these trusts. Statewide, there are over 120 communities with trusts.

Who gets a say in what the trust does?

The trust is overseen by a seven-person board of trustees in Pittsfield. So far Mayor Linda Tyer has named six people to that group, with one seat still to be filled.

The current members are:

Justine Dodds, the director of the Department of Community Development

Kamaar Taliaferro, a member of the Community Preservation Committee and head of the Berkshire branch of the NAACPs Housing Committee

Floriana Fitzgerald, a member of the Community Development Board

Michael McCarthy, chair of the Pittsfield Housing Authoritys board of trustees

Elizabeth Sherman, executive director of The Christian Center

George Whaling, the owner of real estate group Teton Management

The lone applicant snapped up a bargain home in Lenox through an affordable housing lottery A renovated three-bedroom, one bath affordable house in downtown Lenox, priced at $254,000, was awarded to a Pittsfield resident  the only applicant in a lottery.

What can a trust actually do about housing in Pittsfield?

The trust is allowed to be pretty nimble when it comes to supporting the creation of affordable housing. As Chris Skelly, the project specialist from the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, told the trust on Wednesday: One of the main things to think about is whether youre going to be an initiator of projects or are you going to be a funding entity.

The Massachusetts Housing Partnership created a guide for housing trusts. That guidebook lays out the basic powers of the trust as directing funds to private developers to build affordable housing; rehabbing existing homes to convert them into affordable properties; increasing the affordability of new housing projects; developing surplus city lands or buildings and supporting rent assistance to low- and moderate-income households.

The Pittsfield trust only needs to look to Great Barrington, Williamstown and Lenox for examples.

In Williamstown, trust funds were used to support the construction of Highland Woods.

In Lenox, the trust was used to buy two properties. A lottery system was used to sell the homes to a first-time home buyer with a deed restriction that will keep the home as affordable housing.

In Great Barrington, a down payment assistance program is funded by the citys trust.

Wheres the money for this trust coming from?

Generally speaking, the money that fills these kinds of trusts can come for a variety of sources. The city can direct money raised from Pittsfields community preservation act funds, tax title sales, developer impact fees, private donations or directly from the citys general fund.

Two Pittsfield churches are poised to help the city address its housing gaps Two churches, landmarks in Pittsfield's downtown, are pivotal pieces of the city's new response to housing instability. At a press conference Monday, Mayor Linda Tyer announced the city is putting $8.6 million in ARPA money to these and other new housing projects.

The Downtown Overlay District in Pittsfield has a requirement that any project with five units of housing or more has to set aside 20 percent of the housing units as affordable housing for 30 years. City leaders have discussed allowing developers to pay into the new affordable housing trust if they want to opt out of building affordable housing units in this part of the city.

In Pittsfield, the affordable housing trust is starting out with funds from one additional source. In July, Mayor Tyer announced an $8.6 million dollar investment in housing initiatives funded by Pittsfields allocation of American Rescue Plan Act money. Of the federal coronavirus aid dollars going to housing, Tyer allocated $500,000 to the affordable housing trust.

In the announcement Tyer said this marks a critical investment in helping the city actively address housing needs.

What do we mean by 'affordable' housing?

This is a question the trust itself is still hoping to answer. Dodds said during the boards inaugural meeting Wednesday that the definition of affordable housing may vary based on where the trusts funding comes from.

HUD defines affordable housing as any property someone making less than 80 percent of the area median income can afford without spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing expenses.

So what does affordable mean in todays dollars and cents?

For Fiscal Year 2022 HUD has calculated the area median income of Pittsfield to be $87,300. HUD categorizes what it means to be a low-income household  a household making 80 percent of area median income  by the size of a household.

So any person living on their own in Pittsfield and making up to $54,150 would be considered low-income. An affordable housing situation for this person would mean spending no more than $16,245 on housing costs annually or about $1,353 a month.

For a family of four, the low-income level is set at $77,300. That means a family of four should spend no more than $23,190 a year or about $1,932 a month on a home for it to be considered affordable.

So whats the nuts and bolts of the Pittsfield housing picture?

The reality is that a large segment of Pittsfields population isnt making 80 percent of the area median income  theyre making less. 

A 2020 report from the Department of Community Development to HUD found that of the citys 19,260 households, 36 percent  6,845 households  were extremely low- or very low-income and making less than 50 percent of the area median income.

Of that group of nearly 7,000 households, 1,860 households were renters paying more than 50 percent of their income on housing and 920 households were homeowners in the same spot.

Were at a crisis in terms of the housing situation in Berkshire County, Tom Matuszko, the executive director of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, told the new trusts board of trustees Wednesday. Its affecting the economy, its affecting our ability to grow our population.

Why is there so little affordable housing?

Put simply, because theres not a lot of housing in general in Berkshire County.

A report published by the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and 1Berkshire earlier this year looks at this question specifically. The trusts board read the report ahead of the meeting and are using its conclusions as a jumping off point for their work.

The report found that a declining regional population, inflexible zoning laws, burdensome state regulations, inadequate public funding support, and neighborhood resistance to in-fill housing development has put a damper on any kind of housing project  let alone affordable ones.

The report found countywide that only 1,501 new housing units have been built in the last 10 years  representing a 2 percent increase in housing units.

In Pittsfield, the Department of Community Developments report to HUD noted that since 2005, the city has gained only 105 new affordable housing units. At the citys last count of units that were specifically designated as affordable housing there were 1,936 units  or about 9.2 percent of the citys entire housing stock.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin with his sister and party's MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi after filling his nomination papers for the post of DMK President, at Anna Arivalayam in Chennai on Friday.  PTI

Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin filed his nomination seeking a second term as DMK president with the party organization secretary R S Bharathi at Anna Arivalayam on Friday amidst the cheers of leaders, functionaries and cadre who had gathered in large numbers to celebrate the moment.

Ahead of driving to the party headquarters to file his nomination for the post of president, Stalin visited the memorials of DMK founder C N Annadurai and former Chief Minister M K Karunanidhi on the Marina sands. The nomination papers were placed on the resting place of Karunanidhi that was bedecked with flowers.

Subsequent to filing the papers, Stalin went to the Gopalapuram residence of Karunanidhi and paid floral tributes to the portrait of his father and former Chief Minister.

Most of the partys top leaders like Duraimurugan, who has filed his papers seeking reelection for the General Secretarys post, and T R Baalu, contesting for the second time to become the treasurer, were present when Stalin visited Anna Arivalayam.

Prominent among the other party leaders who were with Stalin were party MPs Kanimozhi Karunanidhi and A Raja and also MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin. Apart from the top three posts, elections will also be held for four members of the audit committee on Sunday, October 9, when the general council would meet at the St Georges Anglo-Indian School in Chennai.

The deputy general secretarys post lying vacant since the resignation of Subulakshmi Jagadeesan in August will be filled up at the general council meeting and speculation was rife that Kanimozhi might be entrusted with the responsibility.

The general council on Sunday and the announcement of the party office bearers at the occasion will mark the culmination of a six month long election process to hold the mandatory organizational elections to select a wide range of functionaries of the party.

It started with elections at the grassroots level units of the party and then went up to the village or town or city levels and progressed to the elections of the district secretaries, a key post in the DMK that has 72 party districts.
TWIN FALLS  The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Idaho Resource Advisory Council will meet to discuss a variety of public land management topics from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, at the BLM Twin Falls District Office, 2878 Addison Ave. E, Twin Falls, ID 83301 and virtually via Zoom. The public is invited and there will be a comment period at 4 p.m. Agenda items will include BLM updates, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law implementation, statewide renewable energy strategy discussion and the proposed Lava Ridge Wind Project.

The Resource Advisory Council gives the BLM the benefit of citizen-based perspectives that can help guide public land use planning and management throughout the state, said BLM Idaho State Director Karen Kelleher. Were looking forward to their insights on a variety of projects and issues across Idahos public lands.

The 15-member BLM Idaho Resource Advisory Council provides a forum that brings together stakeholders with diverse interests to provide advice and recommendations to the BLM on issues and challenges associated with the Bureaus multiple use mission.

There are currently three vacant positions on the Council and nominations are being accepted through Nov. 4. If interested, more information is available at https://on.doi.gov/3rCYRBE.

During the public comment period, the number of speakers may depend upon the time available. Written comments may also be submitted before the meeting via email to BLM Idaho RAC Coordinator MJ Byrne at mbyrne@blm.gov A complete agenda and Zoom connection information is available on the BLM Idaho Resource Advisory Council website at https://on.doi.gov/3SUKbJL.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of Americas public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
IDAHO - The robotic birds of the sky, known colloquially as drones, were a menace to the wildland firefighting community. The mere appearance of a recreational drone in the skies near a wildfire called for the grounding of all firefighting aircraft, giving birth to catchy sayings like If you fly, we cant, and Its not worth the view.

While these sayings are still true, drones  also called UAS or unmanned aerial systems  are playing an increasingly important role in fighting wildfires.

No, drones cant drop thousands of gallons of water or fire retardant like a supertanker. They also cannot deliver thousands of pounds of supplies like the K-MAX helicopter or evacuate injured firefighters like UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. The drones can, however, support operations with aerial ignition and gather intelligence then relay that information to firefighters on the lines within minutes.

The greatest benefit drones provide is they can take to the sky when human-powered aircraft are grounded for pilot safety.

Take, for example the FVR-90, a fixed-wing drone with a 14-foot wingspan capable of traveling at speeds up to 80 knots, or 46 mph, with a flight time of 8 hours. They are sent airborne just at dusk when other human-piloted flights are grounded. The sky is theirs, and the overhead view they have of the fire is detailed and in real time.

The way we use UAS now is very much a supplement, said Justin Baxter, the Forest Service National UAS Operations Specialist. There are certain times that its just not safe for us to utilize manned helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft, like nighttime operations or in thick smoke or high winds. But during those times there are still firefighters out there trying to complete the day's objectives and put the fire out.

The drones that Baxter and his team fly are equipped with cameras that are not your normal cameras. They come equipped with multiple types of sensors, including infrared, that allow the team to see through smoke and, at night, see heat signatures, or thermal-based imaging. This allows the team to identify areas where fire is still active and new areas where flames have advanced, such as spot fires.

Spot fires occur when embers from the main fire are thrown into the air and pushed by wind until they fall to the ground, starting a new fire. They are notoriously hard to identify because they are small at first and visibility is diminished by smoke. They also may occur in hard-to-reach places difficult for firefighters to patrol, like on steep slopes or down in drainages.

Drones are changing that labor-intensive process to identify these spot fires, especially when an operational area can span hundreds of thousands of acres, Baxter said. With drones, fire managers and incident management teams can scan large areas quickly and easily identify spot fires up to about a mile from the main fire. That information is relayed and enables firefighters to get in and suppress those new starts before they grow.

To give you an idea, this drone can pick up a 2-inch-by-2-inch spot fire from a half-mile away, said Baxter as he gestured to the imposing drone just to his left minutes before takeoff to fly around the perimeter of the Six Rivers Lightning Complex Fire near Willow Creek, California.

Baxter said that much has changed since 2015 when the agency began the UAS program. With each passing year, incident management teams have increasingly incorporated the capability into their strategies.

The communication between the UAS crew and firefighters on the ground flows in both directions. The drone may be flying over and see heat in an area and radio it into the hotshot crew to check out. Conversely, the hotshot crew can radio in to the UAS crew and ask for assistance in exploring an area that they suspect might be active, and then view a feed from the drone of the area in question.

John Crotty served as the air operations branch director with California Interagency Incident Management Team 15 that responded to the Lightning Complex Fire on the Six Rivers National Forest.

Aerial intelligence isnt new in wildland firefighting, said Crotty referring to the recently retired Cobra helicopter and its capabilities. But the implications of unmanned flight that opens up

new possibilities.

With the Cobra aircraft, we needed a pilot and an interpreter up there to run the camera and talk to the folks on the ground. So, we expose two individuals plus a flight [to risk], said Crotty, But what we really needed was the visibility to fly.

Thick smoke on the fires like the Lightning Complex can ground manned aircraft. That's where drones come into play and the images it captures can inform firefighters working across a large area.

The other day I heard from one of the hotshot crews out there. They were in heavy smoke conditions, at night. With the low visibility they couldn't see if they had a spot fire across the line, Crotty said. "This tool being up in the air, looking down at that exact area, the UAS crew was able to pinpoint the spot and provide precise coordinates to the firefighters who were able to check it out and put it out. That kind of information we would never have without these unmanned aircraft and that capability.

The unmanned aerial systems crew couldn't recall a time when drones were used so much during a wildfire incident, which has now been underway for more than a month, and that flying these aircraft is much more cost efficient.

Drones are the future of aviation for not only fire but for aviation in general. It's a win-win for the agencies to operate under an umbrella of this type of aircraft that can provide precise and timely info to firefighters and incident management teams, and most importantly, we can do it safely.




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.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this file photo, senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Rajendra Pal Gautam takes charge of his office as a Delhi cabinet minister at Delhi Secretariat. (Photo: PTI)

HYDERABAD: Days after a video emerged showing Delhi minister Rajendra Pal Gautam visiting an event where 10,000 people converted to Buddhism, the minister has resigned from his cabinet post.

Rajendra Pal and the event came under sharp criticism by the BJP, which said that Arvind Kejriwal and his party AAP hated Hindus and demanded sacking of the minister.

Reacting to BJP's criticism, Rajendra Pal had said that he had the right to practice his religion.
Jem's Birding & Ringing Exploits in the Eastern Province and elsewhere in Saudi Arabia
Citrus growers in Botswana have become members of the Citrus Growers' Association of Southern Africa (CGA), increasing the organisation's membership in the region to just over 1,564. The growers join over 1,400 from South Africa, Eswatini and Zimbabwe.

There are currently 164 citrus growers in Botswana, with 94% of these being small-scale farmers that produce citrus in under five hectares and the remaining 6% falling into the category of medium-to-large-scale farmers. The sector currently supports just over 1,000 jobs, with 75% of employees being female.

We are thrilled to welcome Botswana citrus growers to our association. Supporting small-scale growers is one of the main focus areas of the CGA and its Grower Development Company - we look forward to sharing our knowledge and expertise with Botswana growers.

"Southern African growers have become renowned for their excellent quality fruit, which is the result of a major investment in research and innovation over the past few years and we look forward to continue expanding the CGA footprint to other African countries, says CEO of the CGA Justin Chadwick.

Unlocking opportunities

The CGA hopes to help maximise the long-term profitability and sustainability of Botswana growers by providing them with increased access to global markets, assisting them to optimise the cost effective production of high quality fruit from their region and making industry resources available to them including the latest research from globally recognised Citrus Research International (CRI).

Johan van Vuuren, operational manager at Selebi Phikwe Citrus, one of the biggest citrus farms in Botswana, says, Joining the CGA is a great achievement when it comes to unlocking opportunities for citrus growers in our country. Our farmers and labour force face several challenges when it comes to accessing critical industry resources to improve and grow the sector.

"By becoming members of the CGA, Botswana citrus growers will now be able to unlock increased access to these critical resources and support structures to ensure the continued growth of the industry, farms and businesses. We look forward to using the CGA as a platform to share and absorb knowledge from others who have more experience in this line of work.
The corporate propaganda media in the West is celebrating the death of three people on the Kerch Bridge, partially disabled last night in what might be described as a suicide bombing.

According to Reuters, Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and the 19-km (12-mile) bridge linking it to Russias transport network was opened with great fanfare by President Vladimir Putin four years later.

Propagandists love to use misleading and deflective language. For instance, the verb seized in the above sentence. Trained propagandists (otherwise known as establishment journalists) would have the ignorant, which comprise the majority of the American people, believe Russia violently seized (take over, conquer, subjugate are related words) the Crimean Peninsula, described as forever part of Ukraine. In fact, the majority of ethnic Russians living there have long attempted to place distance between themselves and the neo-Nazi worshippers in Kyiv. It was also known as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea after Victoria Nuland and her band of saboteurs overthrew the elected government and installed a neo-Nazi-influenced government.

If we are to believe the pathological USG liars and their war propaganda media, Crimea was seized from people who want to remain a part of a coup regime and kleptocracy that hates them and thinks nothing of burning them to death.

Headline-skimming Americans know virtually nothing about Crimea. Since the late 1700s and the reign of Katherine the Great, Crimea has been Russian in population and culture. The peninsula was administratively transferred to Ukraine under the rule of Nikita Khrushchev. He was born on the border of Ukraine and later worked in the Donbas.

Here in the West, the state and its media say the vote was illegal because the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe didnt monitor it. The OSCE partners include NATO, the Council of Europe (enforcers of neoliberal rule of law), the unelected European Union, and the United Nations. It is not difficult to guess what they would conclude (and the UN eventually did).

PR Newswire reported in 2014:

A group of international observers from Israel, Spain, Italy, USA, UK, Latvia, Moldova and Serbia, which were invited by the Central Electoral Commission of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, visited the largest cities of Crimea - Simferopol, Yalta, Evpatoria, Alushta, Saki, as well as many villages in the countryside All observers unanimously noted that the referendum was held in full compliance with international standards. (Emphasis added.)

However, according to the fake upholders of democracy at the United Nations, it does not matter over 90% of the people of Crimea no longer want to be associated with Kyiv-Ukraine, now effectively Ukronaziland, and soon to be a landlocked rump state, thanks to Vicky Nuland and her neo-Nazi co-conspirators.

For the UN, NATO, and USG, the will of the people is irrelevant, only the skewed rule of law mandates handed down arrogantly by a mega-state are legitimate. The ethnic Russians of Crimea, having lived there for centuries, are expected to obey the UN-EU-NATO authoritarians and allow sadistic neo-Nazis to rape, torture, and kill them.

Thats how mob rulewhat is pleasantly referred to as the will of the peopleworks: 50.0001% can demand, at gun or drone point, what the losers do, say, and think. Thats how it works in theory. In reality, the ruling elite, through propaganda and other forms of manipulation (including dramatic false flags), shape the opinions and emotions of a vast number of Americans.

So now, we are told the secret service of Ukraine blew a hole in the 19-kilometer bridge spanning the Kerch Strait from Crimea to Russia. The bridge remains operational, especially its train route, and will be repaired in short order. The bomb was supposedly ferried by a suicide driver. Sensationalistic videos of the explosion are proliferating on corporate media websites.

Zelenskyy and his neo-Nazi collaborators no doubt consider this incident, which did not disable to bridge, a major propaganda victory. Maybe it is for the Nazi flag saluting miscreants in Kyiv. Russian munitions and troops will continue to be moved into Crimea over the bridge in preparation for the plannedno doubt with assistance from NATO, the Pentagon, and the CIAneo-Nazi invasion of the peninsula.

If Russia is going to put an end to the genocidal insanity of Vicky Nulands installation of Nazi ultranationalists and their sworn mission to torture and kill all Russians (in addition to others considered sub-human, including Jews, for instance, Nuland herself, of Ukrainian Jewish ancestry), it will need to get serious in Ukraine. That will require at a minimum taking out all the bridges on the Dnieper River, including the old Darnytskyi bridges in Kyiv.
A Chinese police station set up to spy on the countrys nationals in Lower Manhattan is run by a US charity that is on an IRS blacklist, The Post has learned.

The non-profit America ChangLe Association NY Inc. owns and operates the service station located above a noodle shop on the third floor of 107 East Broadway on the Lower East Side, according to public filings.

In May, the IRS yanked the groups tax-exempt status for its failure to submit tax filings for three straight years, according to public records.

The non-profit, which was incorporated in New York in 2013 and listed its charitable mission as a social gathering place for Fujianese people, paid $1.3 million three years later for the suite of offices that houses the Fuzhou Police Overseas Chinese Affairs bureau, filings show.

The Manhattan station is part of a web of more than 100 such law enforcement offices set up around the world by the Peoples Republic of China, ostensibly to help Chinese nationals renew their government-issued identification and drivers licenses.

But the stations have more sinister purposes, such as spying on the Chinese diaspora for the Chinese Communist Party, according to a recent whistle-blower report.

Openly labeled as overseas police service stations  they contribute to resolutely cracking down on all kinds of illegal and criminal activities involving overseas Chinese,' according to a September report by Safeguard Defenders, a Madrid-based human rights group that documents Chinese repression around the world.
More and more, formerly normie (usually boomer) leaders foster the new populist political culture. In their rhetoric they echo how enormous disaffected swathes of the general population feel about the current state of affairs.

Trump hit on the populist rage in 2015-16 instinctively because he is, if anything, a gifted self-marketer. He doesnt think in the same way as a conventional politician; he senses the audiences mood and adapts to it.

Because his political calculations were different (in the sense that he largely didnt make calculations at all), he became free to break with Republican orthodoxy. Voters awarded him richly for it in the primaries.

National American politics had never seen anything like Trump, a candidate who, no matter how hard the establishment leaned on him to cater his rhetoric to the donor class  in spite of the pleadings from advisors in the consultant class that surely occurred before every public appearance after he won the nomination  just said whatever he wanted. Voters reveled in the authenticity, and the corporate media cried.

Trumps rapid ascension on the national stage offers multiple lessons. One, maybe the most important, is that when a politician liberates himself from the donor class leash and lets it rip, his political appeal to average voters exponentially rises.

For Trumps successes, though, he didnt ever pinpoint the roots of the corporate state rot  presumably due, in part, to his lack of interest in the nuances of state machinery.



Italys based new far right Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, did pinpoint arguably the most important cornerstone that buttresses corporate state power.

She has seemingly fingered the elephant in the room: the multinational banks that distribute and fund the projects that the multinational corporate state wants. The financial services sector funds 72% of all US economic activity.

The banks lend to whom the corporate state wants; they debank its enemies. They function as the arteries that nourish the corporate states appendages, like the national security apparatus. We (meaning anyone who doesnt want to live like a slave) need to deal with them.

Before the World Congress of Families in March 2019, Meloni laid out her ideological vision in this regard in more explicit terms than perhaps any other mainstream populist leader in recent memory:

https://twitter.com/MRobertsQLD/status/1574263707001008129?t=Ab5fKgtF8eB11WolWKFs9A&s=03

I cant define myself as Italian, Christian, woman, mother. No When I no longer have an identity or roots, then I will be the perfect slave at the mercy of financial speculators  We do not want to be numbers. We will defend the value of the human being.

She elaborated further in the same speech on the concept of identity and social cohesion, and how they serve as bulwarks against social engineering:

This is about what we are doing here today. Why is the family the 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.

Seemingly disparate issues  mutilating the nuclear family via intentionally confusing gender configurations, flooding immigrants across borders, denigrating patriotism as somehow extreme or violent  all have a common thread: the corporate state views national, family, and individual identity as threats to its hegemony.

In the multinational, increasingly borderless corporate state, near-slave labor is kosher, but conservative nonprofits promoting nuclear families are beyond the pale for giant actors like Amazon:

In yet another slap in the face from far-left tech giants to conservatives, Amazon.com recently doubled down on its policy that prohibits customers from donating proceeds from their purchases to well-established conservative nonprofits like the Family Research Council and the Alliance Defending Freedom.

The family (and more obviously freedom, both economic and social, which confer options and competition to average people) dont serve Jeff Bezos business model or, ultimately, his vision for the world, which is essentially a technocratic penal colony.

The family lends identity to the individual, and identity lends meaning and self-respect. A sense of purpose and self-respect, in turn, are antithetical to accepting unfulfilling drudgery for subsistence wages on behalf of some faceless entity as your station in life.



The corporate state has melted down in response to Melonis victory. They havent attacked another politician as viciously since, arguably, Trump. Definitely since Bolsonaro in Brazil.

Ironically, MSNBC is here to inform its viewers, Melonis a fascist even though she was democratically elected.

The fascist  like Russian agent  smear doesnt have the same impact anymore since MSNBC hurled it at anyone tangentially connected to Trump for seven straight years.

So Meloni was further predictably smeared as anti-Semitic, as anyone who criticizes banks does.

Banks cleverly hide behind the Holocaust by conflating criticism of their own policies with Jew-hate. Anne Franks loss is Goldman Sachs gain.

-

Italian Prime Ministers are usually unremarkable as far as garnering interest from Americans or even other Western European states. There is a reason the corporate press is sparing no expense in vilifying this one: she is legitimately menacing, assuming her rhetoric is sincere and she ultimately executes on her stated intentions.

She resonates with Italians and regular people worldwide because she espouses basic truths. The corporate media, unable to argue on the merits, conflates those basic truths with far right hate speech to deter as many regular people as possible from forming similar conclusions as Meloni has about who runs their lives and to what end.

In the modern context, the far right label is a misnomer; there is no far right in the same form as the fascist movements of the mid-20th century.

This is humans vs. the machine, as Meloni has hit on it in her own religious and culturally conservative way. Join team humanity by enlisting in a parallel society/economy.

Ben Bartee is an independent Bangkok-based American journalist with opposable thumbs. Follow his stuff via Armageddon Prose and/or Substack, Patreon, Gab, and Twitter.

Bitcoin public address: 14gU3aHBXkNq8bDqmibfnubV7kSJqfx5LX
VISHAKHAPATNAM: Narsipatnam YSRC legislator P. Umashankar was injured in a bike rally when his motorcycle was hit by another two-wheeler as he was riding his vehicle in the group. His leg was injured in the incident and he was shifted to a private hospital in Vizag city where he is undergoing treatment. His condition is said to be stable.

The MLA, along with his followers, has organised a motorcycle rally in Gologunda mandal of Narsipatnam Assembly segment of Anakapalli district in support of decentralisation proposal by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Avocado and berry grower Costa Group says there is no evidence sensitive employee tax and passport data has been leaked or uploaded to the dark web despite its systems being hacked.

The ASX-listed horticulture business is the latest Australian company to fall victim to a cyberattack, warning on Friday of a phishing attack on its server which holds data for the companys berry operations.

The company said there was a risk that personal data of workers on its berry farms had been compromised. Credit:Shutterstock

Costa said the company couldnt tell exactly what the hackers accessed in August, as they encrypted their downloads, but there was a risk that the personal information of workers, hired directly by the company since 2013 or by labour hire firms since 2019, may have been compromised.

This sensitive information may include the following: passport details, bank details, superannuation details [and] tax file numbers, the company said.
Renowned educationist and social worker from Feorozepur district, Dr. Anirudh Gupta has been honored by the President of Mauritius Prithviraj Singh Roopun for playing an important role in the field of education and skills development. Gupta was honored in a grand event organized at World Hindi Secretariat at Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Leela Devi, High Commissioner Nandini Singla besides top notch personalities from the education world

While interacting with the President, Dr. Gupta also invited him to visit Punjab on the occasion of Platinum Jubilee celebrations of DCM Group adding his visit will strengthen cultural ties between India and Mauritius. Dr. Gupta said that at present there is a dire need to provide such education to the students which can be useful in their profession also. The Mauritius President highly appreciated the work being done by Dr. Gupta and said that the efforts being made by Dr. Gupta to educate the thousands of students belonging to border region with the help of modern technology are praiseworthy and everyone should take inspiration from him. While praising Dr. Gupta, the President said that though Dr. Gupta belongs to a border district, his efforts to raise the level of education are incomparable.

While interacting with the President, Dr. Gupta also invited him to visit Punjab on the occasion of Platinum Jubilee celebrations of DCM Group adding his visit will strengthen cultural ties between India and Mauritius. Dr. Gupta said that at present there is a dire need to provide such education to the students which can be useful in their profession also.

It is pertinent to mention here that before this, Dr. Gupta has been awarded as the Edupreneur of the Year Award six times besides Edu Leader of the Year, Times Power Icon Award 2021 award. Dr. Gupta was also included among 21 celebrities of the country's leading education world.

It is also worth mentioning that Anirudh Gupta has already represented the state and the country at various forums and is trying to give a new identity to India in the field of education. Dr. Gupta was earlier selected for the BAT Asia Leadership Award 2021 by Anirudh Gupta, CEO, DCM Group of Schools, by BAT Asia, the largest educational summit held in Group Asia. Gupta has also been included in the top 21 Edupreneur in India.

Dr. Gupta said that for him this award is only a symbol of the fact that a person wants to move ahead in any field with hard work, determination and honesty. My aim is to take the youth belonging to this border belt forward in the field of higher level education, sports, IT, social service., added. Dr. Gupta

As soon as CEO Anirudh Gupta reached Ferozepur after receiving the award, he was given a grand welcome. DCM Group Deputy CEO (Academics) Dr. Gopan Gopala Krishnan and Director Admin Retired Brigadier Navdeep Mathur said that it is a matter of pride for the entire India that Dr Gupta has received such an appreciation at the international level. He said that due to the efforts of Dr. Gupta, world class education is being provided to the students of this border area.

On this occasion Deputy Director Manjit Singh Dhillon, PRO Vikramaditya Sharma, Deputy Head Yogita Puri, Head Estate Satnam Singh, Head Sports Ajalpreet, Head Finance Deepak Monga, Deepika, Mayank Sharma, Stuti, Satbir and others were present.
International musicals juggernaut Wicked will come to Sydneys Lyric Theatre in 2023 during what will be the shows 20th anniversary year.

Wicked premiered on Broadway in 2003 and was last seen in Australia in 2015 after a tour of the region that amassed nearly 2000 performances and played to more than two million people.

Kristin Chenoweth in the original Broadway cast of Wicked.

Destination NSW, the state governments tourism and events arm, has been instrumental in securing the production. However, a government spokesperson wouldnt reveal the financial incentives behind the deal, saying details were commercial in confidence.

Arts and Tourism Minister Ben Franklin claimed Wicked, which opens on August 24, would result in a significant boost for the NSW visitor economy.
Australia should stop trying to eradicate the millions of feral pigs roaming the continent and instead batten down the hatches against them, experts say.

No one knows exactly how many of the hairy pests inhabit the country, although estimates range from 3.2 million to 30 million.

Feral pigs dig for food with their snouts, releasing huge amounts of carbon trapped in the soil.

They cost farmers about $100 million each year by destroying crops and pasture, spreading weeds and diseases, and damaging infrastructure such as fences, according to Australian Pork Limited.

Theyre also fouling up wilderness areas and eating native animals, particularly in northern Australia.
She wore a short blue dress with huge, puffed sleeves and strappy platform shoes in cream. Shes very ordinary, isnt she? said a woman at the back of the crowd. It seemed an odd way to describe the girl who revolutionised fashion in the 1960s, but you could see what she meant. In the nicest possible way, Mary Quant is ordinary - she comes across as a very natural, friendly, touchable person, and she still looks very much like a schoolgirl. As she said just before she left for lunch: I think I was born never wanting to grow up... I just didnt like wearing grown-up clothes. Examples from Mary Quants cosmetics range. Credit:Ronald Stewart

MARY QUANT IS GROWN UP NOW...

The girl who started a revolution

October 8 Its all right to be grown up again, says Mary Quant. People have got tired of dressing up like little girls. Now its even all right not to look totally destitute! Her spring range will be made up of what she describes as modern classics, in suitings, Viyellas, flannels and Liberty prints. But Australians will not see much of it. This is because of the problems of having things made abroad under licence. We would have to come here to work on each collection, she said.

Although Mary Quant cosmetics are available in 98 different countries, only very limited ranges of her clothes can be sent overseas. Miss Quant and her Australian counterpart, Prue Acton, met in Melbourne for drinks. Not to her surprise, Mary learned that Prue has to travel often to Hong Kong and Japan to supervise her collections there. If there is such a thing as a philosophy of fashion, Miss Quant has it. She will not send a collection to a manufacturer and say: Copy it. She believes make-up should look natural and soft, and she finds the perfect-in-every detail look: (as achieved by international jet-setting women), boring. Her husband, Mr Alexander Plunket - Greene, thoroughly agrees with her. At their press conference at the Chevron Hotel yesterday, he said:

Its all right to be grown up again, says Mary Quant. October 07, 1972. Credit:Staff photographer Whenever I hear people say: You wouldnt touch her with a barge-pole/ I think of the rich international jetset, not of grubby little girls. For several years, the Plunket-Greenes have been getting away from it all on their farm, one and a-half hours drive south of London. During the week, they live in Chelsea, in a five or six storey, tall and thin, house. They have help in the house and a nanny for their three year-old son, Orlando. But at weekends, they send the nanny home so that they can have Orlando all to themselves. Orlando is travelling with them on their current tour of Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong. During the trip, they have given in gracefully to everyones curiosity about their son. But at home they have a firm rule that Orlando will be kept, as far as possible, out of the public eye. The British public are very good about leaving you alone, said Alexander. Even at the time she got her OBE, Mary could go anywhere she liked without people bothering her.

Alexander says that he fears everything for his sonheights, aeroplanes (of which he is nervous himself) and most of all, the danger of Orlandos becoming a kind of infant celebrity. So, although his wife designs hosiery, knitwear, sunglasses and spectacle frames, clothes, make-up, shoes, jewellery and even textiles, she does not design babies clothes. Loading I know Mary would love to, said her husband, but we would hate Orlando to become a walking advertisement for Mary Quant babywear. She does not design clothes for pre-teenagers, either. This, Alexander describes as a sound bit of psychology.
Arrests made over Sydney murder charge

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[The review] was initiated in response to multiple expressions of community concern, particularly in relation to the use of statutory declarations, rather than any specific concerns about fraud, they said. We are seeking feedback and further input from members of our own and the broader community, representative organisations and other universities on this culturally significant matter. But the proposed policy has been criticised by students and academics, concerned the institution already struggles to attract Indigenous students. The universitys 2021-2024 Indigenous strategy says it is committed to increasing Indigenous enrolment: 0.9 per cent of its students identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, compared to a national sector average of 1.72 per cent. On Wednesday, the University of Sydneys student representative council passed a motion opposing the change, which it believes could exclude deserving students from needed support.

This new policy is likely to disproportionately affect Indigenous people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, a group of Indigenous students opposing the change said in a statement. In some circumstances students may come from abusive families, have been in foster care or for other reasons not be able to get family documentation to undergo the process that has been proposed. Professor Jakelin Troy, a Ngarigu woman and director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research at the university, said she understood why the change had been made, but was sad about the outcome. Its a response to a push from some parts of Aboriginal Australia, but not all of us, she said, adding it was untrue to say Indigenous students were being excluded from scholarship opportunities because they were being taken by people with lesser connections to community. We have scholarships going begging every year; nobody has been excluded from a scholarship because we dont have enough.

The policy will not apply retrospectively, but will impact future students seeking Indigenous scholarships, including housing scholarships, and applicants for Indigenous staff roles. Students and staff will not be prevented from otherwise identifying as Indigenous on campus and will still be able to access the universitys Gadigal Centre, which provides academic, pastoral and cultural support to Indigenous students. While Moran was sympathetic to students who may be impacted  its no fault of theirs, the university should never have allowed it  he described self-identification of Aboriginality as a nightmare thats got out of control. The number of people identifying as Indigenous in Australia has been increasing since the 1980s. In the 2021 census, 3.2 per cent of people identified as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, double the proportion 20 years ago. Statutory declarations are an established way of demonstrating Indigenous identity to state and federal bodies if a person cannot gain confirmation from an Indigenous organisation. Supporting documentation is usually also required.

Loading For example, the NSW Aboriginal Housing Office allows statutory declarations as a last resort, with an explanation for their use ideally provided in the declaration along with supporting documents. Under the universitys existing policy, enacted in 2015, students and staff needing to establish they are Indigenous for the purposes of accessing specific programs, services or opportunities can provide a statutory declaration affirming they meet the three-part test if they cannot produce Confirmation of Aboriginality from a land council in an area they reside or previously lived, or an incorporated community organisation, such as an Aboriginal medical or legal service. Other Sydney universities allow a person to identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander using a statutory declaration if confirmation documents are not available. At UNSW, supporting documentation must be provided, but this can be as informal as a letter from a students high school. Western Sydney University requires at least a second statutory declaration from another Indigenous person who is not a relative, while Macquarie recognises self-identification without further documentation.

However, the University of Newcastles policy is similar to that proposed by the University of Sydney. Moran hoped the change at the University of Sydney would spur reviews at other universities. A spokesperson for UNSW confirmed it was also currently undertaking a review of guidelines and decisions regarding confirmation of Aboriginality for [its] programs, appointments and scholarships and would publish revised guidelines following an internal consultation period. Macquarie University Aboriginal academic Professor Bronwyn Carlson, author of the book The Politics of Identity: Who Counts as Aboriginal Today?, said scrapping statutory declarations was a move that will create issues. Loading
There have been chaotic scenes across the state overnight as wild weather saw the NSW SES forced to carry out 21 dangerous flood rescues.

They included the rescue of a person who became trapped in their vehicle with water up to their seat when intense flash flooding hit the Central Coast, a vehicle that overturned in floodwaters at The Freshwater on the Clarence River near Grafton and a medical evacuation in northern metropolitan Sydney.

New South Wales SES Commissioner Carlene York urged people to show additional caution on the roads.

I reiterate, it is very dangerous out there on the roads and we are seeing a lot of flash flooding and the rivers are still rising, she said.

They have not peaked in some locations.

York said the ground was so saturated it raised the likelihood of dangerous flash flood in the event of further rain.

The Yarramundi Bridge at North Richmond was closed in the early hours of Sunday morning.

York said it was very likely the North Richmond bridge and the Windsor bridge would be closed later tonight because the rivers are still rising.

We will close those bridges if we find it is dangerous and the water is likely to overflow in those areas, she said.

The NSW SES has issued 94 warnings, including six emergency warnings, as a result of the weather event.

The newest evacuation orders are for parts of Lower Portland, the community of Agnes Banks near Richmond and the Riverside Ski Park at Cattai.

We again have a lot of resources out there that are helping the communities when they most need assistance from us, York said.

A really important time for our communities who are at risk of flooding or effects of the weather to prepare and get some provisions in if you think you might be cut off again.

NSW SES has clarified the rescue of the overturned car occurred at The Freshwater on the Clarence River near Grafton.
Queensland tourism operators are offering more than 500 deals for accommodation, flights and experiences to entice travellers to visit.

Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the Seize the Days tourism campaign was designed to encourage Australians, and Queenslanders, to take a holiday before years end.

The clock is running down on 2022 to experience more of Queenslands great sights, such as the Curtis Falls track in Tamborine National Park. Credit:Tourism and Events Queensland

Today, the next phase of the Seize the Days campaign is rolling out in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland in print and digital, with more than 500 Queensland holiday deals from 260 operators and travel partners, Hinchliffe said on Sunday morning.

Its already October and that means the clock is running down on 2022 to experience more of Queenslands great lifestyle before the start of the peak Christmas and New Year holiday season.
A second man has been charged over the alleged murder of a man who tried to intervene in an argument outside a Brisbane home and was shot in the chest.

Police were called to a Cliveden Avenue address at Corinda just before 3.30am on Tuesday where the body of 38-year-old Inala man Timothy Van Vo, who was originally from Sydney, was found.

It is alleged he intervened in a confrontation between a group of people and a man at 321 Cliveden Avenue before he was shot at close range with a shotgun.

On Wednesday night, seven vehicles were destroyed by fire at a Gladstone Road unit complex at Dutton Park in Brisbanes inner south.
Protesters from climate change activist group Extinction Rebellion have been arrested after glueing themselves to a Picasso painting at the National Gallery of Victoria on Sunday.

Two protesters wearing black clothing with Extinction Rebellion logos glued their hands to the protective covering of the artwork, Massacre in Korea, which is part of the Picasso Century exhibit.

Protesters glue themselves to a Picasso painting at the NGV. Credit:Twitter: Jane Morton

The protesters laid a large black banner at their feet that said, Climate Chaos = War + Famine.

In footage posted to social media one of the protesters shouted, our government have failed us to gallery visitors.
There is this myth that homelessness is unsolvable, but we know how to end homelessness on Melbournes streets, Hatvani says. Progress has been made in the City of Port Phillip, which for years has been a homelessness hotspot. The number of rough sleepers has dropped by 30 per cent; from a peak of 94 in September 2019 to 29 in July this year. Its an early-stage result, but its still very, very encouraging, and its better than most other results that weve had in our programs over the past 20 years or so, says Mayor Marcus Pearl. Council to Homeless Persons CEO Jenny Smith said while functional zero was important, the scheme focused on rough sleepers, who make up only about 5 per cent of the wider homeless population. People can get very excited that they are dealing with homelessness, but its only a small group, she said. Youre focused on a very visible vulnerable group, youve got to be careful to look out for young people, vulnerable women and children as well  people who havent been homeless for a long time.

People remain on the By-Name List while they are rough sleeping or in crisis or transitional accommodation. They are only taken off the list if they have obtained secure long-term housing, moved out of the area or services have not been able to contact them for more than 90 days. But there are also critics of functional zero. Guy Johnson, a professor of homelessness at RMIT, said it was misleading to suggest someone was no longer homeless if they had moved out of the area or were uncontactable. Loading

Most likely, theyre still homeless, Johnson says. Any conclusions that you draw from that data are going to be flawed. If a community does achieve functional zero, it may well be interpreted by some that theyve actually ended homelessness. And this is likely to be far from the case. When St Kildas Gatwick Hotel closed in 2017, services in the City of Port Phillip worked together to rehouse those who had been living in the notorious rooming house. They built on this collaboration when the Port Phillip Zero pilot began that year, meeting every week to find tailored housing and support for each individual on the By-Name List. Indigenous people and those aged over 50 are prioritised. The advantage that we have now is that information is instant, says Nicola Miles, the By-Name List worker for the City of Port Phillip. Were all sitting in front of our computers with our clients details in front of us, and we can quickly share information about whether weve seen them, whether theyve been accessing services.

Key to Port Phillip Zeros success has been 15 services working together rather than operating separately. But there is still the challenge of a lack of social housing, with 55,000 households on the waiting list. In July 2020, the Victorian government announced the From Homelessness to a Hotel program, providing $167 million to house and support people who were put up in hotels during lockdowns. Importantly, through this measure, people sleeping rough were moved to a higher priority position on the social housing waiting list. Housing has become a little bit more available since the peak of the pandemic, says Hatvani, the functional zero manager at Launch Housing.

Our job was really to get as many people into it as possible from the By-Name List. Paul with his support worker from Wintringham, Lauren Finnegan. Credit:Jason South This meant Paul could finally be moved into housing and has a support worker provided by housing and homelessness not-for-profit company Wintringham. Adelaide and Brisbane are both working towards functional zero. In Victoria, Advance to Zero projects are also being rolled out in Dandenong, Stonnington and Frankston local government areas. A further three councils are considering them. Local government is a huge champion of this in Victoria, philanthropy has backed this, the sector have backed it, says David Pearson, the CEO of the Australian Alliance to End Homelessness, an independent organisation that supports local communities to end homelessness.

But whilst the Victorian government led the way in responding to COVID, it is one of the few governments that has never invested in Advance to Zero methodology directly. The government says it funds Launch Housing to manage assertive outreach teams, which assist functional zero approaches in Frankston and Dandenong and a supportive housing team in Dandenong. In addition, the Private Rental Assistance Program Plus provides tailored and targeted outreach support to assist people to attain and retain private rental housing. The Andrews Labor government is supporting innovative solutions and partnerships that seek to end rough sleeping in our local communities, a spokesperson says. Loading
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
Federal spending on road and rail projects will be overhauled in new laws to be put to parliament within months to prevent a sudden slump in infrastructure funding from $17.5 billion this year and ensure the mammoth plans can shore up economic growth.

The federal government will use the laws to shake up its peak advisory group, Infrastructure Australia, and demand a sharper focus on a shorter list of national priorities after talks with state leaders on the construction projects that deserve the most funding. The changes will ensure federal money is committed to infrastructure projects that are likely to be built by the states within the funding timeframe.

Infrastructure Minister Catherine King (right), pictured with NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, will work with the states to achieve a smooth pipeline of federal infrastructure spending. Credit:Nick Moir

The talks have also cleared the way for a new round of infrastructure spending in the October 25 budget when the government believes a global recession is probable and wants a steady flow of spending on construction to support domestic growth.

Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said she wanted a more powerful statutory agency to advise on the priority list of major projects, which currently has 167 ideas but will need to be focused on the most urgent spending on work of the greatest national significance.
NSW and Victoria are warning they cant meet the deadline for the $13 billion Murray-Darling Basin Plan, imperilling a key election promise of the Albanese government and forcing federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek into a clash with state ministers who hold the fate of the reform in their hands.

Labor secured 77 lower house seats in the May federal election, just one more than the bare minimum needed to form a majority government, winning one crucial seat  Boothby  from the Liberals after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged to deliver the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in full.

Water Minister Tanya Plibersek and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Boothby is a marginal Adelaide electorate at the bottom of the Murray-Darling river system, where residents rely on flows from upstream in Victoria, NSW and Queensland to keep their river healthy.

Albanese kicked off Labors campaign in Boothby announcing a new $26 million national water commission to complete the basin plan, which is legislated to be finalised by the end of 2024, but currently behind schedule largely because NSW and Victoria are lagging on key infrastructure works and water reforms.
Opposition leader Matthew Guy has denied the Liberal Party is beset by major problems, including a multimillion-dollar funding shortfall, just two months out from the state election.

The Age on Saturday revealed the partys state director Sam McQuestin, who as campaign director is supposed to be in charge of election policy and planning, recently threatened to resign over disagreements with Guys chief-of-staff Nick McGowan.

Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has denied the Liberal Partys campaign is beset by troubles less than two months from the state election. Credit:Scott McNaughton

The Cormack Foundation  a Liberal-aligned investment fund not bound by donation caps  has given the party less than $2 million so far, despite the campaign seeking between $4 million and $5 million.

When asked if the party was running into financial troubles, Guy said no.
Manila: Philippine police killed three detained Muslim militants linked to the Islamic State group after they staged a jail rampage on Sunday that saw a police officer stabbed and a former opposition senator briefly held hostage in a failed escape attempt from the maximum-security facility in the police headquarters in the capital, police said.

National police chief General Rodolfo Azurin jnr said former senator Leila de Lima was unhurt and taken to a hospital for a checkup following the brazen escape and hostage-taking attempt at the detention centre for prominent inmates at the main police camp in Metropolitan Manila.

Jailed senator Leila de Lima. Credit:AP

One of the three inmates stabbed a police officer who was delivering breakfast after dawn in an open area, where inmates could exercise outdoors. A police officer in a sentry tower fired warning shots, and then shot and killed two of the prisoners, including Abu Sayyaf commander Idang Susukan, when they refused to yield, police said.

The third inmate ran to de Limas cell and briefly held her hostage, but he was also gunned down by police commandos, Azurin said.
Washington: It was a media extravaganza, Putin style. At the lead of a small truck convoy, Russian President Vladimir Putin drove an orange dump truck flying Russian flags across a portion of the Crimean Bridge in 2018, proudly inaugurating a 20 kilometres colossus of steel and concrete connecting the Crimean Peninsula he illegally annexed from Ukraine to mainland Russia. At the end of the ride, he was met with cheers and applause.

Even during the reign of the czars, people dreamed of building this bridge, Putin boasted. Finally, thanks to your hard work and talents, this project, this miracle, has come true.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the Kerch bridge linking Crimea to mainland Russia in March 2018. Credit:AP

At about 6am on Saturday (Ukraine time), a giant explosion sent a fireball rolling across Putins crown jewel thanks, it could be said, to Putins own hard work in launching an invasion of Ukraine in February. Portions of the bridge, among the longest in Europe, could be seen sinking in the water.

While parts of the bridge reportedly reopened to traffic a few hours after the explosion, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the government didnt have a timeline for making the bridge fully functional again. Initial information provided by a top Russian law enforcement agency suggested three people had been killed, including a truck driver.
If attempts continue to carry out terrorist acts on our territory, Russias responses will be harsh and in their scale will correspond to the level of threats created for the Russian Federation. No one should have any doubt about that, he said. Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky said the rush hour attacks appeared to have been deliberately timed to kill people. Belaruss Lukashenko deploys troops with Russia The attacks came as Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said Belarus and Russia would deploy a joint military task force in response to what he called an aggravation of tension on the countrys western borders. Lukashenko said the two countries would deploy a regional military group, and had started pulling forces together two days ago, apparently after the explosion on Russias bridge to Crimea.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (right) attends a meeting with military top officials in Minsk. Credit:BelTA Pool Photo via AP Strikes on the territory of Belarus are not just being discussed in Ukraine today, but are also being planned, Lukashenko said at a meeting on security, without providing evidence for the assertion. Their owners are pushing them to start a war against Belarus to drag us there, he said. We have been preparing for this for decades. If necessary, we will respond. Lukashenko said that a warning was delivered to Belarus through unofficial channels that Ukraine planned Crimean Bridge 2, though he did not give details. My answer was simple: Tell the president of Ukraine and the other lunatics: if they touch one metre of our territory then the Crimean Bridge will seem to them like a walk in the park.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. Putin said the latest strikes on Kyiv was in retaliation to Ukrainian attacks, including on a bridge to Crimea. Credit:AP In Kyiv, the body of a man in jeans lay in a street at a major intersection, surrounded by flaming cars. In a park, a soldier cut through the clothes of a woman who lay in the grass to try to treat her wounds. Two other women were bleeding nearby. A huge crater gaped next to a childrens playground in a central Kyiv park. The remains of an apparent missile were buried, smoking in the mud. More volleys of missiles struck the capital again later in the morning. Pedestrians huddled for shelter at the entrance of Metro stations and inside parking garages. By mid-morning, Ukraines defence ministry said Russia had fired 75 cruise missiles, and Ukraines air defences had shot down 41 of them.

Cars burn after Russias military strike on the Ukranian capital. Credit:Reuters Security camera footage posted online showed a cloud of shrapnel and flame engulfing a glass-bottomed footbridge across parkland in the city centre, one of Kyivs most popular tourist sites. The bridge appeared to have been empty at the time. They are trying to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the earth, Zelensky said on the Telegram messaging app. The air raid sirens do not subside throughout Ukraine. There are missiles hitting. Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded. He later said the strikes had two main targets: energy infrastructure and people. Such a time and such targets were specially chosen to cause as much damage as possible.

Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians. People receive medical treatment at the scene of Russian shelling, in Kyiv. Credit:AP Talks with missiles Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted: Putins only tactic is terror on peaceful Ukrainian cities, but he will not break Ukraine down. This is also his response to all appeasers who want to talk with him about peace: Putin is a terrorist who talks with missiles. A damaged tower block at the scene of Russian shelling in Kyiv. Credit:AP

At one of Kyivs busiest road junctions, a massive crater had been blown into the intersection. Buildings were damaged and two cars and a van near the crater was completely wrecked, blacked and pitted from shrapnel. Windows had been blown out of buildings at Kyivs main Taras Shevchenko University. National Guard troops in full combat gear and carrying assault rifles were lined up outside an education union building. The capital is under attack from Russian terrorists! The missiles hit objects in the city centre (in the Shevchenkivskyi district) and in the Solomyanskyi district. The air raids sirens are going off, and therefore the threat, continues, mayor Vitali Klitschko posted on social media. Emergency service personnel attend to the site of a blast next to a childrens playground. Credit:Getty The central streets of Kyiv have been blocked by law enforcement officers, rescue services are working.

He later said important infrastructure had been hit. The strikes came two days after an explosion damaged the only bridge over the Kerch Strait to the Crimea peninsula, which Putin on Sunday called an act of terrorism aimed at destroying critically important civilian infrastructure. This was devised, carried out and ordered by the Ukrainian special services, he said in a video on the Kremlins Telegram channel. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the blast on the bridge but has celebrated it. Senior Russian officials demanded a swift response from the Kremlin ahead of a meeting of Putins security council on Monday.

Lesia Vasylenko, a member of Ukraines parliament, posted a photo on Twitter showing that at least one explosion occurred near the main building of the Kyiv National University in central Kyiv. Commentators on Russian television have increasingly been calling for massive retaliation against Ukraine, with the military leadership facing public criticism for the first time as Russian forces have been beaten back on the battlefield. The bridge, which Putin personally opened, is a major supply route for Russian forces in southern Ukraine and a symbol of Russias control of Crimea, the peninsula it proclaimed annexed after its troops seized it in 2014. Flames and smoke rise from the Kerch bridge, linking Crimea to the Russian mainland. Credit:AP Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said ahead of the council meeting that Russia should kill the terrorists responsible for the attack.

Russia can only respond to this crime by directly killing terrorists, as is the custom elsewhere in the world. This is what Russian citizens expect, he was quoted by state news agency TASS. Alexander Bastrykin, the head of Russias Investigative Committee, said on Sunday a vehicle had exploded on the bridge, having travelled through Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, North Ossetia and Russias Krasnodar region. In southeastern Ukraine, Russian shelling overnight destroyed another apartment building in the city of Zaporizhzhia, regional governor Oleksandr Starukh said early on Monday. At least one person died and five were injured in the attack, a city official said. Loading

The pre-dawn strikes were the third Russian missile attack against apartment buildings in four days in the city, the Ukrainian-held capital of one of four partially occupied regions Russia claims to have annexed this month. Russia has faced major setbacks on the battlefield since the start of September, with Ukrainian forces bursting through the front lines and recapturing territory in the northeast and the south. Putin responded to the losses by ordering a mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of reservists, proclaiming the annexation of occupied territory and threatening repeatedly to use nuclear weapons. Western leaders condemn Russias strikes President Joe Biden condemned the utter brutality of Russias missile barrage at civilian targets. In a statement he signalled he could approve new sanctions on Russia and weapons shipments to Ukraine.

He said the US and its allies would continue to impose costs on the Kremlin and provide the support necessary for Ukrainian forces to defend their country and their freedom. These attacks only further reinforce our commitment to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes, the president said. French President Emanuel Macron expressed extreme concern. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly tweeted that Russias firing of missiles into civilian areas of Ukraine is unacceptable. Russia once again has shown to the world what it stands for. It is terror and brutality, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The Group of Seven industrial powers scheduled a videoconference Tuesday on the situation, which Zelenskyy will address.
CHIP WAR: The Fight for the Worlds Most Critical Technology

Author: Chris Miller

Publisher: Simon & Schuster India

Pages: 350

Price: Rs 799

On April 19, 1965, an article with a title only an engineer could love  Cramming More Components Onto Integrated Circuits  appeared in Electronics magazine, a trade journal about the radio industry.

The earnest meditation on component-cramming by Gordon E Moore, an electronics engineer who went on to run Intel, should have been a niche exercise. Instead, it may be the most influential trade magazine article ever published. By extrapolating from his observations in the nascent industry near San Francisco, Moore managed to foretell the entire future of computing.

Most notably, he predicted that the number of transistors that an engineer could cram on a chip of silicon would double about every two years. This projection has been borne out so impressively over the decades that it is now known as Moores Law. Sixty years ago, four transistors could fit on a chip. Today some 11.8 billion can.

The extraordinary excitement of Moores Law, and the precarity of its ever-upward promise, are central to the pulse-quickening pace of Chris Millers new book, Chip War which chronicles the development, proliferation and strategic deployment of the chips that now animate everything from cars to toys to nukes. Chip War makes a whale of a case: That the chip industry now determines both the structure of the global economy and the balance of geopolitical power.

But the book is not a polemic. Rather, its a non-fiction thriller. The characters are wonderfully eccentric. Some are deeply unsavoury. At the start, theres William Shockley, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and, later, an ignominious eugenicist. Shockley coinvented the transistor, which now makes up the bulk of the elements crammed by the billions onto silicon chips.

In 1955, Shockley opened Shockley Semiconductor, in Mountain View, Calif., in part to be near his elderly mother, who lived in Palo Alto. That contingency is one reason the ancestral home of semiconductors is the San Francisco Bay Area. But the actual founding of Silicon Valley is attributed to the traitorous eight, a group of engineers, including Moore, who split with Shockley in 1957 because he was both so nasty and so unable to think commercially. The eight men collectively started Fairchild . Their leader was the Iowa-born Bob Noyce, the beloved inventor of the microchip. Noyce founded Intel with Moore, and was known until he died in 1990 as the mayor of Silicon Valley.

At the start, the Soviets wanted a piece of the chip game. Miller describes how furtive exchanges of semiconductor research between Moscow and Stanford in the 1960s created a Cold War arms race that shadowed the nuclear one. The spy games of the period also come to life. Alfred Sarant and Joel Barr, Communist New Yorkers and trained engineers, joined Julius Rosenbergs spy ring, fled to the USSR and helped build the Soviet computer industry. Alas, the bureaucrats under Nikita Khrushchev refused to let Soviet scientists pursue their own passions, forcing them to do the undignified work of copying the integrated circuits produced by Texas Instruments. In this way, they fell behind, unable to keep up as chip engineers, in adherence to Moores Law, charged ahead at breakneck speed.

Europes failure to grasp the importance of transistors comes through in a great story about the French president Charles de Gaulle sniffing at a transistor radio  a gift from Hayato Ikeda, the prime minister of Japan, in 1962. Only much later, in the Netherlands, did Europe make its own breakthrough with the invention of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, a technology that continued to shrink transistors when the progress of miniaturisation temporarily stalled. According to Miller, one Dutch company now commands 100 per cent of the EUV market, without which cutting-edge chips cant be built.

Then there is China. What Xi Jinpings China has failed to do is grab its expected share of the chip market. With massive government assistance, the country produces 15 per cent of the worlds silicon chips, according to Millers statistics, a relatively meagre piece of the pie, as China clearly cannot rely on the private capital that has poured into the semiconductor sector in the rest of East Asia. The beneficiaries of this largess include Japan (which makes 17 per cent of the worlds chips) and Taiwan (a whopping 41 per cent).

Taiwan is the Mount Olympus of silicon chips. At its summit is Morris Chang (91), founder of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Having grown up peripatetic in China and British Hong Kong during the Second Sino-Japanese War, he crossed the ocean, completed an engineering degree at MIT and, in 1958, landed at Texas Instruments, where he set his mind to improving the chip-making machinery.

In what would prove a terrible error, Texas Instruments passed over Chang for CEO in the early 1980s. So, at the invitation of the Taiwanese government, Chang headed to Taiwan, where he established TSMC as a set of fabs only  making chips for other companies and no finished electronics.

This formidable collaboration between Taiwan and the democratic world suggests that rumours of globalisms demise are greatly exaggerated. As Chip War makes clear, the clash of resounding arms between autocracy and democracy is powered by silicon chips. In this clash, Taiwan is currently the epicentre of technology, global economics and Chinas high-stakes rivalry with the West. If any book can make general audiences grok the silicon age  and finally recognise how it rivals the atomic age  Chip War is it. And holy moly, its good to read a book about tech thats not about software. Silicon chips are the substrate of digitisation. Trying to understand the digital world by studying only Facebook or Google is like trying to understand architecture by studying only frescoes.
India (AM/NS India) is expecting a gain of $250-300 million per annum from the synergies arising out of the proposed acquisition of infrastructure assets from the .

On August 26, AM/NS India and the announced a definitive agreement for acquisition of port and power assets by the joint venture of global steelmakers for a net value of about $2.4 billion.

The assets are primarily captive to AM/NS Hazira steel plant operations in Gujarat and the gains will be significant once the transaction is closed.

AM/NS Indias deputy chief financial officer, Amit Harlalka, said that a gain of anything between $250-300 million was expected on the current level of steel capacity, which is nine million tonnes per annum (MTPA).

The strategic infrastructure assets that we decided to acquire will expand our footprint and operating efficiencies, and enable real security across our logistics and energy supply chain with immediate and long-term synergies, such as supply chain optimization and significant logistics cost savings, Harlalka said.

Elaborating, Harlalka said operating synergies will be realised through reduced demurrage, lighterage, and wait times at all inbound and outbound port locations.

Through these acquisitions, AM/NS India will also be able to create economies of scale by increasing the draft of the channel throughout the terminals as the Hazira facility expands to generate steel production capacity of 15 MTPA by 2026, he said.

As we grow, these synergies will only strengthen our competitive advantage, Harlalka added.

Since the acquisition of Essar Steel jointly by and in December 2019 under the insolvency law, the endeavour has been to make AM/NS India self-reliant.

That meant acquiring critical infrastructure like captive power plants and slurry pipelines. The latest piece in that strategy is the proposed acquisition of captive port and energy assets, which according to a recent investor and analyst presentation, was expected to be closed in 2022.

Though allied to AM/NS Indias steel facilities, the critical infrastructure assets were not part of the insolvency resolution process for Essar Steel.

The port assets being acquired include: a 25 MTPA captive jetty at bulk port terminal at Hazira; a 16MTPA deep draft terminal at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh and 12 MTPA deep-water jetty at Paradip, Odisha.

The transaction also includes a 270 MW multi-fuel power plant at Hazira and a 515 MW gas-based power plant, with allied land earmarked for Hazira expansion. And a 100 km Gandhar - Hazira transmission line connected the steelmaking complex with the central electricity grid.

AM/NS Indias growth plans in the offing make ownership of the assets important.

The joint venture of the worlds leading steelmakers recently received an environmental clearance for Hazira plant expansion to 15 MTPA. The total capex for the project is pegged at $5.1 billion.

There is scope for further expansion to 20 MTPA at Hazira, which would be less capital intensive than the first phase expansion, the presentation mentioned.
In a first, the government has made it mandatory for interested buyers of to provide details for security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the first stage of the bidding process.

So far, in all instances of CPSE privatisation, the government would seek details regarding security clearance of the bidders at the second stage of the bidding process.

This meant that bidders who qualified in the first or the Expression of Interest (EoI) round, were required to seek security clearance from the government while placing their financial bids.

Inviting Expression of Interest (EoI) from bidders for buying the government and LIC's 60.72 per cent in IDBI Bank, the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) said interested parties (IPs) who clear the 'Fit & Proper' assessment by RBI and the security clearance by the government/MHA shall be notified as the Qualified Interested Parties (QIPs).

Only the QIPs will get access to the data room of for due diligence, following which they put in financial bids.

The interested parties and its directors and shareholders holding more than 10 per cent, or who exercise significant influence, will have to submit a self-declaration regarding whether they are subject to preventive detention proceedings under the Public Safety Act or National Security Act, criminal investigation in which charge sheet has been filed in India or any other foreign country.

The DIPAM last week invited EoIs from prospective bidders of offering to sell 60.72 per cent stake together with LIC. The last date for putting in bids is December 16.

Also, interested parties and each member of the consortium would have to give a declaration or make a detailed disclosure on order/ pending investigation /proceedings by any Court/ regulatory authority/SFIO/ NCLT/ NCLAT, while submitting the EoI.

They have to certify that no investigation by a regulatory authority is pending either against them or against any associate companies, or against any of the directors, chief executive officer (CEO), or other key managerial personnel.

The clear disclosure requirement on pending investigations follows two cases of CPSE privatisation which saw non-disclosure by winning bidder regarding pending cases in the NCLT and NCLAT.

In the case of Central Electronics Ltd, the government has terminated the sale of its 100 per cent stake and disqualified the successful bidder Nandlal Finance and Leasing Private Ltd.

In the case of Pawan Hans strategic sale also the pending NCLT case against Almas Global Opportunity Fund SPC, the lead member of the winning bidder consortium, was not disclosed at the time of putting in bids.

(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 case against by a former recruiter alleging that "to her shock" the tech giant discriminated against Indians, can proceed, a federal judge in New York has ordered.

Judge J. Paul Oetken, hearing the case in New York, threw out late last month requests by and its executives to dismiss the case.

The former recruiter, Jill Prejean, said in court papers seen by IANS that at she "consistently heard from at least a dozen partners, to her shock, that they preferred not to hire additional consultants of Indian national origin".

She has also alleged that she personally faced discrimination as a woman and because of her age when she was dismissed from her New York-based job.

Oetken said that Prejean had shown that there were sufficient grounds for the case alleging "unequal treatment based on her age and gender" by Infosys' three senior executives.

Prejean, who was hired in 2018 to help recruit "high-level executives and/or partners for Infosys", was "dismissed" the next year and it is believed she was "replaced by a younger, less qualified person", the complaint said.

The complaint said that although she worked for Infosys, she had been hired by a company called IT Associates Inc and was paid through them.

Her original complaint in 2020 only said that she was instructed to exclude women with children at home and people near or over the age of 50 from consideration for hiring.

But it was amended last year to include people of "Indian national origin" among victims of alleged discrimination.

It said that Prejean "consistently heard from at least a dozen partners, to her shock, that they preferred not to hire additional consultants of Indian national origin, that they wanted women without children at home, and candidates not approaching 50".

In their meetings, she "apprised the partners that they were advancing illegal criteria and that she would not act on them", the complaint said.

"These preferences were open and notorious and seemed to be the company culture," her complaint said.

The amended complaint also included as defendants Mark Livingston, the CEO of the consulting division, and vice presidents Dan Albright and Jerry Kurtz, while IT Associates appeared to have been dropped.

It said that "among the partners who endorsed illegal criteria were Defendants Kurtz and Albright, who expressly stated them to" her.

The complaint said Livingston "made good on his threats of retaliation" for raising various issues.

(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.)
Ancient Egypt is an enigma that has always been the arid desert seen today, which many assume is. One clue to this question is how climate and landscapes never stay the same, which goes for the land of the pharaohs. A simple no is a response.

History of Ancient Egypt

Ancient or contemporary Egypt is not entirely a desert. Places closer to the Nile River are usually greener, and Egyptians have always enjoyed a productive agricultural economy, reported Live Science.

Changes in the local environment have marked Egypt's long history, both now and earlier.

One such example is the Aswan High Dam, built across the old Nile River; the dam was constructed from 1960 to 1970, which led to major alterations to the local geography, per History.

A few places in Egypt that are currently arid deserts have been moister in the old days. The "Cave of Swimmers" just on the Gilf Kebir plateau in southwest Egypt is a good example.

Presently, the spot is scorching and dry. Still, thousands of years ago, it was moister, and even some of the rock art discovered in caves inside the area apparently shows people in the water, according to the British Museum.

As stated by the British Museum, the above rock artwork was made somewhere between 6,000 and 9,000 years ago in ancient Egypt.

Nevertheless, such a period of greater annual precipitation came to an end approximately 5,000 years ago. Joseph Manning and William K. Live Science spoke with Marilyn Milton Simpson, a professor of classics at Yale University.

Read Also: Kim Jong-un Net Worth 2022: How Wealthy Is North Korea's Leader?

The Aswan high dam would be the reason for floods in the southern parts of Egypt in modern times. Because of the formation of the Lake Nasser reservoir, many modern Nubians had to move due to the high waters. Even old ruins had become sunken as a result.

Flooding was natural for the River Nile, and building the dam would alter its older status. If there was a flood, then it had man-made causes as well. When Lake Nasser arose, that later added more moisture that was not seen earlier in southern Egypt, remarked Manning.

Flooding Before the Aswan Dam

Ancient times were much different compared to when the dam was built, with regular flooding. In Bronze Age, flooding was slightly more frequent than in the Iron Age until the Aswan dam changed this natural flooding pattern.

The Khufu branch of the Nile existed in 2500 B.C. when the Giza pyramids were built. Parts of the river would touch the base of the Giza plateau, which allowed materials to be taken to the foot of the structures. These ancient people thought they even lived on an island in the river.

In 2500 B.C., when the Giza pyramids were constructed, the Khufu branch of the Nile River was next to it but vanished later. It allowed materials to be brought to the plateau to build the pyramids. Even though they lived on islands, Egyptians proved that ancient Egypt was lush, not the arid desert of today, and the Aswan dam changed the river system.

Related Article: Ancient Egyptians Made the Mysterious Pyramids with Infrastructure, Taking Advantage of the River Nile

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Germany-based cleaning solutions provider Karcher anticipates a strong double-digit growth in the mechanised cleaning industry in India in coming years and aims its unit here to be a 100 million Euro (around Rs 807 crore) company by 2030, said a company official.

Karcher India, a subsidiary of Karcher GMBH, which provides a range of cleaning solutions for both domestic as well as industrial use, also has plans to expand its Tamil Nadu-based local joint venture to push towards local manufacturing and cost rationalisation of its equipment.

Besides, the company is exploring the option of setting up an owned manufacturing unit, said Karcher India Managing Director Jatinder Kaul.

Karcher India, which offers a range of products such as high-pressure washers, vacuum cleaners, floor scrubbers etc anticipates a "strong double-digit growth" of the mechanised cleaning industry, he said.

"Fast-developing nations like ours are expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25 per cent. Given this premise, we aim to be a Euro 100 million company by 2030," Kaul told PTI.

However, the company has not shared its current revenue base.

Globally, Karcher recorded 3 billion Euro in 2021, and in India the company clocked 25 per cent growth.

"We are aiming to contribute significantly over the next few years," said Kaul adding "We are very determined about business growth in India and the parent company, based in Germany, is supporting us with this expansion."



Moreover, Karcher India also sees its workforce doubling by 2030 as part of its expansion in the country.

Kaul also estimates Karcher's channel strength to grow and aims to double the number of partners over next 4-5 years.

"The goal is to have 1,500 partners across the organisation to cater to our customers across tier 1/2/3 geographies," he said.

Moreover, Karcher is working towards rationalisation of the cost of our equipment by increasing localisation in the future.

"We have taken a step towards this localisation through our joint venture which manufactures solutions both for the global and domestic markets. Of the total production 50 per cent is for the global market, and the remaining is for domestic consumption," said Kaul.

He added:" We are considering expansion of the joint venture besides the option of having our manufacturing unit. Our partners from the global team are evaluating these options as well."



Recently, Karcher launched the rental solutions model for its customers, which provides its equipment at a low capital investment.

"We have bagged big orders from leading airports too for this service," said Kaul adding "We are positive that this business vertical will give us a foothold in the price-sensitive segment."



Karcher started its operations in India in 2011. Globally it is present in 78 countries and has 150 subsidiaries.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As the controversy surrounding the deaths of 66 children in Gambia being linked to India manufactured cough syrups by Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals, the Pharmaceutical Exports Promotion Council (Pharmexcil) has suspended the membership of the firm.

Going forward, the import-export code (IEC) of the company may also be withdrawn by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), sources said. Meanwhile, the Medicines Control Agency of Gambia has issued a notification to complete the recall of the contaminated and substandard products of Maiden Pharma and quarantine all products of the company.

For now, the suspension of membership of Pharmexcil implies that Maiden Pharmaceuticals will not be entitled to receive any incentives under the Market Access Initiative of the government, Pharmexcil director general Ravi Uday Bhaskar said. He added that incentives up to Rs two crore are extended to a company registering their product with a health regulator abroad, and a Rs 25 lakh one-time grant is also given to MSMEs for implementing the pharmaceutical drug track and trace system.

Pharmexcil had sought information about importers to whom the drugs (cough syrups that are linked to deaths). It had set a deadline of October 7, beyond which failure to receive information would lead to the companys registration cum membership certificate (RCMC) getting suspended. Bhaskar added that going forward; the export promotion council may also recommend withdrawal of the IEC to the DGFT, which can stop all exports of this firm.

Multiple government sources across departments indicated that India is indeed looking at this seriously, and if proven, exemplary action would be taken against the company, that could include revoking its exports license or penal action against the promoters.

Sources in the Health Ministry indicated that they are awaiting the laboratory test reports of the samples, before they can decide on the future course of action.

Maiden Pharma says govt officials visited facility last week.





ALSO READ: Maiden Pharmaceuticals breaks silence on cough syrup deaths in Gambia

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In a statement, Vivek Goyal, director of Maiden Pharma said that they were shocked to hear media reports regarding the deaths, and that they received official information from their agent in Gambia on October 5.

The company has posted a notification by the Medicines Control Agency of Gambia which has asked to complete the recall of substandard and contaminated products of Maiden Pharma and quarantine all products.

Claiming that they have an ISO 9001:2000 and WHO GMP certificate, Maiden Pharma website says that At any cost don't compromise on Quality. The companys factory premises are non functional at the moment.

All products manufactured in our plants are equivalent to International Quality Standards & GMP norms are followed at each manufacturing step. Production is done under a highly controlled, fully air-conditioned in a hygienic environment, the company website claims.

Goyal said that government officials from the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) visited their facilities on October 1, October 3, October 6 and October 7 and samples were withdrawn by the CDSCO along with all relevant documents in the presence of company directors.

On September 29, the WHO informed the DCGI about the deaths in Gambia and suspected links with Maiden Pharma.

The CDSCO took up the matter immediately with the Haryana State Regulatory Authority, under whose jurisdiction the drug manufacturing unit of Maiden Pharmaceutical, Sonepat, is located, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.

From the preliminary enquiry by the CDSCO, it had been found that Maiden Pharma is a manufacturer licensed by the state drug controller for products such as Promethazine Oral Solution BP, Kofexnalin Baby Cough Syrup, MaKoff Baby and MaGrip n Cold Syrup, it said.
Sailing in neck-deep debt for over a decade now, largest wind power player Suzlon Energy, which lost its charismatic founder-chairman Tulsi Tanti recently, is on a strong revival course and is confident of returning to its boom years of pre-2007.

The Pune-headquartered green energy pioneer was founded in 1995 by Tulsi Tanti -- whose untimely demise on October 1 following a cardiac arrest left the firm shocked as he was driving the revival efforts.

The company is on a de-leveraging spree on the back of a recent Rs 2,800-crore refinancing from state-run REC along with Ireda and a Rs 1,200-crore rights issue that opens on Tuesday.

The company will repay Rs 1,000 crore to REC from the rights issue proceeds. Of the Rs 2,800 crore 20-year REC loan, only Rs 800 crore is working capital facility and is priced at 19 per cent.

"Our problem is not lack of product, technology or servicing capabilities or orders. Even in our worst times we've been servicing all the turbines we installed and now as much Rs 1,800 crore of our total income of Rs 2,000 crore comes from servicing.

"Our real and only problem is financing," Ishwar Chand Mangal, chief executive for services division, Suzlon Energy, told PTI during a visit to the Survada village near here where the company is installing 20 turbines atop 160-metre high towers, making them the tallest in the country, hours before Tanti's untimely death on October 1.

Explaining the problem further, he said "we have to furnish 50 per cent of the advance booking amount as bank guarantees to secure a contract, which we are unable to do as banks are unwilling to lend us even working capital. But with the recent Rs 2,800-crore REC refinance of bank loans, we're out of the woods for sure and soon we should be back to our boom days of pre-2007."



The REC and Ireda loan has refinanced Rs 3,000 crore loans from an SBI-led 16-bank consortium. Post-refinance, banks will still hold 5 per cent equity (down from 10 per cent) of the company for their remaining Rs 3,500-crore exposure.

"Since the REC credit line comes with a rider of further reducing debt, which we should be able to do with rights issue, we'll be on course to return to our boom years of pre-2007 sooner than later," Mangal added.

Mangal, who has been Suzlon since its second year of operations, later told PTI that the company is confident of completing the rights issue even though it lost its founder.

"Right from the beginning, Tanti believed in hiring professionals and empowering them to run and grow the business. Team Suzlon is highly competitive and experienced enough to take the business forward and we've very strong systems and processes," he said over the weekend.

Also, the strategy for the next three-five years is well laid down and the critical challenge of debt management is almost through, he added.

"The late founder mainly focused on finding more market opportunities through various efforts on getting the right policy and regulatory framework in place," Mangal pointed out.

Suzlon will have only around Rs 1,800 crore net debt left after the rights issue and the company is confident of retiring this remaining debt given the almost Rs 2,000-crore annual income, he said.

Suzlon's troubles began when it bought REpower of Germany in June 2007 for USD 1.6 billion in an over-leveraged deal, months before the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2007, which soon pulled the global economy into a deep recession. Months later, orders began to dry up, choking its cash flow.

This left the firm with a debt mount of Rs 19,000 crore at its peak (with the REpower deal, Suzlon was the world's largest wind power company). As the debt was not being serviced, banks were forced to convert their dues into equity by 2013 and for years, it was majority owned by lenders.

Reeling under debt, in 2015 Suzlon sold REpower, which was later renamed as Servion, to a US fund for a little less than its buy price.

Being the largest player, Suzlon controls over 30 per cent of the operational domestic wind turbine market, managing/servicing 13,500 MW across over 9,000 wind turbines, and also over 6,000 MW overseas. Across its 20 plants, it has an installed annual capacity to manufacture turbines of 3,100 MW but is able to produce only around 300 MW per quarter due to financial crunch.

On October 7, Suzlon elevated Vinod Tanti, the younger brother of the late founder, as chairman and managing director.

A day after Tulsi Tanti's death, it had said it would go ahead with the rights issue as planned which opens on October 11 and closes on October 20. The board also appointed another brother Girish as executive director/ vice-chairman and the late Tanti's son Pranav as an additional director.

Mangal said demand is not at all a problem for Suzlon but it is execution, given its financial crunch.

"See, we (India) must add 500 GW of green energy by 2030, of this 100 GW should be wind. Then there is a 30,000 MW of old thermal power replacement. Another tailwind is doing away with e-reverse auction," he said, adding despite financial difficulties, Suzlon is installing around 800 MW annually and is now sitting over an order book of over 700 MW.

(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.)
App-based mobility players and have responded to the after it declared their auto-rickshaw services illegal, following multiple complaints of overcharging, according to sources. and have told the government that they have complied with the rules and reduced their minimum auto fare for the first two km back to Rs 30.

Mobility players such as Ola, Uber, and Rapido had been asked to discontinue their auto-rickshaw services in Bengaluru in three days. The state transport department had issued notices to these on Thursday.

The issue rose when several commuters registered complaints with the transport department about and charging a minimum of Rs 100, even if the travel distance is less than two kilometres (km). The minimum auto fare in Bengaluru is fixed at Rs 30 for the first two km and Rs 15 for every km thereafter.

Ola, Uber submitted their response to the transport department last evening. No one has shut operations, said an industry source. All aggregators have gone back to the government mandated fares. This means a one-km trip would cost Rs 70, which includes basic fare of Rs 30 and convenience fee of Rs 40, which remains same for longer trips as well.

The notice said the provision of auto-rickshaw services has been directed to be discontinued; it asked these ride aggregators not to charge passengers more than the rate prescribed by the government.

Uber and Ola didnt respond related to the query on this issue.

According to government statistics, 40 per cent (51,900 out of 130,000 auto drivers) have recalibrated their meters till Feb 2022. Customers also have complained that they keep facing the challenges to commute as many auto drivers dont go by meters on offline trips. As per government mandate, the auto fares become 1.5x between 10 p.m, and 6 a.m. Uber and Ola officials told the government that it is much more difficult for customers to get auto drivers to go by meters on offline trips, according to sources. They have told them that no haggling, fixed price, and door-step pick-ups are the benefits of app-based rides.

Karnataka Transport Minister B Sriramulu on Saturday reportedly said he has directed officials to impound auto-rickshaws that are still being operated by ride-hailing despite a ban by the state government. His orders came after complaints regarding app-based mobility players were still operating autorickshaw services, despite Karnataka transport department had dubbed these services illegal under the On-Demand Transportation Technology Act, 2016. Sriramulu had said that he would decide the next course of action in a couple of days.

These mobility players were granted licences based on the Act and its rules do not apply to auto-rickshaws. However there are no aggregator rules yet for the auto-rickshaws and once these rules are formed then this sector can be regulated, which would take its own due course of time, according to the industry sources. They said that offline auto trips and online trips cannot have the same yardstick as models are different.

Industry sources said that a ban on the online auto-rickshaw services provided by the mobility players would negatively impact the Rs 100 crore revenue that the sector (online) provides to the government per year from Bengaluru alone. They said auto-rickshaws booked offline often charge more and are less reliable. In the absence of strong public transport like buses and metro, daily commutes will get impacted, said a person familiar with the matter.

Auto fares on any trip booked online in Bengaluru consist of various components. These include base fare and per km fare (mandated by the government) and a booking and convenience fee charged by the aggregator. The issue had risen when the minimum fare on a trip rose from Rs 30 to Rs 60 to incentivise drivers for pick-ups in light of rising fuel prices. Now that the status quo is restored, drivers will lose out on income, said an industry source.
The insolvency law might have helped resolve more than 500 cases in six years but manpower shortage at the NCLT and average resolution period being much higher than the stipulated 330 days pose challenges in tackling stressed companies in a time-bound manner.

While the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) timeframe for resolution is 330 days, inclusive of time taken for litigation, the 517 cases that yielded resolution plans took an average of 460 days for conclusion till the end of June. And the recovery rate for creditors against the claims made was around 31 per cent.

Delay in admission of a case as well as the resolution period also results in erosion in value of the assets.

Experts opined that litigations, shortage of manpower at the Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) benches, infrastructure woes and the pandemic-induced disruptions have adversely impacted the envisaged time-bound resolution process, resulting in delays.

Amid concerns in various quarters over the delays and recovery levels under the IBC, Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last week said that one can neither afford to have the legislation "lose its sheen" nor let early stress warnings go unnoticed.

A total of 5,636 Corporate Insolvency Resolution Processes (CIRPs) have commenced till June this year under the IBC that came into force in December 2016. Out of the total, resolution plans were approved for 517 cases by the NCLT, according to the data from the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI).

As efforts continue to address stressed assets in the system, the shortage of manpower at NCLT, which is currently functioning with less than half of the sanctioned strength of 63 members and inadequate number of other support staff, has come to the fore.

The NCLT has a total of 28 benches, with a sanctioned strength of 63 members. This includes 31 each from the judicial and administrative sides along with its president, who heads the principal bench in New Delhi.

Last week, NCLT President Chief Justice (Retd) Ramalingam Sudhakar said the scope of adjudication under IBC has been rewarding and result oriented despite "several apparent and noticeable shortcomings like periodical reduction of members, presently 28 out of 63, and infrastructure which requires to be improved in metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata."



The tribunal is also facing shortage of support staff, including court masters, officers, assistant registrars and stenographers.

NCLT Bar Association Secretary Saurabh Kalia said the tribunal now has less than half of the sanctioned member strength of 63.

"Only half of the benches are working with full strength. The other half works sometime in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon. Sometimes it also works in wee hours," he told PTI.

The current situation is not only affecting the functioning of the tribunal but also the expectations of faster resolution by various stakeholders, including creditors, investors, employees of stressed companies and thousands of stranded homebuyers.

"The government should look to provide the much-needed strength and infrastructure as far as NCLT is concerned," he said.

The NCLT adjudicates matters related to IBC and companies law.

Data from the NCLT showed that 85.84 per cent of the total 31,203 cases under the IBC have been adjudicated by it during November 1, 2017 to August 31, 2022.

These were Section 7, 9 and 10 cases. Sections 7 and 9 provide for financial creditors and operational creditors, respectively, to seek insolvency resolutions of corporate debtors while Section 10 allows voluntary filing for resolution.

According to the IBBI's latest quarterly newsletter, the 517 CIRPs which have yielded resolution plans by the end of June 2022 took on average 460 days (after excluding the time excluded by the adjudicating authority) for conclusion of process.

As many as 3,637 cases, or more than half of the 5,636 cases admitted under the IBC, have been closed till the end of June. Out of total closed cases, resolution plans were approved for 517 cases and 1,703 cases went into liquidation.

During the given time period, 1,934 companies were rescued, in which CIRP in 774 cases was closed after settlement, while 643 cases were withdrawn, the IBBI data showed.

In terms of realisations till the end of June, creditors have realised Rs 2.35 lakh crore under the resolution plans against the total claims of Rs 7.67 lakh crore, a recovery rate of 31 per cent.

Against the backdrop of relatively high volumes of IBC cases, the government has been looking to fill up the vacancies at NCLT and the tribunal has also resorted to setting up special benches and pooling of resources for faster clearance of cases.

Among other high profile cases, in June 2017, the RBI referred 12 big non-performing assets for CIRP and the total claims involved stood at Rs 3.45 lakh crore.

Out of them, resolution plans were approved in eight case, two went into liquidation and the remaining two -- Bhushan Power & Steel and Jaypee Infratech -- still remain inconclusive.

"I want all of us, including me, to be conscious that we cannot afford to have IBC lose its sheen... whatever it takes for all of us to keep it (IBC) as sparkling as it was when we brought it...," Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Sitharaman said at the sixth annual day function of the IBBI in the capital last week.

At the same function, the NCLT President emphasised that the dream of becoming a USD 5 trillion-dollar economy "can be achieved only if all the stakeholders show their commitment in implementing the IBC".

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Saturday asked all states of the region to create an investor-friendly ecosystem and suggested the authorities concerned to organise a global summit to attract .

Reddy, the minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), directed senior officials to prepare an action plan for the proposed global investors' conclave in the coming months.

"A global investors' summit for NE should be organised soon, and all state governments should start undertaking measures for developing an investor-friendly ecosystem," he said while addressing the 70th Plenary Session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) here.

Various measures, such as changing existing policies to suit the needs of investors, digitising land banks with plot level information, simplifying processes, providing a single window clearance system and developing an inventory of readily investible projects, must be undertaken.

Each state of the region should work on establishing an investors' facilitation centre and pump in money on supporting infrastructure like approach roads, power connectivity and water supply, he said.

The minister also emphasised on the need for private investment and stated that the Centre and the state governments need to jointly work to develop an investment-friendly environment in the .

"The goal of making NE the growth engine of India can be achieved only with complete coordination among the Centre and state governments," Reddy said.

He suggested that a few target sectors need to be identified, and stressed on the need to enhance the investment potential of the region by overcoming bottlenecks in those segments.

Reddy said, "There is a need to conduct a 'strength and weakness' analysis and identify gaps in key sectors. This will help in more targeted developmental initiatives."



He mentioned that the DoNER ministry is constituting a task force to ensure complete realisation of the tourism potential of the region.

"Developing infrastructure, skilling and capacity building are the core priorities for tourism in the region," he said.

Reddy also said that an 'Agri Task Force', which was recently constituted, would soon release its final report, and the findings must be leveraged to ensure complete utilisation in the current financial year.

The Centre has been working relentlessly to establish peace and stability, and enhance connectivity in the region, he said, adding that the government has achieved "considerable success".

The first day of the two-day NEC meeting focused on a variety of aspects related to the development of the region.

Chief secretaries of states of the region made their presentations on 'Priorities & Success Stories' and deliberated on important themes such as regional planning for telecom, broadband and internet connectivity, primary sector development and tourism.

(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 national capital of Delhi received the second highest since 2007 during the past 24 hours till 8:30 a.m., according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data on Sunday, while farmers in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh are staring at heavy losses due to sub-normal rains during monsoon and excess after it receded the past few days.

According to IMD data, 67 of 75 districts in Uttar Pradesh had excess last week (after September 30).

The excess rainfall led to waterlogging in cities and towns across the state, and proved worse for farmers in rural pockets. The rains inundated the fields and damaged standing paddy, maize and newly cultivated potato crops. Millets like bajra and pulses like Urad have also been affected.

Surendra Pathak, a potato farmer in Etawah, said, "We sow the early potato varieties by the end of September. But this year, around seven hectares of our potato farm has been affected by heavy rains. The fields are filled with water which causes rotting of the sown potato tubers."

Pathak said if excess rains continued, it would prove harder to sow the late variety of potatoes.

Etawah recorded 81 mm of average rainfall in the first week of October which is 876 per cent more than the long period average (LPE) of 8.3 mm.

Gonda district recorded 248.6 mm rainfall in the same period which is 883 per cent higher than the long period average of 25.3 mm. Prabhat Kumar, a marginal farmer, is worried about his paddy crop.

"My standing crop of paddy has fallen to the ground due to heavy rains. I fear that at least half of my crop has been destroyed, and all of it will be lost if the weather doesn't improve in the coming days," he said.

Officials at the district level are conducting surveys on the direction of the state government to assess the damage caused due to heavy rains across Uttar Pradesh.

The situation the relief department is dealing with now is in stark opposite of what the situation was almost a fortnight ago. Last month, the relief department was collecting data regarding lack of rainfall during the monsoon.

As per IMD data, Uttar Pradesh recorded almost 30 per cent less rainfall this monsoon season (June 1 to September 30). Because of this, 53 of the total 75 districts recorded deficient rainfall. The lack of rainfall too harmed farmers by affecting their Kharif crops.

In Delhi meanwhile, the city weathered near ceaseless rains  measuring 74mm till 8.30 am Sunday  that brought the maximum temperature on Saturday down by 10 notches, closing in the day-night temperature gap to a record low.

The current rains in Delhi are not monsoon showers, which had receded from the city on September 29 after giving 516.9 mm of rainfall against a normal of 653.6 mm, it said.

According to IMD, post-monsoon rain in the area is due to the interactions of a western disturbance which lies as a trough in mid and upper air with a deep trough of easterly wind at a lower level.

Incessant rains for the second consecutive day in the national capital improved the air quality on Sunday to "satisfactory" level.

The air quality index recorded at 9 am was 54 which falls in the good category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board data.
Karnataka Transport Minister B. Sriramulu on Saturday issued orders to seize Ola, vehicles who are challenging the authorities in Bengaluru.

Sriramulu while talking to reporters stated that in spite of the orders by the Transport Department to stop services, the cab aggregators are active.

"The officers have been given directions to seize and cabs. The team has been dispatched in this regard," he added.

He explained that notice has been issued to both the companies for violations in connection with minimum fare rule. The future course of action would be decided in one or two days, he stated.

Minister Sriramulu stated that they are receiving complaints against the cab aggregators every year. "They are supposed to give service and comfort to the customers. There are also some technical issues involved," he said.

"The conditions have been laid down at the time of issuing of licence. Those conditions are not meant to be flouted. After complaints of violation of conditions, the department had issued notices to them and sought answers. Once the response is received, a decision will be taken," the Minister stated.

However, sources in the transport department maintained that action could not be initiated against cab aggregators as there is a case pending in the High Court of Karnataka.

Karnataka Transport Department on Friday had issued notices to the app based aggregators Ola, Uber, Rapido to immediately stop their auto services and directed them to give explanation on charges of exorbitant charges levied to customers.

The Transport Department has warned that if the explanation is not given and order is not complied, they would face legal action.

THM Kumar, State Transport Department Commissioner had stated that they received a large number of complaints for two to three days. The complaints were raised specifically on cab aggregators charging double the amount for auto services.

They have been issued notices and given three days' time to answer on allegations. "A decision would be taken once we receive the response," he explained.

Sources said that the minimum auto fare is Rs 30 and the waiting charge of Rs 5 for 5 minutes has been fixed officially. But, cab aggregators are allegedly charging Rs 100 as minimum fare and a large section of people have raised complaints against it.

--IANS

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MLA and tribal leader Anant Patel who was allegedly thrashed by goons in Navsari district on Saturday said that anyone who raised their voice under the rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is beaten up and sent to jail.

The tribal leader has alleged that the chief of Zila Panchayat and his goons vandalized his car and beat him up when he was reaching Khergam, Navsari for a meeting.

He further alleged that the Zila Panchayat chief and goons made casteist slurs at him and said, "you are becoming a leader being an Adivasi. Won't let an Adivasi walk here."

After the tribal leader was thrashed, a huge crowd of protesters gathered on Saturday night in support of the MLA.

The protestors have vowed to block the 14 districts until the Zila Panchayat chief and his goons are caught.

While talking to ANI, Patel alleged, "The chief of Zila Panchayat and his goons vandalized my car and beat me up when I was reaching Khergam, Navsari for a meeting. They said, you are becoming a leader being an Adivasi, we won't spare you; won't let an Adivasi walk here."

"We will protest here until the Zila Panchayat chief and his goons are caught. Adivasis will block the highways of 14 districts till then. Anyone who raises their voice under the rule of the government is beaten up and sent to jail," he added.

"Four-five people attacked Anant Patel yesterday, after which he sat in protest with his Adivasi supporters. He's been assured that within three days, the guilty will be caught and proper action will be taken. Police deployed but no untoward incident occurred. Complaint filed as per rules," said Navsari Deputy Superintendent of Police.

On Saturday night, protestors set ablaze a shop and vandalized the fire tender which reached the spot.

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Several districts of have declared holiday for all on Monday in view of .

District authorities in Lucknow, Noida, Ghaziabad, Agra, Meerut, Aligarh, Mathura, Kanpur, Etah, Mainpuri and Firozabad have ordered closure of .

All classes in across educational boards in these districts have been ordered to remain closed. In Aligarh, the schools have been closed till October 12.

Several parts of received on Sunday and more showers are likely on Monday.

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At stake is the NATO membership of Sweden and Finland, which Hungary and Turkey will hinder to slow down their accession to the western military bloc.

Officials in these two Baltic states might not find it easy to progress due to issues with Ankara and Budapest; not keen on the military goals of the US and EU in particular.

Sweden, Finland Bids for NATO Membership

Within only three months, 24 countries have already transferred the updated documentation to Washington, and 28 of the 30 coalition partners have authorized the structural reforms in their legislative bodies that would permit Finland and Sweden to become full fledge partners, reported Euronews.

Hungary and Turkey will not make it easy for them, despite the 28-nation support.

The confirmation process will move forward based on the Hungarian foreign minister, who already assured the Finns that they had no counterarguments to Helsinki or Stockholm joining the EU in September.

A few weeks before, after August, Hungary's Minister for Regional Development, and former EU Commissioner, Tibor Navracsics, visited Helsinki and informed Finnish MPs that his nation would indeed vote to approve their application to join with no delay, as posted on Twitter.

The Finnish government's official website released a statement regarding the support of the Hungarian parliament.

Opposition was incensed by Viktor Orban's Fidesz politicians' course of action this week to thwart the initiation of a motion in the legislature that could have sped up a vote on Sweden and Finland with their NATO membership.

Bertalan Toth, the Hungarian MP who tried to present the motion, said it was an unfathomable and unwarranted judgment call.

Read Also: Vladimir Putin's 'Girlfriend': 5 Things To Know About Alina Kabaeva

"They are engaged in the Alliance's Collaborative effort for Peace programs from 1994, and have played an active part in past and current peacekeeping activities," he added.

Conceivably, the Hungarian parliament would therefore keep discussing the accession process. Nevertheless, no final date has been established, so the issue is on hold.

Where Would Plans To Encircle Russia Lead?

Officials in Helsinki and Stockholm are getting a bit aggravated about what is happening to the process. For them, with all the progress made to become part of the military bloc, to be stopped by Ankara and Budapest is unbearable.

These two would be members who want to pressure the Hungarian prime minister, Victor Orban, to stop what he's doing. Minna Alander commented that Helsinki could do nothing.

She explained that Fidesz intended to relate the recent EU commission suggestion to freeze finances for Hungary due to worries about the rule of law with these Baltic nations joining the military bloc.

Alander commented that its case sounds like Orban is only participating in this same Turkish bandwagon whenever it comes to Stockholm and Helsinki membership. As long as Erdogan keeps declaring that he'll continue to block their entry, as he did a couple of days ago, Hungary is reluctant to move either.

The Turks have already signaled that they endorsed the bids in a telephone conversation between President Erdogan and President Niinisto somewhere at the beginning of April; the Finns obtained guarantees that there would not be any concerns.

Seeking NATO membership, Sweden and Finland will be against Hungary and Turkey in accession to the military bloc.

Related Article: Erdogan Threatens NATO Expansion as It Plans To Freeze Sweden, Finland Bids To Join

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Exporters are keeping their fingers crossed due to "visible" recessionary trends in the (EU) as it could affect demand for domestic goods in that market in the coming months.

The EU is one of major export destinations for Indian exporters, accounting for about 15 per cent of India's total outbound shipments.

"There are visible symptoms of recession in the EU. Energy crisis is looming there. Buyers are delaying orders from India. They are concerned but hopeful," Federation of Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai said.

He, however, added that the situation in the EU provides an opportunity for Indian exporters to enhance efforts to boost exports to countries like Russia.

"Sanction of Russia gives us an opportunity to tap that market," Sahai said, expressing confidence that India's total merchandise exports would reach USD 470 billion in 2022-23 as against USD 420 billion in 2021-22.

Biswajit Dhar, a professor of economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, said the government should rework its strategy on the export front as the EU situation is not good.

"It is not just an energy crisis, it is a larger problem of slowing down of the economies in EU countries. That should be a source of concern for us. If major markets like the EU face such recessionary tendencies, our exports could actually suffer," Dhar said.

Sharing similar views, Technocraft Industries founder and chairman Sharad Kumar Saraf said EU buyers are cancelling orders and it would affect the country's exports in the coming months.

"Situation is not good at the export front, particularly for sectors such as textiles and chemicals," he added.

Ludhiana Hand Tools Association President S C Ralhan said EU buyers are delaying accepting consignments, so exporters are a bit worried about the situation there.

India's exports to the EU stood at USD 30.8 billion during April-August 2022. It was USD 65 billion in 2021-22.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held meetings with exporters on October 7 to discuss ways to promote growth of exports.

He has stated that India must keep prospecting for new opportunities in the world market and utilise all such possible chances to expand trade.

In the meeting, industry has flagged certain issues related to the rising cost of raw materials and subdued demand in certain key export markets due to high inventory levels.

The industry requested inclusion of left out sectors under RoDTEP (Remissions of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products) and rationalisation of existing RoDTEP rates, exploring possibility for increased support under Interest Equalisation Scheme and Market Access Initiative (MAI).

A decline in exports of sectors such as engineering, ready-made garments and rice led to a contraction in the country's overall outbound shipments by 3.52 per cent to USD 32.62 billion in September, while the trade deficit widened to USD 26.72 billion, according to the preliminary data of the commerce ministry.

The Russia-Ukraine war is severely affecting global supply chains. Russia has also slashed the flow of natural gas to Europe.

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(IFS) will grow from strength to strength in the coming years and will help advance India's interests globally, said External Affairs Minister (EAM) on Sunday as he greeted the members of foreign service on the IFS Day 2022.

"Greetings to members of the on #IFS Day 2022. In a rapidly changing world, they strive everyday to advance India's interests, expand our footprint and enhance our standing," Jaishankar tweeted.

The minister said the people-centric outlook of the service is amply manifested, at home and abroad. "The splendid manner in which it rose to the challenges of Operation Ganga was recognised by the entire nation," he said in another tweet.

The external affairs minister expressed confidence that IFS will grow in the coming years and will reflect a new and confident .

"Confident that the IFS will grow from strength to strength in the coming years. It will reflect a new and confident India, even as it helps meet our goals for 2047," he said.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the origin of the can be traced back to British rule when the Foreign Department was created to conduct business with the "Foreign European Powers".

Subsequently known as the "Indian Foreign Department", it went ahead with the expansion of diplomatic representation, wherever necessary, to protect British interests, the MEA said.

In September 1946, on the eve of India's independence, the Government of decided to create a service called the Indian Foreign Service for India's diplomatic, consular and commercial representation overseas.

In 1947, there was a near seamless transformation of the Foreign and Political department of the British government into what then became the new Ministry of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations and in 1948 the first batch recruited under the combined Civil service examination system of the Union Public Service Commission joined the service.

This system of entry has remained the staple mode of intake into the IFS to this day.

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Chief Minister on Sunday extended his greetings to citizens on the occasion of Eid-Milad-un-Nabi, which is celebrated to commemorate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad.

Vijayan, who is presently on a European tour, said on Twitter and his Facebook page that on this occasion people should celebrate Prophet Muhammad's message of love, kindness and brotherhood.

"Eid-Milad-un-Nabi is an occasion to celebrate the message of love, kindness and brotherhood that Prophet Muhammad shared with us. May this day fill us with more happiness. Hearty wishes to all," he said in his tweet and FB post.

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on Sunday said merely making law to help the backward community is not enough and mindsets have to be changed towards such people to ensure their upliftment.

Bhagwat gave the remarks here on the occasion of Valmiki Jayanti.

Addressing a gathering at Nanarao Park here, Bhagwat said, "The Valmiki community is still very weak and is lagging behind. It has to come forward. Provisions have been made in the Constitution. The king (government) is looking after implementation of the law. Despite this, if there is no 'apnaapan' (sense of belongingness), then it will not benefit those for whom it is meant."



The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh sarsanghchalak said that Dr (Bhimrao) Ambedkar made provisions in the Constitution for the upliftment of the Scheduled Caste and Dalit communities.

"He (Dr Ambedkar) had said that now the Dalits would sit with everyone. We made this provision. But, merely making the provision will not be enough. The mindset has to be transformed, and an awareness has to be brought," Bhagwat said.

"Dr (Ambedkar) sahab had said that by making this provision, we have given political and economic independence to them. But, this will prove to be meaningful, when social independence will come. And, hence, another Dr sahab (referring to RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar) had started the work in Nagpur in 1925 to bring in that feeling -- the feeling of social harmony and belongingness," Bhagwat said.

He hailed Maharshi Valmiki and credited him for making the people know about Lord Ram, after which the god became role model for people in "Akhand Bharatvarsh".

"Bhagvaan Valmiki was the one who introduced the character of Shri Ramchandra (Lord Ram) to the Hindu community. Had he not authored Ramayan, we would have never known who was Ram," the RSS chief said.

He also asked the Valmiki community to visit RSS 'shakhas' and interact with the volunteers.

People have to learn from Maharishi Valmiki the sense of compassion, dedication and the feeling of duty, he said, after garlanding the statue of Valmiki.

He also garlanded the statue of other great people, including Dr BR Ambedkar.

Bhagwat reached Kanpur to attend the first 'Swar Sangam Ghosh' camp of north India being held here.

The RSS chief, who came here on Saturday on a two-day visit, had reached Kanpur Central Station from New Delhi by Howrah Rajdhani Express and was taken to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Sanatan Dharma Vidyalaya where he stayed for the night.

A heavy deployment of police force has been made in the city for Bhagwat's visit. Intelligence agencies have also been put on alert, said Anand Prakash Tiwari, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and order).

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A day after a Mumbaikar tweeted photos of glass shards allegedly found in a Domino's pizza to the police Twitter handle, the company ordered a probe into the incident, here on Sunday.

The customer, Arun Kolluri had also questioned the quality of the food sold by the pizza outlet and how it could have been dangerous for his life.

He said he discovered the 'glass pieces' in a pizza ordered online, though the Domino's outlet and the date of delivery are not mentioned.

Police responded advising him to first write to the consumer care of Domino's before seeking any legal remedies.

Taking cognisance of the complaint, a Domino's Spokesperson said its quality team conducted a thorough inspection of the pizza outlet in question, but no anomaly was found.

The company also contacted the aggrieved customer to ascertain the facts of the matter through various channels of communication.

"We follow a strict no-glass policy in the kitchens... and follow the highest standards of quality and safety," said the company.

"We will be investigating the matter further once we get the samples from the user and take action accordingly," Domino's added, as the purported incident apparently sparked huge concerns among pizza lovers.

--IANS

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Prime Minister on Sunday expressed hope that sooner or later, his home state will be manufacturing planes.

"Don't forget, once even cycles were not manufactured in the state," he said as he kicked off his three day tour from north Gujarat's Modhera village, where he dedicated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 3,092 crore. He also dedicated Modhera solar village, with all houses having rooftop solar facilities to meet domestic demand.

He said it will be a double benefit to Modhera villagers - firstly they will be saving money on the electricity bill and the second is they will earn money as the government buys additional power from them.

He reminded people that during his tenure as Chief Minister, had made a lot of progress on development, roads, water and electrification has reached all villages, Now he and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel are playing a 'doubles game' and that will put the state on a very high growth trajectory.

"Suzuki company is manufacturing cars in Gujarat, and if they want cars in Japan, they import from here, this is the change and India has witnessed in the recent past. Now the lithium batteries will be manufactured in the state," he said.

Modi said he is concerned about the future generations and so he is putting all his efforts and strength and investing in the health and education sector. He thanked farmers for extending support for the Becharaji Special Investment Region and Sujalam Sufalam irrigation project.

He visited Modheswari Mata temple in Modhera and performed puja.

--IANS

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The has issued four for this year and since March 28 maintained the same low Level 2 exercise increased caution for its citizens planning to travel to the country.

Introduced several years ago, the American maintained and issued by the Department of State is now broadly bifurcated into four different colour-coded levels from 1 to 4, with one (white) being the safest place to travel and four (red) being the no travel zone recommended for its citizens.

Yellow-coloured Level 2 which advises Americans to exercise increased caution has been the travel advisory for since March 28 of this year, when the State Department lowered it from Level 3 travel advisory of January 24. In Level 3, the US advises its citizens to reconsider their travel to that particular country.

The travel advisory for has mostly been Level 2 and a few times Level 3. It was put into Level 4 category at the peak of the COVID-19 crisis in April 2021.

For all practical purposes the last three this year March 28, July 25 and October 5 are similar in nature and content has been the same that now there is normalization of coronavirus situation in India.

The issuing of travel advisories by the depends on a number of factors. Prominent among these includes, the situation in the country, public health concerns, law and order, terrorism, relationship with that country and travel season.

In India's neighborhood, Afghanistan and Myanmar are placed in the highest Level 4 category, while Pakistan and China have been put in Level 3.

Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka are in Level 2 along with India while Bhutan is in Level 1, in which the US urges its citizens to exercise normal precaution during the travel.

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Kerala Chief Minister on Saturday said his government will initiate steps to make available in the state facilities that research students in foreign universities have access to.

Interacting with a section of doctors and research students at Bergen in Norway, Vijayan said the Scandinavian country provided its students opportunities to use the facilities in other countries for research purposes, and was of the opinion that such a model could be implemented in Kerala too.

"Students carrying out research activities in Norway have the opportunity to use the laboratories in other countries. If our research students get such advanced facilities, the quality of our research can improve," he said.

The Chief Minister's Office said in a release that during Vijayan's interaction, it was pointed out to him that most students in Kerala were not aware of the research scholarships funded by the state and the Centre.

To overcome this, the chief minister has assured to set up an advanced information system detailing all fellowships and scholarships, it said.

During his interaction, the chief minister asked the gathering to state their opinion about the system in Norway and how they were excelling in sports.

Vijayan's visit to Norway is part of his Europe tour, which will also cover England and Wales, and is intended at bringing investments to Kerala, especially in the information technology sector, Ayurveda and tourism, besides understanding the educational models in those countries.

The tour is scheduled to be wrapped up by October 12.

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Around 20 lakh populace of Ghaziabad and will be hit as the to the areas has been halted due to the annual desiltation exercise in the Upper canal.

Every year, people face this problem but till now, the administrations of Ghaziabad and have not found any solution. Tenders for water treatment plant have been launched many times but in vain.

Uttar Pradesh's show window -- Noida, Ghaziabad

Despite providing the highest revenue to the state, masses of and Ghaziabad have to struggle even for basic amenities.

Many areas in Noida and Ghaziabad are yet to get the water. The TDS of water in the said areas is so high that if anybody consumes it, he /she will fall ill.

In Noida's sector 93, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) of water is usually above 1400. However, if experts are to be believed it should be between 50-150. Many sector of Noida are having this problem where, people pay the water bill but still do not get potable water.

Why Gangawater supply is halted

Every year, Ganga is stopped for desiltation exercise. A notice is also issued mentioning the time period for which the supply will be halted.

Usually around Chhath Pooja, water is released into the canal. The to canal is stopped to clean it of the silt. Many times, Ganga water treatment plant has to be closed due to excessive silt.

Water allocated to areas

Pratap Vihar in Ghaziabad has two Gangajal water treatment plants with one having capacity of 100 cusecs and another 50 cusecs which supply water to Ghaziabad and Noida.

From the 100 cusec plant, 80 cusec water is supplied to Noida, 15 cusec to Indirapuram and five cusec to Siddharth Vihar, while from the 50 cusec plant, 23 cusec is supplied to Vasundhara, 20 csecs to Noida and seven cusecs to Indirapuram.

Doctor's opinion

General Physician Dr Amit Kumar told IANS, that by drinking water with more TDS, possibility of youth and children suffering from stone increases.

People suffer from diseases, including stomach ache, fever and skin-related problems.

Water with high TDS has sodium, chloride, iron, calcium and magnesium and nitrates which can harm humans.

--IANS

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The is mulling several steps like dipping into other accounts of a cheque issuer and prohibition of opening of new accounts of offenders to effectively deal with cases which are clogging the legal system.

Many suggestions were made at a high-level meeting recently called by the ministry to deal with the high incidence of cases.

Some of the steps suggested before taking legal recourse included debiting another accounts of the cheque issuer if his or her account is short of funds to honour the instrument, sources said.

The other suggestions were treating as default of loan and thus reporting it to credit information companies for necessary downgrade of score, the sources said, adding a proper legal view would be taken before these suggestions are accepted.

If these suggestions are implemented, it would help enforce cheque honouring by the payer without the matter going to court and also compel him/her to make payment by creating a deterrent through technology.

These measures would help promote ease of doing business and dissuade people from wilfully indulging in issuance of cheques even though their accounts have insufficient funds.

Proposed steps could be implemented through the integration of data across the banks, sources said.

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for auto debit and other suggestions would be required.

LIKELY STEPS BY FINMIN

Dipping into other accounts of a cheque issuer

Barring opening of new accounts of offenders

Debiting another accounts of cheque issuer if the account is short of funds

Treating cheque bounce as default of loan and reporting it to credit information firms

Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 deals with dishonour of cheque due to insufficiency of funds in the account.

A complaint for dishonour of cheque under Section 138 of the Act can be filed in the court situated at a place where the bank of the payee is located. It is a punishable offence with a fine which can extend to twice the amount of the cheque or imprisonment for a term not more than two years or both.

When an issuer presents a cheque to the bank for payment, and it is returned unpaid by the bank due to insufficient funds, the cheque is said to have bounced.

Peeved at the large number of pending cases of cheque bounce, the Supreme Court had constituted a committee with a mandate to suggest steps to be taken for early disposal of about 35 lakh pending cases across the country.

During the hearing, the Centre had "in principle accepted" the need for creating additional courts to deal with such cases.

The SC-constituted committee had recommended procedural reforms, full use of technology and augmentation of infrastructure to ensure that disputes are resolved swiftly.

Besides, the panel had suggested some changes in the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.

Trade bodies have been pitching for changes in the cheque bounce law for the fast disposal of such cases.

Industry body PHDCCI recently urged the to take measures like compulsory suspension of bank withdrawals for a few days to make the cheque issuers accountable for their action in cheque-bounce cases.

The government should enact a law that from the date of dishonouring of cheque, the dispute between the two parties must be settled within 90 days through mediation, the chamber has suggested.

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Maria Zakharova, Russia's spokeswoman, scathed that what a UN official had to say about the Ukraine referendum is impartial. She was critical of the statements by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, which echoes what the US and western leaders were saying.

UN a Puppet of the Biden Administration, Moscow Claims

Zakharova argued that the statement made by the UN official and the office's mission was false. She emphasized that he must be objective when considering any position, even though territorial disputes should be free of prejudice, reported Anadolu.

Criticized Guterres' response because of the way he singled out Moscow in the Ukrainian conflict as being extraordinarily biased and lacking in principle. This UN agency and its head also highlight how unreliable the organization has become due to a clench in Washington.

The spokesperson claimed that the UN Resolution is not independent of American influence and that Joe Biden has been rejected by many countries who are not supporting him.

She also emphasized that not all UN member states backed the resolutions against Russia, which were adopted without unanimous agreement.

In the meantime, the documentation on the 2014 Minsk accord has been accepted uniformly, although Ukrainian presidents rejected to implement them without a reaction from the UN, Russia's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted.

The official asserted that they had not received denials from the UN Official, which sparked suspicions that the Secretariat intentionally appears to apply the member states' determinations only under certain conditions, noted Yeni Safak.

Read Also: Mark Zuckerberg Net Worth 2022: How Did Facebook Founder Lose $30 Billion in 1 Day?

UN Charter

She demonstrated that the UN principle of territorial integrity is only valid for those states whose governments represent all individuals living on their territory, without any distinction of race, religious doctrine, or ethnic background.

The Ukrainian authorities have given excuse after excuse, referring to this stipulation of the 1970 Declaration on friendly relations and cooperation among states. Because of the way Kyiv carried out genocide against the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, according to Zakharova, it is not one of these states. Denying their desire for freedom and independence, the UN has done nothing.

Following the Ukraine Plebiscite undertaken from September 23 to 27, Putin signed a pact with separatist governments of the autonomous regions of Ukraine last Friday. The caucus happened around seven months after Russia's incursion of Ukraine on February 24.

West immediately launched into a tirade about how LPR and DPR cannot pick and choose which group they want to be a part of, branding this as Western hypocrisy. If the referendum is successful, the US stands to lose the most.

Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the referendums as nothing and not valid. Moscow on Thursday said that the EU would become a participant in the conflict if it affirms an objective for military aid to Ukraine, citing A News.

Zakharova spoke at a presser and condemned the western support for Kyiv, which is prolonging the conflict, and explained that providing logistics and even training its army makes them part of it, per AA.

Zakharova equated the UN Official and what was said about the Ukraine plebiscite as hypocritical, just as Washington helped the Ukrainian army attack even civilians in the Donbas.

Related Article: Putin Says the US Should Leave the Syrian People To Determine Their Own Destiny

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India and other Afro-Asian countries secured a significant concession as the International Organisation (ICAO) adopted a resolution on net-zero by 2050.

While the ICAO general assembly on Friday approved a resolution on the long-term aspirational goal (LTAG) of net-zero, member states also recognised that special circumstances and capabilities of each country will influence the outcome. These factors will determine the ability of a country to achieve the target within its own national timeframe. States also supported the call for financial and technical support to developing countries for accelerated use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). Both these concessions were pushed by India with the support of other countries such as Brazil, South Africa, Egypt, Indonesia etc.

Countries have achieved some tremendous and very important diplomatic progress at this event and on topics of crucial importance to the future sustainability of our planet and the air transport system which serves and connects its populations, said ICAO secretary general Juan Carlos Salazar in a press release.

According to ICAO, the net-zero targets will rely on the adoption of new aircraft technologies, streamlined flight operations and the use of SAF. The net-zero resolution also calls for the establishment of a climate finance initiative and voluntary technology transfer for developing SAF.

While European countries stressed on net-zero by 2050, India stressed on the principle of equity. India argued that the aviation sector in developing countries will be seeing high growth whereas in developed countries it has already peaked or is very near to peak levels leading to very slow growth. Given the importance of aviation to GDP growth, developing countries should be allowed carbon space to achieve growth. India also said the LTAG should not lead to non-tariff barriers on international routes

In May minister Jyotiraditya Scindia met representatives of ICAO member states in Canada to convey Indias stance and rally support. The minister also highlighted ongoing pilot studies in SAF and carbon reduction mechanisms at airports in India. Further discussions were held on the sidelines of the general assembly and these helped broker a resolution.

By grouping with other Afro-Asian countries, India managed to build a counterbalance to Europe, an official quipped.

At the ICAO general assembly states also carried out a review of the aviation carbon offsetting mechanism. The review was necessitated due to a 60 per cent drop in emissions in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The baseline for emission calculation and offset targets have been revised due to changed circumstances.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning to conduct 40 rallies across 144 seats it lost in the 2019 General . Prime Minister is likely to hold one rally in every cluster.

According to party sources, under the Pravas Yojana Phase-2, BJP has planned that out of 144 weak or lost seats across the country, PM Modi will hold 40 big rallies at 40 places. These 40 public meetings of the Prime Minister will be organized in all 40 clusters.

According to sources, in the remaining 104 seats, BJP President JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other Union Cabinet Ministers will travel and hold public meetings for the party.

According to sources, the strategy of the party is that during their stay, the cluster in charge will have to hold regular meetings with the influential local figures, as well as listen to the grievances of the local dissatisfied leaders of the BJP and give a solution. Under the Pravas Yojana Phase-2, all 40 central government ministers will have to do 5-point work.

First - Implementing the campaign plan, Second - Running the public outreach programme, Third - Political Management, Fourth - Setting up the narrative management Last and Fifth - Staying overnight in a Lok Sabha constituency of the cluster

During the stay, the cabinet minister in charge of the cluster has to have a close door meeting with the local religious leaders, seers and local leaders of different communities at their home/place and will also have to participate actively in local community festivals and customs, local fair, will have to participate in rituals, street programs and programs organized at the local level.

Along with the local officials and key workers of all the affiliated organizations of the Sangh, will also have to organize a meeting with the ministers in charge and the organization leader in-charge, apart from this, the local effective voters especially lawyers, regular virtual meetings will also have to be held with doctors, professors, businessmen and other professionals.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister will be on a three-day visit to from Sunday where he will launch various projects worth more than Rs 14,600 crore and address gatherings ahead of the state Assembly polls due later this year.

Modi will arrive in the evening and will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects worth about Rs 3,900 crore at Modhera village in Mehsana district.

He will also declare Modhera as India's first 24x7 solar-powered village.

The PM will also offer prayers at the Modheshwari Mata Temple and visit the Surya Mandir in Modhera.

Making Modhera as the country's first round-the-clock solar powered village involved developing a ground mounted solar power plant and more than 1,300 rooftop solar systems on residential and government buildings, a government release said.

On Monday, the prime minister will be at Amod in Bharuch district where he will dedicate to the nation various projects worth more than Rs 8,000 crore.

He will inaugurate the Modi Shaikshanik Sankul -- an educational complex for the needy students -- in Ahmedabad on Monday.

In the evening, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 1,460 crore in Jamnagar.

On Tuesday, PM Modi will address a gathering at Jamkandorna in Rajkot district. He will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 1,300 crore at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad.

He will then leave for the Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, the release 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 labour shortage has pushed more employers to recruit employees who have served prison time, reports the WSJ.

In recent years, small businesses and big US companies including banks and pharmacy chains say they have recognised that so-called second-chance hiring offers a chance to ease societal inequities. It also helps them find more workers in a tight job market.

Union Pacific Corporation in the spring started hiring people who had been incarcerated.

Railroads have been struggling with service issues they say have been caused by worker shortages, and in september struck a labour deal to avoid a nationwide strike.

The company has been recruiting for maintenance, train and electrical workers. Providers of transition services to the formerly incarcerated help the railroad find employees, said Beth Whited, the railroad companys executive vice president for sustainability and strategy.

About 120 people have either been hired or are in the application process in several US cities.

Finding steady, formal employment has long been a challenge for people who have been convicted of crimes. Job applications often ask about felony convictions, even though there have been efforts across the country to ban such a question. After that, a background check may flag a job seekers criminal history, potentially invalidating the application.

These roadblocks contribute to higher unemployment rates for formerly incarcerated people. Their unemployment rate was estimated at over 27 per cent, according to a 2018 report from the Prison Policy Initiative.

The most recent overall unemployment rate in the US was 3.5 per cent, in september, with labour-force participation remaining below pre-pandemic levels.

Some organisations that advocate for employment for people with criminal records say the current labour shortage has led to more interest from potential employers.

In a survey of almost 900 human-resources professionals by the Society for Human Resource Management Foundation that concluded in January, 46 per cent said they recruited people with criminal records more often than they did a year ago.

Theres so many employers that are desperate to hire workers, said Mark Drevno, the founder and executive director at Jails to Jobs, a Lafayette, Califorina-based organisation that helps people with criminal records find jobs. It makes economic sense and so thats why its on their radar I think.

About 600,000 people are released from federal and state prisons annually, according to the Justice Department. And just having an arrest record can hurt peoples employment prospects, even if charges were dropped.

Some of the largest US companies are behind the push to hire more people who have been incarcerated. The Second Chance Business Coalitiona group of companies that work to share best practices on hiring people with a criminal backgroundwas formed in 2021 with 29 companies and now has more than 40. Among those are JP Morgan Chase, American Airlines Group, AT&T and CVS Health Corporation

Having big companies involved lends credibility to second-chance hiring, said Tim Owens, co-founder and president of the Bloomington, an organisation that pairs inmates with mentors and jobs. Employer interest in the Redemption Project has also grown, he said.

I think a lot of employers are looking at this as an untapped talent pool, and given the shortages everywhere theyre open to looking at maybe different groups they hadnt looked at before, Mr. Owens said.

About one-tenth of JPMorgan Chases new hires last year, roughly 4,300 people, had criminal records, according to Nan Gibson, executive director for JPMorgan Chases PolicyCenter. Many of them are placed into teller positions and other jobs at bank branches, said Michelle Kuranty, the companys global head of talent acquisition sourcing.

The company doesnt track these workers after they are hired, said Ms. Kuranty. Ms. Gibson said she hasnt heard of employees expressing unease about working alongside colleagues with a record.

What we have seen is a very positive reaction from our employees, she said. Our second-chance hiring efforts are a great source of pride for many of our employees.

Some companies consider hiring people with criminal records part of their diversity and inclusion efforts. CVS, the nations biggest healthcare company by revenue, wanted to focus more on what it was doing for communities of color after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, said Ernie DuPont, CVSs executive director of workforce initiatives.

Black people are disproportionately likely to be imprisoned. In state prisons, where most convicted prisoners are incarcerated in the US, Black people are imprisoned at almost five times the rate of white people, according to the Sentencing Project, a criminal-justice policy research and advocacy group.

And people who have been in prison tend to have lower rates of employment. A 2019 analysis from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that men who had been jailed for more than six months were less likely to have jobs after their release than other men. The unemployment rate for Black Americans is above the national average5.8 per cent compared with 3.5 per cent.

Demographically theres a large minority population that has [been] or is incarcerated and so it was an opportunity for us to lean in and do an even better job, said Mr. DuPont.

He said CVS has hired thousands of people with criminal records over the years for jobs including retail and logistics workers and pharmacy technicians.
Police in are investigating the deaths of 66 children, which have been linked to four brands of imported Indian cough syrup, the media reported.

Senior officials from the Medicine Control Agency and the importers have been called for questioning, the President's Office said, the BBC reported.

President Adama Barrow said that the authorities would "leave no stone unturned" in the investigation, the BBC reported.

Gambians, angry about what happened, are wondering who is to blame.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a global alert over the four cough syrups -- warning they could be linked to acute kidney injuries and the children's deaths in July, August and September, the BBC reported.

The products - Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby and Magrip N Cold Syrup - were manufactured by an Indian company, Maiden Pharmaceuticals, which had failed to provide guarantees about their safety, the WHO said.

The Indian government is also investigating the situation.

Gambian health officials and Red Cross workers are now going door to door, as well as to pharmacies and markets, searching for the syrups as well as other medicines.

More than 16,000 products have been located so far and have been taken away for destruction, a Red Cross official told the BBC.

On Friday, President Adama Barrow addressed the nation, expressing his regret for the loss of life saying that "the source of the contaminated drugs" would be investigated.

He announced plans to open a laboratory capable of testing whether medicines are safe and a review of relevant laws and guidelines for imported drugs.

--IANS

san/pgh

(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 suggestion by Tesla Inc. CEO that could be made a special administrative zone of has provoked a backlash both from and the self-governing island.

Musk's comment not only infringes national sovereignty but also harms democracy, Democratic Progressive Party Spokesperson Huang Tsai-lin said on Saturday, reported News.

China's state-run Central Television News issued an article titled, "Musk steps out of line in discussing China's issue, Foreign Ministry responds."

The article reported that during a routine press conference held by the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Spokesperson Mao Ning responded to a question about Musk's "inappropriate statement."

Mao claimed in her answer that "the Taiwan issue is China's domestic politics." She added that will "resolutely suppress interference by foreign forces," a familiar statement often used in Chinese propaganda which, in this case, appears to refer to Musk, reported Taiwan News.

Meanwhile, Huang said Musk does not condemn the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) misconduct, but he instead "caters to the threat of the aggressor by sacrificing Taiwan's independence, completely ignoring the limitless ambitions of authoritarian rulers."

In a Friday (October 7) interview with the Financial Times titled, "Elon Musk: 'Aren't you entertained?'" the world's richest man admitted to being a fan of China.

He recommended figuring out "a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable" and "more lenient than Hong Kong."

The statement immediately sparked outrage in Taiwan, with politicians from major political parties including the Democratic Progressive Party, Kuomintang, New Power Party, and Taiwan People's Party issuing statements denouncing Musk's remarks, reported Taiwan News.

Most agreed that Musk is largely driven by the business interests and stakes he has in China and therefore holds a subjective view of cross-strait issues.

The CCP's series of actions in recent years include conducting military exercises around Taiwan after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August, establishing a military base in the South China Sea to expand its sphere of influence, and influencing the United Nations (UN), the World Health Organization (WHO), and other organizations.

Huang said the actions of the CCP threaten global and regional peace and stability and have caused the US, EU, and other nations to pay more attention to such behaviour and jointly condemn them. The tension in the Taiwan Strait is entirely caused by the CCP's desire to unilaterally change the status quo.

(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 Palestinian assailant opened fire at an Israeli military checkpoint in east seriously wounding two people late Saturday, Israeli authorities said, hours after a pair of Palestinian teenagers were killed during an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank.

It was the latest bloodshed in the deadliest round of fighting in the area in seven years. It also came less than 24 hours before Israel was to begin celebrating the weeklong Sukkot holiday, a time when tens of thousands of Jews visit the holy city.

Saturday night's shooting occurred at a checkpoint near the Shuafat refugee camp in east . Police said the assailant opened fire, wounding a female soldier and a security guard. Israeli rescue services said the woman was in critical condition and the man was in serious condition. A third Israeli was lightly wounded.

Police said they were searching for the attacker, with special forces and a helicopter involved in the search.

Our hearts tonight are with the wounded and their families, said Prime Minister Yair Lapid. Terrorism will not defeat us. We are also strong on this difficult evening.

Israel captured east in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed the area in a move that is not recognized internationally. It considers the entire city, including east Jerusalem, home to the city's most important holy sites, to be its capital. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.

Israel already has been carrying out daily arrest raids in the occupied West Bank since a series of Palestinian attacks last spring killed 19 Israelis. Most of the military activity has been focused in the Palestinian cities of Jenin and Nablus in the northern West Bank.

Earlier Saturday, the Israeli military shot and killed two Palestinian teens during an arrest raid in the Jenin refugee camp, the site of repeated clashes between Israeli forces and local gunmen and residents. The camp is known as a stronghold of Palestinian militants.

Palestinian officials said soldiers entered the camp early Saturday and surrounded a house. In videos circulated on social media, exchanges of fire could be heard. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported two dead and 11 wounded, three of them critically.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the dead as Mahmoud al-Sous, 18, and Ahmad Daraghmeh, 16.

The Israeli military said it had arrested a 25-year-old operative from the Islamic Jihad militant group who has previously been imprisoned by Israel. It said the man had recently been involved in shooting attacks on Israeli soldiers.

It said soldiers opened fire during the raid when dozens of Palestinians hurled explosives and shot at them.

Just before noontime, the Israeli forces withdrew from the area.

The killing occurred a day after two Palestinian teenagers, ages 14 and 17, were killed by Israeli fire in separate incidents elsewhere in the occupied West Bank. Rights groups accuse Israeli forces of using excessive force in their dealings with the Palestinians, without being held accountable. The Israeli military says it opens fire only in life-threatening situations.

Israel says it is forced to take action because Palestinian security forces, who coordinate with the military in a tense alliance against Islamic militants, is unable or unwilling to crack down. Palestinian security forces say the military raids have undermined their credibility and public support, especially in the absence of any political process. The last round of substantive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks ended in 2009.

Most of those killed are said by Israel to have been militants. But local youths protesting the incursions as well as some civilians have also been killed in the violence. Hundreds have been rounded up, with many placed in so-called administrative detention, which allows Israel to hold them without trial or charge. Over 100 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting this year.

The violence is also fueled by deepening disillusionment and anger among young Palestinians over the tight security coordination between Israel and the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, which work together to apprehend militants.

UN Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland said he was alarmed by the rising bloodshed. The mounting violence in the occupied West Bank is fueling a climate of fear, hatred and anger, he said in a statement, calling on the sides to reduce tensions and take steps toward reviving a political process.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and 500,000 Jewish settlers now live in some 130 settlements and other outposts among nearly 3 million Palestinians. The Palestinians want that territory, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, for their future state.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russian President signed a decree late Saturday tightening security for the Kerch Bridge and for energy infrastructure between and .

Russia's federal security service, the FSB, was put in charge of the effort, according to a Kremlin statement.

The move by Putin came after an explosion Saturday caused the partial collapse of the bridge that link the Crimean Peninsula with Russia, damaging an important supply artery for the Kremlin's faltering war effort.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a video address, indirectly acknowledged the attack on the bridge by talking about the weather in but did not address its cause.

Today was a good and mostly sunny day on the territory of our state, he said. Unfortunately, it was cloudy in ."



He said Ukraine wants a future without occupiers. Throughout our territory, in particular in Crimea.

(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.)
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena has met top executives from India and stressed the need for further growth in bilateral trade and increase Indian investments in new areas, where the techno knowhow from the neighbouring country could be introduced, according to his office.

Prime Minister Gunawardena made the remarks when the Indian CEO Forum-Sri Lanka (ICF) called on him at the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday.

He thanked the Indian companies for their significant input and support to Sri Lanka's by way of bringing substantial investments into the cash-strapped country, export earnings, employment generation, and contribution of treasury through direct and indirect taxes, the PM office said in a statement.

The ICF team led by its President T S Prakash stated that the member companies represent diverse industries from automobile, banking, cement, and FMCG to fuel, glass, hospitality, infrastructure, logistics, packaging, paint, and pharmaceuticals.

Referring to the Prime Minister's proposal to venture into new areas, Prakash said the ICF has launched 'Shine Lanka' platform to promote trade and investments as well as tourism, which has a huge potential, the statement added.

Prime Minister Gunawardena shared with them the steps taken by the Lankan government to solve the unprecedented economic crisis faced by the country.

Sri Lanka has seen months of mass unrest over the worst economic crisis, with the government declaring bankruptcy in mid-April by refusing to honour its debt. The worst economic crisis since 1948 led to severe shortages of fuel and other essentials in the country.

The Indian government assistance to Sri Lanka has reached almost USD 4 billion since January this year.

Sri Lanka needs about USD 5 billion in the next six months to cover basic necessities for its 22 million people, who have been struggling with long queues, worsening shortages and power cuts.

Airtel's Ashish Nanda said that his company has access to over 65 per cent Indian households through mobile telephones and Sri Lanka could promote tourism in the vast Indian market using IT.

The Indian CEOs expressed appreciation over the initial successes made by Sri Lanka in its plans to recover from the economic crisis and emphasised the need to sustain the efforts. They also called for relaxation of some outdated regulations to enhance growth of trade and attract investments.

Prakash said the Indian companies make a valuable contribution to the by providing gainful employment to thousands, providing best-in-class management, technical skills, and contributing substantiality to Sri Lanka's foreign exchange earnings despite the current economic challenges.

He said the objective of the ICF is to promote economic growth in Sri Lanka through Indian investment, safeguard and strengthen existing economic co-operation, foster new economic ties between India and Sri Lanka, and provide an open forum for business leaders of Indian origin employed with Indian multi-nationals and Sri Lankan business organisations in Sri Lanka, according to the statement.

The ICF delegation included past president Umesh Gautam, (Lanka Ashok Leyland PLC)., Vice President, Kishore Reddy, (Platinum Realty), Manoj Gupta, (Lanka IOC), Ashish Chandra, (Bharti Airtel), Harikrishnan Sundaram (Colombo West Terminal), Girish Manjeswar (UltraTech Cement) and Anurag Sharma, (Reckitt).

(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.)
An escalation of tension in the would fuel an atmosphere of fear, hatred and anger between Israelis and Palestinians, a senior UN official has warned.

"It is necessary to reduce tensions immediately to open the way for decisive initiatives aimed at creating a viable political horizon between the two sides," UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland said in a press statement sent to Xinhua on Saturday.

On Friday and Saturday, four Palestinians were killed and dozens injured by Israeli soldiers in several towns and villages, said the Palestinian ministry of health, Xinhua news agency reported.

Since early January, more than 100 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli soldiers, the ministry said. Since March, 18 Israelis have been killed in attacks carried out by Palestinians in Israeli cities.

Wennesland expressed his concern over the deterioration of the security situation in the and East Jerusalem, calling on Israelis and Palestinians to restore calm and avoid further escalation.

"The fragility of the situation underscores the urgency of changing the dynamics on the ground while addressing the underlying security and political issues that fuel the current instability," he added.

On Friday, a senior Palestinian official called on the United States to intervene immediately and stop the Israeli army from killing Palestinians in the West Bank.

Palestinian presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh urged the US to immediately intervene "and stop these daily crimes in the West Bank, which would have dangerous consequences that no one can bear, and then it will be too late."

Tension in the West Bank has been mounting since March after the Israeli army intensified its military actions and operations against Palestinian militants and activists.

In the June 1967 Middle East war, Israel occupied the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, which are claimed by the Palestinians, and has controlled the areas ever since. The Palestinians aspire to establish a Palestinian state on these territories.

--IANS

int/svn/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Practical cooperation between China, Solomon Islands yields fruitful outcomes: FM spokesperson

Xinhua) 09:09, October 09, 2022

BEIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Saturday said the fruitful outcomes of friendly exchanges and practical cooperation between China and Solomon Islands are the fundamental reasons why people in Solomon Islands have a positive perception of China.

Mao made the remarks at a regular press briefing in response to an Australian report alleging that Chinese diplomats in Solomon Islands tried to shape public opinion in the country.

Since China and Solomon Islands established diplomatic relations three years ago, the Chinese side has vigorously promoted friendly exchanges and practical cooperation with Solomon Islands in various sectors guided by the principle of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit, openness and inclusiveness, Mao said, adding that this has yielded tangible and fruitful outcomes and delivered concrete benefits to the local people.

"This is the fundamental reason why people in Solomon Islands have developed a more positive and appreciative view of China and why friendship has been deepening between our two countries," said the spokesperson.

She said that in Solomon Islands and other Pacific island countries, people think highly of China because China has delivered for their countries.

"People can tell who exactly is running a disinformation campaign, and who is genuinely contributing to island countries' development. Those who deliberately seek to sow discord with false narratives will achieve nothing," Mao added.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Not all Democrats are taking the snub lightly and threatening to pull US protection from the Middle East due to the oil cut. The Biden administration panicked when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Russia, all members of OPEC+, voted to reduce oil production.

Oil Cut a Blow to the US Administration

When President Joe Biden won the 2020 elections and took office in January 2021, that resulted in a poorly managed energy policy. Reduced production of 2 million barrels had sent the US economy into a death spiral, reported The Epoch Times.

High energy costs have allowed Republicans to target the president for being the cause of the downfall of a formerly robust domestic energy policy.

The former president, Donald Trump's energy policies, which contributed to America's drive to achieve energy security for the first time in decades, underwent significant adjustments under the current leader, not all good, noted American Energy Alliance.

As evidenced by his promise to abandon the use of fossil fuels and immediately halt the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, Biden is directly to blame for the global energy crisis. Even stop natural gas and oil companies' oil exploration on federal lands.

Washington is currently attempting to create a narrative that OPEC+ and the invasion of Ukraine are the real culprits, not the administration's egregiously flawed energy and climate policies.

OPEC+ Imposes Oil Production Cut

OPEC+, on the morning of October 5, gave the chilling statement of cutting production by two million barrels a day, which dealt a sharp blow to the administration, already in hot water with US consumers, citing CNBC.

In the final analysis, US protection is not a concern for the Middle East; and an oil cut was chosen.

Read Also: Mark Zuckerberg Net Worth 2022: How Did Facebook Founder Lose $30 Billion in 1 Day?

OPEC+ stated their decision on the matter of why they drove production down. One reason is the instability of the global economy and how it impacts the oil market, one of the biggest cuts that have been made since the COVID-19 outbreak.

Presently, the world market generates about 100 million barrels of oil daily, indicating that such an OPEC judgment represents about a two-percent cut in world production, according to Dan Kish, a senior fellow affiliated with the Institute for Energy Research, a non-profit organization that leans rights.

Unsurprisingly, the president immediately voiced his displeasure over the monumental OPEC+ snub, referring to it negatively as a "cartel" and claiming that the drastic reduction in production was unwise.

The US administration is deflecting from playing a role in using a flimsy connection to Ukraine to divert attention away from the role that sanctions have played in the rise of an energy-deprived Europe.

A concerned Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat, who is for fossil fuels, said it's time for the administration to reverse its energy policies and increase its production. It's the deepest cut for the Democratic party reeling from backlash in many sectors that threaten a culling in the November midterms, courtesy of the White House.

It saw the OPEC+ ruling as one of the nails that would bury the Dems as Americans cannot take more of a bad economy and rising prices.

Even if the Democrats withdraw US protection in the Middle East because Saudi and UAE pushed the oil cut, showing that Washington does not matter anymore.

Related article: Bloc Leaders To Discuss Major Issues Including Energy Price Cap, Fallout from Loss of Stability and Security

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Theres a global migration underway in the gold market, as western investors dump bullion while Asian buyers take advantage of a tumbling price to snap up cheap jewellery and bars.

Rising rates that make gold less attractive as an investment mean that large volumes of metal are being drawn out of vaults in financial centres like New York and heading east to meet demand in Shanghais or Istanbuls Grand Bazaar.

In fact, it cant move fast enough.

Logistical issues combined with quirks of the market are making it difficult for traders to get enough bullion where its wanted. As a result, gold and silver are selling at unusually large premiums over the global benchmark price in some Asian .

The incentive to hold gold is a lot lower. Its going from west to east now, said Joseph Stefans, head of trading at MKS PAMP SA, a gold refining and trading firm. We are trying to keep up as best we can.

The rotation of metal around the world is part of a gold-market cycle that has repeated for decades - when investors retreat and prices drop, Asian buying picks up and flow east  helping to put a floor on the gold price during times of weakness.

Then, when gold eventually rallies again, much of it returns to sit in bank vaults beneath the streets of New York, London and Zurich.

Since peaking in march, have tumbled 18 per cent as the Federal Reserves aggressive rate hikes caused mass liquidation by financial investors.

More than 527 tons of gold has poured out of New York and London vaults that back the two biggest western since the end of april, according to data from the CME Group and London Bullion Market Association.

At the same time, shipments are rising into big Asian gold consumers like China, whose imports hit a four-year high in August.

While plenty of gold is heading east, its still not enough to meet demand. Gold in Dubai and Istanbul or on the Shanghai Gold Exchange has traded at multi-year premiums to the London benchmark in recent weeks, according to MKS PAMP  a sign that buying is outstripping imports.

Demand typically picks up when prices fall, said Philip Klapwijk, managing director of Hong Kong-based consultant Insights Buyers want to source metal at the lower price and in the local physical market in question there may not be sufficient metal available when the price falls, so the local premium increases.

Gold in Thailand is also trading at a premium to London prices, due to a lack of supply and weakness in the local currency, according to Jitti Tangsithpakdi, the president of Thailands Gold Traders Association.

In India, it is silver that is seeing big premiums. The differential has soared recently to $1, more than triple the usual level, according to consultancy Metals Focus.

Right now the demand for silver is huge as traders restock, said Chirag Sheth, the firms principal consultant in Mumbai. Premiums could remain elevated during the festival season that concludes with Diwali. Analysts say that much of the feeding Asias appetite is coming out of vaults run by CME Group, which back the Comex futures market in New York.

Market dislocations early in the pandemic drove a massive surge in prices there, forcing banks to build large stockpiles to cover their futures positions. In recent months gold has traded at a discount on the Comex compared to London, and those inventories are now being drawn down to meet Asian demand.
The United States and its allies are seeking Pakistan's support for the resolution to be tabled at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) next week against for invading Ukraine, Express Tribune reported.

The US and its western allies are set to move a resolution at the UNGA, condemning the Russian invasion and seeking withdrawal of Russian forces from the Ukrainian territories, Express Tribune reported.

In order to garner maximum support, the US is particularly eyeing support of the countries, which abstained from voting in March on the similar resolution, the report said.

at the time joined China, India and other countries to stay away from voting, something that drew strong reaction from European countries and the US.

They termed abstention as equal to backing the Russian invasion. defended its move, insisting that siding with either side would deny the country a role of a possible peace broker.

has maintained delicate balance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It did express concerns over the humanitarian situation in Ukraine but stopped short of denouncing .

However, the US and other European countries want Pakistan to take a clear stance, Express Tribune reported.

Ahead of the expected voting on the resolution against Russia, many western countries are in contact with Pakistan to seek its support.

Since the change of government, there have been visible exchanges between Pakistan and the Western countries. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the session met several European leaders, including from France, Germany, Spain and others.

There has also been a flurry of meetings between Pakistan and the US in recent months.

While Sharif held a brief interaction with US President Joe Biden, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa made back-to-back visits to Washington.

It is believed that in these interactions, has remained one of the main talking points between the two sides. Diplomatic sources said the US is certainly keen that Pakistan abandons its policy of "neutrality" on Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Foreign Office sources told The Express Tribune that Pakistan is unlikely to change its stance because it doesn't want to become party to the conflict between big powers.

Nevertheless, officially Pakistan is tight-lipped and is not ready to reveal its strategy before the UNGA voting.

--IANS

san/arm

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
More than two months after the killing of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul, top US officials met with the on Saturday.

This is the first in-person meeting between the two sides following the drone strike in July this year that led to the killing of al-Zawahiri, CNN reported citing two officials familiar with the talks.

The key Biden administration included the CIA's deputy director David Cohen and the State Department's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Tom West. Whereas the delegation was represented by the head of intelligence Abdul Haq Wasiq.

The presence of the CIA Deputy Director and the intelligence head at the meeting signals an emphasis on counterterrorism, the American broadcaster said. This comes after the White House last month called cooperation with the Taliban on counterterrorism "a work in progress," according to CNN.

In the months after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, the Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K) has managed to expand its reach to nearly all of Afghanistan's provinces. The terrorist group has also stepped up the tempo of its attacks, carrying out suicide bombings, ambushes and assassinations.

"The Taliban are struggling to prevent ISIS-K attacks, making them look feckless, particularly in Kabul," Beth Sanner, a former Deputy Director of National Intelligence, was quoted as saying by CNN.

"[Cohen] is likely to deliver a firm message that we will conduct more strikes as we did against Zawahiri if we find that al Qaeda members in are supporting operations that threaten the US or its allies," he added. "ISIS-K now poses an internal Afghan threat, to the Taliban and to sectarian stability given ISIS-K's focus on killing Shias, but there is some reasonable concern that ISIS-K could ultimately turn its sights on external plotting if the Taliban is unable to contain them."

Last month, the raised growing security concerns in while highlighting worrisome trends witnessed in recent months, particularly the continuing presence of foreign terrorist groups in the country.

The concerns were raised in the latest quarterly report of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the Security Council.

"The security situation reveals a worrisome trend in recent months, particularly the series of attacks by ISIL-K, recurring armed opposition clashes with Taliban de facto security forces and the continuing presence of foreign terrorist groups in Afghanistan," the report said.

It said the Taliban's commitment to ensuring that no group or individual will use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of other countries must be sustained through concrete actions.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russian news reports say President is calling the attack on the Kerch Bridge to a terrorist act carried out by Ukrainian special services.

"There's no doubt it was a terrorist act directed at the destruction of critically important civilian infrastructure, Putin said in a video of a meeting Sunday with the chairman of Russia's Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin.

Bastrykin said he had opened a criminal case into an act of terrorism.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President on Sunday presented a work report outlining his achievements and future vision to the high-profile plenary session of the ruling here ahead of its next week's National Congress, which is expected to give its stamp of approval for his record third five-year term.

The plenary session of the of (CPC) attended by about 400 senior officials of the party from all over the country began here to deliberate and approve some of the key policies and documents to be presented to the 20th Congress of the party scheduled to meet here on October 16.

Xi, 69, the head of the CPC, the military besides Presidency, presented the work report and delivered explanatory remarks on a draft report on his last five years to be submitted to the once-in-five-year National Congress, official media here reported.

Wang Huning, Standing Committee member of the CPC besides being its leading theorist and a close confidant of Xi, gave explanatory remarks on a draft amendment to the CPC Constitution.

China's constitution has already been amended in 2018 by National People's Congress (NPC) - the country's parliament - removing two five-year tenures for the President and paving the way for Xi to continue in power beyond his 10-year tenure which will end this year.

All his predecessors except the party founder Mao Zedong retired after 10-year tenures to ensure collective leadership and to prevent the emergence of one leader to lead the party and the country for a prolonged period besides promoting new leadership from the ranks.

Though no details were released about the amendment to the CPC Constitution, the changes to be approved by the Congress was expected to provide more power to Xi besides elevating his position further.

"We must amend the constitution in accordance with the new conditions we face and the missions the party needs to carry outWe must incorporate the latest theoretical and strategic thinking into the party constitution, a recent report by the state-run Xinhua news agency said.

Analysts believe the move aims to better enshrine Xi's ruling philosophy into the party charter that governs 95 million members and this would further strengthen Xi's leadership position, Hong Kong-based South Morning Post reported.

The CPC already added " Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" to its Constitution in 2017.

The amendment, approved at the 19th CPC National Congress, juxtaposes Xi's thought with Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development.

A total of 2,296 delegates were "elected" to attend the week-long 20th National Congress of the CPC starting from October 16, which was expected to endorse Xi's unprecedented third term and perhaps pave the way for his lifelong continuation in power like Mao.

A CPC plenary meeting held in November last year released a 14-page communique eulogising Xi's leadership and his core status in the party making it explicitly clear that he would continue in power for an unprecedented third term after completing his second five-year term in 2020 not retiring unlike his predecessors.

(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.)
Towards the end of every bull market, glamorous companies, chaperoned by blue-blooded investment bankers, dump a bunch of extremely high-priced initial public offerings (IPOs) on the public. The prices drop on listing and inflict large losses on investors. In July last year, CarTrade made an IPO at Rs 1,585. Last week its stock price closed at Rs 604, a loss of 62 per cent. A couple of months later came Policybazaar, with its IPO priced at Rs 980. Last week, the stock closed at Rs 487, a 50 per cent drop. A week after Policybazaar came Paytm, with an issue at Rs 2,150. Last week, Paytms price was Rs 707, a fall of 67 per cent. The big daddy of them all  Life Insurance Corporation of India  made an issue at Rs 949. The price today is Rs 624, a 34 per cent loss. Social media is rife with bitter complaints about the mercenary pricing of IPOs, blaming the
leader Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy on Sunday condemned the "irrelevant remarks" made by minister KT Rama Rao against the RSS, saying that he himself "represents a failed government".

Interacting with the media, the Minister for IT and Industries had said that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat should refrain from loose talk and the organisation should fight an election and win it. His remarks had come after Bhagwat had said it's neither the nature of the Sangh nor Hindus to endanger minorities and the RSS resolves to stand on the side of the brotherhood.

"I strongly condemn the irrelevant remarks by KTR. It is baseless. The demands that he withdraw it. He himself represents a failed government that cheated the people of Telangana," Reddy said.

The leader also hit out at KTR, the son of CM Chandrashekar Rao, for renaming the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) as the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

"With the launch of BRS, they are diverting people's attention from their failures, misrule, undemocratic attitudes and corrupt practices. The Telangana model is looting people and corruption. The state just diverts the central funds and stamps their name of the schemes," Reddy alleged.

Notably, the opposition parties including the Congress have accused the RSS of trying to divide society and making people fight against each other.

"Congress and BRS are jealous of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Reddy said.

Earlier, BJP senior spokesperson NV Subash had slammed KTR, asking him why are they afraid of raids if they are not corrupt. Talking to ANI, the BJP leader said, "The ruling TRS party need not be afraid of the central agencies ED or CBI if they are clean."

Subash too had condemned the remarks of KTR, who had said, "We will strip BJP's clothes".

"The Modi government doesn't use these agencies just against opposition parties. The agencies will conduct raids on persons who are involved in scams irrespective of caste, creed, region, religion, or political affiliations," Subash said.

"Raids are being conducted in various states, and not only in Telangana, in connection with liquor scams. The central agencies are independent and they have their own source of information regarding corruption," the BJP leader had 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.)
(AAP) leader Durgesh Pathak on Saturday alleged that (BJP) MP has been found to be illegally encroaching upon public land, and has been "exposed" by his party's MLA Anil Bajpai only.

"BJP legislator Anil Bajpai wrote to Delhi L-G complaining about how BJP MP has encroached upon MCD's Dhalaos for personal use. MCD lands are meant to be used only for public use, giving them to someone for personal use is a criminal act. Demand L-G Vinai Kumar Saxena to conduct a time-bound investigation and ensure strict punishment for all culprits. We had earlier exposed a similar case where a BJP councillor had allotted MCD land to her own husband," AAP MLA and MCD poll in-charge Durgesh Pathak said.

Pathak said that encroaching upon the government land and using it for illegal activities is a criminal act as per the Constitution and various other laws.

"In East Delhi, none other than BJP's MP of the constituency has encroached upon MCD lands. This is not my claim. This has been revealed by BJP MLA of Gandhi Nagar, Anil Bajpai, who belongs to his own party. He has urged the Delhi L-G that there should be an inquiry in this matter to find out how this happened," said Pathak.

"The issue is that the MCD has a lot of land and the MCD uses it for many public works, like creating a garbage dump, collecting and then processing the garbage. The MCD also builds schools, small dispensaries, community halls and toilets. These lands are utilised for public welfare. The letter that Anil Bajpai wrote states that these spaces made to collect garbage, cannot be transferred to any individual person, nor can it be transferred for any private activity by the MCD, it is to be given for public activities or usage," he said.

"When we raised our concerns regarding the same, the BJP tried to dismiss them by saying that these people belong to AAP and they only do this. But now, the same concern has been raised by the BJP MLA Anil Bajpai himself through this letter. Anil Bajpai is a respected and senior member of the BJP and he was appointed as the observer by the party in the Presidential elections," Pathak further said.

"He has raised a complaint and given details of the manner in which Gautam Gambhir and his NGO were allowed to encroach the lands belonging to MCD. These lands belong to the people of Delhi and not to some individuals or NGO. This is a criminal act. AAP demands from LG to investigate the entire incident in a time-bound manner. Strict actions should be taken against Gautam Gambhir and the concerned individuals as per the Constitution and other laws of the country.

"Earlier, these lands used to get illegally encroached, but now they are being legally handed over to individuals, which is very dangerous. AAP vehemently opposes and condemns it. We demand time-bound investigation and strict actions against the culprits," he added.

--IANS

avr/pgh

(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.)
Governor Banwarilal Purohit took exception to Chief Minister skipping the reception held for President during her maiden visit to Chandigarh on Saturday.

While welcoming Murmu at the Raj Bhavan, the governor noted Mann's absence from the event.

Purohit said he had invited Mann for the civic reception. "He (Mann) had even accepted it. He may have some compulsions," the governor said.

According to Purohit, Mann instead sent a representative.

"No matter how occupied one is, I feel it is important to fulfill one's constitutional responsibility," he asserted.

Cabinet minister Aman Arora, who attend the event, reacted sharply to Purohit's statements and said it was unfortunate that the governor raised a "political issue" from the Raj Bhavan stage.

In a statement, Arora said Mann had a pre-confirmed event and had hence deputed him instead to receive and welcome the President.

Arora said five other cabinet ministers and all senior bureaucrats attended the event.

"However, the honourable governor made these unfortunate remarks against the chief minister," he said and asked Purohit to restrain from making such statements in the future.

The President was in Chandigarh to witness the Indian Air Force aerial show at Sukhna lake.

The governor and the government was involved in a squabble over holding a session of the Assembly.

After seeking legal opinion, the governor had withdrawn the permission to hold a special session on September 22, during which the government wanted to bring only a confidence motion in the House.

Purohit then gave his nod to hold the session from September 27, but only after the government provided him the details of the legislative business that were to be carried out.

The BJP criticized Mann for skipping the function held in honour of the President.

Punjab BJP General Secretary Subhash Sharma said it is unfortunate that Mann skipped the event and asked the chief minister to understand his constitutional responsibility.

(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 Uddhav Thackeray-led on Saturday termed the Election Commission's order barring both the Thackeray and factions from using the party name and election symbol in the coming Assembly bypoll as "injustice".

The group led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on the other hand, termed the EC order appropriate.

The poll body should have holistically taken a decision rather than passing an interim decision for the bypoll, said Ambadas Danve, Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council, a Thackeray loyalist.

"This is injustice," he told PTI.

leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday lashed out at the rebel Sena leaders after the EC order.

"Khokewale" traitors committed this shameless and vile act of freezing the name and symbol", he tweeted, adding that the people of Maharashtra would not tolerate it.

"We will fight and win. We are on the side of the truth. Satyamev Jayate!" he said in the Marathi tweet.

On his Instagram page, Aaditya posted Harivansh Rai Bachchan's famous poem "Agnipath.

Aaditya and other leaders of the faction have been accusing the rebels led by CM Shinde of committing treachery for the lure of "khoke" or boxes of cash.

The November 3 bypoll to the constituency in suburban Mumbai is the first electoral test for the Thackeray group after the split in the party in June this year, leading to the fall of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government.

Interestingly, the upcoming contest is between the Thackeray-led faction and BJP. The Shinde group is not contesting.

The EC asked both groups to suggest by Monday three name choices for their groups, and also as many free symbols.

Chandrakant Khaire, former MP and another leader from the Thackeray camp, attacked the rival faction led by Shinde and said whoever has done this cannot undo the "sin" they have committed.

Prataprao Jadhav, an MP from the Shinde camp, said the EC has taken the right decision.

discarded the ideology of Sena founder Bal Thackeray and formed an alliance with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party, he said.

The interim order came on Saturday on the Shinde faction's request seeking it be allocated the symbol as the assembly bypoll is approaching.

"The Commission is duty bound to ensure that all electoral steps of the bye-election are free of any confusion and contradiction and thus its next step are necessarily agnostic to the possibility of either of the faction participating in the poll," the interim order said.

The rival factions had approached the Commission after the split in the Shiv Sena ranks in June, claiming to be the 'real Shiv Sena'.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), an ally of the Shinde faction, has decided to field Murji Patel, a corporator in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, for the bypoll necessitated due to the death of incumbent Sena MLA Ramesh Latke.

The Congress and the NCP have decided to support the late Latke's wife Rujuta Latke, the candidate of the Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, their coalition partner in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

(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.)
Russia's Crimea Bridge has been attacked by unknown forces that caused damage to it. On Saturday morning, the connecting structure was on fire, causing suspicion of traffic along the structure.

Crimea Bridge Attacked After Donbass Referendum

Kerch Bridge, which is a parallel bridge, one road, and one railroad that Russia built after the Crimean annexation in 2014, reported Anadolu.

Social media portrayed the wanton destruction caused by the masterminds of the unprecedented attack. Images of a collapsed road and train cars burning on the longest bridge in Europe. Witnesses to the carnage said an explosive blast rocked the bridge when huge fire raged from it, seen in video footage.

All trains going to the Crimean Peninsula were stopped for a while due to the damage to infrastructure caused by alleged unknown forces; even ticket offices were closed by the Russian Railways, and bus trips were suspended as well, noted YeniSafak.

Russian President Vladimir Putin created a state commission to investigate the alleged terrifying incident, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Oleg Kryuchkov, a counselor to annexed Crimea's administration, said on Telegram that what happened was a fuel truck's tank must have caught on fire, as shown by initial reports, mentioned Business Standard.

He added that support for Russia's Crimea bridge is still intact, and no speculations were proffered as attempts to stop the blaze was being made.

The Energy Ministry of Russia confirmed that the enclave was stocked with 15 days of fuel. Also, there are two months of essential supplies, noted officials. Assessment by the Transport Ministry of damage on the Kerch Bridges was accomplished too.

Read Also: Russia Nuclear Weapons: Volodymyr Zelensky Warns Danger of Vladimir Putin Nuclear Threats to Ukraine

Despite not saying Kyiv had a hand in the heinous civilian attack, these multiple statements by senior Ukrainian officials were quick to somewhat point to it.

Ukraine's high-ranking presidential counsel Mykhailo Podolyak stated that what happened on the bridge was only the start. Podolyak launched into a tirade, declaring that the Moscow forces must be driven out because the structure is illegal and Russian.

The Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary, Oleksiy Danilov, mocked the Russian leader by posting a video, showing one side with the bridge burning and the other side playing the happy birthday song of Marilyn Monroe.

Another unnamed Kyiv official told the New York Times that the bridge explosion was his birthday present for Putin. Last Friday, he turned 70 years old.

Russian Official Says Spies Threaten the Kerch Bridge

The secretary of Russia's Security Council, Nikolay Patrushev, on October 5 issued this statement, suggested that Ukrainian drifting mines represent a risk to vessels and port facilities and destabilization and terrorist activities by Ukrainian special services endanger Crimea's transport stability, citing TASS.

Mention that unmanned aquatic drones were detected and promptly demolished close to Sevastopol a while back. Patruschev expressed reservations about the situation affecting the security of the Crimean Peninsula under threat from Ukraine, which has alleged logistical support from the Biden administration.

The situation calls for additional measures to consider that more than one bad actor is threatening the civilian population with utter disregard for its overall security.

He added that many factors must be considered for the Kerch Bridge to ensure all eventualities can be dealt with in a worst-case scenario.

The attack on Russia's Crimea bridge is what Moscow calls a red line, and alleged unknown forces assaulted a critical infrastructure is a red line as well. Bad state actors are pushing a bad situation to the brink.

Related Article: Russia Airs Grievances Against UN Security Council's Accusations That Kremlin Sabotaged Nord Stream Pipeline

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chief on Sunday asked the to finalise one of three symbols- a trident, burning torch, and rising Sun- submitted by his camp and a name without delay ahead of the bypoll to the Andheri (East) assembly segment.

In a virtual address, Thackeray said his camp has submitted three names- " Balasaheb Thackeray, Balasaheb Prabodhankar Thackeray, and Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray" to the EC and expects it to allot one of them.

A day earlier, the poll body froze Shiv Sena's 'bow and arrow' poll symbol and also barred the factions led by Thackeray and Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde from using the party name in the November 3 bypoll.

Prabodhankar Thackeray, a social reformer and one of the stalwarts of the "Samyukta Maharashtra" movement in 1950s, is the late grandfather of and Bal Thackeray his father.

Thackeray said his faction has also submitted to the EC three options- a rising Sun, a burning torch (mashaal), and a trident- and expects it to allot one of them as the poll symbol for the byelection.

The bypoll is expected to be a straight fight between the Thackeray faction and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a first after the vertical split in Shiv Sena in June this year.

In a YouTube live, Thackeray tore into CM Shinde's camp and also took swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

I appeal to the ECI to finalise a symbol and name for my party at the earliest because we have to go to the people and face the bye-election. I was shocked by the decision of the ECI, but my confidence is not shaken and also my faith in Sena supporters, he added.

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) always targets Congress over former prime minister Indira Gandhi's decision to invoke the Emergency.

"However, neither Indira Gandhi tried to finish off Shiv Sena nor any other Congress-led government took such extreme steps against Shiv Sena, he said.

The Sena chief said the 40 rebels, who are enjoying plum posts with the support of the BJP, will be dumped like an "empty beverage bottle" once their utility is over.

"Nobody keeps the empty bottle at home once the beverage is consumed completely, he added.

The traitors first took my chair by cheating and also tried to appropriate Shiv Sena and the legacy. Now they ensured that the symbol (bow and arrow) is frozen, Thackeray added.

The former chief minister said he tolerated these acts but it is too much for him now.

Such acts of these people can be equated with a person stabbing his own mother. These are heartless people who are trying to finish the very political party that gave them so much space, posts and image, he added.

The Sena chief said he was waiting for the right opportunity to strike back.

"I will give my best against them. They (Shinde camp) should realise that their utility is now almost over with the ECI freezing the election symbol of Shiv Sena. Now, they are left with very little time in their hand, he said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The latest estimates from the World Organization (WTO) suggest that growth in global merchandise in 2023 would dip to 1 per cent from 3.5 per cent in the current year (chart 1). Earlier, in April, the organisation had predicted merchandise trade to expand by 3.4 per cent in 2023. Africa and West Asia may witness a contraction in in the coming year. In contrast, the Commonwealth of Independent States, comprising Eastern Europe and Asian countries, will experience the highest growth rate. Northern American countries are expected to record 1.4 per cent trade growth.
Meta CEO is set to announce the company's progress towards building the $10 billion metaverse, as internal reports claim there are still several quality issues and those building the virtual reality (VR) social network at the company are barely using it.

The company will organised 'Meta Connect' virtual conference on October 11 for developers, creators, tech enthusiasts and others.

Zuckerberg will share share updates on the VR developer ecosystem, the progress building toward the metaverse, and 'Project Cambria', a new high-end VR headset with mixed reality.

"If you have a Meta Quest 2 headset, you can register to attend in VR in Meta Horizon Worlds," said the company.

The flagship metaverse event comes as Vishal Shah, Meta's VP of Metaverse, apparently told the employees that the metaverse team would remain in a "quality lockdown" for the rest of the year to "ensure that we fix our quality gaps and performance issues before we open up Horizon to more users".

"Simply put, for an experience to become delightful and retentive, it must first be usable and well crafted," he told them in an internal memo.

In August, Zuckerberg was forced to post new screenshots on and Instagram, showing off a more life-like version of himself, after he faced memes on his poorly-designed metaverse avatar.

In the same month, Vivek Sharma, the Indian-origin VP of Meta's Horizon social media virtual reality (VR) platform, departed, at a time when Zuckerberg doubles down on his $10 billion metaverse dream.

A Meta spokesperson said the company is "confident that the metaverse is the future of computing and that it should be built around people".

--IANS

na/

(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.)
Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno AA Images

Deby to rule for non-renewable 2-year transition period until elections

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) -Chads military leader, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, was named the nations transition president Saturday and will govern for a non-renewable two years transition period until elections.



The announcement was made at the conclusion of a National Sovereign Inclusive Dialogue which was launched Aug. 20.



At a ceremony in the capital, N'Djamena, the National Sovereign Inclusive Dialogue forum announced that the Transitional Military Council that had ruled the country for 18 months has been dissolved, and appointed Mahamat Deby as president of the transition.



In his speech before a packed audience of civilians and military, Deby promised to work to achieve the prescribed deadlines for the return to constitutional order.



He urged politico-military groups to choose peace and national harmony and promised to release all prisoners of war in exchange for a cease-fire and dialogue.



He appealed to political parties and civil groups that boycotted the talks to back efforts aimed at uniting the country.



I would like to remind them that the dialogue is a continuous process aimed to build a nation that brings us together at all times. You can join the process in the interest of our common future, he said.



The younger Deby had pledged to hand over power to an elected government after 18 months -- a deadline that has not been achieved. The deadline was supposed to end in October.



The international community had urged Deby not to run for president in the post-transition.



But the national dialogue forum gave Deby a green light to run at the end of the transition, among a raft of resolutions adopted under a revised transition charter.



Deby took leadership of Chad last year following the death of his father, Idriss Deby Itno, who died on the frontline of a war against rebels after ruling for 30 years.



Following his death, the army appointed a Transitional Military Council with 15 generals that was headed by Deby.

James Tasamba/AA
Explosion on Crimea-Russia Bridge Getty Images

Crimean bridge, crossing Kerch Strait was built after Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014

ANKARA (AA) - A huge explosion early Saturday hit the Kerch Bridge, a key supply route for Russia which was built after it annexed Crimea in 2014.

Kerch Bridge on fire (c) AFP/Getty Images

An ensuing fire caused the suspension of traffic and bus and train services.

The bridge, the longest in Europe, crosses the Kerch Strait on the Sea of Azov.

It cost $3.7 billion and has a length of 19 kilometers (12 miles), making it the longest bridge built by Russia.

Kerch Bridge, a symbol of Crimea's annexation, shook by explosion (c) AA Images

Huge explosion hits Kerch Bridge linking Crimea to Russia (c) AA Images

The bridge -- a pair of parallel bridges, a road and a railroad -- is a symbol of the annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and one of Russian President Vladimir Putins prestige projects. It is a crucial logistical link for the Russian army.

It was a key transport link providing military materials to the Russian army deployed in southern Ukraine, as well as transporting forces to the area.

The attack is considered a nasty blow to the Russian military prestige and supply chains for the invasion of the peninsula.

The bridge allows Russia to maintain its strategic domain in Crimea and to put lasting economic and political pressure on Ukraine.

The road-and-rail bridge, built upon instructions by Putin, was inaugurated in 2018, while the railway bridge was opened two years later.

Kerch Bridge, a symbol of Crimea's annexation, shook by explosion (c) AA Images

Ukraine, the EU and the US have all condemned the bridge connecting Russia to a peninsula they say is under illegal occupation.

In 2014, Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula after a controversial referendum. Moscow has since pursued a policy of integrating the peninsula through transport and infrastructure projects.

Turkiye, as well as the UN General Assembly, views the annexation as illegal.

Three people were killed in the "truck bombing" on the strategic bridge, according to Russian investigators.

Russia's Investigative Committee added that the driver of the truck is a resident of the Krasnodar Krai region in Russia.

Zehra Nur Duz/AA

Note:

WHAT HAS BEEN DESTROYED



The blast on Saturday brought down sections of road taking traffic in one direction.

.
Pyongyang tested two ballistic missiles in waters off the country's coast, direct at South Korea and Japan, which are aligned with the US. According to the Seoul Joint Chiefs of Staff, the launches were carried out in the Munchon area of Kangwon Province.

North Korea Stages Two Ballistic Missile Test

The projectiles had been launched between 1:47 a.m. and 1:53 a.m. Toshiro Ino, Japan's State Minister of Defense, claimed it was Sunday local time, reported CNN.

According to Ino, these two ballistic missiles hit a region just outside the Exclusive Economic Zone of Japan.

After Pyongyang initiated a missile launch on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a stark warning remarked ABC 57: "It will simply ramp up the denunciation, keep increasing the isolation, and escalate the actions that are taken as a reaction to their activities."

The official said the initial missile traveled as far as 350 kilometers and as high as 100 kilometers. Another missile has flown just as far.

The defense ministry is still investigating the specific details and attempting to figure out what type of missiles were used, along with the potential that these were submarine-launched ballistic missiles, pointing out that there are no claims of any harm to vessels at sea.

Based on the joint chiefs of staff of South Korea, the armed services have enhanced their monitoring and awareness while preserving a comprehensive readiness posture and collaborating with the US.

Read Also: Iran Intensifies Crackdown Over Nationwide Outcry, Killing At Least 2; Anti-Government Protesters Say They're 'No Longer Afraid'

North Korea's 25th Missile Test

According to CNN's tally, it is the 25th missile test of North Korea this year, which includes both ballistic and cruise missiles. The last launch took place Thursday when North Korea shot two short-range ballistic missiles. It was the latest in a recent rash of tests in the past two weeks, citing 9News.

The Japanese Coast Guard recommended that ships take the threat seriously and stay clear of any objects that had dropped into the water. Moreover, it demanded that vessels disclose any pertinent information.

Seoul said that North Korea violated the UNSC resolution and asked Kim Jong Un to stop such activities. Seoul claimed its military officials were maintaining an authoritarian state of readiness and closely monitoring North Korea's movements alongside the US.

Last Tuesday, another missile was launched with no warning that went over and overshot the Japanese territories, prompting an alarm from authorities.

According to sources, the projectile is believed to have landed in the Pacific Ocean after flying over the northern part of Japan early on Tuesday morning. As was noted, a missile was fired so close to the Japanese islands in 2017.

On Saturday, the US Indo-Pacific Command said that the test launch posed no threats to the impacted areas. Pyongyang decided to fire two ballistic missiles to send a message to South Korea and Japan over the prevailing political conditions in their immediate region.

Related Article: Biden Administration in a Flurry as Oil Cut by 2 Million Barrels Endangers a Redlining US Economy

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Walt Disney Animation Studios is teaming with Toronto-based Lighthouse Immersive Studios to develop Disney Animation: Immersive Experience, a traveling experience of Disney animation which will world premiere in Toronto this December before heading across the U.S. and other territories in 2023.

Heres what we know about the project:
A woman told police someone called the Truist Bank at 4616 Hwy. 58 and claimed to be her and moved money from her and her husband's home equity line of credit into their checking account and then opened another checking account in her name and moved money to it and started spending it. She said as a result they are out $11,770.49. She said the bank has not returned the money to the home equity line and are requiring a police report. She said the bank has changed all of their account numbers and closed the checking account which the person opened. Police recommended that she and her husband place a freeze on their credit records and read "identity theft.gov" and follow the guidelines in it.

* * *

A man told police he checked into the Holiday Inn at 6274 Artesian Circle that morning at approximately 1 a.m. At 4 a.m. he said he was reacting to the air quality in the room and was moved to another room. He said he forgot his wallet in the original room. At 9:30 a.m. he was allowed back into that room to retrieve his wallet. He said that at that time he discovered $150 in cash had been taken from his wallet. The hotel general manager reviewed cameras and the door to the room in question is not well covered and no one is seen going near it. The man was comped his night stay and another night as well by management of the hotel. The man said he canceled his credit cards in an abundance of caution in case the numbers were copied.

* * *

A disorder was reported at the Truist Bank at 2120 Gunbarrel Road. Police spoke with a man who told them he made a disrespectful comment to a woman and they starting arguing and

screaming profanities at each other. After speaking with both parties, the man decided to walk home while the woman got on the bus and left the area.

* * *

A man told police he believes he lost his wallet at Union Hill Baptist Church, 1800 N. Chamberlain Ave., on Sunday between 4-7 p.m. The wallet was described as cotton-material with Marvel characters printed on it. The wallet contained the man's Social Security card, TN ID, CashApp card, and a $5 bill. The man said he was notified by CashApp that someone attempted to use his card three times for Securus Inmate Call Video; however, the payments were declined. There is no suspect information. The man does not wish to press charges.

* * *

A woman on N. Concord Road told police the driver's side rear door on her vehicle was damaged. She said she noticed after church around 12:15 p.m. that her rear driver's side door was open. She said she had valuable items in the car, but nothing was taken from the vehicle. She said the door

seemed to be damaged from being pried open. She believes the damage is around $500 for the door. There is no suspect information.

* * *

A man at Vapor Tonics, 810 Broad St., told police he believes a man he identified stole his Social Security card, reactivated his "Wisly" debit card and stole $300 from him. He said he met the man at the Rescue Mission on St. Elmo Avenue. He told police the man is known for "doing stuff like

this." He was unable to show evidence of the man stealing his money and Social Security card. He only knew the man by his name.

* * *

A man told police he parked his 2012 Ford F150 at 6338 Hwy. 58 at approximately 8 a.m. He said when he returned to the vehicle at approximately 6:30 p.m., he discovered that the catalytic converter had been cut off his vehicle. There is no suspect information.

* * *

Police were notified that a yellow Porsche Cayen had fled a traffic stop earlier in the evening. This Porsche was then located in the parking lot at 1101 Arlington Ave., which serves as the physical address for the Bayberry Apartments. The vehicle was unoccupied at the time officers made contact with the vehicle. The tag displayed on the vehicle was an Alabama tag that expired on 11/21. Nothing of interest was located in plain view. The vehicle was not reported stolen at this time.

* * *

Police responded to a suspicious vehicle at 951 Boynton Dr. Police found a 2021 white Toyota Tundra with a FL tag with the motor running and the gas tank gauge showing almost full. The doors were locked, lights were off and no one was around the vehicle. The VIN was verified. The truck was negative stolen and came back as a rental.

* * *

A man told police he was driving down Lee Highway towards the interstate when he clipped a shopping cart belonging to a homeless person with his passenger side mirror, causing damage. The homeless person, identified as "Cid," was walking on the shoulder of Lee Highway, pushing the shopping cart and was not struck by the vehicle. The man valued the damage to his vehicle at

approximately $400.

* * *

Police observed a man pushing a dumpster cart down Cowart Street and got out to conduct a field interview with him. The man said he had gathered some things from the dumpster at The Choo Choo and was heading back to his home. Police checked the man for warrants and none were found. Police also checked for calls on thefts from The Choo Choo and none were located from the past two weeks.

* * *



A man at the Clarion Inn, 3641 Cummings Hwy., told police his truck, V1, had been broken into and his Smith and Wesson M&P Viking Tactical semi-auto handgun had been taken from inside the vehicle. Police observed the V1 to have the front passenger window busted out and a large rock lying in the seat. The man said he had just previously left his vehicle to go inside the hotel approximately 30 minutes before returning and finding his truck window busted and his handgun gone. The man will be calling in at a later time with the serial number for the firearm.
Yellowstone is a wildly popular American Western drama currently streaming on the Paramount Network. The combination of the western and mob genres has thrilled fans over the last four seasons. If you are having a hard time waiting for the fifth season to be released, perhaps checking out one or more of these five shows like Yellowstone will help you be more patient.

Wes Bentley, Gil Birmingham, Kelly Reilly, Kevin Costner, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille and Luke Grimes | Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images

The fifth season of Yellowstone is coming soon

Yellowstone follows the Dutton family, which owns the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. The series looks closely at the way ranches are impacted by land developers, reservations, National Parks, and more.

With season fours stunning conclusion, fans are excited to see what is to happen with Jamie Dutton next and how his actions might impact the Dutton family as a whole.

Fans can watch the first four seasons of Yellowstone on Peacock. The fifth season will be released on November 13, 2022

1883 (2021-2022)

1883 is the prequel to Yellowstone and tells the story of how Duttons ancestors came to settle in Montana, according to IMDb. James Dutton, played by Tim McGraw, leads his family across the Great Plains with the assistance of Shea Brennan (Sam Elliot). The journey is about as perilous as you can imagine.

1883 is an old-fashioned Western that fits nicely with the more modern Western of Yellowstone. You can watch 1883 on Paramount+.

Billy the Kid (2022-)

BILLY THE KID we are getting closer ??? pic.twitter.com/eO6RfsgANc  Barry Keoghan (@BarryKeoghan) January 19, 2021

If you like the neo-Western feel of Yellowstone but also like more traditional western characters, then Billy the Kid just might be for you. IMDb reports it is a romantic adventure, based on the life of Billy the Kid. The series follows him from his Irish roots to his time as a cowboy in the American frontier. The series also explores his pivotal role in the Lincoln County War.

Outer Range (2022-)

Amazons Outer Range brings the weird fiction mindset to Westerns https://t.co/SRenLy6nLv pic.twitter.com/gwdQV2pp1s  The Verge (@verge) May 5, 2022

Take Yellowstones Western theme and fight for personal property and combine it with the sci-fi and supernatural elements of Lost and you have Outer Range.

Royal Abbott, played by Josh Brolin, is a rancher fighting for his land and family discovers an unfathomable mystery at the edge of Wyomings wilderness, according to IMDb. Abbott finds a large and mysterious hold on his Wyoming property that seems to put out some kind of supernatural power. Some people try to take Abbotts property from him, but he refuses to sell until he can figure out what the hold could be.

You can watch Outer Range on Prime Video.

Joe Pickett (2021-)

Really enjoying Joe Pickett on @paramountplus But shocked to see @DavidJoy_Author show up in episode 1 and try to kill Joe! pic.twitter.com/EkwZWqkYW9  Ace Atkins (@aceatkins) July 10, 2022

Yellowstone has created a fan base for the reimagined Western, and Joe Pickett is catching the trend. IMDb says Joe Pickett follows a game warden and his family in a changing political and socioeconomic climate in a small rural town.

Michael Dorman stars as Joe Pickett. Pickett is a game warden in Wyoming, where any sort of government authority is not viewed with trusting eyes, especially when told what they can and cant hunt. Pickett gets involved in a murder investigation that forces him to face a crime family and other unlikeable characters.

You can watch Joe Pickett on Paramount+.

The Son (2017-2019)

The Son provides a mashup of the period setting of 1883 with the family drama of Yellowstone. IMDb describes The Son as an epic that tells the story of Americas birth as a superpower that follows the story of a Texas oil empire.

The Son follows Eli McCulloch, played by Pierce Brosnan, through two different timelines, the 1840s and early 1900s. You can catch episodes of The Son on Hulu.

RELATED: Yellowstone Fans Will Not Believe the Staggering Amount of Money It Takes to Make the Sprawling Western
Great British Baking Show: Paul Hollywoods Love Life Was Once Messier Than Some of the Bakes on the Show

Great British Baking Show star Paul Hollywood has been a judge on the popular competition series since it began in 2010. At that time, he was a Christian family man who was married to his lovely wife Alex and they shared a son named Josh. But fame and fortune changed Hollywood and made his love life messier than some of the bakes on the show.

Paul Hollywood | Anthony Harvey/Getty Images

Great British Baking Show star Paul Hollywood was thought to have a near-perfect marriage

Before he became a judge on the Great British Bake Off  as its known in the United Kingdom  Hollywood met his wife at a luxury hotel in Cyprus. He was the head baker and she was a scuba diving instructor, and the romance blossomed quickly.

The couple married two years after they met and moved back to the UK in 1999 before Josh arrived in 2001. And it was Alex who first had the idea that her husband should give TV a try after watching Jamie Olivers Naked Chef.

Hollywood got his break when a TV crew unexpectedly visited a hotel where he and Alex worked to make a show about Cypriot food. His wife told the crew that Hollywood would be perfect for the show, and that resulted in a screen test.

They put him in front of a camera and you could just see how brilliant he was. He dominated the screen, Alex recalled, per The Mirror. After they had finished filming, the production team said to me: He needs to go back to the UK and get an agent.'

Paul Hollywoods love life got messier than some of the bakes on his show

Hollywood landed that gig and went on to write the best-selling cookbook 100 Great Breads. That led to The Great British Bake Off, and that series made him a star. It also transformed the family man into a silver fox and won him thousands of female fans. But despite his newfound status as a sex symbol, Alex said she trusted her husband completely.

That all changed, though, when Hollywood flew to the US to shoot the American version of the series in 2013. Thats when he had an affair with his fellow judge and TV chef Marcela Valladolid. He later called the affair the biggest mistake of his life.

Most of what was being said was a lie or a twisted truth. The truth was very different to what the tabloids were writing. The press intrusion can be such a horrible thing to deal with, and it isnt fair, because theres no right to reply, Hollywood said, per Hello! Magazine.

The baker and his wife reconciled a few months after his affair, but they called it quits for good in 2017 after 20 years of marriage.

In the last few months [of his marriage], Alex had completely given up on their relationship. The trust was totally gone. She just didnt want to make it work anymore, a source dished at the time. She feels fame has changed him. Hes not the same man she fell for all those years ago.

The Great British Breaking Show judge met his current girlfriend at the same hotel he met his wife

Just a few months after his split from Alex, Hollywood started dating 23-year-old barmaid Summer Monteys-Fullam  a woman 29 years his junior. That relationship lasted two years but fell apart when he allegedly asked her to sign an NDA to make sure she wouldnt talk about their romance. She was reportedly expecting a proposal.

After that breakup, Hollywood started dating B&B owner Melissa Spalding. According to The Metro UK, romance rumors began in late 2019 when they were spotted together at a five-star hotel in Cyprus. It was the exact same hotel where Hollywood met his wife Alex decades earlier.

Spalding reportedly moved into Hollywoods 18th-century farmhouse during the lockdowns, and the couple is still together.

New episodes of the Great British Baking Show drop Fridays on Netflix.

RELATED: Paul Hollywoods Ex-Wife Once Revealed Why She Took the GBBO Judge Back After His Very Public Affair
In 1971, George Harrison invited his former bandmates, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney, to perform at his benefit concert, the Concert for Bangladesh. The Beatles had only been separated for about a year and were still entangled in a tense legal battle.

However, George was willing to put aside their quarrel to collaborate on a good cause. As usual, John and Paul couldnt support him.

Paul McCartney and George Harrison | Edward Wing/Getty Images

There could have been a Beatles reunion at Georges benefit concert

While organizing the Concert for Bangladesh, George wanted rock stars with enormous star power on stage to raise the maximum amount of money for the humanitarian crisis.

So, he put the suffering of the Bengali people ahead of his issues with his former bandmates and asked them to perform. George knew having a Beatles reunion on stage would give the benefit concert a massive push.

In Here Comes The Sun: The Spiritual And Musical Journey Of George Harrison, Joshua M. Greene wrote, George rented a house in Los Angeles and began mounting the music industrys first charity rock concert. He spent the second half of June and the first half of July making phone calls, convincing some of the worlds finest rock artists to join together in a humanitarian gesture unprecedented for the music industry.

Besides his buddies Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Leon Rusell, and Bob Dylan, George wanted The Beatles to perform. The Beatles had been unofficially broken up for about a year. Fans were craving them to get back together. Reuniting at a benefit concert for a single night wouldnt have been too much to ask.

Ringo signed on immediately, as he always did. He was loyal to George and even halted filming Blindman.

John, who lived in New York City, where the benefit took place, told George hed have to bring his wife, Yoko Ono. That was not acceptable to George, who had handpicked world-class musicians for the concert, and heated words were exchanged, Greene wrote.

Eventually, John agreed to perform without Yoko. However, when she heard about her husbands arrangement with George, she and John allegedly had a huge fight. The pair angrily fled New York two days before the Concert for Bangladesh.

Later, John claimed that The Beatles business manager, Allen Klein, started the rumor of his fight with Yoko. Whether Klein made up the rumor or not, he was why Paul didnt attend the Concert for Bangladesh.

RELATED: Badfingers Joey Molland Said George Harrison Would Close up and Walk Away if Someone Treated Him Like a Beatle

Why Paul McCartney didnt attend the Concert for Bangladesh

Although George and Paul rarely got along, George wanted his former bandmate to perform at the Concert for Bangladesh. However, Paul didnt think it was appropriate considering the bands legal issues with one another.

Greene wrote, George invited Paul to play. Paul said he would agree if George and the others dropped a countersuit they had brought against him for wanting to dissolve the Beatles. George could not agree to having one issue affect the other, and Paul declined to perform.

Just this once, for a worthy cause, he may have wondered, could his friends not set aside their personal demands?

However, Paul had another reason for not performing at the Concert for Bangladesh.

RELATED: Queen Elizabeth II Expressed Her Sympathies for George Harrison Following His 1999 Home Invasion, Claims German Ex-MEP

Allen Klein was another reason why Paul wouldnt perform at the Concert for Bangladesh

The Beatles business manager was another reason why Paul chose not to perform at the Concert for Bangladesh.

The year of the benefit concert, Paul told Melody Makers Chris Charlesworth (per Beatles Bible), You know I was asked to play at Georges concert in New York for Bangladesh and I didnt. Klein called a press conference and told everyone I had refused to do so for the Pakistani refugees  thats what he called them.

It wasnt so. I said to George the reason I couldnt do it was because it would mean that all the worlds press would scream that The Beatles had got back together again, and I know that it would have made Klein very happy.

It would have been an historical event and Klein would have taken the credit. I didnt really fancy it anyway. If it wasnt for Klein I might have had second thoughts about it, but I dont know really.

In 1970, Paul sued his bandmates, seeking to dissolve the bands contractual partnership after the other members made Klein The Beatles business manager. Paul wanted his father-in-law and brother-in-law to be the groups business manager, but the others thought that wouldve given him preferential treatment.

Eventually, though, Klein turned out to be the worst thing for the bands financial matters. However, it was all too late. The Beatles never got another chance to reunite. Although they came close one other time, at Clapton and Pattie Boyds wedding.

Paul felt he had good reasons for not performing at the Concert for Bangladesh, and they mightve been true. However, George felt betrayed that Paul, once again, hadnt put their problems aside and supported him. Their relationship never really healed after that.

RELATED: John Lennon Began to Think There Must Be a God When He Kept Hearing George Harrisons My Sweet Lord on the Radio
An entrance sign is shown at the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in Eads, Colo., on Dec. 27, 2019. This quiet piece of land tucked away in rural southeastern Colorado seeks to honor the 230 peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho tribe members who were slaughtered by the U.S. Army in 1864. It was one of worst mass murders in U.S. history.
'Victory': West Virginia Supreme Court allows students to use scholarship funds for private schools

The West Virginia Supreme Court this week upheld the states Hope Scholarship Act, which gives parents money to help pay for private and faith-based schools or homeschool education if they opt to take their children out of public school.

The court reversed a circuit court injunction that blocked the Hope Scholarship Program, which allows eligible students to receive funding that is equal to 100 percent of the prior years statewide average net share aid allotted per pupil based on net enrollment adjusted for state purposes.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey called the ruling a tremendous victory for the hard-working families across West Virginia who deserve increased options for their childrens individual educational needs.

It has always been my goal to help make our state first in the nation when it comes to educational opportunities for West Virginias kids, Morrisey said in a statement.

He said the victory will make an incredible difference.

Im proud of our offices work to defend this important program and the rule of law.

In July, Judge Joanna Tabit from Kanawha County Circuit Court had struck down the scholarship program, ruling that it violated the state Constitution, and thereby put the applications of an estimated 3,000 families at risk for the 2022 school year, The Washington Times reported.

State Treasurer Riley Moore, chairman of the Hope Scholarship Board, called the program's opponents out-of-state trial lawyers and liberal activists who are trying to block educational freedom and school choice for the children of our state, according to Washington Examiner.

Some opponents argue that the program diverts funding away from the public education system, while supporters maintain it helps low-income families by giving them an alternative to public education.

Enrollment in private schools has increased and public school enrollment has declined across the country after the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Between fall 2019 and fall 2020, total public school enrollment dropped 3% nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics. And the National Association of Independent Schools found that private schools saw a net growth of 1.7% between 2020 and 2022.

Recent studies ranking the education quality of states have put West Virginia among the lowest in the list, and one study placed the state at the bottom of all 50 states, the Examiner added.

The enactment of the legislation came last year at a time when some public schools faced criticism for the enactment of controversial sex education programs as well as the adoption of anti-Christian philosophies and embrace of the scandal-ridden Black Lives Matter movement.

While school choice advocates cheered the new legislation at the time, the ACLU sent a letter to the West Virginia House of Delegates urging the states lower chamber to reject it. The progressive advocacy group contended that the legislation discriminates against students because schools that discriminate on the basis of sex, gender identity, disability, and religion  would be eligible to receive funding through the state via the Hope Scholarship accounts.

Paul Hardesty, president of the West Virginia Board of Education, said in a statement after this weeks verdict that the Board of Education, which had opposed the program, would respect the courts verdict.

I am confident this Legislature and this governor will continue to fund public education at adequate levels, he said, according to Eyewitness News. It is time for the West Virginia Department of Education to focus on the basics  student achievement with a renewed focus on math, reading, writing and English language arts.

The Hope Scholarship is available to all students who were enrolled full-time and attending a public elementary or secondary school program in this state for at least 45 calendar days during an instructional term at the time of application and until an award letter is issued by the board or are eligible to be enrolled in a kindergarten program in the state.

The funds for a Hope Scholarship must be placed in a personal education savings account to be used for qualifying education expenses on behalf of the eligible recipient.
Not without sadness: Tia Mowry files for divorce after 14 years of marriage

Actress Tia Mowry, who, alongside her twin sister, Tamera, gained fame on the '90s TV series "Sister, Sister," filed for divorce from her husband, Cory Hardrict, after 14 years of marriage.

The couple once connected over their Christian values and were married in 2008, but Mowrey said they are now divorcing over "irreconcilable differences," according to People magazine.

The court filing requested joint custody of the couples 11-year-old son, Cree, and 4-year-old daughter, Cairo, according to People.

Mowry also shared the news of her pending divorce with her Instagram followers Tuesday in a post that included a photo of her and Hardrict.

I have always been honest with my fans, and today is no different. I wanted to share that Cory and I have decided to go our separate ways, she wrote. These decisions are never easy, and not without sadness."

I am grateful for all the happy times we had together and want to thank my friends, family and fans for your love and support as we start this new chapter moving forward in our lives.

Mowry said they will maintain a friendship as they co-parent their two children.

The Family Reunion star also shared a quote on her Instagram story that said, Letting go can be painful. But, it wont hurt as much as holding on to an illusion.

In a past interview, Mowry, who is a practicing Christian, said it was Hardricts faith that connected the two of them.

Cory is a man of faith and a man of God, the actress shared on her social media series, Tia Mowrys Quick Fix in 2017.

Hell put something on the board and hell say, Tia, I know that thats going to come to pass. And Im like, this dude is crazy, Mowry joked. Then it comes to pass and not only that  he taught me how to believe in myself more than I believe in myself. He is like my biggest supporter and biggest fan.

I knew Tia was the one for me when she was in my corner when I moved to L.A., to Inglewood, and I had like two pair of drawls to my name. I was dirt poor. I didnt have anything, and she appreciated everything for what it was and she loved me for me, said Hardrict, who is also an actor.

I knew once I could get in a financially better situation, Im going to buy her a ring and thats going to be my wife. And here we are, so thats when I knew she was the one for me because it was real love. Its not perfect, now  but thats love.

Mowry and Hardrict had a prenuptial agreement prior to their marriage in 2008. According to reports, Mowry is requesting to terminate spousal support.
Knife-wielding radical Muslims attack evangelists for leading people to Christ in Uganda

NAIROBI, Kenya  Two evangelists sustained deep knife wounds after leading several Muslims to Christ at debates on Islam and Christianity in eastern Uganda, sources said.

Andrew Dikusooka, 35, and 26-year-old Ronald Musasizi had debated Islamic scholars in several areas around Iganga District, and some attacked them after a Sept. 20-24 series of such debates in the districts predominantly Muslim Nampirika village, said a leader of their ministry, unnamed for security reasons.

The two evangelists are nursing terrible wounds on their sick beds in Iganga town after being attacked and beaten by radical Muslims, the leader told Morning Star News.

Dikusooka said that after the last day of the debate, well-known Muslims were among those who put their faith in Christ.

Many people gave their lives to Christ, including Muslims, witchdoctors and street vendors, Dikusooka told Morning Star News. The conversion of these people angered Muslims who began shouting to disrupt the occasion. When the meeting ended, we took the new converts aside and had a few minutes explaining the meaning of the new life in Christ and the commitment to follow Jesus Christ.

They were halfway home at about 7:30 p.m. when a group of Muslims blocked them near a railroad crossing shouting, They are the ones  beat them, beat them, he said.

They then started beating us with blunt objects, and one named Shafiki Mugendawala from Nasuuti, in Iganga, hit me with a sharp knife right on my head, Dikusooka told Morning Star News. Another named Musiitwa Manisuuli from Kigulu Iganga struck my friend in the belly and hands.

He knew the assailants because they had debated them on several occasions, he said.

Both of us fell down as a bright light flashed from a coming vehicle that appeared from the opposite direction, he said. From that time onwards, we did not know what happened. We only found ourselves in the hospital in Iganga town with deep wounds.

The driver of the vehicle was the one who rescued them and drove them to the hospital, they later learned.

At this writing the two evangelists were still recovering in the hospital.

Since we know the attackers, after our release from the hospital we shall by all means file a case against them, Dikusooka said. Please pray for us for quick healing.

The attack was 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.
Based on indicators, the South Korean KF-21 Boramae will be chosen over the Dassault Rafale by Jakarta as the unit test draws interest. Since the first flight of the 5th or 4.5 generation, according to some, the plane seems to be enticing to the export markets from July this year.

Korean KF-21 Boramae Fifth Generation Fighter

The Chinese J-20 stealth fighter is the benchmark for non-western 5th-generation fighters. Compared to the Korean fighter with a less powerful engine and limited flight performance, another advantage is the lesser maintenance to keep it flying with a lesser budget, reported Military Watch Magazine.

Air Forces with less money to spend will find it easier to maintain compared to the more expensive Dassault Rafale and F-18 A/E or Eurofighter.

Even though the KF-21 has been at first sought as a joint program with both South Korea and Indonesia, the latter's lack of installments or ability to contribute over the last five years raised concerns regarding its pledge, states SCMP.

Jakarta appears to have been primarily persuaded by the initiative's rapid advancement; as a result, Indonesian Deputy Defense Minister Muhammad Herindra reaffirmed his country's commitment to the program in the latter part of September, demonstrating that the fighter may be of strategic importance.

By the close of the year, he envisioned, the percentage of Indonesian engineers who work on the initiative might triple.

Sources had confirmed in the first week of October, Indonesia will give $6 million as arrears incurred for the KF-21 Boramae program. In 2023, an expected 33 million will be paid too.

Read Also: Xi Jinping Net Worth 2022: How Wealthy Is China's President

Advantages of the KF-21 Over the Rafale

However, this reflected under 10 percent of the 800 billion won racked up in Jakarta's arrears to Seoul in the KF-21 program. This is nonetheless a perceived satisfaction.

Jakarta intended to contribute 20% of the costs to developing the jet as a minor partner, but there have been numerous delays since 2017.

In February, it showed interest in buying 42 Rafale 4.5 generation jets to add to its aging squadron of fighters. But backtracking to the KF-21 project would halt the defense deal with Dassault; it proved to be more expensive than the South Korean jet with lower cost maintenance, per France24.

Compared to the Boramae, the Rafale is 4.5 generations older because it was first employed during the Cold War in 1986. It has some shortcomings and is already 36 years old. The French fighter cannot mount the Taurus cruise missile due to its engines' reduced thrust and lack of stealth designs.

While they can both engage in aerial combat using Meteor air-to-air missiles, that is the only similarity between them; in contrast to the more recent Korean offering, nothing else about their avionics is more advanced.

A shared strategic partnership with Seoul and Jakarta, since the country has bought Korean T-50 trainers already modified for combat use.

Due to the prior sale of jet trainers, choosing to acquire the Boramae is expected to be a logical outcome. The relationship as a partner in the program also assures Jakarta's future operator status.

After serious consideration, Indonesia is leaning toward the South Korean KF-21 Boramae as an alternative buy over the more expensive maintained Dassault Rafael.

Related Article: KF-21 Boramae Hits the Skies as South Korea's Contender in the 5th Generation Stealth Fighter

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
How churches and Christians can combat the rising tide of anti-Semitism To be anti-Semitic would be rejecting Jesus

Christians in the United States are being urged to use their influence to combat anti-Semitism amid a staggering rise in hate crimes and other incidents targeting Jewish Americans in recent years.

As a leading Jewish civil rights organization reports that 2021 saw violence against Jews reach record levels, followers of Christ have a role to play in fostering acceptance for their Jewish neighbors and pushing back against anti-Semitic conspiracy theories within their spheres of influence, Christian scholars say.

"I think through genuine conversation, we begin to reflect on how our own churches or communities expressed anti-Semitism, either consciously or unconsciously, wittingly or unwittingly," Christian theologian Rev. Lee B. Spitzer, an affiliate professor of church history at Northern Seminary in Illinois, told The Christian Post.

Spitzer, who retired in 2019 as the general secretary of the American Baptist Churches USA, says that many Christians incorrectly conclude that anti-Semitism is a byproduct of Bible-based Christianity or that it's not something that is the Church's responsibility to combat. But he encourages Christians to check their own actions and words they may not know are harmful to the Jewish community.

"Many Christians do and say things that are anti-Semitic not because they intentionally wish to, but because of ignorance," Spitzer explained. "And so, we are to be dislightened about how some of the things we say and do are harmful and hurtful to the Jewish community."

Spitzer, who wrote an article titled "5 Ways Your Church Can Address Anti-Semitism," suggests that the fight against anti-Semitism can be tackled head-on by pastors and Christians with one key thing: friendship.

"Relationships are everything. It's very hard to be prejudiced about a community or a group when you have friends within that group. And I would suggest that people in the Church community need to reach out to their neighbors, their friends, and learn from them, appreciate them," said Spitzer.

"The Church can reach out and stand in solidarity with the Jewish community. For example, there may be a local synagogue or shul, or community center where Churches can create relationships. Churches can invite people from synagogues to their churches for a meal or conversation, for a lecture, or for a way of getting to know one another and for better standing in public. ... It's important for friendship to learn about our commonalities. ... And I think sometimes, we have to hit the streets and march in solidarity to spread awareness."

A rising tide

An audit of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States compiled by the Anti-Defamation League recorded over 2,717 acts of assault, vandalism and harassment nationwide in 2021, the most since ADL began tracking the statistic in 1979. With an average of more than seven anti-Semitic incidents per day, the figure marks a 34% year-over-year increase.

"Attacks against Jewish institutions, including Jewish community centers (JCCs) and synagogues, were up by 61 percent, incidents at K-12 schools increased 106 percent, and incidents on college campuses rose 21 percent," the report states.

"Assaults  considered the most serious incident type because it involves person-on-person physical violence triggered by antisemitic animus  increased 167 percent, jumping to a total of 88 reports in 2021 from 33 in 2020. Incidents of harassment were up 43 percent, and acts of antisemitic vandalism rose 14 percent."

According to a study by California State University in San Bernardino, "Hate crimes [nationwide] surged 46% in 2021, as hotspots like New York City reported a 96% increase, with Jewish Americans remaining the most targeted group." The data, which was not formally published, was compiled from the university's Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, 40% of the hate crimes in New York City targeted Jews, as New York state saw a 24% increase in anti-Semitic incidents. The Empire State continues to lead the nation in anti-Semitic incidents.

On Tuesday, as Jews celebrated their High Holidays, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security held a congressional field hearing on countering violent extremism, terrorism and anti-Semitic threats in New Jersey, where anti-Semitic incidents rose 25% in 2021, the most recorded in New Jersey by the ADL.

In 2019, New Jersey saw a tragic act of anti-Semitism take the lives of four civilians and injure three others at a kosher deli in Jersey City. Authorities labeled the shooting a hate crime fueled by anti-Semitism.

The Jersey City attack came just months after a shooting killed one and injured three at a synagogue in Poway, California. Months before the Poway shooting in November 2018, 11 were killed in a shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

During Tuesday's hearing, New York Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., declared, "So far, we are losing" the effort to thwart hatred and anti-Semitism.

In a research report released in late May, ADL states that the spike in anti-Semitic incidents has been driven by different factors, including extreme anti-Israel sentiments during the May 2021 Israel-Hamas conflict and "various conspiracy theories that have animated extremists across the state."

The report cites the presence of white supremacists, anti-government extremists, militias, Islamist extremists, violent anti-Zionists and others "who are either based in New York or have targeted the state for an attack."

ADL contends that incidents motivated by anti-Zionist sentiments include assault, arson threats and harassment. Most recently, the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi at Rutgers University in New Jersey was vandalized during the High Holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the second time in one calendar year the fraternity was targeted.

Both political extremes are complicit

Serene Hudson, the director of education at Passages Israel  an organization that spearheads trips to Israel for Christians  told CP that people must be aware that the rise in anti-Semitism can be seen in both political extremes in America. It's not just a Democrat or Republican problem.

This includes but is not limited to "dangerous rhetoric from the right, white nationalists, neo-Nazis and white supremacists" and "anti-Israel rhetoric" from the left.

"On the extreme right, it has to do with anti-Semitic conspiracies, where Jews are blamed for aspiring for world domination," she said. "And then on the extreme left, there is plenty of anti-Israel rhetoric that denies the basic right for the Jewish people to have a homeland."

As a Moody Graduate School alumnus who spent over a decade traveling to Israel annually, Hudson finds that some of the work needed to combat anti-Semitism in various communities should start inside and outside the Church.

"I think that we all need to educate ourselves about the common anti-Semitic conspiracies and understand where they come from. And when we see  accusations or even perceptions directed at Jewish people, we should dig a little bit deeper," Hudson stated.

"We should educate ourselves in understanding that there are many falsehoods that are repeated about Jewish people and talk to our Jewish friends. Ask them: 'Have you experienced anti-Semitism? Do you feel that anti-Semitism has risen in our country?'"

Christians and churches looking to combat anti-Semitic rhetoric in their communities should look to the Bible, she asserted.

"When we look to Scripture, we consider, for example, Mordecai, the uncle of Esther, was a voice of moral clarity for her and for the Persian culture," Hudson said. "And he helped her to stand up against anti-Semitism and the threats against the Jewish people."

Scripture provides Christians with an anchor to better understand what's happening in the world, she added. This can help them with the process of beginning to pray for peace and the protection of the Jewish communities.

"It says in Romans that the Jewish people who were the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are loved by the God of the forefathers," Hudson said.

"And so really going back and looking at our source of truth, which is Scripture, which is the Bible, and comparing what it is that God says about His love for His people, against what is being said about the Jewish people can provide better understanding."

Holocaust education in schools and churches is essential to understanding the history of anti-Semitism in the Church dating back to the Church fathers, Hudson said.

"We definitely need more awareness out there. I think if more people knew that there was this uptick in hate crimes against Jewish people, and if we were aware of what's going on in the media on social media, there would be more of a response. But I believe that the news is not getting out there enough," she concluded.
The epidemic of loneliness

An epidemic of loneliness is sweeping our culture today. Ironically, social media has actually made us less sociable.

Research reveals that 3 out of 5 Americans feel lonely. One source says, Experts have long known that loneliness and isolation have long-ranging effects on the mind and body, ranging from anxiety and depression to vulnerability to illnesses. Yet having just one or two friendships can dramatically decrease loneliness.

A recent article in Vox states that 12% of Americans have no close friendships, compared with just 3% in 1990.



In this post-COVID society of ours, we have automated, doing much of our working, shipping, and socializing online. Our smartphones have become the primary portal through which we view the outside world.



But we still need living, breathing friends  not simply random people who comment on our posts. We need human interaction! God created us this way. We were not made to do life alone.

We need godly friends



We have all heard the saying, We become most like the people we spend the most time with. Or Show me your friends, and I will show you your future.Look for godly people to become your closest friends. And be that godly friend to someone else! If your friend has no relationship with God and he or she is dragging you down, it could be time to part company.



In 1 Corinthians 15:33 (niv), the apostle Paul wrote: Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character. Again, in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (niv), he said, Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

That doesnt happen automatically. Training your tongue to speak in a positive way takes discipline  and the moment-by-moment help of the Holy Spirit. One careless word, one negative comment can do more long-term damage than you might imagine. We can all remember some taunt or insult from years ago that weve never been able to shake.

I love the Carole King song from my generation, Youve Got a Friend. The upshot of the lyrics is that you can call me anytime from anywhere with any concern, and Ill show up at your door  winter, spring, summer, or fall.

A true friend will tell you when youre doing the wrong thing or straying onto a risky path. You may not like it at the moment, but as time goes by, you may be very thankful for that counsel. Proverbs 27:6 (NKJV) affirms, Wounds from a friend are better than kisses from an enemy! (TLB).



In my own life, I always want to go to the person who has an issue with me. I want to get my facts right before I give an opinion to anyone else. Proverbs 18:13 (TLB) tells it to us straight: What a shame  yes, how stupid!  to decide before knowing the facts!



Wherever you have a disagreement  whether in a friendship or in your marriage  take time to hear the other person. Let them speak and share their perspective. Really listen to what they are saying, rather than formulating how you will answer. Keep a level head when defending yourself.



Work toward a resolution. As the apostle Paul said, Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace (2 Corinthians 13:11, NIV).



When you fight, dont fight to win. Fight for the relationship. Fight to resolve the disagreement.

Jesus is the perfect friend

Jesus said, You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his masters business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you (John 15:14-15, NIV). I think this is one of the most remarkable statements in the whole New Testament. Jesus, the Almighty Son of the living God, is calling us friends!

If you and I are going to call Jesus our Friend, there are some responsibilities that go along with that amazing relationship. Jesus said, You are my friends if you do what I command.



So how do we demonstrate our friendship with Jesus? By doing what He says. If we dont, we really have no right to call ourselves His friend.



True friends of Jesus obey Him continually. I wont do it perfectly, but I will keep on trying. If I fail, I will repent, get back up and try again. You might say, Who could live this way? Obedience like this is impossible. Yes, it is  in our own strength. That is why the Bible tells us to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18). God gives us the power for daily obedience.



Do you have a friendship with God? God longs to have a relationship with you. Jesus is truly the friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Thinking back to that Carole King song I mentioned earlier, I wonder if she might have been thinking of Jesus without knowing it. All you have to do is call, and He will be there.

Youve got a friend  and more than a friend. You have a savior.
W.Va. implements nation's 'most expansive' school choice program by helping pay for private, homeschool

School choice advocates are praising West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice for enacting the most expansive education savings account policy in the country after he signed a bill into law giving parents money to help pay for private or homeschool education if they opt to take their children out of public school.

Justice signed House Bill 2013 into law Saturday. The bill established the Hope Scholarship Program, which will provide the option for a parent to better meet the individual education needs of his or her child. Under the Hope Scholarship Program, which will go into effect on July 1, 2022, eligible recipients can receive funding that is equal to 100 percent of the prior years statewide average net share aid allotted per pupil based on net enrollment adjusted for state purposes.

According to the Charleston Gazette-Mail, House Bill 2013 will enable families who withdraw their children from public schools to receive a currently-estimated $4,600 per-student, per-year (scholarship) for private- and home-schooling expenses. The publication reported that Parents could use the vouchers for a nearly unlimited list of educational expenses, including online education programs, tutoring, books and private schooling, whether religious or secular.

The Hope Scholarship is available to all students who were enrolled full-time and attending a public elementary or secondary school program in this state for at least 45 calendar days during an instructional term at the time of application and until an award letter is issued by the board or are eligible to be enrolled in a kindergarten program in the state. The funds for a Hope Scholarship must be placed in a personal education savings account to be used for qualifying education expenses on behalf of the eligible recipient.

EdChoice, a national school choice advocacy group, described House Bill 2013 as the most expansive education savings account policy in the United States. This is an incredible accomplishment for the families of West Virginia, who will now have access to educational options they might never have been able to access before, said Robert Enlow, the CEO and President of EdChoice.

As we reflect on how drastically K-12 education has changed during the pandemic, we look forward to education savings accounts as a way to empower families with the kinds of choices they need moving forward, he continued. House Bill 2013 also received praise from Garrett Ballengee, president of the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy, a conservative think-tank.

With this program becoming law, West Virginia is a national leader in its approach to K-12 education by placing front-and-center whats most important: children, he said. The Hope Scholarship will open up great opportunities to generations of West Virginians who, prior to the Hope Scholarship becoming law, would not have been able to access an education best suited to his or her learning needs.

As of right now, students currently attending non-public schools are not eligible for Hope Scholarship funds. However, if by July 1, 2024, the number of Hope Scholarship students is equal to less than 5% of public school enrollment, the Hope Scholarship Program will become available to all West Virginia students beginning on July 1, 2026.

The passage of House Bill 2013 comes as many public school students in the U.S. have not attended in-person classes in more than a year as a result of the widespread shutdowns implemented because of the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, the enactment of the legislation comes at a time when some public schools have faced criticism for the enactment of controversial sex education programs as well as the adoption of anti-Christian philosophies and the embrace of the Black Lives Matter movement.

While school choice advocates cheered the new legislation, the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the West Virginia House of Delegates, urging the states lower chamber to reject it. The group contended that the legislation discriminates against students because schools that discriminate on the basis of sex, gender identity, disability, and religion would be eligible to receive funding through the state via the Hope Scholarship accounts.

Although a significant number of Republicans and all Democrats opposed the bill, it managed to pass due to substantial Republican supermajorities in both chambers. The House of Delegates passed House Bill 2013 by a margin of 57-42 on March 4 and the West Virginia Senate passed it by a margin of 20-13 two weeks later.
Which Bible verses does In-N-Out serve with its Double-Doubles, fries and shakes?

In-N-Out: it's not just arguably America's best fast-food burger. It's also an unashamed purveyor of Good News.

Since the 1990s, the California-based chain has printed Bible verses on the packaging for several of its food items, including John 3:16 on In-N-Out's soda cups: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Lynsi Snyder, owner and president of In-N-Out Burger, told The Christian Post in a 2019 interview that it was her uncle, Rich Snyder, who first came up with the idea during the 1980s when he was president of the company.

It was my uncle Rich who put the Bible verses on the cups and wrappers in the early 90s, just before he passed away, Snyder said. He had just accepted the Lord and wanted to put that little touch of his faith on our brand.

Here's a look at all the In-N-Out menu items with Bible verses printed on them.

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Protesters demand Attorney General Garland's impeachment following raid on pro-life activist's home

WASHINGTON  A pro-life group is calling for the impeachment of United States Attorney General Merrick Garland following a raid on a pro-life activist's home.

Led by Terrisa Bukovinac of the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, pro-life activists held a press conference outside the Department of Justice Wednesday, less than two weeks after the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania arrested Mark Houck, a pro-life activist, for allegedly violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

The FACE Act subjects federal charges on anyone who intentionally injures, intimidates, or interferes with or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with any person aiding or performing abortions. The DOJ maintains that the defendant is alleged to have twice assaulted a man because he was a volunteer reproductive health care clinic escort, according to a statement.

However, a fundraiser set up following Houcks arrest contends that the pro-life activist and his 12-year-old son were harassed by the clinic escort as they prayed outside a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood facility: When one of the escorts began harassing Marks son, they walked down the street away from the entrance to the building. The escort followed them, and when he continued yelling at Marks son, Mark pushed him away.

The early morning raid on Houcks home, followed by his arrest, sparked outrage in the pro-life community. In remarks at the press conference, Bukovinac cited the raid on Houcks home as the latest example of the DOJs targeting of pro-life activists while allowing violent pro-abortion extremists to terrorize churches and pregnancy centers across the country.

Bukovinac said she has watched in horror as the U.S. Department of Justice has been weaponized to arrest peaceful, non-violent pro-life activists. She added that the FACE Act was cited as the justification used to charge at least 18 peaceful, nonviolent protesters in the past year with federal crimes. Bukovinac characterized the legislation, passed in 1994, as an effort that was designed to crush a nonviolent resistance that mobilized tens of thousands of people for direct action on behalf of the unborn.

Randall Terry, the founder of the pro-life group Operation Rescue, was the reason that the FACE Act was enacted in the first place, she added.

When Bill Clinton was elected, he appointed Janet Reno as his attorney general, Terry recalled in his comments at the news conference. When she came up to the microphone in her press conference, she said one of her top priorities was to break the back of Operation Rescue.

Noting that the FACE Act passed less than two years later, Terry insisted that it was always designed to isolate people of faith who wanted to defend the unborn.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Terry said that between 1987 and 1994, we accumulated over 75,000 arrests around the country for peacefully blockading abortion clinics.

We would sit there, 100, 200, 500 people and not let anyone in. We closed them for the whole day and saved the babies that were scheduled to die that day, he added. Under the FACE Act, pro-life activists went from facing local trespass charges to now facing a federal misdemeanor for the first offense and a federal felony for the second offense. Terry added that once that law was passed, it effectively broke the back of our movement.

Theres no basis for FACE anymore, Bukovinac told CP, because FACE is predicated on the ruling in Roe v. Wade that the Supreme Court now says was egregiously wrong from the beginning.

While most of the news conference focused on the DOJs efforts to prosecute pro-life activists, Bukovinac echoed the concerns of other pro-life activists that the Department of Justice has allowed more than 50 pregnancy centers to be attacked. She noted that the FACE Act is designed to protect pregnancy centers and churches as well.

The Christian Post has compiled lists of churches and pro-life pregnancy centers that have found themselves subject to vandalism and firebombing after Politico published a draft opinion of the Supreme Courts ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization indicating that the justices were poised to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide, as well as the additional vandalism that has taken place following the June 24 Dobbs decision.

We have also seen churches blocked by pro-abortion radicals without any action taken by the Department of Justice, Bukovinac lamented. This is unjust. We cannot allow this discrimination to continue. We are urging Congress to take action; we are urging them to impeach Garland to protect justice and to dismantle the FACE Act altogether.

Another speaker at the news conference, Jonathan Darnell of the advocacy group Get Serious Church, discussed the legal challenges he faces as a result of his pro-life activism: About two years ago, I was videotaping a peaceful pro-life rescue at a local abortion clinic and thats all that happened. I went home a free man at the end of the day. I didnt hear anything from DC authorities, nothing from the FBI, nothing, not a letter, nothing, for two years.

Then, this March, at [the] crack of dawn in the morning, [the] FBI breaks down my door. A bunch of agents come through with guns drawn, just like they did with Mark Houck. Thankfully, there [were] no kids in our house.

Now, Darnell finds himself subject to up to 11 years in prison for violating the FACE Act. Darnell pleaded with pro-life governors across the U.S. to take action by urging the FBI to stop persecuting citizens based on a political bias.

I would like to know what pro-life governors are doing allowing the FBI to operate in their states anymore, he said. When theyre behaving like this, why are you even allowing the federal government to do these [sorts] of things within your states? he asked.

Darnell's message to pro-life governors is: If the federal governments not going to do its job, if Merrick Garlands going to walk, just dont let them operate in your state. He also called on pro-life police officers as well as individual FBI agents to refrain from carrying out orders that violate their oath of office.

The event that led Darnell to face charges under the FACE Act took place at Dr. Cesare Santangelos abortion clinic in Washington, D.C., in late October 2020. Darnell founded Get Serious Church as part of an effort to address the lack of numbers of pro-life people that want to be active.

Nobody wants to rescue, nobody wants to be on the street with a sign or talk to their neighbors, he said. Most people just want to pray and vote, sometimes march at the March for Life or give a little money to the [crisis pregnancy centers].

Wednesday's protest outside the DOJ concluded with the pro-life leaders and onlookers shouting chants proclaiming Protect justice, impeach Garland.

PAAU will lead a separate protest in front of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, the federal court that spearheaded Houck's arrest, on Thursday.

When asked if PAAU and pro-life activists would hold a protest in front of the FBI headquarters, Bukovinac responded, its possible. She predicted that as the DOJs actions become more and more draconian, more and more people are going to come out wanting to oppose this tyranny, and I think youre going to see a lot more events.

Bukovinac expressed confidence that the actions of the FBI and DOJ that led PAAU to organize the protest would have an unintended effect of actually mobilizing people for direct action rather than quashing it, which is their intention.

Last year, Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., introduced articles of impeachment against Garland over the DOJs memo likening parents concerned about sexually explicit curriculum, LGBT ideology and critical race theory in public schools to domestic terrorism. The effort to impeach Garland has gained little traction in the Democrat-controlled Congress.
Appeals court rules DACA unlawful, allows Dreamers to renew their protected status

A federal appeals court has ruled that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which provides deportation protection and specific benefits to immigrants who entered the country illegally as children, is unlawful.

A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled Wednesday to uphold a lower court decision blocking the Biden administration from granting new applications for DACA. The ruling allows current DACA recipients the ability to renew their two-year protected status.

The appeals court panel remanded the case to a district court in Houston to consider a new Biden administration policy enacted in August in hopes of protecting the program.

Fifth Circuit Chief Judge Priscilla Richman authored the panel opinion, writing that the lower court is right when to conclude that DACA violated the Administrative Procedure Act.

"DACA created a detailed, streamlined process for granting enormously significant, predefined benefits to over 800,000 people. This constitutes a substantive rule," Richman, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, wrote in the majority opinion.

"Because DACA did not undergo notice and comment, it violates the procedural requirements of the APA."

Richman concluded that DACA "contravenes comprehensive statutory schemes for removal, allocation of lawful presence, and allocation of work authorization."

"Declining to prosecute does not transform presence deemed unlawful by Congress into lawful presence and confer eligibility for otherwise unavailable benefits based on that change," the opinion added, quoting an earlier ruling against the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA.

Created during the Obama administration in 2012, DACA provided people who were minors when they illegally entered the U.S. with benefits, including protection from being deported, the ability to apply for a driver's license, a social security number and a permit to work.

Other conditions to be eligible for DACA relief included having no criminal record, being a student or honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces, being under the age of 30 when the memorandum was released and having lived in the U.S. for at least five years from when the program was initiated.

The policy protected over 800,000 immigrants  known as Dreamers  but didn't grant them a pathway to citizenship or official legal status.

Richman acknowledged that "DACA has had profound significance to recipients and many others in the ten years since its adoption."

"Given the 'uncertainty of the final disposition' and the 'inevitable disruption that would arise from a lack of continuity and stability,' we preserve the stay as to existing recipients," the opinion states.

President Donald Trump's efforts to rescind DACA were thwarted by litigation, with the U.S. Supreme Court stopping the Trump administration from ending the program in a 5-4 decision in 2020.

In July 2021, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen issued an order halting the Biden administration from granting new applications for DACA, concluding in part that the Obama-era DHS violated the APA with the creation and continued operation of DACA.

"The DACA Memorandum and the DACA program that it created are hereby vacated and remanded to DHS for further consideration," wrote Hanen last year.

World Relief, an Evangelical humanitarian organization that has helped to file more than 4,300 DACA applications, released a statement denouncing the district court's order as "devastating" to Dreamers.

"This new decision is devastating for these resilient young people, and for their families, churches, communities and employers," stated World Relief President Scott Arbeiter at the time.

"Congress should not wait for further court decisions: they must act immediately to finally pass legislation that the significant majority of Americans. Including the majority of evangelical Christians, say they support."

Immigration advocates have been calling on the U.S. Congress for years to pass immigration reform legislation. Those calls will be heightened in the aftermath of Wednesday's ruling.
Tony Perkins slams NY courts polygamy ruling: Conservatives were right about slippery slope

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins has denounced a New York judge's ruling that nonmonogamous relationships should be treated equally to marriage under the eyes of the law.

Last month, Judge Karen May Bacdayan of the New York City Civil Court ruled in the case of West 49th St., LLC v O'Neill that the time has arrived for non-monogamous relationships to be given legal recognition.

Bacdayan argued that the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage while revolutionary, nevertheless still adhered to the majoritarian, societal view that only two people can have a family-like relationship.

Why then, except for the very real possibility of implicit majoritarian animus, is the limitation of two persons inserted into the definition of a family-like relationship for the purposes of receiving the same protections from eviction accorded to legally formalized or blood relationships? Bacdayan wrote in her decision.

In a commentary published by The Washington Stand on Tuesday, Perkins said the decision showed that conservatives' claims about a same-sex marriage slippery slope were correct.

The media laughed off the conservative movements concerns about the slippery slope when Democrats pushed to sexualize the military 20 years ago, Perkins wrote.

Now, almost two decades later, with American parents in the fight of their lives over transgenderism and judges paving the way for plural marriage, it unfortunately proves we were right.

Perkins also pointed to a recent Gallup poll that found 23% of respondents believed polygamy was morally acceptable, well above what it was a generation ago.

And why not? If love and consent are all that define a relationship, then proponents of incest, pedophilia, and group marriage can follow the LGBT playbook all the way to validity, Perkins added. The Left has been quick to say that polygamy isnt the next gay marriage. But who could possibly take them seriously?

During the debate over same-sex marriage legalization, conservative politicians and activists argued that if same-sex marriage was legalized, polygamy would follow soon after.

In his dissent in the 2015 ruling Obergefell v. Hodges, Chief Justice John Roberts argued that the reasoning behind the majority opinion legalizing gay marriage could be argued in favor of a fundamental right to plural marriage.

If a same-sex couple has the constitutional right to marry because their children would otherwise suffer the stigma of knowing their families are somehow lesser  why wouldnt the same reasoning apply to a family of three or more persons raising children? Roberts wrote.

In 2014, U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups finalized a ruling in which he struck down part of Utahs ban on polygamy, though he stopped short of declaring polygamy a constitutional right.

At issue was whether Kody Brown, star of the reality TV series "Sister Wives," could be married to four women at once. Brown argued that the state ban violated his religious freedom.

Brown and his family belonged to a small Mormon denomination that, unlike the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, still practices plural marriage.

Waddoups ruled that Brown could marry a fourth time while cohabitating with his three wives, but those other marriages would not receive official legal recognition.
I had one hand on the door: Couple credit pro-life activist Mark Houck with saving their baby's life

A Philadelphia couple is crediting a pro-life advocate with helping to prevent them from aborting their child as the man faces potential prison time.

The Justice Department and the FBI have faced immense pushback over the raid on pro-life activist Mark Houcks home two weeks ago. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced on Sept. 23 that it had arrested Houck on charges of allegedly violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which imposes federal charges on anyone who intentionally injures, intimidates, or interferes with or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with any person aiding or performing abortions.

The U.S. Attorneys Office claims that Houck, who resides in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, twice assaulted a man" who's an abortion clinic escort at a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood clinic, resulting in injuries that required the escort to seek medical attention. However, a fundraiser set up for Houcks family insists that the incident stems from the escort harassing, Houck's son, who was 12 at the time, as they prayed at the abortion clinic in October 2021.

When they walked down the street away from the entrance to the building, the escort followed them and continued yelling at Marks son, whereupon the pro-life activist pushed him away, the fundraiser explained.

As Houck faces the possibility of 11 years in prison, the Pro-Life Union of Greater Philadelphia published a YouTube video telling the story of a family whose lives were forever changed by Houcks pro-life activism.

When I first found out that I was pregnant, I just felt shame and guilt, the woman in the video, identified as Jadda, recalled. Feeling that she wasnt ready to have a baby, Jadda scheduled an abortion. She remembered feeling sad, confused, overwhelmed and scared, shameful and disgusted with herself.

Before she entered the abortion clinic, Jadda encountered Houck: I had one hand on the door about to go into Planned Parenthood and then Mark stopped us and he was like, You guys dont have to do this. Jaddas partner, Markeem, praised the way Houck reached out to them, saying he really got through to us like literally before we walked into the doors.

"He was really trying to get to know us on a deeper level than us just getting an abortion," Jada said while holding their baby named Nevaeh, which is Heaven spelled backward. "And

thats another reason why [we were] real easy and quick to open up to him, because it wasnt like a judgmental thing at all. He was really like digging deep.

Markeem agreed, Anybody can be a crutch but cant nobody fix yours, and thats what he did. He told us and made us feel like We got this.

He was right, Markeem added. He opened my eyes to a lot of stuff.

Jadda said her daughter, who was born two months early, was heaven sent, a gift straight from God Himself.

Shes been through a lot. Shes been a warrior since she came out of the womb two months early, 1 pound, 7 ounces strong. So, theres definitely nothing but God in her.

Markeem expressed gratitude that Houck came into their lives as that extra push, lamenting that she wouldnt be here, [and] we probably wouldnt be together otherwise. Jadda contended that without Houcks influence, We would have went through with it and I would have been living with regret.

Maintaining that pro-lifers definitely were there for us every step of the way, they praised anti-abortion advocates as the first support system that they had.

The couple concluded the video by delivering a message to supporters of the Pro-Life Union of Greater Philadelphia: We dont even know where we would be without you guys. From day one, youve been there beyond the support system, you guys are definitely like family.

As for Houck, the fundraiser set up following his arrest has raised more than $367,000 as of Thursday afternoon, nearly two weeks after federal agents reportedly entered Houcks home with guns drawn and shields up in the faces of Mark, his wife, and their seven young children, as characterized by the fundraiser. The pro-life activist was released from jail on $10,000 bond and must surrender his passport and firearms.

Houck is also prohibited from traveling outside the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where the legal proceedings against him are unfolding, and is prohibited from engaging in sidewalk counseling or prayer outside the Planned Parenthood clinic where the altercation with the clinic escort took place.
Kamala Harris remains true to doctrine of unequal treatment

How is it that equity, a doctrine that tells government and the private sector to treat Americans differently because of their race, is becoming so pervasive in the Land of the Free?

One reason is the deliberate obfuscation of its meaning. Fortunately, every once in a while Kamala Harris comes along to remind us of what it truly is.

Displaying her inerrant tin ear and bad timing, the Veep chose this time the devastation that Hurricane Ian has caused to say that aid would be distributed according to race. Florida officials had to rush forward to deny that this was the case, lest already horrific conditions be made worse by confusion.

Harris left little room for misunderstanding, saying on Friday that, It is our lowest-income communities and our communities of color that are most impacted by these extreme conditions and impacted by issues that are not of their own making. And so 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, understanding not everyone starts out at the same place.

She added, And if we want people to be in an equal place, sometimes we have to take into account those disparities and do that work.

This is false, tweeted immediately the rapid response director for Gov. Ron DeSantiss reelection campaign, Christina Pushaw, referring to the idea that race would play a role on how aid was handed out. [Harris] rhetoric 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.

This is false. @VP's rhetoric 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 https://t.co/x9X8AstnzL or call 1-800-621-3362. https://t.co/idsw1PX86x  Christina Pushaw ? ?? (@ChristinaPushaw) September 30, 2022

Floridas senior senator, Rick Scott, also took to social media to clear the air. This is wrong and dangerous. Aid is distributed based on need, period. FL is strong and ready to undertake the long journey of rebuilding. We are in this together, and wont let politicians like @KamalaHarris use race to divide us as we work to recover our lives and communities. Even Elon Musk felt the need to call out the injustice included, tweeted Scott.

This is wrong and dangerous. Aid is distributed based on need, period.



FL is strong and ready to undertake the long journey of rebuilding. We are in this together, and wont let politicians like @KamalaHarris use race to divide us as we work to recover our lives and communities. https://t.co/OOnK8hzZD9  Rick Scott (@ScottforFlorida) October 1, 2022

As indeed, the founder of Tesla had indeed had his own comment: aid, he said, should be according to greatest need, not race or anything else.

The Biden administration has, however, made race-conscious benefits the hallmark of its term, even though it is unconstitutional. Last week was not by no means the first time that Harris drew a sharp distinction between equity and the American ideal of equality. There is a big difference between equality and equity, she wrote fewer than two years ago.

It is indeed a core belief of Critical Race Theory that, because racial disparities exist, aid and benefits should be race-based and not limited to means-tested criteria. The foundational writings of CRT are filled with the promotion of racial-conscious policies that fall under the umbrella label of equity.

This belief in color-blindness and equal protection, writes Kimberle Crenshaw in a 1988 essay,  make no sense at all in a society in which identifiable groups have been treated differently historically and which the effects of this difference in treatment continued to the present.

Neil Gotanda goes right to the heart of the CRT argument when he writes in 1991, Color-blindness strikes down Jim Crow segregation but offers no vision for attacking less overt forms of racial subordination. The color-blind idea of the future society has been exhausted.

One problem for CRT enthusiasts such as Harris is that American society has decidedly moved away from having government or private enterprises dole out benefits or rights based on race. Race-conscious policies are dismally unpopular, with racial preferences university admissions polling at best 26% versus 74% against and other similar policies largely rejected.

The other problem is that policies based on race are clearly immoral and violate the Constitution and the Civil Rights Act.

And yet, businesses, schools and professional associations are falling all over themselves to compel their employees and members to conform to this ugly and unpopular views, by for example forcing them to sign Diversity, Equity and Inclusion statements, or face disciplinary measures, or worse.

Americans are fighting back. Last week, Jonathan Haidt, a liberal who is a professor at New York University, announced he would resign from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, the only professional organization he belongs to, because it has instituted a requirement that everyone presenting research explain how their work advances equity, inclusion, and anti-racism goals.

Haidt wrote that he found the demand problematic in an academic institution supposedly devoted to seeking truth. He quoted a well-known passage from a book by Ibram Kendi, who earns a great deal of money from training Americans on equity activities: The only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination.

Haidt wrote, I explained why I thought the claim was incorrect from a social science perspective because there are obviously many other remedies. And I explained why I thought the claim was incorrect morally because it requires us to treat people as members of groups, not as individuals, and then to treat people well or badly based on their group membership. Thats exactly the opposite of what most of us who grew up in the late 20th century thought was a settled moral fact.

It takes courage for Americans to buck the tide of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), but they shouldnt be alone. Until the federal government is in different hands, the 50 states should be passing bills that make it clear that discrimination is illegal, as is compelling a belief in such discrimination and prosecuting violators.

Until then, we can rely on Harris to remind us occasionally what exactly equity entails, and why it must be opposed.

Originally published at The Daily Signal.
Male loneliness: The new epidemic

There is a new epidemic of loneliness that is making waves across the landscape of our communities.

For the purpose of this article, I will be addressing male friendships in the context of Christian community. The research is overwhelming. Men are having an increasingly difficult time creating and maintaining close friendships. In his recent article entitled, Mens Social Circles are Shrinking, Daniel Cox relates some of the current statistics on this issue of declining male friendships:

As Americans venture back out to reclaim their social lives, a new report reveals a profound change in the nature of American friendships. One of the most important changes revealed by May American Perspectives Survey is the decline of close friendships. In the past three decades, American friendship groups have become smaller and the number of Americans without any close confidants has risen sharply. But these changes have not affected Americans equally. Men appear to have suffered a far steeper decline than women. Thirty years ago, a majority of men (55%) reported having at least six close friends. Today, that number has been cut in half. Slightly more than one in four (27%) men have six or more close friends today. Fifteen percent of men have no close friendships at all, a fivefold increase since 1990.

I find it to be staggering that most men only have three friends or fewer. I asked myself a few questions about these new realities. Is there a statistical difference in the church community? My sense is the numbers are no different for men within a faith community context. Why is there so much loneliness inside and outside of faith communities? Maybe the reason is were not sure how to create a band of brothers that we can share our lives with. In that opening short text in Ecclesiastes, we find hope and comfort in very few words two is better than one.

In an intriguing article in Psychology Today entitled, The Devastating Effects of Mens Loneliness, Dr. Arum Weiss makes a keen observation:

Research suggests that a focus on the accumulation of wealth and material goods results in less overall happiness in life and less satisfaction in intimate relationships (Baker, 2017). The Harvard Study of Adult Development (Harvard, 2017) followed a group of men for eight decades. Throughout the study, at different points in their lives, the men were asked, Who would you call in the middle of the night if you were sick or afraid? Those men who had someone to turn to were happier in their lives and their marriages, and also physically healthier over time (Psychology Today, November 21, 2021).

Later in this same article, Dr. Weiss makes the point that this acute loneliness is often associated with decreased longevity and a heightened risk of self-harm.

As many experts are agreed that loneliness is a problem in our American male culture, I have often wondered how the Christian community will respond to these shifts in culture and begin to address the critical needs that appear in front of us. How did we get here and what can be done to mitigate the risk of churches without genuine male friendships? I will use my experience as a friend and brother to offer some practical suggestions for changing the landscape in our local churches to include the beauty of men dwelling together in unity (Psalm 133:1).

Friendship is a biblical solution to the issue of loneliness. When men can find, develop, and maintain friendships, the burden of loneliness recedes and we feel whole again.

What can we do as men to wage war on loneliness and all of the negative physical and psychological effects that are within our faith communities? Over the years, I personally have learned some things that might be helpful in your journey to deep and meaningful friendships. No doubt, these principles that have been helpful in my friendship journey will be helpful to you as you move forward in building the friendships necessary for spiritual growth. While certainly not a relationship guru, Im confident that these principles are spiritually sound.

1. Be friendly

This is a biblical model shown to us in Proverbs 18:24. Although this Proverb appears an easy thing to accomplish, I am convinced that it will take energy and effort on our part. I have found that few want to take the first step and reach out first. If you want friends, make the first move! Reach out and introduce yourself first. Call an old acquaintance first and ask if they would be up for meeting at the local coffee shop for breakfast. The point here is to be the first one to make the move. Not all will respond, but if you keep trying someone will take you up on your offer, and then there is a possibility for a deeper connection.

2. Find common ground (1 Corinthians 9:22)

We must recognize that there will be differences between people in a relationship. We expect this, as clearly we were designed uniquely by our Creator. Do not emphasize the differences between you, rather look for similarities. Are there things you can talk about that both of you are passionate about? Are there hobbies you both enjoy? Are there similarities in family structures? Do you share any history together? Use these similarities as a springboard for conversations that will lead to a meaningful relationship.

3. Be authentic (Ephesians 4:25)

As you navigate the waters of friendship, make sure you are keeping it real. Tell the truth about yourself and your struggles and listen carefully to others as they do the same. Truthfully, we all have areas of our lives in which we are stuck. It might be our marriage, parenting dilemmas, or moral failure. Life presents enough room for all of us to make errors of judgment and lapses of character. Hiding and friendship are not bedfellows. In order to have the kind of relationships that are authentic and true, we must tell the truth about ourselves without filters. If we choose to engage in this manner, our friendship will grow and we will see the fruit of being loved and being seen for who we really are. In that duo comes the warmth and genuine connection that moves the mountains of loneliness in our lives.

4. Be transparent and vulnerable (2 Corinthians 6:11-13)

No one wants to develop relationships in which there is an absence of honesty. Lets choose to not hide. Frankly, although it might appear that we have it all together in all the complicated areas of our lives, we don't if were honest. God is healing us in many ways that remain just below the surface. If we present an image in our relationship to others that we have attained the epitome of perfection, then most will feel they are not worthy to be called your friend. In short, nothing is accomplished when we are not vulnerable and transparent about the struggles we face in our imperfect lives. When we communicate these issues in our relationships, we find the bond secured in self-disclosure is its own reward.

5. Make friends without an agenda (1 Corinthians 13:5)

I know in some form or fashion, we are all engaged in sales. We sell our products and services to family and friends. But, when we are looking for meaning that comes from friendships, we must be willing to look for deep connection without an agenda. If we do choose to lay aside our desire for financial gain in our meetings, it will come with the rewards of genuine authenticity. No one wants to develop a friendship knowing that eventually there will a sales pitch in the mix. If this is the case, our guards will be up and we will walk away without meaning and authentic connection. Our agenda should be genuine concern for the other person (1 Peter 2:19).

6. Keep confidences

If we choose to reveal a secret to someone outside the circle of friendship without permission, and our new friend hears about that breach, we lose trust. When trust is lost, the possibility of a close authentic relationship is not possible.

7. Be in the right context for facilitating friendships (Philippians 2:3)

Staying home and eating potato chips on the sofa while binge-watching Netflix will not get the job done. We need to be looking for situations that foster the kind of growth we seek to become the kind of men that will change our world. Is there a mens Bible study at your church you have never explored? Is there a regular mens breakfast at your local Church that could offer an opportunity for friendship? Is there a mens softball league you could join? My point is that so many opportunities are lost because we are allowing them to pass us by. What would happen if you invited some acquaintances to the local diner this Saturday morning and enjoyed a time of fellowship?

What happens when we put forth the effort required to build friendships? The short answer is that we become better men. We need to and should willfully and intentionally give our friends permission to confront us and hold us accountable for our actions. And, because we are allowing for constructive feedback, our lives are examined by another believer who can offer words of wisdom we had not yet considered (iron sharpens iron).

Oh, it might be painful to hear, but we become better men when someone who loves us speaks into our lives, and, ultimately, we become better men in the process. We often cannot see the forest for the trees in our lives. Our friends can often see things we cannot, and can address them in the context of love and concern.

Im not being a Pollyanna here, but friendship can be messy and complicated as men strive for Christ-likeness. Friends don't always agree on things, and sin can complicate the best of friendships, but in the end, the gift that was given by our creator in friendship is a solid solution to the loneliness and isolation of men in community.
Iranian security forces fired at protestors and sprayed tear gas in the Kurdish cities of Sanandaj and Saqez on Saturday as weeks of demonstrations continue to steam up across the country.

The Iranian human rights group Hengaw reports that security agents shot and killed a motorist in Sanandaj and that two instructors suffered injuries in a school in Saqqez.

Hengaw said that IRGC security agents fatally shot another demonstrator in the stomach.

Students in Sanandaj and Saqqez reportedly initiated protests. Azhin Sheikhi of Hengaw reported on Saturday that government soldiers had attacked a school in Saqqez, per CNN.

Hengaw said that widespread attacks were happening in the cities of Saqez, Diwandareh, Mahabad, and Sanandaj.

Protests broke out three weeks ago after an Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, died while in the custody of the Iran morality police. Since then, the Norway-based Hengaw human rights group has been monitoring human rights breaches in Iran's Kurdish area.

Meanwhile, protests continued in other locations across the country on Saturday, including Tehran, Karaj, Esfahan, Shiraz, Kerman, Mashhad, Tabriz, and Rasht.

One huge banner hung on an overpass in Tehran, Iran's capital, reads: "We are no longer afraid. We will fight."

While this was going on, multiple attacks hit Kurdish cities in western Iran and Mahabad in West Azerbaijan, and security forces were reportedly firing on protesters in the city of Sanandaj.

Student Demonstrations Start the School Year

Euronews reported that young ladies in Amini's village of Saqez conducted protests on Saturday on the first day of the Iranian school year, where they removed their hijabs as they cried: "women, life, freedom."

According to IranWire, college and university students around Iran have also skipped classes to join the demonstrations.

This week, security forces in Tehran brutally encircled Sharif University, and tear gas was deployed to disperse protesters in the area.

There is tremendous public outrage about the government's Islamist policies, including the mandatory headscarf for women, the floundering economy hit hard by restrictions, and the violent response to demonstrators.

According to Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), at least 154 people, including children, have been murdered since statewide protests began, while the actual death toll is likely considerably higher. Authorities have arrested thousands.

Last week, IHRNGO Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said that the deaths of protesters in Iran "amount to a crime against humanity," and he called on the international community to avoid similar atrocities.

Iranian security forces reportedly used more than just rubber bullets and batons against protesters.

Read Also: Russia's Crimea Bridge Explosion: Unknown Forces Attacked, Damaged Part of the Critical Infrastructure

Iran's ultraconservative president, Ebrahim Raisi, has placed blame for the upheaval on foreign powers, most notably the United States, while other authorities have urged the security forces to put an end to the demonstrations.

As the fourth week of widespread anti-regime rallies began on Saturday, hackers disrupted the flagship news program of an Iranian official broadcaster.

Hackers Disrupt Iranian Supreme Leader Broadcast

In other related news, after airing an interview with Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the television program suddenly shifted to a screen showing images of dead protesters, many of them young women and girls, The Times of Israel reported.

The 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was included in one of the pictures, whose alleged murder sparked a violent protest against the government.

#BREAKING The Edalat-e Ali hacktivist group hacked the Iranian state TV's live news broadcast, displaying a photo of Khamenei with the verse "The Blood of Our Youths Is on Your Hands" along with photos of #MahsaAmini and three other girls killed in #IranProtests. pic.twitter.com/dYM7flUBQt  Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) October 8, 2022

During the period of interruption, a message was flashed on the screen: "The blood of our youths is on your hands" and a call for Iranians to join the anti-government demonstrations.

Edalat-e Ali, a hacker organization, proclaimed responsibility for the outage. According to Iran International, the organization breached the website of Iran's public broadcaster early this year and uploaded an opposition message there.

Related Article: Iranian Security Forces Deny Allegations of Murder of 16-Year-Old Protester, Says Victim Fell Off Roof

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
NY judge: The time has arrived to legalize polygamy

A funny thing happened to the Democrats same-sex marriage bill on its trip from the House to the Senate: people actually started reading the legislation. When they did, an uncomfortable reality set in  nothing in the text explicitly outlawed polygamy. It was just a drafting error, the more liberal senators claimed. But it wasnt a drafting error when a New York judge recognized polyamory late last month. How much longer until the party who wants love to be the legal basis for every relationship follows suit?

The decision by trial court judge Karen May Bacdayan should have been frontpage news. After all, she essentially gave New Yorks blessing to polyamorous unions in her September decision, declaring that  the problem with [previous same-sex marriage rulings] is that they recognize only two-person relationships.

At the heart of the case was an apartment dispute, triggered when a tenant, who had a gay spouse living elsewhere, died. The landlords argued that the man he did live with didnt have a right to renew the lease because the two werent married. When the roommate objected, arguing that he was a non-traditional family member, the judge decided to hold a hearing on whether all three were romantically involved.

Bacdayan pointed to two same-sex union cases, New Yorks Braschi v. Stahl and SCOTUSs Obergefell v. Hodges, explaining that both major rulings limit their holdings to two-person relationships. Those decisions, she agrees, were revolutionary, but they still adhered to the majoritarian, societal view that only two people can have a family-like relationship. In other words, only people who are committed in a way defined by certain traditional factors qualify for protection  As far as shes concerned, Braschi and Obergefell open[ed] the door for consideration of other relational constructs  and perhaps, the judge insisted, the time has arrived.

The Supreme Court predicted this day would come, Bacdayan pointed out, referring people to Chief Justice John Robertss 2015 dissent. Although the majority randomly inserts the adjective two in various places, Roberts wrote, it offers no reason at all why the two-person element of the core definition of marriage may be preserved while the man-woman element may not  If not having the opportunity to marry serves to disrespect and subordinate gay and lesbian couples, why wouldnt the same imposition of this disability  serve to disrespect and subordinate people who find fulfillment in polyamorous relationships?

Only implicit majoritarian animus would limit the definition of commitment to two people, Bacdayan argued. Why does the relationship have to be characterized by exclusivity? Why indeed. What is marriage if not exclusive?

Katy Faust, founder of Them Before Us, is happy to explain why society has been so intent on prioritizing man-woman marriage until now. Every novel iteration of modern family infringes on the rights and well-being of children in a novel way, she told The Washington Stand. Same-sex marriage denied children a relationship with their mother or father. Polyamory insists children share living spaces with an unrelated, and often rotating, cast of adults. Far from simply having more adults to love them, this household structure increases a childs risk of abuse and neglect and starves them of the stability needed for a thriving life. No matter how tolerant and progressive society becomes, it never changes the reality that children need, deserve, and have a right to their own married mother and father living with them, and loving them, every day.

The media laughed off the conservative movements concerns about the slippery slope when Democrats pushed to sexualize the military 20 years ago. Now, almost two decades later, with American parents in the fight of their lives over transgenderism and judges paving the way for plural marriage, it unfortunately proves we were right. The LGBTs fight was never about marriage  it was about every social norm.

Back in 2003, the late Justice Antonin Scalia warned of a day when state laws based on moral choices against bigamy, same-sex marriage, adult incest, prostitution  adultery, fornication, bestiality, and obscenity would all fall. At the time, people thought he was being dramatic. Exaggerating, even. But they dont think so anymore. An astonishing 23% of the American public thinks polygamy is morally acceptable in 2022, Gallup shows  more than triple what it was (7%) when Scalia sounded the alarm.

And why not? If love and consent are all that defines a relationship, then proponents of incest, pedophilia, and group marriage can follow the LGBT playbook all the way to validity. If my liberal friends recognize the legitimacy of free people who choose to form romantic partnerships with multiple partners, Fredrik DeBoer wrote in Politico right after Obergefell in 2015, how can they deny them the right to the legal protections marriage affords?

Since then, the American Psychological Association has formed a task force to give consensual non-monogamy protected legal status, and towns in two states  Massachusetts and California  have followed through with it. Now, the idea is apparently so not scandalous that the entire House of Representatives didnt bother to include a prohibition on polygamy in the only major piece of marriage legislation since the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. Was that truly an honest mistake  or did the Left just get caught? Its hard to tell in a Democratic Party bent on sexual anarchy.

Either way, Family Research Councils Mary Beth Waddell points out, its all the more reason that senators must not be rushed into a cloture vote on the so-called Respect Marriage Act and must read the final bill text for themselves to ensure that there are no drafting errors or unintended consequences regarding religious freedom. A rushed vote and reliance on talking points is what led 47 House Republicans to preemptively support polygamy.

The Left has been quick to say that polygamy isnt the next gay marriage. But who could possibly take them seriously? First, they promised they just wanted to live and let live. Then they said they only wanted legal benefits  not marriage. When Democrats got marriage through the courts, they vowed not to force it on the states. After they forced it on the states, they said it wouldnt lead to religious persecution. Now, you cant open a newspaper without seeing a lawsuit involving Christian business owners, Christian teachers, Christian schools, and Christian adoption agencies, all fighting for their lives in this brave new world of tolerance.

The reality is, once a nation rejects Gods design, basic biology, and thousands of years of human history, there are no boundaries. We are a country building its policies on societys shifting sands, and if we arent careful, the end result will be an America we will not  and cannot  recognize.

Originally published at The Washington Stand.
Islamic extremists disguised as military separated Christians from crowed, slit their throats: bishop

Suspected Islamic extremists disguised in military uniform gathered a crowd of people in Mozambiques Nampula province, then separated the Christians from the group and tied their hands before slitting their throats, a Catholic bishop said.

Bishop Alberto Vera Arejula of Nacala told the Catholic group Aid to the Church in Need this week about the killings that occurred last month as was told to him by one of the Christian survivors who managed to flee.

The survivor told the bishop that the terrorists were dressed in military uniform and they gathered people saying they were there to save them.

When they were all gathered, they started asking who is Muslim and who is Christian. Those who identified as Christian, they started tying their hands behind their back and they cut their throats, the bishop was quoted as saying.

The bishop said the killings took place on the night of Sept. 6 and the following day, and that 11 people were murdered in total and they left a trail of destruction and a lot of fear.

On Sept. 6, an 83-year-old Italian nun, Sister Maria de Coppi, was killed in Chipene city when gunmen stormed a Catholic mission compound and set fire to buildings, including the church and hospital, according to reports.

The attack lasted five hours as the militants ransacked and burned the Diocese of Nacalas mission church, school, health center, dwellings, library and vehicles, Aid to the Church in Need reported earlier.

Arejula said he knew the nun, and she was the image of a mother, she was really helping everyone with simple love and humility.

Sister Maria de Coppi was a nurse who would help malnourished children in a little room where there was milk and flour, and they destroyed that room as well.

According to reports, the gunmen were likely running away from security forces from Mozambique, Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community.

At least 24 countries have sent troops to support the fight against insurgents in Mozambique, whose army has been accused of being corrupt and having 7,000 ghost soldiers, according to the BBC.

Islamic State-affiliated insurgents in northern Mozambique, a Christian-majority country, have internally displaced more than three-quarters of a million people, according to the United Nations.

In the coastal province of Cabo Delgado, Islamic extremists have been exploiting the crisis after a civil war started in 2017. The area is rich with gas, rubies, graphite, gold and other natural resources. Protesters demonstrated at the time against what they say is profits going to an elite in the ruling Frelimo Party, with few jobs for local residents.

In 2017, jihadist insurgents began in the Cabo-Delgado province, winning over some locals due to the fact that they gave back resources to villagers from the government and killed no one, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reported earlier. This did not last, however, as IS started setting fire to Christian villages, and killing those who lived there.

Cabo Delgado is a mostly Muslim region where at least 300 Christians have been killed for their faith, according to ICC. There have also been over 100 attacks on churches in the area.

In March 2021, the United States labeled Islamic State-Mozambique as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. ISIS-Mozambique is also known as Ansar al-Sunna and known locally as al-Shabaab. The group reportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State as early as April 2018 and has killed hundreds, if not thousands, of civilians.

In November 2020, Islamic State-linked militants beheaded over 50 people, including women and children, and abducted others in weekend raids in the Miudumbe and Macomia districts of the Cabo Delgado province.

Last December, Human Rights Watch revealed that insurgents had enslaved more than 600 women and girls, many of which had been abused and sold as sex slaves for as low as $600.
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.
Disney's theme parks are almost always included in the itineraries of tourists heading to countries that do have. One of those countries is none other than Japan.

What sets this Asian nation apart from the other countries that have a Disney theme park is none other than Tokyo DisneySea. Needless to say, this particular theme park has rides that you also cannot find in other Disney parks. Here are five of them that you should check out when you get the chance:

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

First on the list is none other than 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which is based on a film of the same name that Disney released in 1954. Both the ride and the film are based on the novel by Jules Verne.

Located in the Mysterious Island section of Tokyo DisneySea, the ride began operating in 2001. Guests board a submarine that takes them on a tour of the undersea world, which is actually Atlantis.

Nemo & Friends SeaRider

Given the name of Tokyo DisneySea, it is probably no surprise that you can find a "Finding Nemo" attraction in this particular theme park. Nemo & Friends SeaRider is actually a simulation ride based not only on "Finding Nemo" but also its sequel, "Finding Dory."

Officially opening in 2017, Nemo & Friends SeaRider takes guests to explore the marine world from the point of view of both Nemo and Dory. Other characters from both animated films also make appearances throughout the ride.

Raging Spirits

If you are looking for a thrill ride in Tokyo DisneySea, Raging Spirits definitely fits the bill.

Themed after an ancient ceremonial site, this high-speed roller coaster first began operating in 2005 and can be found in the River Delta section of the theme park. It is also the only ride in Tokyo DisneySea that features an inversion in the form of a single vertical loop.

Related Article: Disneyland Turns 67: Here are the Some Cool Facts and Trivia About the Opening of the Happiest Place on Earth

Scuttle's Scooters

No list of Tokyo DisneySea will ever be complete without including any of the rides based on "The Little Mermaid." One of those rides is known as Scuttle's Scooters.

One of the rides that operation when Tokyo DisneySea opened its doors to the public, Scuttle's Scooters is based on the Caterpillar-style ride where guests ride cars that can rotate a full 180 degrees.

Sindbad's Storybook Voyage

If you are familiar with the story of Sindbad the Sailor, then you will surely want to check out the Sindbad's Storybook Voyage ride in Tokyo DisneySea. It will also be right up your alley if you enjoy dark rides.

Guests will board a boat that will take you through Sindbad's story. While this attraction first opened in 2001, the original theme and storyline frightened children and the ride therefore became unpopular with guests. Changes were made and the current version of the ride eventually opened in 2007.

Read Also: Avengers Campus Opening in Disneyland Paris: Watch Iron Man's Announcement Here!
Removal of the vaccine mandate makes it easier to enter Canada for all travellers, but there are still steps to take for those with a criminal record.

Canada has lifted COVID-19 vaccine mandates for all travellers including those with criminal records Removal of the vaccine mandate makes it easier to enter Canada for all travellers, but there are still steps to take for those with a criminal record.

Canada has lifted COVID-19 vaccine mandates for all travellers including those with criminal records Removal of the vaccine mandate makes it easier to enter Canada for all travellers, but there are still steps to take for those with a criminal record.

Canada has lifted COVID-19 vaccine mandates for all travellers including those with criminal records Removal of the vaccine mandate makes it easier to enter Canada for all travellers, but there are still steps to take for those with a criminal record. Edana Robitaille Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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As of October 1, Canada has lifted all COVID-19 related travel restrictions This means unvaccinated travellers will now be allowed to enter Canada from abroad without requiring a test or needing to complete a quarantine.

While this opens some doors for some, there are still travellers who may not be admissible to Canada due to their criminal records. A criminal record in any country, including the United States, can have an impact on your ability to enter Canada even if it has been many years since your conviction.

However, in some circumstances it may be possible for individuals with recorded convictions to enter Canada if they are able to obtain a Temporary Resident Permit or they can demonstrate that they have completed the Criminal Rehabilitation process.

Schedule a Free Legal Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm

What makes a person inadmissible to Canada?

There are several felony convictions that can make a person inadmissible to Canada. Some of the most common offences include reckless driving, driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, fraud, assault, and drug offences.

Any one of these, even if they are considered minor, can be enough to prevent you from being admitted to Canada, even if it occurred a long time ago. However, those who are currently serving a sentence or have completed one very recently, are less likely to be granted admission into Canada.

Temporary Resident Permit

If you need to enter Canada for a specific length of time, you can apply for a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP). A TRP gives you legal entry to Canada for a specific period of time provided you have a valid reason for your visit. TRPs can be applied for at any point, regardless of how long ago you completed your sentence or even if you are still serving part of your sentence.

It should be noted that the likelihood of getting a TRP decreases with the severity of the offence committed, how recently you completed your sentence or if it is still in progress.

How to apply?

There are two options for those who wish to apply for a TRP. In both instances, you will need to submit supporting documents that explain the reason you are inadmissible to Canada, as well as your reason for coming to Canada. All applications will be reviewed by an officer who will weigh the risks and benefits of allowing you to enter the country, based on your previous conviction.

If you are approved, a TRP is only valid for the length of you time you plan to be in Canada, and you will require a new one each time you enter the country.

Once you, or your lawyer, have gathered all the necessary documents you will need to send your application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for approval.

Apply through a Consulate

If you have time to plan your trip well in advance, U.S citizens can submit their TRP application to a Canadian consulate. The processing time varies but will grant you entry into Canada and ensure you spend less time at your port of entry.

Apply at a port of entry

It is possible to obtain a TRP upon arrival at port of entry into Canada such as an airport or land boarder but there is no guarantee that the Canadian Immigration Officer will allow you to enter the country. The final decision rests with the official on duty and they must weigh if your trip is justified against the health and security of Canadians. There is still a chance you may be denied entry into Canada.

If you are denied entry, you will not be allowed to enter Canada until you get approval from a Canadian consulate.

Criminal Rehabilitation

If you have been unable to enter Canada in the past and more than five years have passed since the end of your sentence you might be eligible to apply for Criminal Rehabilitation.

An individual is deemed rehabilitated if they can prove they have been living a stable lifestyle, at least five years have elapsed since the end of their sentence, and they are unlikely to be involved in further criminal activity.

The way the five years is calculated can differ depending on the type of sentence you served.

Suspended sentence: count five (5) years from the date of sentencing.

Suspended sentence with a fine: count five (5) years from the date the fine was paid. In the case of varying payment dates, the rehabilitation period starts on the date of the last payment.

Imprisonment without parole: count five (5) years from the end of the term of imprisonment.

Imprisonment and parole: count five (5) years from the completion of parole.

Probation: probation is part of the sentence. Count five (5) years from the end of the probation period.

Driving prohibition: count five (5) years from the end date of the prohibition. You are prohibited by the Criminal Court from driving.

Legal opinion letter

This letter is drafted by a Canadian lawyer and uses sections of Canadian law to provide a legal basis to Canadian border officers as to why they should allow you to enter the country

The type of conviction makes a difference

Ultimately, the most significant factor in deciding if an individual is rehabilitated is establishing what would have happened if you had committed same offence within Canada. For example, IRCC distinguishes between convictions that result in a sentence of less than 10 years under Canadas Canadian Criminal Code and convictions that result in convictions of more than 10 years. Anything over 10 years is considered serious criminality and can have a negative impact on the likelihood of being deemed rehabilitated.

While the process can be lengthy and there are fees involved, if you are deemed to be rehabilitated, you will not need to go through the process again each time you enter Canada.

Schedule a Free Legal Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Discover your Canadian immigration options at CanadaVisa.com.
Actress Park Eun-bin poses on the red carpet of the fourth Asia Contents Awards ceremony held at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, Saturday. Yonhap





By Kwak Yeon-soo







Korea's hit drama series "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" and "Squid Game" each picked up two awards at the fourth edition of the Asia Contents Awards (ACA).







The award ceremony, held on the sidelines of the Busan International Film Festival, recognize excellence in TV, OTT and web content.







The event was hosted by actor Jung Hae-in and Kim Sae-yeon, a participant of Miss Korea 2019, who co-hosted ACA since its first edition. The ceremony was held in Busan on Saturday evening in hybrid format where Korean participants attended the event in person, while international winners joined remotely.







ENA's legal series, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," about an autistic lawyer named Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin) tackling challenges in and beyond the courtroom, was named best content and picked up an additional win for best actress.







"I'd like to express my gratitude to creator Moon Ji-won for writing a lovely, thoughtful script. The global success of the series was only possible thanks to Park's amazing acting skills," director Yoo In-sik said in his acceptance speech.







Park, the heroine of the show, shed tears as she thanked the cast and crew of "Extraordinary Attorney Woo."







"It was really special to play the character of Young-woo. I was delighted to bring her to life on screen. I will keep on working hard to create good content," she said after receiving the award.







Japanese actor Suzuki Ryohei won best actor for the series "Tokyo Mer: Mobile Emergency Room." He thanked frontline healthcare workers who have fought hard during the COVID-19 pandemic.







Actor Park Hae-soo poses on the red carpet of the fourth Asia Contents Awards ceremony held at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, Saturday. Yonhap

Netflix's survival drama, "Squid Game," about debt-ridden adults competing in deadly children's games for a chance to win 45.6 million won ($32 million), won the technical achievement prize and an additional award for actor Park Hae-soo.







Park, who won the best supporting actor award, said, "I feel like I've always gotten more than I deserve. I feel really lucky to win this award. I will become an actor who can contribute to the growth of Asian content."







The Rising Star awards went to Kim Min-ha for "Pachinko" and Ling Man Lung for "In Greek We Trust."







"I'm so thrilled to be taking home this award. I will do my best to deliver great stories and portray a broad spectrum of characters," Kim said.







The 27th BIFF runs through Oct. 14.


MONTANA

Proposal would permit eagle deaths as renewables expand

BILLINGS  The Biden administration on Sept. 29 proposed a new permitting program for wind energy turbines, power lines and other projects that kill eagles, amid growing concern among scientists that the rapid expansion of renewable energy in the U.S. West could harm golden eagle populations now teetering on decline.

The Fish and Wildlife Service program is meant to encourage companies to work with officials to minimize harm to golden and bald eagles.

It comes after several major utilities have been federally prosecuted in recent years for killing large numbers of eagles without permits.

The federal government already issues permits to kill eagles. But the new proposal calls for new permits tailored to wind-energy projects, power line networks and the disturbance of breeding bald eagles and bald eagle nests.

Bald eagle numbers have quadrupled since 2009 to about 350,000 birds. There are only about about 40,000 golden eagles, which need much larger areas to survive and are more inclined to have trouble with humans.

Nationwide, 34 permits in place last year authorized companies to "take" 170 golden eagles  meaning that many birds could be killed by turbines or lost through impacts on nests or habitat, according to permitting data obtained by The Associated Press.

For each loss, companies are responsible for ensuring at least one eagle death is avoided somewhere else.

Illegal shootings are the biggest cause of death for golden eagles, killing about 700 annually, according to federal estimates. More than 600 die annually in collisions with cars, wind turbines and power lines; about 500 annually are electrocuted; and more than 400 are poisoned.

ARIZONA

Arizona abortion rights backers sue to overturn old ban

PHOENIX  Supporters of abortion rights on Oct. 4 sued to block an old Arizona law that criminalizes nearly all abortions, arguing that laws passed by the state Legislature after 1973's Roe v. Wade decision should take precedence and abortions should be allowed until 15 weeks into a pregnancy.

The lawsuit filed by a Phoenix abortion doctor and the Arizona Medical Association repeats many of the arguments made by Planned Parenthood and its Arizona affiliate in their failed effort last month to persuade a Tucson judge to keep in place a 50-year-old injunction barring enforcement of the pre-statehood law. The judge said it was not procedurally proper for her to try to reconcile 50 years of later law with the old law.

Instead, she agreed with Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich that the injunction should be lifted now that the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe.

The Sept. 23 decision from Pima County Superior Court Judge Kellie Johnson came a day before a new law signed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey that banned abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy took effect.

In wake of the decision that said the 1864 law that bans abortion unless the mother's life is in danger is enforceable, abortion clinics statewide shut down. It was the second time clinics had halted services  they shut down the first time after the Supreme Court ruling, but some restarted after a federal judge ruled that a different "personhood" law was unenforceable.

There is no exception for rape or incest under the old law.

Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement that the result of the confusing set of laws is that providers and patients are in an untenable position where they "have no sense of what the law is and whether they are breaking it."

NEW MEXICO

AG wants state's anti-corruption law strengthened

ALBUQUERQUE  New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas is calling on lawmakers to strengthen the state's anti-corruption law.

A recent ruling by the New Mexico Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of criminal charges against four defendants, and Balderas told the Albuquerque Journal that the court "took away from citizens a very necessary tool to prosecute public officials who use their public office for their own personal gain."

The case dealt with the dismissal of ethics charges against a series of former public officials, including a former Dona Ana County treasurer, an ex-district attorney and a former taxation and revenue official.

The Journal reported that the state Supreme Court's unanimous opinion centered on the enforcement of three provisions in the Governmental Conduct Act  subsections that direct officials to treat their positions as a public trust, conduct themselves in a way that justifies the confidence placed in them by the people and disclose conflicts of interest.

The high court ruled the sections were never intended by legislators to be enforced as criminal statutes and the language doesn't "spell out what act or omission is required for its violation and does not establish criminal elements that could inform clear jury instructions."

Annual hot air balloon festival draws global audience

ALBUQUERQUE  Hundreds of hot air balloons lifted off on the morning of Oct. 1, marking the start of an annual fiesta that has drawn pilots and spectators from across the globe to New Mexico's high desert for 50 years now.

As one of the most photographed events in the world, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has become an economic driver for the state's largest city and a rare  and colorful  opportunity for enthusiasts to be within arm's reach as the giant balloons are unpacked and inflated.

Three of the original pilots who participated in the first fiesta in 1972 and the family members of others are among this year's attendees. That year, 13 balloons launched from an open lot near a shopping center on what was then the edge of Albuquerque. It has since grown into a multimillion-dollar production.

Tens of thousands of people packed the field, wide-eyed with necks craned as they tried to soak in the spectacle.

Denise Wiederkehr McDonald was a passenger in her father's balloon during the first fiesta. She made the trip from Colorado to participate in a re-enactment of that 1972 flight on Sept. 30. Her father, Matt Wiederkehr, was one of the first 10 hot air balloon pilots in the U.S. and held numerous world records for distance and duration and built a successful advertising business with his fleet of balloons.

The fiesta has grown to include a cadre of European ballooning professionals. More than 20 countries are represented this year, including Switzerland, Australia, Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Taiwan and Ukraine.

NEVADA

Hundreds of cars pack streets for illegal stunts

RENO Thousands of people in hundreds of cars took over northern Nevada parking lots and intersection late on Sept. 30 the, 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 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.

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.
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Actress Song Hye-kyo / Captured from Instagram



By Dong Sun-hwa



Actress Song Hye-kyo and Professor Seo Kyung-duk  an active promoter of Korea  have donated 10,000 Korean/English guidebooks to Utoro Peace Memorial Museum, Japan, in celebration of Oct. 9 Hangeul (Korean alphabet) Day. Utoro is a neighborhood near Kyoto where some 1,300 Koreans were forced into labor for Japans' military during World War II.



Seo, a professor of general education at Sungshin Women's University, delivered the news about their donation on his Facebook account, Sunday.



"The guidebooks will be placed on the first floor of the museum, which opened in April," he said. "We produced these books for the convenience of visitors and they are available in English as well. We believe people of all genders and ages will be able to understand the history of Utoro with the help of our books."



The professor added that he and Song made the contribution to preserve Utoro's history.



"Two years ago, we donated a bulletin board that is currently at the entrance of Utoro village and this time, we made guidebooks about Utoro," he said. "I believe we should pay more attention to our historical sites abroad as they are not in their best conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic."



This is not the first time that Song and Seo have teamed up to preserve and promote the historical sites of Korea. In 2020, the two donated 10,000 Korean/French guidebooks to the Korean Cultural Center in Paris in a bid to provide information about Korea's independence fighters like Seo Young-hae (1902-56), who were active in France.


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Registration includes briefly describing what topic the speaker plans to address.
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Frigoblock , one of the leading manufacturers of transport refrigeration units in Europe and brand of Thermo King, supported Mangbergs Akeri, a Swedish long-haul haulage company, on their journey to electrify their fleets refrigeration systems.



The latest project included installing the FK25 electric refrigeration unit on a Scania V8 engine truck and adding the Frigoblock alternator solution to power both the truck-mounted FK25 unit and the Thermo King SLXi reefer on the draw-bar trailer. Thanks to the innovative design of the Frigoblock alternator and drive-kit technology, Mangbergs Akeri can lower their environmental impact and experience the benefits of a high-capacity hybrid refrigeration system in their long-haul road train operations.



The newest Scania truck in Mangbergs Akeris fleet, together with the drawbar-trailer, creates an almost 24 meters long road train. Running on HVO-biofuel, the V8 engine truck operates on routes of approximately 600 kilometres a day, seven days a week. Frigoblock was asked to deliver a refrigeration system that would convey enough cooling capacity for both the truck and trailer, while running on electricity.



The Frigoblock team selected the proven FK25 unit for the truck. To make it work with the Scanias V8 engine, and maximise the engines power, the team installed a new hydraulics driven alternator kit. The hydraulic drive kit allows to source enough power from the Scanias V8 engine to not only power the electric FK25 unit but also the Thermo King SLXi trailer reefer mounted on the draw-bar trailer. This allows Mangbergs Akeri to run the refrigeration units on electricity immediately when the truck is on and benefit from a fully electric-refrigerated truck and a hybrid trailer road train.



Frigoblocks refrigeration has also met the stringent requirements related with the air circulation inside the truck. The load compartment, divided in two by the hydraulic floors requires the refrigeration unit to deliver enough capacity to evenly circulate the air and ensure the same temperature level across the space, in all ambient conditions.



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Indian pluralism as seen by Netaji

While naming his army, he used an Urdu name, Azad Hind Fauj, rather than any Sanskritized words



Nehru and Netaji's legacy The government in exile that he formed was also named similarly Arzi Hukumat Azad-e-Hind. Mohammad Zaman Kiani and Shaukat Ali were his close confidantes. Col. Cyril Stracy was another such confidante.

This was the rooting of fraternity which is being totally undone. Wounds are being inflicted on our bonding across religions, where anti-minority actions and statements are to the fore and religious minorities, not only Muslims but even Christians, are being relegated to second-class citizenship.

Despite his differences with Indian National Congress on the path to be pursued, he remained very respectful of the Quit India movement and called upon Veer Savarkar and Mohammed Ali Jinnah to participate in the movement. It is another matter that today's ruling elites' ideological mentors Savarkar and Golwalkar not only opposed the Quit India movement but also bowed to the British and helped them in their war efforts.

We are living in strange times. Those in seats of power are trying to gain legitimacy and credibility from those whose ideas and principles they have been totally opposing through their deeds in the current time. The incidental projection that Nehru did nothing to keep alive the memory of Bose is false to the core.

Nehru not only adorned the lawyers coat to fight the cases of war prisoners of Netaji's Indian National Army (INA) but his offering regular support to Boses daughter who lived abroad should also be remembered as a token of the esteem which Nehru had for his great friend and comrade, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

---

Distributed by JanVikalp, a version of this article was first published in South Asia Monitor If one goes through the whos who of Azad Hind Fauz, one will not only see the Rani Jhansi regiment with Laxmi Sehgal as its head, there were Shanwaz Khan, Sehgal and Dhillon coming from different religions. It was conscious planning on the part of the diehard, deeply secular Bose who fashioned his army along these lines.The government in exile that he formed was also named similarly Arzi Hukumat Azad-e-Hind. Mohammad Zaman Kiani and Shaukat Ali were his close confidantes. Col. Cyril Stracy was another such confidante.This was the rooting of fraternity which is being totally undone. Wounds are being inflicted on our bonding across religions, where anti-minority actions and statements are to the fore and religious minorities, not only Muslims but even Christians, are being relegated to second-class citizenship.Despite his differences with Indian National Congress on the path to be pursued, he remained very respectful of the Quit India movement and called upon Veer Savarkar and Mohammed Ali Jinnah to participate in the movement. It is another matter that today's ruling elites' ideological mentors Savarkar and Golwalkar not only opposed the Quit India movement but also bowed to the British and helped them in their war efforts.We are living in strange times. Those in seats of power are trying to gain legitimacy and credibility from those whose ideas and principles they have been totally opposing through their deeds in the current time. The incidental projection that Nehru did nothing to keep alive the memory of Bose is false to the core.Nehru not only adorned the lawyers coat to fight the cases of war prisoners of Netaji's Indian National Army (INA) but his offering regular support to Boses daughter who lived abroad should also be remembered as a token of the esteem which Nehru had for his great friend and comrade, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.---

While inaugurating the statue of Netaji Subhash Bose on September 8 in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that had India embarked path shown by him, India would have progressed much better, that he has been forgotten, and now (with Modi's rule) his vision is being brought back. Modi claims his governance is showing the imprint of Netajis policies.To begin with what was Netajis vision of economic growth? He was a socialist who believed in planning as the bulwark of the nations prosperity. After he became the president of the Indian National Congress in 1938, one of the major steps he took was to bring forth the importance of economic policies.He wrote to Jawaharlal Nehru, offering him and urging him to accept to head the proposed National Planning Committee, Hope you will accept the chairmanship of the National Committee. You must if it is to be a success. Nehru in turn not only accepted the offer of his close ideological friend but carried it forward in independent India.Along these lines, Nehru set up the Planning Commission which steered the economic development of the country. It is only in 2014 with Modi came to power that this Commission was scrapped and replaced by Niti Ayog with a different set of goals. As far as economic planning was concerned it was Nehru who took forward Boses vision while Modi has reversed the same. Bose-Nehru saw the role of public sector institutions in the shaping of our economic prosperity, which is currently being undone.There were differences between Bose and the major leadership of Congress on the issue related to the anti-British struggle. Bose wanted to seek an alliance of Germany-Japan, going by the dictum, Enemys enemy is a friend', while the majority of Congress leadership under Gandhi wanted to launch an anti-British agitation. In a way his seeking Japanese support was disastrous. Had Germany-Japan won the Second World War, Indias slavery to Japan would have been inevitable.As far as Indias rich syncretic heritage is concerned, Gandhi as the greatest Hindu saw all the religions as Indian religions and drew from their moral values. Nehru in his own way upheld Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb (syncretic culture) and made this the central understanding in his magnum opus Discovery of India, which turned into a must-watch Shyam Benegals Bharat Ek Khoj.Bose was also a strong proponent of pluralism in Indian culture. Bose in his Free India and Her Problems writes, With the advent of the Mohammedans, a new synthesis was gradually worked out. Though they did not accept the religion of the Hindus, they made India their home and shared in the common social life of the people  their joys and their sorrows. Through mutual co-operation, new art and a new culture were evolved .And also that, Indian Mohammedans have continued to work for national freedom. In order to uphold the rights of minorities, he conceptualized a new state where religious and cultural freedom for individuals and groups should be guaranteed and no state religion would be adopted.While the ruling Hindutva ideology sees Islam and Christianity as "foreign religions" and developed this ideology into misconceptions and hate against Muslims and Christians, the understanding of Gandhi, Nehru, Bose and most leaders of the freedom movement revolved around seeing the diverse religions as a point of welcome and strength to the nation.Boses actions were testimony of the same. While naming his army, he used the Urdu word "Azad Hind Fauz" rather than any Sanskritized word. So much similar to what Gandhi thought.
A visitor looks at posters of new drama series at Netflix's pop-up store in Busan on Oct. 6, where the Busan International Film Festival is being held. Yonhap

The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has constantly evolved to attract movie buffs and the Asian cinema industry, and this year it set an expanded stage for highly anticipated over-the-top (OTT) dramas to reflect their rising popularity.



Running in full-scale without social distancing measures for the first time in three years, the 27th edition brought together high-profile guests and movie fans at home and abroad with a packed lineup of 243 films from 71 countries, including 89 world premieres. It opened in the southern port city Wednesday and runs through Oct. 14.



BIFF has established itself as Asia's largest-film festival and has gained more attention this year as South Korea has cemented its status as a global cultural powerhouse, thanks in part to the explosive success of the Oscar-winning film "Parasite (2019)" and the Netflix series "Squid Game" (2021).



What stood out in this week's festival was the On Screen section, which screened part of the upcoming Korean drama series from streaming platforms, including Netflix, Disney+, Tving and Wavve.



In recent years, big-pocketed OTT platforms have teamed up with filmmakers for new Korean shows, blurring the boundary between traditional movies and drama series.



Expanding from the three series shown last year, nine drama series were world premiered this week ahead of their official releases and most of their weekend tickets were sold out, according to the organizer.



Among them are Netflix's new originals Roh Deok's "Glitch" and Jung Ji-woo's "Somebody," and local streaming platform Tving's "Yonder," directed by acclaimed filmmaker Lee Joon-ik.



Japanese horror master Takashi Miike's first Korean-language project "Connect" was also revealed ahead of its official release on Disney+ Korea in December.



Miike, a prolific director with over 100 works in diverse genres and a frequent figure at film festivals, said he was both surprised and pleased to receive an invitation to screen his drama series at BIFF.



"I learned that the essence remains the same in that a film festival showcases works and sets a stage for meeting the audience," Miike said during a press conference for "Connect" on Friday. "I think screening OTT content at the Busan film festival could change people's viewing experience of OTT dramas."





Director Lee Joon-ik, left, and the main cast members of Tving's new drama series "Beyond the Memory" greet fans at an outdoor theater of the Busan Cinema Center on Oct. 7. From second left are Shin Ha-kyun, Han Ji-min, Lee Jung-eun and Jeong Jin-yeong. Yonhap
The headquarters of Naver and Kakao / Graphic by Newsis



Internal businesses grow, as number of subsidiaries rises at IT conglomerates



By Anna J. Park



Naver and Kakao, Korea's leading IT platform companies, each recorded internal transactions worth over one trillion won ($700 million) last year. While the volume of the internal transactions doubled at Naver during the past four years, Kakao logged a seven-fold increase in such settlements during the same period.



According to documents submitted by the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) to ruling party Rep. Yun Chang-hyun, the volume of Naver's internal transactions stood at 1.15 trillion won last year, up 2.3 times from 2017. Kakao's internal transactions stood at 1.46 trillion won, which is a whopping 7.3-fold jump from 2017.



The key reason behind the surge in internal transactions at the IT conglomerates was a rapid increase in the number of their subsidiaries. The number of Naver's subsidiaries increased to 54 in 2021 from 45 in 2018. Kakao saw an even bigger increase in the number of subsidiaries, almost doubling from 72 in 2018 to 136 last year.



Kakao's drastic expansion in the number of its subsidiaries was criticized at last year's annual parliamentary hearings, as the IT giant's move was seen as threatening the country's mom-and-pop store owners in a wide variety of industries, such as local hair salons and flower shops. Despite the criticism, the number of Kakao's subsidiaries grew by 18 compared to the previous year.



"Because of IT platform services' innate expansionary nature and lock-in effects, platform conglomerates' rapid increases in both the number of their subsidiaries and internal transactions pose a graver concern to society than general companies," Yun said.



The ruling party lawmaker explained, although internal transactions within a conglomerate are not illegal, the growth of such practices within a company that already holds dominant shares of markets is troubling. The lawmaker urged the FTC to come up with preventive measures to curb such moves to protect consumer rights.



Others also urged financial authorities to look into possible unfair practices involving internal transactions, considering their rapid growth in just a couple of years.






Mega-rich property developer Christopher Moran is tipped to be on the new list of peers to be announced within days.

To the relief of many Tories, he will be in the colours of the Northern Ireland party the DUP in recognition of his charity work in the Province.

He is a colourful figure, to put it mildly. A major Tory donor, he embarrassed the party when, in 2018, a Sunday newspaper reported that a Chelsea apartment block he owns and had let out was, unbeknown to him, riddled with prostitutes and known as ten floors of whores.

This is a man whos been censured several times by the London Stock Exchange for controversial share purchases, was the first person to be barred for life by the insurance market Lloyds of London  and was convicted of insider trading in the U.S.

Mega-rich property developer Christopher Moran (pictured) is tipped to be on the new list of peers to be announced within days

Moran lives in a 30-room, 15th-century town house, Crosby Hall, on the bank of the Thames in Chelsea.

It was built for the diplomat Sir John Crosby, was home to Henry VIIIs first wife Catherine of Aragon and was owned by Henrys Lord Chancellor Thomas More.

Visitors have to walk past a statue of Moran  rather than More  when they arrive.

In an interview with LBCs Nick Ferrari, Liz Truss said she had spoken to Boris Johnson multiple times since she became PM. News to friends of Boris, who say they havent spoken once since the new team moved into No 10.

Sir Vince praises defector Liz

Former chancellor Rishi Sunak mocked Liz Truss in the Tory leadership contest for the fact that she was once a Lib Dem.

Not so Sir Vince Cable, a former leader of the Lib Dems: Its one of the positives about her that she changed politically from her youth.

Sir Vince Cable has praised 'defector' Liz Truss after former chancellor Rishi Sunak mocked her in the Tory leadership contest for the fact that she was once a Lib Dem

'I wouldnt see that as a criticism. We ought to get out of the idea that because you took a political position aged 21, then you need to hold the same position at 71.

Cable would know. He defected from Labour to the SDP in 1982, aged 38.

Overheard in the House of Commons, one Tory MP saying: I dont know why the polls are suggesting Labour leader Keir Starmer is the next Prime Minister.

There are two years to the next general election, which gives us time to have at least two more Tory leaders.

Popular new Culture minister Stuart Andrew, who has the Coronation of the King at the top of his in-tray, is planning to raid the government art collection to brighten up his Whitehall office, saying: I want to show it off to spark a conversation.

One predecessor, Ed Vaizey, did just that, picking Compulsory Obsolescence by Michael Landy  a punk collage featuring the late Queens head on a bank note with her mouth taped shut.

In photo opportunities, Truss has modelled herself on Margaret Thatcher.

But given her recent media performances she might be better off following the example of a much earlier Prime Minister  the 3rd Duke of Portland.

It was always said of the Duke, who resigned in 1809 during his second term as PM, that he possessed in an eminent degree the talent of dead silence.

In photo opportunities, Truss has modelled herself on Margaret Thatcher. But given her recent media performances she might be better off following the example of a much earlier Prime Minister  the 3rd Duke of Portland

In fact, for an entire 12 months in that second term, he failed to make a single speech. The Portland family has since become more chatty.

The 12th Earl is better known as Tim Bentinck, who plays David in The Archers.

Burns is a good guy says Currie

Former minister Edwina Currie comes to the defence of Conor Burns, a close friend of the late Baroness Thatcher, who was sacked as a minister last week.

Former minister Edwina Currie (pictured) comes to the defence of Conor Burns, a close friend of the late Baroness Thatcher, who was sacked as a minister last week

Burns also had the Tory Whip removed after a complaint about so-called lecherous behaviour in a bar at the Tory conference, a charge he emphatically denies.

Ive known you a long, long time, says Currie. The way you and others looked after Margaret Thatcher during her long years of decline tells me that youre one of the good guys.
Last week I heard from a professor of medicine at a top university. He usually gives an introductory lecture on some interesting, possibly controversial topic. This year he planned to talk about the Y chromosome.

About how having it can make a big difference, physiologically and psychologically, throughout your life. In short, about why biological sex matters.

Then he decided that it wasnt worth it. He knew that it would lead to trouble. So he didnt even propose the lecture. He just spoke on something else.

That story wont show up in any statistics on cancellation or no-platforming. Nor will hundreds of other decisions just like his. Decisions that academics make every time they choose not to speak out  on sex, or religion, or Israel and Palestine, or whatever else  for fear of the consequences.

But this mostly silent, mostly internal process is what the end of academic freedom looks like.

The fact is that choosing not to speak out is entirely understandable. In 2019 Professor Jo Phoenix of the Open University was due to speak at the University of Essex on trans rights and the prison system.

Following the invitation, activists circulated threats, including a flyer displaying a gun with the caption Shut the **** up, TERF. Instead of defending her right to speak, the sociology department at Essex cancelled the invitation.

This incident is hardly isolated. Risk-averse speaker policies make the problem worse. By expanding the grounds on which an invitation can be cancelled, you just make it easier for activists to shut down an event.

My own university, Cambridge (pictured), tried to impose such a policy in 2020, demanding that visiting speakers (and everyone else) should always show respect for others beliefs and identities

More often, academics and students will just not invite controversial speakers in the first place, because of the bureaucratic obstacles that these policies create.

They will prefer to invite someone blander. Instead of Kathleen Stock or Richard Dawkins, you get Prof X or Dr Y who never offended anyone. Whether anyone learns anything, is another question.

The incentive to self-censorship constitutes the greatest danger of risk-averse speaker regulations. It is typical of a modern form of tyranny, of which Tocqueville wrote: It does not break wills, but it softens them. It rarely forces action, but it constantly opposes your acting.

My own university, Cambridge, tried to impose such a policy in 2020, demanding that visiting speakers (and everyone else) should always show respect for others beliefs and identities.

There was a risk that it would be used to shut down criticism of certain religions or the questioning of certain ideologies.

Along with colleagues, I fought the proposal. In a secret ballot we won an overwhelming victory, forcing Cambridge to withdraw it. I have since faced lasting hostility from some colleagues, but many more have been quietly supportive.

In 2019 Professor Jo Phoenix of the Open University was due to speak at the University of Essex on trans rights and the prison system. Following the invitation, activists circulated threats, including a flyer displaying a gun with the caption Shut the **** up, TERF.

What is the alternative to these risk-averse policies? Universities understandably want to protect students from distress. But any controversial idea is going to distress someone. The way to deal with the risk is not to eliminate it but to be up front about it.

At the start of a course, students should give written consent to the risk of exposure to shocking, disturbing or offensive ideas from lecturers, visiting speakers or other students. By staying on they are implicitly renewing this consent. Consent may be withdrawn by withdrawing from the university.

Universities can then write into their codes that no speech, by staff, students or visitors, can be restricted on the grounds that it causes distress to which hearers have consented.

Any complaint against any lecturer, student or visiting speaker would need to show that it failed one of two tests: (a) Is the speech legal? (b) Does the audience consent? If the answer to (a) and (b) is yes  or absent evidence to the contrary  the complaint is automatically dismissed.

Universities exist to open peoples minds. That means exposure to the broadest variety of viewpoints. This is perhaps the only way to teach students that just because someone disagrees with you doesnt make them evil or stupid.

And it really matters that we learn or remember that lesson, not only for the integrity of the higher education sector but for our survival as a free and open society.

Arif Ahmed is a professor of philosophy at the University of Cambridge and free speech campaigner
Whats going down?

The asteroid Dimorphos the American space agency Nasa has just smashed a spacecraft into it.

Did they mean to?

Yes, the idea was to see whether a large asteroid hurtling towards Earth could be successfully diverted. Turns out it can.

Thats a relief. All quiet among the planets, then?

Not at all. A group of experts has started lobbying for Venus to be the new target for a crewed mission.

What was the old target?

Mars scheduled at some point in the late 2030s.

And Mars has fallen out of favour because

Its a three-year round trip. Venus, however, will take about a year.

Not unlike the Avanti West Coast rail service to Glasgow.

A group of experts has started lobbying for Venus (illustrated above) to be the new target for a crewed mission

A bit harsh, maybe.

Sorry, you were saying something about landing on Venus?

The crushing atmospheric pressure and clouds of sulphuric acid mean that the astronauts wouldnt actually stop there just observe it from their spacecraft on the way by.

It sounds like Venus is a bit like the Nuneaton of the solar system?

Not really, because Venus is not even in the right direction.

Let me get this straight: the Venus fan club thinks a flyby is a good idea, even though conditions are hellish and its in the wrong direction?

Dr Noam Izenberg of Johns Hopkins University in the US does admit that the idea doesnt yet have traction in the space-travel community but stresses that there are other selling points.

Its hard to see what those might be

The doc says: Youd be learning about how people work in deep space, without committing yourself to a full Mars mission And its not just going out into the middle of nowhere  it would have a bit of cachet as you would be visiting another planet for the first time.

Right, so with the asteroid smashed and Mars on the back burner, Venus is the celestial body du jour then?

Jupiter is also massive.

More hip than Venus, you say?

No massive. As in big.

Whats going on?

The gas giant recently reached its closest proximity to Earth in 59 years, contributing to an optical illusion that will make it appear bigger and brighter for the next week or so. For a dizzying array of astrological reasons, its a phenomenon that wont be happening again until 2139.

Speaking of planets, didnt I read that the 16th-century astrologer Nostradamus is top of the bestseller list?

Correct. The 2006 book Nostradamus: The Complete Prophecies For The Future by Mario Reading, which interprets the astrologers predictions, appears to foretell accurately the Queens death. Having sold only five copies in the week before Her Majesty died, it sold 8,000 the following week when the extract went viral, and the book shot to number one.

The 2006 book Nostradamus: The Complete Prophecies For The Future by Mario Reading, which interprets the astrologers predictions, appears to foretell accurately the Queens death

Goodness. Did he get anything else right?

The Great Fire of London and the rise of Napoleon.

So what did he say about the mission to Venus  will the astronauts make it?

Sadly Nosty is non-specific on this point. He does say, rather ominously, Fire do I see that from the sky shall fall.

Right, Ill probably stick to domestic travel for now, thanks. Does Nostradamus know whether Avanti West Coast will be running trains to Glasgow this month?

As he said in his 1558 epistle to King Henry: The danger of the times requires that such secrets should not be bared except in enigmatic sentences

Ill probably drive, then.

Give my best to Nuneaton, wont you?
Readers often contact me, saying, You live on a different planet. And, yes, it does sound glamorous, spending time in Marbella with the cast of TOWIE. Or travelling to Paris for the trial of John Galliano. Jetting off to the Oscars.

The reality? I was asked to cover the 30-hour queue for the British public to pay their respects to the Queen, and file past her coffin. If you are important or part of the Royal press pack or an MP, you were whizzed inside. Not me. It was like a Victoria Beckham catwalk show all over again: get to the end of the Elizabeth line! So, with my sandwich, I joined the queue early that week. The Telegraph had wheeled out Esther Rantzen, who intimated old mourners would die. That there would be suffering. None of which was true. I was walking past the coffin after just six hours of jolly banter, despite us all being asked repeatedly by Samaritans volunteers in fluoro tabards how our mental health was bearing up. Get a grip! The zigzag into Westminster Hall was almost empty. So, come 8pm, I was in London, having been on my feet since 6am, with nowhere to stay.

Readers often contact me, saying, You live on a different planet. And, yes, it does sound glamorous, spending time in Marbella with the cast of TOWIE. Or travelling to Paris for the trial of John Galliano. Jetting off to the Oscars

I had booked Soho House Kettners the next night, for a colleagues leaving do, and had left my laptop and heavy case in storage. I walked back through Soho like an injured pigeon, feet hurting, tired, hungry. Nic, my assistant, had called earlier to beg for a room in the group, but no luck. She scoured every hotel website. Nothing. I collapsed at reception, told the young woman who knows me very well, as I stay almost once a week (I spent nearly 700 there recently to attend this newspapers 40th birthday party), that my story had been cut short, there was no 30-hour queue, and could I have a shower and sit in a corner to write my piece on my laptop until my room was ready the next morning. Of course! she said.

I had dinner, drinks. I sat. At midnight, lights were turned on. You will have to move to reception. Which I did. I sat there. Come 1am, the young man on duty overnight came over to say. You have to leave. No one is allowed overnight without a room.

But at 8pm the young lady said it was fine. I had dinner. Im booked in tonight, already paid for. I had my wedding at Soho Houses Babington House in 2002. I stay here every week. I am loyal. You know me.

Maybe you misheard her as you are deaf, he said.

Whhhaaaattttttt?

He called the manager, returned and shook his head. So, I said, water running down my face. You are turning a client of 20 years standing out into the night with nowhere to go. Everywhere is full because of the Queens funeral.

There is nothing I can do.

Im never staying here again, I said.

Your room tomorrow oh, tonight, sorry, is non-refundable.*

The nice man who hails taxis came over, said he was trying to find me somewhere. Another male member of staff said they had found a room in Fleet Street. At nearly 2am, they put me in an Uber. The driver couldnt find Fleet Street, let alone the hotel, and dumped me in the road. I finally found the Z Hotel. It was locked. I rang the bell, sobbing. Eventually, a young man unlocked it. He took about half an hour to check me in  I told him I could write a novel in the time it was taking  and take payment, and I descended to my room. It didnt have a window. No cotton wool. A bar of soap the size of a stamp. Why are poor people deemed unworthy of shampoo? It was 3am. Id been haemorrhaging money all day. I was unable to remove my mascara.

The next morning, I had to go down for breakfast, as there was no room service. I returned well before 11 to shower and pack. They had locked me out.

So please, never tell me my job is glamorous. That I get special treatment. That life is a round of parties and photo shoots. Never mind Charles. I filed copy on the afternoon my mum died.

*After a flurry of emails Soho House reimbursed me.
Hemi had a one per cent chance of survival but pulled through and is recovering

He came to her house with a gun and shot her fiance Hemi through a glass door

One day Missy lied about her location sending the stalker into a jealous rage

He became obsessed with her and convinced himself they were in a relationship

Missy, from New Zealand, was being stalked by a man she befriended online

A woman has told of the terrifying moment her stalker shot her fiance

A young woman has described the terrifying moment a jealous stalker shot her fiance between the eyes, before smirking and leaving him to die at their front door.

Missy Parata, from New Zealand, had been stalked by Krishan Ranui Dick-Kareti for a year before he turned up at her home and fired shots at her boyfriend Hemi Tahur.

Hemi was trying to lock the door to protect his 24-year-old girlfriend when Krishan aimed his handgun at his head and pulled the trigger.

The youth worker, said she 'wanted to die' as she cradled her partner of 10 years on the ground where he fell, and spent the first few months by his hospital bed pleading with him to survive.

She has been sharing her now fiance's recovery story on TikTok and says he gets stronger every day.

Missy, now 26, told News Corp she had met Krishan online and thought he was harmless.

Scroll down for video

Missy Parata (right) has told of the terrifying moment her stalker shot her fiance Hemi Tahur (left) in the head last year after she lied about her whereabouts

Missy, from New Zealand, had been stalked by Krishan Ranui Dick-Kareti for a year before he turned up at her home and fired shots at her boyfriend Hemi

The youth worker, said she 'wanted to die' as she cradled her partner of 10 years on the ground where he fell, and spent the first few months by his hospital bed pleading with him to survive

But then he became obsessed with her, told everyone they were 'in a relationship' and then went into a rage on the day of the shooting when she lied about her whereabouts.

She had met Krishan after he messaged her on Facebook telling her he admired the work she was doing as a youth worker.

Missy agreed to meet up with him to chat about his urge to 'help the community'.

The pair met in person at a park where Krishan took photos of them together which Missy assumed were for professional use.

She has been sharing her now fiance's recovery story on TikTok and says he gets stronger every day

However she later discovered Krishan had shown them to family and friends claiming Missy was his girlfriend.

Nevertheless, their friendship grew and Krishan confided in Missy about his mental health struggles until he developed an unhealthy obsession with her.

He would contact her at all hours of the night demanding to speak with her and send multiple text messages adamant they were in a relationship.

Missy would tell him repeatedly that she loved Hemi, 25, and that there was nothing between them but Krishan remained convinced they were an item.

Eventually Missy said it was easier to go along with him as turning him down would lead to outbursts and threats of self-harm.

Hemi was trying to lock the door to protect his girlfriend when Krishan, who had become enraged after she lied about her whereabout, aimed his gun at his head and pulled the trigger

Hemi was put into an induced coma for five weeks with the bullet still lodged in his brain and was in the ICU in Christchurch for 11 months after being shot by Krishan

Krishan stalked Missy for a year until one morning in October 2021, sick of his harassment, she lied and told him she was at work.

After going to her workplace and discovering she was not there, Krishan harassed Missy via phone, sending her 43 texts and calling her 76 times.

Sick of his antics and increasingly 'intense' behaviour, Missy told him to leave her alone but was left with a 'horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach' as she suspected 'something wasn't right'.

Missy said she was 'pacing around the house in fear' when she told Hemi, who was outside mowing the lawn, to come inside.

Hemi was trying to calm Missy down when they heard Krishan outside, beeping his horn and screaming her name, asking her to come and talk to him.

Missy said she 'clung onto' the one per cent survival rate and remained by Hemi's side for hours each day until he started to move and take steps

Hemi is permanently blind and paralysed from the injury but has started walking with a walking stick and is 'getting better every day' according to Missy

They called the police who instructed them to stay inside and lock the front door which was made of glass.

As Hemi was locking the door, Krishan approached, pulled a gun from behind his back and shot him in the forehead.

'He dropped to the ground, and blood was pouring from the wound. I thought he was dead. I looked back at Krishan, and now he had the gun pointed at me,' Missy recalled.

'In that moment, I wanted to pass away too. I couldn't imagine my life without Hemi.'

But Krishan didn't shoot - instead he smirked at Missy and walked away, knowing what he'd just done would hurt her more than anything else.

At the hospital, Missy was informed by doctors that Hemi only had a one per cent chance of surviving his injury.

'I clung onto that, and told Hemi every day that he couldn't leave me. I was by his side, day in and day out, through everything. I wasn't going to let him die,' she said.

Missy got down on one knee and proposed to Hemi herself in August and the pair are now engaged after ten years together

Missy said the experience has taught her to always trust her gut and wants her story to 'inspire and raise awareness' and let people know they are 'powerful' and 'stronger' than they think

Hemi was put into an induced coma for five weeks and was unable to move the right side of his body with the bullet still lodged in his brain.

Hemi is permanently blind and paralysed from the injury but is using a walking stick and is 'getting better every day' according to Missy.

After 11 months in an intensive care unit in Christchurch, Hemi was discharged just last month and continues his rehabilitation at home with Missy by his side as his full-time caregiver.

Missy got down on one knee and proposed to Hemi herself in August and the pair are now engaged after ten years together.

Krishan was sentence to six years and 11 months in prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder in June 2022.

Missy said she lives in fear of the day Krishan is released from prison and feels as though he won't stop his pursuit.

Her experience has taught her to always trust her gut.

She said since sharing her and Hemi's story she has been contacted by women from around the world who have had similar terrifying experience.

Missy wants her story to 'inspire and raise awareness' and let people, especially women being harassed by men, know they are more 'powerful' and 'stronger' than they think.
Iran says U.S. sanctions hurt Iranians' health

Xinhua) 09:11, October 09, 2022

TEHRAN, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Saturday Iranian officials and individuals had been indiscriminately targeted by Washington's unprecedented sanctions, which affected their livelihoods, jobs, and health.

In an Instagram post, Kanaani wrote that "every day, a new list of sanctions against Iran is issued under an excuse. This time, the Iranian interior minister, the minister of communications and five other Iranian officials were sanctioned by the U.S. government."

Even the children suffering from epidermolysis bullosa (EB) were not exempted from the "unilateral, illegal, tyrannical sanctions," he noted.

On Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department issued new sanctions against Ahmad Vahidi and Eisa Zarepour, Iran's Interior and Communications Ministers, respectively, as well as five other Iranian security officials over what it called the "suppression of protests" following the death of a young girl in police custody in the capital Tehran.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Mu Kuang English School students attend a Korean language class, a regular foreign language subject at the school, Wednesday, Hong Kong. Korea Times photo by Park Ji-won



By Park Ji-won



HONG KONG - Learning a foreign language is difficult and it takes a lot of time and energy to see certain visible outcomes. But a growing number of people in Hong Kong are learning Korean nowadays. Once a hobby restricted to K-pop fans, learning Korean is now more common, being included in the foreign language category for the university entrance exam as well as among regular school language subjects.



At Mu Kuang English School, a local secondary school in Hong Kong, it is pretty common to see Korean letters in classes or in the library. It was the first secondary school in Hong Kong to introduce the Korean language as a regular course from the 1st grade last year, providing Korean classes once a week.



Up to 12 first graders gathered for a 40-minute class on Wednesday. They learned the pronunciations for the Korean letters, , ,  and vowels, while answering questions from Canny Lai, the Korean teacher and the vice principal of Hongil Language Education Centre, saying "Ne" or yes in Korean.



Many of the students chose the subject because they like Korean culture, K-pop and K-dramas.



"I like K-pop, especially BLACKPINK," Jacob Xian Wen Jie, a first grader at the school, said.



But the cultural interest is not the only reason for them to choose Korean.



"After learning the language, I want to work in Korea in the future," Sa-Nguaphan Sum Yin Wasabi, a first grader at the school said.



"I want to attend a university in Korea, because I am interested in Korean culture. In the future, I want to open a restaurant in Korea," Lucy Chu, a second grader at the school, said.



The introduction of the subject was a brave decision for the school as it was the first of its kind. But Ivan Ho, president of the school, says it was rather a practical decision made amid growing demand from students and prospects of the language.






Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has donned her favourite designer blazer to attend a special UNICEF event as the rest of the Danish royal family meet for 'peace talks'.

The 50-year-old arrived to the 60th anniversary of the UNICEF Supply Division in Copenhagen on Friday wearing a maroon Alexander McQueen ensemble.

Initially built to pack health kits for maternity clinics and child health services, the warehouse has since evolved into a logistics hub - and become the largest humanitarian warehouse in the world.

Despite having a smile on her face as she was offered a tour of the property, the mother-of-four had her visit overshadowed by the current 'peace talks' between her mother-in-law Queen Margrethe and the Queen's youngest son Joachim.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has donned her favourite designer blazer to attend a special UNICEF event as the rest of the Danish royal family meet for 'peace talks'

The 50-year-old arrived to the 60th anniversary of the UNICEF Supply Division in Copenhagen wearing a maroon Alexander McQueen ensemble

Margrethe, 82, and Joachim engaged in conversation this week to try and smooth tensions that have arisen after the monarch announced she would be stripping his four children, Prince Nikolai, 23, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13, and Princess Athena, 10, of their royal titles, which he claimed had 'hurt' them.

Heir to the throne Frederick and his wife Princess Mary's four children - Prince Christian, 16, Princess Isabella, 15, and twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent, 11 - remain unaffected by Margrethe's decision as they are direct descendants of the future King.

Following the meeting, the palace confirmed that the monarch and Joachim want to 'look forward' and are trying to 'find their way through' their differences - however, Frederik did not attend the meeting at Fredensborg.

Despite having a smile on her face as she was offered a tour of the property, the mother-of-four had her visit overshadowed by the current 'peace talks' between her mother-in-law Queen Margrethe and the Queen's youngest son Joachim

She gave a short speech inside of the Copenhagen warehouse to the team at UNICEF

Danish publication B.T. reported: 'According to the Royal House, the Crown Prince was not part of the meeting', with a statement from the palace reading: 'The Queen and Prince Joachim have spoken together at Fredensborg. Everyone agrees to look forward, and as the Queen herself has expressed, she and Prince Joachim want calm to find their way through this situation.'

It comes after Joachim, 53, and his second wife Princess Marie, 46, who is mother to his youngest two children, said their relationship with Frederik and his wife Princess Mary, 50, is 'complicated'.

But as the conflict brewed between the Danish royals, Spanish magazine Vaniatis Elconfidencial claimed the real reason for the rift was because Joachim 'was deeply in love with his sister-in-law Mary'.

Queen Margrethe (centre, in 2015) had a meeting with Prince Joachim (right) following animosity after he said his children were 'hurt' by her decision to remove their princely titles (Left: Crown Prince Frederik)

The news comes as a Spanish magazine reported the Prince had been 'deeply in love' with his sister-in-law and Crown Prince Frederik's wife, Princess Mary. Pictured in 2014

Tensions began to grow last week in the Danish Royal Family after Queen Margrethe, declared Prince Joachim's children, Prince Nikolai, 23, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13, and Princess Athena, 10, were to be counts and countesses as of 1 January 2020 and known as Their Excellencies, rather than their Royal Highnesses (pictured with their parents on the Queen's golden Jubilee in September)

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

B.T.'s royal correspondent Jacob Heinel Jensen said of the 'significant and positive development' between the monarch and her youngest son, that it was 'not surprising' that Frederik wasn't included.

The expert said: 'Prince Joachim himself has acknowledged that the relationship with the Crown Prince couple was complicated, so it is not surprising that he was not there. It is the Queen's decision, and she is the one who must bear the brunt of it.'

He added of the meeting: 'This is crucial for their relationship. There will be an event in the future where it is important that we as a population believe that they have become friends again, now the first stones have been laid.'

Tensions began to grow last week in the Danish Royal Family after Margrethe declared Joachim's children, Prince Nikolai, 23, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13, and Princess Athena, 10, were to be counts and countesses as of 1 January 2020 and known as Their Excellencies, rather than their Royal Highnesses.

Following the announcement, Joachim, speaking outside the Danish Embassy in Paris, told Ekstra Bladet his children had been 'hurt' by the decision and that he had only been given five days to break the news to them before it was publicly announced.

Amid the scandal, Joachim and his second wife Marie admitted their relationship with his older brother Crown Prince Frederik and his sister-in-law Crown Princess Mary is 'complicated'.

And the Spanish magazine Vaniatis Elconfidencial has since sparked more speculation around the rift, after reporting that Joachim 'was deeply in love with his sister-in-law Mary'.

A photograph was even published by Swedish woman's weekly magazine 'Svensk Damtidning', allegedly showing Joachim trying to kiss Mary at a gala party of the Royal Guard Regiment.

The Spanish magazine recalled: 'With obvious signs of drunkenness, it seems that the youngest son of Queen Margarethe tried to stamp his lips on his sister-in-law's mouth, that she got out of the way as she could and with an unperturbed smile, while Marie witnessed the embarrassing moment.'

It's been a dramatic week for the Danish Royal Family - after Queen Margarethe II of Denmark announced last week that she would be removing princely titles from four of her grandchildren. Pictured, Princess Marie, Prince Joachim, Princess Mary and Prince Frederik in 2019

Queen Margrethe of Denmark and her eldest son refused to answer questions regarding the fallout of last week's bombshell royal titles as they arrived at the state opening of parliament on Tuesday

Queen Margrethe (pictured in blue) made the decision to strip princely titles from Prince Nikolai (left), Prince Felix (second from left), Prince Henrik (right) and Princess Athena (second from right). Also pictured: Prince Joachim and Princess Marie

It also suggested that shortly after Frederik and Mary's wedding in 2004, Danish media began to speculate that Joachim 'was deeply in love with his sister-in-law'.

'In fact, it didn't help that in 2007 he announced his engagement to a French girl (Princess Marie) with the same name and a striking physical resemblance,' wrote the magazine.

But with such strong rumours about the prince's crush on Mary, the magazine claims Margarethe called 'them to order' and 'started a campaign to show that there were no problems between the two women,' including 'unscheduled outings' together.

MailOnline has contacted the Danish Royal Household for comment.

On Tuesday, Queen Margrethe and her eldest son refused to answer questions regarding the fallout of last week's bombshell royal titles as they arrived at the state opening of parliament.

Margrethe, 82, was joined by Crown Prince Frederick and his wife Princess Mary at the opening of the Folketing, in Copenhagen.

The assembled press asked a flurry of questions to all three royals on their arrival but the trio 'chose with big smiles to turn their backs to the press and talk among themselves before they entered Christiansborg', the seat of the Danish parliament, according to local news outlet BT.

The royals put on an upbeat display and smiled to each other as they took their seats ahead of the opening. Margrethe opted for a vibrant mint dress and matching hat, while Australian-born Mary looked more sombre in grey.
Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below.

D.P. writes: I wonder if you can help, as I am facing a delayed redemption of my investment bond, issued by Leonreed Limited, which also calls itself Leonne International.

Tony Hetherington replies: In 2020, you invested 20,000 in loan notes issued by Leonreed, the company behind Leonne International. You were promised interest at 12 per cent a year, and redemption of your investment in July 2021. Well, July 2021 arrived but your money never did.

And exactly where your money went is unexplained. Leonne International is a bizarre business, headed by a bizarre character, Michael Haston, who has also used the name Michael McQueen.

Lost in space: Leonreed, headed by Michael Haston, said it put 2million into a satellite firm

It claims to be 'a leading multinational private equity firm', and its detailed brochure boasts: 'The team at Leonne International is experienced in proactively identifying, targeting and acquiring profitable businesses where value can be added through enhancing performance with the provision of long-term capital and operating support to the management teams.' Fine words, but empty words. It claims to have 12 offices spread across six continents, with investments in healthcare, the media, and financial services.

It says it is in partnership with world-league firms including Goldman Sachs, KPMG and JPMorgan. Yet the only accounts the company has ever produced show that it does not have a single employee.

In fact, Leonreed has failed to file accounts for 2021 that were legally due in June this year. On August 30, officials at Companies House began proceedings to have the company struck off, but just over a week ago, on September 30, they suspended action temporarily. This often means that a creditor has asked for a company to be kept alive so it can be sued, or that an investigation has begun.

At the time you invested with Leonne International, the company had announced that it was pouring more than 2million into a completely separate business that was planning to build a rocket launching site in Shetland.

The Shetland Space Centre is run by SaxaVord UK Spaceport, headquartered in Grantown-on-Spey, south of Inverness, and the investment would have given Leonne a 20 per cent stake in the project, which was to offer launch facilities for commercial satellites.

At the time, the space project's chief executive Frank Strang said he was 'delighted to have Leonne International as a partner'. Relations have clearly soured since then. They cannot have been helped by a warning issued by the Financial Conduct Authority in March 2020  just weeks after you invested  pointing out that Leonne was not authorised to offer investments or other financial products, and telling potential investors to be wary.

Frank Strang told me: 'SaxaVord UK Spaceport does not have links with Michael Haston or any of his companies. SaxaVord UK Spaceport is not involved in or privy to the arrangements between Michael Haston (and any of his companies) and his or their investors, whether in relation to corporate bonds or otherwise.'

He declined to say whether the promised 2million had ever reached his company in the first place, but he has said that any funds that arrived were repaid and that Leonne has no stake in the Spaceport scheme. And this means that all questions now land at the door of Michael Haston.

I asked him to explain why you had not been repaid when your loan note matured last year. I also asked him to confirm that however much he did invest in the Spaceport project had since been refunded. And I asked for details to back up his brochure's claims about stakes in major businesses. Haston told me he was happy to discuss everything I had asked.

He said: 'We have done some fantastic things here at Leonne and will continue to do so.' And he added: 'Let me know how you would like to proceed as I am sure you are aware that I will pursue legally any inaccurate or misleading information.'

I offered Haston five separate times and days when we could speak. He said he would email the answers to my questions. When no answers arrived, Haston told me he had been 'extremely busy' but was reviewing what you had told me about your loan note.

Finally, more than a month ago, Haston promised: 'I'll have the required questions and the position on Mr P emailed across to you by early next week.' Of course, he didn't, and he has stayed silent since then. Haston is no stranger to dodgy company dealings and failed firms. Last year, two management consultancy companies he headed were compulsorily struck off by Companies House, along with two financial administration businesses.

And in 2017, Haston was charged with fraud, though proceedings were later dropped, with the authorities announcing: 'The Crown reserves the right to proceed in the future should further evidence become available.'

In the absence of any answers from Haston, huge question marks hang over the claims in his investment brochure. The questions I put to him must now be repeated, whether by the Insolvency Service, the FCA, or even the police. He should not be allowed to walk away from this.

It cost me 60...to talk to Sky!

E.S. writes: I contacted Sky TV to amend my contract. I was on hold for over an hour and to my horror, I found I was charged nearly 60.

I contacted the phone company O2, who said Sky set the charges. Sky offered me Tesco vouchers, which I refused as I paid in pounds, not Tesco vouchers.

We are over 70, on a fixed income, and this amount is a week's shopping for us.

Overcharged: Sky appears to have kept an old expensive premium rate number in use

Tony Hetherington replies: I spoke to O2, which told me you had called 0844 241 4141, an expensive premium rate number operated by Sky. To its credit, O2 even said that if Sky did not repay you, then O2 would.

There is some disagreement over who profits from the charges. What is clear is that this is an old number that Sky appears to have kept in use, while at the same time replacing it with a cheaper service.

Sky told me: 'As a gesture of goodwill, we have refunded the charges.'

If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.
The demise of Bank North is raising concerns about the financial strength of other challenger banks as they contend with the cost-of-living crisis and a near meltdown in financial markets.

Bank North had failed to raise enough cash to qualify for a full banking licence.

Since 2013, the Bank of England has approved 54 new licences for banks including Monzo, Starling and Atom.

Going south: Bank North had failed to raise enough cash to qualify for a full banking licence

A recent report from EY found revenue and profitability for challenger and specialist banks had risen last year while provisions for bad debts fell.

It said banks remained well capitalised  meaning they had set aside sufficient reserves to deal with any downturn and to keep growing.

But EY added: 'The geopolitical and economic picture may create significant challenges ahead.'

Judging from the bombed-out share price of Metro Bank  one of the least capitalised banks EY surveyed  investors may already be factoring this in.

Braemar on 'naughty' list

Shipping broker Braemar became the latest company to join the Investment Association's naughty list after almost 29 per cent of investors rebelled against last year's pay plan.

The firm insists it will now 'encourage an open and constructive dialogue directly with its shareholders'.

Braemar joins a string of high profile names  including WH Smith, Ocado, Informa and housebuilder Berkeley  which have faced shareholder ire this year.

Vote of confidence for The Style

Online fashion group In The Style received a vote of confidence from serial investor Bill Currie last week.

William Currie Investments took a 4.15 per cent stake in the company, whose shares have dived by more than 80 per cent this year.

Currie is a former Barclays analyst who turned to investing and made his name as an early backer of future stars including Asos, Boohoo and THG.

Former Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy is also on Currie's team. Currie's support is likely to be welcomed by In The Style, which floated on AIM in March 2021.

The company is known for its collaborations with influencers and TV personalities including Stacey Solomon, a former contestant on The X Factor.

LSE links with China hit

Efforts by the London Stock Exchange Group to forge links with China have been knocked after the Chinese state-owned oil group Sinopec announced plans to quit the bourse.

Sinopec does not have a full listing on the LSE, but its stock can be traded on the exchange.

However, Sinopec's board has approved plans to delist these shares  known as ADSs  on November 1.

It said this was due to low trading and administrative costs.

But it comes as tensions mount between the UK and ChinBut it comes as tensions mount between the UK and China, with Chinese takeovers of British firms coming under scrutiny.

Contributor: Patrick Tooher
Ambitious: Crew Clothing wants to continue expanding with 40 more outlets

Middle-class fashion chain Crew Clothing is on the hunt for new sites as it bets on a high street revival.

It has already opened more than 20 outlets in the last three years, taking its number of shops to more than 100, mostly in the South, but chief executive David Butler wants up to 40 more. 'We had no intention of [opening so many shops] but Covid gave us a huge opportunity to reset the business,' he said.

Online order data has helped show where the brand is most popular. He has also had some good rent deals from landlords 'nervous' about the number of empty shops.

'We took a very different view to most retailers. From April 2020, we decided to very aggressively extend our store estate,' he added.

Crew's most recent accounts show sales rose 40 per cent to 82.7million last year.

Profit before interest, tax and other costs increased 80 per cent to 16million. Demand has remained buoyant this year, Butler said.

Other retailers opening stores include Ikea, which has begun opening small outlets on high streets.

It wants to invest 1billion in London over three years.

Also expanding is fitness chain PureGym which wants to double its number of clubs in the UK to more than 1,000 by 2030.
Stellar career: Dan Hart has spent nearly 40 years working in the industry

Most schoolboys dream of a space adventure. Few ever experience the thrill of launching their own rocket into orbit. But Dan Hart is one of the lucky ones.

'There is a level of intensity that picks up as you approach a launch,' says the Virgin Orbit chief executive.

'As soon as the rocket leaves the factory, everybody shifts into a different mindset. I look around and see people putting on their game faces,' he says, referring to the heightened sense of anticipation that comes with each event.

Despite a 40-year career involving around 140 launches, Hart's boyish appreciation of space has not waned. Nor has the novelty of watching rockets lift off. His next mission could be his most ambitious yet. Virgin Orbit is leaving its California home for its first overseas launch  in sunny Cornwall.

The business, founded by Sir Richard Branson, has teamed up with British consortium Spaceport Cornwall to put a satellite in space as soon as the end of this month. This will be the UK's first ever orbital launch.

Excitement has been building on both sides of the Atlantic. Hart believes it could turbocharge the UK's space race.

Britain already has a grow ing space sector, which employs 47,000 people. It has been estimated the global race for space could be worth $1.25trillion by 2030  a growth rate of more than 6 per cent a year between now and then.

Hart says: 'The British satellite market has been a leader, so there is an enormous amount of growth. What is happening now is the formation of a complete ecosystem. Look around Cape Canaveral [in Florida]. All these businesses support space, build satellites, operate satellites. And I think that can happen in Cornwall.'

Newquay Airport will play host to the mission that will see Virgin Orbit's Cosmic Girl aircraft takeoff carrying a rocket, which is then dispatched into the Earth's orbit.

Last week, Virgin completed a full launch rehearsal  suggesting the day is close. The mission could signal a step-change for Britain's burgeoning space sector, already worth 16.4billion.

Hart adds it could also open the door to Virgin Orbit opening offices in London and Cornwall, and potentially producing parts of its rockets on English soil.

Like many others, Hart's fascination with space started on a late summer evening in 1969.

'I was watching a grainy TV set and seeing Neil Armstrong take his first steps on the Moon. It was hard to make out as an eight-year-old, but it struck me as something important, something with real potential. That set my path.'

The son of an oil painter, Hart grew up in New York and completed a physics degree at the local university in Albany.

He was hooked by a career in space when he was involved with his first launch with Boeing's space division aged just 22. 'You're completely caught after that'. This was followed by 30 years at the aerospace company before his career was transformed when he received a call from Branson five years ago.

He took the helm at Virgin Orbit in 2017 and has since taken the company from California dreamers to an established space service. He has racked up over a billion pounds in costs so far and his workforce has swelled from 200 to 650.

Hart admits there were doubts about the firm's capabilities and a 'necessary grain of salt' attached to his team's enthusiasm.

But Virgin Orbit has so far completed multiple launches under his watch and has clients including the Sultanate of Oman and the US Department of Defence.

Bold: Virgin Orbit charges 10million per launch in the US and is planning its first one in Britain

'We have put up 33 satellites in space across four launches over 18 months,' Hart says proudly. 'I don't think anybody has ever done anything quite like this at this pace and success rate.' With a charge-out fee of 10million per launch, it is easy to see why he is eyeing hundreds more by 2025.

Virgin Orbit has just one modified 747 aircraft among its fleet  Cosmic Girl. But Hart claims it can fly as many rockets that his team can create. He said: 'Right now, we are focused on ramping up and making rocket launch a standard operational activity.

'We have somewhere between one and two dozen customers. In a year and a half, I imagine that will multiply by a factor of five.'

However, neither Hart nor Branson's ambition stops at 500km, low Earth orbit. Next on their list are interplanetary missions that could launch satellites around Mars or Mercury. Virgin Orbit has already struck a contract with Nasa.

So could the Moon, which has held so much fascination for him since childhood, be next on his bucket list? 'We could be there in a couple of years, so not too far off,' he said. 'That would be the perfect symmetry because that is how it all started in my mind.'
Britain continued to be heavily reliant on Russian coal after Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, according to new figures.

The Government pledged to end all imports from the country six months ago.

Reliant: Official figures show Vladimir Putin's coal accounted for 19 per cent of the UK's imports from April to June

But official figures show Russian coal accounted for 19 per cent of the UK's imports from April to June. That means around 266,000 tons came from Russia.

The UK intends to cease imports of Russian coal and oil by the end of 2022.

Over summer, the UK imported no oil or gas from Russia for the first time on record.

Total coal imports rose to 1.4million tons  44 per cent higher than during the same period last year, as coal helped boost electricity supplies.

The US was the largest supplier, accounting for 54 per cent of imports.

MPs called for a ban on Russian coal in Britain earlier this year and large steel makers, including Tata and British Steel, halted its use.
A boom in private jet sales is being fuelled by demand from rich youngsters.

Jetcraft, which specialises in selling pre-owned private planes, said buyers under 45 accounted for 27 per cent of its sales  up from 7 per cent in 2017.

Younger tycoons switched to private jets in the pandemic to avoid infection, Jetcraft said.

Jet set: Jetcraft said younger jet setters - influenced by the likes of Kylie Jenner (pictured), who has been criticised for her use of private jets - were also opting for larger aircraft

But many flyers had found it 'hard to go back'.

It said younger jet setters  influenced by the likes of Kylie Jenner, who has been criticised for her use of private jets  were also opting for larger aircraft with an average price of 23m, 31 per cent more than older buyers.

Chief executive Chad Anderson said Jetcraft saw the UK as a 'thriving hub' for private aircraft.

His comments come after industry executives at the Monaco Yacht Show described the 'insatiable demand' for luxury boats.
Mr Masson said youth suicides were particularly devastating for families

Even after 16 years in the funeral business, Martin Masson still gets some surprising requests, especially when it comes to the songs families use as their final musical tribute.

As the closing track for a cremation service, one family memorably chose John Farnham's 'Burn for You'.

'That was probably not the choice of music,' Mr Masson wryly noted to Daily Mail Australia.

Other unusual choices have been rock anthem 'Stairway for Heaven', Monty Python's 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' and perhaps more concerningly for the soul of the departed ACDC's 'Highway to Hell'.

As Mr Masson is managing director of Tribute Funeral Services in the western suburbs of Melbourne, it's no surprise that AFL club songs are also favourite requests.

Mr Masson (pictured left) is the managing director of Melbourne's Tribute Funeral Services

Unfortunately Mr Masson has to break it to those wanting both a footy song and a Catholic church service that the two don't go together - only sacred or some classical music is generally allowed in a place of worship.

Mr Masson said in his job he got to see the 'best and worst of humanity'.

'We're a bit like emergency services, we see people at a time of stress,' he said.

'You get some families who are really switched on and you get others that have no idea of what they want to do, or have to do. You have to hold their hand through the whole process.'

The John Farnham song 'Burn for You' as the closing track for a cremation service was one of the more memorable musical requests

He said funerals revealed the character of family relationships.

'Some are quite jovial,' he said.

'They say "mums 98 and shes lived a long life and shes great. Its been a tremendous time shes had and we are grateful she didnt suffer".

'But sometimes youve got the family that are just at each other.

'Ive only ever once had to slam my hand down on the table and tell a family to get out because they were just arguing across the table.

'They were more interested in when the will was going to be sent and how soon they could get the money then laying their loved one to rest.'

Mr Masson (pictured right) said it could be very rewarding working in the funeral industry by providing a welcomed service to those in distress

Mr Masson warned that like families, not all funeral services were the same, with some operating with no more than a website and a mobile phone.

'We call them "bottom feeders",' he said.

'They rely on the company that runs the mortuary, they rely on hiring a hearse from another funeral director.

'They try to offer cheaper prices but some of them dont, they end up charging more than the more established organisations.'

Mr Masson mentioned an expose on dodgy practices in the funeral industry that the ABC investigative program Four Corners ran in 2019.

'Very little has changed since then,' he said.

Mr Masson said that dealing with those experiencing grief was very revealing of the best and worst of human nature

'Actually it has got worse with the industry and the way it is managed.

'Nowadays you can just fill out a form and call yourself a funeral director.

'People in the community are very vulnerable at the time of a loved one's passing.

'The average punter doesnt do their homework they just ring the number that is closest to them or pops up on Google as the biggest and the best and they know no different.

'If it all goes pear-shaped for them they are left out in the dry. Its what some directors do and continually get away with doing.'

'Going "pear-shaped" can mean operators who don't do proper mortuary preparation, don't dress the person for the service or even squeeze someone into a coffin that is too small.

'Hollywood has a lot to answer for the way mortuaries are portrayed,' Mr Masson said.

Mr Masson runs an independent funeral service in the western suburbs of Melbourne

'When you transfer people from the coroner, you need to disrobe them and prepare them for a funeral and dress them in something the family might have provided.'

Disturbingly the cheap operators find another way to cut corners when trying to get rid of bandages or soiled garments.

'Some of the industry disposes of any of their medical waste in cremations,' Mr Masson said.

'Instead of paying for medical waste to be taken they just put it in the coffin. It goes off the crematorium and gets burnt.

'Its just the way the industry works. There are the ethical providers who maintain their standard.

'But there are the Dodgy Brothers, like any industry, who are just there to make a dollar and dont care how they do it.'

Mr Masson said the funeral industry is a line of work that he 'fell into' when he was retrenched in 2006

'I was in my late 40s and I needed a job,' he said.

'There wasnt a lot out there for my age group with my limited experience of running a business and no high school leaving certificate.'

'So I hunted around and after some months saw an advertisement for a funeral director with a company called Nelson Brothers.'

When Mr Masson first applied to work at a funeral home he hoped to drive a hearse, which is considered one of the 'cooler' jobs in the industry

He applied to drive hearses.

'The perception around in those days, and still is, "thats a pretty cool job, driving cars and you make a bit of coin, a cruisy job",' he said.

The company hired him but as a funeral arranger instead.

After doing that and other jobs at the home he left to start Tribute Funeral Services in 2012.

Before entering the industry the only experience Mr Masson had with funerals was attending some family one.

However, he previously had worked in the family business that made artificial limbs for amputees.

Undertakers, like doctors, have to separate themselves emotionally from their work, Mr Masson said

He said experience in fitting prosthetics meant he wasn't squeamish.

It even made him familiar 'with the various stages of grief' people go through when losing a limb.

Mr Masson said funeral directors had to professionally detach their feelings from their work.

'You learn to separate yourself very much like the medical fraternity,' he said.

'You have a game face and sort of separate yourself from the family. You are there to guide, you are there to help and assist them as much as you can and point them to the services they might need .'

However, there was one type of funeral that often had penetrated his emotional defences.

'When you are doing funerals for young people and especially where it is a suicide and it's a young person - that really hits home,' Mr Masson said.

'We do have a real problem in this country with suicides.'

He said it was hard in those circumstances not to think of his own three sons, especially when they were in their teen years.

Families who lost young people to suicide were often left desolate.

'They are still at a loss of why,' Mr Masson said.

'It's often a case of "what might have been" if theyd only be able to talk to someone and avoid it.

'Unfortunately it is often out of the blue.

'Talking to some of the parents that say their child was fine when they dropped the sibling off at school or whatever it is.

'Then they found them in the backyard or garage. It's devastating.

Quite often families are at a loss as to who they want to run a service, whether it is a civil service or religious. Thats why we do what we do.'

An as independent operator Mr Masson prides his business and providing a caring service, which might sometimes be lacking in the cash-driven operations of the larger chains that dominate the industry.

'The funeral industry, the bulk of the people in the industry are there because they want to be there and they are servicing that need for families that they tend to "adopt",' he said.

'Its more the interaction and that warm and fuzzy feeling you get when you do everything right and the family thank you at the end of the day.

'As they walk out the door they say "thank you very much, youve been great and I hope I never see you again".'
In the wake of Optus breach experts say Australia is an easy target for hackers

The theft of personal data from 11 million Optus customers last week has exposed the soft underbelly of Australia's online security.

Cyber-Security Minister Claire O'Neal called the breach of the nation's second biggest telco 'a basic hack', although Optus denied this claiming the data was 'encrypted' and had 'multiple firewalls'.

A number of experts were unconvinced but that's only the start of vulnerabilities in Australia's online security, with one tech analyst saying major sectors 'don't have a clue' they are putting millions of Australians at the mercy of hackers.

Technology futurist Shara Evans has identified some of the weaknesses in Australian practice that make the country very vulnerable to cyber-criminals

Technology futurist and keynote speaker Shara Evans says Australia is an easy target for international hackers.

A particular glaring weakness is the widespread habit of sending sensitive data in unencrypted email.

Ms Evans said Australian companies don't seem to 'have a clue' about the risk this entails.

'I can not tell you how many times healthcare providers have asked me (and every other client) to email highly sensitive information in an unencrypted format - and they cant / wont handle simple things like sending this info in a password protected manner (encrypted),' she said.

'If your doctor says they will email a prescription to your pharmacy or a referral letter to a specialist doctor this information is typically sent in an unencrypted format, and will include your Medicare number and potentially your birthdate too.

'We need to have a nation-wide dedicated secure portal for healthcare providers and pharmacies to exchange info.'

The Optus hacker was able to steal personal addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, drivers' licences and passport details

Ms Evans, who has worked as an executive for US telco giants Alcatel, Sprint, Telenet and GTE, identified another high-risk area where sensitive data is being sent.

'Insurance policy renewal documents contain your address, policy number, date of birth and other sensitive information that they routinely send by email (unencrypted) - even if the company has a secure web portal,' she said.

Its amazing that these companies just dont send a simple email saying that your policy docs are ready, please login to your secure portal to download.

'Unless documents are encrypted the sender is relying on the client (you) to have configured a couple of security protocols - SSL or TLS - which many people have not even heard of - in their email set-up.

'If somebody's spoofed your email or managed to get access to your email then everything about you is there.'

About 11 million Optus customers had personal details stolen by a hacker in the data breach

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer encryption and TLS (Transport Layer Security) is its more modern and secure replacement.

Email spoofing is when a hacker sends an email that looks like it is from a trusted source.

The fake email might ask a respondent to send personal details back, including financial details, or open malware or spyware on your device.

UNSW Institute for Cyber-Security Director Nigel Phair agrees that Australia is vulnerable online - and the threat is only growing.

'We've got to do a lot better in Australia when it comes to cyber-crime,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

Inside sources say that Australian companies are not following best practice in securing their data from hackers

'The Australian Cyber-Security Centre said they had about 63,000 reports last year, I reckon that's about a fifth of what the actual number is.

'The ACCC had about $2billion in reported losses from scams.

'I reckon that's nowhere near the right amount.

'We've got a long way to go before we collectively get out online hygiene happening in this country.'

Mr Phair agreed with the cyber-security minister that the Optus hack 'was a breach we shouldn't expect to see in a large telecommunications provider'.

'No, it definitely should not have happened,' Mr Phair said.

'I am hoping if we can take one ray of sunshine out of this it is that other companies in the ASX top 200 and below are really having a solid look at their risk practices on the back of this.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil slammed Optus saying the security breach was 'basic', however the telco has rejected those claims

'They need to ask themselves: "Why are we collecting data?" "Who gets assess to it?" "Why is it stored?" And how it is, hopefully, eventually deleted.

'Why should companies be allowed to collect so much data when consumers are not really making an informed choice?'

Ms O'Neal said she had heard from inside sources about concerning security lapses in major Australian companies.

These included unsecured servers in basements and not 'siloing' information

Siloing means the pieces of information about a person are kept separate; so if a hacker breaks into one digital 'silo' they don't have access to all an entire dataset that could be used to build up a profile for identity theft.

Ms Evans said personal information needs to be 'separately stored with audit trails, multiple firewalls and encryption' by every corporation.

Optus claims the stolen data was encrypted and had multiple firewalls (pictured, an Optus store in Sydney)

Ms Evans and Mr Phair criticised the fines that could be imposed on Australian companies for major security breaches.

The maximum fine that can be applied by the Australian Information Commissioner, otherwise known as the privacy commissioner, is $2million, which Ms Evans described as a 'slap on the wrist'.

Privacy laws are much tougher in the EU and have been in place since 2016.

Under those laws the maximum fines for privacy breaches reach 20million ($29million) or 4 per cent of a firm's global revenue from the preceding year, if that is higher.

Mr Phair, who is a former AFP officer who helped establish the agency's High-Tech Crimes Unit, agreed Australia's fines 'are very low compared internationally for data breaches' but said perhaps more concerning is that they have never been used.

'We've had fines for data breaches in place for three or four years and the data commissioner is yet to give one out,' Mr Phair said.

'We can talk about "yes, we need bigger fines", but how about we use the fines we've got first?'

Many might not appreciate that the most sensitive piece of personal information sought by hackers is a date of birth, according to Ms Evans.

Once that falls into malicious hands it could be years before it used.

'If your date of birth is compromised you are subject to identity theft - full stop,' Ms Evans said.

Shara's 10 tips to stay safe online Shara Evans is a technology futurist and expert in online safety. Here are her tips to stay safe from hackers 1. Get basic IT security on devices including anti-virus programs, malware checkers, ransomware checkers, VPN, firewalls. 2. Use different passwords for every website and app. Make them long and complex  upper plus lower case letters, numbers, special characters. Save your passwords in an encrypted password vault. 3. Use two-factor authentication whenever possible (ie: logging into a secure bank portal requires you to provide an authentication code thats sent to you via text or email or requires a SecureID token number) 4. Use multiple email addresses. If you own a domain, its easy to set up an email alias (forwarder) that names a specific site or type of activity. If compromised you can then disable an email alias address without impacting everything that you do. And, it will help you to identify the source of the leak. 5. Check your credit reports for signs of fraudulent activity  or wrong info. 6. Sign up for a credit/ID protection plan and put in place credit report bans if you have reason to suspect that your ID is compromised. 7. NEVER click on text or email hyperlinks that you dont absolutely know are legit. Lots of people get in trouble this way. You can check a compressed link by copying it and entering it into the SEARCH BAR to see what shows up. If its malware, you may see a notice. At the very least, check if the source domain seems suspicious, in which case dont click it! 8. When uploading any sensitive info to a website portal check for the lock icon (https)  this means that your data is encrypted 'in transit' when its uploaded to the website. Company cyber security practices vary widely. 9. If someone phones you saying theyre from Company X  NEVER give out any info to them, unless you know them and are already expecting a call from a specific phone number or person. 10. NEVER publish your birthdate online! If you have it on social media DELETE it now. Unless you are doing an official financial transaction, there are very few good reasons for any party to know your real birthdate, much less store it. Advertisement

'Once your data is compromised it often takes years before someone does something to you, so you need to vigilant for the rest of your life.'

A hacker in possession of a birth date and other personal information could at any time open up credit in the name of their victim.

'I would never know about it - unless I subscribed to an ID / Credit alert service,' Ms Ms Evans said.

'Once your birth date is gone the only thing you can do to repair it is die.'

Mr Phair said the cyber threats were only multiplying.

'People need to be hyper-vigilant online,' he said.

'The length and breadth of scams accounts is amazing.'

Mr Phair said the Optus was likely to go 'down as our biggest hack purely based on it's the potential impact' but it was hardly the end of the story.

'This is a data breach like we've had lots before,' he said.

'You know what we are going to have lots in the future. Expect to see that and more.'
Australian women in their 50s are becoming the nation's 'hidden homeless', a shocking new documentary has revealed.

Narrated by Margot Robbie, documentary Under Cover charts the heartbreaking stories of 10 women who were suddenly left without a home.

The women live in their cars, stay on a friend's couch and are forced to frequently move from temporary accommodation.

Producer Adam Farrington-Williams told Daily Mail Australia that the film explores how women over 50 are the fastest growing demographic of homeless in the developed world.

'These women have become homeless after losing their jobs or domestic violence or through the breakdown of a marriage,' he said.

'What we found is that it can happen to anyone, you are just a couple of pay packets away.'

The filmmakers said the women find themselves in an 'uncertain and terrifying position primarily due to the gender pay gap and the lifelong gendered expectation of unpaid labour'.

Sarah Jane is an artist who was previously living in a warehouse before she was kicked out during Covid. She is currently living and performing out of her van

One of the women interviewed for the movie is called Rama, who came to Australia from India after her marriage fell apart. She used to have maids but now is living in pop-up housing

Mary Hammond, 84, saw her world blow up when her long-term partner returned home and decided to kick her out. They had never married but lived together for several years before he retired and suddenly ended their relationship

Now, she is forced to live in hostels, where she is only able to stay for around a month at a time before moving into another shelter in Queensland

Also featured is Nada, who has spent the past three years living in her car. She moved to Australia from Germany and is staying in the car in Byron Bay

They added that the women find themselves left doing the care roles 'in their homes, in their extended family and in their communities'.

Mr Farrington-Williams said ageism is another big factor in why women find themselves destitute.

'They care for the kids and when that caring is done and they try and get back into the workplace, they can't get a job,' he said.

Mr Farrington-Williams and the film's director Sue Thomson decided to make the movie after reading about women in their 50s becoming homeless.

'We read media articles about women sleeping in cars in 2019. We thought it was disgraceful and decided we should do a film.

'It took us two years because of the pandemic and faced some issues.

'A lot of women felt shame around the situation, they didn't want to go on camera. In some cases, we had women pull out after their families heard about the situation.

'We wanted to show that homelessness can affect everyone. The classic case is a man on a park bench, but actually we found there was an explosion of middle-class women in their 50s going homeless.'

One of the women in the documentary, Linda Thomson, is aged in her 70s and is from the wealthy Melbourne suburb of Brighton. Her life suddenly changed when her partner told her that they had 'no money'.

Linda Thomson is from Brighton and in her 70s but her life suddenly changed when her partner told her that they had 'no money'

Another woman featured in the movie is a survivor of family violence named Cheryl, who lived in a caravan park that was falling apart

Margaret Connolly, in her 70s, gave up her career for her children, spending most of her adult life raising them. However, in her 50s, she got divorced, forcing her to move out

Linda now works as a receptionist near the beach but lives in social housing far away from the affluent community she spent most of her life in.

'It happened suddenly,' Linda told the documentary.

'My partner basically said to me one day, "we dont have any money left" and it's sort of too hard to comprehend, really.

'The removalists came and basically took everything. Homelessness was not even on my radar  I had never, ever considered that I would be homeless, never. I'm not 100 per cent happy living here in women's housing.

'I know that its wonderful to have a roof over my head, but I wasn't in my comfort zone. Its scary. I actually didnt realise that all this homelessness is happening for women 55 and over.

'I've got my apartment now, and I hope that I wont ever have to move from there - I dont have the emotional strength to move again. I dont want to. I want to make the most of everything Ive got now. Here I am, at 71, and I dont think I've still woken up to the fact that you know what, life just doesn't turn out how you think it will.'

Mary Hammond, 84, saw her world blow up when her long-term partner returned home and decided to kick her out.

They had never married but lived together for several years before he retired and suddenly ended their relationship.

Now, she is forced to live in hostels, where she is only able to stay for about a month at a time before moving into another shelter in Queensland.

She said: 'I was in a de-facto relationship for 24 years and 5 months. He retired and he started to go a bit funny after that and one day he just kicked me out and so I had to pack up and get the hell out of it.

'There was no warning, I totally trusted this fellow, and ever since then I've been in hostels, moved around - I'm still in a hostel now, Im going from one place to another. I haven't got a permanent address.

'Now I'm living in a hostel for homeless people. One lot is temporary for 28 days and then if you're a good girl or good person, you can stay on for another 3 months.

'I don't know whatll happen after that. Im 84 and anxiety kicks in at times, I dread whats going to happen next, but there's others worse off than I am. They've probably got no hope whatsoever, but that only happens if you give up.'

She realised she only had enough money to live in a van and has spent the last 20 years driving around in the vehicle

Narrated by Margot Robbie, documentary Under Cover will be released in select cinemas across Australia on October 6, and will chart the heartbreaking stories of ten women who were suddenly left without a home

Margaret Connolly, in her 70s, gave up her career for her children, spending most of her adult life raising them.

However she got divorced in her 50s and moved out of the family home. She realised she only had enough money to live in a van and has spent the last 20 years driving around in the vehicle.

Margaret told the documentary that she's manages to make her situation work, but admitted she is worried about what will happen when she gets older.

'Ive been "houseless", not homeless, since 2018. I bought the bus in December 2018, pretty much I have lived in her ever since. I'm a bit of a loner, so I think driving's the best, it's a feeling of freedom.

'I used to think I need a home, I need stability, I need a house and then after 17 years of marriage, it was no more.

'I was a stay-at-home mum so I didnt have any money and I had to fight for child-support. I can still remember a moment in time where I realised I was on my own and I thought, "How do I do this?" And then one day I just thought, this is my life now, and I think from there, I started to pick up.

'This bus has just been the best thing ever. I guess I havent found home apart from this bus. It's the choices you make and sometimes fear of the unknown prevents those choices.

'Like I used a fair whack of my super to buy this bus, so I could be thinking, jeez, shes done a lot of kilometres you know maybe something could go wrong with the engine. But I talk to her all the time and she gets the best oil, the best diesel, she gets serviced regularly, she gets her new tyres.

'As long as I can drive and get up on my bed, Ill keep doing it.'

One of the women interviewed for the movie is called Rama, who came to Australia from India after her marriage fell apart.

Though she has a small part in the documentary, Rama revealed how she went from having servants and maids in India to living in pop-up housing in Australia.

Also featured is Nada, who has spent the past three years living in her car.

She moved to Australia from Germany and is staying in her vehicle in Byron Bay.

She told the documentary that the public bathrooms in the area are of a poor standard, making it difficult for her to live.

She wants to stay in Byron Bay and is a part of the community there - but she can't afford to unless she carries on staying in her car.

Another woman living in her car in Byron Bay is Sarah Jane, an artist who was previously living in a warehouse before she was kicked out during Covid.

After that, she had no choice but to live in her van and she has no other place to go.

Sarah Jane puts on a performance called No Fixed Address outside the Byron Shire Council Chambers.

She hopes the performance will show the community what it's like to be homeless.

'I never imagined this would happen to me,' said Sarah Jane.

'I think if I hadnt bought the van, I wouldn't have a room. Thats all it is, its a room on wheels. I mean my great grandmother went through the Depression, watching all the men go off to war, the Spanish Flu  she went through all that and came out the other side.

'Anything you usually do in a home, you can do. The only things I dont have is access to my own shower and toilet. Im used to living in environments where you can have mice running through your spaces, you could have water rats, you could have cockroaches.

'Its not the easiest environment to be in - unless you're on holidays  and Im certainly not on holidays. Ive literally had to pour all my money into this van. I felt hidden and I felt a little bit invisible, even to some of my friends.

'You lose people because they can't face you. You lose people because you dont know what's going on in their world. You lose people because they dont want to be you. They dont want to look at you. They don't want you as their mirror.'

The filmmakers said on their website: 'These women never considered they would be homeless and even today, many refuse to identify as homeless, and will do anything to avoid using that word to describe their situation.

'They often keep their day to day existence hidden from their friends, families, work colleagues everyone.'

Under Cover was released nationally on October 6 through The Backlot Films
This photo released by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Aug. 10, 2017, shows North Korea test firing a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM). Yonhap



North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) toward the East Sea on Sunday, the South Korean military said, after Seoul and Washington wrapped up a naval exercise, involving a U.S. aircraft carrier, the previous day.



The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launches from the Munchon area in Gangwon Province between 1:48 a.m. and 1:58 a.m., and that the missiles flew some 350 kilometers at apogees of around 90 km at top speeds of Mach 5.



Given the distance and altitude, the projectiles are presumed to be "super-large caliber" missiles, fired from a multiple rocket launch system, known as the KN-25, according to observers in Seoul.



The launch, the North's seventh missile provocation in two weeks, followed the conclusion of the South Korea-U.S. exercise, involving the USS Ronald Reagan carrier, on Saturday and of the allies' trilateral drills with Japan on Thursday.



It also came on the eve of the 77th anniversary of the founding of the North's ruling Workers' Party.



"The recent series of North Korea's ballistic missiles is an act of significant provocation that undermines peace not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in the international community, and a clear breach of U.N. Security Council resolutions," the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters.






Louisiana's is murkier, prohibiting 'the use of involuntary servitude except as it applies to the otherwise lawful administration of criminal justice'

Alabama voters' ballot measure goes a step further and could ban 'all racist language' from the Southern state's constitution

Only Rhode Island, Colorado, Utah and Nebraska have explicit anti-forced prison labor rules, with Rhode Island's passing in 1842

There are roughly 800,000 incarcerated people who are forced to work

Voters in five states will decide whether to close a loophole in the Constitution allowing for slavery as a criminal punishment in this year's November midterm elections.

Involuntary servitude was made mostly illegal by the 13th Amendment in 1865 - except for people who are serving out criminal sentences.

The slavery 'loophole' has been a central focus for prison reform and mass incarceration activists.

On November 8, the residents of Alabama, Louisiana, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont will vote on ballot measures in their respective states to close that loophole.

Vermont was the first state to ban slavery when the practice was outlawed in 1777 - but its state constitution has an exception for people 'bound by law for the payment of debts, damages, fines, costs, or the like.'

It's one of 20 states with such clauses.

Colorado, Utah and Nebraska passed similar ballot measures in 2018. And five other states - New Jersey, California, Texas, Florida and Ohio - are gearing up for such votes as well.

Rhode Island is the only state to have banned forced labor as punishment for a crime when it was written into the state constitution in 1842.

Five states are voting on whether to outlaw forced labor as a form of punishment on November 8, after Colorado, Utah and Nebraska had similar ballot measures in 2018

Each of the five ballot initiatives it in November could see the prison loophole closed in those states.

In Louisiana, however, the outcome would be murkier.

Its ballot initiative prohibits 'the use of involuntary servitude except as it applies to the otherwise lawful administration of criminal justice.'

Republican Louisiana state Rep. Alan Seabaugh told PEW Research that he believes the measure 'technically allows slavery' and will have little impact on state law.

'Its essentially just symbolic. It says whats already on the books - although potentially worse,' Seabaugh told the outlet.

Alabamans will go a step further, however, and vote on whether to remove 'all racist language' from their state constitution.

It's one of several hot button topics that voters across the country will weigh in on during the November midterm elections

Closing the prison loophole in the 13th Amendment would be a massive victory for today's civil rights movement.

Last year, Democrat Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Democratic House Rep. Nikema Williams of Georgia introduced a constitutional amendment that would have outlawed incarcerated slave labor on the federal level.

'The loophole in our constitutions ban on slavery not only allowed slavery to continue, but launched an era of discrimination and mass incarceration that continues to this day,' Merkley said at the time.

Out of roughly 1.2 million people in federal and state prisons, approximately 800,000 are forced to work for as little as 50 cents per hour, and in some states, for nothing at all.

The data comes from a June 2022 report by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The forced labor forms an industry worth at least $11 billion, according to the report.
He also argued the Voice to Parliament would 'institutionalise discrimination'

Left-wing teachers have taken Australian schools 'back to the Middle Ages' as dogma replaces learning and 'heretics' are hunted down, according to former prime minister Tony Abbott.

The radicalisation of education by the left was so 'pervasive' and 'destructive' the damage done would take generations to fix, the firebrand conservative said.

And he warned conservatives were not without blame in the rise of left-wing ideology - saying they were often too polite to call out the 'palpable nonsense' of activists.

Mr Abbott made the remarks on stage with fellow staunch conservative, former Liberal senator Amanda Stoker, at the right-wing CPAC convention in Sydney.

He said nowhere had 'the long march of the left through our institutions... been more pervasive and destructive than in our educational system'.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has accused schools of indoctrinating students into leftist dogma, as perhaps seen here during a May 2022 student climate protest in Sydney

'Its almost like we have gone back to Middle Ages where there is dogma - only it's not Christian dogma, its anything but Christian dogma - with modern day inquisitions hunting out modern day heretics (and) if not burning them at the stake at least cancelling them,' Mr Abbott told the October 1 conference.

Mr Abbott admitted he was out of step with the core beliefs of left-wing dogma.

'I don't like the climate cult, I dont like the virus hysteria. I can't understand the gender fluidity push,' he said.

He warned that repairing the state of the schools would be a 'multi-generational' task that would require a cultural shift.

'It took us a long time to get into this deplorable position and I fear it's going to take a long time to get back to where we should be,' Mr Abbott said.

Mr Abbott called for more parental involvement in schools, greater attempts to attract the 'best and brightest' people to teaching and 'above all more academic rigour'.

He believed that education should be about the 'disinterested pursuit of truth'.

'There's got to be this insatiable curiosity, what more can we know? How better can we be,' he said.

Mr Abbott told the CPAC event in Sydney that repairing the damage done by leftists in schools would be a 'multi-generational task

Mr Abbott said he believed activists had taken advantage of the 'good manners' of people who knew their left-wing beliefs were 'palpable nonsense' but were too polite to say so.

'One of the things I often say is the majority that stays silent will not long remain the majority for very long,' he said.

'Good people have been too polite in the face of things that defy common sense.

'We can't let politeness stop us from expressing ourselves and contradicting in a polite and respectable way stuff which is palpable nonsense.

'Sometimes we have been unduly deferential. We have been remarkably shy of being the adults we should be.'

Teaching needs to return to stimulating 'insatiable curiosity' and applying academic rigour, Mr Abbott says

The former prime minister, who won office in 2013 but was deposed by Malcolm Turnbull in 2015 after a run of poor polls, also argued strongly against the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament, calling it 'discrimination'.

'Just because there may have been institutionalised discrimination in the past thats no reason to institutionalise discrimination in the present and the future' Mr Abbott said to a round of applause from the CPAC crowd at Sydney's Darling Harbour.

The Albanese government has promised to hold a referendum on amending the constitution to create the special 'Voice' body, which would advise federal parliament on matters important to Indigenous Australians.

Mr Abbott argued the Voice to Parliament was being pushed with bullying tactics.

Mr Abbott accused those of campaigning for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament of trying to morally bully people (pictured a scene from an ad promoting a yes vote for the upcoming referendum)

'We should never allow ourselves to be morally bullied into changing what works and if something doesnt work let's fix it,' Mr Abbott said.

'What we shouldnt do is forsake the important principles that made our country special and precious in an attempt to apologise for bad behaviour in the past.'

He said if Indigenous people weren't sufficiently represented in parliament they should be elected 'in the normal way'.

However, it was not all doom and gloom for the conservative side of politics, according to Mr Abbott.

'Sooner or later reality will always trump ideology,' he said.

'The (Covid) virus hysteria has finally dissipated. The yearning to live normally eventually overcame neurotic fear of death.

Mr Abbott threatened to 'shirtfront' Russian President Vladimir Putin over Russian-backed separatists shooting down the Malaysian Airlines passenger flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014

'Likewise the emissions obsession will eventually end when weather-dependent power can't keep the lights on.

'And the cultural self-loathing will stop when people have to choose between liberal democracy and its alternatives

'Thats our task, to fight the good fight, to stay the course and keep the faith.'

Mr Abbott made his remarks while on stage with former Liberal Senator Amanda Stoker (pictured left) at the CPAC conference held in Sydney's Darling Harbour

One person Mr Abbott happily reminded the audience he had not been too polite to was Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Abbott threatened to 'shirtfront' Mr Putin at a G20 meeting of global leaders in 2014 over the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines passenger flight MH17 by Russian-backed separatists over eastern Ukraine in June 2014.

'Shirtfronting' is something more often seen in a pub or on a footy field where adversaries advance towards each other and eventually stand toe-to-toe with chests puffed out yelling in each other's face.

While talking about his proudest achievements in office Mr Abbott relished reminding the audience that he once threatened this bar-room brawl tactic.

'Vladimir Putin was at least shirt-fronted although sadly not deposed,' he said.
Kim Jong-un has refused to come to the negotiation table with the U.S. despite Washington offering talks with no preconditions, according to the National Security Council.

The offer comes as North Korea continues to up tensions, conducting seven ballistic missile launches in just two weeks.

'We are willing to sit down with them without preconditions,' NSC Spokesperson John Kirby told ABC News' This Week host Martha Raddatz on Sunday.

'Mr. Kim Jong Un has decided not to take us up on that offer,' he added.

North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea early Sunday, South Korea's military said just hours after a nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier concluded joint drills off the Korean peninsula.

Seoul, Tokyo and Washington have ramped up combined naval exercises in recent weeks, infuriating Pyongyang which sees them as rehearsals for invasion and uses as justification for its blitz of missile launches as necessary 'countermeasures'.

NSC Spokesman John Kirby said Sunday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has rebuffed Washington's call for talks without 'preconditions' as he continues to conduct missile tests

North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea early Sunday, Seoul's military said, the seventh such launch in just two weeks time

With talks long stalled, Pyongyang has doubled down on its banned weapons programs, firing an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan last week, with officials and analysts warning it has completed preparations for another nuclear test.

The U.S. has sought to bolster relations in Asia as tensions rise with North Korea and China.

Kirby said that while the North Korean leader has rebuffed Washington's calls for talks, he has instead chosen to 'improve' his ballistic missile program.

'He's clearly not abandoned his nuclear weapons ambitions,' Kirby told ABC News.

'We're going to make sure that we have the capabilities in place to defend our national security interest if it comes to that. But there's no reason for it to come to that,' he said, adding the United States was committed to 'a diplomatic path forward'.

Pyongyang conducted missile launch tests during Vice President Kamala Harris four-day trip through Asia last month, which included a stop in South Korea and a tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

A photo released by South Korea's Defense Ministry shows a missile being fired from an undisclosed location on the country's east coast

During remarks at the conclusion of her visit to the DMZ on September 29, Vice President Kamala Harris touted the alliance the U.S. has with 'the Republican North Korea'  an embarrassing gaffe as Pyongyang launched missiles during her four-day trip to Asia

South Korea's military said Sunday it had 'detected two short-range ballistic missiles between 0148 and 0158 (1648-1658 GMT) fired from the Munchon area in Kangwon province towards the East Sea', also known as the Sea of Japan.

The missiles 'flew approximately 350 217 miles', Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, calling the launches a 'serious provocation'.

Tokyo also confirmed the launches, with the coast guard saying the missiles had landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.

Japanese senior vice defense minister Toshiro Ino said Tokyo was analyzing the missiles, adding that 'either one of them has the possibility of being a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM)'.

Seoul said last month it had detected signs the North was preparing to fire an SLBM, a weapon Pyongyang last tested in May.

- Drills, drills, drills -

North Korea's missile tests usually aim to develop new capabilities, but its recent launches, 'from different locations at different times of day, may be intended to demonstrate military readiness', said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

'The Kim regime is trying to coerce Seoul, Tokyo and Washington to abandon their trilateral security cooperation.'

At an emergency meeting of Seoul's National Security Council following the missile test, however, South Korean officials vowed to strengthen that cooperation, according to a statement.

The recent spate of launches is part of a record year of weapons tests by isolated North Korea, which Kim last month declared an 'irreversible' nuclear power, effectively ending the possibility of denuclearisation talks.

Seoul, Tokyo and Washington have ramped up joint military drills in response, with the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and its strike group redeployed to the area last week.

On Thursday, Seoul's military said it had scrambled 30 fighter jets after 12 North Korean warplanes staged a rare formation flight and apparent air-to-surface firing drills.

Go Myong-hyun, a researcher at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said North Korea was trying to claim that the nature of its sanctions-busting weapons tests were the same as the defensive joint drills between the allies.

'North Korea is trying to give equivalence through its continued missile launches,' he told AFP.

- No new sanctions -

Analysts say Pyongyang is emboldened to continue its weapons testing, confident that gridlock at the United Nations will protect it from further sanctions.

Last week, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss Pyongyang's launch over Japan, which officials and analysts said was a Hwasong-12 that likely travelled the longest horizontal distance of any North Korean test.

North Korea's missiles

But at the meeting, North Korea's longtime ally and economic benefactor China blamed Washington for provoking the spate of launches, with Deputy Chinese Ambassador to the UN Geng Shuang accusing Washington of 'poisoning the regional security environment'.

US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield called for the 'strengthening' of existing sanctions on North Korea, something China and Russia vetoed in May.

The Security Council has been divided on responding to Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions for months, with Russia and China on the sympathetic side and the rest of the council pushing for punishment.

Officials in Seoul and Washington have been warning for months that Pyongyang will also conduct another nuclear test, likely after China's Communist Party Congress later this month.

'A flurry of missile tests like the one we've seen could indicate a build-up to a nuclear test, but predicting the timing with any precision is quite challenging,' US-based security analyst Ankit Panda told AFP.
Storms have begun clearing from Australia's east coast after several days of heavy rain but the region isn't out of the woods yet with gale-force winds expected and flood warnings still in place.

Strong winds are forecast to smash NSW on Sunday as the low pressure system that forced people out of their homes and triggered 21 flood rescues finally moves out to sea.

But the beginning of a 2,500km-long rain band is forecast to start forming on Tuesday night in central Western Australia.

The band is expected to move eastward early Wednesday morning and bring light to moderate showers to southeastern WA and southern South Australia.

By midday on Wednesday the low will fully extend from south WA, through SA, and over all of Victoria to sit on central and south NSW.

A 2,500km-long rain band (above) is forecast to cover parts of WA, SA, NSW and Victoria from Tuesday

Thursday morning is forecast to see moderate to heavy rain in those regions with central NSW and north Victoria set to cop the most.

'There is the potential for more than 100mm to fall. The central west and northwest of the state should gain lighter falls but still enough to cause significant flooding,' Weatherzone meteorologist Bob Neil said.

The NSW SES ordered people staying at the Western Plains Tourist Park in Dubbo to evacuate on Sunday morning due to flooding.

Evacuation orders are also in place for Gronos Point and Oura Beach Camping Area.

Several more catchments are still at risk of flooding as rainwater from this week's torrential rain, with some areas receiving 100mm in just three days, continues to drain.

Torrential rain in NSW and Victoria is expected to clear on Sunday before another system moves in on Wednesday (pictured, racegoers in Sydney on Saturday)

About 90mm fell in the central NSW town Dubbo, bringing its yearly total to the highest in 49 years at about 880mm. It is just 10mm away from recording its wettest year since 1950.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet urged people to avoid driving in floodwaters as already saturated water catchments and rivers continue to overflow from the latest bout of rain.

'Don't put your life at risk, your family at risk or our volunteers at risk,' he said.

The closure of several flooded roads and ongoing warnings saw many Supercars fans head home early from the Bathurst 1000 on Saturday.

Yesterday's downpour in the small central-west town saw the race's Top 10 Shootout cancelled for the first time in Bathurst history.

This week's rain is expected to clear on Sunday with little to no rain expected to fall in Bathurst during the Supercars race (pictured, rain in NSW)

Torrential rain cancelled the Bathurst 1000 Top 10 Shootout on Saturday, the first time the qualifying race has been cancelled in the race's history (pictured, the Bathurst track on Saturday)

Thick mud quickly overtook all the event's carparks and walkways with several vehicles getting bogged.

The situation was even worse in campgrounds with many revellers left with flooded and muddied sites.

Conditions for attendees are expected to worsen on Sunday with heavy foot traffic bogging the still-soaked ground.

Fortunately, race day is looking to be mostly clear and free of the slippery conditions that claimed several cars in yesterday's qualifying.

The Bathurst 1000's carparks, walkways and campsites were left covered in thick mud on Saturday (above) with conditions expected to worsen due to heavy foot traffic on Sunday

Sydneysiders will manage to avoid most of next week's rain after three heavy rains systems pounded NSW's central coast (pictured, racegoers in Sydney on Saturday)

Cars were bogged and campsites flooded after heavy rain at the Bathurst 1000 on Saturday (pictured, one of the race's boggy car parks)

NSW SES have ordered three communities to evacuate and several flood warnings around the state as this week's rainwater continues to drain (pictured, a map of flood warnings)

Luckily for Sydneysiders the harbour city is set to dodge most of the rain with showers not forecast until next Friday.

Brisbane should be seeing the last of its rain for the next seven days this Sunday with a shower or two expected before the system moves out to sea.

Perth should remain mostly sunny through the upcoming rain band with high temperatures in the low 20Cs for the foreseeable future.

Unfortunately, Adelaide residents are expected to start copping rain from the system from Tuesday through to the end of the work week.

Hobart will see the rain a little later with a high chance of showers forecast for each day from Wednesday.

Darwin is expected to see storms on Sunday with up to 15mm expected to fall.
Australia's iconic Bondi Beach has been rented out for $32,411 for a bizarre all-white dinner where paying guests are required to bring their own tables, chairs and food.

Waverley Council, in Sydney's east, approved hiring out a large section of the sand which will be roped off for the 5,000-person 'Diner en Blanc' event to be held on November 12.

Attendees will arrive dressed entirely in white and set up their own picnic for the cost of $93 per person plus a $15 membership fee.

Those who want catering can pre-purchase a hamper for an extra cost and no alcoholic drinks are allowed other than pre-ordered wine from the event organisers.

The Diner en Blanc, or White Dinner, was previously held on Bondi Beach in 2013 (pictured)

The 'posh picnic' will be held in a fenced off area in front of Bondi Pavilion and was originally intended to include a disco ball hung by crane to spice up guests' Instagram snaps, though this feature been abandoned.

The dinner party, which was launched more than 20 years ago by Francois Pasquier and a small group of friends in Paris, has boomed in popularity around the world thanks to its 'shareability' on social media.

The annual event has spread to more than 60 countries with the locations usually kept secret, even to guests, until the day of the function.

'Participants register online, dress elegantly all in white, bringing their own white tables, chairs, crockery, cutlery and a white garbage bag to take away their own refuse,' the event bills itself as.

Paying guests are required to bring their own food, tables and chairs unless they pay extra and all wine must be pre-purchased from the organisers (pictured: a previous year's event in Hyde Park in Sydney)

The 2015 Sydney event was held outside the Opera House and attended by 4,000 people (pictured)

Bondi Beach Precinct co-convenor Lenore Kulakauskas told The Sydney Morning Herald the public beach should be available to everyone.

'It does not have a 'to let' sign hanging on it. Privatisation of the beach for single functions or [commercial club] proposals is against the egalitarian nature of this space,' she said.

Waverley Council argued that while the event would be 'high impact' it would be a positive for the area.

'Benefits provided by high impact events include local overnight accommodation stays and associated spending - breakfast, lunch, shopping,' a spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said council would use some of the money for maintenance of public spaces and to fund other free events available to the whole community.

The Diner en Blanc was previously held outside the Sydney Opera House, on the UNESCO listed Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour, and at Bondi Beach in 2013.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Waverley Council for comment.
Multiple cases of sexual abuse and inappropriate behavior have been documented by female teachers in the Big Apple in recent years, according to a report from the New York Post.

One example of teachers behaving badly includes, Natalie Black, a 27-year-old teacher at the Hillside Arts and Letters Academy in Queens, allegedly sending multiple suggestive photos to students.

The Post reports that those photos showed Black in either lingerie or completely naked - with her vagina visible. The sexting began in late 2021. The victim was a 17-year-old student.

Black was interviewed by the NYPD but never faced charges.

Natalie Black pictured after winning the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in 2017

The intervention of New York's Finest didn't stop Black -- in March 2022 she allegedly showed a photo of her genitals to a student. On another occasion, Black was in a student's home when she took her pants down and allegedly said: 'Eat my a**.'

The sexting didn't stop either, Black also sent a video of her 'deep-throating' a liquor bottle and another video her dancing while half-naked, the Post reports.

The Post says Black's behavior was never made public by the Hillside Arts and Letters Academy, meaning that parents were kept in the dark about her conduct.

A Department of Education spokesperson said Black was 'removed' from her teaching position. The Post said Black hasn't co-operated with investigations into her behavior.

On her LinkedIn page, she's still listed as working as a special education teacher within the Department of Education. She is a graduate of SUNY and Brooklyn College.

Black writes on her page: 'In greater attempts, it is even glorious to fail.'

In 2017, while a student at SUNY Purchase, Black won the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence.

The award is issued for students who excel in both academics and extra-curricular activities. During her time at the school, Black was the co-captain of the SUNY Purchase step team and was on the Dean's list for three straight years.

Black was known for her musical talents while in college, performing a singer-songwriter at her church and on campus.

Makita Brooks-Stanton is a paraprofessional at PS 160 Walter Francis Bishop in the Jamaica section of Queens

In another instance, a paraprofessional at PS 160 Walter Francis Bishop in the Jamaica section of Queens, Makita Brooks-Stanton, broadcast her breast exam at a doctor's office to her pre-K students via Google Meet.

A concerned mother told the Post: 'She even had the doctor say hi to the class on Google Meet.' The flashing went on for around two minutes. It was a concerned mother who was in the classroom and had to shut down the broadcast.

She added: 'I felt really bad when I registered the complaint. I think this was just a poor judgment call on her part.'

That parent also said Brooks remains employed at PS 160.

The flashing went on for around two minutes. It was a concerned mother who was in the classroom in PS 160, shown here, who had to shut down the broadcast

Another teacher, Danielle Medellin, then 24, was accused of exchanging 5,500 'sexual-tension' filled texts with an 11th-grade student in her math class at Manhattan's Institute for Collaborative Education. She resigned before she could be fired, the Post reported.

According to Medellin's LinkedIn page, she now works as a data analyst with the New York Times - a role she has been in since August 2020.

Since the publication of the Post's article on October 8, Medellin deleted her LinkedIn page.

On that page, Medellin said she was 'inspired by her students' during her time teaching, but left her role at the Institute of Collaborative Education in September 2019.

Medellin is a graduate of New York University.

According to Danielle Medellin's LinkedIn page, she now works as a data analyst with the New York Times. A role she has been in since August 2020

On her LinkedIn page, Medellin said she was 'inspired by her students' during her time teaching

Medellin taught here at Manhattan's Institute of Collaborative Education, alongside another teacher who behaved badly, Juliana Garofalo

In another instance of a teacher gone wild, then 31-year-old teacher Michelle Zak 'engaged in an inappropriate relationship' with not one but two of her students at the Queens High School of Teaching, Liberal Arts, and Sciences.

Zak is accused of having students over for sleepovers and smoking marijuana with them. Following an investigation, Zak was transferred to an office job within the Department of Education.

At the time of writing, Zak works as a private tutor. During her time working in Queens, Zak was a special education teacher and also taught public speaking. One of her skills on the page is listed as 'Student Engagement.'

She is a graduate of Binghamton University and Touro University. Zak calls herself an 'Innovative Learning Specialist reshaping the future of education and training.'

In a 2014 blog post, Zak wrote about her education philosophy, saying: 'How are you going to connect with your students throughout the year if you dont know their situation or what theyre all about?'

She wrote in she is the daughter of Russian immigrants.

31-year-old teacher Michelle Zak 'engaged in an inappropriate relationship' with not one but two of her students at the Queens High School of Teaching, Liberal Arts, and Sciences

At the time of writing, Zak works as a private tutor. During her time working in Queens, Zak was a special education teacher and also taught public speaking

In 2018, Juliana Garofalo, also a teacher at the Institute for Collaborative Education, confessed to co-workers that she had a sexual relationship with a student. At the time she was 33.

She later quit her job and took a role at the Pinnacle School in Greenwich, Connecticut. When they found out about her previous activities in New York, she was let go for that role.

In return, Garofalo sued the Department of Education. Her lawsuit was thrown out by New York's State Supreme Court in December 2021. A judge said Garofalo's actions was 'utterly disqualifying' from a position in education.

The Center for Sex Offender Management, which is under the control of the Department of Justice, says that women account for around 10 percent of sex crimes in the general population.

In the case of teacher-related sex crimes, 30 percent of offenders are women.

In May 2022, Fox News reported that 135 teachers had been charged with sex crimes this year alone. Of that, 105 of those are male and 30 are female.

The director of outreach for Parents Defending Education, Erika Sanzi, told the network: 'Educator sexual abuse is a major problem that largely gets ignored because it's so uncomfortable to talk about.'

She added: 'While a very small fraction of educators and school employees prey on the children in their care, one bad actor can do damage to many students.'
New York City's eviction court ruled that throuples - romantic entanglements between three people - have some of the same legal protections as traditional couples.

The case that triggered the ruling involved three people: Scott Anderson, his boyfriend Markyus O'Neill, and Anderson's husband Robert Romano.

Anderson and O'Neill lived together at a rent-stabilized apartment in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, while Romano lived at a different address.

Anderson died in October 2021, prompting O'Neill to try and take over the rent-stabilized lease that his late boyfriend had held.

But he was denied the right to do so, because it was in Anderson's name and O'Neill was a 'non-traditional family member.'

O' Neill subsequently took the landlord - West 49th St. LLC - to court, with New York Civil Court Judge Karen May Baydayan ruling in his favor.

Judge Baydayan said the definition of 'family' had changed heavily in recent years, as gay marriages became legal, and that monogamous, two-person relationships were no longer the only coupling entitled to legal protection.

She explained: 'Why then, except for the very real possibility of implicit majoritarian animus, is the limitation of two persons inserted into the definition of a family-like relationship for the purposes of receiving the same protections from eviction accorded to legally formalized or blood relationships?'

New York City's eviction court ruled that throuples - romantic entanglements between three people - have some of the same legal protections as traditional couples after the death of Scott Anderson (pictured) left his partner, with whom he lived separately from his husband, unable to renew the lease on their apartment

Anderson died recently and Markyus O'Neill (pictured) was denied the right to renew their lease because it was in Anderson's name and O'Neill was a 'non-traditional family member'

Robert Romano (pictured) and Anderson were together for 25 years despite living separately. O'Neill is not mentioned in his obituary while Romano is described as Anderson's partner and 'the best thing that ever happened to Scott'

Anderson (pictured left) was friends with actress and 'That 70's Show' star Debra Jo Rupp. She is seen with both Anderson and Romano at opening night of a Broadway show

Romano and Anderson were together for 25 years, despite living separately. O'Neill is not mentioned in Anderson's obituary while Romano is described as Anderson's partner and 'the best thing that ever happened to Scott.'

It is unclear if Romano was also in a relationship with O'Neill.

A lawyer for West 49th St., LLC called O'Neill's affidavit describing himself as a non-traditional family member was 'a fairytale.'

Judge Karen Bacdayan concluded that throuples are entitled to the same sort of legal protections as couples in eviction cases, claiming that the existence of the throuple shouldn't immediately prevent O'Neill from renewing the lease.

Bacdayan cited a case from 1989 when the New York State Court of Appeals was the first in US history to recognize any sort of 'non-traditional' or same sex family-like relationship 'is entitled to legal recognition.'

She adds that, while there is some precedent from that case and Obergefell vs. Hodges, which legalized gay marriage in America, that 'the instant case presents the distinct and complex issue of significant multi-person relationships.'

Bacdayan cited a case from 1989 when the New York State Court of Appeals was the first in US history to recognize any sort of 'non-traditional' or same sex family-like relationship 'is entitled to legal recognition'

Judge Karen Bacdayan concluded that throuples are entitled to the same sort of legal protections as couples in eviction cases, meaning O'Neill should be allowed to renew the lease

She said that while Obergefell and similar cases don't specify anything regarding throuples, they do 'open the door for consideration of other relational constructs and perhaps, the time has arrived.'

Bacdayan also cited Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts when he wrote, 'If not having the opportunity to marry serves to disrespect and subordinate gay and lesbian couples, why wouldn't the same imposition of this disability . . . serve to disrespect and subordinate people who find fulfillment in polyamorous relationships?'

Anderson died on October 27, 2021. He was an interior designer and an award-winning actor who also worked as an actor; his obituary citing his friendship with 'That 70's Show' star Debra Jo Rupp
Thousands of women with breast cancer could be spared unnecessary chemotherapy thanks to a new technique using artificial intelligence.

Scientists believe the new method could save the NHS millions of pounds each year because it offers a quicker and cheaper way of determining whether the disease is likely to return after surgery.

At the moment, when a woman has a breast lump removed, thin slices of tumour are sometimes sent to California for analysis to gauge how aggressive the cancer is.

The result is a score for how likely a womans cancer is to return within ten years. If she has a high risk score, her oncologist will recommend she has chemotherapy to kill any remaining cancer cells.

Thousands of women with breast cancer could be spared unnecessary chemotherapy thanks to a new technique using artificial intelligence

But sending the samples abroad is expensive for the NHS and slow for the women, who face weeks of stressful waiting for the results.

In addition, a decision is often made without a sample being sent. In such cases, the oncologist will often err on the side of caution and recommend drug treatment.

While chemotherapy can be a lifesaver, it can trigger unpleasant side-effects including nausea, fatigue and hair loss, as well as damaging long-term heart health.

The new method, called Digistain, aims to give more women a thorough assessment of whether they need chemotherapy by providing a quicker, cheaper service to the NHS.

Dr Hemmel Amrania, its chief executive, said: We estimate around 30 per cent of patients with hormone-positive early-stage breast cancer who get chemotherapy unnecessarily, could safely forego it thanks to this method.

Scientists believe the new method could save the NHS millions of pounds each year because it offers a quicker and cheaper way of determining whether the disease is likely to return after surgery

That could mean up to 4,000 women a year avoiding unnecessary chemotherapy, he added.

Each time a woman undergoes chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer it costs around 1,000 in drug costs alone, according to a 2020 study.

This means the new test could produce annual savings of 4 million, excluding labour.

The NHSs total chemotherapy budget is around 1.5 billion.

On top of that, Dr Amrania said the new test was far cheaper than the 2,000 to 4,000 cost of sending a sample to the United States for analysis.

The method, based on research undertaken at Imperial College London, automates the process of assessing how aggressive cancers are by scanning microscopically thin biopsy samples mounted on slides, using a machine no bigger than a desktop printer.

The new method, called Digistain, aims to give more women a thorough assessment of whether they need chemotherapy by providing a quicker, cheaper service to the NHS

Just as an office scanner digitises a photo  recording the information as thousands of pixels  so the Digistain machine turns the biopsy slice into a digital file.

But rather than recording the colour and intensity of spots on the digital photo, it records patterns that show the presence of proteins associated with aggressive cancers.

By comparing thousands of digitised pictures, researchers have developed a computer program which learns which images denote aggressive cancers.

A Midlands NHS hospital trust is to start using Digistain for breast cancer soon, Dr Amrania said, while the method is also being rolled out in several hospitals in the US and India.
Vladimir Putin 'might go nuclear' and deploy weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine after Zelensky's forces damaged a crucial bridge to Crimea and handed Russia another setback, military experts have suggested.

The former head of the British Army warned that Putin could now opt for the Armageddon approach after the Kremlin previously insisted that an attack on Crimea would 'cross a red line'.

General Lord Richard Dannatt also said he expects Putin to escalate his attacks on Ukraine, The Telegraph reported last night.

The Russian dictator had previously vowed that any attack on the strategically important Kerch Strait between Russia and annexed Crimea would prompt 'judgment day'.

Devastating video footage showed a volley of missiles rain down on residential block in Zaporizhzhia, southeast Ukraine, as Putin launched his first retributive strikes on Ukraine.

A series of explosions rocked the city in the early hours of the morning, sending towering plumes of illuminated smoke into the sky and triggering a series of secondary explosions.

Putin's furious response came after it was widely reported that Ukrainian forces launched an 'explosive-laden aquatic device', possibly a drone, that brought the road bridge connecting Russia and Crimea crashing into the sea.

Putin (pictured addressing an audience in the Kremlin last month) is expected to escalate war

Ukrainian president Zelensky told viewers of his nightly Telegram video address that Ukraine's prospects were 'sunny', in stark contrast to the smoky clouds over Crimea after the blast

The Russian leader ordered the FSB intelligence service to monitor security on the bridge, a potential sign of a spat between the army and the secret service as Russia's war effort continues to falter.

Putin received pyramids of melons from the president of ally Tajikistan for his birthday. He was also given a tractor by Belarusian president Lukoshenko.

Meanwhile Ukrainian president and ex-comedian Volodymyr Zelensky rediscovered his comic chops in a tongue-in-cheek weather report following damage to a key strategic bridge between Russia and Moscow-annexed Crimea.

The Kyiv leader poked fun at the humiliating attack on Putin's supply line, making the audacious comments in his nightly video address posted on Telegram.

Zelensky said: 'Today was a good and mostly sunny day in our country. Over most of the territory, it was about 20 degrees Celsius and sunny.

Dramatic CCTV footage showed the moment the deadly bridge blast took out a key supply line

Satellite images also showed the damaged bridge continue to burn hours after the detonation

'Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea, although it was still warm. But however the clouds are, Ukrainians know what to do, and they know that our future is sunny.

'This is the future without invaders, on all our territory, in particular in Crimea.'

Three people were killed when the apparent truck bomb took down a chunk of the bridge between Russia and the Ukrainian region stolen by Putin in 2014.

The explosion took place just hours after Putin's 70th birthday, with one of Zelensky's aides joking: 'Happy birthday, Mr President'.

The plot thickened when a mysterious 'wave' was caught on video, fuelling speculation that Ukrainian special services used a boat or explosive-laden drone to launch an attack that has damaged Putin's supply lines.

Moscow furiously claimed a truck bomb caused the blast which killed at least three people but did not apportion blame - while the speaker of Crimea's Kremlin-backed regional parliament accused Kyiv of being behind the explosion.

Putin responded to the embarrassing attack by ordering tightened security at the bridge.

In a decree issued hours after the bridge was damaged by a blast, Putin said the FSB security service would be responsible for strengthening protection measures.

The Kremlin had claimed the bridge, which was opened personally Putin in 2018 to much fanfare in Russian-state media, was being protected by a maximum security operation which even included attack dolphins.

Russian law enforcement has identified Samir Yusubov, 25, from the Krasnodar region in Russia, as the alleged owner of the red-coloured International Prostar truck, which, according to investigators, exploded on the Crimean Bridge. They are still investigating who was driving the truck when it exploded.

Workers are pictured repairing the railway line section of the bridge over the Kerch Strait this evening on Putin's orders

The rail bridge from Russia to the Crimean peninsula can be seen engulfed in flames on the right, while a huge section of the road bridge has collapsed into the sea

Cars are pictured below the damaged bridge connecting Crimea to Russia tonight, hours after a massive explosion

But the so-called 'wave' which appeared under the bridge before it was destroyed has led to speculation that it was attacked using a boat or explosive-laden drone.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly threatened to strike the bridge and some lauded the destruction, but Kyiv stopped short of claiming responsibility. However, a top aide to President Zelensky boasted that 'Putin should be happy. Not everyone gets such an expensive birthday present', and the Prime Minister of Estonia suggested that the attack was committed by Ukraine.

The attack could cut supplies to Putin's forces as Ukraine makes more advances in the south towards Kherson. A section of the bridge has collapsed into the sea and seven oil tankers on a train caught fire in the blast. Long fuel lines are already forming in Crimea, despite Russian claims to have enough supplies to last two weeks.

Officials at the bridge opened the doors of the truck before sending it on its way - despite claims it was guarded with a maximum-security operation

Images appear to show movement in the water under the bridge a split second before the explosion which brought down the road bridge and set fire to oil tankers

The Kerch Bridge is the only direct link between Russia and Crimea and is a crucial supply line for Russian forces in Ukraine

The explosion is the latest setback in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with Putin's forces struggling to hold ground in the past few months

The fire continued to rage on the rail bridge following the explosion as Russian state media said several fuel tanks were on fire

Eyewitnesses said the enormous blast could be heard from miles away, and a column of smoke could be seen rising over the Black Sea

Russian propaganda had claimed the Crimean bridge was impossible to attack because of 20 different kinds of security protecting it, including military dolphins

Speculation is mounting that a drone was used to blow up the bridge. This image handed out by the Russian Ministry of Defence shows what was claimed to be a mystery Ukrainian drone found near Crimea

The 12-mile bridge across the Kerch Strait linking the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov opened in 2018 and is the longest in Europe.

The 3.2billion project is a tangible symbol of Moscow's claims on Crimea and has provided an essential link to the peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Crimea holds symbolic value for Russia and is key to sustaining its military operations in southern Ukraine. While Russia seized areas north of Crimea early on during the invasion and built a land corridor to it along the Sea of Azov, Ukraine is pressing a counteroffensive to reclaim them.

The Russian Defence Ministry said troops in the south were receiving necessary supplies through the land corridor and by sea. The Energy Ministry said Crimea has enough fuel for 15 days and it was working on ways to replenish stock.

The bridge has train and road sections. The blast and fire caused the collapse of one of the two links of the road bridge, while another link was intact.

Russia has released this picture of Samir Yusubov, 25, believed to be the truck's owner

The Russian Transport Ministry said train traffic across the bridge would start again shortly after quick repair works.

Vehicle traffic resumed on Saturday afternoon on one of the two links that remained intact from the blast, with the flow alternating in each direction and vehicles undergoing a 'full inspection procedure,' Crimea's Russia-backed regional leader, Sergey Aksyonov, wrote on Telegram.

Rail traffic was resuming slowly. Two passenger trains departed from the Crimean cities of Sevastopol and Simferopol and headed toward the bridge on Saturday evening. Passenger ferry links between Crimea and the Russian mainland were being relaunched Sunday.

Mr Putin was informed about the explosion and ordered the creation of a government panel to deal with the emergency.

The speaker of Crimea's Kremlin-backed regional parliament blamed Ukraine for the explosion, but downplayed the severity of the damage and said the bridge would be promptly repaired.

Leonid Slutsky, head of the foreign affairs committee in the lower house of Russian parliament, said 'consequences will be imminent' if Ukraine is responsible.

Gennady Zyuganov, head of the Russian Communist Party, which is nominally in the opposition but votes in line with Kremlin wishes in parliament, said the 'terror attack' should serve as a wake-up call.

'The long-overdue measures haven't been taken yet, the special operation must be turned into a counterterrorist operation,' he said.

Sergei Mironov, head of the Just Russia faction in parliament, said Moscow should respond by attacking key Ukrainian infrastructure including power plants, bridges and railways.

The parliamentary leader of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's party on Saturday stopped short of claiming Kyiv was responsible but appeared to cast it as a consequence of Moscow's takeover of Crimea.

'Russian illegal construction is starting to fall apart and catch fire. The reason is simple: if you build something explosive, then sooner or later it will explode,' David Arakhamia, the leader of the Servant of the People party, wrote on Telegram.

The secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov, tweeted a video with the Kerch Bridge on fire alongside Marilyn Monroe singing her famous Happy Birthday, Mr President.

Pictures in the aftermath of the explosion show the devastation it caused on the crucial road and rail bridge

Later this morning, smoke could still be seen billowing out over the sea as the bridge was closed to all traffic

The fire could still be seen burning from miles away from a suspected fuel tank on a train was hit by the explosion

The road section of the Kerch Bridge was severely damaged by the blast - it is not known how long it could take to repair

A helicopter was used to drop water in an effort to extinguish the flames on the bridge earlier this morning

People posed for photos with a giant postage stamp of the bridge on fire today following the explosion

The blast has been welcomed by many in Ukraine as the latest blow against Putin's regime as his forces continue to suffer setbacks

Member of Putin's inner circle 'directly confronts Vladimir over Ukraine war mistakes and mismanagement' as Kremlin insiders reach 'breaking point', US intelligence report claims Vladimir Putin has been confronted by one of his inner circle about his handling of the failing war in Ukraine, US intelligence has said. The insider complained to Putin about 'mismanagement of the war effort' and 'mistakes' being made by those executing the campaign, it is alleged. It is the clearest indication yet of rebellion among Russia's elite over the war and the first evidence that Putin has been directly confronted about it. Meanwhile Russian business executives linked to Moscow's political class described the situation inside the Kremlin as being at 'breaking point', and said in-fighting will break out soon if the tide of war keeps flowing in Ukraine's direction. The news emerged after Ukraine scored a series of battlefield victories over Russia, forcing Putin to announce a deeply-unpopular mobilisation to shore up the front line, annex occupied territories, and threaten anyone who intervenes with nukes. Advertisement

The blast on the bridge occurred hours after explosions rocked the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv early on Saturday, sending plumes of smoke into the sky and triggering a series of secondary explosions.

Ukrainian officials accused Russia of pounding Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, with surface-to-air missiles and said at least one person was wounded. The strikes targeted two largely residential neighbourhoods, the regional governor, Oleh Sinehubov, said.

Huge queues appeared at petrol stations in Crimea in the wake of the bridge's destruction, soon after the Russian puppet authorities said there was petrol for 40 days. Other sources said there was only 15 days of fuel as panic buyers queued for hours.

Locals were also rationed to 3kg of essential groceries amid fears for supplies, according to reports on the peninsula.

A video shows a Russian man in Crimea saying: 'We've had a good life, but it was short-lived. The ways [of escape] are now cut off.'

Pro-Putin military correspondent Yuri Kotyonok joined a wave of demands for overwhelming Russian attacks on Ukraine. He said: 'The answer for blowing up the bridge should be crushing. The question is not about revenge, but about punishment and our capacity as a state responding to terrorist attacks. The Crimean Bridge will certainly be restored. I hope that they will do it promptly - within a few months. He asked for answers on why 'targets in Kyiv are still intact'.

Yuri Podolyaka, a popular pro-Rus blogger, said: 'It looks like this is the prelude to the main strike of the Ukrainians in the south. If over the next few days Ukraine does not plunge into darkness and strikes are not carried out on the bridges across the Dnieper, I personally will consider it a sign of an [epic failure].'

Vladimir Rogov, chairman of 'We are Together with Russia' movement, and a key official in occupied Ukraine, said: 'The Crimean bridge has been blown up. Both the road and railway lines have been cut. The [Ukraine] terrorist entity must be destroyed.'

He published exact map coordinates of targets he wanted hit in Ukraine.

Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said the early-morning explosions were the result of missile strikes in the centre of the city. He added that the blasts sparked fires at one of the city's medical institutions and a non-residential building. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Russian officials said they faced an 'emergency' on the bridge with the train on fire. A Russian Telegram channel said: 'It is likely that an improvised explosive device hidden in any of the passing vehicles was detonated.'

Oleg Kryuchkov, aide to the Kremlin-appointed head of annexed Crimea, said: 'According to preliminary information, a fuel storage tank is on fire. Navigable arches were not damaged. It is too early to speak about causes and consequences. Work to extinguish the blaze is under way.'

Russian-controlled Crimean Railways said: 'A fuel tank at the tail of a freight train caught fire. The locomotive with some carriages was brought to Kerch station.'

Ukraine in recent days has grown more ambitious in its predictions that it will retake Crimea - annexed by Russia in 2014.

Rybar, a pro-Russian Telegram channel reported: 'There was an explosion at around 6am on one of the sections of the Crimean Bridge. According to official reports, a fuel tanker caught fire. Road services and the Emergencies Ministry are working at the scene of the fire and traffic has been temporarily suspended.

'However, photos and video footage show one of the vehicles being put out of action, which in no way could have happened due to a simple fire. It is likely that an improvised explosive device hidden in any of the passing vehicles was detonated.'

Pro-Kremlin war reporter Andrey Rudenko asked: 'What kind of power did the explosion have to for a span of the bridge to go under water? It is quite possible to assume that the main explosion was underwater. At the beginning of the year, there were reports that the West had supplied Ukraine with underwater kamikaze drones.'

Vladimir Rogov, chairman of 'We are Together with Russia' movement, and a key official in occupied Ukraine, said: 'The [Ukraine] terrorist entity must be destroyed.'

Army General Sergey Surovikin is reported to have taken charge of Putin's war in Ukraine after a series of setbacks for Russian since it invaded in February

The British Ministry of Defence said in June: 'For over thirty years, Surovikin's (right) career has been dogged with allegations of corruption and brutality'

Ukraine has been launching a successful counter-offensive against Russia in the last few weeks, claiming miles of territory

Ukraine has won back hundreds of settlements and miles of territory as it pushes back against Russian forces in the east of the country
First it was 26 glasses of wine a week, then it was 17, then ten, and the latest UK guidelines whittled it down to six.

Now drinkers are being told to limit themselves to just two small glasses  or a pint and a half of beer  a week to avoid damaging their health, by the authors of a controversial new report.

And people who have three drinks a week are putting themselves at 'moderate risk' of alcohol-related harm to health, their study claims, while those who indulge in more than six a week are exposing themselves to 'increasingly high risk'.

The new claims come in a report by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), funded by the Canadian government. And its 'small drinks' are undersized by UK standards  equivalent to a 125ml glass of wine or three-quarters of a pint of beer.

Last night Dr Richard Harding, who helped review sensible drinking messages for the UK Government in the mid-1990s, hit out at the report.

He argued the claim that having just three drinks a week harmed health was 'not supported by the medical evidence  in fact, quite the reverse'.

Now drinkers are being told to limit themselves to just two small glasses  or a pint and a half of beer  a week to avoid damaging their health, by the authors of a controversial new report (stock image)

'Fifty years of epidemiological and clinical research points to substantial health benefits  not harms  of daily intakes of small amounts of alcohol,' he said. 'The plain fact is that, if people were to follow the recommendation to reduce their consumption to two small drinks or less a week, it is likely that they would be worse off in health terms.'

Christopher Snowdon, of the Institute of Economic Affairs think-tank, said: 'A limit of two drinks per week is so ridiculously low that it will be greeted with derision by the public.'

Both said studies have consistently found overall death rates are lower in those who drink small amounts of alcohol, compared to teetotallers.

If CCSA's 'two-drink rule' was adopted in Britain, it would mean quartering our current recommended maximum of 14 UK alcohol units a week for both men and women  roughly six pints of beer  to around 3.5 units, about a pint and a half.

People who have three drinks a week are putting themselves at 'moderate risk' of alcohol-related harm to health, their study claims, while those who indulge in more than six a week are exposing themselves to 'increasingly high risk' (stock image)

Britain's recommendations are more stringent than Canada's, in part because they were updated more recently. Canada's, set in 2011, are no more than 25 UK units for men per week and 17 for women.

The CCSA argues current alcohol guidelines tend to be based on 'risk thresholds' that are much higher than those considered acceptable for other voluntary activities, such as smoking or having unprotected sex.

Its report is the latest in a succession from public health experts around the world to take a much harder line on low-level alcohol consumption.

But critics say these often ignore evidence of potential benefit for light drinkers.

In January, charity the World Heart Federation was accused of 'seriously misrepresenting' evidence to bolster its argument that drinking even small amounts of alcohol is bad for the heart.

Mr Snowden said such reports were part of 'a concerted effort by anti-alcohol academics to reduce drinking guidelines. The goal is ultimately to cut them to zero so they can claim that there is 'no safe level' of drinking.'
National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han, left, presides over a National Security Council meeting at the presidential office in Seoul on Oct. 1 in this file photo provided by the office. Yonhap



The presidential National Security Council (NSC) strongly condemned North Korea's launch of two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Sunday, saying it was a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.



President Yoon Suk-yeol was briefed immediately after the launch and the NSC held a meeting presided over by National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han, according to the presidential office.



Sunday's launch was the North's seventh missile test in under two weeks.



The council "strongly condemned" a flurry of ballistic missile tests by North Korea as a "clear violation of the U.N. Security Council and an act that increases tension on the Korean Peninsula and in the region," the presidential office said in a statement.






Fake German heiress Anna Sorokin is making the most of her time on house arrest as she posed for the camera at a grotty Manhattan walk-up apartment, where she'll remain while fighting deportation.

The convicted fraudster, 31, who famously passed herself off as Anna Delvey, spent the last 18 months in ICE custody at an upstate New York prison until she was released late Friday.

Sorokin was convicted in 2019 of conning $275,000 from banks, hotels and swank New Yorkers to finance her deluxe lifestyle.

She now sports an ankle monitor and is confined to her new East Village home - where a photoshoot appeared to be taking place over the weekend.

Fake German heiress Anna Sorokin, 31, poses for a film crew in the window of her new East Village apartment where she's on house arrest following her release from an upstate prison

Sorokin is photographed by a crew on the fire escape of her East Village apartment

Sorokin was convicted in 2019 of conning $275,000 from banks, hotels and swank New Yorkers to finance her deluxe lifestyle

Shortly after Sorokin arrived at her apartment, the Sovient Union-born German citizen sat down for an interview with the New York Times and shared how she was feeling.

'I'm really happy. Nothing was guaranteed,' she began. 'They denied bail before. It was an exercise in perseverance. So many immigration lawyers told me I'd get deported to Mars before I'd get out in New York. And I just had to find the person who'd align with my vision, not accept 'no' for an answer and make it happen.'

The one-bedroom apartment that was snagged by her lawyer, Sorokin said, was sparsely furnished along with a few trash bags from the facility stuffed with her immigration documents.

'I could have left, but I chose not to because I'm trying to fix what I've done wrong,' she said. 'I have so much history in New York and I felt like if I were in Europe, I'd be running from something. But if jail does not prove people wrong, then what will?'

When asked by The Times what's next, Sorokin exclaimed: ' I don't know. I'll have to do so many things. I'm really excited right now, so it's pretty hard to sleep. I mean, you guys, I literally just got out of jail!'

And on Saturday, Sorokin already looked like she was working on her future plans - with a photoshoot at her East Village pad.

She was spotted posing in one of the windows while photographers perched on a fire escape to get the right angle.

Other shots showed the felon high on the rooftop, looking down on the New Yorkers below her.

On Saturday, Sorokin was spotted being photographed high on the rooftop of her East Village apartment, looking down on the New Yorkers below her

A photographer snaps away as Sorokin poses atop he new East Village apartment

She was also spotted posing in one of the windows while photographers perched on a fire escape to get the right angle

The one-bedroom apartment in the East Village was snagged by her lawyer, Sorokin said

Sorokin's attorneys successfully appealed to a judge to grant her release on Wednesday.

US Immigration Judge Charles Conroy agreed to it, placing her under house arrest, because 'she has demonstrated interest in pursuing legitimate employment in the United States, pursuits that will face heavy public scrutiny.'

But the release was delayed as arrangements to post bail were made.

Judge Conroy said that because Sorokin, 31, is infamous, it would be hard for her to fly under the radar and avoid detection.

'She will be required to abide by conditions of release imposed both by the New York State Parole Board and immigration authorities, which, combined with her status as a public figure, will make it particularly difficult for her to avoid detection.

'For all of these reasons, the Court finds that [Sorokin's] risk of flight sufficiently mitigated,' he said in his ruling.

Sorokin's immigration attorney, John Sandweg, said in a statement: 'Immigration detention must be reserved for those who pose a danger to society or an unmanageable flight risk.

'We are gratified that, after 17 months of immigration detention, and years after she finished her prison sentence, the court recognized that such detention was no longer appropriate for Ana.

'Make no mistake, she does not get a free pass,' Sandweg added. 'She will continue to face deportation proceedings and her release will be closely monitored by the government.

'Nevertheless, as the court found, continued detention was unnecessary.'

Sorokin wants to stay in the US, despite not having a visa. She is originally from Russia but also has ties to Germany.

The convicted fraudster, whos spent the last 18 months in ICE custody, was ushered out of the Orange County jail on Friday and transported to Manhattan

Sorokin was bundled into a white van that sped out of a back door of the prison to avoid waiting media. The corner of her glasses can be seen in the back seat

She sprang to notoriety in 2018 after being arrested for fleecing luxury hotels and restaurants in Manhattan out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Her crimes later became the subject of the popular Netflix series, 'Inventing Anna.'

Sorokin has been keeping busy behind bars with multiple media and podcast interviews.

She has been auctioning off her prison sketches and has also written poetry.

She wrote a piece for DailyMail.com last month in which she complained that the US immigration system is broken, saying she has spent 18 months 'foundering in the sinkhole of America's immigration system.'

'Make no mistake, she does not get a free pass,' Sandweg added. 'She will continue to face deportation proceedings and her release will be closely monitored by the government

'Once you're in ICE custody, what happens next is left entirely to ICE. Disturbingly arbitrary nature of the civil immigration detention system allows for immigrants to be held indefinitely without ever having a judge review whether bond or electronic monitoring was an appropriate alternative to detention,' she added.

'The jail I'm housed at is famous for its understaffing issue. To help alleviate that issue, in the last few weeks alone, 61 immigrants were removed from this facility without notice and transferred to a facility in Mississippi, where ICE can detain them at a lesser cost.

'Now those detainees are far from their local support systems of friends or loved ones, and those who were lucky enough to have lawyers have been stripped of the ability to communicate with them readily and in person. Hearings held remotely are not opportune for defendants to consult with their attorneys during the proceeding.'
Vice President Kamala Harris slammed the Texas abortion ban during a question and answer session in Austin - but made no mention of the migrant crisis engulfing the Lone State State. vent in Austin, Texas, but did find time to call Texas's abortion laws 'immoral.'

Harris, 57, was speaking at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library when she branded Governor Greg Abbott's almost near-ban on abortion as 'immoral.'

'The idea that there would be a policy and an approach that would say to someone who has survived an extreme act of violence and violation,' she said.

Harris continued: '[That] you do not have the autonomy, the authority as it relates to your body that has just withstood that act to make a decision about what happens to your body next, is immoral.'

The former California Attorney General doubled down, saying: 'Its truly immoral. The government shouldnt be making this decision for her. It is absolutely about freedom. It is about liberty.'

Vice President Kamala Harris pictured at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library on October 8

The entire conversation lasted around 40 minutes, during which time the issue of the southern border crisis did not come up. Here migrants are shown after crossing the Rio Bravo

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) figures show that as of August the total number of migrant encounters reached more than 2 million in Fiscal Year 2022  a record high

The entire conversation lasted around 40 minutes, during which time the issue of the southern border crisis did not come up.

Texas Customs and Border Patrol agents have intercepted millions of migrants trying to cross so-far this year, with Harris and President Biden slammed for their poor handling of the crisis.

The event was announced as a discussion on 'the Biden-Harris Administrations commitment to protecting reproductive rights.'

Harris was speaking with pro-abortion group NARAL President Mini Timmaraju and Julieta Garibay, senior capacity building director for Groundswell Fund.

This week, President Joe Biden marked 100 days since the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade by criticizing states that have curtailed abortion rights and announcing $6 million in healthcare service funding.

He announced the new guidelines and the federal grants at a meeting of the reproductive rights task force, also attended by Vice President Harris, at the White House.

In his remarks, he described how abortion rights have been curtailed since the Supreme Court ruling.

Harris arrives at the Austin airport with Travis County Judge Andy Brown (L), and Austin Mayor Steve Adler (R)

Harris speaks to the Texas Democratic Party during the Johnson-Jordan Reception at the Hyatt Regency Austin hours after making her abortion remarks

After leaving the presidential library, Harris went to a fundraiser for the Texas Democratic Party where she gave a keynote address.

That gathering aims to raise money for issues such as 'vote-by-mail assistance, voter protection efforts, community organizing, direct voter contact, and more,' a press release read.

It's the second trip to Texas Harris has made in 30 days. In September, the vice president gave a speech at the National Baptist Convention and at NASA in Houston.

While Texas is famed for being a deeply conservative state, its three big cities - Dallas, Houston and state capital Austin - are all very liberal.

At that time, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott took aim at Harris' decision not to visit the border.

'Our supposed Border Czar, Vice President Kamala Harris, has yet to even visit the border to see firsthand the impact of the open border policies she has helped implement, even going so far as to claim the border is "secure," ' he said.

'Texas will continue sending migrants to sanctuary cities like Washington, D.C., until President Biden and Border Czar Harris step up and do their jobs to secure the border.'

This week, a busload of migrants were dropped off at Harris' residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.

GOP governor say they're bussing the migrants to so-called sanctuary cities to give areas that preach about welcoming migrants a taste of the strain the influx puts on local services.

At the crack of dawn on Thursday, a bus pulled up near Harris' home where more than two dozen migrants disembarked and were greeted by aid and volunteer groups.

The migrants were then boarded onto smaller buses and transported to nearby accommodations.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn posted Harris' schedule on Twitter adding: 'No time for the border, apparently'

Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez said he was at the southern border at the same time Harris was speaking in Austin

Prior to arriving in Texas, prominent conservatives in the Lone Star state put pressure on Harris to visit the border.

On the day of her appearance in Austin, Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez posted a photo on Twitter saying: 'Here at the border. Where's Kamala?'

While Sen. John Cornyn posted Harris' timetable during her visit to Texas that left 'no time for the border,' the Republican said.

On Thursday, Macarena Martinez, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, said of Harris' trip: 'The vice president should reconsider her travel plans and visit the southern border that she has so willingly neglected.'

Harris was tasked shortly after taking office with addressing the migration crisis, which her office swiftly moved to rebrand as a role seeking to look at the root causes that lead people to leave their home countries to migrate north and seek asylum in the US.

Republicans have criticized Harris for her failure to do anything to quell migration at the southern border  and have lambasted Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

CBP numbers released last month brought the number of encounters in Fiscal Year 2022 to more than 2.1 million, a massive record high  and there is still one more month of reporting left in the year.

This represents a 437 percent increase from the same point in Fiscal Year 2020.

There was also a 279 percent increase in encounters from Fiscal Year 2020 to 2021  the last year of President Donald Trump's time in office and first year of the Biden administration.
A Texas mom was jailed for life after leaving her severely-disabled seven year-old daughter to die at home while she went clubbing with friends.

Lauren Kay Dean pleaded guilty to murder Wednesday and received the life sentence plus 20 years for endangerment of a child over the January 2020 death of daughter Jordynn Barrera in Bay City.

Jordynn had Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and was bed-ridden. She used a feeding tube, and required constant, round-the-clock care.

Dean's behavior resulted in her daughter dying while she hit a local club called Shades to party with friends.

Police in Bay City, Texas went to Dean's apartment shortly after to do a welfare check.

When investigators spoke to Dean, she offered to let them come in to show the children were well, but they found 7-year-old Jordynn dead, according to ABC13

Dean was subsequently charged with murdering the youngster by neglecting her.

A Texas woman has been sentenced to life in prison for leaving her 7-year-old bedridden daughter with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy alone while she went clubbing

Lauren Kay Dean (pictured) pleaded guilty to murder Wednesday and received a life sentence plus 20 years for endangerment of a child over the 2020 death of daughter Jordynn Barrera

Dean ditched her daughter for a night at Shades nightclub, pictured above

When investigators spoke to Dean, she offered to let them come in to show the children were well but they found 7-year-old Jordynn dead

Shades Nightclub in Bay City, Texas, where Lauren Kay Dean was the night her father died

Dean's two other children, aged five years and three months, were also found at the apartment.

Jordynn was a non-verbal child who had been diagnosed early on with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy. Authorities have also said the girl was only able to eat through a feeding tube.

Records show Dean was arrested and booked into the Matagorda County Jail on three second-degree felony charges: abandonment, endangering a child, and imminent danger bodily injury.

Jordynn was a non-verbal child who had been diagnosed early on with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy

Dean pleaded guilty as part of a bargain to avoid the death penalty and to avoid a jury trial on October 5

Records show Dean was arrested and booked into the Matagorda County Jail on three second-degree felony charges: abandonment, endangering a child, and imminent danger bodily injury.

Dean pleaded guilty as part of a bargain to avoid the death penalty and to avoid a jury trial on October 5.

She pleaded on capital murder of a person under the age of 10 and three counts of child abandonment.
A middle school teacher near San Diego is receiving harsh criticism after erecting a display of beloved world leaders that included Adolf Hitler - before telling a Jewish student that the mass-murderer had 'strong leadership qualities.'

A photo circulating on social media shows a board Tabitha Barry displayed in her 7th grade classroom at Carmel Valley Middle School featuring images of notable world leaders. That board included Hitler.

A 12-year-old student -- who is Jewish -- questioned Hitler's place on the board to which the teacher reportedly responded: 'Hitler may have done some bad things, but he also had strong leadership qualities.'

Prior to the incident, the student told his father, Dr. Roy David, about the board.

'We're sitting at the dinner table and he says to me, 'Hey dad, my teacher has a picture of Hitler on the wall,'' Dr. David told CBS8.

A photo circulating on social media shows a board the teacher shared with her class at Carmel Valley Middle School that features images of notable, positive world leaders - including Hitler

Dr. David couldn't believe what his son was saying so he asked his son to send him a photo.

'And there's Adolf Hitler, a big, portrait-size picture of Hitler. And right next to Hitler is Gandhi and Martin Luther King and JFK,' he said. 'And each one of these people has some kind of inspirational quote written underneath them.'

The quote under the photo of Hitler is impossible to read clearly in the snap shared by Dr. David.

Dr. David said he emailed the teacher asking for an explanation along with a request for the photo be taken down, but said he received no response.

'My son went back the next day and basically asked her why she had this picture of Hitler on the wall and he actually told her, you know, you're trivializing the Holocaust,' he said. 'She tells my son, well, Hitler may have done some bad things but he had leadership qualities.'

The photo of Hitler had been on the classroom wall since the start of the school year the student said and, according to Dr. David, was not part of a history lesson on World War II.

'My grandparents' entire families were murdered in the Holocaust,' he said. 'They were from Poland, originally, and my grandmother was the sole survivor from our town. Every other man, woman, and child was rounded up and executed.'

Around six million Jewish people were murdered by Hitler's Nazi goons during the Holocaust, with a total of 11 million feared to have been slaughtered by the evil regime.

A seventh-grader, who is Jewish, told his father about the photo of Hitler and then later asked the teacher why he was on the board

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a leading global Jewish human rights organization, said he believes 'there was a failure in the classroom.'

'In this case, taking all those important positive figures of history and then putting Hitler right in that mix is wrong,' Rabbi Cooper told KGTV. 'The real goal here is not to punish anyone, let's say educate our educators, and do a better job for our kids here in California.'

The local Jewish human rights organization, which he is part of, issued a public statement about the incident, stating it's not interested in seeing anyone involved punished, but members do want to see proactive steps taken to ensure it doesn't happen again.

'What are we teaching 12-year-olds and how are we teaching them,' the local rabbi said. 'But clearly if you look at this incident and the cascade of decisions made something is missing folks.'

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a leading global Jewish human rights organization, said he believes 'there was a failure in the classroom'

Since the incident was brought to light and caused an uproar on social media, the principal of Carmel Valley Middle School has issued an apology. The school district has pledged to organize anti-bias training for faculty and staff.

It is unclear what punishment Barry will face.

Principal Vicki Kim said in an email to parents that teachers never intend to hurt or offend anybody.

'We have recently experienced one of those times that had a hurtful impact, particularly to our Jewish community, and to others, and for this we are sorry,' the email stated.

The teacher's comment about Hitler is the latest in a string of controversial statements made by people linked to the San Dieguito Union High School District.

KGTV reports that other controversial incidents involving those connected to the district include a superintendent who was fired earlier this year for comments she reportedly made about Asian students.

And just last month, a school board member was accused of making transphobic comments after messages he allegedly posted online surfaced.
The devastated husband of the showgirl murdered in a stabbing attack on the Las Vegas Strip has told DailyMail.com he is going through a horrible time in the wake of his wife Maris Digiovannis death.

Former soldier Cole Jordan, 29, also said he has been in touch with the other showgirls injured in the attack and revealed two of them have now recovered enough to leave hospital.

He said: One of them is out of the hospital. One thats recovering at home and one thats pretty well off although shes not out and about for anything.

Cheryl Lowthorp, 52, who owns Best Showgirls in Vegas, also paid tribute to her murdered employee and described her as courageous and kind.

She also urged acceptance of outsiders such as Barrios, telling the crowd: When people dont feel accepted for who and what they are, this is what happens.

Maris DiGiovanni's husband, Cole Jordan, pictured with a friend at a remembrance for his wife held at Cornerstone Park in Las Vegas on Saturday

Jordan, 29, told DailyMail.com that he has been enduring a 'horrible time' following the tragic death of his wife

Jordan, 29, also said he has been in touch with the other showgirls injured in the attack and revealed two of them have now recovered enough to leave hospital

Jordan said: 'One of them is out of the hospital. One thats recovering at home and one thats pretty well off although shes not out and about for anything'

Jordan pictured at a floral tribute and collage that was created in memory of his wife

A floral tribute in remembrance was set up in a park gazebo where people could sit and remember Maris

Sadness and quiet reflection was seen in many as the vigil ended with fire lanterns floating off into the nights sky

Earlier, she told DailyMail.com that the criminal justice system is flawed after it emerged that Barrios could have been behind bars after being charged with felony domestic violence in Los Angeles, California, in 2018.

Cole, who met his late wife in seventh grade, was speaking ahead of a vigil for Digiovanni, 30, who died when she was stabbed in the heart by crazed knifeman Yoni Barrios, 32, on Thursday.

Brent Allen Hallett was also killed in the attack, while Digiovannis colleagues Anna Westby, 26, Victoria Cayetano and a third girl who asked to use only her first name, Selina, were injured.

The quartet were walking along the Las Vegas Strip close to the Venetian when they refused Barrios  an alleged illegal immigrant from Guatemala  a selfie and he attacked.

Maris father Vernon Digiovanni, 61, paid tribute to his daughter during the vigil which took place at Cornerstone Park in Las Vegas at sunset  her favorite time of day.

Maris father Vernon Digiovanni, 61, paid tribute to his daughter during the vigil which took place at Cornerstone Park in Las Vegas at sunset  her favorite time of day

Her father said: 'She touched people all over the world. Things happen. But we have been amazed as a thousand phone calls and emails poured in over the last couple of days from family and friends'

Yoni Barrios makes his initial court appearance at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas

In the emotional address, he said: She touched people all over the world. Things happen. But we have been amazed as a thousand phone calls and emails poured in over the last couple of days from family and friends.'

There have been tears but Maris would not have wanted us to sit here and cry. Ive remembered things about her that made me laugh and I have cried.

Ive been crying and Ive been laughing. She wouldnt want us to stop laughing. That shining light is still strong and we wont let it dim.

Barrios was facing a four-year jail term if he had been convicted in the 2018 case but the case was dismissed because the LA District Attorneys Office took too long to prosecute it.

Lowthorp said: I think there is no doubt that our criminal justice system is deeply flawed, and most certainly in the arena of domestic violence.

Beyond the obvious, that had he been convicted and or jailed we would not be in this situation... It is no surprise that we fail to protect our women inside of our legal system as well.

She has also set up a GoFundMe to cover Maris funeral costs and pay for the other girls medical care. At the time of writing, the page has raised more than $36,000.

Lowthorp wrote on the fundraiser page: Our showgirl family has been wounded beyond reason, the beautiful soul of Maris Digiovanni has been stolen.

'Three other of our girls wounded and hospitalized, but thankfully their lives spared.'

The suspect told detectives he was from Guatemala and wanted ICE to take him home

A second GoFundMe has been set up by close friend Ariel Bongard who was sharing her Las Vegas home with Maris and Cole at the time of her death.

In a Facebook statement made the day after Maris was killed, Bongard, 29, wrote: Maris was stolen from us in a senseless act of violence.

She and Cole are two of my best friends and it has been an extremely difficult two days.

Barrios, who lives in Los Angeles, said he launched the stabbing attack to let the anger out after a friend reneged on their offer to let him stay with them.

The suspect also told detectives he was from Guatemala and wanted ICE to take him home, according to a report released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD).

Maris colleague Westby, who was stabbed in the back during the attack, described the moment Barrios murdered her friend, telling the New York Post: 'He pulled up a knife and he showed it to us as if modeling it.

'Before we could say anything at all. He grabbed the knife and he stabbed Maris in the heart.

Westby said she didnt notice she too had been stabbed as she tried to save Maris. She said: 'And another guy said, 'Ma'am, you have a stab wound on your back.' I said, 'I know.' Can you grab your shirt and apply it to my back while I apply this to her?'

He then slashed Cayetano as the women attempted to flee but Maris collapsed before they could escape.

Westby said: Maris made it only about 15 feet before she collapsed. And he came after me and stabbed me in the back, and he ran off.'
Two advocates from a climate protest group have been arrested after gluing their hands to a priceless piece of art, triggering an evacuation at one of Australia's biggest galleries.

A 49-year-old woman and a 59-year-old man from Extinction Rebellion Australia (ERA) glued their hands to the glass of a framed painting by Pablo Picasso, titled Massacre in Korea, at midday on Sunday at the National Gallery of Victoria.

The pair stood either side of the 1951 piece each with a hand glued to the glass and above a banner reading 'climate chaos = war + famine'.

'Brave extinction rebellion climate protesters taking a stand at the Picasso exhibition at the NGV today - If you think this is disruption, note that climate chaos will cause war and famine,' a supporter wrote on Twitter.

Two protesters from Extinction Rebellion Australia glued their hands to the glass frame of a Picasso painting in the National Gallery of Victoria

The pair livestreamed their actions as they attached themselves to the painting and began yelling.

The stunt is the latest in the organisation's calendar of disruptive demonstrations planned for its 'Spring Rebellion '22'.

Sunday's risky protest was not advertised on the calendar.

'A clear reflection of Picassos pacifist beliefs, "Massacre in Korea" shows the horrors of war through a depiction of the final moments of a group of women and children held at gunpoint by dehumanised soldiers,' Extinction Rebellion wrote on Twitter.

'The banner reads "Climate Chaos = War and Famine" highlighted the connection between climate breakdown & human suffering.

Extinction Rebellion Australia are known for disruptive climate protests (pictured, protesters parade a burning koala through Melbourne)

ERA advocates previously burned the Australian flag outside a Melbourne Parliament House (above) as part of climate protests

'According to David Attenborough, "If we continue on our current path, we will face the collapse of everything that gives us our security" - leading to conflict.

'No arts were harmed in the making of this action.'

Extinction Rebellion is notorious for its disruptive protests which has seen advocates burn the Australian flag outside parliament house, wheel a mechanical burning koala prop through Melbourne and hang off the side of the Brisbane Story Bridge in a hammock.

Upcoming events on the group's spring calendar include protests at logging area, a parade, a 'disruptive' event in Melbourne's CBD and a blockade of the Yarra River.

Police said the pair, alongside a 49-year-old man, were arrested at about 2pm and were assisting with enquiries.

An art curator attended the scene of the protest to remove the advocates (above) without damaging the painting

The 49-year-old NSW woman and a 59-year-old Footscray man (above) were arrested and are assisting with enquiries

'Police were called to the art gallery on St Kilda Road in Southbank after protesters glued themselves to a painting on Sunday 9 October,' a spokesperson said.

'It is believed three protesters entered the ground level of the gallery before a man and a woman glued themselves to a protective covering of a Picasso painting about 12.40pm.'

An art curator was called to make sure the pair could be removed without harming the piece.

People attending the gallery's Picasso exhibit were shocked by the protest.

The two protesters (one pictured above) and a third man were arrested following the risky stunt

'I'm at the Picasso exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria and just as I'm about to go up to his Weeping Woman some Extinction Rebellion protesters began yelling slogans and attached themselves to a painting in the next room!,' one person wrote.

'Had to vacate the Picasso exhibition along with everyone else due to protests & police activity...that's enough excitement for one day,' another said.

However, commenters under the ERA's livestream applauded the protesters.

'Thanks to this brave pair for highlighting the climate catastrophe,' one person wrote.

'Thank you Rebels! Super brave action,' another said.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the National Gallery of Victoria for comment.
City on a Hill founder and senior pastor Guy Mason has taken aim at Daniel Andrews after the Victorian premier slammed the church's views as 'bigotry' and 'hatred' in the wake of the Essendon saga.

Former NAB boss Andrew Thorburn was appointed as the Essendon Bombers' new CEO on Monday before sensationally resigning less than 30 hours later amid furore over his concurrent role as chairman of City on a Hill.

The church condemns homosexuality and has an article on its website from 2013 titled 'Surviving Same Sex Attraction as a Christian', with Mr Mason comparing abortion to the holocaust that same year during a sermon.

Critics argued Mr Thorburn, who vowed to lead an 'inclusive' AFL club, was an inappropriate frontman for the team as it tries to position itself as socially progressive.

City on a Hill church founder and pastor Guy Mason (pictured with his wife Vanessa) has taken aim at Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews

Mr Mason has since admitted he should have used different wording but claimed the church is not homophobic, despite maintaining that marriage is between a man and woman, while Mr Andrews called the church's stance 'absolutely appalling'.

Now the embattled church leader has called Mr Andrews 'unwise' and claims Mr Thorburn was 'cancelled' because of his faith.

'It is disappointing for a premier to label not just our church, but you know, Anglican Church, Christian churches, to label so quickly, as opposed to taking time to actually learn and listen,' he told The Australian outside the church's Sunday service in Melbourne.

'I just think its unwise. I feel we need leaders who cannot inflame situations (but) get to know people and pursue true diversity, not use diversity as their catchphrase.'

Mr Mason said the controversy surrounding Mr Thorburn had 'raised some important questions for our culture' and set a concerning precedent.

'Questions about the relationship of faith in the public square  this idea that you could be cancelled (because of) your faith is a dangerous idea. I think we've seen the importance of learning to listen,' he said.

The former CEO of NAB, Andrew Thorburn stood down as Bombers CEO on Monday amid backlash over his role as chairman of the controversial City on a Hill church

In the wake of the controversy, Mr Andrews said the church's views were 'bigotry' and 'hatred'

Mr Mason also said he believed many Essendon players may be now questioning their place within the club in light of the scandal.

Opening the sermon on Sunday, Mr Mason addressed the room by introducing himself in jest as the 'controversial pastor' before entering more serious reflection on the church's beleaguered past week.

He revealed he had prayed with Mr Thorburn and was thankful for his 'courage and conviction', saying it was 'sad to put somebody in a position where they are asked to choose between their faith and their job'.

Mr Mason also clarified the church's position on homosexuality and abortion, saying it was not homophobic 'despite the labelling of our premier' and that members 'love all people' although holding the conviction 'marriage is between a man and woman'.

Mr Thorburn was not present at the service.

The move to instate Mr Thorburn, who resigned from NAB in 2019 following scathing criticism during the banking royal commission, sparked public outcry online.

Port Phillip Deputy Mayor Tim Baxter was one of many Essendon fans renouncing the club on Tuesday.

Bombers players are seen at the AFL Elimination Final against the Western Bulldogs at UTAS Stadium in Launceston in August, 2021

'I urge anyone who cares about queer rights to resign also,' Baxter wrote on Twitter.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews earlier labelled the church's views 'absolutely appalling' but said he would continue to support Essendon and renew his membership.

'That kind of intolerance, that kind of hatred, bigotry. It's just wrong,' Mr Andrews told reporters on Tuesday.

'I hope we (Essendon) can get ourselves on the back page of the paper a bit more often than we're on the front page.'

In an interview on SEN Breakfast on Tuesday, Mr Thorburn addressed his links to the church, saying he joined in 2014 and some of the articles on the website pre-dated his involvement.

'I've never heard these things expressed in my time, I've been on the board two years,' he said.

'I'm not a pastor, my job in a governance role is to make sure it's run well, I don't always agree with what's said.

Mr Mason is seen praying with his hands in the air during a service for the City of Hill church

'If we want a diverse society, it also means there's going to be people with different views.'

In the 2013 article, the church urged those with 'same-sex attractions' to refrain from intimacy as it was a 'sin' and to seek 'support'.

'If you struggle with same-sex attraction, it is vital to speak to a mature Christian whom you trust, so you can receive the support and accountability you will need in the long term to survive these temptations,' it reads.

'Practicing homosexuality is a sin, but same-sex attraction is not a sin.'

Another sermon published in 2013, but still on the church's website this week, compared the 'freedom' of abortion to the Jewish holocaust.

'Today we look back at (with) sadness and disgust over concentration camps, future generations will look back with sadness at the legal murder of hundreds of thousands human beings every day through medicine.'

Mr Thorburn was due to take over as CEO on November after the role was vacated by Xavier Campbell, who resigned in August amid a period of off-field upheaval.

A CEO to replace Thorburn is yet to be announced, with Essendon president David Barham set to oversee external review findings to overhaul the club.

According to the Herald Sun, prospective candidates include MCC chief executive Stuart Fox or Brisbane Lions chief executive Greg Swann.
Initially described as a respiratory virus, doctors now fear COVID can wreak havoc on sufferers' circulatory systems, with potentially-devastating effects

A Brooklyn mother has issued an alarming warning about the risk catching the coronavirus can have on giving birth.

Lauren Phillips told how she suffered from preeclampsia after having her baby and linked it to going down with the virus earlier in her pregnancy.

The 32-year-old attorney said she was rushed back into hospital with dangerously high blood pressure just days after having her son.

She urged would-be parents to avoid coronavirus during pregnancy and seek immediate medical advice because she says it saved her life.

It comes as experts fear catching Covid could cause deadly complications with childbirth and even lead to stillbirths.

A swathe of studies during the pandemic found women had a 60 percent greater risk of having preeclampsia if they had suffered from the virus.

Researchers linked catching coronavirus to a destroyed placenta that was scarred and a tan color rather than the usual dark shade that caused complications.

Lauren Smith, a 32-year-old New York mom, sailed through an easy pregnancy aside from becoming infected with COVID in her second trimester. A few days after her baby was born, she was rushed to the hospital with high blood pressure and diagnosed with preeclampsia. Doctors think the condition was linked to her COVID infection

While a normal placenta is spongy and dark reddish hue (top) the ones she was studying from mothers who lost their babies, were firm, discolored, scarred, and more of a tan color

What is preeclampsia? Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy complication that causes high blood pressure, which can be deadly for both a woman and her unborn baby if untreated. It usually begins after 20 weeks of pregnancy in women whose blood pressure is typically normal. The most effective treatment is an early delivery; usually via C-section. However, this may not be best for the baby if it is early on in the pregnancy. Pre-eclampsia affects about 25,000 women in England and Wales each year, and four per cent of pregnancies in the US. It can have no symptoms if it develops gradually rather than coming on suddenly. A blood pressure reading above 140/90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) on two occasions is usually the first sign. Other symptoms may include: Severe headaches

Blurred vision, temporary loss of sight or light sensitivity

Upper abdominal pain, particularly under the ribs on the right side Sudden weight gain, and swelling in the face and hands, are also symptoms, however, these can occur during normal pregnancies. Pre-eclampsia is thought to begin in the placenta when its blood vessels narrow and do not react to hormones properly. This reduces the amount of blood that flows through them. Its underlying cause may be genetic, due to a problem with a woman's immune system or existing blood vessel damage. A woman is more at risk if she, or a member of her family, suffered from pre-eclampsia before. The risk is also highest during the first pregnancy, and if a woman is over 40; obese; black; having a multiple birth, like twins; or conceived via IVF. Existing medical conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, migraines and kidney disease also raise the risk. If untreated, pre-eclampsia can restrict a baby's growth or cause it to be delivered early. The placenta can also separate from the uterus wall, which can lead to severe bleeding. A woman may also suffer seizures, organ damage and even heart disease as a result of untreated pre-eclampsia. There is no clear advice on how to prevent pre-eclampsia, however, research suggests taking a low-dose of aspirin and calcium supplements may help. Source: Mayo Clinic Advertisement

Phillips sailed through an easy pregnancy aside from becoming infected with COVID in her second trimester, which she described in her blog as a 'mild cold.'

But a few days after her baby son Arthur was born in April, the Brooklyn-based attorney was rushed to the emergency room as her blood pressure hit 160/116.

Phillips, who was up to date with her vaccinations and was careful with masking, found she had preeclampsia doctors believe was linked to a February Omicron infection.

She wrote: 'In the last hours of labor before the c section my blood pressure started to rise, but after delivery it came down enough that I was discharged on day 3 post delivery.

'On day 5, I experienced a severe dizzy spell. I was sitting down at the time. It felt like a sudden pulse or pressure wave, making the room spin. I'd never experienced anything like it, it felt bizarre, and it frightened me.

'I called my doctor and she told me to call back if it happened again. A few hours later, it did.

'My husband ran out to Rite Aid and bought a blood pressure cuff, which indicated my pressure was up to 140/90.

'I also noticed that my ankles were starting to swell and had become much more swollen than they had even been during pregnancy. I called the doctor and she had me come to the emergency room.

'I was brought back to the labor and delivery ward for observation, where over the course of a few hours my pressure spiked to 160/116.

'Once it hit that level, the medical team started me on a magnesium drip and admitted me for severe preeclampsia.

'I stayed in the hospital for two days before the doctors had me stable on blood pressure-reducing medication (nifidipene).

'Happily, my hospital allowed my spouse and son to stay in the hospital with me for those two days, so I could give him a steady supply of milk and hold or breastfeed him when I was stable enough to do so.'

She added: 'After discharge with instructions to take my pressure 4 times per day at home, my pressure spiked again less than 24 hours later, necessitating a return to the hospital.

'There they gave me a high dose of blood pressure medication (labetelol) intravenously.

'I was able to return home the same day on two drugs which kept my pressure out of the danger zone.

'About 5 weeks later, after steady drops in my pressure week by week, I was able to come off both drugs.

'Now 3 months postpartum, my blood pressure has returned to the healthy levels I had pre-labor.'

Preeclampsia is a complication of pregnancy that results in 70,000 maternal and 500,000 fetal deaths worldwide each year, the Seattle Times reported, and the number of cases jumped during the pandemic.

The illness is just one part of a slew of information scientists are studying to learn more about how Covid affects pregnancy.

Experts say women who contracted Covid-19 during their pregnancy also face an elevated risk of stillbirths.

But they believe vaccination can help prevent these cases, with statistics showing unvaccinated women at higher risk of complications.

Earlier on in the pandemic, many thought the coronavirus didn't affect unborn fetuses because few babies were born with the infection.

But in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology study published in September, it was revealed that the infection damages the placenta's immune response to further infections.

'What we're seeing now is that the placenta is vulnerable to COVID-19, and the infection changes the way the placenta works, and that in turn is likely to impact the development of the fetus,' Dr. Kristina Adams Waldorf said.

Expectant mothers were 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalized and 13.6 times more likely to die than non-pregnant residents of Washington state who were in their 20s and 30s (above)

Researchers looked at 240 pregnant women with COVID-19 in Washington state between March 1 and June 30, 2020. Pictured: Nurse Janil Wise (left) inserts a nasal swap during a COVID-19 test for patient Sarah Bodle, who is 31 weeks pregnant, at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, Calfiornia, July 2020

Scientists also believed Covid to be a virus that mainly affected the respiratory system - but it has now been proven to wreak havoc with the circulatory system too.

Doctors also fear a Covid infection may 'unmask' health conditions that a pregnant woman's immune system would otherwise be able to shield her from.

The placenta, an organ that attaches to the womb during pregnancy, connects with the umbilical cord and provides oxygen and nourishment from the mother's bloodstream to the baby.

In the fall and winter of 2021, Amy Heerema McKenney, a Cleveland Clinic pathologist whose job involves figuring out why some babies die, began receiving eerily similar reports of stillbirths, The Times reported.

She recalled feeling 'pretty panicked' as she began to look into the cases, which happened in quick succession.

While a normal placenta is spongy and dark reddish hue, which shows the nourishing blood flowing through it, the ones she was studying from mothers who lost their babies were like nothing she'd ever seen.

They were firm, discolored, scarred, and more of a tan color. 'The degree of devastation was unique,' she said.
A brother-in-law used ordinary boating supplies to save the life of a father-of-three after a bull shark almost ripped off his arm during their spearfishing trip.

Robbie Peck, 38, was in the water about 11km off the coast of Port Hedland in Western Australia on Friday as his brother-in-law Ben and four-year-old son waited in the boat.

But the day took a dire turn when a huge bull shark bit into Mr Peck's upper arm and wrist as he was making his way back to the boat with the fish he'd just caught.

The three were at least half-an-hour away from the nearest help so Ben sprang into action with what he had at hand.

Father-of-three Robbie Peck (pictured), 38, almost had his left arm severed off his shoulder after being attacked by a shark while spearfishing offshore at Port Hedland in Western Australia on Friday

Mr Peck (pictured with his family) is recovering well in hospital thanks to the first aid provided by his brother-in-law and his four-year-old son

'He took the speargun rubber and made a makeshift tourniquet and used the wetsuit itself to keep everything in place,' friend Wally Galli of GT Diving told 7 News.

'The young fella was covered in blood, he was there helping his dad.'

Mr Peck is being treated in Royal Perth Hospital where he is recovering well, thanks to the first aid provided, though he will likely need further surgery and lengthy rehabilitation on his arm.

A Royal Flying Doctor Service spokeswoman said his injuries were so serious his left arm had 'nearly been severed'.

Paramedics treated him after he was brought back to shore by boat at 11.30am, before he was then rushed to Hedland Health Campus under priority one conditions and then onto Royal Perth for surgery.

Mr Peck was wearing a GoPro to film himself spearfishing but it was dropped when the shark attacked him.

Paramedics attended him after he was brought back to shore by boat at 11.30am, where he was then rushed to Hedland Health Campus under priority one conditions

His wife Emily said the moment she heard 'shark attack' was not a phone call anyone would ever want to get.

'(It was) just that sinking feeling in your gut and I swear all of the blood just drained from my face,' she said.

The outing was supposed to be Mr Peck's final voyage on the boat as the couple had organised to sell the vessel.

WA's fisheries department is working with local authorities and has urged people to take additional precautions in the Port Hedland area.
The NSW Government has launched an online calculator to help first home buyers figure out if they want to pay stamp duty or an annual property tax.

Under the First Home Buyer Choice plan, eligible buyers would have the choice of a smaller annual property payment or the traditional upfront stamp duty for properties with a purchase price of up to $1.5million.

The new online calculator is designed to help people choose which option would better suit their needs if the legislation is passed.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the government's proposed tax would help people buy houses sooner.

'Home ownership... starts paying dividends from the moment you walk through your front door for the first time and we don't want people to have to wait an extra couple of years to reap those benefits,' he said.

But Labor's shadow Housing Minister, Rose Jackson, said that 'the Liberals want to force first home buyers into impossible choices'.

The Labor Party also pointed out the legislation, announced in June, has not yet passed and there are just 15 sitting days left before the NSW election in March 2023.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet (right) is pictured with his wife Helen. Mr Perrottet has just 15 sitting days left to pass legislation before the State Election in March

'After 12 years of neglect, this last-minute effort to rush this through the parliament is lazy and simply isn't going to cut it,' she said.

Treasurer Matt Kean said the annual tax could help young families 'fast-track their journey to the great Australian dream'.

'Treasury analysis indicates half of all owner-occupiers sell their home within 10.5 years, with first home buyers likely to sell even sooner,' he said.

'That means for the majority of first home buyers that don't already receive stamp duty assistance, First Home Buyer Choice will not only allow them to break into the property market earlier, but pay less overall.'

Finance Minister Damien Tudehope said the calculator was an important tool that would make it easy for first home buyers to make the decision that was right for them.

'When you own your own home, you own a stake in our nation, and the First Home Buyer Choice will help more young people across NSW do exactly that,' he said.

Legislation for the First Home Buyer Choice plan, which was announced in the 2022-23 NSW Budget, will soon be introduced into Parliament, but Labor said it is too close to the election and should be held over.

The NSW Government has said an online calculator launched on Monday will help first home buyers break into the property market earlier and save money. Pictured is a house for sale in Sydney

'The Liberals owe it to the people of New South Wales to take it to an election,' said Ms Jackson.

'This just demonstrates that after 12 years the Liberals have nothing substantive to show for on the issue of housing.'
The United Nations Security Council meets to discuss a ballistic missile test by North Korea, Wednesday, at U.N. headquarters. AP-Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



The ability of the United Nations Security Council to contain North Korea's missile and nuclear provocations is being questioned due to repeated failures of sanctions to tame the regime's belligerence.



As the council continues to remain deadlocked on further sanctions as permanent members China and Russia drag their heels, calls are growing for South Korea, the U.S. and Japan to consider unilateral or joint sanctions on the North to achieve better results.



On Oct. 5, the U.N. Security Council held a session to discuss how to handle North Korea's ballistic missile launch over Japan a day earlier, but ended without reaching any agreement on the next step as its permanent members _ the U.S., the U.K., China, Russia and France _ remained miles apart. Each of them has the power to veto a resolution.



The U.S. warned that the council's inability to reach a consensus will end up proving North Korea's resilience to foreign pressure. But Russia blamed the U.S. for prompting North Korea's actions, while China claimed that the real issue is a confrontation between Washington and Pyongyang.



As the council failed again to adopt a resolution condemning the recent provocations, Pyongyang launched two short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday and another two on Sunday. The North has fired 12 missiles since Sept. 23, when the U.S. aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan entered South Korean waters to take part in military exercises.









As the council remains incapable of handling the North's saber-rattling actions, South Korea is considering imposing its own sanctions on Pyongyang.



"The government is considering imposing independent sanctions, as part of seeking a strong response to the North's anticipated seventh nuclear weapon test or other serious provocations," South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said at a press briefing on Thursday. "However, we will consider the content of the sanctions, the timing of the announcement and other details, based on the North's level of provocations."



This is not the first time that South Korea has been dropping hints at adopting its own sanctions against the Kim Jong-un regime. Multiple senior officials at the Yoon Suk-yeol administration have suggested imposing independent sanctions on the North.



The U.S. already sanctioned two people and three firms from Singapore, Taiwan and the Marshall Islands on Friday accused of helping North Korea procure fuel, while Japan's upper house has adopted a resolution urging Tokyo to impose independent sanctions against the North.





A TV screen showing a news program reporting North Korea's missile launch through file footage, is seen at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday. North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles Sunday. AP-Yonhap
An Australian adventurer has died in his wife's arms after a freak rock climbing accident in Canada.

Daniel Heritage, 28, fell to his death in Calgary's Rocky Mountains on Wednesday, just months after he set off on the trip of a lifetime with his wife Emma.

Ms Heritage has been documenting their hiking holiday on Facebook with dozens of photos showing her husband swimming, rock climbing, hiking, and enjoying Canada's picturesque mountain views.

Her twin Jessica Bartel revealed her sister had witnessed her husband's accident and had held him in her arms as he passed away but the exact circumstances have not been revealed.

Emma and Daniel Heritage (pictured) have been hiking through the Canadian Rockies and have kept family and friends up to date with their travels via Facebook

Daniel Heritage, 28, (pictured) tragically died in an accident in Calgary, in Alberta, just months after he set off on the trip of a lifetime with his wife Emma.

Their father has now flown to Canada to support his grief-stricken daughter, who is currently staying with friends she met on her travels.

Ms Bartel said Daniel was one of the most ambitious people she had ever known and that she had felt particularly close to him because she and her sister are twins.

'He felt like my brother way before they got married,' Ms Bartel told The Advertiser.

'One thing I loved most about him was the way he cared for others.

'You always felt heard by him.'

The couple adored nature and would plan adventures on long weekends and had built a home in the Adelaide suburb of Valley View before they went away.

Ms Bartel said nothing was ever out of reach for her brother-in-law (pictured) who would go above and beyond to help a loved one achieve their goals

Ms Bartel said nothing was ever out of reach for her brother-in-law and that he would go above and beyond to help a loved one achieve their goals.

The last photos uploaded of their dream holiday pictures show Mr Heritage climbing up a frozen waterfall and watching the sunset with wild deer at Sundance Canyon.

The couple, who recently celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary, had planned to stay in Canada for two years before the trip was tragically cut short.

A GoFundMe page is raising funds to cover funeral costs and fly Ms Heritage's father to Canada where he will support his daughter during the painful flight home.

It has surpassed its goal of $10,000 with over $18,000 raised in just 24 hours.

A GoFundMe is raising funds to cover funeral costs and send Ms Heritage's father to Canada where he support his grieving daughter

'We would greatly appreciate any support to help ease the financial costs associated with travelling so suddenly and to support the families with funeral costs and other expenses,' Ms Bartel wrote on the campaign.

'We wanted to thank everyone for your kind words, love and support so far during this challenging time.

'Please continue to pray for Emma and our families as we navigate this lifelong grief.'

Friends took to Facebook to share their grief at Mr Heritages' shock passing.

'It's hard to put into words how much this hurts, how much you will be missed, how cruel life can be,' friend Melissa Swinbourne wrote.

The couple have been hiking, camping and rock climbing in Canada's Rockies since March and planned to stay for two years before their dream holiday was tragically cut short

'Daniel was living a dream adventure with his wonderful wife and now we need to help bring him home and help Emma with whatever life throws her from now on.

'Miss you forever Danny Heritage.'

Another friend, Monique Rice, said Mr Heritage was taken too soon.

'He was my sisters best friend, loving husband and adventure buddy,' she said.

'Sadly taken from us too soon and I would be incredibly grateful and humbled for any support people can give.'
A man has died after falling from a boat in Sydney Harbour while crowds at a popular tourist hotspot watched on in horror.

NSW water police were called to rescue the man in waters off Nielsen Park beach in Vaucluse at 1.30pm on Sunday.

The man in his 60s was taken to nearby Rose Bay wharf where paramedics made desperate attempts to resuscitate him.

NSW water police were called to rescue a man who fell of a boat in Sydney Harbour

After the man was picked up by police he was taken to a nearby wharf where ambulance crews worked to resuscitate him

Ambulance crews attempted to resuscitate him for more than 30 minutes.

Despite their efforts the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

He was put onto a police boat and taken to police headquarters.

After 30 minutes of attempted resuscitation the man was pronounced dead at the scene

A large crowd of onlookers gathered to watch the tragedy unfold at a popular seaside area of Sydney

Police say investigations into the incident are continuing.

The man will be formally identified and a report prepared for the Coroner.

An elderly man was seen wearing wet clothes and being given towels to dry himself off with at the scene of the attempted resuscitation.

At one point an emergency services worker wrapped the man in a blanket and put a consoling arm around him as they offered him water.

it is understood an 18-year-old man was on board the vessel at the time the man fell into the water, but he was uninjured.

An unidentified man was seen being comforted by emergency services at the scene of the attempted resuscitation
Protests ignited by the death of a young woman in police custody continue across Iran despite a fierce crackdown by the authorities that has left at least 185 people, including children, killed.

Protesters in dozens of cities across across the nation took to the streets for the fourth week, chanting anti-government slogans and twirling headscarves to protest religious dress codes.

Demonstrations that began last month at the funeral of Mahsa Amini have turned into the biggest challenges to Iran's clerical leaders in years, with protesters on Sunday calling for the downfall of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Ms Amini, 22, had been detained in Tehran for an alleged violation of strict Islamic dress codes for women.

Hackers broke into the evening news on Iran's state TV for 15 seconds on Saturday, just as footage of the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was being broadcast.

The groups - called 'Adalat Ali', or Ali's Justice - flashed an image of Mr Khamenei surrounded by flames. A caption read 'Join us and stand up!' and 'The blood of our youth is dripping from your claws,' a reference to Khamenei.

A song with the lyrics 'Woman. Life. Freedom' - a common chant of the protesters - played in the background.

In other anti-regime messages, activists have spray-painted 'Death to Khamenei' and 'The Police are the Murderers of the People' on public billboards in Tehran.

Women's marches continued to erupt across Iran on Saturday with demonstrators twirling headscarves to protest religious dress codes

Protesters in dozens of cities across Iran took to the streets on Saturday, for the fourth week, chanting anti-government slogans. At least two people were killed. Pictured: Demonstrators in Javanrood on Saturday

Iran state-run news agency was hijacked on Saturday as protesters called out the nation's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The hijack showed Mr Khamenei with flames around him

'At least 185 people, including at least 19 children, have been killed in the nationwide protests across Iran. The highest number of killings occurred in Sistan and Baluchistan province with half the recorded number,' Norway-based Iran Human Rights said in a statement on Saturday.

Denying use of live bullets, authorities have described the protests as a plot by Iran's foes including the US, accusing armed dissidents - among others - of violence in which at least 20 members of the security forces have been reported killed.

Videos shared on social media showed protests continued in dozens of cities across Iran early Sunday with hundreds of high school girls and university students joining in despite the use of tear gas, clubs, and in many cases live ammunition by the security forces, according to rights groups.

A video posted on Twitter by the widely followed activist 1500tasvir showed a man shouting 'don't hit my wife, she is pregnant,' while trying to protect her from a dozen riot police beating the couple in the city of Rafsanjan.

Other videos showed protesters blocking some streets in southern Tehran.

Some posts on social media said shops were closed in several cities after a call by activists for a mass strike. MailOnline could not verify the videos and posts.

Details of casualties have trickled out slowly, partly because of the restrictions on the internet imposed by the authorities.

The demonstrations come after at least three people were shot dead when protesters clashed with police following the burial of Mahsa Amini, (pictured) a woman who died in the custody of Iran's feared morality police

Ms Amini's death has sparked an unprecedented wave of protests across Iran.

She was arrested on September 13 for wearing 'inappropriate attire'. She died three days later at a Tehran hospital.

A state coroner's report on Saturday said Ms Amini had died due to pre-existing medical conditions.

Her father has held the police responsible for her death with the family lawyer saying 'respectable doctors' believe she was beaten while in custody.

The demonstrations come after at least three people were shot dead when protesters clashed with police following her burial.

'The blood of our youths is on your hands,' read an on-screen message that flashed up briefly during the TV broadcast Saturday evening, as street protests again rocked Tehran and other cities.

During Saturday's interrupted news bulletin, photos of Ms Amini and three other women killed in recent protests were broadcast to the nation.

'Join us and rise up,' read another message in the TV hack claimed by the group.

The interruption lasted only 15 seconds before the state-run media cut it off.

Across the nation, demonstrators were met with apparent brutal force as they marched in the streets of at least 40 cities, activists on social media have reported.

'Police forces used tear gas to disperse the crowds in dozens of locations in Tehran,' state news agency IRNA reported, adding the demonstrators 'chanted slogans and set fire to and damaged public property, including a police booth'.

In the city of Sanandaj - located in the Kurdish-majority northern region - one man was shot dead Saturday while driving a car in a major thoroughfare, rights monitors said.

The France-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network and the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, said the man was shot after honking at security forces stationed on the street.

Honking has become one of the ways activists have been expressing civil disobedience.

Video circulating social media showed protesters twirling their headscarves in the Iranian streets on Saturday

Hackers broke into the evening news on Iran's state TV for 15 seconds, just as footage of the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was being broadcast

The hackers showed photos of four women killed in recent protests and called on the nation to 'Join us and stand up!'

Video circulating online showed the slain man slumped over the steering wheel, as distraught witnesses shouted for help.

The semi-official Fars news agency, believed to be close to the elite paramilitary force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, said Kurdistan's police chief denied reports of using live rounds against protesters.

Fars claimed that people in Sanandaj's Pasdaran Street said the victim was shot from inside the car without elaborating. But photos of the dead man indicate that he was shot from his left side, meaning he likely was not shot from inside the car.

The blood can be seen running down the inside of the door on the driver's side.

A member of the Guards' Basij paramilitary force died in Tehran from 'a serious head injury following an armed attack by a mob,' IRNA said - in killings that raised the death toll among security forces to 14.

Angry men then appear to take revenge on a member of the feared Basij militia, swarming him and beating him badly, in another widely shared video.

Yet another video clip shows a young woman said to have been shot dead in Mashhad in the country's northeast.

A second protester was killed after security forces fired gunshots to disperse crowds in the city and 10 protesters were wounded, the rights monitors said.

A general strike was observed in the city's main streets amid a heavy security presence and protesters burned tires in some areas.

Patrols have deterred mass gatherings in Sanandaj but isolated protests have continued in the city's densely populated neighbourhoods.

During demonstrations security forces fired pellet guns and tear gas at the crowd causing many to run. Security personnel on motorcycles also drove into crowds in an effort to disperse them. Pictured: Protests in Javanrood on Saturday

Demonstrations were also reported in the capital Tehran on Saturday (pictured)

Three weeks ago, the news of Ms Amini's death in the custody of the morality police in Tehran spread rapidly across her home province of Kurdistan. Demonstrators are pictured marching through Tehran on Saturday

During demonstrations security forces fired pellet guns and tear gas at the crowd causing many to run. Security personnel on motorcycles also drove into crowds in an effort to disperse them.

Activists claim they either witnessed or heard live ammunition. Iranian authorities have so far denied this, blaming separatist groups on occasions when the use of live fire was verified.

Demonstrations were also reported in the capital Tehran on Saturday, including small ones near the Sharif University of Technology, one of Iran's premier centres of learning and the scene of a violent government crackdown last weekend.

Authorities have closed the campus until further notice.

Images on social media showed protests also took place in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

Other protests erupted at Azad University in northern Tehran, in other neighbourhoods of the capital and in the city's bazaar. Many shops were closed in central Tehran and near the University of Tehran.

President Ebrahim Raisi in a meeting with students from the all-female Al-Zahra University in Tehran alleged again that foreign enemies were responsible for fomenting the protests.

He has made the claim without giving specifics or providing any evidence.

'The enemy thought that it can pursue its desires in universities while unaware that our students and teachers are aware and they will not allow the enemies' vain plans to be realised,' he said.

Female students tell Iran's president to 'get lost' during weekend protests

Protests erupted at multiple Iranian universities on Saturday. A group of female students are pictured during the demonstrations

Led largely by women and youth, the protests have evolved from spontaneous mass gatherings in central areas to scattered demonstrations in residential areas, schools and universities. Pictured: Demonstrators in Javanrood on Saturday

Three weeks ago, the news of Ms Amini's death in the custody of the morality police in Tehran spread rapidly across her home province of Kurdistan.

The response was swift in the impoverished and historically marginalised area.

As the burial was underway in Ms Amini's town of Saqqez on September 17, protesters were already filling Sanandaj's main thoroughfare, activists claimed.

People of all ages were present and began chanting slogans that would be repeated in cities across Iran: 'Woman. Life. Freedom.'

The Amini family had been under pressure from the government to bury her quickly before a critical mass of protesters formed, activist Afsanah, a 38-year-old clothing designer from Saqqez, has claimed.

She was at the burial and followed the crowds from the cemetery to the city square.

Iran has been torn by the biggest wave of social unrest in almost three years, led by women and youth. The protests have evolved from spontaneous mass gatherings in central areas to scattered demonstrations in residential areas, schools and universities.

'Videos coming out from Tehran indicate that there are so many protests, in every corner of the city, in small and big numbers,' said US-based campaigner and journalist Omid Memarian on Twitter.

In Ms Amini's hometown Saqez, Kurdistan, schoolgirls chanted and marched down a street swinging their hijab headscarves in the air, in videos the Hengaw rights group said were recorded on Saturday.

Gruesome footage has emerged from the state's often bloody response, spread online despite widespread internet outages and blocks on all the major social media platforms.

There have been waves of protest in Iran in recent years, the largest in 2009 bringing large crowds into the streets after what protesters felt was a stolen election.

But the continued defiance and demands for regime change during the current wave seem to pose the most serious challenge in years to the Islamic Republic.

Protesters are pictured in Tehran on Saturday

Demonstrators in Tehran set a fire as they clash with police during a protest over Ms Amini's death on Saturday

In the face of the violence and the online restrictions, protesters have adopted new tactics to spread their message of resistance in public spaces.

'We are not afraid anymore. We will fight,' read one large banner placed on an overpass of Tehran's Modares highway, seen in images verified by AFP.

In other footage, a man with a spray can is seen altering the wording of a government billboard on the same highway from 'The Police are the Servants of the People' to 'The Police are the Murderers of the People'.

Several water features in the Iranian capital were said to have been coloured blood-red, but the head of city's municipality parks organisation Ali Mohamad Mokhtari said: 'This information is completely false and there isn't any change in the colours of fountains in Tehran'.

Iran has accused outside forces of stirring up the protests, as solidarity protests have been held in scores of cities worldwide. The United States, European Union and other governments have imposed new sanctions on Iran.

On Ms Amini's death, Iran said Friday that a forensic investigation had found that she died as a result of a long-standing medical condition, rather than of blows to the head as claimed by activists.

Ms Amini's father told London-based Iran International that he rejected the official report: 'I saw with my own eyes that blood had come from Mahsa's ears and the back of her neck.'
Russia's deputy PM meanwhile deployed divers to inspect bridge foundations and search for more evidence

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Top pro-Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov is demanding a brutal Stalinist response to 'plunge Ukraine into dark times' and round up all Russians against total war in the wake of the humiliating hit on the Crimean Bridge.

Alluding to an enemy within, Solovyov called for a return of the notorious Stalin-era SMERSH counter-intelligence to crush all internal opposition to a full-scale war against Ukraine.

SMERSH, whose motto was 'Death to Spies', was a conglomeration of counterintelligence agencies used by Stalin to root out and obliterate those trying to subvert his regime during and after World War II.

'It's time to remember Soviet military training and act decisively and creatively,' Solovyov said.

'Not responding to the enemy's actions, but breaking their plans, striking unexpected blows in directions where the enemy is not expecting them.

'Ukraine should be plunged into dark times. Bridges, dams, railways, thermal power plants and other infrastructure facilities should be destroyed throughout Ukraine.

'The country should switch to a military mode - entirely. This should include SMERSH making a return,' Solovyov declared. 'Everything for the front, everything for victory.'

Meanwhile, a pair of Russian governors spoke of their desire for revenge following the attack on the Kerch bridge connecting Crimea to mainland Russia, with one deputy claiming that devastating Sarmat missiles will target Ukrainian cities.

The deputy governor of Russia's southern Stavropol region Valery Chernitsov exclaimed: 'Ukrainians, leave your cities, especially the large ones. Because a big surprise is waiting for you. Sarmat missiles are ready to strike,' in a menacing video posted on Twitter.

Crimea's Russian-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov declared there is a 'healthy desire to seek revenge' following the explosion which destroyed parts of the Kerch bridge yesterday morning and killed three people.

'The situation is manageable - it's unpleasant, but not fatal,' Aksyonov said of the bridge which constitutes a prestigious symbol of Moscow's annexation of the peninsula and a key supply route to forces battling in southern Ukraine.

'Of course, emotions have been triggered and there is a healthy desire to seek revenge.'

Rocket attacks have already rained down on the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia since the bridge explosion, killing more than a dozen people late last night and early this morning.

The strikes came as Russia's deputy prime minister Marat Khusnullin deployed a team of divers to inspect the structure's underwater foundations for further damage and to search for evidence.

The divers began work at 6am this morning and are expected to spend the entire day combing the area underwater to ensure the bridge is structurally sound.

Top Putin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov (right with Putin) is demanding a brutal Stalinist response to decimate Ukraine and round up all Russians against total war in the wake of the humiliating hit on the Crimean Bridge

Alluding to an enemy within, Solovyov called for a return of the brutal Stalin-era SMERSH counter-intelligence to crush all internal opposition to full-scale war

Head of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov (L) said that 'emotions have been triggered and there is a healthy desire to seek revenge' following the bridge explosion. Deputy governor of Stavropol Valery Chernitsov (R) took a more direct tack with his threats of revenge, claiming that nuclear capable Sarmat rockets will be used to target Ukranian cities

A view shows a fire on the Kerch bridge in the Kerch Strait, Crimea, October 8, 2022, in this screen grab from a handout video

Explosion causes fire at the Kerch bridge in the Kerch Strait, Crimea on October 08, 2022

A color infrared satellite image shows a close up view of smoke rising from a fire on the Kerch bridge in the Kerch Strait, Crimea, October 8, 2022

The deputy governor of Russia's southern Stavropol region said 'Sarmat missiles are ready to strike Ukraine' in a menacing video posted on Twitter (Sarmat missile launch pictured April 2022)

Solovyov called for a return to Stalinist-era policies which saw counterintelligence services ruthlessly root out those it believed were trying to undermine the regime (Stalin pictured)

Saturday's explosion on the bridge prompted gleeful messages from Ukrainian officials but no claim of responsibility, though it is widely thought to have been of Ukrainian origin.

The bridge is a major artery for the Russian forces that control most of southern Ukraine's Kherson region and for the Russian naval port of Sevastopol.

But Aksyonov claimed the peninsula had a month's worth of fuel and more than two months' worth of food, while Russia's defence ministry said its forces in southern Ukraine could be 'fully supplied' through existing land and sea routes.

Rail traffic was restored to the bridge late last night, meaning it is unlikely the destruction will dramatically hinder Russian supply routes.

A leading Ukrainian presidential aide claimed this morning the Kerch Strait crossing carnage may have been ordered by one of Vladimir Putin's warring commanders.

Mykhailo Podolyak alleged that Russia's FSB secret service and the defence ministry are at loggerheads in a bitter dogfight over the botched war and are trying to undermine one another's credibility.

'Isn't it obvious who made [the] explosion? Truck arrived from RF [Russian Federation],' he said.

Meanwhile, a Western diplomatic source said the bridge attack could have been commissioned from inside the Russian establishment to fatally weaken Putin and trigger his toppling.

'It might be the SBU [Ukrainian secret service] but it also could be the first major sign of a bid from within Russia to incapacitate the Kremlin tsar,' the source said.

Some Western intelligence experts warned Vladimir Putin 'might go nuclear' and deploy weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine after the latest setback for his war.

The former head of the British Army warned that Putin could now opt for the Armageddon approach after the Kremlin previously insisted that an attack on Crimea would 'cross a red line'.

General Lord Richard Dannatt also said he expects Putin to escalate his attacks on Ukraine, The Telegraph reported last night.

The Russian dictator had previously vowed that any attack on the strategically important Kerch Strait between Russia and annexed Crimea would prompt 'judgment day'.

Devastating video footage showed a volley of missiles rain down on residential block in Zaporizhzhia, southeast Ukraine, as Putin launched his first retributive strikes last night.

A series of explosions rocked the city in the early hours of the morning, sending towering plumes of illuminated smoke into the sky and triggering a series of secondary explosions.

Putin's furious response came after it was widely reported that Ukrainian forces launched an 'explosive-laden aquatic device', possibly a drone, that brought the road bridge connecting Russia and Crimea crashing into the sea.

Putin (pictured addressing an audience in the Kremlin last month) is expected to escalate war

Ukrainian president Zelensky told viewers of his nightly Telegram video address that Ukraine's prospects were 'sunny', in stark contrast to the smoky clouds over Crimea after the blast

A leading Ukrainian presidential aide claimed this morning the Kerch Strait crossing carnage may have been ordered by one of Vladimir Putin's warring commanders

The Russian leader ordered the FSB intelligence service to monitor security on the bridge, a potential sign of a spat between the army and the secret service as Russia's war effort continues to falter.

Putin received pyramids of melons from the president of ally Tajikistan for his birthday. He was also given a tractor by Belarusian president Lukoshenko.

Meanwhile Ukrainian president and ex-comedian Volodymyr Zelensky rediscovered his comic chops in a tongue-in-cheek weather report following damage to a key strategic bridge between Russia and Moscow-annexed Crimea.

The Kyiv leader poked fun at the humiliating attack on Putin's supply line, making the audacious comments in his nightly video address posted on Telegram.

Zelensky said: 'Today was a good and mostly sunny day in our country. Over most of the territory, it was about 20 degrees Celsius and sunny.

'Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea, although it was still warm. But however the clouds are, Ukrainians know what to do, and they know that our future is sunny.

'This is the future without invaders, on all our territory, in particular in Crimea.'

Dramatic CCTV footage showed the moment the deadly bridge blast took out a key supply line

Satellite images also showed the damaged bridge continue to burn hours after the detonation

Three people were killed when the apparent truck bomb took down a chunk of the bridge between Russia and the Ukrainian region stolen by Putin in 2014.

The explosion took place just hours after Putin's 70th birthday, with one of Zelensky's aides joking: 'Happy birthday, Mr President'.

The plot thickened when a mysterious 'wave' was caught on video, fuelling speculation that Ukrainian special services used a boat or explosive-laden drone to launch an attack that has damaged Putin's supply lines.

Moscow furiously claimed a truck bomb caused the blast which killed at least three people but did not apportion blame - while the speaker of Crimea's Kremlin-backed regional parliament accused Kyiv of being behind the explosion.

Putin responded to the embarrassing attack by ordering tightened security at the bridge.

In a decree issued hours after the bridge was damaged by a blast, Putin said the FSB security service would be responsible for strengthening protection measures.

The Kremlin had claimed the bridge, which was opened personally by Putin in 2018 to much fanfare in Russian-state media, was being protected by a maximum security operation.

Russian law enforcement has identified Samir Yusubov, 25, from the Krasnodar region in Russia, as the alleged owner of the red-coloured International Prostar truck, which, according to investigators, exploded on the Crimean Bridge. They are still investigating who was driving the truck when it exploded.

Workers are pictured repairing the railway line section of the bridge over the Kerch Strait this evening on Putin's orders

The rail bridge from Russia to the Crimean peninsula can be seen engulfed in flames on the right, while a huge section of the road bridge has collapsed into the sea

Cars are pictured below the damaged bridge connecting Crimea to Russia tonight, hours after a massive explosion

But the so-called 'wave' which appeared under the bridge before it was destroyed has led to speculation that it was attacked using a boat or explosive-laden drone.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly threatened to strike the bridge and some lauded the destruction, but Kyiv stopped short of claiming responsibility. However, a top aide to President Zelensky boasted that 'Putin should be happy. Not everyone gets such an expensive birthday present', and the Prime Minister of Estonia suggested that the attack was committed by Ukraine.

The attack could cut supplies to Putin's forces as Ukraine makes more advances in the south towards Kherson. A section of the bridge has collapsed into the sea and seven oil tankers on a train caught fire in the blast. Long fuel lines are already forming in Crimea, despite Russian claims to have enough supplies to last two weeks.

Officials at the bridge opened the doors of the truck before sending it on its way - despite claims it was guarded with a maximum-security operation

Images appear to show movement in the water under the bridge a split second before the explosion which brought down the road bridge and set fire to oil tankers

The Kerch Bridge is the only direct link between Russia and Crimea and is a crucial supply line for Russian forces in Ukraine

The explosion is the latest setback in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with Putin's forces struggling to hold ground in the past few months

Eyewitnesses said the enormous blast could be heard from miles away, and a column of smoke could be seen rising over the Black Sea

Russian propaganda had claimed the Crimean bridge was impossible to attack because of 20 different kinds of security protecting it, including military dolphins

Speculation is mounting that a drone was used to blow up the bridge. This image handed out by the Russian Ministry of Defence shows what was claimed to be a mystery Ukrainian drone found near Crimea

The 12-mile bridge across the Kerch Strait linking the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov opened in 2018 and is the longest in Europe.

The 3.2billion project is a tangible symbol of Moscow's claims on Crimea and has provided an essential link to the peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Crimea holds symbolic value for Russia and is key to sustaining its military operations in southern Ukraine. While Russia seized areas north of Crimea early on during the invasion and built a land corridor to it along the Sea of Azov, Ukraine is pressing a counteroffensive to reclaim them.

The Russian Defence Ministry said troops in the south were receiving necessary supplies through the land corridor and by sea. The Energy Ministry said Crimea has enough fuel for 15 days and it was working on ways to replenish stock.

The bridge has train and road sections. The blast and fire caused the collapse of one of the two links of the road bridge, while another link was intact.

Russia has released this picture of Samir Yusubov, 25, believed to be the truck's owner

The Russian Transport Ministry said train traffic across the bridge would start again shortly after quick repair works.

Vehicle traffic resumed on Saturday afternoon on one of the two links that remained intact from the blast, with the flow alternating in each direction and vehicles undergoing a 'full inspection procedure,' Crimea's Russia-backed regional leader, Sergey Aksyonov, wrote on Telegram.

Rail traffic was resuming slowly. Two passenger trains departed from the Crimean cities of Sevastopol and Simferopol and headed toward the bridge on Saturday evening. Passenger ferry links between Crimea and the Russian mainland were being relaunched Sunday.

Mr Putin was informed about the explosion and ordered the creation of a government panel to deal with the emergency.

The speaker of Crimea's Kremlin-backed regional parliament blamed Ukraine for the explosion, but downplayed the severity of the damage and said the bridge would be promptly repaired.

Leonid Slutsky, head of the foreign affairs committee in the lower house of Russian parliament, said 'consequences will be imminent' if Ukraine is responsible.

Gennady Zyuganov, head of the Russian Communist Party, which is nominally in the opposition but votes in line with Kremlin wishes in parliament, said the 'terror attack' should serve as a wake-up call.

'The long-overdue measures haven't been taken yet, the special operation must be turned into a counterterrorist operation,' he said.

Sergei Mironov, head of the Just Russia faction in parliament, said Moscow should respond by attacking key Ukrainian infrastructure including power plants, bridges and railways.

The parliamentary leader of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's party on Saturday stopped short of claiming Kyiv was responsible but appeared to cast it as a consequence of Moscow's takeover of Crimea.

'Russian illegal construction is starting to fall apart and catch fire. The reason is simple: if you build something explosive, then sooner or later it will explode,' David Arakhamia, the leader of the Servant of the People party, wrote on Telegram.

The secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov, tweeted a video with the Kerch Bridge on fire alongside Marilyn Monroe singing her famous Happy Birthday, Mr President.

Pictures in the aftermath of the explosion show the devastation it caused on the crucial road and rail bridge

Later this morning, smoke could still be seen billowing out over the sea as the bridge was closed to all traffic

The fire could still be seen burning from miles away from a suspected fuel tank on a train was hit by the explosion

The road section of the Kerch Bridge was severely damaged by the blast - it is not known how long it could take to repair

A helicopter was used to drop water in an effort to extinguish the flames on the bridge earlier this morning

People posed for photos with a giant postage stamp of the bridge on fire today following the explosion

The blast has been welcomed by many in Ukraine as the latest blow against Putin's regime as his forces continue to suffer setbacks

Member of Putin's inner circle 'directly confronts Vladimir over Ukraine war mistakes and mismanagement' as Kremlin insiders reach 'breaking point', US intelligence report claims Vladimir Putin has been confronted by one of his inner circle about his handling of the failing war in Ukraine, US intelligence has said. The insider complained to Putin about 'mismanagement of the war effort' and 'mistakes' being made by those executing the campaign, it is alleged. It is the clearest indication yet of rebellion among Russia's elite over the war and the first evidence that Putin has been directly confronted about it. Meanwhile Russian business executives linked to Moscow's political class described the situation inside the Kremlin as being at 'breaking point', and said in-fighting will break out soon if the tide of war keeps flowing in Ukraine's direction. The news emerged after Ukraine scored a series of battlefield victories over Russia, forcing Putin to announce a deeply-unpopular mobilisation to shore up the front line, annex occupied territories, and threaten anyone who intervenes with nukes. Advertisement

The blast on the bridge occurred hours after explosions rocked the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv early on Saturday, sending plumes of smoke into the sky and triggering a series of secondary explosions.

Ukrainian officials accused Russia of pounding Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, with surface-to-air missiles and said at least one person was wounded. The strikes targeted two largely residential neighbourhoods, the regional governor, Oleh Sinehubov, said.

Huge queues appeared at petrol stations in Crimea in the wake of the bridge's destruction, soon after the Russian puppet authorities said there was petrol for 40 days. Other sources said there was only 15 days of fuel as panic buyers queued for hours.

Locals were also rationed to 3kg of essential groceries amid fears for supplies, according to reports on the peninsula.

A video shows a Russian man in Crimea saying: 'We've had a good life, but it was short-lived. The ways [of escape] are now cut off.'

Pro-Putin military correspondent Yuri Kotyonok joined a wave of demands for overwhelming Russian attacks on Ukraine. He said: 'The answer for blowing up the bridge should be crushing. The question is not about revenge, but about punishment and our capacity as a state responding to terrorist attacks. The Crimean Bridge will certainly be restored. I hope that they will do it promptly - within a few months. He asked for answers on why 'targets in Kyiv are still intact'.

Yuri Podolyaka, a popular pro-Rus blogger, said: 'It looks like this is the prelude to the main strike of the Ukrainians in the south. If over the next few days Ukraine does not plunge into darkness and strikes are not carried out on the bridges across the Dnieper, I personally will consider it a sign of an [epic failure].'

Vladimir Rogov, chairman of 'We are Together with Russia' movement, and a key official in occupied Ukraine, said: 'The Crimean bridge has been blown up. Both the road and railway lines have been cut. The [Ukraine] terrorist entity must be destroyed.'

He published exact map coordinates of targets he wanted hit in Ukraine.

Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said the early-morning explosions were the result of missile strikes in the centre of the city. He added that the blasts sparked fires at one of the city's medical institutions and a non-residential building. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Russian officials said they faced an 'emergency' on the bridge with the train on fire. A Russian Telegram channel said: 'It is likely that an improvised explosive device hidden in any of the passing vehicles was detonated.'

Oleg Kryuchkov, aide to the Kremlin-appointed head of annexed Crimea, said: 'According to preliminary information, a fuel storage tank is on fire. Navigable arches were not damaged. It is too early to speak about causes and consequences. Work to extinguish the blaze is under way.'

Russian-controlled Crimean Railways said: 'A fuel tank at the tail of a freight train caught fire. The locomotive with some carriages was brought to Kerch station.'

Ukraine in recent days has grown more ambitious in its predictions that it will retake Crimea - annexed by Russia in 2014.

Rybar, a pro-Russian Telegram channel reported: 'There was an explosion at around 6am on one of the sections of the Crimean Bridge. According to official reports, a fuel tanker caught fire. Road services and the Emergencies Ministry are working at the scene of the fire and traffic has been temporarily suspended.

'However, photos and video footage show one of the vehicles being put out of action, which in no way could have happened due to a simple fire. It is likely that an improvised explosive device hidden in any of the passing vehicles was detonated.'

Pro-Kremlin war reporter Andrey Rudenko asked: 'What kind of power did the explosion have to for a span of the bridge to go under water? It is quite possible to assume that the main explosion was underwater. At the beginning of the year, there were reports that the West had supplied Ukraine with underwater kamikaze drones.'

Vladimir Rogov, chairman of 'We are Together with Russia' movement, and a key official in occupied Ukraine, said: 'The [Ukraine] terrorist entity must be destroyed.'

Army General Sergey Surovikin is reported to have taken charge of Putin's war in Ukraine after a series of setbacks for Russian since it invaded in February

The British Ministry of Defence said in June: 'For over thirty years, Surovikin's (right) career has been dogged with allegations of corruption and brutality'

Ukraine has been launching a successful counter-offensive against Russia in the last few weeks, claiming miles of territory

Ukraine has won back hundreds of settlements and miles of territory as it pushes back against Russian forces in the east of the country
The Home Secretary is considering making cannabis a Class A drug over concerns that it is a 'gateway' to other harder drugs and causes medical conditions including cancer and psychosis.

Suella Braverman is currently reviewing evidence and reportedly agrees with a group of Conservative Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) who spoke out at the Conservative Party conference this week arguing for the drug to be upgraded.

Ms Braverman is said to be ideologically opposed to the decriminalisation of cannabis, telling close allies she believes it sends a 'cultural' signal that use of the drug is acceptable behaviour, The Times reports.

She is also said to be concerned at the evidence linking the drug to serious mental and physical health issues, including psychosis, cancer and birth defects.

Cannabis is currently a Class B drug, and upgrading it would have substantial impacts on police forces and sentencing guidelines.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman is said to be deeply opposed to legalising cannabis and is currently considering upgrading the drug to Class A

Some European countries already have firm plans to legalise the drug, including Germany and Luxembourg

The maximum sentence for possession would rise from five to seven years imprisonment, while the maximum sentence for supplying the drug would rise from 14 years to life imprisonment.

This doesn't seem to be a problem for the Home Secretary, as the source close to Ms Braverman told The Times: 'We've got to scare people'.

But she does seems to be aware of the extra pressure upgrading the drug would have on police forces, which are already vastly overstretched and under pressure to respond to other types of crimes such as burglaries.

The calls are contrary to the global trend of relaxing cannabis restrictions, with some countries already legalising the drug.

This includes Canada and Thailand, with half of US states also legalising the drug. In Europe, Luxembourg and Germany are also planning to decriminalise.

The Home Secretary has also previously suggested she intends to crack down on middle-class drug users, introducing more campaigns which make the link between drug use and the exploitation of vulnerable young people clear.

But pro-legalisation groups argue this is the wrong tactic to take, and that introducing a regulated market for cannabis would severely impact the criminal gangs behind county lines.

The Home Office confirmed it currently has no plans to change the classification, but it is understood Ms Braverman is reviewing the evidence before making a decision.

Last week at the Tory party conference, Dorset PCC David Sidwick was one of those calling for reclassification.

He said: 'We're seeing it because it's a gateway drug. If you look at the young people in treatment, the number one drug they are in treatment for is cannabis.'

He added he is against decriminalisation: 'We need tough sanctions for possession and to halt the drive towards decriminalisation.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset David Sidwick told a fringe meeting at the Party Conference that upgrading cannabis to Class A as it 'does the same harm as crack and heroin'

'We aren't just talking about "a bit of weed" any more, this does the same harm as crack and heroin. That's why we need the penalties for this illegal gateway drug to match those of Class A substances.'

Neil McKeganey, director of the Centre for Substance Use Research in Glasgow, told the fringe meeting that drugs pose a greater risk to society than religious extremism.

He said it was a 'serious dereliction of their responsibilities' for police chiefs to treat drug use as a health problem, adding: 'Its like trying to win a war by providing more hospitals.'

The meeting also heard from Janie Hamilton, whose son James died of cancer after cannabis-induced psychosis drove him to refuse cancer treatment.

'Let no one say that cannabis is harmless,' she told delegates.

But Parliament is divided on the best way to tackle cannabis use.

Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy tweeted in response to US President Biden's announcement this week that he plans to pardon all simple marijuana users: 'Convicting people for personal possession of cannabis forces them into the criminal justice system and ruins lives.

'It's time to start taking a public health approach to drug policy. This is a vital first step and one I hope the UK will follow.'

Meanwhile Conservative MP Crispin Blunt told another fringe meeting at the party conference he believes addicts should be allowed to take heroin legally in a safe environment.

He said: 'It might be that you would allow people access to heroin  legal access to heroin  but you'd insist they take it under medical supervision in a particular facility  so that you can ensure that the drugs they are taking is actually heroin.'

He claimed that society cannot 'arrest [itself] out of the drugs problem' and that it would be 'more intelligent' to help people make informed decisions about what they are taking rather than leaving them to become part of the 'illegal criminal supply chain'.
Some customers were told their booking had been axed due to a 'rate increase'

Hotel prices for the weekend have soared, costing up to 2,000 per night

It comes days after the announcement that the city would host Eurovision 2023

AirBnb hosts and hotels are cancelling existing bookings in Liverpool on May 13

Airbnb hosts are cancelling pre-existing bookings in Liverpool for the weekend Eurovision is taking place.

Just days after confirming the song contest would take place in the city on behalf of Ukraine, people's pre-booked accommodation has been cancelled with little explanation.

Since the announcement was made, prices to stay in the city on the Eurovision weekend, taking place on May 13, have rocketed, with some Airbnb hosts offering accommodation for more than 10,000.

Booking.com has said 99 per cent of its accommodation in the city is fully booked, with the few hotels it has left going for up to 2,000.

A one-night stay on May 13 at the Eleanor Rigby Apartments Stanley Street will cost a couple 5,760, a cozy two bed Liverpool home will set you back 5,375, and a house, that sleeps 10, is going for more than 8,000.

Some savvy Eurovision fans who had pre-booked accommodation in the city in anticipation that the contest would be held there, however, have been left disappointed after hosts suddenly cancelled their reservations.

Hosts are cancelling pre-existing bookings in Liverpool after it was announced the city would host the Eurovision song contest on behalf of Ukraine

On Friday night, Graham Norton announced on the BBC's the One Show that Liverpool would be hosting the world renowned song competition on May 13

One man said he booked and paid for the Airbnb for the song contest but it was cancelled 12 hours later. He claims it was then put back on the site at a surcharge of 204 per cent

Another man, who booked a hotel in anticipation that Liverpool would host the contest, saw his booking cancelled claiming his credit card had expired

Some have even seen the accommodation they have booked re-advertised online with a huge price hike.

But AIrbnb deny having seen hosts doing this. A spokesperson said: 'We have not seen evidence to support these claims and we take a range of actions to deter Hosts from cancelling stays, including applying fees, penalties and blocking Hosts from accepting further stays.

'One in four guests say they choose Airbnb to save money and the average price per night of a stay during Eurovision is just 228. In the unlikely event of an issue, our 24/7 support team is on-hand to help.'

However, many have taken to social media to call out the accommodation sites and express their frustrations.

Events manager Buzz ONeill-Maxwell said: Was on the ball ages ago and had hotel rooms on hold in Liverpool and Glasgow in anticipation of the Eurovision announcement on @bookingcom.

Then this message and the booking gets cancelled (nothing wrong with my credit card at all of course.) Total chancers. Prices now are insane.

A map of the accommodation available on Airbnb for May 13 in Liverpool, prices ranging from 1,510 to 10,105

Another person had booked an apartment on booking.com to stay in Liverpool back in June and was shocked to find the owner had cancelled the day after the city was confirmed to host the contest.

The email read: We are so excited on your stay. However, the property will no longer be available on these dates. Please accept the cancellation request to receive a full refund.

When queried on why the cancellation was being made the host said apologies for its an error on the booking calendar.

And they are not alone - one woman had booked a hotel in Liverpool for a wedding taking place the same weekend only to find it has been cancelled and the price of a room at the hotel has soared.

Lastminute.com has also come under fire with some claiming there rooms have been cancelled because of Eurovision

One woman had booked a hotel in Liverpool for a wedding happening the same day as the song contest. She later had it cancelled and saw the rooms being sold for thousands

One woman said her booking on lastminute.com had been cancelled because of a 'rate increase'

She said: We had four rooms booked for a wedding in Liverpool on the 13th May, suddenly got an amendment on my booking telling me my booking is now for the 14th.

My booking which was 260 is now 3,500. Booking.com are now fighting it for us.

Another man wrote: Booked and paid for an Airbnb in Liverpool for Eurovision for the weekend.

12 hours later and the booking has been cancelled and re-listed an eye watering 204 per cent increase. Cheers guys, you absolute chancers.

The online booking site, lastminute.com, has also come under fire after some of its Liverpudlian hosts started axing pre-existing bookings.

One woman wrote: Shocking profiteering by Liverpool hoteliers. I had two nights booked and paid for in May and have just been told that my booking has been cancelled.

No reason given. I booked through lastminute.com who told me it was due to a 'rate increase'. I am truly disgusted.

Liverpool will host the Eurovision contest on behalf of Ukraine - who won the 2022 contest in May

Another added: Disgusting greed and profiteering from lastminute.com

Booked a room in Liverpool for Eurovision but the company won't honour booking because they realised they can now sell it for a much higher fee.

Will never use them again. Have now lost room and can't afford to book alternative.

The announcement of where the song contest would be held was announced on Friday night by Graham Norton on the BBC's the One Show.

Liverpool had battled it out with Glasgow after the two cities were named the final choices for the song contest.

The winner of the contest from the year before usually hosts the next years song contest.

In May Ukraine triumphed at the 2022 competition in Turin, Italy, but the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided the show could not be safely held in the country following Russia's invasion.

The UK, who were runners up thanks to Sam Ryders performance, said it would host the competition on behalf of the war-torn country.

Booking.com and Lastminute.com have been asked for a statement.

It is believed the claimed behaviour is banned.
The tourist is understood to have been knocking on random doors at his hotel

A British tourist who admitted trying to gat a Majorcan hotel worker to perform a sex act on him has avoided prison.

The 27-year-old man, who has not been named, is understood to have made the indecent proposal after knocking on random doors when he returned to the hotel in the resort of Puerto de Alcudia following a drunken night out.

He then took hold of the victim's wrists when she opened her door to his knocking, before telling her to go down, go down as he pulled his trousers down.

The victim, said to be a hotel entertainer, fled the scene and alerted authorities before the man was arrested on Friday when officers looked at CCTV footage from the site. The hotel has not been named.

A hotel cleaner also told police she had been asked for sex by the same tourist, who was dressed only in a pair of shorts and flip flops at the time.

The Brit, who appeared in court later the same day, has been sentenced to six months' imprisonment after admitting to an offence of coercion as part of a plea bargain deal, local newspaper Ultima Hora reports.

The sentence is understood to have been automatically suspended as part of the agreement.

The incident took place at a hotel in the resort of Puerto de Alcudia (pictured) following a drunken night out

It came the same day as Spain's only yes means yes law came into force. The legislation was drafted following the country's wolf pack' gang rape case in which an 18-year-old woman was sexually assaulted by men at Pamplonas world-famous San Fermin festival in 2016.

The incident sparked anger and protests against sexual assault laws in Spain

Under the new law consent must be affirmative and cannot be assumed to have been given by default or silence.

It also means the crime of sexual abuse no longer exists and all cases are now considered sexual assault.

The incident comes days after another British man was arrested after touching up a female holidaymaker sat next to him on a Ryanair flight from Liverpool to Majorca.

Spanish police arrested the man after they were contacted by the hotel worker and reviewed CCTV footage

Air stewards radioed police from 35,000ft after the woman, who is also British, complained he had touched her breasts and asked her to have sex with him in the toilet.

The 35-year-old man was held when the plane touched down at Palma Airport late on Sunday.

The unnamed Brit was reportedly fined 2,500 after being hauled to court yesterday for a speedy trial.
Nicola Sturgeon was slammed for 'dangerous' language today after an extraordinary rant about how she 'detests' the Tories.

The SNP leader was rebuked by ministers and MPs after she delivered the jibe during an interview in which she hinted at a possible election tie-up with Keir Starmer.

The SNP leader insisted it is 'not difficult to answer' the question of whether Sir Keir or Liz Truss should be in No10, saying: 'I detest the Tories and everything they stand for.'

The comments were condemned as a disrespectful slur on a quarter of the Scottish electorate who voted Conservative at the last general election. They also fuelled alarm that Labour and the Scottish nationalists doing a pact to get into power if there is a hung Parliament.

Ms Sturgeon admitted this morning that her push for another independence referendum could be blocked by the UK Supreme Court this week.

Asked if a referendum 'will' definitely happen on her favoured date of October 19 next year, Ms Sturgeon pointedly only replied she is 'confident that can happen'.

The SNP is holding its annual conference in Aberdeen, with activists pushing for concrete progress on independence despite polls suggesting Scots do not view it as a priority and a narrow majority still support the union.

Nicola Sturgeon insisted it is 'not difficult to answer' the question of whether Keir Starmer or Liz Truss should be in No10, saying she 'detests' the Tories

Conservatives have been reviving warnings that Sir Keir (pictured in Wolverhampton last week) and the Scottish nationalists could do a pact to get into power after a close election

Tories lined up to condemn the comments from Ms Sturgeon today

Ms Truss (pictured in Prague last week) has been battling to contain a wave of Tory infighting over tax rates and benefits

A poll last week suggested the Tories are on track to be wiped out in Scotland at a general election

SNP warns UK judges they will 'fail the people of Scotland' if they block referendum The Supreme Court will 'fail the people of Scotland' if it does not allow for the Scottish Government to legislate for a second independence referendum. SNP president Mike Russell addressed the party's conference in Aberdeen on Sunday, where he discussed its plans ahead of the ruling. The court will hear arguments this week after a referral from the Lord Advocate on a prospective Bill legislating for a referendum. Mr Russell told delegates: 'If the Supreme Court rules in our favour, then it will be on October 19 next year. 'And if the Supreme Court fails the people of Scotland, then we will rise to that challenge too, and put our case at the next general election, whenever that is. 'That's a choice that has to be made if Scotland is to escape from the downward spiral of Tory and Labour governments exploiting but ignoring Scotland.' Advertisement

The 2014 contest was billed by both sides as 'once in a generation', but Ms Sturgeon insists Brexit justifies a re-run.

The Scottish Government's top law officer is due to appear before judges arguing that it does not need Westminster's permission to legislate for a ballot north of the border.

The Lord Advocate referred prospective independence referendum legislation to the court in the summer, asking judges to decide if it is within the powers of Holyrood.

Oral arguments will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, although the court's judgment could take months to appear.

Speaking on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Sturgeon said: 'There's little point speculating on the outcome of a court hearing, but should that be yes, we have the plans ready to go to legislate.

'Work on refreshing and updating the substantive case for independence is well under way  that will continue over the course of the next days.'

She went on to say she is 'confident Scotland will become independent'.

Pushed on whether she would prefer Sir Keir to be PM rather than Ms Truss, Ms Sturgeon said: 'If the question to me is would I prefer a Labour government over a Tory government, I detest the Tories and everything they stand for. So it's not difficult to answer that question. Yes.'

However, she added that neither Labour nor the Tories were 'good enough' for Scotland - accusing Sir Keir of 'throwing in the towel' on Brexit.

'I worked very well with Keir Starmer on Brexit,' she said.

'I'm really disappointed that Keir Starmer has thrown in the towel on the European Union and no longer wants to take the UK or Scotland back into the European Union.'

Speaking after Ms Sturgeon on the same programme, Cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi criticised her vitriol.

'I think that language is really dangerous,' he said.

'I prefer to work with my colleagues in Scotland on delivering the freeports, the greenports, as I want to do with (Deputy First Minister) John Swinney and others.'

Baroness Ruth Davidson, former leader of the Scottish Tories, said there was a 'rhetoric-raising strategy' being deployed by the SNP.

Tory MP Andrew Bowie added: 'Sturgeon 'I detest the Tories'. That's the First Minister of Scotland 'detesting' a 1/4 of the Scottish electorate.

'Good to see the language of respectful disagreement being demonstrated here.'

On Friday, Ms Sturgeon vowed to go ahead with her 20million Scottish independence push despite the cost-of-living crisis - while telling Scots to be 'sensible about their energy usage'.

The First Minister said she had a democratic mandate to push on with her plan to seek a new referendum on leaving the UK in October next year.

In an appearance on BBC Breakfast, the SNP leader was asked if the budget to prepare for another vote - for which around 20 million has been set aside - would be cut in order to support people further with the cost-of-living crisis.

'We're talking about this financial year and the independence referendum, I hope, will be in the next financial year,' she said.

Tories have been warning that Labour could do a deal with the SNP after a tight election - although the latest Opinium found Keir Starmer's party leading by 21 points, easily enough for a majority

Cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi pointed out that Ms Sturgeon was blocking nuclear projects north of the border

'So even if we did, which we're not going to because I was elected as first minister on a commitment to democracy...

'I was elected with a record share of the vote in the Scottish Parliament elections last year on a record turnout. So. we're going to deliver on that commitment to people.'

But in a later appearance on BBC Radio she advised Scottish people to be 'sensible about their energy usage' this winter amid fears of blackouts.

Earlier this year, the First Minister said the Scottish Government would refresh the prospectus for an independent Scotland in a series of papers.

Ms Sturgeon has revealed work on a Scottish central bank would begin immediately after a Yes vote, with the newly-independent country keeping the pound for 'some time', as had previously been stated.
Julia Gillard isn't done giving male politicians a lesson 10 years after her 'misogyny speech' directed at Tony Abbott made her a hero to many around the world.

Australia's first female prime minister told The Project on Sunday that sexism still plagues Australia despite some positive changes since her time in the top job.

Host of the program Lisa Wilkinson took a subtle swipe at Australian leaders that followed Ms Gillard, suggesting they could all learn a lesson from her example.

'Julia, since leaving politics, you have gained credit for being the best kind of ex-prime minister - dignity, humility, grace, not engaging in the daily political cycle,' Wilkinson said.

'Have you ever got the call-up from Malcolm (Turnbull) or Kevin (Rudd) or Tony (Abbott) asking exactly how you do that?'

'No. I'm not running a training course,' Ms Gillard replied to the laughter of the panel.

Former prime minister Julia Gillard says 10 years on from her famous 'misogyny speech' much still needs to be done to combat sexism

Mr Turnbull, Mr Rudd, and to a lesser extent Mr Abbott, have continued to offer their opinions on the issues of the day after their respective periods as prime minister.

Ms Gillard, who has gone onto charity and advocacy work since leaving politics in 2013, said that although the 'misogyny speech' had 'reverberated' around the world there is more to be done.

'Misogyny is not fixed,' she said. 'There's still a lot of things we do have to change.'

'We know that violence against women, domestic violence, gendered barriers in careers, when you look at the top of the pyramids in our society, whether it's politics or business, you still disproportionately see male faces.

'So more to do. Social media, of course, presents its own challenges.'

She revealed for the first time that the famous speech - where she rebuked Mr Abbott in parliament in October 2012 by saying she would not be 'lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man' - almost didn't happen.

Ms Gillard in her new book, Not Now, Not Ever, about the speech and what still needs to be done to combat misogyny recalls that her advisors were surprised when she told them, 'I'm going to take the reply'.

'Normally I held myself above these day-to-day political tactics,' Ms Gillard said.

Lisa Wilkinson, who interviewed Ms Gillard on Channel 10's The Project, said the former female leader was setting a good example on how to behave once out of office, that her male counterparts should be following

Julia Gillard delivers the famous 'misogyny speech' in October 2013 in response to a motion moved by then opposition leader Tony Abbott

'I thought about it, considered not doing it and then decided I would because I was sick of all the - there was another word - but I will use the word nonsense.'

Despite getting almost immediate overwhelming feedback by those congratulating her when she went back to her office, Ms Gillard said it was only later during a trip to India that she realised the full lasting and global impact of the speech.

'An Indian policewoman said to me, "Great speech", I really remember that moment, because I remember thinking, wow, this isn't just going through media in various parts of the world but being noted by women around the world,' Ms Gillard said.

'That gave me a sense that maybe it was going to be there for a lot longer than I first imagined.'

The speech has spawned countless memes and reportedly was even a favourite often replayed in the Obama White House, especially when dealing with Mr Abbott.

Ms Gillard said one thing that had improved since her time as prime minister was that sexist behaviour was more likely to be named and shamed.

Ms Gillard's 'misogyny speech' was reportedly a favourite that was often replayed in the White House during the presidency of Barrack Obama (pictured)

Tony Abbott was infamously photographed in front of derogatory signs towards Ms Gillard as he addressed a political rally in 2013

'I think it is impossible to imagine a woman in parliament today could be called the things I was without there being an uproar and political consequences,' she said.

Mr Abbott was infamously photographed standing in front of a sign that said 'ditch the witch' while addressing a rally protesting the Gillard government's carbon tax.

Another infamous moment came when shock jock Alan Jones, during a speech he thought was not being recorded, said that Ms Gillard's recently departed father, John, had 'died of shame' because of her 'lies'.

Ms Gillard also believed women's voices and issues were increasingly shaping federal politics and that had indeed been 'the story of the May federal election', which saw a record number of women elected to parliament.

The baton now must be passed onto younger women, Ms Gillard said.

'I think that there are young women who don't want to just take it (the baton) but seize it and run with it.

'This is a really powerful generation that's coming up.'
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The sister of a British millionaire shot dead by his former swimwear model ex-girlfriend says she is in a 'state of shock' after seeing pictures of the convicted killer sunbathing on a Spanish beach following her early release from prison.

Mayka Kukucova sparked outrage by posting Instagram selfies of her topping up her tan in skimpy bikinis after serving just over half her murder sentence behind bars.

The 32-year-old Slovakian blonde, convicted of killing Bristol-based jeweller Andrew Bush at his Costa del Sol holiday home in front of his new Russian partner, has appeared to want to show the world on social media she is lapping up her new-found freedom with her provocative posts.

Last night Mr Bush's grieving sibling Rachel said she was more certain than ever Kukucova had no remorse as she railed against the decision to release her.

The 49-year-old, who gave evidence at Kukucova's Malaga murder trial two years after the April 5 2014 shooting, said: 'She's carrying on as she's always carried on with no remorse.

'I understand she's on parole and her sentence hasn't yet expired but it's absolutely ludicrous to think someone can do what she did and be out on the streets so quickly.

'I was shocked to see the pictures and discover she was out of jail. I had no idea and found out from the papers. It's total madness.

'She's always tried to make out she was innocent and didn't do what she was convicted of and claim Andy shot himself during a fight which is just bulls**t as we all know.

'She believes her own lies, she always has.

'What she committed was cold-blooded murder. She shot Andy when he was falling or he was on the floor. She didn't accidentally kill him, she purposely killed him and she's allowed to be out there free. It's unacceptable.'

Mayka Kukucova, 32, is lapping up sunshine in luxury in Spain after being freed from jail eight years in her murder sentence

Her victim millionaire businessman Andrew Bush, 48, pictured with girlfriend student Maria Korotaeva

Kukucova, 32, has posed up for a number of glamorous shots posted to social media celebrating her freedom early from jail

One of her pictures shows her posing provocatively in a tight white dress while leaning against a palm tree in Spain

Kukucova was initially sentenced to 15 years in prison for breaking into Mr Bush's home between Marbella and Estepona and shooting the 48-year-old businessman dead with a .38 revolver after he arrived for a break with his new love Maria Korotaeva.

She had been lying in wait for the couple for two days, and shot Mr Bush twice in the head and once in the shoulder.

She fled in his Hummer and managed to return to her homeland with an ex-boyfriend before being arrested weeks later and extradited to Spain.

Jurors at her May 2016 murder trial heard she had slept in her ex's bed for two nights after flying to Malaga from her homeland on a one-way ticket and was in her pyjamas when her victim and his glamorous 23-year-old girlfriend arrived at his rented 2,500-a-month villa.

They ruled Kukucova had placed the murder weapon in Mr Bush's hand after he was shot three times to make it appear he had committed suicide.

The original trial judge accepted she had acted in a 'passionate state of mind' when he sentenced her.

Kukucova had nearly two years knocked off her prison term in January 2017 when appeal judges ruled they were acquitting her of breaking into Mr Bush's holiday home six months after their split and were taking into account a quasi confession they said lacked 'total veracity' because she alleged she killed her ex in self-defence when he attacked her.

Mayka Kukucova in court in Malaga, Spain, where she was accused of killing her former love British millionaire Andrew Bush

Pictures on her Instagram account which has since been deleted featured her in a car with a friend and posing next to an airport departures information board

Prison seems a world away for Kukucova as she looks glamorous in a bikini on the Spanish sands after being freed from jail

Kukucova had joined her Slovakian parents Danka and Lubomir on the Spanish holiday island of Majorca for a sunny break

The villa in Spain where Andy Bush was shot by Mayka Kukucova after she lay in wait to confront him over his new girlfriend

At the time it was reported her lawyers were expected to submit a further appeal to Spain's Supreme Court. It was not immediately clear last night if she had managed to shorten her already-reduced sentence of 13 years and nine months.

The time she spent in custody following the April 2014 murder was taken into account in determining when she became eligible for parole.

Spanish officials have yet to confirm when she first started benefitting from temporary prison releases, although it is believed she could have been allowed to leave jail for short periods of time which were then extended for more than a year.

Since her release she has posted brazen snaps on social media, an also reportedly joined her Slovakian parents Danka and Lubomir on the Spanish holiday island of Majorca, where she posted a picture two weeks ago of the three of them enjoying a meal in a restaurant in a shopping mall.

Mr Bush's sister, who last year said she wished Kukucova had been tried in an American state where taking a life can mean capital punishment, raged: 'I am under the understanding that she has been released on parole but has to stay on Spanish soil.

'It's all a massive shock to me. I wasn't aware this could possibly happen. I thought maybe her release date would be at least another five years off and that's something you try to prepare for.

'To be suddenly told she's out and has been for a while and see all the pictures and photos she's posted has left me sickened. She's no different to the way she was before.

'The compensation hasn't even come into my mind. It's not about the money. But I don't want her life to be easy and it seems to me she's had it easy.

'I heard she was in a prison with a swimming pool and now she's out there living the life.

'She can't live on fresh air and I wonder where her money's coming from. I know for a fact her family doesn't have any money.'

She added: 'My fear is she tries now to start making money out of all this and sells a story to the papers. I just hope no-one would even think of entertaining that. It would be repulsive and completely wrong.

'I don't want her taking away anymore from me and my family than she's already done.

'I would like to see her behind bars still but no matter where she is it doesn't bring Andy back.

'She's done that. She's taken his life and he's not coming back and that's the saddest thing of all.'

Kukucova's most recent selfie on Facebook shows her posing in bright pink lipstick at a clifftop balcony beauty spot overlooking cliffs and a beach at Nerja near Malaga.

Other pictures on her Instagram account which has since been deleted featured her in a car with a friend and posing next to an airport departures information board.

Several images showed her with a scarf around her wrist, leading to speculation that she might have been fitted with an electronic tag to monitor her movements after her prison release.

Kukucova is thought to have served the bulk of her prison sentence in a Spanish jail which was described by Slovakian media as being more like a resort than a jail.
This photo, provided by the Korean Central News Agency on Oct. 10 shows live-firing drills by the North Korean military as the North's leader Kim Jong-un inspected the military training of tactical nuclear operation units. Yonhap



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected an exercise of tactical nuclear operation units held in order to check and assess the "war deterrent and nuclear counterattack capability" in response to recent joint military trainings by South Korea and the United States, Pyongyang's state media said Monday.



The drills were conducted from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9 while the South and the U.S. were staging a large-scale combined naval exercise in the waters near the peninsula involving the nuclear-powered Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).



The North's military staged "ballistic missile launching drills under the simulation of loading tactical nuclear warheads," it reported.



The North's military also held a series of live-fire "striking" exercises, including "super-large" caliber missile firing drills targeting major ports of its enemies on Sunday, with long-range artillery and aviation units mobilized.



"This is the verification of the operation posture of our war deterrent and, at the same time, an occasion that proved the reliability of the thorough preparedness of the state nuclear defense posture," Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA in its English-language report.



Kim also made clear that he is not interested in talks with the U.S. and South Korea, vowing to strengthen his regime's nuclear force.



"We have no content for dialogue with the enemies and felt no necessity to do so," Kim said, as Pyongyang's state-controlled media carried reports on his public activity for the first time in about a month.



The KCNA revealed that the North staged large-scale air-attack drills on Saturday, during which more than 150 warplanes took off simultaneously "for the first time in history." The drills coincided with the South Korea-U.S. naval exercise involving the American aircraft carrier.



In response, the South Korean Air Force scrambled F-35A fighters in the first known deployment of the radar-evading jets as a counteraction to a show of force by Pyongyang, according to Seoul officials.



The KCNA, in addition, disclosed the Sept. 25 ballistic missile drills simulating the loading of tactical nuclear warheads "at a silo under a reservoir" in a northwestern region.



The drills were aimed at "confirming the order of taking tactical nuclear warheads out and transporting them and of managing them in a rapid and safe way at the time of operation," according to the KCNA.











This photo, provided by the Korean Central News Agency on Oct. 10 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un talking to military officials during his inspection of major drills. Yonhap
Russian divers are now examining the damage left by a powerful blast on the Kerch bridge to Crimea that is a prestigious symbol of Moscow's annexation of the peninsula and a key supply route to forces battling in southern Ukraine.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said the divers would start work in the morning, with a more detailed survey above the waterline expected to be complete by day's end, Russian news agencies reported.

The team will inspect the bridge's foundations for structural integrity and will search for further evidence in relation to the blast, which killed three people.

'The situation is manageable - it's unpleasant, but not fatal,' Crimea's Russian governor Sergei Aksyonov assured reporters before threatening to retaliate over the blast.

'Of course, emotions have been triggered and there is a healthy desire to seek revenge,' he said.

The bridge is a major artery for the Russian forces that control most of southern Ukraine's Kherson region and for the Russian naval port of Sevastopol. But Rail traffic was restored to the bridge late last night, meaning it is unlikely the destruction will dramatically hinder Russian supply routes.

Saturday's explosion on the bridge over the Kerch Strait prompted gleeful messages from Ukrainian officials, though no claim of responsibility.

Russia furiously claimed a truck bomb caused the blast and avoided apportioning blame.

But a mysterious 'wave' which appeared under the bridge moments before it was blown up has fuelled speculation that Ukrainian special services used a boat or explosive-laden drone to launch an attack to damage Putin's supply lines.

Saturday's explosion on the bridge over the Kerch Strait prompted gleeful messages from Ukrainian officials but no claim of responsibility. Russia did not immediately assign blame

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin dispatched a team of divers to examine the bridge underwater

Explosion causes fire at the Kerch bridge in the Kerch Strait, Crimea, October 8, 2022

Images appear to show movement in the water under the bridge a split second before the explosion which brought down the road bridge and set fire to oil tankers

Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and the 12-mile Crimea Bridge linking the region to its transport network was opened with great fanfare four years later by President Vladimir Putin.

Russian law enforcement identified Samir Yusubov, 25, from the Krasnodar region in Russia, as the alleged owner of the red-coloured International Prostar truck, which, according to investigators, exploded on the Crimean Bridge.

They are still investigating who was driving the truck when it exploded.

It was not yet clear if the blast was a deliberate attack, but the damage to such a high-profile structure came amid battlefield defeats for Russia and could further cloud Kremlin reassurances that the conflict is going to plan.

On Saturday, Putin signed a decree for tighter security for the bridge, as well as the infrastructure supplying electricity and natural gas to Crimea, and ordered an investigation.

'Conceivably the Russians can rebuild it, but they can't defend it while losing a war,' said political analyst James Nixey of Britain's Chatham House think tank.

Russian officials said three people had been killed in the blast, probably the occupants of a car travelling near the truck that blew up. On the bridge's upper level, seven fuel tanker wagons of a 59-wagon train heading for the peninsula also caught fire.

Limited road traffic resumed about 10 hours after the explosion, and Russia's transport ministry cleared rail traffic to restart.

In the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, 80 miles from a Europe's largest nuclear power plant, Russian missile attacks killed 17 people and sent around 50 to hospital.

A nine-storey building was partially destroyed, five residential buildings levelled and many more damaged in a dozen attacks, Oleksandr Starukh, the governor, said on the Telegram messaging app.

'There may be more people under the rubble,' he warned, with eight rescued.

Dramatic CCTV footage showed the moment the deadly bridge blast took out a key supply line

Flames and smoke rise from the Crimean Bridge connecting the Russian mainland and the Crimean peninsula over the Kerch Strait in Kerch, Crimea (AP)

The Kerch bridge blast came a day after Putin's 70th birthday, coinciding with Russia's third senior military appointment in a week. It designated Air Force General Sergei Surovikin to take charge of the invasion effort.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not refer to the blast in a video address on Saturday, saying merely that the weather in Crimea was cloudy.

'But however cloudy it is, Ukrainians know... our future is sunny,' he added. 'This is a future without occupiers, across our territory, particularly in Crimea.'

The head of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council posted a video of the bridge on social media alongside a video of Marilyn Monroe singing 'Happy birthday, Mr President'.

Russian law enforcement identified Samir Yusubov, 25, from the Krasnodar region in Russia, as the alleged owner of the red-coloured International Prostar truck, which, according to investigators, exploded on the Crimean Bridge

The Kerch bridge blast came a day after Putin's 70th birthday (Putin pictured last month)

Since the war started on February 24, Ukrainian officials have regularly suggested they wanted to destroy the bridge.

But a leading Ukrainian presidential aide claimed this morning the Kerch Strait crossing carnage may have been ordered by one of Vladimir Putin's warring commanders.

Mykhailo Podolyak alleged that Russia's FSB secret service and the defence ministry are at loggerheads in a bitter dogfight over the botched war and are trying to undermine one another's credibility.

'Isn't it obvious who made [the] explosion? Truck arrived from RF [Russian Federation],' he said.

'Undoubtedly, we are witnessing the beginning of large-scale negative processes in Russia.'

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Kyiv's reaction to the destruction of civilian infrastructure 'testifies to its terrorist nature'.
The daughter of convicted killer Chris Dawson has revealed she remembers seeing her mother's body slumped' in the front seat of a car and her father 'digging' near the family pool on the night her mother is thought to have died.

Shanelle Dawson said her memories as a four-year-old resurfaced when police placed her under hypnosis in a desperate attempt to piece together what happened to Lynette Dawson on the night she vanished back in January, 1982.

She told 60 Minutes on Sunday that she recalled her father pulling shovels out the back of the car and car with headlights shining at a spot near the family swimming pool.

Shanelle believes Dawson, now 74, buried her mother by the pool that night before moving her body elsewhere the following day while he was alone.

Shanelle Dawson (pictured) believes her mother was buried by the pool that night before Dawson moved her body elsewhere the following day when he was alone

While under hypnosis she had been able to 'revisit' her feelings as a child as well as her mother's.

'It was really pretty profound. I believe I saw my sister and I in the back of a car, and my mother slumped in the front,' she said.

'I believe I saw him digging in that spot for that night, and then the next day, when he didn't have us kids, he moved her somewhere else.

Reporter Tom Steinfort asked Shanelle if she believes that what she saw while under hypnosis were true memories, to which she replied: 'I think they are, yes'.

The revelation comes after Dawson was found guilty of murdering his wife at a judge-alone trial at the NSW Supreme Court in August.

Lynette Dawson (above with Shanelle) was never seen again after vanishing in January, 1982

Shanelle while under hypnosis said she saw her father shining headlights at an area near the pool (pictured)

Shanelle had suspect her father had killed her mother for years before the trial but said his conviction had still come as a 'shock'.

'Chris Dawson, I find you guilty,' I heard them say, and I was just in shock,' she said.

'I just couldn't fathom it really. This Dad that I love actually did do it, and that is now recognised by our justice system.'

Shanelle said living in the United States for nine years gave her distance from Dawson and his 'abusive' and 'toxic' family dynamics.

'I could see that he was gaslighting us all the time. When I came back into the family that relationship changed quite drastically,' she said.

'My father embodies the survival of the fittest and f*** everyone else to get what you want. I feel an anger and rage towards him for being that way, but I simultaneously feel compassion and sadness that he is that way.'

Chris Dawson was found guilty of murdering his first wife Lyn. Her body has never been found

Shanelle revealed her last correspondence with Dawson was on Father's Day in 2018 - just three months before he was arrested at his Queensland home.

In the message, she asked her father to take responsibility for the pain he had caused the family when he 'selfishly' ripped Lynette, then 33, from their lives.

Dawson's 'breathtaking' response suggested Shanelle was lonely and depressed because she had a daughter and no partner to support her.

He told his daughter that unfortunately, everyone had to live with their 'poor choices' and said Shanelle didn't have to remind him of his.

'That's how he takes responsibility, by deflecting it on to other people,' she said.

'I was actually very happy in my life except for that big thing called my father murdering my mum.'

Chris Dawson (pictured) lodged the paperwork flagging his intention to appeal the murder conviction

Justice Ian Harrison found it was beyond reasonable doubt that Lynette Dawson (above with Chris Dawson on her wedding day) did not leave her home in Bayview voluntarily

Shanelle said she doubted her father would ever reveal what really happened on the night he killed her mother because he 'believes his own lies'.

She said she would only have closure when she receives these details.

'It won't be anytime soon. Truth for me is what brings peace,' she said.

Shanelle said if she could speak to her mother she would tell her that she was sorry, that she loved her and would thank her for the first four-and-a-half years of her life.

She became emotional while admitting she wished she could see Lynette spend time with her granddaughter and said people take having a loving family for granted.

'I always thought, I wish I had one of those,' she said.

'I hope anyone listening to this will go and appreciate their mums just that little bit more, tell them that they love about them and thank them for all the things they do.'

60 Minute's reporter Tom Steinfort also became emotional.

'You got me there,' he said while wiping tears from his eyes.

Lynette, pictured with her husband Chris and one of their daughters disappeared without a trace in January 1981

Shanelle's revelation comes after Dawson's Supreme Court trial was told police received 'a lot' of anonymous phone calls from people who claimed Lynette's body was buried under the swimming pool at the home in Bayview.

Former detective Damian Loone told the trial police had considered this theory because the pool had been paved shortly after Lynette vanished.

Asked under cross-examination how this idea had come about, Detective Loone said it was during an interview with JC, the schoolgirl babysitter who had replaced Lynette as Chis Dawson's partner and later his wife.

The trial had earlier heard JC swam topless and naked in the pool while living at the Dawson house at Gillwinga Drive in Sydney's northern beaches, and babysitting the couple's two young daughters before Lynette disappeared.

Chris Dawson arrives at the NSW Supreme Court in his last moments of freedom before Justice Harrison convicted him of murdering his wife Lyn in 1982

'She was going for a swim in the swimming pool and when she went to get out of the pool and put her hands on the pool to get out it was dirt, and sometime after it was paved,' he said.

In 2000, police conducted a major dig near the swimming pool at the Bayview home and uncovered pieces of a pink cardigan with slash marks.

However, forensic analysis was unable to link the material to Lynette.

Last week, Dawson lodged the paperwork for an appeal against his conviction for his first wife's murder and remains in Sydney's Silverwater Jail awaiting sentencing.

The former Newtown Jets rugby league star has always professed his innocence over any involvement in Lynette's disappearance.
Nadhim Zahawi today insisted blackouts are 'extremely unlikely' this winter as he defended scrapping a 14million public information campaign on how to save energy.

The Cabinet minister said it is 'only right that we plan for every scenario' amid the standoff with Russia, but stressed the UK has a 'buffer' against shortages.

He also played down the ditching of the government's awareness drive despite backing from Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg. It was expected to give tips such as turning down the temperature of your boiler and taking shorter showers.

Mr Zahawi said it would have been the 'wrong thing' to spend money on, pointing out people could get guidance on gov.uk and the energy industry was planning its own campaign.

The National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO), which oversees Britain's electricity grid, has said households and businesses might face planned three-hour outages to ensure that the grid does not collapse.

However, it had said the 'unlikely' scenario would only emerge if power plants cannot get enough gas to keep running.

Nadhim Zahawi said it is 'only right that we plan for every scenario' amid the standoff with Russia, but stressed the UK has a 'buffer' against shortages

Some of the suggestions that had been mooted by the government for saving energy

Planned blackouts hit the UK during the 1970s in response to the miners' strikes and the oil crisis.

There have also been major unplanned outages during storms, including in 1987 when more than 1.5million people were left in the dark.

Mr Zahawi told Sophy Ridge On Sunday on Sky News: 'We've got the second largest LNG (liquefied natural gas) processing infrastructure in Europe.

'Half of our gas we produce here at home, we want to go further  this year we've increased our output by 26% on gas. We've got interconnectors with our neighbours.

'Now, what the National Grid is saying is the extremely unlikely scenario where there are issues in Europe with the interconnectors and a very cold snap, so it's extremely unlikely.

'But it's only right that we plan for every scenario.

'All I would say is we have a buffer, the same buffer as last year, and so I'm confident that come Christmas, come the cold weather, we will continue to be in that resilient place, but it's only right we have looked at every scenario.'

Mr Zahawi played down the ditching of the government's awareness drive despite backing from Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured at Tory conference last week)

On the public information campaign, Mr Zahawi said: 'What the National Grid is doing with Ofgem is also having a communication programme to tell people how they can do better.

'We, ourselves, if you go on gov.uk you will be able to see how you can actually help your home or your business conserve energy.'

Pressed about Mr Rees-Mogg's support for a Government-led campaign, Mr Zahawi replied: 'The question you ask is about spending 14million on a campaign. That I think is the wrong thing.

'The National Grid and Ofgem and actually a number of the energy providers are using the direct communication with households to be able to say 'here are some measures you can take'.'

Mr Zahawi went on: 'What we're not doing is spending 14 million on a Government campaign.'
This is the shocking moment a Florida high school student body slams a cop trying to break up a fight between two other kids.

The 15-year-old boy, who has not been named, also landed punches down on policeman Russell Ball during the vile encounter in St Cloud on Thursday.

The young thug marched over to the school resource officer, grabbed him by the neck before flipping him on to his back.

He then pulled away from the cop and started reigning blows down on him before school staff dragged him off.

The child was arrested for battery of a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence.

Video originally posted online shows the moment a 15-year-old high school student grabbed a School Resource Officer at St Cloud High School in Florida

The unnamed student manages to topple Officer Ball onto the concrete pavement

He then repeatedly body slams himself against the officer until bystanders manage to separate him

Authorities say Ball was separating two other students, both 14, from fighting each other when the unnamed 15-year-old  who was not involved in the fight  walked up to the cop and grabbed him by the neck.

The student then allegedly pulled the officer away from the fight, and the officer attempted to control the student 'with the least amount of force possible,' according to St Cloud Police Chief Douglas Goerke.

Footage then shows the 15-year-old wrapping his arms around a school resource officer and flipping him to the ground as bystanders at St. Cloud High School in Florida yell in surprise.

The student could then be seen repeatedly body slamming and punching the officer before, authorities say a school administrator, another school resource officer and other students intervened.

They were able to get the student under control, FOX 13 reports, until other cops arrived on the scene. Neither the boy nor Officer Ball were injured in the attack.

Police say the student was arrested Thursday for battery of a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence.

He is now being held at the Juvenile Assessment Center in Orlando, according to FOX News, as officers work to release body camera footage of the incident.

Charges against the other two students who were involved in the fight, including battery of a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence, are pending.

Goerke called the video 'extremely disturbing' in a statement, adding that the attack was completely unprovoked.

'To be clear, the incident Officer Ball was dealing with did not involve the student that was was arrested,' he said. 'Officer Ball was there to prevent two other students from harming each other.

'What occurred to Officer Ball was despicable and should never have happened,' he added. 'We will never tolerate behavior that targets our officers and will hold those accountable at the highest levels.'

He added that Ball has been working at the school for the past 12 years.

Officer Russell Ball (pictured) has been working at St. Cloud High School for the past 12 years

According to his profile on the St. Cloud High School website, Ball previously served in the United States Air Force for for years, and has been an officer with the St. Cloud Police Department for 18 years.

The profile says: 'Officer Ball takes his job of campus safety and security very seriously and wants to make sure students are safe and able to learn in an environment without worrying about anything happening to them on his watch.

'He feels it is his duty to ensure the parents that their children are safe, and they should have nothing to worry about when they send their kids to school.'
He was rushed to hospital where surgeons removed the bullets from his head

Three-year-old Sumaee narrowly survived after being shot at twice and stabbed

A young boy who was shot in the head twice and stabbed during the Thailand nursery massacre has miraculously survived.

Three-year-old Sumaee was at nursery in the rural town of Uhthai Sawan, when former police officer Panya Kamrap went on a shooting rampage, killing 36 people.

Kamrap opened fire in the nursery, murdering 24 sleeping children who had been taking their afternoon nap.

Sumaee narrowly survived the attack after being stabbed and shot at twice. Neurosurgeons removed the bullets from his head.

His mother Joy, said the young child was stabbed before he was shot at.

She almost 'fainted' when she heard the news about the shooting fearing her son had died. Moments later, however, her husband saw their young son being carried away into an ambulance.

Sumaee (pictured) miraculously survived the nursery massacre despite being shot at twice and stabbed in the head

Paveenut Supolwong, nicknamed Ammy, 3, (pictured) was the only child to emerge unharmed from the mass killing attack at the day care centre

Today mourners have gathered at a Buddhist temple in Uthai Sawan, Thailand, for a ceremony, grieving the lives of the 36 people who were killed

Panompai Sithong holds her 3-year-old daugther Paveenut Supolwong, nicknamed Ammy - the only child to go unscathed during the Thai mass shooting

She told Sky News: 'I was holding his legs and feet in the ambulance and trying to tell him to be strong.'

Joy, whose surname has not been revealed, had been distressed over the last conversation she had with her son before he was injured during the shooting.

The child had begged her not to go to school that day but his mum 'forced him' to go.

The small rural community is now mourning the 'lost generation' whose lives were taken on Thursday.

Three-year-old Paveenut Supolwong, nicknamed Ammy, is believed to be the only person who was left unscathed from one of Thailand's deadliest mass killing.

The young girl had been taking a nap, hidden under blankets, when the shooter came in and shot her classmates, including her best friend who was sleeping beside her.

Her mother, Panompai Sithong, believed her daughter survived because the cold-blooded killer already believed she was dead.

Sumaee and his mother Joy. The young boy narrowly survived the attack after being stabbed and shot at twice - doctors were able to remove the bullets from his head

The three-year-old girl with her mother Panompai Sithong outside the temple where mourners had gathered

Thai prime minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha meets relatives of victims of the nursery mass shooting at Wat Rat Samakee temple in northeastern Nong Bua Lam Phu province

Mourners at Wat Rat Samakee temple in Uthai Sawan, tie white, yellow and red 'soul strings' around the child's wrist to help her spirit survive the atrocity

After arriving at the scene someone found the young girl stirring as they were assessing the situation.

Emergency service workers carried out the three-year-old girl, covering her eyes so she could not see the deadly scene surrounding her.

Speaking after discovering her daughter was alive, Mrs Sithong told the Associated Press: 'Breathing was difficult, I can't describe it, but when I found out my child survived I was relieved.

'But I also wanted to know if she had any injuries, if there was any collateral damage.'

At the time of the mass shooting, Mrs Sithong and her husband were at work in a Bangkok electronics factory, 500 miles away from the rural town.

The parents had moved to the capital for work, leaving their daughter behind to be cared for by her grandmother.

Coffins of the young victims of the nursery shooting massacre decorated with flowers

Panompai Sithong (pictured) said: 'There's both good luck hidden in bad luck - I'm lucky that my child is okay but I lost my cousin'

Mrs Sithong and her three-year-old daughter Ammy, who was the only child unharmed in the shooting

After hearing the news about the attack, the frightened couple made the journey back to the town.

Mrs Sithong added that her cousin had also been killed during the massacre.

She told Reuters: 'I'm in shock. I feel for other families.

'I'm glad that my kid survived. It's a mixed feeling of sadness and gratitude.'

Mrs Sithong and her daughter went to a service at the temple to pay their respects.

Following the shooting, the family had to tell their young daughter that her best friend, two year old Techin and her teacher, had died.

He mother said: 'She was asking her grandmother, 'Why don't you pick up Techin from school?''

Mourners tied dozens of white, yellow and red 'soul strings' around the child's wrist to help her spirit survive the atrocity.

Buddhists believe that when a person experiences a tragedy, such as a mass murder, they lose part of their soul.

The relieved mother added: 'It is to bring the spirit back into her body.

'It's like the spirit had left the body and it is being called back.'

Toys, juice boxes and flowers were laid outside the Buddhist temple, Wat Rat Samakee

Pictures of the young victims were displayed outside of their tiny coffins inside the temple

Wreaths of flowers, cuddly toys and notes were laid outside the nursery - home to Thailand's deadliest mass shooting

Families offered flowers, dolls, popcorn and juice boxes to the children killed at the nursery as part of a Buddhist ceremony held today.

Relatives stood went back to the nursery in tears calling 'come back home' and 'come back with us'.

Bereaved mother, Maneerat Tanoethong, whose three-year-old Chaiyot Kijareon was killed during the shooting, said the rituals were helping with her grief.

She told Associated Press: 'I am trying not think about horrible images and focus on how lovely he was.

'But I don't know what I will do with myself once this is all over. I am determined that I will try let go of this, that I won't hold any grudge against the perpetrator and understand that all of these will end in this life.'

A child sits next to the mother of a victim as she cries outside the nursery, where a former police officer killed at least 37 people in a mass shooting, in Thailand's northeastern Nong Bua Lam Phu province on October 7, 2022

Buddhist monks pray for the victims of the mass killing in front of the Young Children's Development Centre

Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha pays his respects outside the day care centre

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is expected to attend evening prayers at the three temples where bodies were brought later Sunday. He visited the day after the shooting to pay his respects.

The teacher who runs the day care centre, was in the kitchen when she heard the first shots fired outside.

She said: 'I never thought he would go inside.

'I can't even imagine what this lost generation will mean to the community.'

The killer, Kamrap, was fired from the police over a drug charge.

After leaving the nursery, he continued his killing spree before shooting his wife and child at home.

He then shot himself, police said.

The headteacher at the nursery said the attacker's son used to attend the nursery but had not been in more than a month.

Images of Kamrap's innocent victims have since been released, including a heartbreaking image of two murdered twins and an eight-month-pregnant teacher.

Weerapat and Weeraphon Nuatkao, both three years old, and teacher Supaporn Pramongmuk were all among those killed in the massacre.

Her story emerged as pictures of the innocent victims of Khamrab's rampage began to be released, including a heartbreaking image of two murdered twins (pictured). Weerapat and Weeraphon Nuatkao were both three years old

Eight-month-pregnant teacher Supaporn Pramongmuk (pictured left)) was also among the victims of the massacre

Picutred: Eight-month-pregnant teacher Supaporn Pramongmuk (left and right-middle) who was killed in the nursery massacre on Thursday afternoon in Thailand

Her husband Seksan Srirach posted a poignant tribute on Facebook. 'I would like to thank all the support for me and my family.

'My wife has fulfilled her every duty as a teacher.

'Please be a teacher in heaven, and my child please take care of your mother in heaven.'

Killer Panya Kamrap (pictured) killed 36 people, including 24 nursery-aged children

Panya Khamrab (pictured right) shot dead his wife and son at the end of his brutal rampage in Thailand

Pictures have emerged of children playing in happier times at the Thai nursery, just months before it was targeted in the senseless attack (pictured). The youngsters are seen playing with teachers in brown uniforms and having them flowers in a religious ceremony in March this year

Pictures have also emerged of children playing in happier times at the Thai nursery, just months before it was targeted in the senseless attack.

The youngsters are seen playing with teachers in brown uniforms and having them flowers in a religious ceremony in March this year.

On Friday, the Thai King and Queen will visit the government-run childcare centre to comfort grieving relatives who are still coming to terms with the worst massacre in the country's history.
Embattled actor Ray Buffer has been accused by two California stores of shoplifting hundreds of dollars worth of comics - and security footage from both stores appears to show him engaging in the act.

Southern California Comics in San Diego first leveled the accusations last week, posting footage of him stuffing his shirt with multiple books on September 29.

The price of the collectibles, the store said in a scathing post the next day, amounted to more than $600 - spurring the store to file a police report with SDPD.

Staffers have since handed over the evidence to police, including other footage they say shows Buffer holding the books.

The store also says Buffer - a 53-year-old actor who appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm and ER in the early 2000s but has since been relegated to a career of commercials and contract work at local theme parks - is a repeat offender.

In addition to footage of Buffer's alleged boost last week, the store posted footage of the fallen star getting caught red-handed by a staffer in a similar incident at an LA comic store the week prior.

The video, which reportedly was captured by staffers at Metropolis Comics in Bellflower, shows the owner confronting Buffer after appearing to see him pull the same move, pointing out that he was on camera.

That incident saw the downtrodden actor - who has a bit part in the recently released Brad Pitt flick Bullet Train - put the comics back and leave as the owner threatened to call the police.

Embattled C-lister Ray Buffer has been accused by two California comic book shops of shoplifting hundreds of dollars worth of comics. Security footage from both stores appears to show the small-time actor, who appeared on Curb and ER in the 2000s, engaging in the act

After failing to hit it big in Hollywood, Buffer has worked a variety of odd theater and acting gigs in recent years such as musical theater and commercials, after being relegated to a career of commercials and contract work at local theme parks

Buffer - who supplements his flailing acting career with gigs as a contract Santa and freelance graphic designer - has since deleted all of his social media accounts, and claims that his being harassed by the store owners.

'PSA [public service announcement],' staffers at Southern California Comics wrote in the initial post from last Friday, showing Buffer, wearing a bright green polo and long gray bears, shoplifting.

At that point, staffers had yet to identify the husky culprit as Buffer, who lives in Long Beach.

'This guy stole from us yesterday by shoving a stack of golden age comics under his shirt. Please contact us if you have any info on him. Thanks comic community!' staffers wrote, asking for any prospective leads in IDing the thief.

Southern California Comics first leveled the accusations last week, posting footage of the bearded man confirmed to be as Buffer stuffing his shirt with multiple books on September 29

Later that day, they would finger Buffer as the offender - and urged followers on the store's Facebook page to reach out to the the actor, who for the past two decades as largely appeared in local musical theater productions and singsong commercials where he dresses as Santa

Staffers at the San Diego store say the shop has been the target of repeat strikes from shoplifters since the pandemic, and has been forced to employ a security guard to cover their losses, after revealing the books stolen by Buffer were worth more than $600

Later that day, they would finger Buffer as the offender - and urged followers on the store's Facebook page to reach out to the actor, who for the past two decades has largely appeared in local musical theater productions and singsong commercials where he dresses as Santa.

The post further asserted that it has been the target of repeat strikes from shoplifters since the pandemic, and has been forced to employ a security guard to cover its losses, after revealing the books stolen by Buffer were worth more than $600.

'Folks,' the post began, 'We are forced to make a change in the store's accountability. As most of you know, we have dealt with a burglary attempt, a costly burglary and consistent shoplifting.

'Try as we might, the shoplifting continues, despite all our security upgrades. If this is a continued example of rampant crime and theft that seems to have begun with the pandemic, we want off the 'victim train.'

In addition to footage of Buffer's alleged boost last week, the store posted footage of the fallen star getting caught red-handed by a staffer in a similar incident at an LA comic store the week prior

The video, which reportedly was captured by staffers at Metropolis Comics in Bellflower, shows the the owner confronting Buffer after appearing to see him pull the same move, before pointing out that he was on camera

The shoplifting took place at a comic shop more than 100 miles south in Los Angeles exactly a week before the San Diego strike

The reported offense was also caught on camera, and shows a man that appears to be Buffer shoving another issue into his pants, under his shirt, as his back is to the store's owner, who then approaches the actor after apparently seeing him slip the book under his shirt on camera

The woman then rushes to seemingly call the police, where at which point Buffer attempts to ditch the stolen goods from under his shirt into a display bin when he thinks the staffer isn't looking

'We now have to post a guard at the most sensitive portion of the store, the older back-issues, whenever that area is occupied by customers,' the post continued. 'We simply can't afford not to.

'I'm posting this announcement to let my customers know what we have to do in these stressful times for businesses.

We get very infrequent social network posts that complain about our tough stance on protecting our inventory.

'This post is my polite attempt to get in front of those future customers that respond with hostility, seem to reject the everyday news stories that tell the countrywide tales of the stress on the backs of businesses.'

They then added that they 'identified' the man who 'shoved comics up his shirt yesterday' as Buffer. 'Visit him at his FB page,' store operators wrote, linking to Buffer's then-active profile.

In another post, staffers wrote: 'Our camera captured him stealing comics by concealing them in his shirt. We discovered the crime and watched the surveillance video until we saw this. We are sending all the info over to the police.'

The store went on to repost the actor's Facebook profile, as well as his personal email. The post, published on Thursday, also saw the store worker say that had already been in contact with Buffer, who has denied stealing the books - and has gone as far as to accuse the store of harassing him.

'We offered him the choice of either returning our property (we know what he took because an earlier part of the video has him holding the books) or we turn it over to the law,' the scathing update from the store read.

'He emailed us and claimed we are harassing him. Yes we are.'

The next day, on Friday, the store followed up with another update - that asserted that Buffer was responsible for another shoplifting incident at a comic shop more than 100 miles south in Los Angeles exactly a week before the San Diego strike.

That incident saw the downtrodden actor - who has a bit part in the recently released Brad Pitt flick Bullet Train - put the comics back and leave as the owner threatened to call police. Here he is pictured in a recent online interview for the August film

The reported offense was also caught on camera and shows a man that appears to be Buffer shoving another issue into his pants, under his shirt, as his back is to the store's owner, seated at her desk in the background.

However, unbeknownst to Buffer, thanks to the well-placed camera, the woman was wise to the thief's antics and was apparently watching him via a surveillance feed from her desktop.

After Buffer conceals the book, the woman gets up and confronts him, letting him know that the camera saw everything, despite the actor's repeated denials.

'I saw that,' the woman says, polite but visibly irate, in the Los Angeles clip, before asking for the book back. 'Can I get my book back? Are you stuffing your pants?'

The actor denies the woman's accusations until she points out the camera directly above him. 'I have a camera on each angle,' the staffer tells Buffer, who continues to insist he's innocent.

The woman then rushes to seemingly call the police, where at which point Buffer attempts to ditch the stolen goods from under his shirt into a display bin when he thinks the staffer isn't looking.

Buffer- who supplements his flailing acting career with gigs as a contract Santa and freelance graphic designer - has since deleted all of his social media accounts, and claims that his being harassed by the store owners

However, she notices, and he is again caught on camera.

'I need you to leave the store now,' the woman says in the clip. It is not clear if the store, like Southern California Comics, further pursued the incident legally.

DailyMail.com reached out to Buffer by email on Sunday for more information on the allegations but did not immediately hear back.

In addition to the recent Pitt flick - one of few Hollywood credits to the actor's name in the past decade - Buffer has worked a variety of odd theater and acting gigs in recent years such as musical theater and commercials that often contain a singing element.

Since then, he's done voice acting roles for The American Red Cross and to promote a Santa Cam for Yankee Candle, for which the white-bearded actor also appeared as Santa in a commercial in 2020

Santa seems to have become Buffer's typecast role in his twilight years after failing to hit it big after a small role on Curb's fourth season 18 years ago

In 2019, he appeared as a caroler in a National Commercial for Capital One and Walmart - in which he is featured for about three seconds as a caroler.

Since then, he's done voice acting roles for The American Red Cross and promoted a Santa Cam for Yankee Candle, for which the white-bearded actor also appeared as Santa in a commercial.

Santa seems to have become Buffer's typecast role in his twilight years after failing to hit it big after a small role in Curb's fourth season 18 years ago.

'Now that I am older,' Buffer said in a recent interview, 'I've been doing personal appearances as Santa including parades, sometimes with my own facial hair.'

Police are currently investigating the San Diego incident. DailyMail.com reached out to both stores that have been allegedly targeted by the actor.
It appears that Donald Trump has found a new way to mock President Joe Biden at his signature 'Make America Great Again' rallies - by debuting a professional wrestling-style video compilation of the Democrat's many gaffes.

The two-minute long Saturday video included a clip of Biden from an event on ending hunger late last month, where he appeared to call out for late GOP Rep. Jackie Walorski to praise her for her efforts in the initiative.

'Where's Jackie?' Biden asked, despite Walorski tragically dying in a car crash with two of her staffers earlier this year.

Letters pop up on the screen alongside Biden with the somewhat crassly-worded reminder: 'Pssst....Jackie's dead.'

Biden reportedly later apologized to Walorski's family in a more private setting.

Trump, who is no stranger to criticizing his political rival, rolled out the video at his Nevada rally on Saturday night.

'Let's get ready to bumble!' a voiceover says, opening the two-minute video with a play on WWE announcer Michael Buffer's signature phrase.

He's shown similar clips and images at past rallies, such as his recent event in Michigan, but Saturday's video appears to be among the lengthiest and most meticulously-produced.

Donald Trump told supporters of Biden, 'He can't speak clearly, he can't think clearly' before introducing his video

One moment called out Biden for appearing to forget GOP Rep. Jackie Walorski had passed away

Raging against the Justice Department's ongoing investigation into his handling of classified documents on Saturday night, Trump attacked Biden's mental acuity and again accused him of directing the federal government in a politicized probe.

That's despite the White House and the president himself denying having a role in the investigation or the August 8 FBI raid that brought it to the public forefront.

'You could take the five worst presidents in American history and put them together, and they would not have done the damage Joe Biden has done to our nation in less than two short years,' Trump told supporters.

He claimed, 'When Biden hears me speak, he knows he can't fight back in any other way than to try and get me through these prosecutors.'

'That's the only way he can maybe get me, I don't think he can, first of all we did nothing wrong. It helps when you've done nothing wrong after six years,' Trump said in apparent reference to the myriad of investigations against him.

'He can't speak clearly, he can't think clearly, so he tells law enforcement, "You gotta do something about this guy, he's killing me."'

Trump then asked the crowd: 'So we just had a little quick video made up, would you like to see it?'

Walorski, who was endorsed by Trump before she died, passed away earlier this year

The ensuing video shows Biden's misspeaks and verbal stumbles interspersed with clips of him tripping down Air Force One's steps and First Lady Jill Biden helping him put on a jacket.

All the while, the well-worn 1991 track 'Get Ready for This' by 2 Unlimited plays in the background.

Trump's supporters chanted 'Joe's got to go' when the video ended.

He's the latest critic of the 79-year-old president to come down on his awkward slip about Walorski, who Trump had endorsed before she died.

The White House's handling of the issue prompted a firestorm of scrutiny from much of the media.

President Trump Plays Video Of Bumbling Biden At Nevada Rally



Crowd Chants: "Joe's got to go!" pic.twitter.com/9HakdIcGWm  The Columbia Bugle  (@ColumbiaBugle) October 9, 2022

At her regular press briefing after Biden's event, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly refused to chalk it up to a mistake when asked by multiple reporters.

She repeatedly told them that Biden brought up the late congresswoman because she was 'top of mind.'

Biden himself apologized for the incident to Walorski's family, according to Indiana's South Bend Tribune.

They met with him in the Oval Office during a bill signing in Walorski's honor.

Her older brother, Keith Walorski, told the outlet that the president had been 'extremely gracious.'

'He brought the Wheres Jackie? comment and basically said, Im sorry that that went out like it did, and that it was basically a slip. He was the one to bring it up, he apologized and we basically told him we were fine, we had no hard feelings about that,' Keith said.
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Furious motorists have been pictured dragging members of the environmental group Just Stop Oil from the roads surrounding Westminster as activists stop traffic for the ninth day in a row, resulting in 45 arrests.

Dozens of protesters against the continued use of oil and gas despite their detrimental climate impacts have blocked roads in central London around the Houses of Parliament today, in a bid to force government to take action on the climate crisis.

One was filmed clambering on top of a police van which had arrived to deal with the protesters and gluing himself down to it by the hand.

But motorists out and about this afternoon were frustrated by the protests and took matters into their own hands - attempting to forcibly remove the protesters from the roads themselves.

According to Just Stop Oil, two women who were arrested during the protests for throwing paint on a store front are set to appear in court tomorrow

There is also footage online of a white van driving towards the protesters at speed, before slamming the brakes on and stopping just a couple of centimetres in front of them.

This driver and others were shown violently pushing and shoving protesters, as well as dragging them towards the pavement.

In one online video a driver can be heard saying: 'I have to go to hospital... stop interfering with us!'

Protesters, who held multiple banners and were all dressed in orange jackets, have vowed to disrupt roads for the rest of the month.

The Metropolitan Police says it has arrested 45 people for willful obstruction of the highway in Piccadilly today, just one day after it took 24 into custody for causing similar scenes in Marylebone Road.

And there were further scenes of chaos on Saturday as vegans joined the eco-zealots by pouring milk all over the roads and covering shopfronts with paint.

The activist was later pictured being lowered down from the van after his hand was unglued from the top

Dozens of Just Stop Oil protesters marched on Westminster for the ninth day in a row today and warned they will continue to do so throughout the month

The organisation plans to blockade roads around Westminster every day in October and yesterday teamed up with Animal Rebellion

A man at today's protests held up a sign reading 'Don't jail the messengers' and demanding the government takes action now

One activist climbed on top of a police van in Piccadilly Circus, bringing it to a halt in the middle of the road

Police officers using cutting equipment to remove a padlock from the neck of a protester sat blocking the road

Police carry away a protester who had locked herself to another at Piccadilly Circus in London this afternoon

Just Stop Oil revealed today that one protester had to have emergency medical treatment after being removed from the road by a motorist, but added: 'We are not backing down'

The Just Stop Oil protesters have also begun doubling up in lines across the road, to ensure dragging them out the way is not so straightforward

The group has revealed that one activist required emergency medical care after being removed from the road by a motorist on Saturday

The Met tweeted confirming the arrest of a man who was filmed jumping onto a police van: 'UPDATE: We are aware of a video shared earlier this afternoon showing a man running and jumping onto the top of a police van at Piccadilly Circus.

'He was brought down by specially trained officers and has since been arrested for obstruction and criminal damage.'

Just Stop Oil said that one activist was left needing 'emergency' medical care after being violently removed from the road by a motorist yesterday.

In a statement, the organisation said: 'We are not backing down.

'Today, the Occupation of Westminster enters its 9th day. Massive disruption has been caused throughout the borough with multiple bridges and key A roads repeatedly blocked.

'Yesterday, a group of Just Stop Oil supporters remained resolutely nonviolent when confronted by the understandably frustrated members of the public.

'One supporter required emergency medical treatment due to having been removed from the road by a member of the public.

'The disruption will end when the Government makes a statement that it will halt all future licensing and consents for the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels in the UK.'

They vow to continue blocking roads in Westminster every day in October.

Today activists have been pictured using methods to frustrate easy removal, including several lines of protesters and even locking themselves to one another using D-locks.

One protester climbed on top of a police ban with a Just Stop Oil banner, reportedly gluing himself to the roof. He told passers-by: 'I'm angry. Sad... Where's the outrage?'

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: 'A total of 45 people have been arrested for wilful obstruction of the highway after Just Stop Oil protests in Piccadilly on Sunday, 9 October. They have been taken into custody.'

Yesterday activists wearing luminous vests sat across Marylebone Road, while long queues of cars, buses and taxis angrily beeped their horns.

The Met tweeted confirming the arrest of a man who was filmed jumping onto a police van: 'UPDATE: We are aware of a video shared earlier this afternoon showing a man running and jumping onto the top of a police van at Piccadilly Circus'

Protesters at Piccadilly Circus on Sunday hold banners and appear to have locked themselves together

Police begin talking to protesters in an effort to persuade them to move out of the road before they are arrested

In part due to angry motorists, some protesters have turned to extreme measures to prevent them from being moved against their will - including locking together by the neck

A motorcycle rider reacts in frustration at the Just Stop Oil protesters blocking his path

Two protesters hold hands inside a tube while lying across the road in central London this afternoon

Police carry away an elderly Just Stop Oil protester on Saturday after the organisation teamed up with Animal Rebellion to cause travel chaos

Activists with Just Stop Oil have been blockading roads around central London for nine days now, and intend to keep going

There were 24 arrests made in relation to the Just Stop Oil protests yesterday.

One man was filmed being arrested during the protests, but told the interviewer he had simply congratulated them for their action.

He told reporters he lived 'round the corner' and simply came out to say to the activists he supports them, but quickly found himself detained by officers.

Today's action follows protests in the capital every day since last Saturday, which have also seen Just Stop Oil block roads around Parliament Square, Waterloo Bridge and Trafalgar Square.

The sit-down yesterday during the week of action saw some protestors gluing themselves to the road to hinder attempts to remove them, as they continue to demand the Government stops new oil and gas projects.

Yesterday Just Stop Oil teamed up with Animal Rebellion, an off-shoot of Extinction Rebellion, to bring large parts of the capital to a standstill.

Members of the environmental protest groups poured milk on Regent Street and St James's Street as they marched through central London.

The shopfront of William Evans gun room was covered with green paint and red paint was poured on the floors of Farlow's fishing, hunting and shooting supply store, as well as placing paper flowers outside.

The group say this is to expose the outdated practices of hunting, shooting and fishing, whilst also showing that a better world is possible.

While there was no sign of Animal Rebellion today, the group said its acts yesteday highlight the need for urgent and immediate transition towards a plant-based food system, away from the current one that includes the inefficient and unnecessary exploitation of nonhuman animals.

They also said the outside of the shop had been covered in origami flowers to represent the nature that could be restored and flourish if we move into a plant-based future, free from so-called 'blood sports'.

Robert Gordon, from York, said: 'A plant-based food system could feed more people, using less land, for less money. Instead of trapping farmers in dependence on outdated and inefficient subsidies, Ranil Jayawardena and DEFRA should be taking bold steps to assist farmers in a transition to a plant-based future with a meaningful and supportive subsidy system.

'It's time we have a government that backs farmers, rather than leaving them on their backs.'

The vegan activists who poured milk all over the floor in Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason yesterday were also arrested by police.

Vegans and Just Stop Oil eco-zealots joined forces to bring central London to a standstill yesterday by pouring milk all over the roads and covering shopfronts with paint

Protesters from the groups, offshoots of Extinction Rebellion, blocked roads and bridges in the capital yesterday in order to highlight their demand that the government stops new oil and gas projects

On Saturday the shopfront of William Evans gun room was covered with green paint and red paint was poured on the floors of Farlow's fishing, hunting and shooting supply store, as well as placing paper flowers outside

Members of the environmental protest groups Animal Rebellion and Just Stop Oil poured milk on Regent Street and St James's Street as they marched through central London yesterday

Hundreds of protestors from Animal Rebellion - an offshoot of the Extinction Rebellion group that describes itself as a 'mass movement using non-violent civil disobedience to call for a just, sustainable plant-based food system' - gathered at Green Park in London at 11am yesterday.

Before marching through central London, Sofia Fernandes Pontes from Madeira and Steve Bone from Essex, the duo who poured out milk over the two high-end London department stores in a protest against dairy products, were arrested by police.

The climate group has two demands, the first being for the Government to support farmers and fishing communities to move away from animal farming and fishing as part of an urgent and immediate transition to a plant-based food system.

Secondly the group wants the Government to commit to rewild the freed-up land and ocean as part of a broader programme of wildlife restoration and carbon drawdown.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said yesterday: 'A 40-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman were arrested in Green Park on Saturday, 8 October on suspicion of criminal damage and theft. They have been taken into custody

'This relates to an incident at a business premises on Piccadilly, London, W1A on Friday, 7 October.

'At 10.20hrs on Saturday three people, a 26-year-old man and two women, aged 28 and 22, were arrested on suspicion of possession of articles to cause criminal damage. Their arrests follow a proactive vehicle stop in Berwick Street, W1 during which fire extinguishers full of paint were found.

'13 people were arrested shortly after 18:00hrs after they blocked Westminster Bridge. Efforts were made to engage with the group and a number of people left voluntarily. Those who did not were arrested.'
Tennessee lawmakers responded with outrage, calling for an investigation into the hospital's practices

Conservative activist Matt Walsh released a 2018 video of VUMC LGBTQ specialist Dr. Shayne Taylor explaining the financial benefits of the program

The prestigious university hospital came under fire last month after an investigation found it 'castrated' minors for lucrative financial gain

Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced it is suspending all transgender surgeries pending a review of its program

Vanderbilt University has suspended gender altering surgeries at its medical center amid outrage over claims the hospital 'chemically castrates' minors for financial gain.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center [VUMC] confirmed it was freezing all 'gender affirmation surgery' on underage patients pending a review of their processes, in response to calls from Tennessee lawmaker to investigate the hospital.

The center came under fire last month after conservative activist Matt Walsh released a 2018 video showing Dr Shayne Taylor - an LGBTQ specialist at the hospital - touting transgender surgeries as 'huge money makers' for the hospital.

Walsh also compiled a report of his own investigation into VUMC's trans program which found the hospital 'drugs, chemically castrates and performs double mastectomies on minors.'

Dr. Shayne Taylor, a physician at the VUMC Clinic for Transgender Health, was recorded talking about the lucrative finances of transgender surgeries

Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced it is suspending all transgender surgeries pending a review of its program

Vanderbilt opened its trans clinic in 2018. During a lecture the same year, Dr. Shayne Taylor explained how she convinced Nashville to get into the gender transition game. She emphasized that it's a "big money maker," especially because the surgeries require a lot of "follow ups" pic.twitter.com/zedM7HBCBe  Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 20, 2022

VUMC announced it would be halting its transgender services, but that it was doing so only pending review of 'new recommendations' from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health [WPATH].

'On September 6, 2022, WPATH [World Professional Association for Transgender Health] published a new version of its recommendations to health care professionals for treatment of transgender persons, known as SOC-8,' the hospital wrote in a statement to lawmakers.

'In light of these new recommendations, and as part of completing our internal clinical review of SOC-8 guidance in patients under 18, we will be seeking advice from local and national clinical experts.

'We are pausing gender affirmation surgeries on patients under age 18 while we complete this review, which may take several months.'

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Senator Marsha Blackburn both called for an investigation into VUMC

The announcement came on the heels of Walsh's report, which referenced numerous reported videos of hospital staff speaking about their transgender program.

One such video featured a University staff member suggesting the hospital 'has given irreversible hormone drugs to children as young as 13.'

In a video which Walsh publicly released, Dr Taylor can be seen explaining how it was the lucrative finances of transition treatments which largely drove the hospital to open a program.

'Some of our VUMC financial folks in October of 2016 put down some costs of how much money we think each patient would bring in,' Taylor can be heard saying.

'And this is only including top surgery, this isn't including any bottom surgery, and it's a lot of money.'

VUMC could not be reached for comment when contacted by DailyMail.com.

Conservative activist Matt Walsh released a report finding that Vanderbilt University Medical Center was performing transgender surgeries for financial gain

A 2018 video showed Dr. Shayne Taylor touting transgender surgeries as 'huge money makers'

Three 'Detransitioners' who have voiced regret for their decisions An increasing number of people who have undergone gender-transitional procedures are voicing regret for their choices, with many saying they feel they were influenced into making drastic choices without proper counseling. A 32-year-old detransitioner from Massachusetts going by Shape Shifter says he was 'brain washed' into removing his penis by staff at Fenway Health and The Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery, who didn't warn him of the negative effects of surgery because it was 'bad for business.' 'I will never be able to get my penis back which is extremely traumatic for me,' he said in an August interview. 'I want it back and I can't. Sex is traumatic for me now because I've had botched surgeries.' Shape Shifter, pictured, says he even dreams about having a penis, while before his first transition he would dream about having a vagina A 26-year-old from the UK named Sam says she regrets the transition she undertook at 21. Sam said she made the decision to transition after a mere two-hour counseling session. 'I do believe that therapy should be involved at all stages of the transitioning process to help spot and explore red flags that may appear in someone's transitional journey. 'I also think more information should be given to individuals to make sure that their informed consent is truly informed. Sam (pictured after her mastectomy) is now warning others of the dangers of going through gender transition too quickly without proper therapeutic support Alia Ismail, a 27-year-old from Michigan, is detransitioning after becoming a male at just 18. She legally changed her name to Issa in August 2015 and underwent a double mastectomy in February 2016. But after realizing she wanted to de-transition, the 27-year-old stopped taking male hormones in February 2021 and is going by the name Alia again. Alia Ismail, 27, pictured as both a male and a female Advertisement

At the report's release, VUMC released a statement denying any wrongdoing, insisting it provided services only 'in compliance with state law and in line with professional practice standards,' according to Fox News.

Vanderbilt University then distanced itself from VUMC, telling Fox the hospital was an independent entity and the school could not comment on its decisions.

'Vanderbilt University Medical Center is a fully independent nonprofit and has been a separate legal entity from Vanderbilt University since 2016,' a university spokesperson said.

'As such, Vanderbilt University has no role in medical decisions and patient care.'

Tennessee lawmakers responded with outrage at the reports findings, and called for an investigation.

In a statement, Governor Bill Lee said the Tennessee's children needed to be protected from hospitals seeking to prey on them for financial gain.

'The 'pediatric transgender clinic' at Vanderbilt University Medical Center [VUMC] raises serious moral, ethical and legal concerns,' he said in a statement.

'We should not allow permanent, life-altering decisions that hurt children or policies that suppress religious liberties, all for the purpose of financial gain.

'We have to protect Tennessee children, and this warrants a thorough investigation.'

Senator Marsha Blackburn tweeted 'Agreed, we are with you,' in reference to Lee's stance.

According to Fox News, Lee's office 'shared concerns with the Attorney General.'

Tennessee state rep. William Lamberth added his voice to the chorus, saying he was 'deeply troubled' by Walsh's findings of 'child mutilation.'

'I'm deeply troubled by what Matt Walsh uncovered about the Pediatric Transgender Clinic at VUMC,' he said.

'Gov. Bill Lee is right to call for an investigation, and we will support that investigation 100 percent.

'This type of child mutilation should be illegal and soon will be in TN.'

The controversy around VUMC's practices comes as debates about gender transitioning surgeries and medical treatments rage across the country.

According to numbers gathered by The New York Post, minors experiencing gender dysphoria has exploded in recent years.

Between 2009 and 2019, the number of teens seeking transitional treatment increased 1,000 percent in biological males, and 4,400 percent in females.

In the US, the numbers of youths identifying as transgender has nearly doubled since 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As those numbers rise, an increasing number of people who received transition treatment as minors are voicing their regrets.

'I was failed by the system. I literally lost organs,' a 17-year-old girl named Chloe, who began receiving hormone blockers at 13, told The Post.

At 15 Chloe received a double mastectomy, but by 16 she knew she'd made a mistake.

'I can't stay quiet,' Chloe said. 'I need to do something about this and to share my own cautionary tale.'

As stories from people like Chloe gain more attention, lawmakers have begun to take action to try to prevent similar situations from arising among young people.

Just this month, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed a bill that effectively banned gender- reassignment drugs from being prescribed to minors at the state's main children's hospital.

Gov. Stitt said Tuesday: 'By signing this bill today we are taking the first step to protect children from permanent gender transition surgeries and therapies.

'It is wildly inappropriate for taxpayer dollars to be used for condoning, promoting, or performing these types of controversial procedures on healthy children.'

He said in a statement that he wanted a prohibition on 'all irreversible gender transition surgeries and hormone therapies' on minors.
Working from the pub is becoming the new working from home as Britons flee to more sociable venues - and chains have noticed, with many offering deals from just 10 a day to attract remote workers amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Pubs will be desperate to attract customers amid the ongoing cost of living crisis, which is only set to worsen this winter. Among the issues facing hospitality businesses are soaring energy bills, rising food and drink prices, and Britons less inclined to spend.

In September, the government did introduce an energy support package, which gives businesses the 'equivalent' support for bills to that which households have received.

But many are arguing this will not be enough at a time when pubs are facing a doubling of their bills.

Consequently, many chains have introduced working from the pub deals in an attempt to attract customers who are also trying to escape their own rocketing home energy bills.

Working from the pub is becoming the new working from home as Britons flee to more sociable venues - and chains have noticed, with many offering deals from just 10 a day to attract remote workers amid the ongoing cost of living crisis

Education copywriter Jen has worked from the Cutty Sark pub in Greenwich, south-east London, for a few days a month since parent brewery Young's introduced its 15 Work from Pub (WFP) packages in 2020.

The 15-a-day deal involves 185 Young's pubs and varies across venues but can include a sandwich lunch and bottomless tea and coffee.

Meanwhile, Fuller's is offering a lunch and a drink from just 10 a day across its 380 pubs.

Then, microbrewery pub chain Brewhouse and Kitchen is offering a 'workspace' option for 10 a day, which features WiFi, quiet spots, power sockets, unlimited hot and soft drinks, and printing.

The community co-working site Othership has a membership going for from as little as 25 a month, which involves pubs signing up to 'host' laptop workers.

Then, the independent Flintgate pub in Weybridge, Surrey has a 15 'work and play deal' that offers use of power points, quiet stations, unlimited tea and coffee and lunch, and a pint or G&T sundowner at 5pm.

Luke McMillan runs flip-flop company Sea Sense from the Surrey pub. 'I find working from the kitchen table soul-destroying,' he told the Guardian. 'The pub is great for its laidback atmosphere, and the best bit is that you get to bond with other pub workers over a beer at the end of the day.'
A child and her mother view an artwork inspired by the Hunminjeongeum Haerye, which explains the proper sounds and use of the Korean alphabet, Hangeul, at an exhibition at the National Hangeul Museum in Yongsan District, Seoul, Sunday, the 576th anniversary of the invention of Hangeul. Yonhap



Seniors, migrants empowered by learning Korean alphabet



By Lee Hae-rin



For Choi Sun-ran, 79, exchanging handwritten letters and Kakao messages with her 10-year-old grandchild has become the greatest joy in life. She never thought it would be possible until she started learning how to read and write Hangeul, (the Korean alphabet), at Yongsan District Office's lifelong education center five years ago.



In all her life, Choi has been a hard worker and a dedicated mother who raised her children and gave them university educations while making ends meet delivering milk. However, being illiterate made her feel "guilty," as she had to ask for someone's help every time she rode on a bus, went to a bank or a hospital.



"Now that I know how to read, it feels like being on cloud nine every day, and Hangeul is the wings that make me fly," Choi said in an interview with The Korea Times.



Like Choi, Yoon Jeong-hee, 32, a marriage immigrant from Cambodia who moved to Korea 10 years ago, has seen her life starting to blossom after learning Hangeul. Five years ago, Yoon started her studies at the Migrant School in Seoul's Eunpyeong District to become a proud parent to her six children.



"Ten years ago, the world for me was just like a 'jet-black night because I experienced depression when struggling to communicate with family and making friends," she told The Korea Times. "However, ever since becoming literate, the world turned bright like a fresh morning and my life blossomed like a flower."



As Choi and Yoon show, over 2 million adults in Korea are unable to read and write Korean, taking up about 20 percent of the total adult population, according to the Ministry of Education's latest statistics on literacy.











Kim In-suk, right, teaches a senior student Hangeul at Yongsan District Office's lifelong education center in Seoul, Oct. 7. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin



The high percentage of native illiteracy, despite a world-ranking university entrance rate and education level, is a unique phenomenon found in Korea, according to Kim In-suk, the president of the Korean Literacy and Basic Education Association who has been teaching Choi for five years.



They are mostly women aged over 60, often found in rural areas, who had to work in factories and other workplaces at a young age while the country was going through war and poverty, Kim said. They were forced to give up their chance to learn so that their male siblings could and supported their husbands and children after getting married.



Since 2006, the government has provided adult literacy education based on the enactment of the Lifelong Education Act. The growing awareness and accessibility to literacy education provided people like Choi and Yoon chances to receive a belated education. In Seoul, over 31,000 seniors are receiving literacy education at lifelong learning institutions managed by the Seoul Lifelong Education Institute as of September 2021.



Due to their age and cultural differences, these late-time learners tend to be slower and less efficient in learning, the experts said, which is why their curriculum focuses more on real life issues than scholarly acquisition. The senior students are taught how to read store signs and carry out administrative tasks at a bank and hospital. The marriage migrants learn vocabulary and background knowledge about children's education and school life, which are what they most seek.





Seen is the illustrated poetry of Yoon Jeong-hee, titled "My Blossoming Life," with the illustrations of six flowers symbolizing Yoon with a Cambodian flag, her Korean husband and her six children. Courtesy of Seoul Lifelong Education Institute
The Environment Secretary has promised to tackle waste crime as new data shows the fly-tipping in England has surged by 38 per cent.

More than 1 million fly-tipping incidents were recorded last year in comparison to the 820,000 incidents recorded in 2010, Unchecked UK analysis reveals.

Officials allege household waste accounts for nearly half of the incidents. White goods, clinical waste and animal carcasses have also contributed to the issue.

The data comes as Environment Secretary Ranil Jayawardena has vowed to put an end to illegal waste dumping in the UK, alleging it is a 'blight on our towns, cities and beautiful countryside.'

The increase in fly-tipping is also accompanied by apparent declining efforts to combat waste crime offenders. Last year fines average around 2.50 per offender.

The Environment Secretary has promised to tackle waste crime as new data shows the fly-tipping in England has surged by 38 per cent. Pictured: Rubbish dumped in Slough last month

'Fly-tipping is a blight on our towns, cities and beautiful countryside. We must put an end to this,' Mr Jayawardena told The Telegraph, noting how clearing up waste costs the UK 392million annually.

'I am determined that we clamp down on fly-tipping  which has been a millstone around the neck of legitimate businesses and curbed economic growth for too long  and make sure those responsible face the full force of the law.'

Fly-tipping incidents on the country's waterways have increased by 76 per cent, the new data revealed. They have also nearly doubled on footpaths and bridleways.

Environmental groups have reported incidents of repeated dumping in nature reserves and other UK beauty spots.

Fly-tipping also poses a 'lethal threat' to wildlife and livestock, The Wildlife Trusts, responsible for running the country's nature reserves, alleged.

'Fly-tipping is disgraceful and causes big problems for wildlife, as well as costing a fortune to clean up,' The Wildlife Trusts land use policy manager Barnaby Coupe told the newspaper. 'It is heart-breaking whenever our nature reserves are targeted.'

Countryside groups report repeated dumping in nature reserves and beauty spots, and are being forced to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds a year to clean up discarded rubbish.

The Wildlife Trusts, which runs nature reserves across the country, said fly-tipping posed a lethal threat to wildlife and grazing livestock.

More than 1 million fly-tipping incidents were recorded last year in comparison to the 820,000 incidents recorded in 2010, Unchecked UK analysis reveals. Pictured: Rubbish dumped near Scraptoft in April 2020

Officials allege household waste accounts for nearly half of the incidents. White goods, clinical waste and animal carcasses have also contributed to the issue. Pictured: Rubbish dumped in Staffordshire in April 2020

While pandemic-era closures of tips and skips have 'exacerbated' the fly-tipping problem, industry experts also claim councils are failing to tackle waste crime offenders.

Ten years ago approximately 70 per cent of fly-tipping incidents resulted in 'some kind of law enforcement.' Now, that figure sits around 40 per cent.

Unchecked UK reported there has been one prosecution for every 471 fly-tipping incidents in the last year.

Courts also reportedly 'rarely' impose fines or prison sentences for waste dumping offenders. Only four fines above 50,000 have been issued since 2007.

The Environment Services Association (ESA) said the public is often unaware that they would be held responsible for fly-tipping even if they employed a third party to dispose of their rubbish.

The ESA also claims the law currently makes it easy for criminal operators to register themselves as 'legitimate rubbish removal services.'

The Telegraph alleged that journalist George Monbiot last year registered his dead goldfish as a legitimate waste disposer.
The mother of two young children who were killed in a horrific crash on the M4 has shared the news that she is pregnant with another child - with the due date being the same day as her late daughter's birthday.

Four-year-old Gracie-Ann Lucas and three-year-old Jayden-Lee Lucas were killed as they were being driven home from a friend's birthday party in February.

The two children, from Tredegar, near Merthyr Tydfil, were in a car on the M4 in Newport with their mother Rhiannon Lucas and her partner when it was hit by a van being driven by a drunk and drug driver.

Four-year-old Gracie-Ann Lucas and her three-year-old brother Jayden-Lee Lucas were killed in February by a van driver who had been drinking and had taken drugs

Adam and Rhiannon have been in a relationship for just under two years and this will be Adam's first child and Rhiannon's third. Adam, 27, has said the pregnancy is keeping the couple 'sane'

Tragically both siblings, also known by the surname Wheaton, died within days of each other following the collision at around 1.45pm on February 5, while Rhiannon sustained serious injuries.

It was later heard in court that the van's driver, Martin Newman, 41, was high on drink and drugs when he smashed into the stationary vehicle on the M4 westbound carriageway between junctions 28 and 29.

Newman was more than twice the drink-driving limit after going out with colleagues the night before the crash, and had drunk 10 cans of Strongbow and taken cocaine once he returned to his hotel room.

Newman, of Croeserw, admitted two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, one of causing serious injury to the children's mother by dangerous driving, and charges of drink-driving and drug-driving

The two children, from Tredegar, near Merthyr Tydfil, were in a car with their mother Rhiannon Lucas and her partner when their car was hit by the van on the M4 in Newport

The children's mother, Rhiannon Lucas, was injured in the crash - leading Newman to plead guilty to one count causing serious injury by dangerous driving

He was jailed for nine years and four months but will serve just over four years in custody.

The children's family had appealed his sentence but it was denied.

Now Rhiannon and her partner Adam Saunders - who was a stepfather to Jayden and Gracie - have announced they are expecting a child.

Miraculously, the baby's due date has been announced as April 10, 2023, what would have been Gracie-Ann's sixth birthday.

It was heard in court how Martin Newman, 41, was high on drink and drugs when he smashed into the stationary vehicle on the M4 westbound carriageway between junctions 28 and 29

Adam and Rhiannon have been in a relationship for just under two years and this will be Adam's first child and Rhiannon's third.

He said that they found out about the pregnancy when Rhiannon was around eight weeks along and were told about the incredible due date at the 12-week scan.

Adam, 27, who works in the call centre industry, has said the pregnancy is keeping the pair 'sane'.

He said: 'After everything we have been through, this is something to keep us sane and positive and happy to look forward to now.

'Obviously, we will never forget Jayden and Gracie but it's something we don't have to always dwell on and always have sad moments, we have happy memories to look back on.

'This is something now for us to focus on and look forward to. It's something lovely to happen to us after everything that has happened.'

Jayden and Gracie-Ann (pictured), and their parents, were rushed to the intensive care unit (ICU) of University Hospital of Wales, also known as the Heath Hospital, in Cardiff, following the crash

Adam said that when he was told about the due date and realised its significance, he was 'gobsmacked' and thinks it is a message from the children.

He said: 'It's like fate. For the due date to be on Gracie's birthday, it's like the kids were sending us a message. I was hands in my face gobsmacked. I was speechless.

'For my first child and Rhiannon's third, to be due on Gracie's birthday, well it's incredible. It's a special child.'

Given it's only just over seven months since the children's tragic death, Adam said there were a lot of emotions involved in the pregnancy, especially for mum Rhiannon who is still battling her own injuries.

'Emotions are definitely high but there have always been smiles on our faces since we found out, we're always talking about it, always on our mind.

'Anything we do talk about in terms of Gracie and Jayden is obviously still very emotional but we talk about them in a happy way, we remember positive memories. They're happy memories, we're smiling when we talk about them.'

The young siblings had a joint funeral on March 21 in which the emotional service saw the children's favourite cartoon characters lead the procession, and doves released into the air as hundreds gathered on the streets to mourn their tragic deaths.

Gracie-Ann (pictured left and right) suffered a cardiac arrest due to the severity of her injuries and died the following day at around 5am. A GoFundMe page set up to raise money for the siblings' funeral has raised more than 11,500.

'Me and Rhiannon go up the graveside quite frequently,' said Adam, 'And I've got to be honest the first time we went to the grave after we found out it was like announcing the news to them that they're having a brother or sister.

'Although they are gone they're still with us in our hearts and as far as we are concerned, Gracie and Jayden are having a little brother or sister.

'We did get emotional then. It was like we were telling them the news, without being able to physically tell them the news.'

'But we know they are looking down on us and knew what we told them. And now they'll certainly have some involvement.

'They're making sure they are involved and sending a message with the due date on Gracie's birthday.

'And now they'll certainly have some involvement. This is something lovely and exciting for us all now.'
The president said today the blast was 'devised, carried out and ordered by the Ukrainian special services'

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A red-faced Vladimir Putin has branded the attack on a bridge in Crimea a 'terror attack' and blamed Ukrainian special forces for the explosion which severely damaged the key link to the Russian mainland.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with his Security Council tomorrow, the livid Russian president said the blast at the Kerch bridge was designed to destroy 'critically important civilian infrastructure'.

He declared that the attack was a terrorist incident, a move that could open the door for further escalation in the war that has raged in Ukraine since Russia's illegal invasion in February.

Lord Dannatt, former head of the British Army, said among other things the authoritarian leader could order the indescriminate shelling of Ukrainian cities and could even 'go nuclear'.

However, the Kremlin has played down fears from some Western observers that it could use nuclear weapons in retalation, saying it is 'completely incorrect' that it is considering using them in response.

Russian governors have threatened revenge missile attacks after the destruction of the bridge on Saturday morning, which was considered to be one of his pet projects.

There will be clamouring from within the country for a decisive strike back against Ukraine as it reels from the destruction of what had been a symbol of Russian power in Crimea following its annexation of the peninsula in 2014.

The bridge, which spans 19km from Crimea to the Russian mainland, has been used as one of the main supply routes for Russian troops since the illegal invasion earlier this year, allowing Putin to resupply and back up forces occupying Kherson and other southern regions of Ukraine.

Its destruction in a huge blast in the early hours of Saturday morning was a huge blow to the Russian war effort and was a slap in the face for the Russian president.

In a video released on the Kremlin's Telegram channel today, Putin laid the blame at Ukrainian special forces while meeting with Alexander Bastrykin, the head of Russia's Investigative Committee, who was presenting findings of an inquiry into Saturday's explosion and fire on the bridge.

The Russian president said: 'There is no doubt. This is an act of terrorism aimed at destroying critically important civilian infrastructure. This was devised, carried out and ordered by the Ukrainian special services.'

Mr Bastrykin said he had opened a criminal case into an act of terrorism and added that while Ukrainian soldier had taken part, citizens of Russia and other countries also took part in the act.

He said investigations 'have already established the route of the truck' that Russian authorities said set off a bomb and explosion on the bridge.

Mr Bastrykin said the truck had been to Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, North Ossetia, Krasnodar (a region in southern Russia) and other places.

A stern-looking Vladimir Putin (pictured) was pictured meeting Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, in St. Petersburg, today. The Russian president has branded an attack on the Kerch bridge as 'terrorism'

Alexander Bastrykin (pictured), head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. After the meeting Putin said the attack on the Kerch bridge had been carried out by Ukrainian special forces

Russian President Vladimir Putin will chair a meeting with his Security Council on Monday, two days after a huge blast ripped through Russia's Crimea bridge, the Kremlin told local news agencies

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via a video link in Moscow on September 29, 2022, just one day before he formally annexed four regions of southeastern Ukraine

A view shows a fire on the Kerch bridge in the Kerch Strait, Crimea, October 8, 2022, in this screen grab from a handout video

Russia has said the truck responsible for the explosion potentially travelled from Bulgaria, through Armenia, Georgia and southern Russia before reaching the bridge

The Kerch Bridge is the only direct link between Russia and Crimea and is a crucial supply line for Russian forces in Ukraine

Russian propaganda had claimed the Crimean bridge was impossible to attack because of 20 different kinds of security protecting it, including military dolphins

Chancellor Scholz and President Biden criticise Kremlin's nuclear threats German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke by phone on Sunday and agreed the Kremlin's latest nuclear threats were 'irresponsible' and its partial mobilization 'a serious mistake', according to a German government statement. The nearly one-hour telephone call was focused on preparations for the upcoming Group of Seven and Group of 20 meetings that will address Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the consequences, the statement said. The two leaders agreed never to accept Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory, calling it a further escalation, the statement said. They agreed Russia's partial mobilization showed the 'bitter price' Russians were having to pay for the miscalculations of President Vladimir Putin. 'They criticized the latest nuclear threats of Moscow as irresponsible and agreed such a step would have exceptionally serious consequences for Russia,' the statement said. On the topic of the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines, the two leaders agreed the sabotage of critical infrastructure would be dealt with decisively, it said. Advertisement

Tomorrow Putin will chair a meeting with his Security Council (SCRF) as he looks to formulate a response to the latest setback in his ill-judged war.

The council, which is comprised of the nation's top defence officials and heads of security agencies, who come together to support the Russian president - the overall chair of the council - on policy decisions.

'Tomorrow the president has a planned meeting with the permanent members of the Security Council,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Embattled defence minister Sergei Shoigu will be in attendance alongside the head of Russia's FSB domestic intelligence service Aleksandr Bortnikov and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

SCRF meetings typically come as a reaction to important geopolitical events concerning national security, but can also indicate that Putin is on the cusp of making a major decision.

The Russian president chaired a meeting of the SCRF just days prior to the invasion of Ukraine, raising fears that Monday's meeting could signify a impending escalation in the conflict.

He will look for a strong response after the embarassing destruction of a bridge that Russian propoganda had claimed could not be destroyed as it was protected by 20 different kinds of security including military dolphins, war ships, aircraft and ground troops

The former head of the British Army, General Lord Richard Dannatt, warned that Putin could now opt for the Armageddon approach after the Kremlin previously insisted that an attack on Crimea would 'cross a red line'.

However, the country has once again denied this will happen, saying suggestions it could use nuclear weapons after designating the attack an act of terrorism 'completely incorrect'.

The 12 mile long bridge over the Kerch strait links Crimea to the Russian mainland and is a major artery for Putin's forces that control most of southern Ukraine's Kherson region and for the Russian naval port of Sevastopol.

It was damaged in an explosion early Saturday morning which saw chunks of the bridge fall into the sea and a large fire break out.

The incident prompted gleeful messages from Ukrainian officials - though no claim of responsibility - and video footage of the bridge appeared to show a mysterious wave crest underneath the structure moments before the blast, prompting speculation that a Ukrainian-piloted boat or drone was likely behind it.

Who is on Russia's security council? Russia's security council is chaired by Vladimir Putin who appoints its members. Several top officials in Russia's parliament, security services, defence ministry and other functions may be summoned intermittently, but the council maintains 12 permanent members, plus chairman Putin: Dmitry Medvedev - Deputy Chairman of the Security Council

Mikhail Mishustin - Prime Minister

Valentina Matviyenko - Chairwoman of the Council of Federation

Sergei Naryshkin - Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR)

Vyacheslav Volodin - State Duma Speaker

Anton Vaino - Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office

Sergei Ivanov - Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport

Nikolai Patrushev - Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council

Sergei Shoigu - Defence Minister

Sergei Lavrov - Foreign Minister

Vladimir Kolokoltsev - Interior Minister

Aleksandr Bortnikov - Director of the Federal Security Service Advertisement

Russia meanwhile claimed a truck bomb had exploded, and has not apportioned blame for the damage.

The meeting of the security council on Monday comes as top Putin propagandists and Russian regional governors called for total war in Ukraine in response to the bridge explosion.

Leading Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov demanded a brutal Stalinist response to 'plunge Ukraine into dark times' and round up all Russians against total war in the wake of the humiliating hit on the bridge.

Alluding to an enemy within, Solovyov called for a return of the notorious Stalin-era SMERSH counter-intelligence to crush all internal opposition to a full-scale war against Ukraine.

SMERSH, whose motto was 'Death to Spies', was a conglomeration of counterintelligence agencies used by Stalin to root out and obliterate those trying to subvert his regime during and after World War II.

The deputy governor of Russia's southern Stavropol region Valery Chernitsov exclaimed: 'Ukrainians, leave your cities, especially the large ones. Because a big surprise is waiting for you. Sarmat missiles are ready to strike,' in a menacing video posted on Twitter.

And Crimea's Russian-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov declared there is a 'healthy desire to seek revenge' following the explosion which destroyed parts of the Kerch bridge yesterday morning and killed three people.

Rocket attacks have already rained down on the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia since the bridge explosion, killing 17 people late last night and early this morning.

Shocking footage circulated on social media by Ukrainian officials showed rescue workers pulling an elderly woman from the debris this morning after the attack reduced one high-rise residential building to rubble and damaged neighbouring structures.

An earlier clip saw rescue workers and forlorn residents picking their way over the mounds of twisted metal and smashed bricks as they searched for survivors and attempted to salvage what little remained from the devastation.

City council secretary Anatoly Kurtev said at least 20 private homes and 50 apartment buildings were damaged in the blasts, in addition to the high-rise that was flattened.

Alluding to an enemy within, Solovyov called for a return of the brutal Stalin-era SMERSH counter-intelligence to crush all internal opposition to full-scale war

Fire tears through the Kerch bridge in the Kerch Strait, Crimea, after an explosion inthe early hours of Saturday, October 8, 2022

A view shows a residential building heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine October 9, 2022

A view shows a residential building heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine October 9, 2022

Russia in recent weeks has repeatedly struck Zaporizhzhia, which is in the Ukrainian controlled-part of a region that Putin annexed in violation of international law last week.

On Thursday, at least 19 people died in Russian missile strikes on apartment buildings in the southern city, which lies just 80 miles from Europe's largest nuclear power plant.

'Again, Zaporizhzhia. Again, merciless attacks on civilians, targeting residential buildings, in the middle of the night,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote in a Telegram post.

'Absolute meanness. Absolute evil.  From the one who gave this order, to everyone who carried out this order: they will answer. They must. Before the law and the people,' he added.

While Russia targeted Zaporizhzhia several times prior to Saturday's explosion on the Crimea bridge, last night's missile attack will likely be seen as a retributive action as it came just hours after the damage was dealt to the symbol of Russian power in the annexed peninsula.

Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant reconnected to the grid Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia atomic energy plant is reconnected to the grid, the UN's nuclear watchdog said on Sunday, describing it as 'temporary relief in a still untenable situation'. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Saturday that the plant - Europe's largest nuclear power station - had lost its last source of external power after renewed shelling and was relying on emergency generators. 'Our team at Zaporizhzhia confirms the offsite power line lost yesterday was restored and ZNPP (the plant) is reconnected to the grid - a temporary relief in a still untenable situation,' IAEA head Rafael Grossi tweeted on Sunday. Although the plant's six reactors are in cold shutdown, they require electricity for vital nuclear safety and security functions, including cooling. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his government this week to take over operations at the power station in southern Ukraine, where fears of an atomic accident remain high. Grossi was in Kyiv on Thursday to discuss setting up a protection zone around the site which has regularly come under fire with Ukraine and Russia blaming each other. 'A protection zone is needed now. I will travel to Russia and will see Ukraine's (President Volodymyr) Zelensky thereafter to establish the zone,' Grossi added in his tweet on Sunday. He has stressed the zone's main aim is 'to avoid a nuclear accident at the plant, which remains a very, very clear possibility'. Electricity has been cut to the site several times since August. Advertisement

Putin's 'miracle' bridge in flames: As a huge explosion blows apart vital link between Russia and seized region of Crimea, Ukraine celebrates... by issuing commemorative postage stamps, writes IAN BIRRELL in dispatch from Dnipro

By Ian Birrell for The Mail On Sunday

It is a picture that shows the stunning devastation caused to the only rail and road link between Russia and Crimea, after a huge blast left a fuel train in flames and caused the collapse of spans of the roadway below.

The massive fireball exploded on the 12-mile Kerch Bridge shortly after 6am yesterday, striking a hugely-symbolic blow against Vladimir Putin while prompting jubilation in Ukraine.

The Russian president ordered the bridge to be built in 2014 after his illegal annexation of Crimea  the first step in his assault on Ukrainian terrain. He declared it was a miracle after driving a truck across to open the structure four years ago.

Now the bold attack demonstrates his inability to protect any part of the land he grabbed from Ukraine  and raises the stakes in this war as fears grow that the beleaguered Kremlin might respond to setbacks with a nuclear attack.

It is a picture that shows the stunning devastation caused to the only rail and road link between Russia and Crimea, after a huge blast left a fuel train in flames and caused the collapse of spans of the roadway below

The massive fireball exploded on the 12-mile Kerch Bridge shortly after 6am yesterday, striking a hugely-symbolic blow against Vladimir Putin while prompting jubilation in Ukraine

Russian media had boasted that the heavily defended bridge was impregnable. The rail line is a critical supply route for their military operations in Kherson region  although Moscow claimed last night that limited road and rail traffic would resume.

Yet the strike was another crushing humiliation for Putin. He demanded the building of the 2.7billion bridge, the longest in Europe, and saw it as his pet project.

Several Ukrainian media quoted sources claiming the attack on the loathed symbol of Russias occupation of their land was carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Russia blamed a lorry bomb and the footage showed a freight truck on the bridge before the blast.

A spokesman for the SBU declined to comment. But the organisation tweeted four lines paraphrasing a poem by Taras Shevchenko, the nations most famous writer:

Its dawn/ The bridge burns beautifully/ Nightingale in the Crimea/ Greet SBU.

Cars are pictured below the damaged bridge connecting Crimea to Russia tonight, hours after a massive explosion

The rail bridge from Russia to the Crimean peninsula can be seen engulfed in flames on the right, while a huge section of the road bridge has collapsed into the sea

Ukraines post office immediately issued a stamp to mark the bridges destruction while the nations second-largest bank offered a new debit card design featuring the collapsed bridge. Delighted Ukrainians noted the attack came the day after Putins 70th birthday  including Oleksii Danilov, secretary of Ukraines national security council.

He shared a video of the damaged bridge on social media next to Marilyn Monroes famous rendition of Happy Birthday Mr President to John F. Kennedy in 1962.

Even pro-government newspapers in Russia have previously admitted that Ukraine hitting the bridge would be a serious blow to Russia  although they ruled out the possibility of any attack succeeding. The structure was protected by air defence, sophisticated sonar systems to detect underwater saboteurs and a special naval brigade of the national guard with machine guns and missile-launchers.

Yet according to Russias National Anti-Terrorist Committee, a lorry was blown up on the road and then the fuel cisterns of a freight train caught fire on a parallel rail bridge. Three people in a car died in the explosion, their corpses found in the water.

The Russian president ordered the bridge to be built in 2014 after his illegal annexation of Crimea  the first step in his assault on Ukrainian terrain

Russian sources said firefighters struggled to put out the blaze due to strong winds and leaking fuel, resulting in damage to an estimated 1.3 kilometres of railway track. Putin has set up a government body to investigate the explosion and to oversee repairs while Sergei Aksyonov, his stooge head of Crimea, urged residents not to panic.

He insisted the peninsula has adequate stocks of food and fuel amid signs of panic-buying. Moscows transport ministry said in a statement their experts expected rail crossings to resume quickly following a primary assessment of the state of the infrastructure of the railway part of the Crimean bridge.

The rail line is a vital supply route for the Kremlins operations in Kherson region, where they have been pushed back at least 12 miles this month. It became even more crucial following the loss of rail hubs in eastern Ukraine last month.

If the Kerch bridge railway lines are put out of commission for a significant period, it could be game over for Russian forces in Kherson, said Phillips OBrien, an expert on military logistics and professor of strategic studies at St Andrews University.

Moscows armed forces have been pushed back on battlefronts in the north-east and south with heavy losses forcing Putin into mass mobilisation, sparking an exodus of potential recruits and mounting domestic criticism from hardline Kremlin allies.

Ukraines President Zelensky said on Friday that his forces last week recaptured a further 800 square kilometres in the east, which follows last months dramatic breakthrough in Kharkiv region.

The Ukrainian president does not hide his determination to drive Moscows forces off all of their land, stating recently that This Russian war began with Crimea and must end with Crimea  with its liberation.

Additional reporting: Kate Baklitskaya
They have raised over $275,000 in an online fundraiser

The remaining family members have said they were trying to live the American Dream and the brothers were the breadwinners for the family

Salgado then returned to pickup Jasleen and her baby

They were seen on surveillance footage with their hands zip-tied as they were led into Amandeep's pickup truck by Jesus Salgado, 48

The brothers were taken from their trucking office in Merced, California

Jasdeep's brother, Amandeep Singh, 39, was also killed in the incident

Jasleen Kaur, 27, and Jasdeep Singh, 36, were killed on October 3 along with their eight-month-old daughter Aroohi Dheri

Family members of the California Sikhs who were kidnapped and murdered by a former employee of their trucking business has said the family had immigrated to the US to live out the American Dream.

Jasleen Kaur, 27, and Jasdeep Singh, 36, were killed on October 3 along with their eight-month-old daughter Aroohi Dheri, and Jasdeep's brother, Amandeep Singh, 39.

Their relatives now say they were trying to live out the American Dream when they were taken from their business in Merced, a city of 86,000 people about 125 miles southeast of San Francisco.

They were then allegedly killed by 48-year-old Jesus Salgado, a former employee of their trucking business, who was out on parole at the time for an eerily similar crime nearly 20 years ago.

'This is the story of our shared American Dream gone wrong; our loving family was violently taken away from us on October 3,' the remaining family members wrote in a GoFundMe, which has raised over $275,000 for the Singhs.

'As immigrants to America, they worked tirelessly for 18 years to achieve safety, security and community for themselves and their families,' wrote Jaspreet Kaur, the grieving wife of Amandeep, explaining that 'Aman and Jasdeep were the primary bread earners for the family, supported by their elderly parents and lived under one roof.'

'We are grateful for the prayers and tremendous support [that] was shown to us by our community,' Jaspreet wrote in the online fundraiser.

'While nothing can fill this void, your prayers and donations will support the upbringing and education of Ekam (6) and Seerat (9) and provide financial relief' to herself as well as her in-laws.

Jasleen Kaur, 27, and Jasdeep Singh, 36, were killed on October 3 along with their eight-month-old daughter Aroohi Dheri

Jasdeep's brother, Amandeep Singh, 39, was also murdered on October 3

A GoFundMe set up by thier remaining family members has raised over $275,000

Jasdeep and Jasleen were married just three years ago in India, and were reunited two years ago when Jasleen immigrated to the US.

'They were just barely starting to make memories together as a family with their baby,' Jaspreet wrote in the GoFundMe, describing Aroohi as a 'joyous child' who 'loved to run around the house in her walker.

'She loved being held in her grandparent's, aunt's and uncle's arms; her eyes were always full of joy,' Jaspreet wrote.

She then went on to describe her own husband, Amandeep, as 'the rock of his family, a great dad who always made time to cuddle his son Ekam, read with his daughter Seerat and treasure their many art projects and other accomplishments.

'In keeping with his name, Aman (meaning peace) was calm, positive, charitable and always ready to help others,' Jaspreet wrote, noting that he routinely donated to the local food bank and 'found comfort in his faith, never missing Sunday service' in their Sikh temple. 'He was a caring elder brother, and a role model to his cousins.'

Jasdeep and Jasleen were married just three years ago in India and were reunited two years ago when Jasleen immigrated to the United States

Jasleen is pictured here with her eight-month-old daughter Aroohi

In the GoFundMe, Jaspreet Kaur, the grieving wife of Amandeep, wrote that Jasdeep and Jasleen barely had time to make memories with their new daughter before they were killed

Amandeep leaves behind his wife, Jaspreet, daughter, Seerat, 9, and son Ekam, 6

Surveillance footage showed the brothers had their hands zip-tied as 48-year-old Jesus Salgado led them in the back of Amandeep's backup truck.

He then drove the brothers away, but soon returned for Jasleen and her baby, whom he also led into the truck, before driving away once again at 9.30am.

Singh's truck was later found on fire 10 miles away in the town of Winton, but their bodies were not discovered until late Wednesday night by a farm worker in an almond orchard in the San Joaquin Valley.

Investigators are now preparing a case against the convicted felon suspected of the crime and are currently seeking a person of interest they believe to be his accomplice.

Sheriff Verne Warnke announced on Friday that Jesus Salgado had a feud with the Singh brothers that dated back a year and got 'pretty nasty' according to text messages and emails.

Family members told KXTV-TV that the office for Unison Trucking Inc., the family's business, had only opened about a week earlier.

Sukhdeep Singh, a brother of Jasdeeep and Amandeep, confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that Salgado had worked for the company.

The precise nature of the dispute between the parties remains unclear.

Jesus Salgado, 48, was arrested Tuesday in Merced, California. He reportedly had a longstanding feud with the family he is suspected of killing

He then attempted to kill himself after the kidnappings and murder, authorities say, but was released from the hospital and booked into the county jail Thursday night on suspicion of kidnapping and murder.

Meanwhile, Salgado's brother - Alberto Salgado - was also arrested Friday for criminal conspiracy, accessory, and destroying evidence in the deadly crime.

Law enforcement officers previously said that Jesus grew violent each time he regained consciousness.

The sheriff's office said it was unclear if he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.

Warnke has called for the prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Jesus, calling it one of the worst crimes he'd ever seen in his 43 years in law enforcement.

'There's some things you'll take to the grave. This to me was pure evil.'

'Right now, Ive got hundreds of people in a community that are grieving the loss of two families, and this is worldwide. These families are across different continents,' Warnke told the Associated Press.

'Weve got to show them that we can give them justice.'

Authorities also arrested Jesus' brother, Alberto Salgado, for criminal conspiracy, accessory, and destroying evidence in the deadly crime

A surveillance photo provided by the Merced County Sheriff's Office shows Jesus outside the family's trucking office on October 3

Jesus was previously arrested in December 2005, after he held another family he used to work for at gunpoint and robbed them of their money and jewels after the family fired him on suspicion of stealing money.

The family had thought he was unfailingly polite, with the daughter, Katrina telling the Times: 'I never felt scared around him. He was nice.'

But on December 19, 2005 that all changed.

Katrina, then 16, said she was hanging out with a friend at her house when she got a call from her father, Wade, for whom Jesus used to work.

He told her: 'Tell mom to to open the door 'cause I bought a rug.'

So Katrina did what she was asked, not knowing that Jesus had snuck up behind her father and pulled a gun on him.

He then held the family at gunpoint, binding Wade's hands with duct tape before rounding up the entire family and Katrina's friend to the garage, where the family kept a safe stocked with cash and jewelry.

Jesus ordered Katrina's mom, Kathy, to open the safe as he pointed the gun at the family and Katrina lit up the room with her cellphone.

'I was so scared,' Kathy told the Times. 'And I expected to hear the shot as soon as [the safe] was open.'

But cash and jewels weren't enough for Jesus, she said, claiming he then asked for her wedding ring.

'You want my ring?' she remembers asking, to which he replied 'Yes, ma'am,' as Jesus always did to the family.

At that point, Wade recognized the thief as his former employee even though he was wearing a mask, but told Kathy not to use his name.

Jesus then reportedly led the family to the backyard pool and made them jump in as he escaped.

He was caught a few days later, after the family reported the incident to police, and was convicted in early 2007 of home invasion robbery with a gun, attempted false imprisonment and witness intimidation.

He served nearly 10 years in prison before getting paroled in 2015.

Jesus remained on active probation at the time of the kidnapping, and had also been convicted for possession of a controlled substance.
Stacey Abrams said a recent ruling that the 2018 Georgia election was not 'rigged' actually proves the state's GOP leadership operates a 'racist system' as she refused to say if she will admit defeat if she loses against Republican Governor Brian Kemp again in November.

The Georgia Democrat is running for the second consecutive time to become governor of the Peach State, but still wouldn't directly address on Fox News Sunday whether she believes her often-repeated claims that she 'won' the 2018 election against Kemp.

A federal judge released a ruling at the end of last month ruling against Abrams' lawsuit claiming discrimination and voter suppression.

'There is a 288-page order that came down from a federal court on the last three claims during our Fair Fight Action. We did not win the claims,' Abrams admitted in her interview with Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream.

'But if you read the 288-page order, repeatedly the federal judge said that Brian Kemp operated a racist, discriminatory system,' she alleged.

The Democratic gubernatorial candidate told Fox that she has acknowledged Kemp was the victor, but wouldn't directly address her claims of a 'rigged' system.

Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams dodged questions on her claims that the 2018 election was 'stolen' after an Obama-era judge shot down her lawsuit alleging there was voter suppression and discrimination in the state  leading to her loss

Democrat Stacey Abrams is confronted over her repeated claims she actually won her 2018 election loss and calling that election "stolen."



She has no answer. pic.twitter.com/rhfDC7fg0o  RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 9, 2022

She clarified her remarks claiming 'I won' were taken out of context, and said that she was declaring the election a win for Reverend Al Shaprton's National Action Network (NAN) group in efforts to mobilize and empower more 'marginalized and disadvantaged groups' to vote.

While the Democratic candidate has never directly questioned whether Kemp is the legal governor of the Peach State, she has repeatedly said the election was 'stolen from the people of Georgia.'

She wouldn't say Sunday morning whether she would admit defeat this time around if she again loses in her rematch to Kemp.

Abrams has also claimed that voter suppression was to blame for her loss and said it was 'rigged' against her  a similar claim that Donald Trump made following his 2020 presidential election loss.

In a New York Times interview, Abrams declared: 'I won.'

Abrams admitted, however, that she could not 'empirically' prove her victory as she continued to refuse to call Kemp the 'legitimate' governor.

'I have never denied that I lost. I don't live in the governor's mansion; I would have noticed,' Abrams said in an interview with ABC's daytime talk show The View last month.

Abrams, once seen as a rising star of the Democratic Party, has fallen from grace since her 2018 defeat.

Abrams lost to Republican Governor Brian Kemp in the 2018 race, but claimed the election was 'rigged' and said it was 'stolen from the people of Georgia'. The two will rematch in November. Abrams says that the lawsuit proves that 'Brian Kemp operated a racist, discriminatory system'

She earned a slew of criticism for posing maskless with a group of masked children and teachers at an elementary school in Georgia when schools were still requiring COVID-19 precautions be taken.

The criticism hasn't stopped Abrams from further pursuing national political office.

Kemp and Abrams will have a rematch next month in a face-off for the governor's mansion in Georgia.

The governor's race in Georgia is considered 'leaning red', according to the Cook Political Report, making Kemp far from a shoe-in, but still likely to best Abrams for a second time in a row.

Kemp has consistently polled ahead of Abrams by 5-6 percent.

Abrams was handed a defeat after her lawsuit alleging discriminatory and suppressive election practices in the state was shot down. The legal action was initially filed in November 2018, shortly after her defeat.

U.S District Court Judge Steve Jones released a 288-page order at the end of September in favor of Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

'This is a win for all Georgia election officials who dedicate their lives to safe, secure and accessible elections,' Raffensperger said in a statement on September 30.

'Stolen election and voter suppression claims by Stacey Abrams were nothing but poll-tested rhetoric not supported by facts and evidence.'

Abrams insists Sunday morning that her worry is voter suppression could lead to another defeat because marginalized communities, mainly poor and black voters, are unable to access voting in the state.

'In Georgia  the last gubernatorial primary versus now  there's a net increase of 763,380 voters. That sounds like the opposite of voter suppression,' Fox News' Shannon Bream posed to Abrams on Sunday.

'Voter suppression is not about turnout, it's about the barriers and obstacles to access,' she shot back.

'Voter suppression exists when there is difficulty registering, staying on the rolls, being able to cast a ballot and have that ballot counted,' Abrams explained. 'And in the state of Georgia we adequate proved  and more and more voters have experienced difficulties with doing so.'
Two former pupils of a prep school linked to elite boarding school Gordonstoun have received a 500,000 following allegations of rape, bullying and sexual abuse.

John Findlay and a second pupil, who has not been named, alleged they and others had suffered abuse Aberlour House, a nearby school which acts as the junior school of Gordonstoun in Moray - attended by King Charles III.

Mr Findlay, who waived his right to anonymity, said a teacher came into his room, drugged him and sexually abused him after he had asked for help for an injury in the 1990s.

He said he remained fully conscious during the attack - which was photographed by the teacher - but he was unable to move or speak.

The second pupil, a scholarship student, alleged she was raped as a 13-year-old by a different teacher while on a camping trip.

Mr Findlay has always maintained that Gordonstoun should set up a trust to help those who suffered abuse, urging it to take responsibility.

The two former pupils have now received out of court settlements reaching more than 500,000 from its insurers.

The school's insurer settled without admission of liability of the unnamed pupil, but admitted liability in the case of Mr Findlay, The Guardian reports.

John Findlay has received a settlement from the school following allegations of sexual abuse when he was a pupil

Gordonstoun is famous for its links with the royal family, with both the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh having attended

Aberlour House School in Moray, where the two former students claimed they were sexually abused

Gordonstoun insists that, despite both students having attended the senior school following the assaults, its junior school Aberlour House was a separate entity until 1999 and, therefore, it cannot be held responsible for the alleged incidents.

The school also says it knows nothing about the cases.

A teacher was due to go on trial in Scotland charged with the rape of another student, a 13-year-old girl, at the school in 2014.

He denied any wrongdoing, but the trial collapsed when a witnessed decided not to give evidence due to mental health issues.

When the case collapsed, lawyer firm Slater and Gordon decided to sue the school for damages.

Mr Findlay gave evidence at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry in October last year.

The inquiry has heard from several former pupils who described cases of rape and sexual abuse which took place in the 1980s and earlier decades.

In autumn 1990, he was in his bed in a dormitory when a teacher came into his bedroom and sexually abused him, after he had asked for help with an injury.

The teacher gave him medicine before abusing him, with Mr Findlay saying he was 'horrendously conscious' but unable to stop the attack.

He later told his parents about the incident, who contacted Aberlour's headmaster.

Mr Findlay gave evidence at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry in October last year following the allegations

His parents were told the teacher would never work at a school again, he said, so they decided not to press charges.

The teacher responsible for the alleged abuse, Derek Jones, is now dead.

Mr Findlay, who has suffered clinically severe post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety since the abuse, spent years pursuing his claim against the school.

The second student, meanwhile, has suffered lifelong mental health issues since the incident took place.

She first made a complaint in 2012, when her daughter reached 12 - the same age at which she had been abused.

The pupil received 350,000, of which 70,000 will go towards costs.

Expert psychological witnesses argued over whether her PTSD resulted from the sexual abuse or the death of her father three years later.

She told the Guardian: 'Whats unfair is that, though I have struggled, I have managed to get work over the years.

'But that means Im worth less in compensation for loss of earnings. The irony is that Gordonstoun strives to make you resilient and I am being punished for that.'

Gordonstoun is famous for its links with the royal family, with both the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh having attended.

A spokesperson for the school said: 'We are very sorry that any former student suffered abuse in their time at the school and we admire the courage of those who have come forward.

'Although Gordonstoun cannot answer formally for Aberlour House before 1999, we are providing as much information as we can to the [Scottish Child Abuse] Inquiry and have already taken the opportunity at the Inquiry of offering an apology to anyone who suffered abuse there.'
Shocking video shows a woman confronting a married lineman in hurricane-stricken Florida accusing him of cheating, as thousands of the workers descended on the state after Ian - spurring a bizarre internet trend where they were lusted after by local 'bucket bunny' housewives.

The altercation, posted online by TikTok user @kimberlygray11101 this week, was filmed from the first-person by an unidentified woman in the Sunshine State, as she confronts a power line technician - who are also known as lineworkers.

'Is this your husband?' the woman says in the clip - one of many posted to social media in recent days as the often strapping linemen went to Florida to restore electricity to areas ravaged by the storm, which left millions without power.

'He's down here, in Florida, trying to hit on me,' the woman says in the footage as the worker looks on, silent. 'He's a linesman. I'm just saying  this is your husband,' the woman adds.

She was one of several internet users this past week to warn others to hold onto their men as they head down to work in Florida in the wake of the tragedy, leading to an internet war between the wives of lineworkers' wives - or 'linewives' - and thirsty female Floridians.

Thousands of scorned spouses have taken to TikTok and Twitter to take part in the burgeoning beef, telling their fellow wives to be wary of predatory housewives they have dubbed 'bucket bunnies.'

That term, of course, is in reference to the bucket trucks that lineworkers stand in order to safely reach high-voltage electrical lines that need repairing.

All of the posts insinuate that these single sexy bunnies are trying to tempt linemen to cheat on their wives, and some sternly warn the reportedly wayward women to stay away from their husbands.

The altercation, posted online by TikTok user @kimberlygray11101 this week, is filmed from the first-person by an unidentified woman in the Sunshine State, as she confronts a married power line technician she said was hitting on her

She was one of several internet users this past week to warn others to hold onto their men as they head down to work in Florida in the wake of the tragedy, leading to an internet war between the wives of lineworkers' wives and thirsty female Floridians

Some of the 'bucket bunnies,' meanwhile, have clapped back with their own posts, professing their impure intentions and lust for the influx of handsome young men.

Others rejoiced at the flood of eligible bachelors, posting Tinder pictures of the temporary visitors in their neon shirts and construction helmets.

The result has been nothing short of chaos - with the all-encompassing conflict spanning all corners of the interwebs.

'I stand with all the linemen wives as they prepare to take on Florida's bucket bunnies,' one self-professed 'pipeline wife' shared in an impassioned post that has since garnered millions of views on TikTok and Twitter.

'Blue collar is not a trend, it's a lifestyle,' the user, @ohhmtee, added, chastising the seemingly insensitive fad for targeting happy couples and families.

Others rejoiced at the flood of eligible bachelors, posting Tinder pictures of the temporary visitors in their neon shirts and construction helmets

It comes as thousands of the workers descended on the state after Ian - spurring a bizarre internet trend where they were lusted after by local 'bucket bunny' housewives

TikToker @linewifejessica wrote in another post that being a 'linewife' was something much more meaningful than recent memes may suggest.

'This life isn't a TREND and being a bucket bunny isn't attractive,' the user wrote.

Another asserted that they aren't worried about their partners cheating because the consequences are clear.

'I'm pretty sure I can speak for the majority of linewives,' @alabama.sisi captioned a post this week to TikTok. 'I promise you the men fear the wrath of their old lady more than anything Hurricane Ian is dishing out right now.'

Another spouse similarly declared: 'I'm pretty sure I can speak for the majority of line wives I promise you the men fear the wrath of their old lady more than anything Hurricane Ian is dishing out right now.'

Other native Floridians, however, celebrated the recent arrivals since Ian made landfall on the state's southwestern coast on September 28 - some jokingly but many sincere.

'Everyone saying pray for Florida but this is out tinder right now,' one user wrote in a now-viral TikTok that featured a slideshow of the lineworkers' Tinder profiles.

Others pointed out how their FYP - or what TikTok's algorithm chooses to show you when you fire up the app - has been overrun with linemen who seemingly are looking to take advantage of being in an unfamiliar area to be unfaithful to their significant others

Others pointed out how their FYP - an acronym standing for 'For Your Page,' or what TikTok's algorithm chooses to show you when you fire up the app - has been overrun with linemen who seemingly are looking to take advantage of being in an unfamiliar area to be unfaithful to their significant others.

One user remarked: 'My entire FYP right now!' before adding, 'Their tinder bio: here for a good time, not a long time.'

Some insinuated to be after a cut of the workers' overtime checks for dealing with the repercussions of the storm  with the term 'six figures' often tossed around.

Other, more brazen internet users proudly touted being a 'bucket bunny' - despite the homewrecking implications that inherently lie with the term.

In a post also shared by @kimberlygray11101, a young woman asserts: 'To the girl that said it the other day, yes - I am a bucket bunny. Yes, thank you for my power.'

Appearing increasingly emphatic, the woman then loudly proclaims: 'I will bucket-bunny chase all day!'

Linemen, meanwhile, have been tirelessly working throughout the week and last on relief efforts from the natural disaster, which has left more than 100 citizens dead.

Other native Floridians, however, celebrated the recent arrivals since Ian made landfall on the state's southwestern coast on September 28 - some jokingly but many sincere

Officials continue to assess the damage wrought by the hurricane, which made landfall last week in the gulf coast before sweeping across the middle and upper regions of the state.

Thousands of linemen deployed to the state from across the country have been spearheading those efforts - though it's unclear if they are working just as hard on their dating profiles.

Nearly 20,000 Floridians, as of Sunday, remain without power.
Harvey Weinstein accusers say the fate of the #MeToo movement will be at stake during the disgraced movie mogul's Los Angeles trial, which is set to begin Monday.

Weinstein, 70, will face 11 counts of sexual assault, including forcible rape, sexual penetration with a foreign object by force, and sexual battery by restraint.

The second trial comes just two months after a New York court granted the disgraced producer an appeal of the 2020 conviction which landed him with a more than 20 year prison sentence for sex crimes.

Now with New York conviction appeal on the horizon, accusers fear that the LA trial - previously seen as a largely symbolic procedure - could suddenly bear the full weight of the #MeToo movement.

If Weinstein were acquitted in LA and then won his appeal in New York, he would walk free, something survivors say could undo the years of progress and prevent women from coming forward about abuse in the future.

Harvey Weinstein, 70, will face 11 counts of sexual assault, including forcible rape, sexual penetration with a foreign object by force, and sexual battery by restraint, during his LA trial

Actress Caitlin Dulany, who said Weinstein harassed and assaulted her in the 1990s, cautioned that the fate of the #MeToo movement could hinge on Weinstein's LA trial

Accusers are holding their breath as his LA trial begins, including actress Caitlin Dulany, who said Weinstein harassed and assaulted her in the 1990s.

'It is disturbing and shocking that Harvey was allowed to continue his New York appeal, and so we - survivors, supporters - are paying very, very close attention to the Los Angeles trial,' she told The New York Times.

'There's obviously a lot at stake for the women who are testifying, but there is also a lot at stake for all of us,' she said. 'If it goes the wrong way, it will be a step backwards. I think it will make it harder for women to come forward in the future.'

Accusers also feel the location of the trial in LA - the home of the American movie industry in Hollywood - adds an air of significance to the implications of the trial's verdict.

Weinstein faces life in prison if he is convicted in LA.

Weinstein's second trial comes just two months after a New York court granted the disgraced producer an appeal of the 2020 conviction which landed him with a more than 20 year prison sentence for sex crimes

The film She Said - based on the investigation which revealed Weinstein's criminal sexual behavior - is due to be released during the disgraced film producer's LA trial

Weinstein has previously plead not guilty to his LA charges, which include forcible rape and forcible oral copulation, two counts of sexual battery by restraint and one count of sexual penetration by use of force, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

'The defendant is charged with raping a woman at a hotel between September 2004 and September 2005,' the DA's office said. 'He also is accused of raping another woman on two separate occasions in November 2009 and November 2010 at a hotel in Beverly Hills.'

The trial begins tomorrow after a judged rejected Weinstein's bid to delay until after the release of the film She Said - based on the investigation which revealed Weinstein's criminal sexual behavior - in November.

Weinstein's attorney, Mark Werksman argued that a 'firestorm of publicity' caused by the film could 'prejudice the jury' his client.

LA Superior Court Judge Lisa Lench ruled that the Weinstein trial should go ahead as planned.

Due to the large number of witnesses on the prosecution's witness list the trial is expected to last between six and eight weeks.
Air France and Airbus on trial for manslaughter after 13-year fight for justice

Five Britons were on board the deadly flight including an 11-year-old schoolboy

Air France and Airbus will go on trial for manslaughter this week over a crash in which 228 people - including five Britons - died after a flight from Rio to Paris plunged into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009.

It follows a 13-year fight for justice by the families of those who lost their lives in France's worst ever air disaster.

A victims' support group, who know they will be plunged 'back into extremely painful moments' have branded the trial as 'absolutely essential for the memory of those who disappeared, and for the families'.

Flight AF447 went crashing down into the Atlantic on June 1, 2009, on its way to the French capital after three pilots, including Captain Marc Dubois and Pierre-Cedric Bonin, panicked and failed to deal with malfunctioning equipment during a storm.

Fatalities from the Airbus A330 flight included Alexander Bjoroy, an 11-year-old boarder at Clifton College in Bristol, and PR executive Neil Warrior, 48.

Among the other victims were Graham Gardner, a 52-year-old oil worker from Gourock, in Renfrewshire, and Arthur Coakley, 61, an engineer from Whitby in North Yorkshire.

It took two years to find the wreckage of the plane which was 13,000 feet deep. It was discovered by undersea technology including remote controlled submarines.

Air France and Airbus will go on trial for manslaughter for the 2009 Rio to Paris crash in which 228 people including five British passengers died. Pictured: Rescuers retrieve debris from the jet in the Atlantic Ocean

Prosecutors accused Air France of failing to provide sufficient training in how pilots should react in case of malfunction. Pictured: Captain Marc Dubois (left), and co-pilot Pierre-Cedric Bonin

Despite an enquiry concluding that the crash was caused by an Air France pilot error and technical problems with the Airbus, judges dismissed the cases in August 2019.

However, this decision was reversed last year by the Paris Appeal Court, meaning the two companies will go on trial from Monday for 'negligence and recklessness leading to manslaughter'.

But grieving families are still furious that no company executives will be put on trial.

Nelson Marinho, whose son was among the victims, said: 'They have changed various directors, both at Airbus and Air France, so who will they arrest? No one. There won't be justice. That's sadly the truth.'

AirFrance and Airbus face fines of up to 225,000, or just under 200,000, but no one will be jailed from the trial.

Daniele Lamy, president of a victims' support group, said: 'The trial will plunge us back into extremely painful moments, but this trial is absolutely essential for the memory of those who disappeared, and for the families.'

Flight AF447 plunged into the Atlantic on June 1, 2009, after pilots panicked and failed to deal with malfunctioning equipment during a storm

The trial will take place following a 13-year fight for justice by families of those who lost their lives in the worst air disaster in French history. Pictured: Air France memorial

Prosecutors accuse Air France of failing to provide sufficient training in how pilots should react in case of malfunction of the Pitot tubes, which monitor speed.

The pilots provably reacted incorrectly when the plane stalled after the speed sensors froze over.

France's BEA crash investigation agency said in a detailed chronology of the crash that commands from the controls of the 32-year-old junior pilot on board had pulled the nose up as the aircraft became unstable and generated an audible stall warning.

This action went against the normal procedures which call for the nose to be lowered in response to an alert that the plane was about to lose lift or, in technical parlance, 'stall'.

Among those who died on the Airbus was Graham Gardner, an oil worker from Gourock, in Renfrewshire (left), and Arthur Coakley, an engineer from Whitby in North Yorkshire (right)

Air France, which has paid out undisclosed compensation to the families of victims, said in a statement that it would prove 'it has not committed a crime'.

Airbus also denies any wrongdoing, blaming pilot error for what happened.

Among the other victims were also three young Irish doctors, returning from a two-week holiday in Brazil.

Eithne Walls, 29 had been working at the Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin and was on a trip with Aisling Butler, 26, and Jane Deasy, 27. All had been friends since they were students at Trinity College Dublin.

Since the disaster, pilot training on dealing with technical breakdown is said to have been stepped up by Air France.

In all, the aircraft carried 216 passengers and 12 crew members of 32 nationalities, including 72 French people, 59 Brazilians, 26 Germans, nine Chinese, nine Italians and the five Britons.

The Airbus and Air France trial at the Paris Criminal Court starts on Monday and is due to conclude on December 8.
Republican Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake said on Sunday that she's spoken to the leaders of other states about forming an interstate commission to police the border, independently of the federal government.

Her commission would enable the creation of a law enforcement force that's 'sovereign' from the federal government's Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP).

Arizona, which is a southwestern border state, has been particularly vulnerable to the surge of asylum-seekers coming to the US since President Joe Biden took office.

Lake accused Biden of a 'lack of leadership' that's led to an 'invasion at our border' - and warned him against future legal challenges to her proposed multi-state compact.

'I hope that Joe Biden doesn't fight us because then it would really look like he is on the side of the cartels. And I don't think he wants the people to think that,' Lake told CBS News.

Lake appeared on Face The Nation with less than a month until the November midterm elections, where Lake is locked in a tight race against Arizona's Democratic Secretary of State, Katie Hobbs.

Her campaign website presents a detailed plan for joining 'like-minded states' together to form a commission 'to oversee joint operations along the U.S.-Mexico border, starting in Arizona.'

Trump-backed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake's campaign website proposes an 'interstate commission' to police the border

If Kari Lake is elected Arizona's governor, she plans to strengthen border security, challenging the federal government, by forming a compact between neighboring states. If prevented, she says, I think we have the right to do this, and we'll have attorneys file lawsuits as well pic.twitter.com/2sbTnTX3BS  Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) October 9, 2022

'The compact will make it crystal clear that the states are sovereign and have every right to secure the borders of the United States,' it says.

It comes after more than two million people were encountered by border officials while trying to cross into the US in the last fiscal year, which just ended on September 30.

Lake told Face The Nation on Sunday that her right to form the 'interstate commission' if she wins the governor's race is backed by the US Constitution.

'If you know the Constitution, you know that Article 4, Section 4 calls for the federal government to protect us from invasion, and under Joe Biden's lack of leadership, we just aren't seeing that,' Lake said.

'So we're going to invoke our Article One, Section 10, basically, authority to take care of our own border and protect our own border. It's right there in black and white in the Constitution. And we meet all three criteria, we have an invasion, our people are in imminent danger, and time is of the essence.'

Asked if Arizona would be prepared to make the sovereign declaration itself, Lake replied: 'Yes, we will. But I believe we will get help. I've already talked to some other governors and they're- they're vowing to help us out wherever they can.'

Venezuelan migrants prepare to walk along the U.S. Border fence after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico to turn themselves in to the U.S. Border Patrol on September 22, 2022 in El Paso, Texas

Asylum-seeking migrants from Venezuela react 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

The Republican media personality also remained defiant over the threat of possible lawsuits.

'We will challenge the federal government, if they're going to challenge us,' Lake said.

'I think we have the right to do this. And we will have attorneys file lawsuits as well. But we're not going to back down and let our people be overrun with drugs, watch our children die.'

Under Lake's plan, her 'interstate commission' would establish a new law enforcement force 'consistent with state law enforcement functions' to run border security.

It would have authority 'to arrest, detain, and return illegal immigrants back across the border' while side-stepping existing federal policy.

Lake's border force would report to the involved states' legislatures and update the Department of Homeland Security, which operates CBP.

It's not clear which state leaders Lake has spoken to about the plans.

A recent CNN poll from last week shows Lake narrowly trailing Democrat Katie Hobbs in the race.

However, neither candidate managed to get a majority of support - Hobbs led with 49 percent of voter backing while Lake followed with 46 percent.
An online poster by the Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) / Courtesy of VANK



By Lee Hyo-jin



A professor of Harvard Business School, who co-authored a textbook on Korean politics and history, said he plans to make editorial changes to rectify historical distortions in the book, which a local civic group pointed out.



The Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK), a civic organization promoting Korean culture and history online, said Saturday that Forest Reinhardt, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School and co-author of the textbook "Korea," replied to the organization's request to modify multiple errors found in the book.



"I want you to know that we are interested in getting feedback on the cases that we write for our students' use and that we take your views very seriously," read the letter from Reinhardt to VANK.



Saying that he has already talked with officials from the Korean diplomatic corps about the topics pointed out by VANK, the professor said, "We expect to make editorial changes to future versions of this case."



Earlier in September, the civic organization claimed that the textbook, which is widely used in Harvard Business School, "omits much of the 5000-years-old Korean history by stating that early Korean history emerged from the unification of the Silla Kingdom (668)."



VANK also protested that the Goryeo kingdom is introduced as a "tributary state of China" and the textbook states that Korea had experienced developments during Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945), a biased view widely supported among Japanese right-wing activists.



In the past several weeks, the organization has sent multiple e-mails to authors and publishers of the book, as well as officials at Harvard Business School, complaining about the factual errors.



It has also launched an online petition titled "Is Harvard School of the 21st century equal to the Japanese Imperial University 100 years ago?" urging the school to use accurate information concerning Korean history in its classes.


The suspect in a stabbing rampage on the Las Vegas Strip that left two people dead and six injured was in Los Angeles soliciting employment from strangers two days before the attack.

In a video taken Tuesday, Yoni Barrios, 32, approached photographer Jorge Lopez outside Los Angeles City Hall and begged for help, saying he had lost his home and everything he had.

Barrios has now been booked on two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder. Eight people in total were attacked, several of them showgirls.

Lopez, who was in downtown Los Angeles on assignment at the time for broadcaster Telemundo 52, said: 'He kept telling me, "I just want an opportunity, I just want to start from scratch."'

He told NBC Los Angeles: 'It kind of hit me because he reminded me of my son. My son passed at 38 years old, and he had issues similar to his, so I kind of wanted to help him.'

The TV station said Lopez didnt realize the significance of the video until Barrios' arrest Thursday in Las Vegas.

The rampage began when Barrios allegedly attacked a group of four showgirl performers outside a casino with a 12-inch kitchen knife, police said.

Barrios had approached the women for a photo on a pedestrian bridge, but one showgirl told police she was uncomfortable with his proposal and backed away.

Barrios (pictured) begged and pleaded a photographer for help on the streets of LA just two days before he stabbed two people to death and injured six more on a strip in Las Vegas

Police say Barrios killed two people and wounded six others in stabbings along the Las Vegas Strip. He was booked on two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder

Maris Mareen Digiovanni, 30, (left) was stabbed to death in the broad daylight attack, which also claimed the life of Brent Allan Hallett, 47

Anna Westby (right) was one of four showgirls stabbed during the attack. Westby was stabbed in the back and tried to apply pressure to her coworker's wound, but was unable to save her

Witnesses said Barrios charged at the woman and stabbed her in the back as she ran from him. The suspect then allegedly stabbed another woman before running down the Strip and looking for groups of people so he could 'let the anger out,' police said.

Barrios thought the showgirls were laughing at him and making fun of his clothing, according to the arrest report.

Police said the suspect was wearing a chefs long-sleeved white jacket that was covered in blood when he was arrested.

Officers have recovered the knife Barrios is believed to have thrown into some bushes as he fled.

The county coroner's office has identified the two killed as Las Vegas residents Brent Allan Hallett, 47, and Maris Mareen DiGiovanni, 30.

DiGiovanni was part of the Best Showgirls In Vegas modeling and talent agency, according to Cheryl Lowthorp, who runs the business that provides models and showgirls for various promotional events from restaurant openings to airport greetings.

Lowthorp said two others with the agency were among the wounded and a third escaped without injury.

Prior to the rampage, Barrios reportedly went to the Wynn casino and asked a janitor about jobs and was also seeking work as a chef.

Barrios also told a casino security guard he was trying to sell his knives that he kept in a suitcase to raise enough money to go back home, although police said his citizenship isn't clear.

The local TV station said Lopez didn't realize the significance of the video until Barrios' arrest Thursday in Las Vegas

Westby, who suffered a punctured lung, was rushed away on a stretcher by members of Clark County Fire Department. She said she tried to tend to Digiovanni's injuries while a stranger tended to the stab wound on her back

Maris Mareen Digiovanni, 30, (pictured) was stabbed to death in the broad daylight attack, which also claimed the life of Brent Allan Hallett, 47

He could have been behind bars over a felony charge from a 2018 domestic abuse case, but his case was dismissed because the Los Angeles District Attorney's office took too long to prosecute it.

Lowthrop said the case was emblematic of a broken criminal justice system that led to Thursday's tragedy.

I think there is no doubt that our criminal justice system is deeply flawed, and most certainly in the arena of domestic violence,' she said. Beyond the obvious, that had he been convicted and or jailed we would not be in this situation... It is no surprise that we fail to protect our women inside of our legal system as well.

Lowthrop has since created a GoFundMe page to pay for Digiovanni's funeral and to assist her family and that of the other injured showgirls.

'Our showgirl family has been wounded beyond reason, the beautiful soul of Maris Digiovanni has been stolen,' Lowthrop wrote on the fundraiser page. 'Three other of our girls wounded and hospitalized, but thankfully their lives spared.'

Court documents exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com reveal that Barrios was charged in 2019 with criminal domestic violence by Los Angeles district attorney Jackie Lacey, who has since left office.

Had he been convicted, Barrios would likely have been imprisoned and deported and would not have been free to commit the senseless slaughter on the Vegas strip this week.

Digiovanni was walking the strip with three coworkers when Yoni Barrios, 32, attacked them. The showgirl, who was also a school teacher, died in her friend's arms

Digiovanni was mourned by her fellow coworkers, who are still in shock over the attack

Cheryl Lowthrop (pictured) said she was devastated to learn that that her employees were among the victims and condemned the 'flawed' criminal justice system that allowed Barrios to dodge a felony conviction in 2019

A GoFundMe page has been made for the victims at Best Showgirls in Vegas

But Lacey failed to bring the case to court in time, and after 90 days elapsed the judge was forced to dismiss the case under California speedy trial laws, according to court records.

Barrios was also prosecuted for driving dangerously and without a license in Riverside, California in 2016.

After his arrest on Thursday Barrios told detectives he was from Guatemala and wanted ICE to take him home, according to a report released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Barrios, 32, is being held without bail and scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said Barrios will be charged with two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder.

Wolfson said prosecutors should decide in the next 30 to 60 days whether to seek the death penalty in the case.

It remained unclear Sunday if Barrios has a lawyer yet who can speak on his behalf.
Mike Pompeo blasted President Joe Biden's warning of possible nuclear armageddon as 'reckless' on Sunday.

Appearing on Fox News Sunday, the former Secretary of State under Donald Trump went a step further and said the deteriorating state of affairs in Eastern Europe represented a 'failure' of the Democrat's foreign policy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has put the globe on edge with his increasingly hostile suggestions that Moscow could be ready to use nuclear force as its invasion of Ukraine continues to face historic setbacks.

Biden set off shockwaves on Thursday with his comments to donors about how severe he believes the current situation between Russia and Ukraine is.

'We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis,' the president said.

It prompted multiple Biden administration officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken to quickly clarify that there was no change in US assessments on Russia's readiness to use nuclear weapons.

Biden's critics, like Pompeo, have attacked the president for inflaming the already-tense situation.

But allies of the president's who also appeared on the Sunday news programs defended him by saying he was simply raising alarms about potential future problems.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said President Biden's 'armageddon' comments put Americans' lives at risk

'I think the president is right to raise the risk of nuclear conflict because Vladimir Putin is increasingly getting pushed into a corner,' Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, told CNN's State of the Union.

'This is a dangerous man, and the United States needs to be ready for Putin to use a tactical nuclear weapon.'

Murphy quickly added that he saw 'no sign that he's going to do that imminently' but added, 'I think Joe Biden is right to get this country ready for the fact that you are dealing with a very dangerous human being in Russia.'

The National Security Council's Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby reaffirmed to ABC News' This Week that the US saw no change in the Kremlin's nuclear posture but likewise defended Biden's seemingly off-the-cuff remark.

'His comments were not based on new or fresh intelligence or new indications that Mr. Putin has made a decision to use nuclear weapons and, quite frankly, we dont have indication that he has made that kind of decision,' Kirby said.

'What the president was reflecting was that the stakes are high right now given whats going on on the battlefield in Ukraine and given the very irresponsible and reckless comments made by Vladimir Putin in just the last few days.'

Meanwhile an ally of the president's, Democrat Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, said 'I think the president is right to raise the risk of nuclear conflict'

"Do you see Armageddon as a real possibility?"



CNN's @jaketapper discusses President Joe Biden's warning about the potential for a nuclear threat from Russia with Senator @ChrisMurphyCT (D) and how Cabinet officials are responding. @CNNSotu #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/TLtnk2n791  CNN (@CNN) October 9, 2022

Pompeo, however, said Biden's rhetoric put Americans' own lives 'at risk.'

'Those comments were reckless,' the former chief US diplomat said.

'I think that, even more importantly, they demonstrate maybe one of the greatest foreign policy failures of the last decades, which was the failure to deter Vladimir Putin in the same way that the Trump administration did for four years.'

He also blasted Biden for the casual setting in which the president levied the dramatic warning.

'When you hear a president talking about armageddon at random- as a random thought, just using [it] at a fundraiser- that is a terrible risk to the American people,' Pompeo said.

'If he truly believes that, he ought to be out talking to us in a serious way.'

Biden spent most of the weekend at his home in Wilmington, where he spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday about the continuing situation in Ukraine.

The National Security Council's Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby reaffirmed to ABC News' This Week that the US saw no change in the Kremlin's nuclear posture but likewise defended Biden's remark

U.S. has not seen anything that would give us pause to reconsider our own strategic nuclear posture following Putins threats in Ukraine, NSC spokesman Kirby tells @MarthaRaddatz.



We dont have any indication that he has made that kind of decision. https://t.co/OpYwwOBhrk pic.twitter.com/RHNNlj06Ar  This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 9, 2022

'The leaders reiterated their condemnation of Russias attempted annexation of Ukrainian territory, as well as their ongoing commitment to hold Russia accountable for its brutal actions and provide security and economic assistance to Ukraine,' the White House said in a readout after their call.

'The leaders also discussed recent developments in global energy markets and the importance of securing sustainable and affordable energy supplies. In addition, they talked about efforts to promote regional stability and prosperity in the Western Balkans.'

It comes after a portion of the bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean peninsula collapsed in the most recent high-profile setback faced by the Russians in their invasion of Ukraine.

A nighttime explosion which also hit a fuel train is responsible for the blast. Three people are reportedly dead.

Russia, which has accused Ukraine of orchestrating the explosion, fired rockets overnight Sunday that hit apartment buildings in the city of Zaporizhzhia.

Ukrainian officials said at least 17 people were killed.
A woman's brand new iPhone 14 Pro alerted Ohio police last month that she was in a serious car crash and was not responsive  when in reality she was just enjoying a rollercoaster.

Sara White, 39, and her family were on a daytrip last month to Kings Island, an amusement park outside of Cincinnati, when she decided to brave the Mystic Timbers ride.

The dentist kept her two-day old phone inside her fanny pack, the Wall Street Journal reports, as she was lifted 109ft into the air and was spun around at 50mph.

But unbeknownst to her at the time, her iPhone's new car-crash detection feature picked up on the sudden acceleration and braking, and had assumed she was in a devastating accident.

It then dialed 911, telling dispatchers at the Warren County Communications Center in an automated message: 'The owner of this iPhone was in a severe crash and is not responding to their phone.'

That message was repeated seven times during the nearly two-minute long call, picking up some ambient noise of screaming in the background and music.

By the time White got off the ride, she found that her lock screen was lined with missed calls and voice mails from an emergency dispatcher asking if she was OK.

When she again did not respond, officers were dispatched to the roller coaster but did not locate an emergency.

Eventually, as she was ironically standing on line for bumper cars, White realized what had happened and called back the police to report that she was OK.

Sara White was on the Mystic Timbers rollercoaster in King's Island, outside of Cincinnati when her iPhone 14's crash detection feature called 911

It was just one of six false iPhone crash detection calls the Warren County Communications Center received from the Kings Island amusement park since the new iPhone 14 models went on sale in September.

Similar alerts have also been triggered by the Joker roller coaster at Six Flags Great America near Chicago, draining the resources of local police departments.

'We are very vigilant about calls,' said Melissa Bour, the director of emergency services for Warren County. 'No call doesn't get checked.

'You get used to calls that are not an emergency, but it's wear and tear on the dispatchers.'

The iPhone 14 features a new sensor with a high-G-force accelerometer that detects when the user has been in a car crash, such as 'side impact, rear end collision and rollovers'

HOW DOES IPHONE 14 CRASH DETECTION WORK? The iPhone 14 introduced a new 'crash detection' feature that automatically detects when the user has been in a severe car accident and calls for emergency assistance if they are unconscious or unable to reach their phone. Apple's latest iPhone models feature a dual-core accelerometer - capable of detecting G-force measurements of up to 256Gs - and a new high dynamic range gyroscope. These are used in combination with components in previous iPhone models, like the barometer, which can detect cabin pressure changes, the GPS for additional input for speed changes, and the microphone, which can recognize loud noises typified by severe car crashes. Apple has trained its algorithms on over a million hours of real-world driving and crash record data, to be able to accurately detect when an accident has taken place. If the user is wearing an Apple Watch, this further improves accuracy. When a severe crash is detected, the emergency services call interface will appear on Apple Watch, as it is most likely to be in closer proximity to the user, while the call is placed through iPhone if it is in range for the best possible connection. Advertisement

The new iPhone 14s feature a sensor with a high-G-force accelerometer that detects when the user has been in a car crash, such as 'side-impact, rear-end collision, and rollovers.'

It looks for signs of a crash including rapid deceleration or a sudden stop.

If it detects a crash, the phone will display a warning for 10 seconds before staring a 10-second countdown accompanied by an alarm sound.

If a user does not stop the alarm during those 10 seconds, the phone will then dial 911, relaying a message and providing location details.

An alert will also be sent out to anyone listed as an emergency contact.

The feature, dubbed 'crash detection,' only activates when traveling in a vehicle.

A spokesman for Apple said the crash detection algorithms were validated using over 1 million hours of crash data, real-world driving and crash-test labs.

He added that the feature is 'extremely acurate in detecting severe crashes' and that the company optimized it for getting users help while minimizing false positives.

The spokesman noted, though, that Apple will continue to improve the feature.

But in the meantime, iPhone users have been reporting issues with the new technology.

On September 17, Douglas Sonders said he was cruising on his motorcycle on the West Side Highway in New York City when his iPhone 14 Pro flew off the handlebars.

He had assumed his phone was gone for good, so he and his friends rode over to the Apple Store to get a new one.

Sonders did not know at the time that his iPhone's crash detection was triggered, alerting emergency services and sending automated text messages to his mom and girlfriend.

'I was freaking out. I was thinking the worst,' said Gabrielle Kennedy, Sonders' girlfriend.

'My best friend passed away in a car accident,' she added. 'It brought me right back there.'

His mother even left him a voicemail saying: 'Douglas, have someone call me back as soon as possible! Please let me know if you are OK.'

Similar incidents have been reported among users riding the Joker roller coaster at Six Flags Great America

Meanwhile, at Six Flags Great America, Marcus Nguyen heard the alarm going off on his iPhone 14 Pro as The Joker rollercoaster ended.

'I was still strapped into the ride, and I couldn't get to it,' he said. 'Finally, I was able to get to it before the countdown had finished.'

Experts are now warning iPhone 14 users to leave their phones when they go on a roller coaster, because when it slows down it might brake abruptly and set off the crash-detection software.

Users could also turn off the feature, which is enabled automatically on the new phones.

But in some cases, it has proven to be helpful.

Police were alerted to the scene of a tragic car crash in Lincoln, Nebraska last week after an iPhone 14 belonging to one of the victims called 911. All six people inside the Honda Accord were killed in the crash

Jonathan Koch, 22, was among the victims. All six were in their early twenties but police have not yet shared the names of the others who died

Just last week, the new crash detection feature alerted police in Lincoln, Nebraska to a tragic wreck that left all six young passengers in the vehicle dead.

Officers said the black Honda Accord they were driving in slammed into a tree, killing five men on the scene  while a 24-year-old woman was left in critical condition and died later at a nearby hospital.

In the immediate aftermath of the crash, an iPhone 14 belonging to one of the passengers alerted emergency services to the scene.

The iPhone feature meant first responders were made aware of the incident, despite there being no other witnesses to what police have described as 'the worst crash in Lincoln in recent memory.'

The 22-year-old driver has not been named.

The other victims were one 21-year-old, one 23-year-old and two 22-year-olds - including a man by the name of Jonathan Koch.

It's unclear what caused the crash, but police say the group of friends were driving home at the time.
Police and the FBI have launched a desperate hunt for a missing toddler who has not been seen in five days.

Quinton Simon, who is 20-months-old, went missing from his home in Savannah, Georgia, on October 5 - and cops say it is their 'highest priority' to find him.

But there were ongoing family issues - between Quinton's grandmother, who has legal custody over him, and mother Leilani - before his sudden disappearance.

The FBI and local police have been searching for the child because they couldn't rule out the chance the one-year-old had been abducted.

Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said during a press conference Thursday: 'I hope he's still alive. We don't have any information to believe he's not.'

Quinton Simon, who is 20-months-old, went missing from his home in west Savannah, Georgia, on October 5

According to court records obtained by WJCL, the child's grandmother Billie Jo Howell previously tried to remove mom Leilani and her boyfriend Daniel Youngkin from their home.

She said that she wanted the pair out of the house 'as soon as possible' since 'they have damaged my property and at this point no one is living in peace.'

It's unclear how long ago the record was lodged and whether this had anything to do with Quinton's disappearance.

The child's grandmother - who has custody of him - said of her 22-year-old daughter: 'She hasn't always done the right thing.

'Sometimes she does really great, sometimes she doesn't. I don't know what to think right now. I don't know what to believe, because I don't think anybody ever believes this is going to happen to them.

Quinton Simon with Grandmother Billie Jo Howell

The FBI and local police have been searching for the child because they couldn't rule out the chance that the one-year-old had been abducted

'I don't know if I can trust her or I don't. I just know I'm hurting and I want this baby home. He's my baby.'

The tearful grandma said: 'I want him home. He's just a baby. Please don't stop looking.

Quinton's grandfather added: 'We just want to know something. We are concerned with his wellbeing. He's a happy kid. He always had a big smile on his face.

'We're still hoping and praying.'

Chatham County Police said in a statement on Sunday morning: 'Today we will be re-canvassing some specific areas in our search for Quinton Simon.

'We are not in need of volunteers, but want to keep you informed about our efforts to find the little boy.

'The FBI continues to provide assistance and support, as they have since day one.'

The desperate search for the child continues. Police have already searched his home, a pong, drainage pipes, and a nearby wood.

Quinton's mother's boyfriend woke up at 6am on Wednesday and reported seeing him.

But when the child's mom woke up, she reported him missing just after 9.30am.

The boy's biological father, who was not named, 'was not near him during the time of his disappearance,' according to Hadley.

Quinton's mom and her boyfriend are working with detectives, and 'at this point, they are victims,' Hadley said.

Quinton Simon with his mother

Chatham County Police Department search for Quinton Simon Authorities in Georgia
The Democrat running for governor in Arizona next month said that she doesn't support any limitations on abortion after Republicans proposed a nationwide ban after 15 weeks.

Arizona is one of the 13 with trigger laws, which effectively banned abortion in June when the Supreme Court overturned the landmark decision in Roe v. Wade.

An 1864 Arizona law is behind upheld and went into effect on September 24 that bans all abortions except for in the case where the mother's health and life is put at risk by carrying the pregnancy to term.

'I do not support the 15 week ban,' Arizona's Secretary of State Katie Hobbs told CBS News Face the Nation host Major Garret on Sunday morning.

'I support leaving the decision between a woman and her doctor and leaving politicians entirely out of it,' she said.

Hobbs is running against Republican Kari Lake for Arizona GOP Governor Doug Ducey's seat after serving his two consecutive four-year terms.

Pro-abortion groups in Arizona sought an injunctions to stop Arizona's old abortion law from being reinstated with the end of federal-level protections awarded by the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.

Arizona's Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs said that she doesn't want any term-limits on abortion  suggesting she is OK with terminating a pregnancy up to the point of giving brith

What would your "week limit be for abortion access?"



Arizona Democrat Katie Hobbs: No limit



"So if an Arizona voter were to conclude from your previous answer that you do not favor any specific week limit on abortion, would they be correct?"



Hobbs: Yep pic.twitter.com/lFxYPayyXs  RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 9, 2022

Arizona's Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich requested to lift the injunction, and Pima County Superior Court Judge Kellie Johnson heard arguments on the case before deciding that the law would remain outlawing abortion.

Lake has described Hobbs as 'extreme' when it comes to abortion. Hobbs appeared to confirm that by suggesting she is open to abortions at any time during a woman's pregnancy  even up to the moment of birth.

'You and I both know that late-term abortion is extremely rare,' Hobbs dismissed. 'And if it's being talked about, it's because something has gone incredibly wrong in a pregnancy. A doctor's not going to perform an abortion late in a pregnancy just because somebody decided they want one. That is ridiculous.'

'What would the Hobbs administration's week limit be for abortion access? If it's not 15-weeks? What is it?' Garrett pressed.

'Look, abortion is a very personal decision that belongs between a woman and her doctor,' she deflected. 'The government and politicians don't belong in that decision, we need to let doctors perform the care that they are trained and take an oath to- to perform.'

Arizona is one of the 13 states that had trigger laws, which immediately banned abortion when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June

'So if an Arizona voter were to conclude from your previous answer, that you do not favor any specific week limit on abortion, would they be correct?' he further asked when Hobbs didn't directly answer the question.

'I support leaving the decision between a woman and her doctor and leaving politicians entirely out of it.'

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina introduced a bill last week that would prevent women nationwide from seeking abortions after 15 weeks into their pregnancy.

Democrats claim this is a walk back by Republicans who claimed that the Roe overturn sends the issues back to the states, where individual jurisdictions can dictate their abortion laws.

Arizona is the one state with a GOP governor currently that is now a 'toss up' election, according to the Cook Political Report, which shows neither Hobbs nor Lake tipping the scales.

Hobbs pulled ahead of Lake in much of the early polling by around 5 percentage points, but in recent months the margins have slimmed substantially.

The most recent average in polling from FiveThirtyEight shows Lake shows Lake trailing by just .4 percent and just .1 percent last week.
Police have charged two people on suspicion of criminal damage and theft after an Animal Rebellion protest in which activists poured milk over shop floors in central London.

Stephen Bone, 40, from Essex, and Sofia Fernandes Pontes, 26, from Islington, were both charged this morning with two counts of criminal damage and two counts of theft.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: 'A man and a woman have been charged following incidents of criminal damage at two shops in central London on Friday afternoon.

'The counts of theft relate to milk taken from the shops and used in the acts of criminal damage.'

On Friday, Animal Rebellion - an offshoot of the Extinction Rebellion group - shared videos of vegan activists pouring milk over Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges in a protest against dairy products.

The Animal Rebellion protesters carried out a milk-based demonstration at Selfridges on Oxford Street on Friday

Scotland Yard said 27 people were arrested yesterday in connection with a wave of protests by Animal Rebellion, including Mr Bone and Ms Fernandes Pontes who were arrested in Green Park.

Animal Rebellion called on 'all vegans to occupy London' this weekend to demand that the Government support farmers in a transition to a 'plant based future'.

A police spokesperson said Mr Bone remains in custody and will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday, October 10.

Stephen Bone, 40, from Essex, and Sofia Fernandes Pontes (pictured), 26, from Islington, were both charged this morning with two counts of criminal damage and two counts of theft

Ms Fernandes Pontes, a student and mother from the Portugese island of Madeira who teaches Zumba to young children, was bailed and will appear in court on Monday, November 7.

The 26-year-old's LinkedIn profile describes her as an 'environmentalist helping families and planet' also lists her as the founder of Parezy, an app described as a 'virtual one-stop service provider for families with children in the early years sector'.

The Zumba instructor, also known as 'fifi' on her Instagram account, has been posting activism related content since August 2021. This includes various protesting events relating to animals and fossil fuels.
It was organized by Instagram influencer Nadia Cartagena who said in follow-up interviews it was a stunt to raise awareness about the elderly

The incident occurred at a strip party for the residents of Una Mano Amiga Foundation in El Prado, Cartagena

Video posted online shows the moment an elderly woman seems to suffer a heart attack after grinding up against three half-naked men

This is the bizarre moment an elderly woman seems to have a heart attack after grinding up against three half-naked men at a nursing home's strip party.

The wild video, originally posted online by Instagram influencer Nadia Cartagena starts off with a woman in a leather thong and boots twerking up against some of the men at the retirement home in Colombia.

It then cuts to various scenes of half-naked men and women performing for the residents of Una Mano Amiga Foundation in El Prado, Cartagena.

The performers then went around and provided the residents with food, including feeding one elderly woman a cake with a penis-shaped pastry on top and fake choking her with handcuffs.

But as the strippers continued to perform, surrounding one elderly woman in a blue dress and a pink headband with ears on them, the woman starts grabbing her chest and starts to fall.

The strippers she was dancing with soon spring into action as she starts to spasm on the floor, and another grabs some water.

They encourage the elderly woman to drink as they try to cool her off before an ambulance arrives on the scene and EMS crews attach the woman to a stretcher.

They then carry her onto the ambulance with the help of some of the strippers before driving away.

One of the strippers is seen as she gyrates over a smiling elderly man at the nursing home during the party

After one woman in a blue dress started feeling up one of the strippers, she started to collapse

The woman suffered an apparent heart attack and laid on the floor as people tried to get help

EMS crews arrived on the scene and secured her to a stretcher with the help of some of the male strippers

They then carried her to an ambulance, before they drove away on September 27

The video was posted online by the Colombian influencer on September 27.

She captioned it, in Spanish: 'Today, I held an erotic party or older adults, and I got the biggest scare of my life because I did not expect what happened to happen, and the truth is that I am very sorry, I just wanted to give them some fun and I did not expect that situation, so I want you to comment on the situation.'

Soon, though, her 30,500 followers slammed her for putting on the raunchy party at a retirement home.

One person commented: 'Nadia, you overdid it, a party is OK but with another theme, not like this.'

Another also wrote, 'Oops, Nadia, it wasn't the right party that's the result, what a shame, so sad.'

The video then went viral on social media, receiving over 47,000 views and several hundred comments from users upset with what had transpired.

The event was organized by Instagram influencer Nadia Cartagena in an apparent attempt to raise awareness about the plight of the elderly in Colombia

A woman was seen feeling up one of the male strippers as he did push ups at the party

But the influencer now says the entire incident was staged to get the attention of the local mayor's office.

She told El Universal that she organized the event to raise awareness about the 'poverty and abandonment' elderly adults are facing.

'The purpose of the video is to call for this problem to be seen and to call on the district authorities to keep an eye on these people,' Cartagena said.

She added that the 'authorization was requested,' and 'nothing was done against anyone's will.

'We did it with a lot of love,' Cartagena told the newspaper. 'My entire platform is made of very good content, of social help.

'And at no time was the purposed of the video to annoy, abuse or take advantage of the grandparents  in fact, we made a donation to them after the event.'
Thousands of residents have been ordered to evacuate their homes despite a brief reprieve from the wild weather.

More than 100 flood warnings have been issued across NSW as floodwaters continue to rise.

The wild weather that has battered much of Australia's east coast in recent days is far from over, with another massive deluge expected to smash inland NSW from Wednesday.

Hundreds of Hawkesbury residents in Sydney's northwest outskirts were ordered to flee their homes late on Sunday night, with emergency warnings issued to more than a dozen low-lying communities for the third time in 2022.

More rain is expected to drench large swathes of NSW from Wednesday (pictured, soaked race goers at Randwick in Sydney on Saturday)

'Wednesday and Thursday will be the key days for that rain in NSW but it won't favour the coast as much,' WeatherZone Meteorologist Jess Niskelly told Daily Mail Australia.

'Another trough coming through will bring heavy rain to western NSW while the coast can expect to see showers on Thursday and Friday.

'We're unlikely to see anything in Sydney until Friday and at this stage it doesn't look like more than 10mm will fall.

'In the west we're looking at some places seeing 50-100mm from Wednesday to Friday.

'The system will also go down to Tasmania and Victoria.

'Thursday is most likely to see severe storms with a good chance for potentially damaging wind gusts.

'NSW and southern Queensland are likely to be the biggest area of impact.

Of the 104 warnings in place across NSW, 16 are emergency evacuations, 50 are watch-and-act messages, while the rest are advice notifications.

Wagga Wagga in southern NSW is also on high alert along with Dubbo, Forbes, Euabalong and Warren in the state's central west.

An aerial view of Sydney's north-west, where hundreds of Hawkesbury residents evacuated their home late Sunday night

'We are continuing to see rivers rise and floodwaters continuing down in that part of the world so we want people to be on alert because they still may get door-knocked by the SES, may be asked to leave their homes and evacuate to higher areas,' Deputy Premier Paul Toole said.

'The ground at the moment is completely saturated, he explained.

'It doesn't take much rainfall or some of the storms to land in the right areas to see our rivers rising very quickly.'

NSW SES crews have responded to more than 1,000 requests for help since Friday night, including 44 flood rescues.

Residents are warned to not be fooled by the sunny clear weather.

'It may be several days before they get flooded,' Mr Toole said.

The people in the Hawkesbury-Nepean area have experienced flooding now on a number of occasions.

'It is tough for people having to back up and clean up each and every time water goes through their homes.'

Some communities will be on flood watch for at least a week as they brace for more heavy rain later in the week.

Heavy rain that has drenched parts of NSW has led to widespread flooding. The red parts of the map are the regions worst hit

A pizza deliveryman is lucky to be alive after he was almost swept away by raging flood waters after his car became trapped in an overflowing river south of Sydney. It's one of 44 SES flood rescues since Friday night

As of Monday morning, 104 flood warnings were in place across NSW. Pictured is a flooded caravan park in Dubbo in the state's central west

'With a new front approaching, we are watching these waters move their way down the catchment and preparing communities again for another round of flooding that will come over the coming week or so,' SES Deputy Commissioner Daniel Austin said.

'So we expect to see about 48 hours of relatively benign conditions before Wednesday, right the way through to Friday.

'We see some heavy rainfall, particularly in the Western and southern parts of the state, the totals expected to be received on the coast of much smaller but certainly some significant totals for the west and southern parts of the state between Wednesday and Friday.'

Meanwhile in Victoria, heavy rain drowned out a wine and music festival over the weekend as authorities issued major flood warnings.

By Sunday night, a handful of these had been reduced as the worst of the weather subsided.

'Most of the rain will clear out in the southeast on Friday as another trough comes in,' Niskelly explained.

'Friday is looking pretty dry for western NSW but there could still be showers in Victoria and South Australia.

'In NSW, the heaviest rain will clear by Friday for all but a few parts of east NSW.'

Parts in inland NSW will be smashed by more rain from Wednesday (pictured a submerged car in floodwaters)

NSW will enjoy a brief reprieve from the wild weather on Monday but more is on the way
A huge nuclear power plant in Ukraine has been reconnected to the electricity grid after shelling left it relying on emergency generators.

There had been fears that the Zaporizhzhia atomic energy plant in the southeast of the country could go into meltdown after it lost its last source of external power yesterday.

It raised fears of a second Chernobyl disaster, with concerns over the safety and security of the sites six nuclear reactors which require electrictiy for cooling despite being turned off.

An immediate crisis was assuaged after power was restored today to the nuclear plant, which is the largest in Europe.

However, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog has warned that this is 'temporary relief in a still untenable situation', as the plant's reactors remain in cold shutdown.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine has been under Russian occupation for several months

There are continuing fears of the safety and stability of the site, which has seen a number of power outages in recent months

Rafael Grossi, head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, has called the current circumstances an 'untenable situation'

In a tweet Mr Grossi said that while power had been restored, more action needed to be done to prevent a disaster taking place

The plant has been under Russian control since the first months of the war, with Kremlin forces shelling the site as they advanced west into Ukraine, although it is still being operated by Ukrainian engineers.

In the months since it has lost power several times, with Russian president Vladimir Putin ordering his government to take over operations at the power plant this week.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the Internation Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) revealed yesterday that despite Putin's announcement the plant had lost its last source of external power after renewed shelling, and was relying on emergency generators.

'Our team at Zaporizhzhia confirms the offsite power line lost yesterday was restored and ZNPP (the plant) is reconnected to the grid - a temporary relief in a still untenable situation,' IAEA head Rafael Grossi tweeted today.

The IAEA said a 750-kilovolt line was reconnected to the plant on Sunday evening following repair work by Ukrainian engineers.

That enabled the plant to start switching off the generators that had kicked in to provide it with power after the line - its last connection to the grid - was cut early Saturday.

Mr Grossi was in Kyiv on Thursday to discuss setting up a protection zone around the site which has regularly come under fire with Ukraine and Russia blaming each other.

'A protection zone is needed now. I will travel to Russia and will see Ukraine's (President Volodymyr) Zelensky thereafter to establish the zone,' Grossi added in his tweet.

He has stressed the zone's main aim is 'to avoid a nuclear accident at the plant, which remains a very, very clear possibility'.

Mr Grossi also condemned attacks 'in areas that could affect the safety and security' of the plant, including in nearby Enerhodar and in the Ukrainian-held provincial capital of Zaporizhzhia.

'Almost every day now, there is shelling in the region where the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is located and where the plant workers and their families live,' he said.

'The shelling must stop, immediately. It is already having an impact on the nuclear safety and security situation at the plant.'

Ukrainian operating staff told IAEA experts that a convoy of five trucks carrying 'vital additional diesel fuel supplies' is currently in the city of Zaporizhzhia and plans to cross the front line to reach the plant on Monday, the agency said.

The site currently has diesel reserves for about 10 days. Separately, a supply of diesel provided by the Russian state nuclear company Rosatom has arrived in Enerhodar, the IAEA added.

Europe's largest nuclear power plant (pictured in September), caught in the Ukraine-Russia war, is operating in emergency mode with elevated risk, Ukraine's state nuclear energy operator said

The six-reactor Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP) came under the control of Russian forces early in the war, but is being operated by Ukrainian staff. Pictured: IAEA Deputy Director General, Lydie Evrard (right) inspects the Zaporizhzhia NPP in September

Pictured: Damage caused by shelling to the elevated passage of Unit 6 at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

Pictured: The IAEA team assesses damage at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP) in September

Zaporizhzhia is one of four regions in Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin has annexed in violation of international laws.

Putin signed a decree Wednesday declaring that Russia was taking over the nuclear plant.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry called it a criminal act and said it considered Putin's decree 'null and void'.

Ukraine's state nuclear operator, Energoatom, said it would continue to operate the plant.

On Friday the firm said that repairs to the outside lines were impossible because of the shelling and that operating in the so-called 'island' carries 'the risk of violating radiation and fire safety standards'.

Petro Kotin, head of Energoatom, said: 'Only the withdrawal of the Russians from the plant and the creation of a security zone around it can normalise the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. Only then will the world be able to exhale.'

This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant occupied by Russian forces, in Ukraine on Aug. 28, 2022

However, the future of the plant looks like it hangs in the balance, with Ukraine accusing Russia of kidnapping the head of the site last month.

Russian forces allegedly seized the director-general of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Ihor Murashov, at around 4pm on Friday, September 30, Energoatom said.

It said Russian troops stopped Murashov's car, blindfolded him and then took him to an undisclosed location.

'His detention by (Russia) jeopardizes the safety of Ukraine and Europe's largest nuclear power plant,' said Mr Kotin.

He demanded that Russia immediately release Murashov. Russia did not immediately acknowledge seizing the plant director.

The IAEA confirmed on Monday, October 3, that Mr Murashov had been released after being placed in 'temporary detention' by the Russian occupiers.
Universities are decolonising their business, chemistry and even thermodynamics courses to mollify woke activists, a Daily Mail investigation shows.

The move is just one of a number of ways in which academics are imposing Left-wing ideology on the curriculum.

A Government minister accused them last night of wasting valuable time on distractions.

The Mail audit reveals that:

Course materials show that decolonising the curriculum is a response to Black Lives Matter;

Oxbridge colleges have laid on more unconscious bias and race workshops for students;

Debating societies have introduced tougher vetting for controversial speakers;

Some academics are even demanding the dismantling of the Establishment.

Universities are decolonising their business, chemistry and even thermodynamics courses to mollify woke activists. Mail investigation found it is in response to Black Lives Matter

The Government has created the new Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, which strengthens freedom of expression rules in universities. Pictured: Actor Robert Downey Jr visits the Cambridge Union debating society

Rise of the 'race workshops' By Eleanor Harding Education Editor Oxbridge colleges have imposed more unconscious bias and race workshops on freshers despite calls for them to be scrapped. The courses had been optional but increasingly students are being ordered to take part. Freshers at Keble College had to undertake hours of courses on consent, race, LGBTQ+ and disability. According to a 2022 timetable seen by the Daily Mail they were told it was very important they attend. Emmanuel College Cambridge also ran a two-and-a-half hour unconscious bias workshop that all freshers were required to take part in. Christ Church, Oxfords grandest college, said it runs compulsory sessions for all students covering topics including diversity, respect and anti-racism, and staff involved in, for example, admissions and recruitment receive appropriate training. Chris McGovern, of the Campaign for Real Education, said: Freshers do need to understand the laws that protect our society, but indoctrinating them with woke ideology is dangerous and irresponsible. Freshers at Keble College (pictured) had to undertake hours of courses on consent, race, LGBTQ+ and disability If there are to be workshops for new students, they should explain why much of the rest of the world does not share this creed. Young people need to be prepared for the world beyond their university campus. Students at Somerville, Margaret Thatchers former college, were last year ordered to pass a test in which they had to concede that a black lecturer would be more unpopular than white colleagues. Following an outcry, the college said students would no longer be compelled to take the course. Balliol College, alma mater of Boris Johnson, Ted Heath and Harold Macmillan, has said it was expanding the mandatory programme of unconscious bias/tackling race bias training to include all academic staff. Unconscious bias training is aimed at making people aware of  and helping them overcome  potentially harmful assumptions they hold against those from different backgrounds. It has been described as ideological snake oil by the Free Speech Union, while the Race Commission last year called for institutions to ditch the practice. The commissions report said the soul-searching of some organisations in the wake of Black Lives Matter had amounted to tick-box exercises that did not get results and the money would be better spent elsewhere. Advertisement

The investigation uncovers how fat cat university bosses are pandering to extremists, according to John Hayes, chairman of the Common Sense Group of Tory MPs.

He said universities had fallen a long way from the places of light, liberty and learning described by the theologian John Henry Newman in 1852.

Sir John added: Instead, a darkness has fallen over much of our university sector. Far from promoting liberty and learning, universities are choosing to inhibit free speech and distort learning. Opinions that dont conform to the politically correct zeitgeist are prohibited.

Skills minister Andrea Jenkyns warned: Universities should be focused on delivering high-quality face-to-face teaching which offers students value for money and sets them up for future success  not wasting time on initiatives that distract from these ambitions.

Universities have focused on tackling Britains colonial past in the humanities, particularly history and English.

But academics are now going to great lengths to remove white privilege from scientific and mathematical subjects.

The head of mechanical engineering at Sheffield University has admitted he struggled to work out how decolonisation was relevant to thermodynamics, which is mostly equations, systems and control volumes.

But, after receiving two emails from BLM, Stephen Beck concluded the issue of energy was a far more political, context and historically driven subject.

In a blog, Professor Beck said engineers could take into account whether greener air travel was beneficial to locals, adding: The history of holiday destinations is often one of their colonial past.

In another example, a senior lecturer in dentistry at Newcastle University told a podcast she had decolonised her course following campaigning by students in the wake of the BLM movement.

Frank Furedi, emeritus professor of sociology at Kent University, said: There is a constant expansion in the ambitions of these kinds of academic activists. Its unrestrained. Its popping up in the most unlikely places. Theres no discussion, no debate.

Edinburgh University hosted a lecture in March titled Decolonising the physics curriculum: starting with thermodynamics. What, why, and how? Physics professor Wilson Poon decided the first lecture of the course on classical thermodynamics should start with the history of the subject, showing how its origins were deeply implicated in imperialism and slavery.

Cambridge and York have established working groups on decolonising geography and chemistry. Yorks chemistry department said that alongside its teaching of key chemical principles it will now also teach diverse histories of chemistry and science showing influences of global thinkers, providing students with a degree of literacy in science history and include role model scientists from different backgrounds and cultures  to foster a sense of belonging for all in taught material.

A module description by Exeter University on decolonising medicine tells undergraduates they will investigate the extent to which science and medicine ... have been largely founded on colonialism, oppression, slavery, discrimination and injustice.

Tom Hunt, Tory MP and Commons education committee member, said that if mainstream views were not challenged at universities, it would have a chilling effect on free speech.

In an article for Times Higher Education, Professor Bobby Banerjee of the Bayes Business School at City, University of London, admits that decolonising the curriculum is a political project and is a complex, difficult and perhaps impossible task.

A brief on decolonising the curriculum for first year business studies undergraduates at Bayes, written by professor of information management Clive Holtham, said the business school expected that all curricula and modules will be redesigned and that radical change often can only be brought about by some kind of revolution.

Skills minister Andrea Jenkyns (pictured) said that universities are 'wasting time on initiatives that distract from these ambitions'

Former education secretary Nadhim Zahawi (pictured) criticised some decolonising efforts because they led to a reduction of other core content

Successive ministers have called on universities to allow a range of viewpoints  including those from more Right-wing students. Former education secretary Nadhim Zahawi criticised some decolonising efforts because they led to a reduction of other core content.

The Government has also created the new Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, which strengthens freedom of expression rules in universities.

In response to our findings Susan Lapworth, chief executive of the Office for Students, said: Universities decide the content of their courses, and must meet our expectations for rigour and high quality. In doing so, they have a duty to take steps to secure free speech within the law. This matters because robust debate of ideas  including on difficult topics  is fundamental to higher education.

Edinburgh University (pictured) hosted a lecture in March titled Decolonising the physics curriculum: starting with thermodynamics

A Newcastle spokesman said it made a pledge to decolonise our dentistry curriculum following discussions with students.

An Edinburgh spokesman said it was committed to addressing contemporary and historic inequalities with respect to race.

A Sheffield spokesman said decolonisation was not about removing any historical figures or factual knowledge from the curriculum, but about ensuring a subject is representative of a wider range of academics who have contributed.

A spokesman for Bayes said it had sought the views of our students on these issues and it was committed to freedom of expression.

Cambridge and York said they had consulted students on diversifying their curriculums. Exeter declined to comment.

Now fearful academics are cancelling themselves

Commentary by Professor Arif Ahmed

Last week I heard from a professor of medicine at a top university. He usually gives an introductory lecture on some interesting, possibly controversial topic. This year he planned to talk about the Y chromosome. About how having it can make a big difference, physiologically and psychologically, throughout your life. In short, about why biological sex matters.

Then he decided that it wasnt worth it. He knew that it would lead to trouble. So he didnt even propose the lecture. He just spoke on something else.

That story wont show up in any statistics on cancellation or no-platforming. Nor will hundreds of other decisions just like his. Decisions that academics make every time they choose not to speak out  on sex, or religion, or Israel and Palestine, or whatever else  for fear of the consequences. But this mostly silent, mostly internal process is what the end of academic freedom looks like.

The fact is that choosing not to speak out is entirely understandable. In 2019 Professor Jo Phoenix of the Open University was due to speak at the University of Essex on trans rights and the prison system.

Following the invitation, activists circulated threats, including a flyer displaying a gun with the caption Shut the **** up, TERF. Instead of defending her right to speak, the sociology department at Essex cancelled the invitation. This incident is hardly isolated. Risk-averse speaker policies make the problem worse. By expanding the grounds on which an invitation can be cancelled, you just make it easier for activists to shut down an event.

More often, academics and students will just not invite controversial speakers in the first place, because of the bureaucratic obstacles that these policies create. They will prefer to invite someone blander.

My own university, Cambridge (pictured), tried to impose such a policy in 2020, demanding that visiting speakers (and everyone else) should always show respect for others beliefs and identities

Instead of Kathleen Stock or Richard Dawkins, you get Prof X or Dr Y who never offended anyone. Whether anyone learns anything, is another question. The incentive to self-censorship constitutes the greatest danger of risk-averse speaker regulations.

It is typical of a modern form of tyranny, of which Tocqueville wrote: It does not break wills, but it softens them. It rarely forces action, but it constantly opposes your acting.

My own university, Cambridge, tried to impose such a policy in 2020, demanding that visiting speakers (and everyone else) should always show respect for others beliefs and identities. There was a risk that it would be used to shut down criticism of certain religions or the questioning of certain ideologies. Along with colleagues, I fought the proposal. In a secret ballot we won an overwhelming victory, forcing Cambridge to withdraw it. I have since faced lasting hostility from some colleagues, but many more have been quietly supportive.

What is the alternative to these risk-averse policies? Universities understandably want to protect students from distress. But any controversial idea is going to distress someone. The way to deal with the risk is not to eliminate it but to be up front about it.

At the start of a course, students should give written consent to the risk of exposure to shocking, disturbing or offensive ideas from lecturers, visiting speakers or other students. By staying on they are implicitly renewing this consent. Consent may be withdrawn by withdrawing from the university.

Universities can then write into their codes that no speech, by staff, students or visitors, can be restricted on the grounds that it causes distress to which hearers have consented.

Any complaint against any lecturer, student or visiting speaker would need to show that it failed one of two tests: (a) Is the speech legal? (b) Does the audience consent? If the answer to (a) and (b) is yes  or absent evidence to the contrary  the complaint is automatically dismissed.

Universities exist to open peoples minds. That means exposure to the broadest variety of viewpoints. This is perhaps the only way to teach students that just because someone disagrees with you doesnt make them evil or stupid. And it really matters that we learn or remember that lesson, not only for the integrity of the higher education sector but for our survival as a free and open society.

Arif Ahmed is a professor of philosophy at the University of Cambridge and free speech campaigner
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, third from left, presides over a Cabinet meeting at the government complex in Seoul on Oct. 5. Yonhap





Prime Minister Han Duck-soo departed for Chile on Sunday for a three-nation trip that will also take him to Uruguay and Argentina, as Seoul seeks to bolster economic cooperation with the Latin American nations, officials said.







During talks with leaders of the three nations, Han will also ask them to support South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the southern port city of Busan, the Office for Government Policy Coordination has said in a statement.







In particular, Han and leaders of the three nations are expected to discuss measures to deepen cooperation in the field of raw materials and strategic minerals.







Han's official visit to Chile will include talks with Chilean President Gabriel Boric.







As South Korea and Chile mark the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties this year, Han and Boric are expected to discuss measures to deepen bilateral relations, according to the statement.







Han will make an official visit to Uruguay on Wednesday and hold talks with Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou.







During the talks in Montevideo, Han and the Uruguayan president are expected to discuss measures to strengthen bilateral ties.







On the final leg of his nine-day trip, Han will make an official visit to Argentina on Thursday for a three-day stay.







Han will hold talks with Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez, and they plan to discuss measures to improve cooperation in various fields, including economic security, the office said. (Yonhap)










One of the showgirl victims of the Las Vegas Strip stabbing told DailyMail.com that the suspect Yoni Barros asked the victim to pose for a photo with him wielding a knife before he launched the savage attack.

Victoria Cayetano, 19, was on her ninth day of work as a showgirl when Barrios attacked her, Maris Digiovanni, 30, Anna Westby, 25, and another woman named Selina.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, she told how the group thought Barrios' request was strange and said the Guatemalan alleged illegal immigrant, 32, spoke only to ask for a photo and to tell the quartet he worked as a chef.

Barrios began his rampage moments after taking his knife out of his bag and targeting Maris  who died of her wounds  first.

Victoria Cayetano, 19, (above) wore her arm in a sling while telling about the attack that left her injured and a colleague dead

Cayetano was on her ninth day of work as a showgirl when Barrios attacked her

One of the showgirl victims of the Las Vegas Strip stabbing told DailyMail.com that the suspect Yoni Barros asked the victim to pose for a photo with him before he launched the savage attack

Victoria Cayetano (right) was working as a showgirl on the strip when Barrios attacked her and her colleagues

A victim of the brutal knife attack on Las Vegas strip was rushed away on a stretcher by members of Clark County Fire Department

Cayetano said: When he [Barrios] approached us, he asked us for a picture. He came from Maris' side and when he put his bag on the sidewalk  he put it down because he wanted to take a picture.

He said two things that he wanted to take a picture and he was a chef. I asked him where he was traveling from and he didnt say anything.

He just looked at us and I honestly thought he probably didnt know how to speak English, not in full sentences. We dont judge people and if someone wants to take a picture with us, that was it.

When he took the knife out, he specifically said he wanted to take a picture with his knife and we all looked at each other, thinking weird.

I specifically remember Maris looking to Anna and Selina and smiling like, thats odd, but we never really say no to people because its our job to take pictures.

Then when he took out the knife, he unfolded it once, I looked at it and he just grabbed the knife and jerked it towards Maris.

Cayetano said: When he [Barrios] approached us, he asked us for a picture. He came from Maris' side and when he put his bag on the sidewalk  he put it down because he wanted to take a picture

The suspect, who is now in custody, reportedly had a kitchen knife and told the showgirls he was a chef that wanted to take a photo with them

An area cordoned off outside the Palazzo casino after the stabbing on Las Vegas strip around 11.45am

Cayetano told how she ran for her life  fleeing in the opposite direction from the other girls and heading towards the luxury Wynn Hotel.

She realized she had been stabbed when she felt a blow to her back that was hard enough to knock her forwards onto her knees.

The 19-year-old told DailyMail.com: I just panicked when he moved with the knife because it didnt look safe. When he started moving with the knife, I ran.

It happened so fast that when he charged at Maris I didnt see it happen but I knew he was coming at me.

I started running but I had heels on so I couldnt run as fast and I think when he got me, I felt the force and I fell and I have a scrape on my shoulder, a bruise on my right knee and a scrape on my left knee from the fall.

If I hadnt fallen, the knife would have gone much deeper on my back. When I fell, I didnt feel that he stabbed me, I just felt a force hit me.

When I fell, I saw the girls running the other way. I just saw red and thought run  I couldnt tell who was where. I just ran so fast and I was yelling, he has a knife!

Cayetano said she finally felt safe when she got inside the Wynn and found a security guard  falling to her knees in gratitude.

Rushed to hospital after calling her boyfriend and brother, she told how she stayed in the ER until 10.30pm that night while she was given scans and had her wound stitched up.

She told how she could hear her colleague Anna screaming in pain in the bed next to hers as medics battled to treat a knife wound to the back that had pierced her lung.

Cayetano said: When I was getting my stitches, Anna was next to me and thats when I knew her wounds were much worse than mine  it got to her lungs, the stab wound  and I could hear her screaming in pain.

That was just heartbreaking because we were fine just a few minutes ago.

Video shown by officials at a press conference hours after the stabbing showed the suspect fleeing the scene

People embrace outside of the University Medical Center trauma department on Thursday

Metropolitan Police Department Deputy Chief James LaRochelle told the media that the police were called to the scene around 11:40 am local time

She said she was told the news of Maris death by her boss Cheryl Lowthorp, 52, who told the girls what had happened via a group chat.

I was on my phone and I saw Cheryl texted on the group text that Maris passed away Cayetano told DailyMail.com.

I couldnt wrap my head around it because we were taking a photo just 30 minutes before. I couldnt believe it because I didnt see it happen.

I still dont know what really to feel or to think at the moment.

She says she is now trying to recover from the attack that left her friend dead and says she feels grateful to be alive.

I dont really know what to feel because it seemed like a movie or a dream, the teenager said. I have the bandages and stitches on my back but I really dont know how to feel.

Everybody keeps asking me how I feel and I dont know what to say. Physically, I feel frustrated I cant move or do the thing I want to do but I feel grateful that Im here.

Cayetano told how she ran for her life  fleeing in the opposite direction from the other girls and heading towards the luxury Wynn Hotel

Eight people were hurt when Barrios launched his rampage last Thursday, four of which were Las Vegas showgirls.

The stabbing spree left two people dead, three in critical condition, and the other three in stable condition.

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo confirmed that some of the victims were tourists visiting the city.

Horrific videos and pictures shows what appears to be one of the showgirls in a pool of blood outside the resort.

LaRochelle told the media: 'As you can imagine we have scores of witnesses to continue to get statements from and we have a number of video surveillance we have to get through in the immediate future.'

Cops swooped on the Venetian resort and the crazed knifeman was arrested with blood coated all over his sleeves

A victim is tended to by first responders in front of the casino where the stabbing took place

Describing a short video showed at the press conference, LaRochelle said that the suspect stabbed the showgirls and then headed south and stabbed an additional victim.

He was pursued by witnesses prior to his arrest.

Cops swooped on the Venetian resort and the crazed knifeman was arrested with blood coated all over his sleeves.

Medics were seen desperately working on her in front of horrified onlookers while other images showed a woman being whisked away on a stretcher.

At least one of the victims was transported to University Medical Center, where loved ones were seen going in in tears.

Multiple casinos in the area reportedly shut down their entrances in the wake of the attack. Officials were quick to alert the public about the incident but assured them there was no ongoing threat.

Hotels in the area remained open but many tourists struggled to navigate the vicinity surrounding the strip due to the various closures.
A 22-year-old student Rebecca Steer (pictured) was killed in a hit-and-run yesterday morning

A student was killed in a hit-and-run after a car mounted the pavement outside a takeaway.

Rebecca Steer, 22, died shortly after she and a second pedestrian were struck by a Volvo yesterday morning.

Officers later revealed that a 28-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder in Oswestry, Shropshire.

The criminal justice student, who is believed to have been in her third year at university in Liverpool, had two siblings and lived in the Welsh border village of Llanymynech.

A resident said the former barmaid and holiday rep, who had worked abroad in Turkey, was 'always smiling', adding: 'It's such a terrible tragedy. Everyone in the village is shocked by what has happened.

'She was in one of the pubs in the village on Saturday night before she headed out to Oswestry with some friends. Becky was just a lovely, bubbly girl, nobody can believe it.'

Miss Steer had also worked at a convenience store in the village of Pant, where staff remembered her as 'a beautiful soul'.

Shop supervisor Sophie Owen told the Daily Mail: '[Becky] would do absolutely anything for anyone. She was the life of the party and it's beyond imaginable that she's no longer with us.

'She was absolutely stunning and had her whole life ahead of her, we are all in complete shock. My heart breaks for her family and friends. No one should have to go through [that].'

Another employee said: 'She was such a lovely girl. It's such a waste. It is her mum I feel sorry for. I can't imagine how you begin to cope.'

Ms Steer died shortly after she and a second pedestrian were struck by a Volvo (pictured), which had mounted the pavement outside a takeaway

Last night Miss Steer's family described her as 'loving, talented and kind-hearted'. In a statement issued through police, they added: 'We are all completely devastated by the loss of our beautiful girl, Rebecca.

'She always had a smile and a laugh that made everybody love her. She will be greatly missed by her many friends and family. She was the best daughter, sister, granddaughter and friend anyone could ask for. Rest in peace beautiful girl.'

West Mercia Police announced the arrest in a statement yesterday morning.

The force said that Miss Steer and another pedestrian were struck by a car at 2.50am after it mounted the kerb outside the Grill Out takeaway.

They were taken to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Miss Steer, who attended Llanfyllin School in Powys before going to university, was pronounced dead shortly after. The second pedestrian suffered 'serious injuries' and is receiving treatment.

The force said officers were seeking a 'gold/champagne coloured Volvo' in connection with the incident, which was caught on CCTV.

A 28-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder in Oswestry, Shropshire

A light gold S60 Volvo saloon car was found in a suburban cul-de-sac in the town yesterday afternoon. Specialist forensic officers cordoned off the vehicle around 1pm and were later seen examining the car.

Detective Inspector Dave Bettison said: 'Our thoughts go out to the family of the woman who has died as a result of this tragic incident. We believe there may have been a number of passengers in the vehicle, and I would also urge them to come forward.'

He added: 'I'd like to thank the members of the public who worked tirelessly at the scene.'

He appealed for anybody with mobile phone, dash-cam or CCTV footage of the incident to come forward.
Lisa Wilkinson has been given a set of rules to follow by The Project ahead of giving evidence in the trial of Brittany Higgins' accused rapist.

Ms Higgins, a former Liberal staffer, claims her ex-colleague Bruce Lehrmann raped her in their boss's office inside Parliament House in March 2019. Mr Lehrmann denies the allegations.

Ms Wilkinson is listed as one of more than 50 witnesses in the trial and is understood to have been given rules by the Channel 10 program to avoid the risk of any legal issues.

The co-host won't be reading the headlines for the period the trial features in the news, and won't appear on the show on the days she gives evidence, The Australian's Media Diary column reported.

Lisa Wilkinson has been given a set of rules to follow by The Project as she prepares to give evidence in the trial of Brittany Higgins' accused rapist

Her co-hosts will not discuss the trial, other than reading out the news headlines.

Ms Wilkinson will continue to appear on the program when she can on Thursday, Friday and Sunday evenings.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10 for comment.

Mr Lehrmann is standing trial in the ACT Supreme Court, after pleading not guilty to a charge of sexual intercourse without consent.

The co-host won't be reading the headlines for the period the trial features in the news, and won't appear on the show on the days she gives evidence

The trial has heard how Ms Higgins was approached by Ms Wilkinson's husband, Peter FitzSimons, who suggested she write about her life in a $325,000 book deal.

Ms Higgins told the court she met Ms Wilkinson and her husband Mr FitzSimons at an event in early 2021, at which time he told her: 'You need to write a book'.

'[Mr FitzSimons said he] would act as my agent, and I said ''sure'' and within a day he came back with offers,' she told the court.

Cross-examination of Ms Higgins continues on Monday. The trial is expected to last four to six weeks.
The trial in ACT's Supreme Court is expected to run between four and six weeks

Ms Wilkinson will also not read the headlines as the trial makes the news

She will not appear on the show on the days she's due to give evidence in trial

Lisa Wilkinson has been given a set of rules by The Project as she's a key witness

Lehrmann pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent

Brittany Higgins 'unavailable' for third day of cross-examination in rape trial

Lisa Wilkinson has been given a set of rules to follow by The Project ahead of giving evidence in the trial of Brittany Higgins' accused rapist.

Ms Wilkinson is listed as one of more than 50 witnesses and is understood to have been given rules by the Channel 10 program to avoid the risk of legal issues.

The revelation comes as Ms Higgins has been declared 'unavailable' for her third day of cross-examination.

The length of her absence was not known, but the prosecution were expected to call a range of other witnesses today in her absence.

Justice Lucy McCallum told the jury: 'The complainant is unavailable today, we propose to deal with that by calling some other witnesses but the prosecution needs a bit of time to herd the other witnesses that will be called to fill that space.'

The rules imposed on Ms Wilkinson mean she won't be reading headlines on The Project for the period the trial features in the news, and won't appear on the show on days she gives evidence, The Australian's Media Diary column reported.

Brittany Higgins arrives at the ACT Supreme Court in Canberra for the trial of her alleged rapist

Her co-hosts will not discuss the trial, other than reading out the news headlines.

Ms Wilkinson will continue to appear on the program when she can on Thursday, Friday and Sunday evenings.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10 for comment.

Ms Higgins, a former Liberal staffer, alleges her then-colleague Bruce Lehrmann raped her in the former defence minister's office after a drunken night out in Canberra in March 2019.

Lehrmann denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent.

Ms Higgins was in the witness box in ACT's Supreme Court last week, and had been expected to face further questions today before her absence was revealed.

During cross-examination on Friday, Lehrmann's defence lawyer Steven Whybrow quizzed Ms Higgins about how she managed to land a $325,000 book deal before she made an official statement to police.

The court heard Lisa Wilkinson's journalist husband, Peter FitzSimons, suggested she write a biography about her experiences - to which Ms Higgins told them she had already started drafting chapters.

Texts she sent to her father and boyfriend were shared, as were messages about a potential $325,000 book deal with Lisa Wilkinson's husband, Peter FitzSimons. Pictured are Wilkinson (left) with Ms Higgins

Lisa Wilkinson (left) is pictured with her journalist and author husband Peter FitzSimons

Mr Whybrow also put to Ms Higgins she pretended to have doctor's appointments in the week after the alleged assault to 'bolster' her story - which she vehemently denied.

Ms Higgins earlier told the court she made multiple doctor's appointments with the intention of going but could not bring herself to attend them.

'I intended to do the right thing but every time I went home I was collapsing and unable to get out of bed because I was so deeply depressed because I had been assaulted at work by a colleague,' she told the court.

Mr Whybrow asked Ms Higgins if she didn't go to the doctor because she hadn't had sex with anybody on the night she alleges she was raped.

The Project co-host Lisa Wilkinson won't be reading the headlines for the period the trial features in the news, and won't appear on the show on the days she gives evidence

'Nothing you are saying right now is true whatsoever and it's deeply insulting,' Ms Higgins said.

'I don't know if you've ever gone through a trauma before but confronting it head on with professionals is a really difficult thing to do.'

Ms Higgins will also be questioned about her claim she tried to organise a psychiatrist appointment after the alleged rape but was told there was a two-month wait.

Mr Whybrow put to Ms Higgins that she was offered an earlier appointment within a month of her first query but she said she could not recall.

'I think I maybe have escalated it at some point but on the original phone call, they said two months,' she said.

She said she had been about to leave for Perth to work on the election campaign with then defence industry minister Linda Reynolds and a psychiatrist appointment in Canberra 'would not have been feasible'.

Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann arrives on Monday to the ACT Supreme Court in Canberra, where he is on trial

Ms Higgins was also questioned about her delay in providing the police with her phone when she reopened the complaint against Lehrmann in 2021.

She admitted she had cleared the phone of some text messages as well as photos of herself with Liberal ministers or holding alcohol but denied she was trying to withhold evidence from police.

'It wasn't with the intent of keeping things from police but it was kind of purging things from my life,' she said.

'I didn't want to look at politicians in my camera roll anymore. I just wanted them gone.'

The trial is estimated to run for at least another five weeks.
Liz Truss will embark on a major charm offensive this week in an attempt to unite Tory MPs behind her leadership.

After the Conservatives annual conference was marred by infighting, rebellions and U-turns, the Prime Minister wants to use the return of Parliament from recess to settle nerves.

She will host a series of meetings with MPs who have raised concerns about everything from her tax-cutting plans to the partys chances at the next general election.

Some have already been invited in small groups to chat with Miss Truss in Downing Street, sources told the Daily Mail.

Liz Truss will embark on a major charm offensive this week in an attempt to unite Tory MPs behind her leadership

Miss Truss has also asked to address the 1922 Committee of backbenchers on Wednesday, in place of her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng. One insider said last night: Its a concerted effort. There is going to be a lot of engagement happening.

It will involve meeting MPs in small groups, and being more available to MPs.

With her first month in charge overshadowed by the Queens death and funeral, the radical mini-Budget and the chaotic party conference, No 10 is hoping this weeks meetings will provide an opportunity to get Miss Trusss premiership back on track.

But one party grandee warned: It will help a bit but people are unhappy. We are in quite a difficult situation.

In another move aimed at restoring unity, four Cabinet ministers wrote articles for Sunday newspapers urging their Conservative colleagues to get behind the PM or risk letting Labour win the next election in two years.

However, senior Tories continued to call for Miss Truss to change tack yesterday.

Former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries insisted she was still one of the PMs biggest supporters, but told the BBC: You have to put that into the context of the fact that we are 30 points behind Labour in the polls. And if there were a general election tomorrow that would probably mean a complete wipeout for the Conservative Party.

Miss Truss has also asked to address the 1922 Committee of backbenchers on Wednesday, in place of her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng

The fact is that just after a leadership election, and at the start of a new administration, what we dont need is a disrupter, what we need is a unifier.

Miss Dorries, an ally of Boris Johnson, urged his successor not to ditch his policies  but also said rebels should not try to get rid of her. Asked if she thought Mr Johnson could make a comeback, Miss Dorries said it would be highly, extremely unlikely. As the turmoil continued, The Mail on Sunday reported how allies of Miss Truss branded former Cabinet minister Michael Gove  who led the revolt against the 45p tax rate cut  as sadistic and deeply troubled.

The chairman of the Treasury committee, Mel Stride, described the mood of Tory MPs as fairly febrile, with a series of opinion polls putting Labour well ahead.

He told Times Radio: There are a lot of backbenchers and members of the Government who are very concerned at where we are in the polls. Weve got two years to a general election. Weve got to turn things around and start doing it very quickly. He blamed the economy, the missteps by the new administration and the fact that Miss Truss had not sought to reach out to supporters of her leadership rival, Rishi Sunak.

The Prime Minister decided, after she won that contest, to form a government, which was predominantly made up of those that were strong supporters of her personally, and thats fine. And I have no problem with that, Mr Stride said. But I think there was a shortfall when it came to reaching out right across the party. And I think youre probably seeing some of the consequences of that now that things are getting a bit tougher.

Former veterans minister Johnny Mercer did not rule out standing as an independent candidate unless the Tories got back on track in the centre ground.

He told Channel 4s Andrew Neil Show that he wanted his party to bring about real change for people who need it. Former chancellor George Osborne piled on the pressure by telling the same programme that a Tory wipeout is potentially on the cards.
Students at one elite institution advised to have trigger warning and safe spaces

Universities were accused yesterday of turning debating chambers into echo chambers with new vetting rules for speakers.

Students at one elite institution are advised to have trigger warnings and safe spaces at events likely to cause upset.

A record 200 requests for events and speakers were rejected by universities and colleges in 2020-21, more than double the previous year.

Under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill going through Parliament, universities will have a legal duty to promote free speech.

They are already required to take reasonable steps to ensure it is maintained, but the Daily Mail has found some unions have updated their rules to allow students to vet external speakers.

The Cambridge Union, a debating society which prides itself as a bastion of free speech, lets members vote on whether to allow controversial speakers.

Last year the society backtracked on plans to blacklist speakers after Monty Python star John Cleese pulled out of a talk, citing woke rules.

Lara Brown, President of the Cambridge Union, said the institution was strongly committed to free speech.

Leader of the Free Speech Union Toby Young (pictured) accused universities of turning debating chambers into echo chambers with new vetting rules for speakers

A record 200 requests for events and speakers were rejected by universities and colleges in 2020-21, more than double the previous year. Pictured: Actor Robert Downey Jr visits Cambridge Union debating society

Toby Young, of the Free Speech Union, said: The people running these debating societies have lost sight of their original purpose, which was to expose students to a range of different views, including those they may find challenging and disagreeable, so they can develop their own ideas and opinions and learn how to defend them in the public square.

Safe spaces, trigger warnings and risk assessments have turned what were once debating chambers into echo chambers.

The Durham student union requires university groups to conduct risk assessments considering speaker content as a potential hazard in causing emotional distress to attendees.

The union recommends trigger warnings for any topics likely to cause upset and using a safe space if required.

Joe McGarry, the unions president, said: Students can and do consider the harm that things like hate and vitriol can cause, and our risk assessment example template provides guidance on this. Their events, debates and articles then go on in their hundreds each year.

Last year Cambridge Union backtracked on plans to blacklist speakers after Monty Python star John Cleese (pictured) pulled out of a talk, citing woke rules

Kings College London student union asks students to consider if guests have attracted controversy in the past or are likely to attract media interest. If so, a risk assessment must be carried out and the speaker may be blocked.

The student union at the London School of Economics can also block an invitation if there is potential for the speakers presence on campus to cause fear or alarm to students, and can demand copies of speeches to be submitted in advance.

Minutes from the meetings of the Edinburgh debating society detail its committees desire to avoid politically divisive topics.

The society also shunned collaboration with the Pinsker Centre, a think-tank focused on the Middle East, because it was pro-Israel.

Minutes say members probably do not want to get involved with that. A spokesman said its intention was to foster an enjoyment of competitive debating and did not want to be associated with a strong political stance.

The Mail has previously revealed that the Oxford Union considers the impact of guests. Like others, the society now plans to restructure the process to take into account effects on minorities.
Two men were shot outside of New York gubernatorial hopeful Lee Zeldin's home on Long Island on Sunday.

The shooting is not in anyway connected to the congressman, the Suffolk County Police Department as confirmed.

Zeldin, 42, first revealed information about the shooting in an interview with the New York Post hours after it took place.

He said that his twin daughters, Mikayla and Arianna, 16, were in the home at the time doing their homework. They are unharmed but a bit 'freaked out,' Zeldin said.

In a brief statement, Zeldin said: 'Like so many New Yorkers, crime has literally made its way to our front door.'

Zeldin told the newspaper: 'They heard the shots. Boom! They went upstairs and locked themselves in the bathroom.' He added that his daughters called 911.

The conservative has represented New York's 1st Congressional District in eastern Long Island since 2015.

According to the Suffolk County PD, two 17-year-olds were walking down the street when a dark-colored SUV pulled up alongside them and someone inside opened fire.

The pair were wounded but were able to scramble for cover in Zeldin's front yard. Both have non-life threatening injuries.

Zeldin leaves the Mastic Beach firehouse with his wife Diana and his daughters after casting his vote for governor on June. 28, 2022 in Mastic Beach, New York

Zeldin praised his daughter's actions after hearing the gunshots as they barricaded themselves in the home and dialed 911

Zeldin, 42, first revealed information about the shooting in an interview with the New York Post hours after it took place

In a brief statement, Zeldin said: 'Like so many New Yorkers, crime has literally made its way to our front door'

Zeldin has represented New York's 1st Congressional District in eastern Long Island since 2015

Zeldin was attending an event in the Bronx alongside his wife, Diana, as part of his campaign to unseat New York sitting Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul, when the shooting took place

According to his Twitter page, Zeldin was attending an event in the Bronx alongside his wife, Diana, as part of his campaign to unseat New York sitting Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul, when the shooting took place.

Zeldin has accused Democrats of being soft on criminals and overzealous in imposing safety protocols intended to fight COVID-19.

Police have confirmed that they are investigating a shooting that took place along Saint George Drive West in Shirley, New York. The conditions of the two victims are unknown.

Police have confirmed that they are investigating a shooting that took place here along Saint George Drive West in Shirley, New York

In a statement, Zeldin said: 'The two individuals who were shot were laying down under my front porch and the bushes in front of our porch.'

He added: 'My understanding is that they have been transported to area hospitals. I do not know their identities.'

Zeldin also took time to praise the actions of his daughters: 'After my daughters heard the gunshots and the screaming, they ran upstairs, locked themselves in the bathroom and immediately called 911. They acted very swiftly and smartly every step of the way and Diana and I are extremely proud of them.'

Latest polling shows that Zeldin is in with a chance of unseating Hochul in November

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul (left) is just two points ahead of her Republican challenger Lee Zeldin (right), currently a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, in a new Trafalgar Group poll

This is the second high profile instance of violent crime to impact Zeldin. In July, Zeldin was accosted while giving a speech in Rochester, New York, by a drunk Iraq veteran.

Despite initial attempts by Republicans and conservative activists to blame the attack on Democratic supporters, the perpetrator, David Jakubonis, told investigators that he did not know who Zeldin was when he got up on the stage.

Zeldin departs a 'Moms 4Zeldin' town hall on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on October 7th

Just this week, a new poll showed that Zeldin was just two points behind Hochul in what should be a blow-out race in the deep-blue state.

In September, Zeldin called for a probe into sitting Hochul's apparent dodgy dealings.

In 2021, Hochul's administration inked a deal to buy 52 million Covid-19 Carestart tests for $637 million. At the same time, the state of California made a similar purchase but paid 45 percent less than New York, according to the Albany Times Union.

The report says that the price increase was because Hochul went through a campaign donor's company to facilitate the purchase. Whereas California went straight through the manufacturer, AccessBio.

Just this week, a new poll showed that Zeldin was just two points behind Hochul in what should be a blow-out race in the deep-blue state

A Trafalgar Group survey released Thursday showed Hochul, who took over from disgraced Gov. Andrew Cuomo last August, with 44.5 percent support.

Zeldin, an ally of former President Donald Trump, received 42.6 percent support in the survey.

About 10 percent of the electorate remains undecided, while Libertarian Larry Sharpe hovered around 3 percent.

The survey is of New York likely voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percent.

The poll was conducted September 30 through October 3.

Hochul's campaign has tried to portray Zeldin as too Trumpy, while Zeldin has used a playbook similar to other Republicans on the fall ballot and played up high crime rates.

In September, however, Zeldin's campaign admitted that one of the GOP candidate's ads included footage of crimes being committed in California - not New York - and some of the New York footage predated Hochul's tenure, according to NY1.

Hochul, however, had served as Cuomo's lieutenant governor before he resigned over allegations of sexual harassment.

The voiceover in the ad says: 'You're looking at actual violent crimes caught on camera in Kathy Hochul's New York.'

Some of the other footage in the video depicted crimes that took place before Hochul took office last year. While acknowledging a mistake, Zeldin's campaign defended the ad and said the message was clear: violent crime is out of control.

Another Zeldin ad portrayed Hochul as 'even more corrupt than Cuomo' pointing to claims that Hochul gave no-bid contracts to campaign donors.

Early voting in the race begins October 29.

Despite the close poll, Zeldin's shot at the governor's mansion remains long.

Other recent polls showed Hochul with a comfortable, double-digit lead.

And the last time New York elected a Republican governor was 20 years ago, when the state elected Gov. George Pataki for a third term. Since then, the state has had four Democratic governors, with two of them - Eliot Spitzer and Andrew Cuomo - resigning in scandal.

FiveThirtyEight gave Zeldin a less than 1 percent chance of winning as of Friday.

Zeldin and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani speak during a ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial marking the 21st anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks

When Zeldin won his party's nomination in March, he told an audience: 'This is a battle for the heart and soul of our state,' said Zeldin, an Army Reserve lieutenant colonel. 'I'm running so the people feel they are back in control of their government again.'

He has made cracking down on crime a centerpiece of his campaign, at a time when polls indicate it's a top issue for many voters.

'It's about restoring order, it's about backing the blue,' Zeldin told convention attendees, later adding: 'This is a rescue mission to save our state that will be successful.'

He called for a law enforcement bill of rights that would ensure police officers have the right to self-defense.

He has also vowed to repeal criminal justice reforms passed by the Democratic-led Legislature in recent years, including a 2019 law that barred money bail and pretrial detention for most misdemeanor and nonviolent felony charges.
Scarlett Moffatt has revealed she's 'pleased' a stalker tried to kidnap her at a train station recently because it reminded her to be 'mindful' of what she posts online.

Last month, the presenter, 31, broke down in tears while recounting the terrifying experience in an Instagram video, which left her severely shaken up.

Now, in an exclusive interview with MailOnline, she's discussed the frightening ordeal in further detail while reminding fans their social media activity is viewed in 'real time'.

Surprise! Scarlett Moffatt has revealed she's 'pleased' a stalker tried to kidnap her at a train station recently because it reminded her to be 'mindful' of what she posts online

She said: 'I think the reason that I posted that is because I think sometimes we forget that when we post in real time, that's real life and I never do that normally.

'If I go out for food, as soon as I get back in the house, I'll post a picture of my food, whereas that day I didn't. I actually posted in real time.

'I'm, in a way, pleased that it happened because it reminded us of how important it is to be mindful of what you're posting on social media.

Awful: Last month, the presenter, 31, broke down in tears while recounting the experience in an Instagram video, which left her severely shaken up

'I got a lot of messages after from people saying, "Oh my word, we post as a family when we're out of the house, forgetting that people know the house is empty."

'I'm just reminding people to be cautious of what they're posting because social media is a really fun place and it should be like that and we should be able to share experiences and all of that stuff, but yeah, we just need to be careful really.'

The 2016 I'm A Celebrity winner went on to praise London North Eastern Railway staff for looking after her during a vulnerable moment.

She said: 'Honestly, the LNER staff... because it was the train guards that walked me to my hotel, they were honestly amazing.

Train: She said: 'I think the reason that I posted that is because I think sometimes we forget that when we post in real time, that's real life and I never do that normally (pictured in 2016)

'And now, whenever I get on the trains, I always ask how they are because they're little legends.

'But thanks to them, it was alright so I'm really happy that they were there. They were just little diamonds, they actually walked me all the way to my hotel.

'They were like, "We're not just doing this because you're off the telly," and I was like, "I know!" because I've seen them do things for loads of people at the train stations so I think that's why it's important that they're there.'

The TV star recalled the awful tale last month in a clip shared to her Story.

Warning: The TV star recalled the awful tale in order to warn her followers of the dangers of posting your location on social media

She explained she had shared that she was on her way to London earlier that day, only to be intercepted by the stranger at King's Cross.guards who rescued her and walked her to her hotel to ensure her safety.

A grateful Scarlett said at the time: 'Right, Im going to do this video, and not for attention or anything like that.

'Firstly I want to say a massive thank you to Neil and Danny who work for LNER, because it isnt in your job description to walk me all the way to my hotel and I really, really appreciate it.'

Fighting back tears she continued: 'Im going to tag LNER so that they can see this because honestly, I dont know what I would have done without you.

Distressed: She was left severely shaken up after the incident, in which a man stalked her social media to track her down

'Im doing this so that people realise the importance of using social media and not always posting where you are.

'I stupidly, naively posted on Instagram saying, "Off to London on the train" and when I got into Kings Cross station there was a guy there  oh sorry, hang on [crying].

'Sorry, Ive composed myself. I think, because Danny and Neil were there, I stayed calm.

'But this guy came at me and said, "Scarlett, Ive been waiting for you. Youre coming home with me." And then I said, "Oh no, thank you" and walked off.

'And then he followed me and was like, "Scarlett, Scarlett, youre coming home with me. Im taking you home with me."

"And then luckily the train guards seen us, because it was just outside Kings Cross station, and then was like, "Come over here! Oh, Scarlett, hiya!", pretending that I was like with them, and then walked me to my hotel.'

Reflecting on her ordeal, an emotional Scarlett added: 'I think its just hit us how actually scary that was.

'But I want to say to you, do not post [where you are], you dont know whos looking at your stories. But I want to post a picture of Danny and Neil, the absolute legends that they are.

Grateful: The 2016 I'm A Celebrity winner went on to praise London North Eastern Railway staff for looking after her during a vulnerable moment

'Im actually going to post this picture tomorrow because Ive realised that you can probably tell what hotel Im in by posting it. Oh my word, Ive never even thought of this before. Please, people, be careful what youre posting.'

Ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10, Scarlett is backing a new campaign in support of Better Health - Every Mind Matters.

The TV personality is calling on the nation to be kind to their mind and help deal with feelings of anxiety by doing small things that can make a big difference.

Despite being the traditional day of rest for most, the so called 'Sunday Scaries' creep in for many as the weekend draws to a close and worries turn to the week ahead, with work stress, lack of sleep, and a looming to do list being the top causes, according to new research.

Scarlett said: 'We've all been there when you're trying to relax and enjoy the last few moments of the weekend but can't stop worrying about the week ahead!

'For me, getting outside and going for a walk with a friend really helps to lift my mood and puts me in the best frame of mind.

'No matter how much time you have, incorporating small actions into your routine can really help your mental wellbeing either on a Sunday or whenever anxiety strikes.'

The Every Mind Matters website has lots of NHS-approved tips and advice to help you deal with anxiety, including a step-by- step programme that will help you feel more in control.

Go to https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/ for ways to be kind to your mind with a free, personalised Mind Plan.
Rebel Wilson and her girlfriend Ramona Agruma couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces as they enjoyed a Halloween themed date night on Friday.

The Bridesmaids star, 42, shared a gallery of videos to her Instagram capturing the lovebirds having fun at a spooky carnival in Los Angeles, California.

One snap showed the happy couple waving matching love-heart strobe lights as they beamed for the camera.

Rebel Wilson (left) and her girlfriend Ramona Agruma (right) couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces as they enjoyed a Halloween themed date night in Los Angeles on Friday

Rebel dressed down in a black-and-white hoodie and a Los Angeles Rams cap.

Ramona meanwhile wore a white hoodie layered under a beige cardigan and ripped jeans.

She completed her look with a black cap and cross-body handbag.

Ramona (pictured with a pal) meanwhile wore a white hoodie layered under a beige cardigan and ripped jeans

Rebel confirmed she was dating Ramona on June 9 this year.

It is the Australian star's first relationship with a woman, and her first public romance since ending her engagement to Napp's Dairy Free Ice Cream founder Jacob Busch in January 2021.

Rebel first teased she was dating someone new in May before making her relationship public via Instagram in June.

Rebel captured the spooky sights at the Halloween-themed carnival in Hollywood, California

She shared a selfie of the pair, captioning the post: 'I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince  but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess.'

It comes after Rebel and Ramona got in touch with their inner children as they shared a fun day out at Disneyland on Friday.

The lovebirds stayed at the popular theme park well into the night as they ate delicious side show food and hopped on exhilarating rides.

It comes after Rebel and Ramona got in touch with their inner children as they shared a fun day out at Disneyland on Friday

They documented the eventful day on their Instagram accounts with Ramona, 38, sharing several snaps captioned: 'Back to the happiest place on Earth.'

The Pitch Perfect star and her sweetheart started out on a tour bus going down the main street with Disneyland's Mrs Canada as Rebel cheered the beauty on.

The couple have been seen out and about over the last two-and-a-half months, including traveling to Europe together with several of their friends.
Hey Hey It's Saturday's musical director Peter de Visser has died aged 83.

The acclaimed composer for the long-running variety show passed away on September 16 in Melbourne.

Host Daryl Somers, 71, posted a moving tribute to the legendary trombonist on Facebook.

Hey Hey It's Saturday's musical director Peter de Visser (pictured) died in Melbourne on September 16. He was 83

Daryl wrote: 'I was sad to hear of the recent passing of Peter, a much loved member of the Hey Hey family. He was our Musical Director from 1985  1990... more than that he had a quirky sense of humour that befitted the show.'

'Quiet and unassuming, he was also caring, which belied his enormous talent as a musician, brilliant trombonist, arranger and composer,' he added.

Peter is survived by his four children and partner Ros.

Hey Hey It's Saturday's host Daryl Somers (pictured on the show in the 1970s) posted a moving tribute to the legendary trombonist on Facebook

It comes after Hey Hey returned to television screens earlier this year for a series of specials.

The first of those, titled Hey Hey Its 100 Years, aired on April 17 in Melbourne and Adelaide.

Daryl Somers told fans in a Facebook post in January he was excited about the show's return.

It comes after Hey Hey returned to television screens earlier this year for a series of specials

The Dancing with the Stars host's post read: 'Greetings! Would you believe Hey Hey hasn't been on air for eleven years, yet the 50th Anniversary Special rated through the roof for Seven. I'm excited to announce we'll be back on the network in 2022.

'We also successfully launched a website offering over 800 digitised episodes and much much more for you to enjoy at your leisure.'

Somers presented the hit variety show from 1971 to 1999, and again in 2009 to 2010, alongside Lavinia Nixon, Jo Beth Taylor, Molly Meldrum, Red Symons, Wilbur Wilde and Russell Gilbert.




President Yoon Suk-yeol has told Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that they need to make efforts to revitalize corporate exchanges between the two nations during their first summit in New York and recent phone talks, according to the presidential office Sunday.







Yoon and Kishida held phone talks last week in the wake of a flurry of North Korea's ballistic missile launches, including one that flew over Japan.







The call came weeks after the two held their first summit on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, which raised hopes of improving bilateral relations badly frayed over wartime forced labor and other issues related to Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.







During the summit in New York, Yoon told Kishida that exchanges of businesspeople between the two nations will become more active if bilateral relations are normalized, according to the presidential office.







Yoon made similar remarks during the telephone talks with Kishida last week.







A senior presidential official told Yonhap News Agency that Yoon is seeking to address economic issues between the two nations.







"In the Korea-Japan relationship, there has been a tendency to mention a lot of past history, security and political issues, and omit economic issues, but this time, it is different," the official said.







In 2018, South Korea's top court ruled that Japanese firms should pay compensation to forced South Korean labor victims, and Japan imposed export curbs against South Korea in an apparent retaliation.







Japan has claimed that all reparation issues related to the 1910-45 colonial rule were settled under a 1965 treaty that the two countries signed to normalize relations. (Yonhap)










She welcomed her first child, a baby boy, with partner Matthew Adesuyan last month.

And Australian model Shanina Shaik, 31, was every inch the yummy mummy as she hit the town with fellow Australian socialite DJ Georgia Sinclair in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

The glamazon turned heads in a strappy black mini dress and matching blazer as she arrived at a local night spot flanked by her gal pal.

Australian model Shanina Shaik, 31, (right) was every inch the yummy mummy as she hit the town with fellow Australian socialite DJ Georgia Sinclair (left) in Los Angeles on Saturday night - weeks after welcoming her first child

Shanina completed her look with black leather boots, a small pouch evening bag and elegant jewellery including a choker necklace and rings.

Her hair fell loosely by her shoulders in natural curls, while her striking facial features were enhanced with blush and red lipstick.

Georgia meanwhile stunned in a plunging leather corset top, baggy blue jeans and black pointy-toed pumps.

The glamazon turned heads in a strappy black mini dress and matching blazer as she arrived at a local night spot flanked by her gal pal

Her hair fell loosely by her shoulders in natural curls, while her striking facial features were enhanced with blush and red lipstick

Clutching a glass bottle of drink in one hand, the blonde social media star covered her eyes with sunglasses - despite it being night time - and accessorised her look with a rhinestone-encrusted evening bag and crucifix earrings.

Shanina and her partner Matthew welcomed their son, whose name has not been publicly disclosed, on September 16.

The couple went public with their relationship on Valentine's Day 2021, with the pair announcing it on Instagram.

Georgia meanwhile stunned in a plunging leather corset top, baggy blue jeans and black pointy-toed pumps

Clutching a glass bottle of drink in one hand, the blonde social media star covered her eyes with sunglasses - despite it being night time - and accessorised her look with a rhinestone-encrusted evening bag and crucifix earrings

In a heartfelt post, she wrote: 'To the new love of my life. Thank you for choosing me to be your mum.

'I have always wanted you for as long as I can remember, and at times my patience was tested.'

She continued: 'The timing had to be right, and I can say with confidence that I am ready to be your guide, your protector and your best friend.'

Shanina was previously married to Aussie DJ Gregory Andrews, whose stage name is DJ Ruckus, in 2018, before splitting 15 months later.
Sofia Vergara, 50, looked lovely in a horse-printed suit as she attended a baptism in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The Colombian actress looked playful and elegant in the one-piece ensemble and brown platform heels.

The America's Got Talent judge wore her brunette locks in soft, voluminous curls that tumbled down her back as she soaked up the sun.

Horsing around: Sofia Vergara, 50, looked lovely in a horse-printed suit as she attended a baptism in Los Angeles on Saturday

Sofia has had a busy few weeks since America's Got Talent wrapped up three weeks ago.

All-female Lebanese dance group The Mayyas were crowned the winner of season 17, with Sofia having plenty of reason to celebrate after selecting the troupe as her Golden Buzzer act.

On Saturday, the actress posted a tribute to Simon Cowell for his 63rd birthday, with the caption, 'Happy bday boss!! @simoncowell.' Simon's birthday was on Friday.

Natural beauty: The Colombian actress looked playful and elegant in the one-piece ensemble and brown platform heels and let her voluminous brunette locks tumble down her back naturally

Birthday tribute: The beauty wished her fellow AGT judge Simon Cowell happy 63rd birthday with the caption, 'Happy bday boss!! @simoncowell'

The actress has never been shy about showing off her phenomenal figure on social media.

Recently, the beauty flaunted her incredible bikini body in a sizzling new snap on Instagram. The Modern Family star shared a poolside photo in a tiny animal print two-piece.

The beauty held her arms in the air as she wore a sun visor to protect her face.

Sofia captioned the image: 'Se acabo el verano' along with a sun emoji with a sad face, which translated to 'summer is over' in English.

Behind the scenes: Sofia flaunted her incredible bikini body in a snap shared to her Instagram followers as she sizzled in a blue leopard print tiny two-piece

Picture perfect: The America's Got Talent season 17 wrapped up three weeks ago

An eye for talent: All-female Lebanese dance group The Mayyas were crowned the winner of season 17, with Sofia selecting the troupe as her Golden Buzzer act

The beautiful TV favorite looked incredible in a bright yellow dress as she attended the 2022 Emmy Awards to present the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

The category had multiple actors from Succession, Severance, and Squid Game competing against each other, but the award went to the Succession star Matthew Macfadyen.

Sofia appeared with other stars on the red carpet as she snapped photos for her Instagram account.

'Amarillo luv my dress,' she captioned a photo of herself snapping a selfie on the red carpet while tagging her dress designer Laura Basci.

Hello sunshine: The actress also attended the 2022 Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 12
Chloe Grace Moretz made a promotional appearance for upcoming series The Peripheral during New York Comic Con on Saturday.

The 25-year-old performer appeared to be enjoying her time in front of the audience as she flashed a wide smile while discussing her work on the program.

The upcoming show is currently scheduled to make its debut on the Amazon Prime Video streaming platform later this month.

There she is: Chloe Grace Moretz made a promotional appearance for upcoming series The Peripheral during New York Comic Con on Saturday

Moretz wore a stylish silver top that showed off a slight portion of her toned midsection during the event.

The Carrie star also rocked a jet-black jacket and a matching pair of pants.

The performer accessorized with several pieces of jewelry and donned an eye-catching pair of high-heeled shoes.

Her bright blonde hair cascaded onto her shoulders and added a bit of extra color to her look.

Fashionable: Moretz wore a stylish silver top that showed off a slight portion of her toned midsection during the event

Development on The Peripheral was initially revealed to have commenced in 2018.

The program will be based on William Gibson's novel of the same name, which was originally published in 2014.

The show is centered on a pair of siblings who become involved in a murder that took place in the digital world.

Basis: The program will be based on William Gibson's novel of the same name, which was originally published in 2014

Moretz is currently set to portray the show's central character, Flynne Fisher.

Other cast members include Gary Carr, Jack Reynor and Charlotte Riley.

Westworld's co-creators, Johnathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, serve as two of the show's executive producers.

Leading lady: Moretz is currently set to portray the show's central character, Flynne Fisher

Filming commenced in May of last year and took place in London and North Carolina before the show's crew wrapped in November.

The Peripheral's first season is scheduled to make its debut on October 21 and conclude with its eighth episode on December 9.

A second season of the soon-to-premiere program is currently in development.
Imogen Thomas cut a trendy figure as she enjoyed an evening out with pal Danielle Mason at a book launch in London on Saturday.

The pair attended the launch of The Unseen Wounds Of Women Domestic Abuse by Caroline Strawson.

Former Big Brother star Imogen, 39, looked radiant in a white leather blazer which she paired with a matching mini skirt.

Looking good: Imogen Thomas cut a trendy figure as she enjoyed an evening out with pal Danielle Mason at a book launch in London on Saturday

The Welsh beauty also sported a black top with a turtle neck and added height to her frame with a pair of boots.

Letting her brunette locks fall loose down her shoulders, Imogen completed her look with a black handbag.

Joining her at the event was former page three girl Danielle who opted for a black low cut top and ripped jeans.

Danielle, who is the sister of EastEnders star Jessie Wallace, added to her outfit with a black blazer and matching hees.

Style: Former Big Brother star Imogen, 39, looked radiant in a white leather blazer which she paired with a matching mini skirt

It comes after Imogen recently showed off her stunning figure as posed by the pool in Rhodes, in a strappy black bikini in a throwback Instagram snap last month.

She took to the social media site to pose up a storm at the five-star Port Royal Villas and Spa in Greece, where she had recently been staying.

Imogen's skimpy black swimsuit complemented the stunner's gorgeous bronzed tan as she cooled off from the scorching weather.

The tie-side bikini bottoms accentuated her hourglass silhouette and brought attention to her sizzling curves.

Fashion: The Welsh beauty also sported a black top with a turtle neck and added height to her frame with a pair of boots

Sporting a pair of white hotel slippers, the former Big Brother housemate also displayed her sparkling naval piercing.

Imogen had her long chestnut locks tied back in a chic bun and shielded her eyes behind a pair of black sunglasses.

Captioning the stunning shots, she lamented: 'Sun lets have words where u gone?!'

The star's getaway comes as she earlier told her Instagram followers it's her intention to 'travel a lot' this year.

Trendy: Letting her brunette locks fall loose down her shoulders, Imogen completed her look with a black handbag

She previously visited the lavish Greek destination in August last year, sharing on her story that it was 'good to be back'.

Sharing the experience with her beloved mother she told fans: 'My mam is having the best time.

'Her leg still isn't better so she's exercising everyday. It's been a long process. We have an appointment when back from holiday.

Hot stuff! It comes after Imogen recently showed off her stunning figure as posed by the pool in Rhodes, in a strappy black bikini in a throwback Instagram snap last month

Take me back! Captioning the stunning shots, she lamented: 'Sun lets have words where u gone?!'

'I love taking my mam on holiday we really do have the best quality time even when we're doing nothing,' she wrote on her Story.

She added in a subsequent story: 'I have decided to travel a lot this year. I'm fortunate enough to be able to do it so why not. I've dedicated a lot of time and effort for each trip.

'My next one is in 2 weeks time to Paris!'
The future of The Living Room is reportedly up in the air, days after Channel 10 announced the show hasn't been renewed for 2023.

While Channel 10 hasn't confirmed The Living Room has been axed for good, The Daily Telegraph says the cast's recent actions suggest this may be the case.

According to the publication, agents for the show's biggest stars Dr Chris Brown and Amanda Keller are already being pitched to rival networks.

The future of The Living Room is reportedly up in the air, days after Channel 10 announced the show hasn't been renewed for 2023. Pictured: The Living Room co-host L-R Miguel Maestre, Amanda Keller, Barry DuBois, and Chris Brown

Keller is reportedly 'out of contract' next year while Chris still has Channel 10 commitments on I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!

It comes after Amanda broke her silence on the show's cancellation for 2023 on her WSFM breakfast program Jonesy & Amanda on Thursday morning.

'Its time to take a breath. Weve been on air for 11 years,' the 60-year-old said.

While Channel 10 hasn't confirmed The Living Room has been axed for good, The Daily Telegraph says the cast's recent actions suggest this may be the case. According to the publication, agents for the show's biggest stars Dr Chris Brown (pictured) and Amanda Keller are already being pitched to rival networks

Keller said it was partly a network decision to give the producers time to reformat the series ahead of a potential return.

She promised fans the show would return in 2024 with the 'awesome foursome' - comprising Amanda, Barry Du Bois, Miguel Maestre and Dr Chris Brown - resuming hosting duties.

Amanda said it was a 'sad' but necessary move, with the year-long hiatus required to ensure The Living Room has a 'brilliant' comeback.

Amanda (pictured) is reportedly 'out of contract' next year while Chris still has commitments on Channel 10's I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!

Earlier this year, Amanda marked her 60th birthday with a photo shoot for the April issue of The Australian Women's Weekly.

Speaking to the publication in February, she admitted she had a skewed idea of what life at 60 would look like when she was younger.

'There weren't role models for people who worked at this age and if they were, maybe they were teachers,' she said.

Amanda confirmed the show's cancellation on her WSFM breakfast program on Thursday

'Even in my daggiest teenage years, to think I'd be doing this at 60, my God, they'll have to put ramps in so I can be carried in on a rickshaw or something.

'The image of what 60 was in my head, and what 60 actually is, are two very different things.'

Amanda added that she was 'okay with being 60' after losing friends 'who would have given anything' to reach that age.
The last eight episodes of the 11th and final season of The Walking Dead premiered this past week on AMC.

As part of the last promotional push for the post-apocalyptic horror series, some of the stars, and one of the creative minds behind-the-scenes, attended the 2022 PaleyFest NY at Paley Museum in New York City on Saturday.

Norman Reedus, who has played fan favorite Daryl Dixon since season one in 2010, was on hand greeting fans before going inside the venue for a special screening selected for the event, which also included a conversation and Q-and-A.

Promo mode: Norman Reedus, 53, attended the 2022 PaleyFest NY at Paley Museum in New York City on Saturday, as part of the promotional push for the last season of The Walking Dead

Reedus, who has the distinction of being one of the two of characters from the original group of Atlanta survivors to still be on the show, arrived wearing a black suit over a gray vest and black t-shirt.

He also wore a pair of black leather shoes, and had his dark brown tresses styled in his trademark slightly messy look, which his character has also been known for.

With fans screaming out his name, he flashed a thumbs up their way, and then took a few moments to chat with them, all while they snapped photos of videos of him.

Initially, while outside the venue, Reedus sported cool dark sunglasses, but he would take them off by the time he made his way to the red carpet for a round of photos.

Cool cat: Looking cool in a black suit and graay vest, Reedus stopped to greet fans and give them a thumbs up before attending the special screening, conversation and Q-and-A of TWD

The end is near: Reedus was joined by co-stars Eleanor Matsuura, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lauren Ridloff, Paola Lazaro Juanita, Lauren Cohan and Michael James Shaw at the 2022 PaleyFest NY event in New York City

At first, he struck a number of poses by himself, but as his fellow castmates began trickling in to the event they made their way to the red carpet for some group shots.

Co-stars Lauren Cohan (Maggie Greene), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan), Lauren Ridloff (Connie), Paola Lazaro (Juanita 'Princess' Sanchez), Michael James Shaw (Michael Mercer), and Eleanor Matsuura (Yumiko) were all on hand, as was Scott M. Gimple, who has served as writer, producer, and showrunner on the show.

The group looked more like old friends as they talked and laughed in between hamming it up for the photographers lined up along the red carpet.

The stars would eventually make their way into the Paley Museum for the screening, conversation and Q-and-A with journalists and fans.

Final push: THW's 11th and final season is airing in three eight-episode part that began in August 2021; Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Michael James Shaw and Lauren Cohan also snuggled up with the show's leading man on the red carpet

Heady move: The previous day, Reedus took to his Instagram page and shared a photo of a severed head that he allegedly took from the set of TWD; the show's prosthetic makeup artist Greg Nicotero has confirmed the head was molded and crafted after actor Johnny Depp

Always one to show off his sense of humor, and grab a prop or two from the set, Reedus took to his Instagram page the previous day and posted a photo of a severed head on a kitchen counter top.

'Good morning,' the actor, 53, joked in the caption of the picture that shows it at a side angle.

Ardant fans of the show know that the head was molded and crafted after actor and musician Johnny Depp, which was confirmed by TWD's prosthetic makeup artist Greg Nicotero in an interview with Comicbook.com,

The gruesome prop made its cameo appearance during episode 12 of season 6, titled Not Tomorrow Yet.

Reedus made his first appearance on TWD in the third episode of season one,

Passing of the torch: Reedus became the leading man of the series when Andrew Lincoln left the show in the middle of season nine in 2018

The 11th and final season, which was split into three eight-episode blocks, premiered back in August 2021 and went through into October.

The show then had a brief hiatus, and eventually returned for the second part this past February that lasted into April.

There was a six-month hiatus until this third and final block of eight-episodes began airing on October 2.

Along with Reedus, Melissa McBride (Carol Peletier) is the only other actor to have survived all 11 seasons of The Walking Dead.

The two OGs had been slated to star in a new spin-off series together, but McBride has since decided to step down, and now the spin-off will just focus on Reedus' character, which he revealed this week will be simply titled, Daryl Dixon.
Gal Gadot brought back the 1960s in a retro chic swimsuit shoot she posted to her Instagram page this weekend.

The 37-year-old Wonder Woman star playfully stuck her tongue out in one of the string of black and white snaps.

She showed off her sensationally vertiginous legs in a dark one-piece that emphasized her enviably svelte frame.

Posing up a storm around a directors' chair in a backyard, she swept her hair up and wound it in towel in a stylish flourish.

On the movie front, her upcoming projects include a remake of the Alfred Hitchock romance thriller To Catch A Thief.

Based on a mystery novel by David Dodge, the 1955 Hitchcock movie starred Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in the principal roles.

The new version of To Catch A Thief is not Gal's only current venture into territory previously covered by Old Hollywood.

A fine romance: On the movie front, her upcoming projects include a remake of the Alfred Hitchock romance thriller To Catch A Thief starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly

She is also starring in and producing an upcoming movie about Cleopatra, which has generated blowback on account of her being white.

Gal, an Israeli who served in her country's military in accordance with its draft, is playing the legendary queen of Egypt.

Though she was ethnically of Greek origin, Cleopatra has attracted 'whitewashing' controversies over the white actresses who have played her.

Gal addressed the controversy on BBC Arabic last month saying: 'First of all if you want to be true to the facts then Cleopatra was Macedonian.'

Rise to fame: Cleopatra is not the first time Gal's casting has been controversial - Wonder Woman also wound up in political hot water over her service in the Israel Defense Forces

The international film star, who is also a co-producer on the film, claimed: 'We were looking for a Macedonian actress that could fit Cleopatra. She wasn't there, and I was very passionate about Cleopatra.'

She added: 'People are people, and with me I want to celebrate the legacy of Cleopatra and honor this amazing historic icon that I admire so much.'

Gal threw down the gauntlet for other filmmakers to come up with competing versions of the story: 'You know, anybody can make this movie and anybody can go ahead and do it. I'm very passionate that I'm going to do my own too.'
Shane Jacobson has weighed in on fellow Australia's Got Talent judge Kate Ritchie's controversial low-range drink driving charge in August.

Shane spoke to Stellar magazine this week, calling Kate's actions a 'small error in judgment'.

'Did she do wrong? Of course she did,' he began.

Shane Jacobson (pictured) has weighed in on fellow Australia's Got Talent judge Kate Ritchie's controversial low-range drink driving charge in August

Shane suggested Kate's fame was the only reason why the incident has continued to make headlines months later.

'She has apologised and there have probably been 40,000 other people caught for being a touch over [the limit] since then, but they're not going to make the papers.

'I think, especially because it's her, we're going to hear about it when she makes a small error in judgement'.

Shane spoke to Stellar magazine this week, calling Kate's actions a 'small error in judgment'

Kate was stopped by police for a random breath test in her blue Subaru station wagon at 2.45pm on Heffron Rd in Pagewood in August.

Ritchie tested positive by the roadside and was immediately arrested and taken to Maroubra Police Station where she underwent a secondary breath analysis.

She returned a positive reading of 0.06, just a shade over the legal limit of 0.05.

'She has apologised and there have probably been 40,000 other people caught for being a touch over [the limit] since then, but they're not going to make the papers', he said. Pictured: Kate and Shane posing with fellow Australia's Got Talent judges David Walliams and Alesha Dixon

A police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia: 'She was issued with an infringement notice for the offence of Drive with Low Range Prescribed Concentration of Alcohol and issued a Licence Suspension Notice.'

Ritchie is understood to have been fined $600 on the spot and suspended from driving for three months.

Her former husband - ex-rugby league star Stuart Webb - was caught drunk-driving five times between 2012 and 2019 when the couple split.

The Nova personality tested positive after she was stopped by police for a random breath test and was immediately arrested and taken to Maroubra Police Station in August

She later apologised for the incident via her Instagram account.

'Recently I undertook a random breath test. Although it was low level, the test came back positive,' the post read.

'I made a poor decision and there is no doubt I understand the seriousness of my actions. I am truly sorry.'
Chris Hemsworth shocked a local real estate agent when he took a surprise tour of a lavish block of land located near his Byron Bay mansion in 2019.

The 39-year-old Thor actor was scoping out land in the Broken Head region located 7km from his $30million mansion.

Harcourts real estate agent Steve Leslie said he was shocked to learn the Hollywood star was his potential buyer.

Chris Hemsworth shocked Broken Heads real estate agent Steve Leslie (pictured together) when he took a surprise tour of a lavish block of land located near his Byron Bay mansion

'He got out of the car and looked at me, and I basically said "I know you"', Mr. Leslie said on the Harcourts blog.

He added the elite Hollywood star was down to earth and friendly.

'Chris was cracking jokes. I would say he is a very intelligent larrikin,' he wrote.

Chris was scoping out land (pictured) in the Broken Head region of New South Wales about 7km from his $30million mansion

Unfortunately, Chris did not end up purchasing the $3.2million lot due to zoning issues.

It follows Chris and his wife Elsa Pataky recently announcing their plans to build a second home on a massive 35-hectare site in Byron Bay, New South Wales have been approved.

The Hollywood couple were given the green light in August to build a 'celebrity guesthouse' next to their mansion.

The sprawling Broken Head plot of land has picturesque views of the surrounding bushlands

Hemsworth purchased the land for $4.25million in 2019 and proposed $4.4million worth of works, bringing the finished property to $8.6million, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Detailed plans show the home will have two dwellings with a total of seven bedrooms; the primary mini-mansion will include five bedrooms while the second home will have two, each with its own ensuite bathroom.

Chris currently lives in a luxurious mansion in Byron Bay with his wife Elsa Pataky and their three children.

Chris currently lives in a luxurious mansion in Byron Bay with his wife Elsa Pataky (pictured) and their three children
Olivia Newton-John's daughter Chloe Lattanzi broke down in tears while discussing her late mother's legacy on live TV this weekend.

On Sunday, Olivia's supporters took to the streets of Melbourne for the late Grease star's annual Walk for Wellness cancer fundraising event.

Lattanzi, 36, who was unable to attend the walk, became visibly emotional as she spoke to Nine's Richard Wilkins via video link from her home in Santa Barbara.

Olivia Newton-John's daughter Chloe Lattanzi, 36, (pictured) broke down in tears while discussing her late mother's legacy live on air on Sunday

'It's so beautiful to see how many people have come out in support of my mum,' a visibly emotional Lattanzi said.

'John [Easterling] and I are there in spirit. But we just needed to take some time to grieve,' she explained.

Chloe said the centre was important for her mother giving her life a great sense of purpose.

On Sunday, supporters of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre took to the streets of Melbourne for Olivia's annual Walk for Wellness cancer fundraising event. 'It's so beautiful to see how many people have come out in support of my mum,' a visibly emotional Lattanzi told Nine's Richard Wilkins after the event

Newton-John (left) died in August after a brave and public decades-long battle with cancer

'This was her heart. This was what she lived for. She saw the benefits of holistic treatments and acupuncture and music therapy,' Lattanzi said.

She later apologised for becoming emotional during the interview.

'She is an angel. She was absolutely magical. All she wanted to do was good in the world,' she added.

Olivia was diagnosed with cancer three times in 1992, 2013 and, for a final time, in 2017

Olivia was diagnosed with cancer three times in 1992, 2013 and, for a final time, in 2017.

Newton-John died in August after a brave and public decades-long battle with the illness.

Chloe made headlines last month when she revealed she had married her fiance James Driscoll 'years ago' in a secret ceremony officiated by her late mother.
Former People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok gets in a vehicle after attending a hearing on injunctions he filed with the Seoul Southern District Court in Yangcheon District, Seoul, Sept. 28. Korea Times photo by Koh Young-kwon



Race begins for new People Power Party chairman



By Nam Hyun-woo



The future of former ruling People Power Party (PPP) Chairman Lee Jun-seok, once regarded as a promising young politician, is at a crossroads following the party's decision to suspend him from party affairs for an additional year.



The added punishment suspending the 37-year-old's party membership until January 2024 means that it will be impossible for Lee to run for the party leadership again at its national convention expected to take place early next year.



Chances are also slim for Lee to receive the party's nomination, which is granted by its chairman, at the next general election, unless the PPP's leadership suddenly warms up to him again.



On Friday, the PPP's ethics committee suspended Lee's party membership for a year, in addition to the previously imposed six months that came three months ago. Lee faced the additional suspension due to his comments about President Yoon Suk-yeol and the PPP, describing the Yoon administration as a military junta.



The latest punishment came one day after a Seoul district court dismissed a number of injunctions Lee had filed seeking to overturn the PPP's decision to have an emergency leadership replace him, quelling the former chairman's crusade against the party's mainstream faction.



"From now on, I must walk down a more lonely and solitary path," Lee wrote on his Facebook.



In that respect, there has been speculation that Lee may leave the PPP and join forces with those who are critical of the president and create a new party. However, Lee ruled out such a scenario, posting a message on Facebook on Friday saying, "No one should leave the party and keep their positions."



"Although we have not decided what to do next in detail, we see slim chances for the speculation on creating a new party," said Kim Yong-tae, a former PPP supreme council member and a close aide to Lee.





Former People Power Party Rep. Yoo Seong-min attends a TV debate for the party's primary for the presidential election at broadcaster YTN's studio in Mapo District, Seoul, in this Oct. 22, 2021, file photo. Joint Press Corps
Christina Ricci has returned to the Addams Family in a trailer for the new Netflix spin-off series Wednesday.

The 42-year-old appeared in the two-and-a-half minute long clip as a new character named Ms. Thornhill.

Ricci famously played Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993).

Back in the universe: Christina Ricci has returned to the Addams Family in a trailer for the new Netflix spin-off series Wednesday

The trailer opens on a large, wrought iron gate which read 'Nevermore Academy' above its large, creaky doors.

'Nevermore was created as a safe haven for our children,' a woman says offscreen. 'To learn and to grow, no matter who or what they are.'

At this, a pair of students in preppy uniforms turn to reveal they do not have faces while another group howls into the air like wolves.

Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) meets her new roommate, Enid (Emma Myers), who tells her she looks 'pale.'

Wednesday's mother Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) says she's allergic to color while her husband Gomez (Luis Guzman) simply smiles.

When asked what happens to her if she's exposed to color, Wednesday replies, 'I break out into hives, and then the flesh peels off my bones.'

New character: The 42-year-old appeared in the two-and-a-half minute long clip as a new character named Miss Thornhill

Beloved portrayal: The 42-year-old appeared in the two-and-a-half minute long clip as a new character named Miss Thornhill

Nevermore: The trailer opens on a large, wrought iron gate which read 'Nevermore Academy' above its large, creaky doors

Howling: At this, a pair of students in preppy uniforms turn to reveal they do not have faces while another group howls into the air like wolves

Pale: Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) meets her new roommate, Enid (Emma Myers), who tells her she looks 'pale'

Allergic? When asked what happens to her if she's exposed to color...

Cheeky: ...Wednesday replies, 'I break out into hives, and then the flesh peels off my bones.'

Wednesday then monologues in a voice over as she makes her way through a fencing class. She also goes into a cafe where she fights boys dressed as pilgrims and hits the bullseye during archery.

'There's just something wrong about this place,' she comments as a stone gargoyle falls, nearly crushing her.

'And not just because it's a school,' she adds dryly.

She then alludes to a homicidal monster whose bony shadow distorts the wall behind it. Its large, scaly foot can be seen climbing a rickety staircase.

In the woods, Wednesday hears a noise and attacks a man who jumps down from a tree. He grabs the sword she swings at him in between his hands before removing his hat and revealing himself to be Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen).

Fencing: Wednesday then monologues in a voice over as she makes her way through a fencing class

Fighter: She also goes into a cafe where she fight boys dressed as pilgrims

Bullseye: She hits the bullseye during archery

'Wrong': 'There's just something wrong about this place,' she comments as a stone gargoyle falls, nearly crushing her.

Shadowy figure: In the woods, Wednesday hears a noise and attacks a man who jumps down from a tree

Grabbed: He grabs the sword she swings at him in between his hands

Revealed: The man removes his hat, showing a bald head

'I like to travel incognito,' Fester says as he shows her his Dalmatian-spotted motorcycle and sidecar.

The trailer then jumps from various scenes including a macabre funeral and a vivacious school dance.

Students race in canoes while Wednesday walks through a secret wall into a dank underground cellar.

'I know the suspense is killing you,' she says as the title card pops up off screen.

Incognito: 'I like to travel incognito,' Fester says as he shows her his Dalmatian-spotted motorcycle and sidecar

Funeral: The trailer then jumps from various scenes including a macabre funeral

Dancing away: Wednesday dances quite a bit during the dance

Ricci! In the trailer's final scene, Ricci appears with bright red hair and a black flower in her arms

Hospitality: She introduces herself as Ms. Thornhill before saying, 'I trust Enid has given you the old Nevermore welcome'

'Smothering': Wednesday replies, 'She's been smothering me with hospitality. I hope to return the favor...in her sleep.' Enid's smile quickly disappears before the release date, November 23, pops up

In the trailer's final scene, Ricci appears with bright red hair and a black flower in her arms.

She introduces herself as Ms. Thornhill before saying, 'I trust Enid has given you the old Nevermore welcome.'

Wednesday replies, 'She's been smothering me with hospitality. I hope to return the favor...in her sleep.' Enid's smile quickly disappears before the release date, November 23, pops up.

While Ricci once played the character, she says that Jenna Ortega's performance as Wednesday is 'incredible.'

'I saw some of the wardrobe photos before I went [to set] so I knew [what she looked like in character] and I was like, it's such a great modern take on Wednesday,' she told Variety. 'It's so true tonally to the heart and soul of [the original], but it's then it's incredibly modern and it's great.'

Wednesday 'follows Wednesday Addams' years as a student, when she attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart and solve the mystery that embroiled her parents,' according to its IMDb page.
Lily Collins has the distinction of being the first female ambassador of the GO Campaign, a non-profit organization that raises awareness and funds to improve the lives of orphans and vulnerable children around the world.

Over the past few years she's also slipped into the role as co-host of its annual fund-raising gala, which she continued again for the 2022 event at the City Market Social House in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday.

Like she has the past couple of years, Collins would again share the hosting duties with fellow actors Ewan McGregor and Robert Pattinson.

Chic: Lily Collins, 33, oozed elegance while serving as co-host for the 16th Annual GO Campaign Gala in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday

Ahead of the festivities, Collins stepped out on to the red carpet in a unique dress that fit around her petite curves in all the right ways.

The top portion appeared to be yellowish fishnet decked out in jeweled appliques.

The bottom portion kept a similar design scheme, only it replaced the yellow with black fishnet and sparkly, floral-inspired decals that caught the light as she posed.

Unique: Ahead of the festivities, Collins stepped out on to the red carpet in a unique dress that fit around her petite curves in all the right ways

Dazzling: The top portion appeared to be yellowish fishnet decked out in jeweled appliques

Her black and silver platform heels were a perfect match to the bottom portion of the dress.

Knowing the importance of the little things, Lily added further sparkle to her ensemble with a range of jewelry, including a dazzling pair of white gold, sapphire, and diamond earrings from Cartier.

She also wore several rings, including two white gold and diamond Cartier Juste un Clou designs.

Rounding out her overall look, the Surrey, England native had her dark brown tresses, which had hints of burgundy, styled up into a creative top bun, while leaving her hair falling around the frame of her face.

After stepping out solo for a a round of photos, the Emily In Paris star was joined by her husband, Charlie McDowell.

Family matters: Collins also snuggled up with her husband Charlie McDowell, which comes just over a month after they celebrated their first wedding anniversary on September 4

Show of support: Collins also struck a few poses alongside her Emily In Paris co-star, Samuel Arnold, who was decked out in a paisley-style black tuxedo that he paired up with a matching bow tie and white dress shirt

The screenwriter and director, 39, looked handsome in a black suit that was matched with a white dress shirt and a gray tie.

The couple, who started dating in 2019, just celebrated their first wedding anniversary on September 4.

The One I Love filmmaker would step aside so that his wife could strike a pose or two with her Emily In Paris co-star, Samuel Arnold, 31.

The French actor flashed a wide smile while decked out in a paisley-style black tuxedo that he paired up with a matching bow tie and white dress shirt.

At one point, Collins decided to take a group photo that included Arnold, as well as actors Isabella Heathcote, Max Carver and Brianne Howey.

Stars are out: Some of the stars who showed their support for the gala included Max Carver, Brianne Howey and Bella Heathcote, who joined Collins and Arnold for group photos

Heathcote, 35, an Australian native, looked lovely in a blue and black-patterned dress with green heels and her blonde locks styled off her face.

Carver, 34, who's known for his many TV roles like Desperate Housewives, The Leftovers and Teen Wolf looked stylish in a black suit and white button-down combination.

Howey, 33, showcased her fab figure by wearing an orange plunging gown that put an emphasis on her cleavage.

On this night, the Ginny & Georgia leading lady had her blonde tresses styled long and flowing past her shoulder with a part in the middle.

Making the rounds: Collins and Arnold also got a chance to catch up and chat during the gala, which was presented by Netflix and Beachbody

Founded in 2006, the GO Campaign supports projects at the grassroots level that bring direct relief to children in need of education and vocational training, medical care, enrichment programs, and basic human rights.

'We believe every child deserves the right to opportunity. Opportunity to education, to medical care, to shelter, to food and clean water, to enrichment to a fair chance in life,' it reads on the organization's website.

In addition to funds, GO Campaign provides capacity-building expertise to help protect the sustainability and longevity of struggling grassroots nonprofits.

Along with its youth programs in the U.S., the GO Campaign has funded children's programs in over 37 countries across the world.
Zoe Foster Blake is enjoying a weekend away with her family.

The beauty entrepreneur headed to Berry in rural NSW with husband Hamish and their children, Sonny, 7, and Rudy, 4.

The 42-year-old and her brood stopped into the picturesque town's famous local sweet shop for some treats.

Zoe Foster Blake is enjoying a weekend away. The beauty entrepreneur headed to Berry in rural NSW with husband Hamish and their children, Sonny, 7, and Rudy, 4. All pictured

Zoe was dressed casually in a brown, long sleeved top with a high neck that was perfect for the cool weather.

She added a pair of blue jeans and sunglasses, and appeared to have on minimal makeup.

The author completed the look with white leather loafers and appeared to have left her bag in the car while carrying a phone.

The 42-year-old and her brood stopped into the picturesque town's famous local sweet shop for some treats

Zoe was dressed casually in a brown, long sleeved top with a high neck that was perfect for the cool weather

She added a pair of blue jeans and sunglasses, and appeared to have on minimal makeup

Zoe stopped to take some selfies and left the store carrying a container inside a brown paper bag.

Comedian Hamish, 40, had on jeans and a maroon shirt as well as a cap, finishing his ensemble with brown suede boots.

The children looked delighted to visit the sweet shop and skipped ahead of their parents as they made their way down the street.

She appeared to have left her bag in the car while carrying a phone

The author completed the look with white leather loafers

Zoe stopped to take some selfies and left the store carrying a container inside a brown paper bag

Zoe is one of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs.

Last year she enjoyed an $89million payday after selling her controlling stake in Go-To.

Go-To had a boom in sales during the Covid-19 pandemic, which helped secure its founder a place on the Australian Financial Review Young Rich List.

Comedian Hamish, 40, had on jeans and a maroon shirt as well as a cap, finishing his ensemble with brown suede boots

The children looked delighted to visit the sweet shop and skipped ahead of their parents

Zoe is one of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs

In August 2021, beauty giant BWX Group snapped up a majority stake (50.1 per cent) of Go-To for $89million, in a deal valuing the company at $177million.

The ASX-listed company is also behind Aussie skincare brand Sukin, and has a lucrative five-year supplier deal with Chemist Warehouse.

BWX praised Go-To for providing its consumers with 'simple, trusted and effective skincare products for the masstige market'.

Last year she enjoyed an $89million payday after selling her controlling stake in Go-To

Go-To had a boom in sales during the Covid-19 pandemic, which helped secure its founder a place on the Australian Financial Review Young Rich List

Zoe is said to have pocketed about $30million from the deal, bringing her net worth to an estimated $36million

She married comedian and radio personality Hamish Blake in 2012

The term 'masstige' refers to mass-produced, inexpensive goods that are marketed as luxurious.

Zoe is said to have pocketed about $30million from the deal, bringing her net worth to an estimated $36million.

She married comedian and radio personality Hamish Blake in 2012.

The couple, who previously lived in Melbourne, moved last year to Sydney, where they snapped up a $8.925million family home in the eastern suburbs.
Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Seann Walsh has revealed that he and his dance teacher girlfriend are having a baby.

The 36-year-old comedian and Grace Adderley, 30, have been dating since 2019 - but now their relationship is heading to the next level by becoming a family.

Speaking to a friend on an Instagram Live stream while on tour in Stamford, Lincolnshire over the weekend, the former I'm A Celeb campmate said: 'I'm having a child'.

New parents: Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Seann Walsh has revealed that he and his dance teacher girlfriend Grace Adderley (pictured together in 2021) are having a baby

Seann was then asked by the friend, 'So you're gonna be a dad?', replying 'yeah' - with the unnnamed man responding: 'That's worrying'.

The love rat TV personality then told his 48,200 followers: 'Unbelievable. Everyone else has been really nice, that's the worst response yet.'

His friend then said: 'You're going to have a lot more worries.'

English comedian Seann then quipped: 'That's the one thing I need in life actually, I don't think I've had enough worries.'

His remark may reference his tumultuous relationship history which has played out in the public domain.

Reveal: Speaking to a friend in the car on an Instagram Live stream while on tour in Stamford, Lincolnshire, the former I'm A Celeb campmate said: 'I'm having a child' (pictured in 2017)

Seann's five-year relationship with actress Rebecca Humphries, 35, who played Carol Thatcher in The Crown, came crashing down after he was seen kissing married professional dance partner Katya Jones during his time on Strictly Come Dancing.

This fling during his stint on the 'cursed' hit BBC One show in October 2018 was reportedly the indirect reason behind the divorce of Katya Jones and husband of six years, Neil Jones.

Little is known about Seann's newest girlfriend Grace Adderley and the story behind their relationship.

But showing he's had a positive reaction from fans, the comedian thanked fans for their support after performing a stand-up gig in Stamford on Saturdaynight.

Extending his thanks to the crowd following the announcement, he explained: 'I appreciate it.'

It comes after Seann reportedly signed up for the new series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

Love rat: Seann's five-year relationship with actress Rebecca Humphries, 35, (right), broke down after he was seen snogging dance partner Katya Jones on Strictly Come Dancing

The comedian is thought to be heading Down Under for the new series - the first back in Australia since the coronavirus pandemic.

According to The Sun, ITV bosses are hoping Seann will discuss his infamous 2018 kiss with Katya.

A source said: 'Seann is an incredible signing for I'm A Celebrity and it's a real coup for ITV. His snog with Katya is the biggest scandal to have ever hit Strictly. People still talk about it.

'Seann has joked about his snog with Katya in his comedy sketches but he's never spoken in detail about their relationship.

Claims: This fling during his stint on the hit BBC One show in October 2018 was reportedly the indirect reason behind the divorce of Katya Jones (right) and husband of six years

'Life in the jungle is boring and those long hours around the campfire would be the perfect time for Seann to get talking.'

The insider added that they believe it is 'unlikely' the other campmates won't bring the kiss up as it's what the comedian is primarily known for.

According to reports, Seann will be joining the likes of Olivia Attwood, Babatunde Aleshe and Boy George in the jungle.

Ant and Dec are set to welcome 12 new famous faces into the Australian camp in November.
Jedward enjoyed a day of style on Saturday as they took to the Fashion Life Tour show during Los Angeles Fashion Week.

Sporting metallic ensembles for the appearance, the X Factor duo, real names John and Edward Grimes, appeared in high spirits as they posed alongside actress Tara Reid at the bash.

It's the 30-year-old twins' first public appearance since sparking a wave of backlash last month with controversial tweets on the monarchy and Queen Elizabeth II, as the UK mourned her September 8 death.

Bold: Jedward donned metallic ensembles on Saturday as they posed alongside a glamorous Tara Reid for the Fashion Life Tour show during Los Angeles Fashion Week.

The Irish pair both donned skin-tight black jeans for the outing as they stuck to a metallic theme, with John going for a glimmering silver shirt with a sleeveless leather jacket in red on top.

Edward went more classic with a black shirt, but amped up the glamour with a shimmering bronze-gold blazer.

Tara stood in the centre of the twins as she wrapped an arm around each them both, sporting a glimmering gown with a hip-grazing slit and strapless design.

The sequin emblazoned number featured a black belt in the centre, as she added a silver heart pendant necklace to the look.

Style: The pair both donned skin-tight black jeans for the outing as they stuck to a metallic theme, with John going for a glimmering silver shirt with a sleeveless leather jacket in red on top

Gorgeous: Tara stood in the centre of the twins as she wrapped an arm around each them both, sporting a glimmering gown with a hip-grazing slit and strapless design

Her blonde locks were left straight for the snaps, as the trio enjoyed the day of fashion - with Jedward standing either side of the star and raising their arms.

And during their meet, the group some time for a duet - as John and Tara performed a rendition of Wonderwall by Oasis, sharing the cover to Jedward's TikTok.

The US outing comes after Jedward came under fire for their controversial comments following the Queen's death, calling for the monarchy to be abolished.

Hours before Her Majesty's death, the pair took to Twitter to speculate about her condition in a set of tweets deemed 'not appropriate' by enraged followers.

Glitzy: The sequin emblazoned number featured a black belt in the centre, as she added a silver heart pendant necklace to the look

Sing-song: And during their meet, the group some time for a duet - as John and Tara performed a rendition of Wonderwall by Oasis, sharing the cover to Jedward's TikTok

In one tweet, they joked new Prime Minister Liz Truss 'must have done something' on her visit to see the Queen at Balmoral Castle on Tuesday - referencing Her Majesty's decline in health.

And following the news, they set out to create more outrage as they penned: 'Abolish the monarchy and give the people real democracy!'

Referencing the new monarch, King Charles, they added a second tweet which read: 'King Charles should hand back the six Irish counties on his visit to Northern Ireland  No war! Just words! It's time,'

'Not appropriate':The US outing comes after Jedward came under fire for their controversial comments following the Queen's death, calling for the monarchy to be abolished

'Really not funny': In one tweet, they joked new Prime Minister Liz Truss 'must have done something' on her visit to see the Queen at Balmoral Castle on Tuesday

The brothers were inundated with responses from the public who were unimpressed with their stance.

One follower wrote: 'Any chance you two could just be quiet? It is not Ireland's place to call for the abolishment of the monarchy of another country. What about Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden?'

And they even ruffled some celebrity feathers too, with Coronation Street's Charlie Lawson telling them to 'Shut up, y'pair of t**ts!'
Married At First Sight bride Tracey Jewel has announced that she is taking a break from social media to focus on her mental health.

'I'm going offline for a while,' the mother-of-one, 39, posted to Instagram on Sunday evening.

'I think I've been scared to admit that my mental health has been spiralling and my depression and anxiety from years ago has come back,' she continued.

Married At First Sight bride Tracey Jewel has announced that she is taking a break from social media to focus on her mental health

'I've been battling hard. And for those also struggling.. it's ok to have ups and downs and it really is ok to not be ok much,' she added.

This isn't the first time the Perth-based author has opened up about her struggles with mental health.

Back in August Tracey shared an emotional selfie to Instagram and candidly admitted she has hit a rough patch as a parent.

'I'm going offline for a while,' the mother-of-one, 39, posted to Instagram. 'I think I've been scared to admit that my mental health has been spiraling and my depression and anxiety from years ago has come back,' she continued

'Parenting can be so hard sometimes,' Tracey, who welcomed her second child last year, wrote beside the accompanying image.

'I don't cry very often but the last few days have really got me. Mental and physical exhaustion with a sick toddler and battling my own health issues.

'The struggle is real. But I wouldn't trade being a mumma for anything! Big love to mummas who are struggling right now'.

Earlier this year, Tracey admitted that she was suffering from anxiety after welcoming her son baby Frankie in March 2021.

'Parenting can be so hard sometimes,' the Tracey wrote in the caption accompanying the image. 'I don't cry very often but the last few days have really got me.' Pictured with her son

She asked fans: 'Tell me the things you used to do easily before becoming a mum that you now struggle with?'

The reality star followed it up with the things she misses, including, 'Drinking hot coffee, getting to the gym, more than 6 hours of sleep in a row, long showers and watching a movie uninterrupted.'

Tracey also uploaded a selfie along with a caption about struggling with anxiety in May.

Earlier this year, Tracey admitted that she was suffering from anxiety after welcoming her son baby Frankie in March 2021

'Friends give me anxiety. It's the only part of my anxiety for the past few years that's been hard to shift' she said.

'I get stressed at the thought of one on one catch-ups and deeper connections with people,' Tracey continued.

'I use business as the veil to keep a distance from people and a bub is a great reason and excuse to cancel plans. And I have used 'self care' as a form of sabotage to not see people.

Tracey said she misses 'Drinking hot coffee, getting to the gym, more than 6 hours of sleep in a row, long showers and watching a movie uninterrupted'

'The truth is I've been hurt by a lot of past friends, and I'm okay with not focusing on friendships right now For those reading this with social anxiety, I feel you.. and 'being' as you are is enough.'

The former MAFS star welcomed her son with husband and high school sweetheart Nathan Constable, who she married back in February in a surprise ceremony.

The new bub is the second child for Tracey, who shares a nine-year-old daughter with her ex-husband Jacob Anthonisz.

Tracey is best known for appearing on Married At First Sight's fifth season in 2018, where she was paired with bad boy Dean Wells.

If you need help you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14
They are best known for their legendary roles in Back To The Future.

And now Marty McFly and Doctor Emmett Brown have arrived in New York almost 40 years after the sci-fi fantasy film saga was released, reuniting to talk of their previous adventures.

Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox, who played Doc Brown and Marty respectively, sat in the Javit's Centre in New York for the Comic Con festival to join in on the panel conversation about the film trilogy.

Michael's health has been the topic of many fans' concern since his diagnosis of Parkinsons' Disease back in 1991.

It was evident that the degenerative disease was taking its physical toll on Michael's body as he was seen staggering as he walked on stage at Comic Con on Saturday.

Doc and Marty go Back To The Future! Moment Michael J Fox, (right) and Christopher Lloyd were reunited in an emotional moment at Comic Con in New York on Saturday - 37 years after the iconic movie's release

Back in the day: Michael (left as Marty) and Christopher (right as Doctor Emmett Brown) starred in the Back To The Future franchise since the 1980s

Taking to the stage to thousands of Back To The Future fans in New York, Canadian-American actor Michael, 61, recounted how he and Emmy-award-winning Christopher, 83, met for the first time.

'The best part of this movie was working with Chris,' he said, also adding that he found it 'fun' working with Chris 'because he's just genius'.

He also said that the pair had an 'immediate chemistry' - while Lloyd called Fox the 'King of Exposition'.

Reunited: Christopher and Michael who played the Doctor and Marty respectively, sat in the Javit's Centre in New York to join in on the panel conversation about the film trilogy

But despite the rigidity and slowness in movement as he continues to experience the advances stages of the illness, he seemed in good spirits as he gave a cheery wave to the thousands of fans who gave him and Christopher Lloyd a standing ovation.

The pair also shared a heartfelt embrace - and Lloyd held his friend and former co-star as he hunched into his arms.

Fans who couldn't make it to New York themselves shared their emotion when watching footage of the pair reuniting at Comic Con on Twitter.

Lots of people acknowledged Michael's bravery at continuing to make public appearances despite the decline in his health.

Emotional reunion: Fans who couldn't make it to New York themselves shared their emotion when watching footage of the pair reuniting at Comic Con on Twitter

A user said: 'His legacy will out live most. A great team.'

Another said: 'When you feel all down on yourself think of Michael. If he can go on so can you. Count your blessing. Life ain't so bad.'

One wrote: 'Lump in throat time. Tragic to see the decline, brave man though.'

Another similarly added: 'It's those onions I peeled earlier, I swear,' and another said: 'So sad watching him.'

Sharing appreciation for the money raised by Michael's charity, another said: 'Back to the Future was a fabulous movie. That's enough right? No, not close.

'Michael J. Fox has raised over 1.5billion [dollars] for Parkinson's Research. Remarkable!!!'

A superfan wrote on the social media platform: 'If you were a teenager in 1985, then Michael J. Fox was your guy.

Welcomed by applause: Talking to thousands of fans in New York, Canadian-American actor Michael J. Fox, 61, recounted how he and Emmy-award-winning Christopher, 83, first met

Team: Christopher and Michael J. Fox made up the iconic duo of Doc Brown and Marty McFly

'Marty McFly in Back to the Future is the coolest teenager in cinema history.

'Watching him hug Christopher Lloyd like this is so beautiful.'

In June, 61-year-old shared how his illness impacted his acting career and the type of projects he now takes.

While appearing on Mike Birbiglia's 'Working It Out' podcast he admitted that remembering lines has become harder since he was first diagnosed.

'When I did the spinoff from The Good Wife, which is The Good Fight, I couldn't remember the lines. I just had this blank, I couldn't remember the lines,' he stated.

The Canadian star revealed that he didn't struggle with his lines when he was younger, as he reminisced on his role on Family Ties, an NBC sitcom that he starred on from 1982 to 1989.

'I'd go, "I'm in. Mallory, get off the phone." And I knew it, like in an instant, and it continued to be that way for me,' the actor said.

'I have 70 pages of dialogue on a [Brian] De Palma movie, and knowing that a hugely expensive Steadicam shot depends on me knowing the lines  not a trickle of sweat on my brow,' he added, referring to the 1989 film Casualties of War, where he starred alongside Sean Penn.

Fox admitted that he no longer take projects with a lot of lines: 'I can't remember five pages of dialogue. I can't do it,' he said. 'So I go to the beach.'

Michael previously shared his Parkinson's struggles in a 2020 interview with People, discussing his short-term memory, tremors and rigidity.

Co-stars: 'The best part of this movie was working with Chris,' Michael said, also adding that he found it 'fun' working with Chris 'because he's just genius'

Pals: Neither of them knew what their favourite food from New York was, and then got onto the topic of Broadway and how the film has been adapted into a musical

'My short-term memory is shot,' he stated, adding, 'I always had a real proficiency for lines and memorization. And I had some extreme situations where the last couple of jobs I did were actually really word-heavy parts. I struggled during both of them.'

The actor was first diagnosed with Parkinsons, a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, in 1991. He went public with his diagnosis in 1998, and continued his acting career.

On stage on Saturday, Michael touched on his health and spoke about his charity the Michael J. Fox Foundation - the biggest Parkinson's disease foundation in the world.

He said: 'Parkinson's has brought people who are still coming in, but it's a gift, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

'People like Chris have meant so much to me, and so many of you have too.

'It's not about what I have, it's about what you've given me - a voice to do that and help people.'

Candid: On stage on Saturday, Michael touched on his health and spoke about his charity the Michael J. Fox Foundation - the biggest Parkinson's disease foundation in the world

Best friends: Talking about his Parkinson's disease, Michael J. Fox (pictured hugging Lloyd) said: 'People like Chris have meant so much to me, and so many of you have too'

Neither of them knew what their favourite food from New York was, and then got onto the topic of Broadway and how the film has been adapted into a musical.

Only in July did Christopher and co-stars Claudia Wells, Frances Lee McCain, Donald Fullilove and screenwriter Bob Gale join cast members at the Adelphi Theatre in London.

In a humorous moment, the pair were asked about if they took anything from the film sets, with Lloyd insisting that he doesn't 'do that' but shortly after revealing that he has a t-shirt from the third film set.

He also adds that his wife, Lisa Loiacono, 52, does not like how it looks on him.

The biggest fans also took to the stage at one point in the panel, taking part in a costume contest with their creative 80's film outfits.

Returning to New York City for another year, Comic Con has expected to have higher attendance levels than the previous two years, despite a mask mandate still in place at the event.

An estimated 200,000 fans will be making their way to Manhattan's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center between October 6 and October 9.

Comic Con has 'Mask Stewards' wandering the halls supplying masks while they 'ensure all individuals are wearing theirs,' according to its website. It adds that those unwilling to comply with the mask mandate can be removed or banned from the event without a refund.

In an October 3 tweet, the event said attendees can remove masks while taking photos. Despite this, many fans have been seen milling around the conference center without masks.

San Diego's Comic Con, which drew about 135,000 attendees in July, also required its costumed fans to wear masks.

Some other famous faces have also been in attendance at the comic convention, including Jameela Jamil who had all eyes on her as she arrived at New York Comic Con on Saturday.

Chat: In a humorous moment, the pair were asked about if they took anything from the film sets, with Lloyd insisting that he doesn't 'do that' but shortly after revealing that he has a t-shirt

Competition: The biggest fans also took to the stage at one point in the panel, taking part in a costume contest with their creative 80's film outfits

The She-Hulk: Attorney At Law actress, 36, hit the red carpet in a quirky Moschino coat that highlighted her ample cleavage and model legs.

It had cartoony vibe thanks to the red inflatable lapels that formed the shape of a heart, as well as matching faux front pockets.

Chloe Grace Moretz made a promotional appearance for upcoming series The Peripheral during New York Comic Con on Saturday.

The 25-year-old performer appeared to be enjoying her time in front of the audience as she flashed a wide smile while discussing her work on the program.

The upcoming show is currently scheduled to make its debut on the Amazon Prime Video streaming platform later this month.

Mindy Kaling also turned heads in a colorful ensemble as she arrived to attend a panel at New York Comic Con earlier on Thursday.

The talented actress, 43, promoted her latest HBO Max animated origin series titled, Velma, which is a spin on the classic Scooby Doo series.

Stylish: Mindy Kaling, 43, donned a vibrant purple and orange ensemble as she attended New York Comic Con earlier on Thursday

Other stars that were in attendance at the anticipated event included Constance Wu, who also has a leading voice role in the Velma animation, and James McAvoy, who promoted the final season of His Dark Materials.

Halloween star Jamie Lee Curtis, 69, also appeared on stage for a separate panel chat, reflecting on her time on her iconic back catalogue of films.

Speaking to Drew Barrymore, she spoke about the Halloween franchise, thanking the fans: 'No matter what I do  whatever the fu*** I do forever  Laurie Strode is because of you and I thank you.'

She got emotional from the moment she sat down when moderator Barrymore first asked about coming to the end of her Halloween series, with the release of Halloween Ends, which is being released next week.

Saturday saw a Star Trek Universe event and dozens of other panels and sessions.

Here she is! Jamie Lee Curtis, 69, also appeared on stage for a separate panel chat, reflecting on her time on the iconic films as Sarda

Emotional: Speaking to Drew Barrymore, she also spoke about the Halloween franchise, thanking the fans: 'No matter what I do, Laurie Strode is because of you and I thank you'

Chit chat: She got emotional from the moment she sat down when moderator Barrymore first asked about coming to the end of her Halloween series

There she is: Chloe Grace Moretz made a promotional appearance for upcoming series The Peripheral during New York Comic Con on Saturday
Tasha Ghouri and Andrew Le Page kept their looks casual on Sunday as they headed to Media City in Manchester.

Nailing an off-duty model look, Tasha went makeup free for the outing - keeping comfortable in a pair of white joggers.

Following a night out in the city with their former co-stars, estate agent Andrew walked alongside his girlfriend, opting for a grey hoodie and black jeans ensemble.

Off-duty: Tasha Ghouri displayed her glowing complexion on Sunday while sporting a low-key ensemble as she and Andrew Le Page joined their Love Island co-stars at Media City in Manchester

Tasha added a basic beige crop top to her look, layering a red, white and blue biker-style jacket on top.

Teaming the look with a pair chunky lace-up trainers, the dancer had a chain-strapped mini bag on her shoulder as she held onto a bag of beauty products.

Her bright blonde locks were pulled away from her face, with her natural complexion glowing as she laughed while looking down at her phone.

Stylish: Tasha paired white joggers with a basic beige crop top, layering a red, white and blue biker-style jacket on top

Taut: While Antigoni Buxton flashed her toned physique in a chocolate brown leggings and crop-top two piece from brand Naked Apparel as she joined them

Sipping on a bottle of water, Andrew chatted with his girlfriend - keeping his look simple as he added a pair of white Nike Air Force trainers.

A host of their co-stars also headed to Media City, hinting that there's a project int he works for the group.

Luca Bish was also in attendance, as he was snapped taking a break from the television studios to grab a Costa Coffee, wrap and sweet treat.

Coffee break: Luca Bish was also in attendance, as he was snapped taking a break from the television studios to grab a Costa Coffee, wrap and sweet treat

While Antigoni Buxton flashed her toned physique in a chocolate brown leggings and crop-top two piece from brand Naked Apparel.

The group of reality stars headed to Manchester by train the following day, before enjoying a boozy night out at hotspot Menagerie Restaurant and Bar.

Paige Thorne and Danica Taylor were also in attendance as the group had a mini-reunion, after soaring to fame in this year's season of Love Island.
There wasn't a dry eye in the house when Breanna Lee took to the stage on Australia's Got Talent on Sunday night.

The 16-year-old had a shaky start and let nerves get to her, with the judges gently encouraging her to start her song again after she faltered.

Gathering her courage, Breanna launched into a moving rendition of the classic Cyndi Lauper hit True Colours.

There wasn't a dry eye in the house when Breanna Lee (pictured) took the stage on Australia's Got Talent on Sunday night. Breanna launched into a moving rendition of the classic Cyndi Lauper hit True Colours

The stunned judges quickly realised they had a budding star on their hands and a Golden Buzzer-worthy audition.

Once the teenager finished her song, the audience began chanting 'Golden Buzzer! Golden Buzzer!'

Judge David Walliams heeded their call, slamming the button and leaving Breanna shocked and tearful as gold confetti rained down.

Judge David Walliams (left) hit the Golden Buzzer leaving Breanna shocked and tearful as gold confetti rained down. Breanna now goes straight through to the Semi-Finals

Thanks to the Golden Buzzer, Breanna goes straight through to the next round of the competition with a fast-tracked place in the Semi-Finals.

'It couldn't have been going any better, that's all I can say. It was perfect,' David said.

'You are so brave, it was such a beautiful performance. I was so impressed the way you got back on that horse, it was incredible.'

The 16-year-old had a shaky start and let nerves get to her, with the judges gently encouraging her to start her song again after she faltered

'It couldn't have been going any better, that's all I can say. It was perfect,' David said. 'You are so brave, it was such a beautiful performance. I was so impressed the way you got back on that horse, it was incredible'

Breanna, a school girl from Melbourne, paid tribute to her Indigenous heritage and sang part of the song in her native language, something she was encouraged to do by her foster family.

She has big dreams of releasing her own album and is a fan of pop superstars Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Adele.

Part of her inspiration is showing other First Nation children and teenagers in foster care that they can achieve their dreams.
She is best known for baring it all in front of the world's most prestigious fashion photographers.

But supermodel Emily Ratajowski decided to cut a low profile figure for her dinner plans at French-Italian swanky Mamo restaurant in New York City on Saturday night.

Wearing a simple pair of high waisted black trousers, the 31-year-old paired the look with a Louis Vuitton bag over her shoulder.

All black ensemble: Supermodel Emily Ratajowski decided to cut a low-profile figure for her dinner plans at French-Italian swanky Mamo restaurant in New York City on Saturday night

The mother-of-one wore her raven tresses in a quick up-do while leaving her fringe to frame her face beautifully.

She added a rustic-looking brown and black cropped leather jacket with silver hardware detailing on the zips.

Emily wore some classy pointed boots which were mostly hidden underneath her straight-legged trousers, but they had some delicate detailing on the toe cap area.

Just a pair of simple gold earrings accessorised the outfit for model Emily on Saturday evening.

Low profile: Wearing a simple pair of high waisted black trousers, the 31-year-old paired the look with a high-necked, long sleeve light jumper, adding a Louis Vuitton bag over her shoulder

She was accompanied by security detail who safely took her from the fancy restaurant to the car.

He was seen carrying a takeaway bag from Mamo New York as he walked alongside the American model and actress.

It comes after the 31-year-old shared her thoughts on social media.

The model, 31, says that the online world can be 'toxic' and present unattainable 'curated' ideals for women.

Model behaviour: The mother-of-one wore her raven tresses in a quick up-do while leaving her fringe to frame her face beautifully

'Obviously, social media is incredibly toxic,' she told Sydney Confidential on Saturday.

'It's not easy to be inundated with all these images and being sold an idea of beauty' she added.

Emily did add that she has seen some benefits from using Instagram as it allowed her to control her image in a way that modelling does not.

'It felt like the only time I could curate and dictate how I was being perceived and seen in the world,' she said.

'When you're a model, you are giving that up to other people. You have no control over your images.'

It comes after Emily opened up about the state of the Me Too movement in a new TikTok video that she shared to her 1.8 million followers on Friday.

The supermodel, 31, touched on how she believed the hasn't made any significant change in the world.

The mother of one supported her viewpoint by explaining that because 'men are afraid of the consequences' of their actions rather than understanding 'why they need to change their actions,' there has been a lack of progress.

The Gone Girl actress uploaded a one-minute video of herself discussing how she felt that other changes needed to be made.

'Me Too hasn't changed things in the world. Cancel culture hasn't changed things,' she began, adding, 'All we have now are men who are afraid of consequences.'
S. European countries urge to enhance migrant check on borders

Xinhua) 09:29, October 09, 2022

NICOSIA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Ministers of interior and immigration of Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta and Cyprus on Saturday called for enhanced surveillance of external European Union (EU) borders to check irregular immigration.

In a declaration issued following the end of a two-day meeting held in the western Cypriot city of Paphos, the ministers of the so-called MED5 group, consisting of the five Mediterranean and southern EU member states, drew special attention to the surveillance of the United Nations-controlled Green Line in Cyprus.

Ministers called for a balanced approach in negotiations to achieve a "truly common (European) system of asylum and migration management" so as to reach a migration policy aimed at a "holistic approach for the effective management of asylum and migration."

In relation to the Green Line in Cyprus, the MED5 ministers called for adequate management "due to the specific circumstances that apply, despite the fact that the Green Line is not an external border of the EU."

Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris, who hosted the meeting, said asylum seekers make up 4 percent of the country's population.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
By Mehmet Fatih Oztarsu





Turkey has emerged as an important actor in the mediation process between Ukraine and Russia after the beginning of the war. Ankara has launched bilateral and multilateral forms of relationship with the employment of mediation tools. Participation of Kyiv and Moscow in the talks made Turkey become a rising mediator in the region. Furthermore, the country drew the attention of the United Nations and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) during the Ukrainian war period with its successful mediation efforts.







As a NATO member, Turkey has maritime borders and maintains good relations with both Ukraine and Russia. According to statistics, up to 30 percent of Russian tourists dominate Turkey's tourism sector. In addition, Turkey depends on Russia for 45 percent of its natural gas, 17 percent of oil and 40 percent of its gasoline needs.







Similarly, the country's relationship with Ukraine accounts for a substantial portion of tourism, food and other sectors. Ukraine trusts Turkey's efforts with its long history of experience in mediations in the Balkans, the Middle East and the Caucasus since the Mustafa Kemal Ataturk period. Ankara pursued a unique neutrality and gained the confidence of both countries.







Turkey's position in the Ukraine war signaled positive outcomes regarding mediation between the conflicting parties. On March 10, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov met in Turkey, which became the first high-level meeting after the war. However, the meeting ended without any concrete results. Although the ceasefire and the situation of the civilians in the conflict zone were discussed in this meeting, there was no consensus. Also, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu visited Russia and Ukraine during the same period.







One month after the beginning of the war, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Istanbul for negotiations on March 29. In the meeting, Russian forces guaranteed their withdrawal from the northern parts of Kyiv by emphasizing it was not a ceasefire attempt. The Russia delegation pointed out the importance of mutual trust.







On the other side, Ukraine committed to accept a neutral status including a plan to host no foreign troops of NATO countries. The Ukrainian side called the meeting a "victory" because of the mediation initiatives of Turkey, which is considered to be its "brother" and "partner." The Russian side showed its satisfaction and described the meeting as "substantial talks."







Another important initiative of Turkey emerged over the grain shipment problem. As Russia and Ukraine are top producers of grain, barley and sunflower seeds, the ongoing war prevented the exports of food materials. The Russian blockade of the Black Sea ports of Ukraine obstructed the exports of more than 20 million tons of grain.







This paved the way for risks of food shortages in many countries which must feed millions of people. The U.N. announced that up to 181 million people could face an acute hunger due to the ongoing crisis. Russia accused Ukraine of deploying sea mines, while the Ukrainian side blamed Russia for sending missiles to coastal areas.







Finally, Russia and Ukraine agreed on a new proposal, and shipments restarted after their meeting in July 2022. In doing so, Turkey made this shipment possible after the agreement and had a chance to demonstrate its geopolitical importance since the shipment had to be made through the Turkish straits connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.







The U.N. stated that cargo ships would use "safe channels" identified by Ukraine as they sail in the Black Sea ports, and they would be guided by Ukrainian staff. Moreover, the U.N. demanded no military ships would be used as escorts, but a minesweeper would be ready to ensure the security and avoid concerns. Both parties assured that no interference will come from them to break the rules.







The Russia-Ukraine War brought social, political and economic danger to Europe and the Black Sea region. This situation caused a regional destabilization that directly harms Turkey's regional policy. Therefore, Turkey preferred adopting a balanced policy between Ukraine and Russia.







Furthermore, Turkey welcomed Russian investors in real estate and other sectors after the Western sanctions. Ankara also began offering citizenship in exchange of a $400,000 investment. Financial flows, tourism attraction and trade opportunities emerged as a remedy for the country. Additionally, Russian companies began preferring Turkey to export their goods to other countries.







Five Turkish banks commenced work to facilitate the use of the Mir payment system, making financial transactions easier for Russian people in Turkey. Therefore, home sales to Russians grew by 95 percent, while sales to Ukrainians reached 85 percent between February and June 2022.







On the other side, the Russian nuclear company Rosatom agreed to transfer $15 billion to Turkey for the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant. As energy supply became another essential issue for the European countries, a Turkey-Israel gas pipeline appeared as an alternative to the Russian energy threat.







This development accelerated Turkish-Israeli rapprochement after Turkey's "new normalization" with the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Saudi Arabia. Lastly, Turkish efforts led to NATO's green light to Ankara's demands over Finland and Sweden's NATO accession process. It was the first time that Turkey raised its voice against newcomers to NATO.









Mehmet Fatih Oztarsu (

) is a professor of international relations at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.






She's certainly been making her mark on the fashion industry since winning Love Island this summer.

And Ekin-Su Culculoglu once again looked sensational on Saturday as she worked on a photoshoot in Rome, Italy.

The actress, 28, donned a three-piece suit which was fully embellished with diamante detailing - showing off her ultra-toned physique.

Beauty: Ekin-Su Culculoglu, 28, displayed her incredible physique on Saturday as she doned a diamante emblazoned three-piece suit while posing for snaps during a photoshoot in Rome

The beauty donned a pair of straight leg trousers with a matching bralet, both covered in diamantes.

She finished the look with a tailored blazer to match, adding her signature gold 'E' charm necklace.

Ekin-Su, who won Love Island with boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti, showed off her newly-dyed deep chocolate locks, as they fell in a glossy straight style.

Working hard: She took off to Rome this week for the photoshoot, and his kept what it's for under wraps

Glitz: The beauty donned a pair of straight leg trousers with a matching bralet, both covered in diamantes

Signaure piece: The beauty added her signature gold charm necklace, which has the letter E as a charm

Shoes off: She sported loafers for the day, but took them off for some shots as she went barefoot

Selfie time: And grabbing her own snaps too, the beauty pulled out her phone to pose for some selfies while taking a momentary break

Golden hour: The Italian sun shone on Ekin-Su's face as she grabbed some snaps

Locaiton, location, location: The shoot took place next to Rome's colosseum, with the star perched on a stone wall while posing for the camera

While the reality star added a glamorous palette of makeup to the look - complete with a nude lip and bronzed base.

The photoshoot took place next to the city's colosseum, as Ekin-Su perched on a stone wall while posing for the camera.

She was surrounded by crew on the outdoor shoot, laughing along with stylists and photographers before joining a group of men as she sat in the middle of them.

New hair, who dis? Ekin-Su, who won Love Island with boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti, showed off her newly-dyed deep chocolate locks, as they fell in a glossy straight style

Glowing: The reality star added a glamorous palette of makeup to the look - complete with a nude lip and bronzed base

Figure! Ekin-Su showed off her toned physique in the gorgeous three-piece set

And grabbing her own snaps too, the beauty pulled out her phone to pose for some selfies while taking a momentary break.

She recently launched her first collection with fashion brand Oh Polly, after signing a 1M deal to be their celebrity ambassador.

And she's certainly been kept busy, jetting to New York during the city's fashion week - where she walked the Ekin-Su x Oh Polly catwalk.

Returning to London, she took to a celebrity-filled launch party for the collection, before jetting to Rome immediately after.

And... pose! She struck a slew of sultry poses as the photographer got up close

Big team: She was surrounded by crew on the outdoor shoot

Group: The star joined a group of men at one point in the day, siting in the centre of them as they sat on a brick wall

Jam-packed: She recently launched her first collection with fashion brand Oh Polly, after signing a 1M deal to be their celebrity ambassador

Jetting around: And she's certainly been kept busy, jetting to New York during the city's fashion week - where she walked the Ekin-Su x Oh Polly catwalk

Here, there and everywhere: Returning to London, she took to a celebrity-filled launch party for the collection, before jetting to Rome immediately after

Secrets: The star shared a slew of snaps from the shooting day to her Instagram, without revealing many details to her 3.2M followers
Paris Hilton reacted to a confession from one of her fans, YouTube star Gregory Brown as he explained how he robbed her vehicle in 2007.

Gregory's comedic video was captioned, 'Could Paris sue me?'. The skit was rooted in the new One Thing About Me trend in which people tell a story to the beat of Nicki Minaj's Super Freaky Girl song.

The reality star responded to post writing, 'LOL! Can you please do a reveal of the sisterhood of the traveling Paris Hilton sunglasses? #ThatsNotHot #ButThatsHilarious #ButAlsoPlsDontRobMe .'

Confession: Paris Hilton reacted to a message from one of her fans, YouTube star Gregory Brown as he told her a story about the time he robbed her vehicle in 2007

The DJ looked fashionable as always in a midriff-revealing black and pink hoody with Boss Babe spelled out backward in Rhinestones.

Her straight platinum hair was styled with a part to the side amid a backdrop of mannequin heads with various bright-colored wigs and multiple shelves of sunglasses.

In the comments section, one fan named Nicole wrote, 'Is she in a ROOM OF SUNGLASSES? God I love her.'

It's a true story: Gregory's comedic video was captioned, 'Could Paris sue me?' The skit was rooted in the new One Thing About Me trend

The split screen video had Paris on the left watching herself listen to the story about how he found her vehicle unattended as they both attended a concert in Toronto years ago.

With the Super Freak beat playing in the background he explained, 'One thing about me is that I once robbed Paris Hilton and I hope she never sees this cause I could go to jail. The slammer! It was 2007, I was at an MIA concert, the musician. It was great, I was drinking. I left the concert and a big black car pulled up and all these people screamed and Paris Hilton got out.'

As he entered the concert venue, Paris had also arrived and he tried to get a photo with her.

Her car was left unlocked: In the video Paris listened to how they got in her car and hung out for a while before they left with a pair of her expensive Christian Dior sunglasses

He showed a snap on the screen of the moment he grabbed the star as she exited her car.

He and his group of friends had noticed that her car was left unlocked and unattended. So, they curiously opened the doors and hung out in the vehicle before leaving with a pair of her sunglasses.

He ended his story with, 'So we have Christian Dior sunglasses that are Paris Hilton's. We share them in a sisterhood of the traveling Paris Hilton sunglasses. So yes, I robbed Paris Hilton. I hope that's okay. And please don't put me in jail. You're rich.'

Funny and honest thief: He joked, 'I will happily give them back to you as long as you give them back to me'

The video cuts to the story teller with a surprised look on his face, with his hand over his mouth as he wore the same style dark glasses Paris is sporting on the opposite screen.

As he spoke, his words were captioned on the screen, 'Paris me so sorry, me so sorry for robbing you, these are them, you asked for a sunglasses reveal.'

On the split screen, Paris is seen shaking her head up and down and mouthing 'yes' in agreement.

He continued, 'I will happily give them back to you as long as you give them back to me.'

The end: He ended his story with, 'So yes, I robbed Paris Hilton. I hope that's okay. And please don't put me in jail. You're rich'

Hilton then removed her glasses and continued playing along with the comedic skit as she smiled ear-to-ear in amusement and rested her head on her hand.

Waving his finger in the camera, the overdubbed caption read, 'kidding no you can have them back, they are yours. I did break into your car and steal them from you. Again, I'm so sorry I was a wild child. thank you for being such a good sport. I don't know if you want these back, like fashionably is this back? you tell me fashion icon, okay um yeah no, bull I'll wear them this weekend out for sure in honor of you uh not taking me to literal court kisses,' as he blew a kiss to the smiling star.

Paris did a stitch with the video and captioned it, 'Omg, I remember these sunglasses. They look hot on you so you can keep them! PS: They NEVER went out of style '

Earlier this week, Paris took to Instagram to share that she is InStyle Spain's October issue cover girl on Monday.

Stunning: Paris Hilton took to Instagram to share that she is InStyle Spain's October issue cover girl on Monday

The 41-year-old beauty modeled a silky $7395 Versace Medusa Corset Mini Dress that showed off her toned arms and flawless neckline.

On Sunday, Paris shared a playful and festive video looking amazing in her favorite Halloween past costumes: rising pheonix, playboy bunny, sliving gladiator, raver furby, mrs. aquarius and tinkerbell.

'October is finally here! Halloween is my favorite time of year because I love playing dress up (and because I love eating candy) What do you guys think I should be this year? #ThatsHot #ThatsSpooky #SpookySzn'

Sister love: Last week, Nicky Hilton posted images of her and her sister Paris at the Versace show on her Instagram, 'Loved our sister trip & watching PH close the @Versace show was def the highlight! '

Over the last two weeks, Paris has attended both Fashion Week events in New York and Milan, where she walked the runway for Versace's Spring/Summer 2023 show wearing a pink bridal dress.

Paris performed at the event wearing the same sparkly pink dress and added matching rhinestone-studded DJ headphones as she owned the wheels of steel.

This comes after Paris announced she has spoken to multiple pet mediums in search of her missing dog Diamond Baby. The DJ revealed on Instagram she has enlisted the help of several professional clairvoyants to aid in finding her precious Chihuahua who has been missing since September 14.

Life of the party: Paris performed at the event wearing the same sparkly pink dress and added matching rhinestone-studded pink DJ headphones as she owned the wheels of steel
Beyonce took to Instagram over the weekend to share more outtakes from her Club Renaissance Paris celebration in partnership with Tiffany & Co.

The Grammy-winning music artist, 41, donned a glinting metallic silver getup that had a plunging neckline and a headwrap.

The Texas native was decked out in flashy pieces from the jeweler, sporting a layered chain necklace and a stack of bangles.

New content: Beyonce took to Instagram over the weekend to share more outtakes from her Club Renaissance Paris celebration in partnership with Tiffany & Co

The Break My Soul songstress wrote in the caption to her loyal legion of followers, 'CLUB RENAISSANCE Paris with partner @tiffanyandco.'

She then added hashtags, '#TiffanyAndCo #CLUBRENAISSANCE.'

The post received more than two million likes from her following of 277 million on the photo-sharing app.

Beyonce offered up variations of the dazzling look, at one point posing in an elevator with husband Jay-Z as she added a sporty oversize jacket.

Different take: Beyonce offered up variations of the dazzling look, at one point posing in an elevator with husband Jay-Z as she added a sporty oversize jacket

The mother-of-three ditched the headdress and let her golden blonde locks fall down her back for the photo-op.

In another instance she slipped into a more structured, blazer-like jacket and once again covered her head.

She stood in front of a white backdrop as she posed for a more traditional-style photo shoot.

The longtime performer struck a power pose as she put her hands on her waist, showing off her trim figure.

Flashy: The Grammy-winning music artist, 41, donned a glinting metallic silver getup that had a plunging neckline and a headwrap

As viewers scrolled the carousel they were treated to even more Beyonce footage, as she shared detailed, close-up images.

The beauty's green eyes sparkled as she stared down the camera lens in one shot that magnified her shimmery purple eyeshadow.

The camera's flash reflected against her metallic look, creating a bright, highlighted snap of the star.

Up-close: The Texas native was decked out in flashy pieces from the jeweler, sporting a layered chain necklace and a stack of bangles

Party girl: The mother-of-three ditched the headdress and let her golden blonde locks fall down her back in one outtake

Changing things up once again, Mrs. Carter kept her followers engaged as she modeled a plum outfit.

The renowned superstar was dressed in a clinging purple dress, once again exposing her ample cleavage.

It featured a cross-strap halter neck that extended into another headscarf.

Topping off the statement-making ensemble, Bey layered a burgundy leather trench coat over the frock.

Color pop: Changing things up once again, Mrs. Carter kept her followers engaged as she modeled a plum outfit

She had on a mix of Tiffany & Co. HardWear necklaces, lock bangles, Schlumberger necklace, bracelet and rings and an Elsa Peretti Scorpion Necklace.

Last week began with the launch of the LOSE YOURSELF IN LOVE Tiffany & Co. campaign anthem film, starring the dynamic megastar.

Then she attended her Paris Fashion Week closing party hosted by Tiffany & Co at the Palais de Tokio in the French Capital on Tuesday evening.

Bey welcomed a slew of A-list stars to the iconic landmark to celebrate the end of the bi-annual fashion event, including Halsey, Chloe Bailey and Lori Harvey.

Dripping in diamonds: Beyonce modeled several pieces from the iconic jeweler
She's known for her incredible sense of style.

And Maura Higgins looked nothing short of sensational as she posed up a storm on a trip to Paris recently.

The former Love Island star, 31, put on a very leggy display in a black tiered mini dress as explored the historic city late at night.

Stunning: Maura Higgins, 31, looked nothing short of sensational as she posed up a storm on a trip to Paris recently

The stylish frock from PrettyLittleThing featured puff sleeves, a sweetheart neckline and clung to every inch of her incredible figure.

Posing in front of the Arc de Triomphe the stunner sported a glamorous palette of make-up and slicked back her brunette tresses.

Accessorising with diamond earrings the reality star toted her belongings in a mini metallic handbag.

Posing: The former Love Island star put on a very leggy display in a black tiered mini dress as explored the historic city

Glamour: Posing in front of the Arc de Triomphe the stunner sported a glamorous palette of make-up and slicked back her brunette tresses

Sharing other snaps from her trip with her 3.5M followers she cuddled up to a pal before enjoying a pizza.

Maura captioned the snaps 'Parisian nights' while a host of her famous friends rushed to the comments section to gush over her incredible look.

Fellow Love Islander Demi Jones declared the pictures 'stunning' while Montana Brown agreed 'gorgeous'.

Pals: In another black and white snap she cuddled up to a pal

It comes after Maura's name has been mentioned as the new Big Brother host when it's set to return to TV in March 2023.

The star is reportedly the producers' top choice due to her resume of TV gigs on Glow Up Ireland and Dancing On Ice.

It was confirmed during the Love Island final in August that the TV favourite would have a new home on ITV2 and streaming service ITVX.

Yum: Sharing other snaps from her trip with her 3.5M followers she cuddled up to a pal before enjoying a pizza

Late night: Maura captioned the snaps 'Parisian nights' while a host of her famous friends rushed to the comments section to gush over her incredible look

Now, Broadcast has claimed a date has been 'confirmed' for the civilian edition of the programme, which last aired on Channel 5 in 2018.

An ITV representative told MailOnline: 'It's too early to confirm scheduling at this point.'

A source told The Sun: 'Producers are determined to distance themselves from former Big Brother names but the former favourite, Mo Gilligan, is now busy in the States.

It's BACK! It comes after Maura's name has been mentioned as the new Big Brother host when it's set to return to TV in March 2023

'Now bosses are looking at female stars who have the strength to hold the show together, while also the warmth to gently quiz contestants in the way that Davina McCall and Emma Willis did so well.

'Maura is a homegrown ITV talent who has all that - plus of course looks great on screen.'

MailOnline has contacted Maura's representatives and ITV for comment.
Rings Of Power star Morfydd Clark looked nothing short of sensational as she graced the red carpet at the Bafta Cymru Awards in Cardiff on Sunday.

The actress, 33, who was raised in the city, slipped into a chic black gown for the St David's Hall event.

BAFTA Cymru is the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and honours work in front of and behind the camera.

Sensational: Rings Of Power star Morfydd Clark, 33, looked nothing short of sensational as she graced the red carpet at the Bafta Cymru Awards in Cardiff on Sunday

Morfydd's velvet frock featured a sculptured bodice as well as a princess skirt which she teamed with a pair of diamond earrings.

The stunner opted for a dewey make-up look complete with a slick of pillar box red lipstick.

Morfydd let her blonde tresses cascade down her back in a natural wave as she posed up a storm on the red carpet.

Posing up a storm: Morfydd's velvet frock featured a sculptured bodice as well as a princess skirt which she teamed with a pair of diamond earrings

Stunning: Morfydd's velvet frock featured a sculptured bodice as well as a princess skirt which she teamed with a pair of diamond earrings

Elsewhere new Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa, 29, who will take on the role of the famous Time Lord next year, cut a dapper figure in a navy and black suit.

He layered the jacket over a crisp white shirt the actor completed the look with a selection of gold jewellery.

It's A Sin's Callum Scott Howells also made an appearance and showcased his unique sense of style at the swanky ceremony.

Heels: The beauty added height to her slim frame with a pair of strappy gold heels

Beaming: The actress appeared in high spirits as he hit the red carpet

The Welsh actor donned a quirky ruched jacket which he wore with pinstripe trousers and a rope belt.

It comes after Jodie Whittaker's final farewell as Doctor Who's iconic Time Lord has been teased via the show's social media with a brand new trailer.

It was also revealed that the long-awaited episode, dubbed Power Of The Doctor, will be released on October 23rd - meaning fans will only have to wait a matter of weeks to watch the dramatic finale.

Stilts: The beauty added height to her slim frame with a pair of gold strappy heels

Gorgeous: Morfydd let her blonde tresses cascade down her back in a natural wave as she posed up a storm on the red carpet

Presenter: Later in the evening Morfydd took to the stage to present an award

The actress is set to bow out of the BBC sci-fi drama next month in the centenary special, after five years as the 13th, and first female Doctor.

Teasing the episode previously, Jodie explained to Empire Magazine: 'Its got all the iconic things that you associate with Doctor Who. Its massive.'

And speaking on her looming departure from the screen, she admitted: 'I cannot talk about it without crying. When I could see the crew was happy with that last shot, that's when my bottom lip started going.

Element: Morfydd appeared in her element as she posed for the cameras

Smart: Ncuti Gatwa (right) cut a dapper figure in a navy and black suit. (pictured with Callum Scott Howells)

Fashion forward: It's A Sin's Callum Scott Howells (right) also made an appearance and showcased his unique sense of style at the swanky ceremony

'I was like "Well, they can't say they need another take now because I've lost it!"' she jested.

'Welcome to the end of your existence': It comes after Jodie Whittaker 's final farewell as Doctor Who 's iconic Time Lord has been teased via the show's social media with a brand new trailer

Jodie's role will be taken over by Sex Education actor Ncuti Gatwa, as screenwriter Russell T. Davies also returns to the show.

Ncuti is set to be the first black doctor in the show's history, once again marking a milestone for the long running BBC series.

And during his run, the show will celebrate it's 60th anniversary in 2023 - which will see the return of the beloved 10th doctor, David Tennant, who will appear alongside Catherine Tate.
Eleanor Tomlinson wowed on Sunday as she hit the red carpet with her brother Ross at the Allelujah premiere during the London Film Festival.

The Poldark actress, 29, looked effortlessly chic in a long black velvet coat which she wore over a maxi dress.

The star boosted her height in a pair of black heels, while accessorising with dainty gold jewellery.

Beaming: Eleanor Tomlinson wowed on Sunday as she hit the red carpet with her brother Ross at the Allelujah premiere during the London Film Festival

Eleanor opted for a soft glam makeup look with a nude lip, while she wore her auburn locks in a blown out style.

Meanwhile her brother Ross dressed to impress in a teal velvet blazer and matching trousers, teamed with a t-shirt and slip-on shoes.

Also in attendance was Judi Dench who cut a youthful figure in a long black top and matching trousers, while accessorising with a gold scarf.

The actress, 87, stars in the new movie as Mary Moss, a retired librarian.

Stylish: The Poldark actress, 29, looked effortlessly chic in a long black velvet coat which she wore over a maxi dress

Beauty: The star boosted her height in a pair of black heels, while accessorising with dainty gold jewellery

Dashing: Meanwhile her brother Ross dressed to impress in a teal velvet blazer and matching trousers, teamed with a t-shirt and slip-on shoes

Allelujah is a warm and deeply moving story about old age - directed by Richard Eyre.

The threatened closure of a geriatric ward in a small Yorkshire hospital stirs an uprising from the local community, who invite a news crew to film preparations for a concert in honour of the hospitals most distinguished nurse.

Derek Jacobi and Russell Tovey also appear in the large ensemble cast of Richard Eyre's screen adaptation of the recent Alan Bennett play about the NHS, which premiered in Toronto.

Beaming: Judi and Jennifer Saunders appeared in great spirits as they hit the red carpet together

Chic: Judi cut a youthful figure in a long black top and matching trousers, while accessorising with a gold scarf

Character: The actress, 87, stars in the new movie as Mary Moss, a retired librarian

Stunning: Jesse Akele cut a chic figure in a red satin blazer and matching trousers, teamed with a pair of pink heels

Dashing: Andy Serkis dressed to impress in a black coat and trousers, teamed with a navy turtleneck

Eleanor previously appeared on the West Country drama Poldark as the flame-haired beauty Demelza, alongside Aidan Turner as the titular Captain.

Most recently, Eleanor starred in the BBC dark comedy The Offenders which was set in Bristol.

The show focused on seven strangers forced together to complete a community payback sentence.

In the show, Eleanor played Gabby, an 'aristocratic celebutante whose glamour and life of leisure masks deep-rooted problems'.

Happy: Heidi Thomas and Stephen McGann appeared in great spirits at the event
Emily Ratajkowski stepped out for a stroll with her one-year-old son Sylvester in New York City on Sunday.

The 31-year-old American model was joined by a friend and dressed casually in a long black leather coat over a green blouse as they enjoyed the beautiful fall weather.

Earlier this week the model wowed in a double denim ensemble as she attended Paris Fashion Week's Loewe show on Friday.

Doting mother: Emily Ratajkowski stepped out for a stroll with her son in New York City on Sunday

On Saturday, the supermodel told Sydney Confidential that the online world can be 'toxic' and present unattainable 'curated' ideals for women.

'Obviously, social media is incredibly toxic,' she said.

It comes after Emily opened up about the state of the Me Too movement in a new TikTok video that she shared to her 1.8 million followers on Friday.

The supermodel touched on how she believed the hasn't made any significant change in the world.

Earlier this week: Emily opened up in a new TikTok video expressing that she does not believe the Me Too movement has made any significant change in the world

The outspoken Vogue model has been rumored to have a new love interest after ending her four-year marriage to Sebastian Bear-McClard.

The siren has been romantically linked to 58-year-old movie star Brad Pitt.

PageSix claimed that the Bullet Train actor and the supermodel have been seeing each other but are not 'officially dating.'

According to People, the Oscar-winning actor and the model can't seem to get enough of each other.

Not a fan: On Saturday, the supermodel told Sydney Confidential that the online world can be 'toxic' and present unattainable 'curated' ideals for women

'They are spending a lot of time together,' the insider told the site.

The PageSix source shared, 'People have been speculating about this for a while. Brad is not dating anybody. They [Pitt and Ratajkowski] have been seen a couple times together.'

PageSix did not say what city the two have been spending time in, but she was in New York before she went to Italy for the Versace show last week. Pitt was in Paris at the same time.

Could this be real? Brad Pitt and Ratajkowski have reportedly been spending time together. The Bullet Train actor and the Versace supermodel have been seeing each other but are not 'officially dating'

However, it looks like Emily is not the only one, as the insider said that he has also 'been seen with other people' in recent months.

And then it was added that he is not really dating 'anyone in particular.'

In August OK magazine also claimed Pitt was getting close to Ratajkowski: 'He asked her out, and she said yes. She's always thought Brad was cute, and the way she saw it, what did she have to lose?'

Meanwhile, Pitt is divorced from Angelina Jolie but continues to defend himself against allegations of misconduct amid their turbulent public battle over the custody of their kids.
Dame Judi Dench was in good spirits as she posed alongside Jennifer Saunders at the European premiere of movie Allelujah during the 66th BFI London Film Festival at the Southbank Centre on Sunday.

The actress, 87, showcased her chic sense of style in all black attire as she draped an elaborately patterned black and gold scarf over her shoulder.

Fellow screen star Jennifer, 64, looked stylish in a black pinstripe suit, with the star wearing a long red and blue scarf to add a splash of colour to her look.

Star power: Dame Judi Dench, 87, and Jennifer Saunders, 64, posed at the European premiere of movie Allelujah during the 66th BFI London Film Festival at the Southbank Centre on Sunday

She accessorised with a gold chain necklace with a large statement cross hanging at her front.

Dame Judi plays the character of Mary Moss is the film while Jennifer portrays Sister Gilpin.

The screenplay is an adaptation of Alan Bennett's play of the same name which premiered at the Bridge Theatre in London in 2018.

In style: Dame Judi showcased her chic sense of style in all black attire as she draped an elaborately patterned black and gold scarf over her shoulder

Strike a pose: Dame Judi wore a black top with a plunging neckline to go with the rest of her attire

In the detail: The star wore a glitzy diamond necklace and smiled as she posed on the red carpet

Fashion focus: Fellow screen star Jennifer looked stylish in a black pinstripe suit, with the star wearing a long red and blue scarf to add a splash of colour to her look

The flick tells a warm and deeply moving story about old age, with the threat of the closure of a geriatric ward at a small Yorkshire hospital causes upset among locals, prompting them to take action.

They invite a local news crew to film the preparations for a concert which is being put on to honour a distinguished nurse at the hospital.

The cast includes Russel Tovey, David Bradley, Derek Jacobi, Bally Gill, Gerard Horan, Jessica Baglow and Eileen Davies, with the movie set for release in February next year.

Glitz: Jennifer accessorised with a gold chain necklace with a large statement cross hanging at her front while Dame Judi completed her look with a pair of black shoes

Born to perform: Dame Judi plays the character of Mary Moss is the film while Jennifer portrays Sister Gilpin

Cast: Dame Judi (right) is seen in character with co-star Bally Gill (left), director Sir Richard Eyre (second left) and Alan Bennet (second right), who wrote the play of the same name

In character: Jennifer is seen in her nurses uniform as Sister Giplin in the film, which is set for release in February

Dame Judi said her upcoming film Allelujah speaks to the 'debt we owe' NHS staff.

The veteran actress stars in the story about surviving old age alongside Absolutely Fabulous star Jennifer Saunders and Harry Potter's David Bradley.

Based on the stage play by Alan Bennett and written by Call The Midwife screenwriter Heidi Thomas, the film was directed by Sir Richard Eyre.

Arriving with Dame Judi the films director Sir Richard Eyre, 76, said: 'It's really important because the film is about old age, how we all look after old people, whether they be parents or grandparents, and how the country looks after the health of the National Health Service.'

Dame Judi added: 'And the debt we owe them (NHS staff) too for doing it.'

Background: The screenplay is an adaptation of Alan Bennett's play of the same name which premiered at the Bridge Theatre in London in 2018

Telling the tale: The flick tells a warm and deeply moving story about old age, with the threat of the closure of a geriatric ward at a small Yorkshire hospital causes upset among locals

Speaking about her reasons for becoming involved in the project, Dame Judi said: 'Richard was my reason. And Alan (Bennett)...there were a lot of friends in it which is always very nice, a great luxury when you're filming to have a few mates around.

'Being friends, being with somebody who you admire who you work with, having the luxury of all being together, you don't have to go through that process of getting to know somebody, we already knew each other so it was a great ease.'

Jennifer said: 'Richard Eyre asked me too and I had just done a play with him and he's an amazing director so I completely trusted that he knew what it was doing.

'It's got amazing names and Judi Dench is in it, I mean what's not to love.

'Especially after the years that we've just been through and it's always in the news, what about social care and the NHS and I don't think it's ever not relevant.'
Amy Childs looked effortlessly chic on Sunday as she attended a special screening of Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile in London.

The TOWIE star, 32, enjoyed spending some quality time with her family as she was joined by her boyfriend Billy Delbosq and her daughter Polly, four.

She showed off her sensational style in a beige blazer and a crisp white shirt, teamed with a pair of black leather trousers and boots.

Stunning: Amy Childs looked effortlessly chic on Sunday as she attended a special screening of Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile in London

Amy opted for a glam makeup look with a nude lip, while styling her short red locks poker straight.

Billy dressed to impress in a beige zip-up top, paired with black jeans and a pair of white trainers.

Polly looked adorable in a white coat with a fluffy hood as she cosied up to her mother Amy.

Several famous faces and their children attended the special screening of the kids film at Vue Leicester Square.

Family: The TOWIE star, 32, enjoyed spending some quality time with her family as she was joined by her boyfriend Billy Delbosq and her daughter Polly, four

Sweet: Polly looked adorable in a white coat with a fluffy hood as she cosied up to her mother Amy

Beaming: TikTok stars Connor Kern and Charlotte Cucurnia appeared in great spirits with their two children

Amy and Billy have been an item since October last year, just two months after the mother-of-two split from her ex-boyfriend Tim following 14-months together.

In a recent Instagram Q&A session, Amy  who is mum to Polly, four, and Ritchie Jr, two  said she would consider having children with Billy in the future.

'I always said I would like two and that's it, but since meeting Billy, I feel completely different - 100 per cent in the future,' she said.

Billy, who's the owner of Box Gym Fitness in Brentwood where Amy's now a regular visitor, starred on Channel 4 series First Dates in 2018, and admitted to looking for love in the 'wrong places' after repeatedly pursing 'Essex types.'

Happy: Cara De La Hoyde-Massey and Freddie-George were all smiles at the special screening

Family: Love Island's Jessica Hayes showcased her impeccable style in a white jumper as she posed with her new boyfriend and kids

Amy recently heart to heart with pal Harry Derbidge about her boyfriend Billy Delbosq in a MailOnline exclusive clip from The Only Way Is Essex.

The reality star opened up about her relationship, and the 'bond' between Billy and her daughter Polly.

She said: 'It's just so lovely because their relationship is so amazing and the bond they have together is just amazing.'

Looking good: Imogen Thomas posed beside her daughters Ariana and Siera who donned matching cream ensembles

Gorgeous: Milli Jo Mcloughlin and her sister Megan looked incredible at the star-studded event

Beaming: Nkateko Dinwiddy and her children were all smiles before the screening

Harry replies: 'Billy loves you so much, but he loves the kids just as much.'

Amy added: 'She looks at him like he's a dad figure and that's all I want.' An emotional Harry said: 'I'm so happy for you, like after all these years you've gone through these horrible men.'

Amy agreed, saying: 'The saying is so true, you have to kiss so many frogs.'
Jessica Chastain was the epitome of chic as she attend a screening of her new Netflix movie The Good Nurse in London on Sunday evening.

The Oscar winner, 45, appeared in high spirits as she joined her co-star Eddie Redmayne at the Ham Yard Hotel event.

Jessica plays the title character, in the true story, who hears some disturbing rumours about her co-worker who was dubbed the Angel of Death after his 2003 arrest.

Famous friends: Jessica Chastain, 45, was the epitome of chic as she joined her co-star Eddie Redmayne, 40, at a screening screening of their new Netflix movie The Good Nurse in London on Sunday evening

The actress looked gorgeous in a plunging cream waistcoat which offered a glimpse of her sheer black lingerie beneath.

She completed the look with a pair of smart black trousers and slipped her feet into matching pointed heels.

Jessica accentuated her natural beauty with a light dusting of make-up and styled her auburn tresses over one shoulder.

Pals: The duo appeared in high spirits at the swanky Ham Yard Hotel event

Gorgeous: The actress looked gorgeous in a plunging cream waistcoat which offered a glimpse of her sheer black lingerie beneath

Stunner: She completed the look with a pair of smart black trousers and slipped her feet into matching pointed heels

The Hollywood heavyweights took to the stage for a question and answer session following the movie's screening.

Eddie, 40, looked dapper in a graphic knitted sweater which he wore over a crisp white shirt.

Sweeping his brunette locks to one side the star wore dark trousers and matching patent dress shoes.

Beaming: The actress couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she was reunited with her co-stars

Q&A: The Hollywood heavyweights took to the stage for a question and answer session following the movie's screening (L to R) Wendy Ide, Tobias Lindholm, Eddie Redmayne, Jessica Chastain, Krysty Wilson-Cairns and Amy Loughren

True story: The thriller is adapted from the book of the 2013 book of the same name, which tells the haunting true story of Cullen, who is confirmed to have killed at least 29 people but is suspected of killing possibly upwards of 400 people, and how Chastain's character, a nurse named Amy Loughren, helped stop him

The thriller is adapted from the book of the 2013 book of the same name, which tells the haunting true story of Cullen, who is confirmed to have killed at least 29 people but is suspected of killing possibly upwards of 400 people, and how Chastain's character, a nurse named Amy Loughren, helped stop him.

The trailer opens with Amy waiting at a diner when the door opens and Charlie walks up to Amy's table as he asks, 'What's going on?'

'Just, you know, work's been pretty awful without you there. You and I were partners,' Amy asks, though Charlie says, 'I don't wanna talk about work.'

Character: Jessica plays the title character, who hears some disturbing rumours about her co-worker ( Eddie ) who was dubbed the Angel of Death after his 2003 arrest

Ravishing: Jessica accentuated her natural beauty with a light dusting of make-up and styled her auburn tresses over one shoulder

Dapper Dan: Eddie, 40, looked dapper in a graphic knitted sweater which he wore over a crisp white shirt

Smart: Sweeping his brunette locks to one side the star wore dark trousers and matching patent dress shoes

'Is it because... what they're saying is true?' a visibly nervous Amy asks Charlie, who opens his eyes and looks at Amy.

Later at work her character notices a chart and says, 'Oh my God, there's insulin in her system' as a Code Blue alert goes off and she races down the hall.

The officers visit Amy at home, revealing that Cullen has been to nine different hospitals, as Amy adds, 'No, the hospital would've done something.'

Amy meets with a fellow nurse, asking if she remembers working with Charlie and she says she does.

Real life: Jessica (right) cuddled up to the real Amy Loughren (left) who she portrays in the movie

Twins: The pair appeared to have struck up quite a friendship following the movie

Chinwag: The duo chatted with the audience intently about their powerful roles

Popcorn: The Good Nurse, directed by Tobias Lindholm (A War) from a script by Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Last Night in Soho), will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday before arriving in select cinemas October 19 and on Netflix October 26

'There was a rumour about him. They found insulin in a dead guy's saline bag,' which clearly alarms Amy.

She returns home one night to her girls, and is petrified to find Charlie there waiting for her, as one of the girls asks, 'Why are you being weird, mom?'

The trailer shows a number of dramatic shots with the other officer saying Charlie will just get a new job at another hospital and it's all gonna continue.

The trailer ends back where it began - in the diner - with a new wrinkle, revealing Amy is wired and the officers are listening in, as the trailer comes to an end.

The Good Nurse, directed by Tobias Lindholm (A War) from a script by Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Last Night in Soho), will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday before arriving in select cinemas October 19 and on Netflix October 26.

Thriller: The thriller is adapted from the book of the 2013 book of the same name, which tells the haunting true story of Cullen, who is confirmed to have killed at least 29 people
Rubber duck floats on Seokchon Lake in Songpa District, eastern Seoul, on Oct. 8. Courtesy of Lotte P&D



By Kim Jae-heun



Retailers are using popular corporate brand mascots to attract consumers, most of whom got used to shopping online for more than two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to industry officials Sunday.



Lotte, Shinsegae, Hyundai and others that operate large stores, are introducing various hands-on types of content using corporate brand mascots to increase sales and boost brand awareness.



Lotte Property & Development (Lotte R&D) brought back the popular giant yellow rubber duck to Seoul for the first time in eight years on Sept. 29.



When Lotte first introduced the super-sized inflatable bath toy in Korea in 2014, nearly 5 million people came to see the rubber duck during its month-long visit.



Over 700,000 people have already visited the rubber duck after its introduction on Sept. 29. The retailer is preparing to exhibit Halloween concept rubber ducks at its Lotte World Tower Mall for the first time.





Lotte Homeshopping's giant pink bear character Puuvilla is installed in front of Lotte World Tower in Seoul on April 4. Yonhap
Former Coronation Street star Chris Fountain says he lost the ability to speak and 'feared for his life' after suffering a mini-stroke two months ago.

The actor was admitted to Hackney's Homerton University Hospital following the incident in August, after which he was left speaking 'like a toddler.'

Fountain, 35, says he realised something was seriously wrong after waking to discover he could no longer articulate his speech, prompting the terrified star to dial 111 from his London home and request an ambulance.

Terrifying: Former Coronation Street star Chris Fountain says he lost the ability to speak and 'feared for his life' after suffering a mini-stroke two months ago

The actor - best known for his former role as Tommy Duckworth in Corrie - later discovered he'd suffered a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA), commonly referred to as a mini-stroke, as a consequence of blood clotting in his brain.

He told The Mirror: 'When the doctors confirmed Id had a TIA and said the word stroke, I just couldnt believe it, there was a moment of sheer panic just fearing what it meant for the rest of my life.

'Would I have another one? Would the next one be even worse and Id lose the use of my arms or legs? I was really scared and just broke down in tears.'

WHAT ARE WARNING SIGNS OF A MINI STROKE? A transient ischemic attack (or, TIA) involves a temporary lack of blood flow to the brain, which causes momentary dizziness, confusion, tingling, and numbness in the arms. You should call 999 if you suspect you are suffering a TIA. Symptoms include: vision changes

dysphasia (trouble speaking)

confusion

balance issues

tingling

an altered level of consciousness

dizziness

passing out

an abnormal sense of taste

an abnormal sense of smell

weakness or numbness on just one side of the body or face, determined by the location of the blood clot in the brain Advertisement

Fountain was eventually transferred to the The Royal London Hospital, where he underwent further tests over a five day period before being released into the care of his worried family.

He added: 'The doctors said they saw some damage to the left hand side of my brain which is where your cognitive abilities are controlled from.

'Whats scary is if I hadnt have called 111 when I did and got to hospital so quickly I dont know if that clot could have travelled to the wrong place in my brain, I could have died. That clot was like a ticking bomb in my head.'

Old times: The actor played Tommy Duckworth in Coronation Street, but was sacked by the soap in 2013 after videos of him rapping about rape emerged online

Doctors have since discovered the clot was triggered by a small, previously undetected hole in his heart allowing blood to flow into his brain - meaning he will need an operation to close it.

The actor is now working with a speech therapist and says his ability to speak has almost completely returned, but still struggles when required to read aloud.

But he insists he will use the experience positively and is now intent on 'living life to the max'.

He said: 'Going through something like this makes you realise just how fragile life is, it can really be snatched away from you at any moment.'

Interview: In May, Fountain spoke about the depression he suffered after being axed from Coronation Street while appearing on the Mancs On The Mic podcast with Ryan Thomas

In May, Fountain spoke about the depression he suffered after being axed from Coronation Street when a video of him using misogynistic slurs while rapping about women was posted online.

The actor was filmed rapping about rape in the clip, which he said left him with 'bleak' career prospects to this day.

Fountain discussed his difficulties with fellow Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas and his brothers Adam and Scott on their Mancs On The Mic podcast.

He said: 'I've been in some very dark, horrible places, to the point where I realised I needed to start changing the way that I was thinking  otherwise I might not have been here.

'My life, my job, my image, my reputation  everything was just ripped away. Within 24 hours. I didn't leave my house for four days.'

Difficulties: After leaving Coronation Street, Chris appeared on the show Girlfriends and has also acted in regional plays, but says his work prospects are still impacted by the video

He added: 'I'd never been this discombobulated before. I was meant to go on This Morning and then that got cancelled because they didn't want me on there. After a while, I was like, "I think I'm going through depression here."'

After leaving Coronation Street, Chris appeared on the show Girlfriends in 2018 and has also acted in regional plays, but says his work prospects are still impacted by the video.

He said: 'As much as I like to say everything's alright and everything's cool, work-wise at the moment, it's bleak.

'Am I not getting jobs because of that [the scandal], or am I not getting jobs because I'm not as good an actor as I once thought I was? I don't know if I'll ever find that answer.'

If you have questions about TIA or want to speak to someone, call the TIA Helpline on 0303 3033 100. If you have been affected by this story, call Samaritans at any time for free on 116 123.
Frozen Planet II

Rating: *****

Wreck

Rating: **

Wildlife presenter Ray Mears dismisses panoramic nature documentaries as wallpaper. If thats his idea of drab home decor, he must live in a house with a solid gold fridge and silk tapestries underfoot instead of carpets.

The 58-year-old survival expert told an audience at Henley literary festival that he is bored by the endless coffee table shots of gannets diving into the sea.

Personally, Id rather listen to Sir David Attenborough describe actual wallpaper than watch Ray on one of his Boy Scout nature treks.

Its nonsense to suggest that the spectacular ultra-high-definition video sequences in Frozen Planet II (BBC1) are just pretty pictures. The photography is so vivid, and the filming techniques are so sophisticated, that every segment reveals new behaviour  animal secrets that naturalists might never uncover by watching through binoculars in the wild, the Ray Mears way.

Wildlife presenter Ray Mears dismisses panoramic nature documentaries as wallpaper. If thats his idea of drab home decor, he must live in a house with a solid gold fridge and silk tapestries underfoot instead of carpets

Only a combination of camera teams on the ground and zoom lenses suspended from helicopters could track a grizzly bear hunting caribou calves on the Russian tundra, as we saw in one dramatic and brutal sequence.

The caribou herd struggled across a fast-flowing river before the bear moved in to pick off an exhausted youngster. Theres nothing cuddly about a hungry Big Ted  the kill was merciless. If Ray Mears thinks that is wallpaper, I dont want him decorating my spare bedroom.

The drama of a wolf pack sending a herd of bison into a panic and working as a team to bring one down was equally mesmerising, and even more gory.

Video images are now so detailed that we could see the blood on individual hairs around one wolfs muzzle as she howled to summon the rest of her pack to the feast, in the vastness of Wood Buffalo national park in Canada.

Its nonsense to suggest that the spectacular ultra-high-definition video sequences in Frozen Planet II (BBC1) are just pretty pictures

Were the first generation of viewers to have such a close-up experience of wolves hunting and feeding in the icy wilds  unless you count a few unlucky Klondike gold prospectors who got even closer, when they were eaten.

Other marvels included footage from motion-sensitive camera traps in the Siberian forest, showing tigers and Amur leopards. By overlaying the films, Frozen Planet II was able to prove for the first time that these big cats, both close to extinction, use the same paths . . . even seeming to walk in each others pawprints.

None of this could be seen by a TV presenter squatting in a hide. It takes a considerable effort, bringing together dozens of the worlds most experienced wildlife film-makers, and sending them on missions that can last years.

Of course, many of the pictures are also astonishingly beautiful. Thats because the remotest parts of the world still are. We ought to be thankful to see them. How anyone who professes to love nature can find that boring is beyond me.

The teens aboard the gargantuan cruise ship Sacramentum are heading to distant places in Wreck (BBC3), though plenty of them wont live to bring back pictures. This camp horror thriller is a bit confused about its identity. Most of the time, it wants to be a soap mystery, with lots of partying and romances among the young crew.

Now and then, it becomes a fluffier Blair Witch Project, with a serial killer in a fancy-dress duck costume stalking the cabins.

And at odd moments, it turns supernatural, as the ghost of drowned entertainer Pippa (Jodie Tyack) materialises to stare at her brother Jamie (Oscar Kennedy) as he tries to find out the truth about how she died.

The result is a tangle of comedy, snogging and gore. A second series is already in production, though, so perhaps it gets better.

Sugar hit of the weekend: Jo Brand insisted on pronouncing Fruit Pastille to rhyme with Bastille, in The Secret World Of . . . Sweets (C4). Everyone else, even the scientist who tested the recipe, said pastel. Maybe Jo is more of a Jelly Tots woman.
Queen Ifrica has rebuked Sean Paul and Stonebwoy for re-affirming comments on Sunday, that Reggae and Dancehall belongs to Africans and not Jamaica, and that Jamaicans are all Africans due to the slave trade.

According to the Rastafarian Reggae/Dancehall singjay, both Sean Paul and Stonebwoy ought to not only educate themselves about the history of people of African descent in Jamaica, but refrain from making utterances aimed at disregarding Jamaica as the origin of the genres.

Sean Paul an Stonebwoy. Stonebwoy an Sean Paul. Reggae music, Dancehall music, is indigenous to Jamaica. With no apologies to no one pan di face a di earth. Reggae and Dancehall music is indigenous to Jamaica like Apple Valle is to Apple; Jamaicas Africas Apple Valley, the Yad to the East artist said.

I dont know what big rush this is to stramp out Jamaica an everything weh Jamaica represent even for Africa. But I think you guys are ahead a yuhselves, what you think you know about Jamaica, she added.

In furthering her rebuke of the two men, Ifrica zoned in on Stonebwoys erroneous comments that Jamaicans are all Africans by virtue of the slave trade, reminding him that there were black people living on the island, who were not slaves, prior to the beginning of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in 1526.

Stonebwoy, I have always loved you as an artiste, but you need to know your history a likkle betta babes. Reggae music was born out of Jamaica. And, Jamaica is not a slave island; Jamaica was not created out of slavery. Slavery was added to Jamaica by unscrupulous Africans who linked up with the colonial slave trade to sell their brothers and sisters. There were free black people living in Jamaica before slavery, she stated.

We all are black and we all come from Africa, as black people but Reggae music and Dancehall music come from Jamaica. And Jamaica was not a slave plantation; slavery was added to Jamaica. We need to get wi story togedda as black people and dont fight amongst ourselves about our truth, but research and know about our truth for real as a people, she scolded.

Added Ifrica: So yes, we can agree that all black people come from Africa, but we must agree especially Africa  if you know anything about the Apartheid war, and anything about Zimbabwe. We must agree that Jamaica has a lot of firsts. There is a lot of firsts that happen in Jamaica, and Reggae music is one of those firsts. Reggae music helped Africa to be as independent as Africa is today.

Contrary to Stonebwoys and Sean Pauls claims, the official repository for Jamaican history, the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT), records, show that West Africans were living on the island as far back as 1513 from the Iberian Peninsula, long before the Trans-Atlantic slave trade began.

These Africans had arrived with the Spanish and the Portuguese and were cowboys, herders of cattle, pigs and horses, servants, as well as hunters. When the English invaded Jamaica in 1655, many of them fought with the Spanish and then fled to the mountains resisting the British for many years to maintain their freedom, and became known as Maroons.

On YouTube, where Ifricas video was shared, many up-in-arms Jamaicans voiced their support for her comments, pointing out that Sean Paul had no authority to speak about matters concerning Africa and Africans as he is not black.

Sean Paul will say anything to protect his pocket inno. Second Sean you not African in any way or black Jamaican so jog on. You have no talk here, SN An said, while another added: Sean Paul cyaan chat fi wi stay outta Africans business.

In an Instagram live last Sunday, Sean Paul had rushed to Stonebwoys defense after the Ghananian declared that Reggae doesnt belong to any Caribbean society from its core and that it belongs to Africans.

Paul, in an Instagram Live session on Sunday with Stonebwoy, had blamed the media which he accused of misrepresenting the Ghanaian, whom he said, always pays homage to Jamaica.

In an interview with the Nigerian publication TheCable Lifestyle, Stonebwoy had been asked whether he had a viewpoint on the argument posited by many people that Reggae is not an African thing.

It doesnt belong to any Caribbean society from its core. It belongs to Africans and we are enjoying it in diverse ways, Stonebwoy had said.

During their Instagram Live, Sean Paul went on to tell Stonebwoy that he was not wrong in making the comments, because Reggae uses African drums in its beats, and African sounds is what we use to build our music.

But I am here to just set the record straight: what you said is nothing wrong to me in terms of it is African, he said.




By Kim Jae-heun







LG Electronics is stepping up its guide robot business expansion overseas by supplying those products to Japan's largest shopping mall, Aeon, the Korean company said Sunday.







The multinational electronics company recently supplied two "LG CLOi GuideBot" to an Aeon store in Toki, Gifu Prefecture. Last month, it also sold guide robots to Aeon mall at Narita International Airport.







Japan is a representative industrial robot powerhouse along with the United States and Germany. The autonomous robot market has grown rapidly with the recent increase in demand for contactless services and many newcomers in the business are competing fiercely to introduce their products. LG Electronics' consecutive supply of its guide robots to Japan shows its product is well-recognized in the global market for its capabilities.







"The company is expanding its supply of CLOi GuideBot optimized for contactless services, not only in Korea, but also abroad. We will provide new experiences with robots and their value to our customers both in and outside of the country," a LG Electronics official said.







LG Electronics started its overseas business with autonomous robots in May, when it began supplying the CLOi GuideBot to large discount stores and restaurants in the United States and Japan. It also started pilot operations of a quarantine-customized robot called CLOi UV-C at a hospital in Karatsu, Japan.







LG CLOi GuideBot has a variety of functions prioritizing customers' safety. Its artificial intelligence-based autonomous driving system allows the machine to travel indoors by avoiding obstacles and providing necessary information to visitors. The robot's sensors attached on the top and bottom of its body change its travel route when encountering people in a building.







The machine also supports multilingual guidance in English, Japanese and Chinese based on its natural language-processing technology that converts human voices to its own language.


A large quantity of ganja and liquor were seized from different parts of Kerala on Sunday morning by the police . (Representational image: PTI)

Palakkad/Kottayam/Thrissur: A large quantity of ganja and liquor were seized from different parts of Kerala on Sunday morning by the police in the wake of massive 'No to Drugs' campaign launched by the state government recently.

A team from Thalayolaparambu police station in Kottayam district arrested two persons early in the morning allegedly with a huge quantity of ganja, an officer of the police station said.

As the accused were yet to be presented before the court, exact details of the drug haul and where it was being brought from was not shared by the officer.

In a separate incident, two men were arrested from Chalakudy in Thrissur district by police for allegedly trying to smuggle 185 bottles of liquor into the state from Mahe, a senior police officer said.

The arrest was made based on a tip-off received by the police, the officer said, adding that it was all part of the statewide anti-drug campaign.

Besides these two, a private bus driver and cleaner were arrested from Walayar toll plaza in Palakkad district by the Excise department in the morning for possessing hashish oil and ganja.

There were passengers on board the bus, which was coming from Bengaluru, at the time of the arrest, the excise officer said.

The officer said 2.4 ml of hashish oil and 20 grams of ganja were recovered from the duo and since it was a miniscule quantity, the offense was bailable.

He said that the duo claimed that the drugs were meant for their personal use.

On Saturday night, a team of Kasaragod police arrested a man and woman from Hosangady in Manjeshwaram area of ??the northern Kerala district and allegedly recovered 21 grams of MDMA and Rs 10,850 from them, police said on Sunday.

The arrests were made based on a tip-off received by Kasaragod District Police Chief Vaibhav Saxena, police said and claimed that a huge sale of intoxicants was being carried out from flats in Hosangady.

The drug bust was part of Operation Clean Kasaragod, police said.

The man hailed from Manjeshwaram, while the woman is a native of Thane city in Maharashtra, police added.
The Election Commission on Saturday barred the Shiv Sena factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde from using the party name and its election symbol in the Andheri East assembly bypoll. (PTI)

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Saturday barred the Shiv Sena factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde from using the party name and its election symbol in the Andheri East assembly bypoll.

In an interim order over the claims by the rival factions for control of the organisation, the commission asked them to suggest by Monday three different name choices and also as many free symbols for allocation to their respective groups.

The interim order came on Saturday on the Shinde faction's request seeking it be allocated the symbol as the Andheri East assembly bypoll is approaching.

"The Commission is duty bound to ensure that all electoral steps of the bye election are free of any confusion and contradiction and thus its next step are necessarily agnostic to the possibility of either of the faction participating in the poll, the interim order said.

The rival factions had approached the Commission after the split in the Shiv Sena ranks in June, claiming to be the 'real Shiv Sena'.

The Commission had earlier asked the rival groups to submit documentary proof on legislative and organisational support by August 8 to back their claims.

The deadline was extended to October 7 after the request of the Thackeray faction.

On October 4, the Shinde faction had moved the Election Commission seeking the allocation of the bow and arrow poll symbol in view of the Andheri East assembly by-election that was notified on Friday.

The Thackeray faction had submitted its response to the claim on Saturday and had sought four more weeks to carefully understand the documentation submitted by the rival faction.

The Commission said the interim order was necessary to address the statutory spaces generated by the schedule of bye-elections notified on October 3.

Accordingly, in order to place both the rival groups on an even keel and to protect their rights and interests, and going by precedence, the Commission said neither of the two groups be permitted to use the name of the party Shiv Sena.

"Neither of the two groups shall also be permitted to use the symbol 'Bow & Arrow' reserved for 'Shivsena'," the order read.

"Both the groups shall be known by such names as they may choose for their respective groups, including, if they so desire, linkage with their parent party 'Shivsena'," it said.

"Both the groups shall also be allotted such different symbols as they may choose from the list of free symbols notified by the Election Commission for the purposes of the current bye-elections," the order read.

The Commission has directed both the groups to furnish, latest by 1:00 PM on October 10, choices of names and symbols for their groups which may be allotted to them.

The EC said the interim order will continue and "till the final determination of the dispute". The last date for filing nominations for the November 3 bypoll is October 14.

The fresh claim to the 'bow and arrow' election symbol by the Shinde faction is seen as an attempt to deny its use by the Thackeray group which has decided to field Rutuja Latke, the widow of MLA Ramesh Latke, for the bypoll.

The BJP, an ally of the Shinde faction, has decided to field Murji Patel, a corporator in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, for the bypoll necessitated due to the death of Ramesh Latke.

The Congress and the NCP have decided to support the candidate of the Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, their coalition partner in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

The interim order was issued after the Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar net this afternoon.

Shinde had raised a banner of revolt against Thackeray, accusing him of entering into an "unnatural alliance" with the Congress and NCP. Over 40 of the Shiv Sena's 55 MLAs had supported Shinde, forcing the resignation of Thackeray from the post of Maharashtra Chief Minister.

Twelve of the 18 Lok Sabha members of the Shiv Sena also came out in support of Shinde, who later claimed to be the leader of the original Shiv Sena.

The Andheri East bypoll is the first after Shinde and the BJP unseated the MVA government in June, and is considered by political analysts as a precursor to settling of claims by Shinde and Thackeray to be the "real Shiv Sena".
Hyderabad: The Muslim community uses family planning tool, condom the most in order to maintain a gap between two children, AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi has claimed.

He was responding to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's recent population imbalance remark.

In his address at a public meeting here, Owaisi said Bhagwat will not mention this, and he should keep data before discussing population growths.

Muslims population is not increasing. Don't have any tension on that. Our population is declining... Muslims' children TFR (total fertility rate) is declining. You know who is maintaining more spacing between two children? Muslims are maintaining. Who is using condoms the most? This is to inform you that we are using. Mohan Bhagwat will not talk about it, Owaisi said.

Bhagwat on October 5 said India should have a population policy prepared after comprehensive thought and be applicable to all communities equally.

At the RSS Dussehra rally at the Reshimbagh Ground in Nagpur, Bhagwat had said community-based population imbalance is an important subject and should not be ignored. Population imbalances lead to changes in geographical boundaries.

I am informing the truth. ( Bhagwat says) Population is increasing.. Where is it increasing Bhagwat saab? You keep data and speak, The Hyderabad MP further said.

On Gujarat police reportedly flogging some Muslims in public view for their alleged involvement in stone pelting at a Navratri Garba venue , Owaisi said they were beaten while the spectators were enjoying it.

They are being beaten on roads with lathis. Is it Indian democracy? Is it Indian secularism? Is it rule of law? There is respect for a roadside dog. But a Muslim is not respected, Owaisi said.

He said the accused should have been dealt with as per law.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah inspects the parade during a special programme for the presentation prestigious Presidents Colours to the Assam Police, in Guwahati, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (PTI)

Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday exuded confidence that AFSPA will soon be revoked from entire Assam, as improved law and order and peace accords with militant outfits has already led to its partial withdrawal in the state.

Shah, after presenting the President's Colour to the Assam Police here, said in his address that due to the efforts of the Centre and Chief Minister Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, most of the militant outfits have entered into peace agreements and the day is not far when the entire state will be completely free from insurgency and violence.

The Armed Forces Special Powers Act has been revoked from 23 districts, and partially from one district. I am confident that it will be completely withdrawn from the entire state soon, he said.

The home minister said those who have surrendered and returned to the mainstream are being rehabilitated by both the central and state governments.

The Assam Police has a glorious history and has successfully tackled insurgency, border issues, smuggling of arms, drugs and cattle, rhino poaching and social issues like witchcraft to emerge as one of the foremost police forces of the country, Shah said.

It rightly deserves to be honoured with the President's Colour, he added.

Earlier in the day, Shah, who is on a two-day visit to the northeastern state, awarded the Assam Police with the President's Colour in the presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta at the 'Alankaran Parade' ceremony here.

The flag is engraved with Assam's map and 36 stars representing the districts of the state, a one-horned rhino and the insignia of Assam Police with its motto.

Assam is the 10th state in the country to receive the President's Colour, the highest honour given to any military or police unit in recognition of exceptional service rendered to the nation, both in peace and war.

Shah also planted a sapling here on Tuesday morning, marking the first year of the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam government.

The home minister will also addressing a public rally here later in the day on the occasion of the completion of the state government's first year.
City police commissioner C.V. Anand addresses Muslim religious heads and police officers on the preparations and security arrangements for Sundays Milad-un-Nabi procession in the city on Saturday. (DC Image)

HYDERABAD: The city police on Saturday began implementing several measures to ensure that the Milad-un-Nabi procession scheduled for Sunday, after starting late on Saturday night, passes off peacefully.

City police chief C.V. Anand held a coordination meeting with prominent Muslim clerics and senior police officers to elicit their opinions on security and traffic related arrangements.

Anand urged the clerics and elders to persuade youngsters to commute safely and observe the rules during the processions, and appealed to them to uphold the citys famed Ganga-Jamuna tehzeeb.

Referring to the infighting amongst small groups, which is causing disquiet and issues for law and order, the commissioner urged them not to react quickly to issues.

Warning trouble makers, he said that misuse of social media platforms to instigate or hurt the sentiments of other communities will be strictly dealt with and organisers will be held responsible if anything goes wrong.

Anand apprised them of the security measures and traffic diversion arrangements being made and the force deployment.

Muslim clerics Syed Ahmed Ul Hussaini Sayeed Qadri, president of Khadri International, Rasheed Abdul Razzak, general secretary, several religious heads and senior police officers from law and order and Special Branch were present.

Community members applauded the arrangements being done by the state government and the city police.
Junior doctors demanded an active committee to investigate into the lapses and suggest changes (Representational image/DC)

HYDERABAD: Junior doctors at Osmania General Hospital (OGH) boycotted all services except emergency duties on Saturday, seeking security for doctors after a deceased patient's attendant slapped a doctor on Wednesday.

Junior doctors assembled at the hospital and raised slogans stating their demands. They then held a meeting with Afzalgunj police officials as well as with senior officers.

The officers assured them that GO 103, which stipulates 164 personnel from the TS Special Protection Force (TSSPF) deployed at government hospitals to prevent incidents of this nature, would be implemented. Until then, four Afzalgunj constables would be deployed at the hospital. Post the meeting, the doctors decided to resume work. The GO was issued in 2019 but no TSSPF personnel have been deployed until now.

The Osmania Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA) has written a letter to health minister T Harish Rao over the issue. The letter mentioned Wednesdays incident, and stated: The incident is just one of many dangers that the Covid Warriors face on a daily basis in government hospitals. In the face of such gross disregard for our safety, we hereby boycott all elective duties except emergency.

The doctors have demanded the immediate posting of TSSPF personnel as per GO 103 at the OGH. They demanded that strict action be taken against those responsible for the lapse of security at the OGH, which enabled a patients attendant to assault a doctor.

They also demanded an active committee to investigate into the lapses and suggest changes that can be implemented in the current system for better security of all doctors working in government hospitals.

One of the junior doctors said incidents where doctors are physically attacked by attendants of patients affects them severely and causes doctors to always work in fear.
Mumbai: Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction on Tuesday predicted that the Eknath Shinde-led group will remain in power only for the next six months. The Thackeray faction said that Shinde won the trust vote in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly with a "stolen majority".

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde with the support of BJPs 106 MLAs on Monday sailed through a trust vote.

An editorial in Shiv Senas mouthpiece 'Saamana' on Tuesday said that there is nothing to celebrate or feel disappointed over Shindes victory in the Legislative Assembly. The editorial said that Shinde broke away for power and not for any principal.

Accusing Shinde and BJP of not following any ethics, the editorial said, After winning the floor test, those who are thinking that this government is not in danger zone for the next six months, are living in illusion. BJP people (leaders) will bring down this government as predetermined and push Maharashtra into midterm elections.

The Saamana editorial also expressed surprise over the absence of NCP MLAs and senior Congress leaders Ashok Chavan and Vijay Wadettiwar. Some MLAs of Congress, NCP were absent at the time of the floor test. It is surprising that senior ministers like Ashok Chavan, Vijay Wadettiwar could not reach the Assembly. Fadnavis has thanked the invisible forces that made the floor test successful, the editorial said.

Taking a dig at Santosh Bangar, an MLA from Hingoli in Marathwada region, for shifting his loyalty to Shinde camp on the eve of the floor test, the editorial said that he was supporting Uddhav Thackeray till the election of the Speaker but nobody knows what happened in 24 hours that he switched to Shinde camp.

Thackeray said that he was hurt to see some members ditching the party despite getting benefits and will visit Hingoli soon.

A meeting of district Shiv Sena leaders was held at the government guest house in Hingoli on Tuesday where Thackeray spoke to party workers over the phone.
Hyderabad: Pressing his demand that the income-tax department and the Election Commission investigate the collection of large amounts of money during the TRS Guabi Coolie campaign of 2017, PCC chief A. Revanth Reddy demanded that the Election Commission put on hold the registration of the Bharat Rashtra Samiti till that is done.

Speaking to media persons at Gandhi Bhavan, he cited the High Courts directive of 2019 to the Election Commission of India to probe the matter in which a huge amount of party funds was raised through Gulabi Coolie which never accounted for.

The details of these funds are yet to be disclosed, and this violates EC norms. The EC has asked the I-T department to investigate the matter, but is yet to receive the report. Once the TRS becomes BRS, the case becomes infructuous, Revanth Reddy argued.

While emphasising that the BJP despite having a chance to nail Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao was engaged in merely levelling allegations, Revanth Reddy dared the partys state leadership to make a strong case for action in New Delhi.

Despite all the hard facts to make a strong case, the BJP leadership particularly in the state is engaging itself in a street brawl with the TRS. The balance sheet of how much funds through Gulabi Coolie the TRS has raised is yet to be submitted to the EC. If it is not the secret pact between the BJP and the TRS, then what is it? The BJP is trying to create a similar situation like in West Bengal, where it has become the principal opposition by creating a civil war-like situation. It was the brainchild of Prashant Kishor then and now, the TPCC chief said.

Alleging that Congress leaders phones were being tapped, he said that the TRS leaders after sensing that the partys registration would be cancelled following investigation into misuse of funds had decided to change the partys name. After consulting with everyone including legal experts they have decided to change the name. But Congress shall fight it out till inquiry is completed and the TRSs registration is cancelled, he affirmed.

Ridiculing minister K.T. Rama Raos statement that the Congress was becoming weaker, Revanth Reddy predicted that TRS unit in the Rajya Sabha would merge with the BJP. Four out of seven MPs are ready, if another joins them the TRS party in Rajya Sabha will merge with the BJP, he added.
Samsung Electronics' semiconductor plant in Xi'an, China. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics



Gov't says latest US move will have limited impact on Korean chip makers



By Kim Hyun-bin



Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are on high alert over the Biden administration's latest move to restrict the exports of U.S. semiconductor equipment and high-powered chips to China to curb the rise of the world's second-largest economy in high-tech industries, according to industry officials Sunday.



The Korean government said the measures will have no immediate impact on Korean chipmakers operating in China, saying non-Chinese companies can still secure American equipment and parts by receiving permits from the U.S. government. Samsung and SK said they will closely work with the government to deal with the latest U.S. export ban.



On Saturday, the U.S. Department of Commerce slapped a set of restrictions aiming to cut China off from high-powered semiconductors used in artificial intelligence and supercomputers, and chip equipment, in a bid to cripple Beijing's access to critical technologies that are needed for everything from supercomputing to guided weapons.



Logic chips using so-called nonplanar transistors made with 16-nanometer technology or anything more advanced are restricted along with 18-nanometer dynamic random access memory chips and Nand-style flash memory chips with 128 layers or more.



The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said the U.S. measures will have a limited impact on the domestic industry.



"Korea and the U.S. have conducted close consultations through various channels, including export control authorities and diplomatic channels," the trade ministry said in a press release, Saturday. "There is no domestic production of advanced computing chips subject to export restrictions, so there will be no short-term impact."



SK hynix Chongqing semiconductor package & test factory in Chongqing, China. / Courtesy of SK hynix
Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has taken responsibility of Lankalapalli village in Marriguda mandal as one of the party's election incharges

HYDERABAD: TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is preparing to write personal letters to approximately 3.95 lakh beneficiaries of the TRS government's welfare schemes in Munugode Assembly constituency, seeking their support for the party in the November 3 bypoll.

Rao has taken responsibility of Lankalapalli village in Marriguda mandal as one of the party's election incharges as part of the bypoll strategy to appoint ministers and party MLAs to oversee for every village and mandal. Chandrashekar Rao has deputed TRS leaders from his home constituency Gajwel to work for the party's victory.

Rao assured local leaders that he will soon address a public meeting in the constituency. Party sources said that Rao's public meeting is being planned in Chandur either on October 29 or 30 ahead of polling on November 3.

Rao will send personal letters to beneficiaries of Aasara pensions, crop loan waiver, Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima, Kalyana Lakshmi/Shaadi Mubarak, KCR Kits, sheep distribution, dairy units, Dalit Bandhu, paddy procurement, interest-free loans, and the CM Relief Fund, among other schemes.

The party has identified 3,34,994 beneficiaries in Munugode Assembly constituency who have received benefits totalling Rs. 10,260 crore since TRS came to power in 2014. According to party sources, the CM's letters are being printed, in which the CM will list the welfare schemes implemented by the TRS government since 2014, as well as how much each household has benefited from these schemes.

The CM will seek votes on the implementation of welfare schemes and development programmes, while also emphasising that the TRS government did not exclude any section from benefiting from welfare schemes, including poorer sections in forward castes (economically backward classes).

The write way
Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray during their Dussehra rally at Dadar, in Mumbai. (PTI Photo)

Mumbai: The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena on Saturday termed the Election Commission's order barring both the Thackeray and Eknath Shinde factions from using the party name and election symbol in the coming Andheri East Assembly bypoll as "injustice".

The group led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on the other hand, termed the EC order appropriate.

The poll body should have holistically taken a decision rather than passing an interim decision for the bypoll, said Ambadas Danve, Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council, a Thackeray loyalist.

"This is injustice," he told PTI.

Shiv Sena leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday lashed out at the rebel Sena leaders after the EC order.

"Khokewale" traitors committed this shameless and vile act of freezing the name Shiv Sena and symbol", he tweeted, adding that the people of Maharashtra would not tolerate it.

"We will fight and win. We are on the side of the truth. Satyamev Jayate!" he said in the Marathi tweet.

On his Instagram page, Aaditya posted Harivansh Rai Bachchan's famous poem "Agnipath.

Aaditya and other leaders of the Uddhav Thackeray faction have been accusing the rebels led by CM Shinde of committing treachery for the lure of "khoke" or boxes of cash.

The November 3 bypoll to the Andheri East constituency in suburban Mumbai is the first electoral test for the Thackeray group after the split in the party in June this year, leading to the fall of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government.

Interestingly, the upcoming contest is between the Thackeray-led faction and BJP. The Shinde group is not contesting.

The EC asked both groups to suggest by Monday three name choices for their groups, and also as many free symbols.

Chandrakant Khaire, former MP and another leader from the Thackeray camp, attacked the rival faction led by Shinde and said whoever has done this cannot undo the "sin" they have committed.

Prataprao Jadhav, an MP from the Shinde camp, said the EC has taken the right decision.

Uddhav Thackeray discarded the ideology of Sena founder Bal Thackeray and formed an alliance with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party, he said.

The interim order came on Saturday on the Shinde faction's request seeking it be allocated the symbol as the Andheri East assembly bypoll is approaching.

"The Commission is duty bound to ensure that all electoral steps of the bye-election are free of any confusion and contradiction and thus its next step are necessarily agnostic to the possibility of either of the faction participating in the poll," the interim order said.

The rival factions had approached the Commission after the split in the Shiv Sena ranks in June, claiming to be the 'real Shiv Sena'.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), an ally of the Shinde faction, has decided to field Murji Patel, a corporator in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, for the bypoll necessitated due to the death of incumbent Sena MLA Ramesh Latke.

The Congress and the NCP have decided to support the late Latke's wife Rujuta Latke, the candidate of the Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, their coalition partner in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
Vijayawada: Land deals concluded by the kin of senior YSRC leader and Rajya Sabha member V. Vijayasai Reddy in Visakhapatnam, including the purchase of six acres belonging to the management of GITAM educational institutions at a throwaway price a few months after the state government launched a drive against its encroachments, have put the party in tight spot.

Avyaan Realtors LLP, owned by the MPs daughter and son-in-law, is already under the scanner for funding a company that entered into a development agreement with the owners of the contentious Dasapalla lands.

In another transaction, Avyaan purchased at least 85,000 square yards (about 17 acres) in the proposed core capital region near the Bhogapuram international airport site in the last one year, puncturing Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddys powerfully articulated insider trading charges against arch political rival N. Chandrababu Naidu and associates regarding the Amaravati capital. The company also went on to own the GITAM land.



The YSR Congress, if it is inevitable, may take the stand in public that the land was purchased much after the Chief Minister announced Visakhapatnam as the executive capital, unlike the TD dispensation whose leaders first purchased land in Amaravati and later declared it as the capital.

Despite this, party sources said, the leadership is miffed over the land deals as it would provide ammunition to the Opposition and put the YSRC in the same basket as its predecessor.



Documentary evidence available with Deccan Chronicle showed that Techno Infratech Projects of M. Bharadwaj, son of Laxman Rao, and secretary of GITAM, sold 1,452 sq. yds in Sy No. 1523/A/B at just around the government fixed value for Rs 1.2 crore to Avyaan. In another transaction, 23,570 sq. yds in Sy No. 32, 33 and 34 was sold, again at the government fixed value, for Rs 18.8 crore.

The average value of the land as per government value is around Rs 7,500 per sq. yd while the price in the open market is at least three to four times more. Bharadwaj's cousin M. Bharat, who is chairman of GITAM, had contested as the TD candidate for the Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha seat in 2019.



What makes the deal interesting is that it was concluded a few months after the Jagan government demolished the GITAM compound wall and issued proceedings declaring that the local revenue authorities had taken possession of government land encroached by GITAM, said P. Murthy Yadav, Jana Sena corporator. He sought to know if the government had been soft-peddling on the issue after the land transaction with Avyaan.



A few days ago, Murthy at a press conference alleged that Avyaan had transferred Rs 9.75 crore to Assure Estate Developers LLP, owned by former IRS officer Umesh, towards stamp duty to be paid to the government for registering the development agreement for Dasapalla lands.

Successive governments have claimed ownership of the Dasapalla lands but delayed their legal fight resulting in the Supreme Court confirming the ownership of Rani Kamala Devi. Most of the land owners with whom Assure entered into development agreements are closely associated with Vijaysai Reddys Pragati Bharat Foundation, alleged Murthy.



Maintaining that the government had no option but to clear Dasapalla lands in view of the Supreme Court order, Vijayasai Reddy defended the subsequent deals stating that it was for the private owners to decide on putting their land to use in whichever way they want.

He did not deny Avyaan's involvement in the development project. His statement revealed that of the 83 acres of Dasapalla lands only 12 acres were vacant and Assure would develop these 12 acres.

Meanwhile senior Congress leader Manickam Tagore, party MP and Telangana unit incharge, said in a tweet that Vijayasai Reddys land deals deserved another CBI probe. We know you are looting (the) AP government, he said.
A judge in Brazil has barred the campaign of leftist presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from running an ad linking incumbent Jair Bolsonaro to cannibalism.

That ruling in the bizarre case comes as tensions mount, with a high-stakes second-round vote to pick Brazil's next president just three weeks away.

The Lula campaign spot was "out of context," Judge Paulo de Tarso Sanseverino of the Superior Electoral Tribunal said in a ruling Saturday.

The ad uses a video from 2016 when the far-right president, then a deputy, described for a New York Times interviewer what he said was a cannibalistic ritual practiced by the indigenous Yanomami community in northern Roraima state.

"They cook it for two or three days and they eat it with bananas," he said in an extract that went viral on Brazilian social networks.

"I wanted to see the Indian get cooked. And then they tell me: 'If you see it, you have to eat it.' I eat it!"

An off-camera narrator in the campaign ad then says: "After all the absurdities Brazil has heard from Bolsonaro, here's another, even more horrifying: he reveals that he would eat human flesh. Brazil can no longer put up with Bolsonaro."

Judge Sanseverino said the interview had been edited to change its original meaning, "suggesting that the candidate could accept the possibility of consuming human flesh in any circumstance."

A Yanomami leader, Junior Hekurari, has categorically denied that his culture practices cannibalistic rituals.

Lula himself on Saturday defended the ad.

"It wasn't the Lula campaign that said this, it was he who said it, to an American journalist," said Lula, Brazil's president from 2003 to 2010. "We're just informing the people."

Tension between the two camps has been building as the second-round vote, on October 30, approaches.

Bolsonaro told reporters Friday that Lula was a "drunkard" who wanted to lead Brazil with his "gang of incompetents."

The latest Datafolha survey, published Friday, puts Lula in the lead, by 53 per cent to 47 per cent.
China's ambassador to the United States has thanked billionaire Elon Musk for proposing a special administration zone for Taiwan but stressed Beijing's call for "peaceful reunification and 'one country, two systems'" for the island.

Days after floating a possible deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine that drew condemnation in Ukraine, Musk suggested that tensions between China and Taiwan could be resolved by handing over some control of Taiwan to Beijing.

"My recommendation . . . would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, probably won't make everyone happy," Musk told the Financial Times in an interview published on Friday.

Musk was responding to a question about China, where his Tesla electric car company operates a large factory.

Beijing, which claims Taiwan as one of its provinces, has long vowed to bring Taiwan under its control and has not ruled out the use of force to do so. Democratically ruled Taiwan's government strongly objects to China's sovereignty claims and says only the island's 23 million people can decide its future.

In tweets posted on Saturday, Chinese ambassador to the United States Qin Gang wrote: "I would like to thank @elonmusk for his call for peace across the Taiwan Strait and his idea about establishing a special administrative zone for Taiwan."

"Actually, Peaceful reunification and One Country, Two Systems are our basic principles for resolving the Taiwan question ... and the best approach to realizing national reunification," he added.

I would like to thank @elonmusk for his call for peace across the Taiwan Strait and his idea about establishing a special administrative zone for Taiwan. Actually, Peaceful reunification and One Country, Two Systems are our basic principles for resolving the Taiwan question... https://t.co/KYH1Gsu3Um  Qin Gang  (@AmbQinGang) October 8, 2022

"Provided that China's sovereignty, security and development interests are guaranteed, after reunification Taiwan will enjoy a high degree of autonomy as a special administrative region, and a vast space for development," the ambassador wrote.

China has offered Taiwan a "one country, two systems" model of autonomy similar to what Hong Kong has, but that has been rejected by all mainstream political parties in Taiwan and has no public support, especially after Beijing imposed a tough National Security Law in the city in 2020.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry declined to comment on Musk's comments on Saturday.
India and Taiwan should finalise the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) at the earliest as it will remove all barriers to trade and investment and help create a secure and resilient supply chain, Taipei's de-facto Ambassador Baushuan Ger said.

The envoy said Taiwan is willing to share its expertise with India in critical sectors such as semiconductors, 5G, information security and artificial intelligence, and that his country can be an "excellent" partner in New Delhi's quest for becoming a hub for manufacturing of cutting-edge electronics.

"The signing of the FTA will further remove all trade and investment barriers and lead to a jump in bilateral trade and investment," he told PTI.

"In addition, it will help attract Taiwan companies to invest in India to establish production bases, sell India-made products to the world, and help India transform into a global manufacturing centre," Ger said.

Also Read | Taiwan signals its chip firms will follow new US export rules on China

His comments came amid escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait following China's military build-up in the region in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the self-ruled island of more than 23 million people in August. China considers Taiwan as its breakaway province.

"To build on the momentum of increasing bilateral investment and trade collaboration, it is high time that Taiwan and India consider signing an FTA at the earliest possible in order to create a secure and resilient supply chain and more value-added platforms for long-term cooperation," Ger said.

The Taiwanese envoy said given the changing international political and economic dynamics, there is an opportunity for India to play a more important role in the supply chain "realignment".

Taiwan is a leading producer of semiconductors globally and at least a couple of Taiwanese companies have shown interest in India's production-linked incentives (PLIs) scheme worth Rs 76,000 crore for the electronics sector.

India is looking at manufacturing semiconductors in the face of a global shortage in view of their increasing demands in modern electronic devices such as smartphones and cars.

India does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but both sides have trade and people-to-people relations.

Following the eastern Ladakh border row with China, some experts in India have been pushing for upgrading New Delhi's ties with Taipei, especially in the trade and investment sectors.

The de-facto ambassador said Taiwan has comprehensive supply chains and ecosystems in the manufacturing sectors, including semiconductors, and noted that a deeper trade collaboration would be beneficial to both sides.

Last year, the two sides set up four groups with a focus on setting up of a semiconductor hub, training manpower for the industry, to explore a bilateral investment pact and a free trade agreement.

"Since the US-China trade conflicts, Taiwanese companies have shown flexibility while acting in line with the government's 'New Southbound Policy'. Specifically, many have relocated their production bases back to Taiwan or to Southeast Asian countries," Ger said.

"The sectors involved include high-end servers, ICT equipment, smart transportation, panels, and automated production lines, etc," he added.

Unveiled in 2016, the New Southbound Policy is aimed at expanding political, economic, and people-to-people linkages with democratic countries, including India.

Ger said Taiwan has advantages in semiconductors and electronics manufacturing, including US-recognised 5G, clean network technology as well as AI, information security and smart cities technology.

He said Taiwan could be an "excellent" partner for India's high-tech supply chain and product development.

"Other areas of potential cooperation include machine tools, photovoltaics, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. We are looking forward to strengthening cooperation with India in these areas for mutual benefits," he said.

The envoy said India has been actively attracting foreign investment and made every effort to optimise the investment environment with favourable incentives.

"Therefore, specific examples show that Taiwanese major mobile phone manufacturers such as Wistron, Foxconn and Pegatron have successfully moved their production lines to India with the support of India's Production-linked Incentive (PLI)," he said.

He emphasised that both sides can focus on specific areas and bring together related stakeholders, including public and private sectors, academia and think tanks to encourage and strengthen the resilience, security and stability of supply chains for each other.

Ger said Taiwan has been actively pursuing FTA with like-minded trading partners. "Taiwan's 'New Southbound Policy and India's Act East initiative are instrumental in deepening our bilateral engagement," he said.

"With an increasing domestic labour shortage, Taiwan is looking for a manufacturing partner. India has an abundant talent pool and will make a perfect partner for Taiwan," the envoy said.

He further added that as the world's 22nd-largest economy in terms of GDP and a major semiconductor manufacturer, Taiwan plays a key role in the global supply chains.

The envoy said as a defender of democracy, Taiwan is working to support the rules-based international order.

Though India and Taiwan do not have formal diplomatic ties, the bilateral trade relations have been on an upswing.

In 1995, New Delhi set up India-Taipei Association (ITA) in Taipei to promote interactions between the two sides and to facilitate business, tourism and cultural exchanges.

India-Taipei Association has also been authorised to provide all consular and passport services.

In the same year, Taiwan too established the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in Delhi.

The volume of bilateral trade has grown nearly six-fold from $1.19 billion in 2001 to almost $7.05 billion in 2018 and India ranks as Taiwan's 14th largest export destination and 18th largest source of imports, according to official data.

By end of 2018, around 106 Taiwanese companies were operating in India, with the total investment amounting to $1.5 billion in the fields of information and communication technology, medical devices, automobile components, electronics, construction, engineering and financial services.
Even the Congress did not ban the Shiv Sena during emergency, but the BJP and the Shinde group are trying to finish the party now, Uddhav Thackeray said during his 25-minute long online address.

The Shiv Sena is going through a political crisis, as the Election Commission (EC) on Saturday froze the party symbol and name.

Thackeray appealed to Shiv Sainiks to be prepared for the elections. He lashed out at the BJP and Maharashtra Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde during his address.

While referring to the Shinde faction as the "Mindhe-group," he said the BJP has used the Mindhe-group to split the Shiv Sena. "The BJP has used Shinde for its benefit. However, the EC has now frozen the party's name and symbol. The Mindhe group should soon realise that their utility is over and they will be dumped by BJP, he said.

"The ECs ruling to freeze the party name (Shiv Sena) and a symbol (bow and arrow) is an injustice. However, I am not broken. I have the self-confidence to weather the present crisis and use it to rejuvenate the party organisation," he added.
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The weekend is here and it's time to get on to the trailer bandwagon. The Top Gear Trio is back in a new avatar and so is John Wick! Time to hit play and catch some of the coolest trailers of the week.

The Grand Tour

Your favourite Top Gear trio is back in one of the grandest auto shows ever! Catch Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May as they set out on an adventure of a lifetime with supercars, tanks and a whole lot of motoring! Grand Tour is set to release on November 18 only on Amazon Prime.



Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Official Trailer 2

JK Rowlings latest fantastical adventure comes to life this November and we have a second trailer to get a glimpse of whats in store. Heres a magical insight into New Yorks secret community of witches and wizards, way before Harry Potter even existed!

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Your favourite Captain Jack Sparrow is back for another adventure and in search for the trident of Poseidon. Starring Johnny Depp, Kaya Scodelario and re-welcoming Orlando Bloom, Dead Men Tell No Tales is one to watch out for.

Dr Strange: A trailer that also makes sense in reverse

Marvel recently Tweeted out a teaser trailer of the upcoming Dr Strange movie starring none other than Benedict Cumberbatch. Yes, the trailer does suggest that the movie will reveal the infinity stone, but whats even cooler about this trailer is that it can also be viewed in reverse. See both the trailers back-to-back below

Marvels Version

,,pu no pudx pu M so plo  o ou no u no,, pic.twitter.com/ZJOP7Vue0L  Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) October 5, 2016

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Official

The movie picks up immediately after the events in Resident Evil: Retribution, humanity is on its last legs in Washington D.C. As the only survivor of what was meant to be humanity's final stand against the undead hordes, Alice (Milla Jovovich) must return to where the nightmare began.



War for the Planet of the Apes Official Viral Video

Starring Judy Greer, Woody Harrelson, and Andy Serkis, War for the Planet of the Apes is the third chapter of the blockbuster franchise. Caesar is back as his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans. A war is brewing and its coming soon to a theater near you!

John Wick 2 (Keanu Reeves) - Teaser

We cant be more excited to see the dapper Keanu Reeves suit up for a second time and return to the silver screen in another action-packed saga. Yes, John Wick 2 is real and heres a sneak peek into what will hit cinemas on 10 February, 2017.

Dishonored 2 - Daring Escapes Gameplay Trailer

When sticking around to fight isnt the right response to a situation, sometimes you need to have a quick (and stylish) exit strategy. Daring Escapes video highlights some new elements of Dishonored 2s robust powers system. Game releases November 11 on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Rise of The Tomb Raider : 20 Year Celebration Launch Trailer

Available starting October 11 on the PS4, this is a new trailer by Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix for the Rise of The Tomb Raider : 20 Year Celebration

Mafia 3 - New Bordeaux Gameplay Trailer # 5

Finally, with Intense gun fights, visceral hand-to-hand combat, white knuckle driving and street smarts, Mafia 3 releases today on the PS4, Xbox One and PC. Heres a new gameplay trailer you should catch before you start playing the game.
The ad-free search engine Neeva, founded by ex-SVP of Google Ads, Sridhar Ramaswamy, is now operational in Europe. Initially, the user-first platform was launched in the United States last year, and since then, it has gathered over 600,000 monthly users. The search engines Europe expansion follows a $40 million funding round from investors like Sequoia Capital, Greylock Ventures and more.

How does Neeva plan to compete with Google?

Per the press release on Business Wire, Neeva was launched in Europe on October 6, 2022, to rival popular search engines by offering honest search results, no tracking, and with absolutely no advertisements of affiliate links. Given that Google already dominates more than 90% of the search engine market, it is evident that Neeva has an uphill task competing with the search giant. The ad-free search engine states that the ad-supported internet has created vastly misaligned incentives that have made big technology monopolies and advertisers richer while exploiting the privacy and personal data of users.

Neeva claims that it offers lightning-fast results with high levels of accuracy, eliminating the sponsored content prevalent on other search engines like Google. Currently, Neeva offers a freemium model to European users, releasing its private, ad-free services in the region.

When the search engine gets decent traffic, it plans to release its premium subscription with features such as VPN and password manager.

Neeva also allows users to synchronise apps like email, Dropbox, Slack and more so that users can easily search across their documents without compromising their privacy.

Whats Neeva primary advantage over other search engines?

The primary advantage of using Neeva seems to be the anonymous browsing ability and an ad-free experience. The search engine says that it creates its search stack by crawling, indexing and getting back results from billions of web pages. Further, it does that without annoying ads that push down the organic search results on platforms like Google. For those who are catching up, search engines use a lot of trackers to monitor the digital behaviour and habits of a user. They then uses this information to show personalised or targeted ads, which result in revenue generation for the stakeholders.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in.
A view of burnt tanks on a damaged part of the Crimean Bridge connecting Russian mainland and Crimean peninsula over the Kerch Strait, near Kerch, Crimea, Saturday, Oct. 8. AP-Yonhap



An explosion Saturday caused the partial collapse of a bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia, damaging an important supply artery for the Kremlin's faltering war effort in southern Ukraine and hitting a towering symbol of Russian power in the region.



Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, which killed three people. The speaker of the Russian-backed regional parliament in Crimea accused Ukraine, but Moscow didn't apportion blame. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly threatened to strike the bridge and some lauded the destruction on Saturday, but Kyiv stopped short of claiming responsibility.



The explosion, which Russian authorities said was caused by a truck bomb, risked a sharp escalation in Russia's eight-month war, with some Russian lawmakers calling for President Vladimir Putin to declare a ''counterterrorism operation,'' shedding the term ''special military operation'' that had downplayed the scope of fighting to ordinary Russians.



Putin signed a decree late Saturday tightening security for the bridge and for energy infrastructure between Crimea and Russia, and put Russia's federal security service, the FSB, in charge of the effort.



Hours after the explosion, Russia's Defense Ministry announced that air force chief Gen. Sergei Surovikin would now command all Russian troops in Ukraine. Surovikin, who this summer was placed in charge of troops in southern Ukraine, had led Russian forces in Syria and was accused of overseeing a bombardment that destroyed much of Aleppo.



Moscow, however, continues to suffer battlefield losses.



On Saturday, a Kremlin-backed official in Ukraine's Kherson region announced a partial evacuation of civilians from the southern province, one of four illegally annexed by Moscow last week. Kirill Stremousov told Russia's state-run RIA Novosti agency that young children, their parents and the elderly could be relocated to two southern Russian regions because Kherson was getting ''ready for a difficult period.''



The 19-kilometer (12-mile) Kerch Bridge, on a strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, is a symbol of Moscow's claims on Crimea and an essential link to the peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The $3.6 billion bridge, the longest in Europe, is vital to sustaining Russia's military operations in southern Ukraine. Putin himself presided over the bridge's opening in 2018.



The attack on it ''will have a further sapping effort on Russian morale, (and) will give an extra boost to Ukraine's,'' said James Nixey of Chatham House, a think tank in London. ''Conceivably the Russians can rebuild it, but they can't defend it while losing a war.''



Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a video address, indirectly acknowledged the bridge attack but did not address its cause.



''Today was a good and mostly sunny day on the territory of our state,'' he said. ''Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea. Although it was also warm.''



Zelenskyy said Ukraine wants a future ''without occupiers. Throughout our territory, in particular in Crimea.''



Zelenskyy also said Ukrainian forces advanced or held the line in the east and south, but acknowledged ''very, very difficult, very tough fighting'' around the city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russian forces have claimed recent gains.



Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee said a truck bomb caused seven railway cars carrying fuel to catch fire, resulting in the ''partial collapse of two sections of the bridge.'' A man and a woman riding in a vehicle on the bridge were killed, Russia's Investigative Committee said. It didn't say who the third victim was.



All vehicles crossing the bridge are supposed to undergo state-of-the-art checks for explosives. The truck that exploded was owned by a resident of the Krasnodar region in southern Russia, the Russian Investigative Committee said, adding the man's home was searched and experts were looking at the truck's route.



Train and automobile traffic over the bridge was temporarily suspended. Automobile traffic resumed Saturday afternoon on one of the two links that remained intact, with the flow alternating in each direction, said Crimea's Russia-backed leader, Sergey Aksyonov.









Rail traffic was resuming slowly. Two passenger trains left the Crimean cities of Sevastopol and Simferopol and headed toward the bridge Saturday evening. Passenger ferry links between Crimea and the Russian mainland were being relaunched Sunday.



While Russia seized areas north of Crimea early during its invasion of Ukraine and built a land corridor to it along the Sea of Azov, Ukraine is pressing a counteroffensive to reclaim that territory.



The Russian Defense Ministry said its troops in the south were receiving necessary supplies through that corridor and by sea. Russia's Energy Ministry said Crimea has enough fuel for 15 days.



Russian war bloggers responded to the bridge attack with fury, urging Moscow to retaliate by striking Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. Putin ordered the creation of a government panel to deal with the emergency.





In this file photo taken on March 14, 2018 Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, inspects the road section of the road-and-rail Crimean Bridge over the Kerch Strait. AFP-Yonhap
On October 7, 2022, the Reserve Bank Of India released a detailed concept note that puts forward the objectives, choices, benefits and risks related to legalising the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). Indias digital currency will be referred to as e or digital Rupee. It comes as a critical development in developing a digital version of the Indian currency. While you might come across several rumours or misinformation about the e, here is everything you should know.

What is Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) or e?

The concept note defined CBDC or e as new variants of central bank money different from physical cash or central bank reserve/settlement accounts. When the central bank releases CBDC, it will be considered equivalent to the physical sovereign currency. It should be accepted as a payment medium on par with legal tender.

Additionally, the citizens will be allowed to store value in the form of the CBDC. The paper issued by RBI also mentions that the e will be freely convertible against cash, considered a fungible legal tender and will lower the cost of issuance of money.

Why is the government making efforts to release a digital currency?

The Indian central banks are facing a problem with the lesser usage of paper currency. Further, several countries are restricting the physical movement of cash, promoting digital modes of payments that are faster and more convenient. Last but not least, the central bank seeks to meet the publics need for digital currencies, which is currently represented in privately managed virtual currencies, better known as cryptocurrencies.

Overall, the e will be a centralised virtual form of the Indian currency. Quoting the concept note, the e system will bolster Indias digital economy, enhance financial inclusion, and make the monetary and payments systems more efficient. In retrospect, India already has affordable, accessible and convenient digital payment systems in place, and they could be tweaked to support e.

RBI proposes to release two types of e for retail and commercial purposes

At the moment, the central banks seem to have a consensus about releasing two types of e based on the usage and the purpose. These include CBDC-R for retail which could be available for everyone in the private sector, non-financial consumers and businesses. In contrast, the CDBC-W could be available for financial institutions.

Indian financial institutions are also figuring out the best way to issue and manage the digital currency, whether CBDCs should bear interest and if they should be account-based or token-based. However, it is essential to remember that while RBI has just published a concept note about the Indian digital currency - the digital currency itself has not been released yet.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in.
The key details about Oppo Reno 9 has surfaced online via Chinese microblogging website Weibo (thanks to Digital Chat Station). Well, even some pictures of its retail package have appeared. However while the images don't reveal much, the source has also leaked some specifications of the upcoming smartphone. So, lets have a look at what we know about the upcoming Reno smartphone.

Oppo Reno 9 series may ship without a charger in the box

As seen in an image shared by Digital Chat Station, the Oppo Reno 9 seems to come in a rectangular box, which is white in colour. On the box, we can see Reno's branding and the moniker '9' printed towards the bottom right corner. Although the images do not reveal anything about the smartphone's design, the slim box indicates that the smartphone could come without a charger in the box; however, it's just a conjecture at the moment. The image only reveals the front side of the device's retail box, hiding any details that could be present on the backside.

Oppo Reno 9 leaked specifications

In the past, the rumour mill has also churned out information related to the Oppo Reno 9 series' specifications. Although there could be multiple smartphones in the series, they are expected to feature the MediaTek Dimensity 8000 or the Snapdragon 778G chipsets. Most likely, the vanilla Reno 9 could run on the less powerful yet capable Snapdragon 778G and the Reno 9 Pro may rely upon the Dimensity 8000 chipset. The Oppo Reno 9 Series could also be the first smartphones to comply to the Universal Fast Charging Specifications (UFSC).

The Reno 9 is also expected to ship with a 64MP primary camera, while the Reno 9 Pro could come with a 50MP Sony IMX766 sensor. Additionally, Oppo may equip both smartphones with an AMOLED panel, possibly with a higher refresh rate on the Pro model. Last but not least, leaks also mention that either of the smartphones could come with a 5,000 mAh battery. Finally, the devices could launch in India later this month or earlier next month.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in.
After Apple and Google, its Samsungs premium lineup of devices, the S series time to get the yearly refresh. The Galaxy S23 series of devices have been leaked months before the launch. While Samsung hasnt announced the devices officially, leaks suggest that the devices could be launched in the month of February of next year.

In the latest leak shared by Ross Young, the CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (which has been deleted since), the upcoming Galaxy S23 series will arrive in at least four colour options. According to him, the S23 series will launch in Beige, Black, Green and Light Pink colours. Now lets take a detailed look at the specifications of the upcoming devices from Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy S23 series specifications (Expected)

The S23 Plus could come with a 6.6-inch while the regular S23 will likely come with a smaller 6.1-inch display. Both the displays will likely come with Full HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Both devices are said to pack the anticipated Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC.

In terms of optics, the phones could sport a triple-camera setup on the back. The phones are likely to sport a 50MP primary camera, along with a 12MP ultrawide camera and a 10MP telephoto camera. On the front camera, both devices could come with a 12MP camera.

As for the higher-end S23 Ultra, it could reportedly come with a 6.8-inch 120Hz QHD+ AMOLED display. The phone could have a boxy design, and there will even be an S Pen slot. Like the regular S23 and S23 Plus, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC could power the devices. In terms of battery and charging, the device could pack a 5000mAh battery with support for 25W fast charging.

In terms of optics, the phone is likely to feature a quad-camera setup with a 200MP primary camera sensor along with a 12MP ultrawide camera, a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and a 10MP telephoto camera with 10x optical zoom.

Thats so far whats rumored and expected from the upcoming Samsung flagships.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in.
Micheal Martin has met those who were injured in a devastating explosion at a service station in Co Donegal.

During his visit to Letterkenny University Hospital on Sunday morning, which lasted over an hour and a half, the Taoiseach met with the medical team who were on duty on the day of the blast in Creeslough.

Some of the hospital staff are understood to have known some of the victims of the blast.

The Taoiseach also met members of the hospitals mortuary team in the aftermath of the harrowing incident that claimed the lives of 10 people, including a five-year-old girl.

The remains of the deceased are at the hospital in Letterkenny, where post-mortem examinations will continue over the coming days.

Mr Martin also met with chief fire officer Joseph McTaggart and other members of Letterkenny fire station, who were among the first responders to the site on Friday afternoon.

Garda said that first responders arrived to a confused scene in the aftermath of the explosion at the villages main shop.

It was a very confused scene and there was a lot of debris, there were traumatised people already at the scene, Garda Superintendent Liam Geraghty said.

Our colleagues will be provided with counselling services to deal with tragic circumstances.

Tributes have been paid to the emergency services who responded to the scene, as well as the cross-community response to the blast, which Gardai are currently treating as a tragic accident.

Accompanying Mr Martin were Agriculture Minister and Donegal TD Charlie McConalogue and Tanaiste Leo Varadkar.
Here is what we know about the incident in the Co Donegal village of Creeslough which resulted in the deaths of 10 people.

 Creeslough

The village is located in northern Donegal on the north-west tip of the island of Ireland, along the scenic Wild Atlantic Way.

It is a popular spot for holiday-makers, and the area is a particular favourite with people from across the border in Northern Ireland.

With a population of around 400, the people of Creeslough form a close-knit rural community.

 The explosion

Said to be heard from miles around, the explosion took place at about 3.20pm on Friday in a complex that includes residential Gardai have not detailed exactly where they think the blast originated.

 The response

An Garda Siochana, has been assisted by emergency responders from across the county of Donegal, as well as Northern Ireland.

Dozens of rescue workers tried to locate people as part of a search and recovery operation.

Tractors transported rubble away and sniffer dogs were used to scour the rubble.

At one point on Friday night, all machinery was turned off and onlookers were asked to remain silent as rescue workers attempted to detect survivors beneath the debris.

On Saturday evening, police said the search operation had ended.

 The victims

The 10 people killed were named by police on Sunday as 48-year-old James OFlaherty, 24-year-old Jessica Gallagher, 49-year-old Martin McGill, 39-year-old Catherine ODonnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan, 59-year-old Hugh Kelly, 49-year-old Martina Martin, 50-year-old Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe, and 14-year-old Leona Harper.

 The casualties

Gardai said a man in his 20s remains in a critical condition in St Jamess Hospital in Dublin following Fridays blast.

Seven other surviving casualties continue to receive treatment in Letterkenny University Hospital and remain in a stable condition.

 The reaction

Taoiseach Micheal Martin, who visited the site of the explosion on Saturday evening, said the entire nation is mourning following the tragedy.

President Michael D Higgins said: This tragedy is a terrible blow to a community that is closely knit and where every loss and injury will be felt by every member of the community and far beyond.

The Pope sent a blessing to all the people of Ireland.

A statement sent by his representative to Bishop of Raphoe Alan McGuckian read: His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the loss of life and destruction caused by the explosion in Creeslough and he expresses his spiritual closeness to all those suffering in the aftermath of this tragedy.

 The investigation

Gardai said on Sunday that they continue to investigate all the circumstances into the cause of the fatal explosion.

The investigation is being co-ordinated from an incident room at Milford garda station.

The Garda Technical Bureau, with assistance from other agencies, will continue to examine the scene, which remains cordoned off.

Police said these examinations are likely to continue over the coming days, and traffic diversions on the N56 at the scene of the incident remain in place.

On Saturday, Superintendent David Kelly of Milford garda station said: At this point in time, we have to keep an open mind in how we investigate this but our information at this point in time is pointing towards a tragic accident.

That said, being a garda I have to take a holistic and overall viewpoint, but thats where we are going at the moment.

We are following certain investigative angles but for operational reasons, I am not going in to that.

 The impact on the community

Garda Superintendent Liam Geraghty told reporters on Sunday the tragedy will have a huge impact to a small rural community.

He said: They are all local people. They are all very much involved in the community. They were all people who were shopping in their local shop.

We have very, very young children. The schools are going to be impacted, the GAA clubs are going to be impacted, the local church, in general the community is going to be severely impacted by this incident.

But it is a very strong community as was seen here on Friday afternoon with the response of families, friends and neighbours who came to peoples rescue.

So I am sure the community will come together and will support each other.




Hong Kong could damage its reputation as a financial hub if it gives haven to sanctions dodgers, the United States cautioned Saturday, after the city said it would not act against a superyacht reportedly owned by a Kremlin ally.







The Nord  a US. $500 million, 142-metre (466-foot) luxury vessel linked to Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov  arrived in the Chinese territory's waters this week.







Mordashov is among the oligarchs who are close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and have been targeted by Western sanctions following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.







Some of them have had their luxury yachts seized in places such as Spain and Fiji, but Hong Kong said Friday that while it implements U.N. sanctions, it cannot enforce those imposed "unilaterally" by countries or blocs.







"The possible use of Hong Kong as a safe haven by individuals evading sanctions from multiple jurisdictions further calls into question the transparency of the business environment," a U.S. State Department spokesperson told AFP in response.







"Hong Kong's reputation as a financial center depends on adherence to international laws and standards."







Yachts owned by those close to Putin have become targets for Ukraine's Western allies, who are hunting for the assets of sanctioned figures as they seek to punish Moscow for the Ukraine invasion.







In March, Italy seized the Lady M, a yacht belonging to Mordashov, citing European Union sanctions.







China has conspicuously not condemned the invasion of Ukraine, and said it has a "no-limits" relationship with Russia.







A spokesperson for Mordashov told Bloomberg News this week that the billionaire was in Moscow and declined to comment on the yacht's movements.







The Nord  which boasts two helipads, a cinema and more than a dozen luxury cabins  switched its flag from the Cayman Islands to Russia in June.







It was anchored in the eastern Russian port of Vladivostok before making its way to Hong Kong. (AFP)










Brendan Gleeson caused havoc in the Saturday Night Live studio in a new promotional clip, ahead of his hosting duties on the popular US comedy programme.

The Irish actor reveals the real me as he skateboards around the set, writing graffiti and being chased by a security guard in the online skit.

Gleeson will make his hosting debut on October 8 and be joined by Willow, daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, who will make her debut as musical guest.

Im Brendan Gleeson, most people know me as an actor, but the real me is a skater, he says in the clip.

Brendan Gleeson came here to do two things: host SNL and shred pic.twitter.com/vUMkXHycTL  Saturday Night Live  SNL (@nbcsnl) October 5, 2022

Shots follow of the skateboarding menace shredding it around the studio and doing tricks, while making fun of copper Molly Kearney  one of SNLs new cast members.

Gleesons appearance as host comes ahead of the release of his upcoming film The Banshees of Inisherin, which sees him reunited with Colin Farrell.

The black comedy-drama is written and directed by Martin McDonagh, who directed the pair in both In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths

Gleesons SNL episode airs on Saturday at 4.30am UK time on NBC and Peacock.
AONTAS, Irelands national adult learning organisation, has received the 2022 International Adult and Continuing Education (IACE) Hall of Fame award. It is the first time the award, presented by the IACE Hall of Fame based in the University of Oklahoma, has been won by an organisation. Newly appointed CEO of AONTAS, Dearbhail Lawless, and her predecessor, Dr Niamh OReilly, accepted the award in a special presentation at the ASEM Lifelong Learning Conference in Cork.

On receiving the award, AONTAS urged adults across Ireland to consider their options to return to learning with the support and information available through their One Step Up Service. AONTAS support adults of all ages and backgrounds in Louth, and across Ireland, to return to learning. The organisations induction to the IACE Hall of Fame acknowledges AONTAS as a global leader in the adult and continuing education sector.

Accepting the award, Dearbhail Lawless paid tribute to the tireless work of her colleagues in adult education across Ireland and to her predecessor Niamh OReilly, who also received an individual award for her contribution to the adult education sector.

Ms Lawless said: AONTAS believes that all adults deserve the right to quality lifelong learning opportunities that are both empowering and transformative. Having worked closely with our former CEO Niamh OReilly, I am delighted to see her great work in the sector recognised today as well. She has been an incredible advocate and changemaker for adult learners in Louth, and across Ireland and along with my colleagues in AONTAS, we are continuing to carry on that important work and raising the voices of people returning to education.

Dr OReilly said: We are so honoured to receive this award and it is a testament not just to our work in AONTAS, but to the work of every single partner organisation we work with across Ireland to support people in their local communities. Often, those who work in adult education arent solely tutors or teachers, they are pillars of support for individuals embarking on something new and possibly very challenging. Their impact has an incredible domino effect for wider society.

One Step Up service

Ms Lawless also pointed to AONTAS One Step Up information service, website and freephone helpline which helps thousands of adults to return to learning each year. She said: Returning to education can be a daunting step, especially for those who have only negative experiences of school or who have been out of formal education for a long time.

Whatever the reason someone wants to return to education  whether it is to get a qualification or to help them get a new job, to help their kids with their homework, to make friends or to learn something new  AONTAS can support learners in Louth to find the right path. Thats when everything changed for the better

Adult learner Kayla Dibble left school before completing her Leaving Certificate after being diagnosed with a rare neurological condition. Kayla says that at the time, she thought the Leaving Cert was her only route into third level education: I had gone from being a straight A or B student to missing multiple days from school due to medical appointments and managing my symptoms  there were days when migraines or vertigo meant I couldnt even sit up in bed and the condition effected my eyesight.

I had fallen so far behind with the work that it became a vicious, exhausting cycle trying to catch up. It all became too much and it became clear to me and my parents that I simply wouldnt be able to sit the Leaving Cert as Id hoped.

Kayla took a year away from her studies to focus on her health, before enrolling with a distance learning college to attempt the Leaving Cert from home. This came with its own challenges and Kaylas parents suggested another option: My parents both had experience of the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme and even though I knew how much they had gained from it, I couldnt see it as a viable option for me but by God was I wrong! I attended an open day in VTOS Roscommon and thats when everything changed for the better.

With the support and advice of staff at the VTOS in Roscommon, Kayla undertook courses at Levels 4 and 5, and gained work experience at a local newspaper, easing back into education while managing her condition. She has since started a Digital Marketing degree at TUS Athlone. Kayla said: This wouldnt have been possible without VTOS Roscommon.

The One Step Up website www.onstepup.ie and free phone helpline, 1800-303-669, provided by AONTAS is available to all adult learners looking to return to education.
The Irish Governments announcement that the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) has received the status of protected wild animal under the Wildlife Act has been praised by Loughs Agency.

Basking sharks have been frequently sighted in both Loughs Agency catchments - in Lough Foyle off the coast of Donegal, as well as in Carlingford Lough.

Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, made the declaration on Monday.

The Irish Basking Shark Group (IBSG) was among the organisations responsible for pushing the new regulations through.

The groups Save our Shark campaign proved to be a remarkable success, with over 12,000 members of the public signing an online petition.

The basking shark has been classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Natures red list of globally threatened species, with its status changing from vulnerable to endangered globally in 2019.

Basking sharks are now protected from hunting, injury and wilful destruction of their breeding and resting places in Irish waters under the Wildlife Act.

The basking shark is the largest fish in Irish waters, reaching lengths of more than ten metres and weighing in excess of several tonnes.

The Agency has also been heavily involved in conservation efforts for this and other species as part of the SeaMonitor Project, with further updates available in the near future.

Sharon McMahon, CEO of Loughs Agency, said:

We welcome the news that these stunning creatures are now designated as protected under Irelands Wildlife Act.

The threat of extinction is on the increase for the basking shark, and as our waters constitute one of the most internationally important coastal regions for the species, this announcement will serve to ensure our loughs remain a safe space.

On behalf of Loughs Agency, I would like to thank Ministers Noonan and McConalogue for signing off these regulations.
Black smoke billows from a fire on the Kerch bridge that links Crimea to Russia, after a truck exploded, near Kerch, on Saturday on Oct. 8. UPI-Yonhap



Russia said Saturday three people had been killed after a truck exploded on its bridge linking Crimea  a symbol of its annexation of the peninsula  without immediately blaming Ukraine.



On the same day, after a series of setbacks on the battlefield that triggered unprecedented criticism of its army at home, Moscow appointed a new general to lead its Ukraine offensive.



The blast ripped through the 19-kilometer (12-mile) bridge more than seven months into Moscow's Ukraine offensive.



Local officials said later that it had reopened to motor traffic with vehicles subject to stringent screening. Shortly after, Grand Service Express, which operates rail services there, said the first trains had left the peninsula for Moscow and St Petersburg.



The blast aroused intense excitement and speculation from Ukrainians and others on social media, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made no direct mention of it in his nightly address, and officials made no claim of responsibility.



Earlier, dramatic social media footage showed the bridge on fire with parts plunging into the water.



Russian investigators said three people had been killed. The bodies of an unidentified man and a woman were pulled out of the water, likely passengers in a car driving near the exploded truck, Moscow said.



The authorities also said they had identified the owner of the truck as a resident of Russia's southern Krasnodar region, saying his home was being searched.



Russia said the blast  which happened just after 6:00 am (0300 GMT)  had set ablaze seven oil tankers transported by train and collapsed two car lanes.



'Emergency situation'



The bridge is logistically crucial for Moscow, a vital transport link for carrying military equipment to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.



It is also hugely symbolic.



President Vladimir Putin personally inaugurated the bridge in 2018  even driving a truck across it  and Moscow had maintained the crossing was safe despite the fighting.



While some in Moscow hinted at Ukrainian "terrorism", state media continued to call it an "emergency situation."



In his address, Zelensky spoke of a "sunny" future for Ukrainians  one without occupiers, "in particular in the Crimea."



While he made no mention of the strategic bridge, his advisor Mykhailo Podolyak earlier posted a picture on Twitter of a long section of the bridge half-submerged.



"Crimea, the bridge, the beginning," he wrote.









"Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled."



But in a later statement, he appeared to suggest that Moscow had a hand in the blast.



"It is worth noting that the truck that detonated, according to all indications, entered the bridge from the Russian side. So the answers should be sought in Russia," he said.



The Ukrainian post office announced it was preparing to print stamps showing the "Crimean bridge  or more precisely, what remains of it".



The Kremlin's spokesman said Putin had ordered a commission to be set up to look into the blast.



Officials in Moscow stopped short of blaming Kyiv, but a Russian-installed official in Crimea pointed the finger at "Ukrainian vandals."





A firefigter helicopter pours water on the carriages of a train on fire on the Kerch bridge, after a truck exploded, near Kerch that links Crimea to Russia, on Saturday on Oct. 8. UPI-Yonhap
ON Sunday, March 24, 1968, an Aer Lingus plane left Cork Airport just after 10.30am, carrying 61 passengers and crew.

Twenty-five minutes into its short journey to Heathrow, it sent a distress message to air traffic control: 12,000 feet descending, spinning rapidly.

The plane crashed into the sea just off the Tuskar Rock lighthouse, off the Wexford coast, and all 61 passengers and crew were killed. Just 14 of the bodies were recovered.

In documentary The Tuskar Rock Tragedy on RTE1 on Monday, (October 10) at 9.35pm, family and friends of those onboard tell their story of loss and the theories of what happened that fateful day.

Flight 712 was Irelands worst crash in aviation history, and this tells the story of the events and the ripple effect of one afternoon 54 years ago, when hundreds of peoples lives were changed forever.

Despite the exact cause of the crash of the 11-year-old Vickers Viscount plane remaining unknown, mystery and speculation have surrounded it ever since.

Through the voices of victims families, aircraft experts and investigators, the programme will revisit a tragedy that shook the entire nation.

As well as Irish passengers, there were also people from the US, the UK, Switzerland, Belgium and Sweden on board.

Fr Eddie Hegarty, who was Ballyphehane parish priest at the time, and a group of his parishioners were among the dead.

When a 50th anniversary Mass was held to mark the disaster in Cork in 2018, Fr Michael Murphy, parish priest in Ballyphehane and Cork Airport chaplain, said it was still a sensitive subject in the area.

It horrifies to this day, people will still talk about it, he said. What is frightening is that no-one knows what happened. There is still a lot of interest in it and it is a sore subject.

One theory was that the plane collided with something or was struck in mid-air, and two investigations produced differing reports. Both pilots on board were highly experienced, with thousands of flying hours between them.

When the plane, called the St Phelim went into its spiral dive, it lost height at a rate of 120 feet per second, hitting the sea some 100 seconds later at almost precisely 11am, 1.7 nautical miles due east of Tuskar Rock.

Several people on shore, at various points, heard the plane hit the sea. They spoke of sounds like a very sharp roll of thunder, a very loud whoosh, a rumbling sound and a noise like water running off rocks.
The American and Chinese flags wave at Genting Snow Park ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 2, in Zhangjiakou, China. AP-Yonhap





The Biden administration published a sweeping set of export controls on Friday, including a measure to cut China off from certain semiconductor chips made anywhere in the world with U.S. equipment, vastly expanding its reach in its bid to slow Beijing's technological and military advances.







The rules, some of which take immediate effect, build on restrictions sent in letters this year to top toolmakers KLA Corp, Lam Research Corp and Applied Materials Inc, effectively requiring them to halt shipments of equipment to wholly Chinese-owned factories producing advanced logic chips.







The raft of measures could amount to the biggest shift in U.S. policy toward shipping technology to China since the 1990s. If effective, they could hobble China's chip manufacturing industry by forcing American and foreign companies that use U.S. technology to cut off support for some of China's leading factories and chip designers.







"This will set the Chinese back years," said Jim Lewis, a technology and cybersecurity expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington D.C.-based think tank, who said the policies harken back to the tough regulations of the height of the Cold War.







"China isn't going to give up on chipmaking ... but this will really slow them (down)."







In a briefing with reporters on Thursday previewing the rules, senior government officials said many of the measures were aimed at preventing foreign firms from selling advanced chips to China or supplying Chinese firms with tools to make their own advanced chips. They conceded, however, that they had not secured any promises that allied nations would implement similar measures and that discussions with those nations are ongoing.







"We recognize that the unilateral controls we're putting into place will lose effectiveness over time if other countries don't join us," one official said. "And we risk harming U.S. technology leadership if foreign competitors are not subject to similar controls."







The expansion of U.S. powers to control exports to China of chips made with U.S. tools is based on a broadening of the so-called foreign direct product rule. It was previously expanded to give the U.S. government authority to control exports of chips made overseas to Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and later to stop the flow of semiconductors to Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.







On Friday, the Biden administration applied the expanded restrictions to China's IFLYTEK, Dahua Technology, and Megvii Technology, companies added to the entity list in 2019 over allegations they aided Beijing in the suppression of its Uyghur minority group.







The rules published on Friday also block shipments of a broad array of chips for use in Chinese supercomputing systems. The rules define a supercomputer as any system with more than 100 petaflops of computing power within a floor space of 6,400 square feet, a definition that two industry sources said could also hit some commercial data centers at Chinese tech giants.







Eric Sayers, a defense policy expert at the American Enterprise Institute, said the move reflects a new bid by the Biden administration to contain China's advances instead of simply seeking to level the playing field.






Epic Games and Match Group are attempting to expand their lawsuits against Google to include additional allegations against the search giant. In a motion filed on Friday with a federal court in the Northern District of California, the two companies accused Google of paying off developers that had the means and ability to create competing Android app stores.

Specifically, Epic and Match point to agreements like Project Hug. The initiative, later called the Apps and Games Velocity Program, saw Google spend millions of dollars to keep some of Androids most popular developers on the Play Store, according to a complaint filed by Epic last year.

Some of these agreements were intended to, and did, stop developers from launching competing app stores, the motion states, adding Google committed a per se violation of the Sherman Act, the primary US antitrust law. Under the Sherman Act, per se violations dont require a plaintiff to show how a certain behavior negatively affected the market since its generally accepted such actions reduce competition (price fixing, for instance, falls under that category).

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Google told Engadget it would oppose the motion. Epic and Match are adding more inaccurate claims to their failing lawsuits and were looking forward to setting the record straight in court, a company spokesperson said.

The program on which Epic and Match base their claims simply provides incentives for developers to give benefits and early access to Google Play users when they release new or updated content; it does not prevent developers from creating competing app stores, as they allege, they added. In fact, the program is proof that Google Play competes fairly with numerous rivals for developers, who have a number of choices for operating systems and app stores.

The motion comes after both Epic and Match reached temporary agreements with Google earlier this year to ensure their apps remain on the Play Store while they resolve their litigation. In a countersuit Google filed in June, the company accused Match of attempting to pay nothing at all for access to the Play Store. Googles store fees have also drawn scrutiny from the Department of Justice and a group of more than three dozen states.




An overnight Russian missile strike killed 17 people in Zaporizhzhia, local authorities said on Sunday, in the latest deadly attack to hit the southern Ukrainian city that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called "absolute evil."







"After night missile attack on Zaporizhzhia, at least 20 houses and about 50 multi-storey buildings were damaged. 17 people died, as of now," Anatoliy Kurtev, secretary of Zaporizhzhia city council, wrote on Telegram.







Four educational institutions were also damaged, he added.







Zelenskyy and regional official Oleksandr Starukh provided a lower death toll of 12, with the latter saying that more victims may be under the rubble as a search and rescue operation was launched.







At least 17 people including a child died when seven Russian missiles hit Zaporizhzhia before dawn on Thursday, Ukrainian authorities announced in an upwardly revised toll on Saturday.







"Zaporizhzhia again. Merciless strikes on peaceful people again. On residential buildings, just in the middle of the night," Zelenskyy said on Telegram of Sunday's attack, adding that 49 people including six children were in hospital.







"Absolute meanness. Absolute evil. Savages and terrorists. From the one who gave this order to everyone who fulfilled this order. They will bear responsibility. For sure. Before the law and before people."







Zaporizhzhia lies close to the frontline where Kyiv's forces have been carrying out a large-scale counter-attack against Russian troops.







The Ukrainian-controlled industrial city is located in the eponymous Zaporizhzhia region, also home to the Russian-occupied nuclear plant that has been the site of heavy shelling.







Moscow claims to have annexed the region even though its forces do not control all of it.







Ukraine said at least 30 people were killed last week when a convoy of civilian cars in the Zaporizhzhia region was shelled in an attack Kyiv blamed on Moscow. (AFP)






The fates of Apple and Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer TSMC have grown inextricably intertwined since the advent of the iPhone. As each subsequent generation of iPhone hurtled past the technological capabilities of its predecessor, the processors that powered them grew increasingly complex and specialized  to the point that, today, TSMC has become the only chip fab on the planet with the requisite tools and know-how to actually build them. In his new book, Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology, economic historian Chris Miller examines the rise of processor production as an economically crucial commodity, the national security implications those global supply chains might pose to America.

Simon & Schuster

Excerpted from Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller. Reprinted with permission from Scribner. Copyright 2022.

Apple Silicon

The greatest beneficiary of the rise of foundries like TSMC was a company that most people dont even realize designs chips: Apple. The company Steve Jobs built has always specialized in hardware, however, so its no surprise that Apples desire to perfect its devices includes controlling the silicon inside. Since his earliest days at Apple, Steve Jobs had thought deeply about the relationship between software and hardware. In 1980, when his hair nearly reached his shoulders and his mustache covered his upper lip, Jobs gave a lecture that asked, What is software?

The only thing I can think of, he answered, is software is something that is changing too rapidly, or you dont exactly know what you want yet, or you didnt have time to get it into hardware.

Jobs didnt have time to get all his ideas into the hardware of the first-generation iPhone, which used Apples own iOS operating system but outsourced design and production of its chips to Samsung. The revolutionary new phone had many other chips, too: an Intel memory chip, an audio processor designed by Wolfson, a modem to connect with the cell network produced by Germanys Infineon, a Bluetooth chip designed by CSR, and a signal amplifier from Skyworks, among others. All were designed by other companies.

As Jobs introduced new versions of the iPhone, he began etching his vision for the smartphone into Apples own silicon chips. A year after launching the iPhone, Apple bought a small Silicon Valley chip design firm called PA Semi that had expertise in energy-efficient processing. Soon Apple began hiring some of the industrys best chip designers. Two years later, the company announced it had designed its own application processor, the A4, which it used in the new iPad and the iPhone 4. Designing chips as complex as the processors that run smartphones is expensive, which is why most low- and midrange smartphone companies buy off-the-shelf chips from companies like Qualcomm. However, Apple has invested heavily in R&D and chip design facilities in Bavaria and Israel as well as Silicon Valley, where engineers design its newest chips. Now Apple not only designs the main processors for most of its devices but also ancillary chips that run accessories like AirPods. This investment in specialized silicon explains why Apples products work so smoothly. Within four years of the iPhones launch, Apple was making over 60 percent of all the worlds profits from smartphone sales, crushing rivals like Nokia and BlackBerry and leaving East Asian smartphone makers to compete in the low-margin market for cheap phones.

Like Qualcomm and the other chip firms that powered the mobile revolution, even though Apple designs ever more silicon, it doesnt build any of these chips. Apple is well known for outsourcing assembly of its phones, tablets, and other devices to several hundred thousand assembly line workers in China, who are responsible for screwing and gluing tiny pieces together. Chinas ecosystem of assembly facilities is the worlds best place to build electronic devices. Taiwanese companies, like Foxconn and Wistron, that run these facilities for Apple in China are uniquely capable of churning out phones, PCs, and other electronic. Though the electronics assembly facilities in Chinese cities like Dongguan and Zhengzhou are the worlds most efficient, however, they arent irreplaceable. The world still has several hundred million subsistence farmers whod happily fasten components into an iPhone for a dollar an hour. Foxconn assembles most of its Apple products in China, but it builds some in Vietnam and India, too.

Unlike assembly line workers, the chips inside smartphones are very difficult to replace. As transistors have shrunk, theyve become ever harder to fabricate. The number of semiconductor companies that can build leading-edge chips has dwindled. By 2010, at the time Apple launched its first chip, there were just a handful of cutting-edge foundries: Taiwans TSMC, South Koreas Samsung, and  perhaps  GlobalFoundries, depending on whether it could succeed in winning market share. Intel, still the worlds leader at shrinking transistors, remained focused on building its own chips for PCs and servers rather than processors for other companies phones. Chinese foundries like SMIC were trying to catch up but remained years behind.

Because of this, the smartphone supply chain looks very different from the one associated with PCs. Smartphones and PCs are both assembled largely in China with high-value components mostly designed in the U.S., Europe, Japan, or Korea. For PCs, most processors come from Intel and are produced at one of the companys fabs in the U.S., Ireland, or Israel. Smartphones are different. Theyre stuffed full of chips, not only the main processor (which Apple designs itself), but modem and radio-frequency chips for connecting with cellular networks, chips for WiFi and Bluetooth connections, an image sensor for the camera, at least two memory chips, chips that sense motion (so your phone knows when you turn it horizontal), as well as semiconductors that manage the battery, the audio, and wireless charging. These chips make up most of the bill of materials needed to build a smartphone.

As semiconductor fabrication capacity migrated to Taiwan and South Korea, so too did the ability to produce many of these chips. Application processors, the electronic brain inside each smartphone, are mostly produced in Taiwan and South Korea before being sent to China for final assembly inside a phones plastic case and glass screen. Apples iPhone processors are fabricated exclusively in Taiwan. Today, no company besides TSMC has the skill or the production capacity to build the chips Apple needs. So the text etched onto the back of each iPhone  Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in Chinais highly misleading. The iPhones most irreplaceable components are indeed designed in California and assembled in China. But they can only be made in Taiwan.
Northern Irish farmers are being encouraged to take extra care when mixing slurry as the closed period for slurry spreading is soon due to commence.

Mixing slurry, considered one of the most hazardous tasks in the industry, continues to remain a major attribute to death on Northern Irish farms.

Last year, the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) recorded one fatality involving slurry gas, but there were 'countless near misses'.

Slurry gas contains poisonous hydrogen sulphide and releases very quickly in large volumes when mixing begins.

This is why slurry should only be mixed when doors and windows are open and when there are high winds, so fumes can be dispersed in the air.

In new advice directed at farmers in the province, the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) explained that mixing slurry was an extremely dangerous job.

The closed period for slurry spreading due to commence on 15 October 2022 at midnight

"The UFU is urging farmers to take extra care when mixing slurry and to follow the advice of the HSENI," the union said.

"Mixing slurry can be a dangerous job as the gas is released very quickly and in large quantities as soon as the mixing starts.

"Slurry gas contains a mixture of gases including the extremely poisonous gas, hydrogen sulphide. A low concentration of hydrogen sulphide can affect your sense of smell so you will not know it is there.

"At higher concentrations, you will rapidly find it harder to breathe and become confused - and at certain concentrations, just one breath can kill."

The UFU added: "Take extra care when mixing slurry. For more information about working safely with slurry contact the HSENI helpline on 0800 0320 121."
Honoured to receive this award. Thank you so much.



This is the best country in the world for anyone, regardless of race or background, to achieve.



Lets keep working together to support everyone to realise their potential.



And thanks for looking after mum and dad! https://t.co/8Y9qjI7Cic  Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) September 23, 2022

Next Story : Yet Another Record By Jhulan Goswami As She Played Her Last Match In Blue

Suella Braverman, the British Home Secretary of Indian origin, has been awarded the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Woman of the Year.The 42-year-old Minister, who was appointed to the Cabinet by British Prime Minister Liz Truss earlier this month, stated that it was the greatest honour of her life to receive such a recognition at the Asian Achievers Awards (AAA) 2022 ceremony, which was dedicated to the memory of the recently deceased monarch."Our Queen Elizabeth II Woman of the Year Award winner sponsored by @AxiomDWFM is former Attorney General and new Home Secretary @SuellaBraverman. Her lovely parents Uma and Chris were there to collect on her behalf #20YearsOfAAA," tweeted the official handle of Asian Achievers Award.Suella, born in London to Uma who is a Tamilian and Christie Fernandes a native of Goa, sent across a recorded message to the ceremony where her parents accepted the award on her behalf. In the 1960s, my parents arrived in the United States from Kenya and Mauritius, as stated by Braverman in her telegram."They've been proud members of our Asian community and I was born in Wembley, the heart of the Asian community, and to be elected to serve in the UK Parliament and now to serve our phenomenal and amazing and welcoming country as Home Secretary is the honour of my life. I hope to do you proud," She stated in her recorded message that was played at the venue of the award ceremony.South Asians now hold senior positions in a range of industries in the UK, including politics, business, and civil society. The Asian Achievers Awards, which were launched in 2000 and currently in its 20th year have recognised such South Asians for their outstanding achievements.
Pope Francis delivers his blessing as he leaves St. Peter's square at the Vatican after celebrating a mass for the canonization of two new saints, Giovanni Battista Scalabrini and Artemide Zatti, Sunday. AP-Yonhap



Pope Francis on Sunday urged the world to learn from history on the threat of nuclear war over Ukraine and choose the path of peace.



Looking back to the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, "we cannot forget the danger of nuclear war that threatened the world at that time", the pope said during a canonization mass in St Peter's Square.



"Why not learn from history? Even at that time there were conflicts and huge tensions, but the way of peace was chosen," the 85-year-old said.



U.S. President Joe Biden said Thursday the world is facing nuclear "Armageddon", warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin may use his atomic arsenal as Russian troops struggle against a Ukrainian counteroffensive.



The Vatican said around 50,000 faithful attended the mass on Sunday celebrating the elevation to sainthood of religious figures Giovanni Battista Scalabrini and Artemide Zatti.



The pope used the opportunity to offer prayers for the victims of what he called a "mad act of violence" in Thailand.



A sacked police officer killed 36 people, 24 of them children, on Thursday in a gun and knife rampage at a nursery.



And in recalling the work of Scalabrini, a 19th-century Italian bishop who founded a community that serves migrants and refugees, Pope Francis returned to a recurring theme of his papacy.



"The exclusion of migrants is scandalous! Indeed, the exclusion of migrants is criminal, it makes them die in front of us," the pontiff said.



"And so today, we have the Mediterranean which is the largest cemetery in the world. The exclusion of migrants is disgusting, it is sinful, it is criminal."



He said that rather than opening the doors to migrants, "we exclude them, we send them away, to the concentration camps where they are exploited and sold as slaves."



Tens of thousands of migrants try to cross the Mediterranean each year in an attempt to reach Europe, but almost 25,000 have either drowned or gone missing since 2014, according to the UN's International Organisation for Migration.



Zatti was an Italian-born emigrant to Argentina who devoted his life to caring for the sick. (AFP)


As Cambodia is trying hard to push exports to Canada, it would be interesting to see whether it can overtake Bangladesh and Vietnam in terms of apparel exports to Canada. During 2021, Cambodia was on fourth position in Canadas apparel imports, while Bangladesh and Vietnam were in the second and third positions respectively, ahead with only a minor margin.

According to Fibre2Fashions market insight tool TexPro, Canada had imported apparel worth $9.599 billion last year. Cambodia supplied apparel worth $1.047 billion, which was 10.91 per cent of the total. The country remained on fourth position while China, Bangladesh and Vietnam stood at first, second and third position respectively in terms of apparel supply to Canada. Bangladesh supplied 13.38 per cent (value of $1.284 billion) and Vietnam 12.49 per cent ($1.199 billion).

As Cambodia is trying hard to push exports to Canada, it would be interesting to see whether it can overtake Bangladesh and Vietnam in terms of apparel exports to Canada. During 2021, Cambodia was on fourth position in Canada's apparel imports, while Bangladesh and Vietnam were in the second and third positions respectively, ahead with only a minor margin.

Looking at the figures, it is possible for Cambodia to beat Bangladesh and Vietnam in apparel supply to Canada in near future. In its efforts to push garment exports, the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) had opened a representative office in Toronto, Canada. Key talks are likely to be held with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when he attends the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia next month.

Canada-Cambodia bilateral trade is already on fast-track mode. Cambodias merchandise exports to Canada grew 22.61 per cent in the first eight months of this year. The apparel exports to Canada also increased 20.06 per cent year-on-year to $1,047.663 million in 2021. According to TexPro, Cambodias apparel exports were recorded at $872.980 million in 2020 compared to $1,009.641 million of 2019, $899.339 million in 2018 and $815.269 million in 2017. Canada was the third largest market of Cambodia for apparel exports with the share of 9.44 per cent of its total shipment of $11.102 billion in 2021.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
BEIJING, Oct. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from People's Daily:

Navigation apps that show real-time traffic information and estimated travel time, virtual fitting rooms that help you get the most fitted clothes you want when you shop online, and virtual museums where you can get close to valuable cultural relics at home... These scenarios have already become a part of the daily lives of the Chinese people.

As China steps up its efforts to build a digital country, digital technologies are being widely applied, bringing digital dividends to more and more people.

The country has further consolidated the foundation of its digital industrialization and accelerated the process of industrial digitalization over the past ten years. China's digital economy grew from 11 trillion yuan ($1.58 trillion) in 2012 to 45.5 trillion yuan last year. Today, digital technologies are reaching every corner of the country and are bringing profound changes to the lives of the Chinese people.

Over the past ten years, digitalization has made people's lives easier.

From 2012 to 2021, internet penetration in China grew from 42.1 percent to 73 percent, with optical networks covering all prefectural-level cities. Besides, all administrative villages and villages lifted out of poverty across the country have broadband access.

As of the end of July, China had 475 million 5G mobile users. The country is home to the world's largest 5G network.

Thanks to the leapfrog development of digital infrastructure, new technologies and business models emerge, such as the sharing economy, online retail and mobile payment.

The fruits of digital construction are benefiting all aspects of society. Today, people order food by scanning QR codes and pay bills with facial recognition. Parking and garbage sorting are also made intelligent through digital technologies.

In rural areas, farmers are selling farm produce on livestream platforms, and digital technologies are turning traditional agriculture much smarter. More and more farmers are seeing increasing income thanks to digitalization.

Over the past ten years, digitalization has made services much more convenient for people.

Today, online and remote services are very prevalent in China. In south China'sHainan province, 18 urban hospitals, 340 rural healthcare centers and 2,700 village clinics have been equipped with 5G telemedicine devices. These devices can reduce the average length of patient visits by three to five hours and improve hospitals' efficiency by 30 percent.

China has established the world's largest online education platform and a national platform for medical insurance information. Over 90 percent of China's counties and districts have access to telemedicine. During the remarkable decade, digital technologies have made important contributions to narrowing the urban-rural and interregional gaps regarding social service resources.

Over the past ten years, China has made huge improvements in digital government services. Digital government is an important part of China's digital construction efforts. Applying digital technologies in government services is an effective measure to modernize the governance system and capability, as well as an inevitable choice for China to meet the public's ever-growing demand for government services.

At present, mobile government service platforms are seen almost everywhere in the country, and people can have their errands done via a single website and in any province in the country.

Nearly 90 percent of provincial-level administrative licenses can be applied online, and applicants can receive the licenses with only one visit to the relevant offices at most. The average processing time has been reduced by over a half.

According to a UN survey, China's E-Government Development Index is the ninth highest in the world.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/digitalization-leads-to-better-life-of-chinese-people-301644282.html
Contact:

Communications Office

NewsMedia@flhealth.gov

850-245-4111

Tallahassee, Fla.  Today, State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo has announced new guidance regarding mRNA vaccines. The Florida Department of Health (Department) conducted an analysis through a self-controlled case series, which is a technique originally developed to evaluate vaccine safety.

This analysis found that there is an 84% increase in the relative incidence of cardiac-related death among males 18-39 years old within 28 days following mRNA vaccination. With a high level of global immunity to COVID-19, the benefit of vaccination is likely outweighed by this abnormally high risk of cardiac-related death among men in this age group. Non-mRNA vaccines were not found to have these increased risks.

As such, the State Surgeon General recommends against males aged 18 to 39 from receiving mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Those with preexisting cardiac conditions, such as myocarditis and pericarditis, should take particular caution when making this decision.

Studying the safety and efficacy of any medications, including vaccines, is an important component of public health, said Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. Far less attention has been paid to safety and the concerns of many individuals have been dismissed  these are important findings that should be communicated to Floridians.

The analysis can be found here. The guidance can be found here.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

In a few days, on October 1, we will embrace the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China. On behalf of my colleagues at the Mission, I wish to welcome all dear friends, old and new, to todays virtual event. Also taking this opportunity, I wish to thank you all for your longstanding interests in and support for Chinas development and the Missions work.

Seventy-three years ago, with the founding of the PRC, the Chinese people have truly become the masters of their own country. In the past 73 years, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people have forged ahead and achieved great progress on a socialist path with Chinese characteristics. In just a few decades, China has transformed from a poor and weak nation into the worlds second largest economy. The country continues to pioneer a Chinese path to modernization and common prosperity, and make one miracle after another come true in the history of human development.

At present, the profound changes unseen in a century have brought numerous difficulties and challenges to the world. The external environment has been complex and fluid. But that has not stopped Chinas progress for a single moment. The past year meant a lot for us. In 2021, we celebrated the 100th birthday of the CPC. We brought about a historic solution to absolute poverty across the nation, and thus achieved the poverty reduction goal in the 2030 Agenda 10 years ahead of the schedule, and realized our first centenary goal. In the past year, amid the volatile and challenging international landscape, China maintained strategic focus on its path for high-quality development, and made steady progress toward its second centenary goal.

In the past year, we overcame tremendous challenges of the pandemic, and successfully held the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics. With the motto Together for a Shared Future, the simple, safe and splendid events brought together athletes around the world, and left many unforgettable moments for the pandemic-affected world.

In the past year, we scored notable progress in Chinas ecological conservation and sustainable development. The Chinese Government has steadily promoted energy restructuring, and built up a policy system for achieving carbon peak and neutrality. Green has become a defining feature of Chinas development. China now has the worlds largest carbon market and the largest clean power generation system. Our installed capacities of hydro, wind, solar and biomass power generation all rank top in the world. These concrete actions are Chinas contribution to the global climate governance.

In the past year, we pursued development as the top priority, and showed great resilience and vitality of Chinas economy. In 2021, Chinas GDP reached 17.7 trillion US dollars, accounting for 18.5 percent of the global total, and contributing over 30 percent on average to the world economic growth. Chinas per capita GDP also exceeded 12,000 US dollars. Facing impacts of the pandemic and geopolitical turbulence, China has worked hard to ensure the safety and stability of global industrial and supply chains and the smooth cycle of world economy.

In the past year, we put people front and center, and followed a human rights development path with Chinese characteristics. This has brought a happier and more fulfilling life to the Chinese people. Our relentless efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic have provided maximum protection to the peoples life and health. Among major countries, China has the lowest morbidity rate and lowest mortality. Chinas development is by the people, of the people, and for the people. The peoples support is our greatest source of confidence. According to polls conducted by authoritative international agencies, over the years, more than 90 percent of the Chinese public has been satisfied with the Chinese Government.

In the past year, we championed the principles of equality, mutual benefits, inclusiveness, cooperation and common development, and continued our contribution to world peace and global development. China actively advanced the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, practiced true multilateralism, and responded to global challenges in a responsible and constructive manner. We stood shoulder to shoulder with other countries in the fight against the pandemic, provided vaccines to more than 120 countries and international organizations, and supported the wavier of vaccine IP, all in an effort to step up the global campaign for immunization. The Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping have been warmly received by the international community. We have been actively implementing the two Initiatives, and advancing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation for early harvests.

All these are hard-won achievements. Behind them are the solidarity and unremitting efforts of the Chinese people. Also behind them is the leadership of the CPC, that takes the well-being of the Chinese people as its pursuit and mission.

Dear Friends,

In half a month, the CPC will convene its 20th National Congress. This important meeting will be held at a critical time as China moves toward the goal of fully building a modern socialist country. At this meeting, the CPC will formulate the overarching goals, policies, and blueprint for Chinas development in the next five years and beyond.

As China embarks on this new journey, we will continue our efforts in building a community with a shared future and bring more certainty, stability, consistency and positivity to this changing world. We will further reform and opening-up, and offer greater development opportunities, broader markets, and stronger development drivers through Chinas high-quality development. We will continue to be actively engaged in international cooperation, and play our responsible and constructive role in addressing global challenges. We will also continue to practice true multilateralism, and firmly uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international fairness and justice. At the same time, we will firmly oppose hegemony and power politics, and resolutely defend our state sovereignty, security and development interests.

Just few days ago, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi concluded his visit for this years UNGA high-level week. Amid the volatile international situation, this visit has reaffirmed Chinas support to the UN and true multilateralism. It has also responded to the common expectations of developing countries, helped bring global development back on track, and demonstrated China's commitments and actions in addressing pressing challenges such as climate change, and food and energy crises. In doing so, China is providing its own wisdom and strength to solving the global governance dilemma. Moving forward, no matter how the international situation may change, China will always stand on the side of solidarity and cooperation, on the side of the times, on the side of fairness and justice, and on the side of the shared interests of the overwhelming majority of countries.

Taking this opportunity, I wish to again thank all countries and the UN for your tremendous support to China. I also thank all fellow representatives and our friends from the UN for the festive greetings and best wishes you sent me in the past few days. And thank you all for attending todays event.

Thank you all
CCTV: A report released recently by the National Bureau of Statistics of China shows that China is the worlds top annual contributor to global economic growth over the past decade or so. With rising instability and uncertainties in the global economic landscape and particularly under the impact of COVID-19, Chinas sustained and steady growth contributes to the recovery of the world economy. I wonder if you could share more information on this?



Mao Ning: Chinas economy registered an average annual growth rate of 6.6% for the past decade or so, leading major economies and much higher than the global average of 2.6% and the 3.7% for developing economies over the same period. China contributed up to 38.6% on average to world economic growth, more than the G7 countries combined. In 2021, China remained the worlds second largest economy and largest trading country, with its GDP accounting for 18.5% of the world economic aggregate and its foreign trade hitting $6.9 trillion, up by 7.2 percentage points and 56.8% respectively from a decade earlier.

The fundamentals sustaining Chinas sound economic growth in the long run remain unchanged. China remains committed to opening-up. We will continue to uphold the principle of openness, inclusiveness, mutual benefit and win-win results, expand high-level opening-up, share development dividends with the world and contribute more to the strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth of the world economy.

TASS: A blast rocked the Crimean Bridge yesterday, causing a fire. The incident left three people dead and damaged and collapsed part of the roadway on the bridge. Later, Advisor to the Head of the Office of the Ukrainian President Mikhail Podoliak noted that Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Do you have any comment on this?



Mao Ning: We have taken note of relevant reports.

Reuters: So I know you answered a question about this yesterday, but earlier today, North Korea fired yet another two ballistic missiles, and this is the 7th such launch by Pyongyang in recent days. So I was just wondering if the foreign ministry have any comment on todays missile launches and whether it is concerned about the frequency of such actions in recent days?



Mao Ning: We noted relevant reports. We also noted the continuous joint military exercises by the US, Japan and the ROK around the Korean Peninsula and the remarks of the DPRKs Ministry of National Defense on October 8 in response to the exercises. We hope parties concerned will stay committed to seeking a political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue and address each others concerns in a balanced way through dialogue and consultation. The US side needs to keep its word and act on its statement that it has no hostile intent toward the DPRK and create conditions for the resumption of meaningful dialogue.

Associated Press of Pakistan: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a recent statement said we are deeply obliged to the CPC, the Chinese government, the Red Cross Society of China and the PLA for continuing assistance to flood victims in Pakistan. Do you have any comment on that?



Mao Ning: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharifs remarks speak to the friendship between China and Pakistan. After Pakistan was hit by the floods, China responded immediately. Chinese leaders sent messages of sympathy to Pakistani leaders. The Chinese government and people, feeling deeply for our ironclad Pakistani friends in the affected areas, have been providing disaster relief assistance based on the situation on the ground and Pakistans needs. We launched a rapid, massive and strong relief effort and provided whole-of-government, whole-of-society and all-dimensional assistance. It has been proven time and again that China and Pakistan are true friends and good brothers sharing weal and woe. The friendship between our two peoples has stood the test of international vicissitudes and time and become a valued asset for both sides.

At present, China and Pakistan are working closely together on the delivery of relief supplies into the hands of the people in need and post-disaster reconstruction. We believe the Pakistani people will prevail over the floods at an early date and the brotherly friendship between our two countries will be further elevated.

China News Service: According to reports, the US, citing the situation in Iran, has recently sanctioned Iranian officials pursuant to its domestic law and threatened to continue imposing sanctions on Iran. The Iranian side has accused the US of inciting confrontation in Iran. Whats Chinas comment?



Mao Ning: China is opposed to the USs illegal unilateral sanctions on Iran. We are against interference in countries internal affairs under any pretext and against instigation of color revolutions in countries in the name of democracy and human rights.

Reuters: Has China been in communication with North Korea about the recent missile launches?



Mao Ning: China maintains communication with all parties concerned. We hope relevant parties will address each others concerns in a balanced way through dialogue and consultation and create conditions for the resumption of meaningful dialogue.

CCTV: Teslas founder Elon Musk drew wide attention yesterday with his remarks on Taiwan. You also shared Chinas position as the spokesperson. Taiwans Mainland Affairs Council said Musks comments are unacceptable. Do you have any further comment?



Mao Ning: Yesterday I shared Chinas principled position on the Taiwan question. The root cause of the current tensions across the Taiwan Strait is that the DPP authorities have been acting with external forces to make provocations and seek independence. Only by resolutely deterring Taiwan independence separatism and opposing external interference can peace and stability be ensured in the Taiwan Strait.

I want to stress that peaceful reunification and One Country, Two Systems is the basic principle for resolving the Taiwan question and the best way to realize national reunification. Provided that national sovereignty, security and development interests are ensured, Taiwan can adopt a high degree of autonomy as a special administrative region, Taiwans social system and its way of life will be fully respected and the lawful rights and interests of our Taiwan compatriots will be fully protected. Chinas reunification will not undermine any countrys legitimate interests. Instead, it will only bring more development opportunities to other countries and inject more positive energy into the prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large. We welcome and hope to see understanding and support from more and more people for Chinas peaceful reunification and One Country, Two Systems.

The remarks you mentioned from the DPP authorities have no merit. Whatever the DPP authorities say, they cannot change the basic fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinas territory.
I also use a Rand McNally truckers GPS for work, HAZMAT tank trailer and also works well for me.

I stay in NC only but haul 10K gallons of LP gas to farms and 26 tons of powdered cement to street repaving areas all over.



If I am going somewhere I have not been before or been to in a while I will look it up on Google maps to get an ideal where I am going and what I may heading into.

Thing to remember more so with Google is it is made for cars not trucks or travel trailers.

Any GPS car / truck / camper, they are a tool and it is up to the driver to know where they are going and look for any thing that may stop them.



I have come across a few roads with wight limits that my truckers GPS will send me down.

There is also 1 road that the right lane has a low bridge and there is a small sign behind a bush saying so and to move to the left lane.

So you need to know your hover head height also.

Dont be one of them people that followed the GPS into a lake because it said to go that way LOL.

Dave ----
Many years ago, during a summer break from college, I told two big lies.

I was looking for a summer job and saw a sign in an independent newspapers window. They were looking for someone to answer the phone and manage the coffeepot.

When I inquired about the job, they made it clear it was not a summer job, but a permanent job. I nodded and said it was just what I was looking for. That was my first big lie.

It was a fun job, and I enjoyed the staff. But as fall approached and I needed to head back to college for my junior year, I needed to graciously finagle myself out of the job. I began creating a story about my mother becoming very sick and needing a caregiver. I apologized and told them I would need to be heading home in two weeks to help with her care.

The truth is, I loved that job and was going to miss the staff. I did feel pangs of guilt and wasnt at all proud of myself. But the worst was yet to come.

I moved into an apartment with three of my friends and began my junior year. All was well, and I didnt think much about my poor behavior.

It was a great year living on my own with my friends. We were well suited and worked well together to make that year fly by.

In the spring, there was one day I was late to class and ran out the front door of our apartment building.

There on the sidewalk was the editor of the newspaper, and his daughter. They were in town, checking out the town, the college and the housing.

His first question was, How is your mom doing?

I was speechless and fumbled clumsily for words that would explain how she was doing pretty well and that I was visiting a friend who lived in the apartment building, and I was heading home  and the lie went on, getting bigger by the moment!

His expression was skeptical.

The encounter was horrible. I was sure he knew I had lied, and I felt terrible. It followed me for weeks and only began to abate when I swore an oath to myself to never, ever lie again.

And truly, I have lived by that oath for the 50 years since.

I learned my lesson!

My regrets for what I did and the horror of getting caught have kept me from telling even one more lie in the past 50 years.

I do not lie!

That said, next months column is going to be about the wonderful fun and benefits of telling fibs.

Stay tuned!
Internet thinking gives a boost to rice business in northeast China

13:45, October 09, 2022 By Hao Yingcan ( People's Daily

"Over ten thousand years ago, the volcano erupted, and a volcanic plateau was thus formed. Being weathered, the plateau was then covered by a thick layer of nutritious humus soil and then evolved into a unique type of field called 'shiban,' which literally means a rock board."

Chen Yujia, sales manager of a rice cooperative in Ning'an, northeast China's Heilongjiang province. (Photo/Mudanjiang Daily)

In Shangguandi village, Bohai township, Ning'an, northeast China's Heilongjiang province, Chen Yujia, sales manager of a local rice cooperative, introduced the history of shiban rice to online audiences on a livestream platform.

Thanks to the unique natural environment and traditional cultivation methods, shiban rice is both tasty and nutritious.

The cooperative that Chen works for was established in 2008 by Shangguandi village for better development of the village's rice business. However, it failed to increase villagers' income because little innovation was made to renew planting techniques or to expand sales channels.

In 2016, Chen returned to the village and volunteered to serve as the sales manager of the cooperative. She has successfully helped her fellow villagers increase income by optimizing rice growing, processing and sales with internet thinking.

Chen, who was 27 then, together with other two young employees of the cooperative, presented the cultivation of shiban rice to consumers via short videos and livestreaming, sharing with the latter the stories of the crop and authentic rural lifestyles. Besides, they also opened online shops to expand the sales channels of the rice. Gradually, they gained many followers online and received more and more orders.

Chen Yujia sells rice on a livestream platform. (Photo/Mudanjiang Daily)

In the meantime, the cooperative also worked to improve the quality of shiban rice, "greening" every procedure from seed selection to farming and processing.

Besides, Chen constantly upgraded the sales models to bring the consumers better experiences. For instance, the cooperative launched an innovative activity that allows customers to "adopt" rice fields in the spring and reap the yield in the autumn. It would also invite the "adopters" to join rice transplanting and harvesting in the village.

"All the 200 mu (13.3 hectares) of organic rice field had been booked before the transplanting started, and we received earnest payment of nearly 4 million yuan ($526,113)," Chen said.

What's more, customers can preserve their rice in a barn in the village with thermostats and hygrostats, and get the rice back whenever they want. The cooperative has also established an agricultural internet of things, with which the customers can see how the rice is produced by only scanning a QR code.

It is learned that currently, around 1/3 of the cooperative's turnover is from online channels.

Xu believes that the internet has become a powerful engine driving rural vitalization. "On one hand, we should advance the branding of agricultural products through the internet. On the other hand, we must have the courage to employ new methods to further expand the market," Chen said.

Chen Yujia poses for a picture with her partners in a rice field. (Photo/Women of China magazine)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
A Royal Bengal tiger rests at its enclosure at the Alipore zoo in Kolkata, India in this July 29, 2019 file photo. AP-Yonhap



The big cat had terrorized locals on the fringes of the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Champaran in eastern India, killing at least six people in the past month including a woman and her eight-year-old son on Saturday.



Even before the two latest kills, authorities had designated the tiger, reportedly a male three or four years old, as a "man-eater", meaning that it could be shot.



Earlier attempts to tranquillize the animal had failed.



"Two teams went into the forest on two elephants on Saturday afternoon and the third one waited where we thought the tiger would exit  and we fired five rounds to kill it there," local police chief Kiran Kumar told AFP.



With local villagers beating tin containers, it took about six hours for the team  with eight shooters and about 200 forest department officials  to complete the operation, Kumar said.



Officials said that large sugarcane fields made it easier for the tiger to stay hidden and attack local villagers and their livestock.



The victims included a 12-year-old girl dragged from her bed on Wednesday night, reports said.



Locals in the impoverished villages around the reserve in Bihar state stopped going out in the evening after the tiger's first attack maimed a teenager in May.



But "despite the lurking fear of tiger, it was not possible for us to confine ourselves in our homes as we needed to feed our cattle," Ram Kisun Yadav, a local villager told the Hindustan Times newspaper.



Locals celebrated after the animal was finally shot.



"It was a sleepless night for the whole village. We kept beating tin containers to shoo away the tiger if at all it was hiding near our village," villager Paltu Mahato told the Hindustan Times.



Conservationists blame the rapid expansion of human settlements around forests and key wildlife corridors for animals like elephants and tigers for an increase in man-animal conflict in parts of India.



Nearly 225 people were killed in tiger attacks between 2014 and 2019 in India, according to government figures.



More than 200 tigers were killed by poachers or electrocution between 2012 and 2018, the data showed.



India is home to around 70 percent of the world's tigers and the tiger population was estimated at 2,967 in 2018. (AFP)




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BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom, Oct. 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WINIT, a China-based cross-border e-commerce warehousing operator, added 100 HAI Robotics robots to their facility in the UK and improved their workflow efficiencies 3-4 times over their previously manual operations, compressed storage density by 60%, increased picking efficiency by 50%, and perfected their on-time order delivery to near 100%.

WINITs Challenge:

WINIT is a Shanghai-based provider of full warehousing and logistical solutions for cross-border e-commerce that serves the United States, Australia, and several European countries. The total size of its warehouses around the world exceeds 399,000 square meters (over 4,300,000 square feet). In the UK alone, WINIT runs 3 warehouses with the total combined footprint reaching 51,000 square meters (over 164,000 square feet).

The UK facility in Tamworth, Staffordshire, a town near Birmingham in central UK, was confronted with expanding challenges as the demand for global warehousing services surged dramatically due to the growth of cross-border e-commerce businesses in the past two years. Statistics indicate that in 2021, Chinese cross-border trade volume amounted to 1.98 trillion yuan (around $283.37 billion dollars), up 15% compared to the year before, and this volume is expected to reach 2.5 trillion yuan (around $357.66 billion dollars) by 2025, according to figures released by China last year.

WINIT also needed to address challenges of managing a vast number of SKUs which increased the need for warehouse storage density and order-picking efficiency. To successfully address this, in 2021 WINIT turned to HAI ROBOTICS to automate its order-fulfillment center operations.

Workflow Solution:

HAI ROBOTICS, the industry leader and trailblazer of Autonomous Case-picking Robotic (ACR) systems, created and implemented an automated solution for WINIT that increased their storage density, automated material handling workflows for maximum efficiency, and improved storage volume.

100 robots were deployed in WINITs Tamworth, UK warehouse. These tall autonomous robots driven by AI algorithms walk smoothly through the 10,000 square meters (around 108,000 square-foot) facility, bringing goods to workstations where operators pick and sort goods with maximum efficiency.

This solution not only included the deployment of 100 HAIPICK A42 robots, it contained 16 on-conveyor workstations for order picking that are ergonomically designed for operators to fulfill orders more accurately, with increased speed, and with lower effort.

Becky, a warehouse operator, said that with the help of the robots, she could stay in the workstation and just wait for the robots to pick and carry goods back and forth to her workstation. She no longer walks thousands of steps indoors to pick orders.

Getting goods now is like getting something at my fingertips. [The robots] make my work much easier. Now I dont need to move around and bend my waist. Everything is easy.

This robotic solution allowed the facility to increase the average worker efficiency rates to 450 cases/h and increased the daily handling volume up to 50,000 pieces. The goods-handling efficiency rate for the warehouse was improved 3 to 4 times over the previously manual processes and the picking efficiency rate of operators fulfilling orders was increased by 50%.

Christopher, Inbound Team Leader, with over 12 years experience stated, With the robotic system we have zero mistakes at the moment, there are clear instructions for each action and when we pick wrong goods the system blocks it. And an easy-to-handle process is in place when something unusual happens. The system saves a lot of manual efforts.

Storage Density:

In addition to efficiency improvements, HAI ROBOTICS ACR solution improved WINITs UK facility storage density by 60%, increasing the storage capacity to 120,000 storage locations. This allows the facility to effectively store and manage over 100,000 SKUs within the facility they already owned.

Resilience:

Since the HAI ROBOTICS automated robotic solution has gone live, WINIT has seen a spike in its facility throughput and are able to successfully manage surging order-fulfillment requests driven by the online shopping boom over the last 2 years. With the help of HAI ROBOTICS, the overall service and operation of WINIT has not been significantly affected despite the disruptions to the global supply chain since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021 when the pandemic was still in full swing and online ordering was reaching unprecedented rates, this period demonstrated the critical value of flexible, automated warehousing solution that can be swiftly deployed. WINIT, who found no shortcuts to improve their facility workflows, found HAI ROBOTICS solution to be the ideal fit to provide high storage density, superior goods-handling accuracy, operation efficiency that provides easy flexibility to adapt to changes in demand.

These smart robots have well met our expectations, Bob, the Warehouse General Manager at WINITs Tamworth facility said, We picked HAI ROBOTICS as our autonomous robot supplier among several other companies because it is one of the first developers. Its system has better stability than that of others, and its staff is professional. So, we chose them.

Alleviating Labor Woes:

The labor shortage in the UK is particularly apparent now. Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic have had dire consequences for the warehouse and logistics sector. Experienced employees are leaving and its hard to fill in new ones. As a result, our labor cost, surged too, Bob, WINITs Warehouse General Manager, stated.

And hes not alone. Almost all warehousing facilities are facing difficulties hiring and maintaining staff in a slow job market, and the average consumer expects faster, accurate deliveries when they order online. HAI ROBOTICS automated robotic solution extended the capacity of each individual WINIT operator by increasing picking efficiency by 50% and improving workflow efficiencies by 3-4 times. And the robotic solution allowed the operators to work faster with less manual labor. These robotic solutions allow warehouse employees to focus on more valuable, complex, or strategic tasks as well as upskill.

As more productivity is seen from each individual staff member, HAI ROBOTICS solutions offer the ability to realize significantly reduced labor costs and alleviate pain cause by a labor shortage.

Companies are realizing the high value of automation and robotics. Automation is already a significant industry, representing over $10 billion in annual global spending. According to ABI Research, its estimated that therell be around 50,000 robotic warehouses by 2025 with over 4 million robot installations around the world.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:



https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/405ed23d-e790-4101-8509-5ee9e765d632

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6344c799-8f05-4677-88e6-c0c32e66c0df

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e4f397a4-394f-405b-9989-da7649cdfdc5

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c8965f46-b93b-4f0d-b7dd-1f830bb3e0e6
Jos Verstappen was at Singapore and will also be at the US Grand Prix again, but he did not travel to Japan. In front of the television, it was also unclear for Jos for a long time whether the world title was in or not.

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Jos Verstappen not present in Japan

"I don't need to be there to experience it either," Verstappen sr. told Viaplay's studio. For him, there was also great confusion. "You get to experience as much at home as on the track. The same as you. Disbelief, not knowing what exactly was going on. I was in contact with the team, with Raymond [Vermeulen]. Then finally the redeeming word came."

The second world title is nice, but not as nice as the first one. At least, not as emotional. Jos: "The emotion is different from last year. Last year, an incredible emotion was released. You already feel it coming and you know it's going to happen. Then it happens today. He also rode a tremendously strong race. If he finishes 27 seconds ahead on 38 minutes of racing, surely that's Max's speciality, the rain, sensing where the grip is."

Father and son have already been in touch briefly after the win in Japan. First via whatsapp, then by phone before the former F1 driver joined the studio. "We are always in touch, when things come up, we call each other. I have said he is the very best, but I say that almost every weekend, except last weekend," he joked about the miss in Singapore.
Born and raised on Guam, the Chinese melodic rap artist JNK Stunno released his debut album Nebula on Oct. 7.

Nebula is about the journey to becoming a star in the music industry, said the 15-year-old, whose real name is James Luo. A nebula is essentially a cloud of gas that forms in space after a star explodes.

JNK Stunno previously has released singles, such as But Me and Insomnia (Calling My Name) this year, and EUPHORIA and GO IN last year.

I feel that this being the title of my debut album is symbolic because this project could very well be the start of me exploding into superstardom, said the former Tamuning resident, who now attends Temple City High School in Temple City, California after studying at Father Duenas Memorial School his freshman year.

Childhood on Guam

Growing up on Guam, JNK Stunnos passion for music began when he was around 7 years old listening to lots of Justin Bieber and One Direction tunes.

He was comfortable singing in his house, but when it came to huge crowds, he was terrified as he walked onto the stage when he performed at St. Johns School, where he attended elementary and middle school.

Ive performed at my elementary school before, but I didnt continue performing because I didnt feel used to the idea of being watched by an audience, he said. I wish I wouldve done more gigs just to get rid of my stage fright.

The struggles I faced were other people making fun of me for making music and not taking me seriously, he added. I overcame them by just blocking them out and knowing that they dont see the vision like I do.

Im addicted to the idea of creating art, and Im passionate because music has been such a big part of my life.

Inspired by Guam

Now living in California, he said his Guam experiences more motivated to succeed.

Im inspired by the island experience because since I lived on such a small island, all my friends and affiliates felt closer to me on a personal level and motivated me to make music, he said. Not a lot of musicians get noticed here, so I want to try and put Guam on the map in the future.

I hope to establish connections with people who are already in the industry and create a new sound that makes me unique, he added.

My future plans are to inspire or help people with my music because I feel as if this is what Im good at and what Im also really passionate about.

Musical inspirations

He takes inspiration from artists such as XXXTENTACION, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, A Boogie wit da Hoodie and Khalid.

I want others to feel like they can relisten to the album time and time again, JNK Stunno said. I also want others to have a song they can turn on and relate to.

The message of the album relates to our generation because everyone wants to become a star in their own way, whether that is becoming famous, winning accolades and so forth, he added.

Recording with iPhone and AirPodsJNK Stunnos creative process is unique because he only uses an iPhone and AirPods to record his music.

Ive never really used any studio equipment, yet I can still maintain the quality of my music, JNK Stunno said. I feel that just using an iPhone with AirPods to record music is convenient for me because those are the two things I always carry with me.

I also think it just goes to show that you dont need a whole studio and professional equipment to make good sounding music, he said. I make sure I maintain the quality of my music by putting in a lot of time and effort and making sure that the song meets my expectations.

Reflecting on the creative process, JNK Stunno enjoyed recording and testing out different style beats for his album Nebula because he wanted to show his versatility and how far he could expand his sound.

My album is a collection of the emotions I was feeling at the moment, JNK Stunno said. Every song on this album has a personal meaning to me and relistening to them all made me satisfied with my work.

I was affected emotionally after listening to the final product because this album is a collection of all my hard work within the past year, he added.
A man on pre-trial release for three other cases faces family violence, theft and robbery charges for allegedly hitting a woman and stealing her cell phone, according to a magistrate's complaint filed Saturday in the Superior Court of Guam.

Kurtis Jay Garrido was charged with robbery as a third-degree felony, theft as a misdemeanor and family violence as a misdemeanor.

On Friday, a woman reported to Guam Police Department officers that Garrido assaulted her and stole her cell phone at her residence in Tamuning.

Garrido went to the woman's apartment and knocked on the door. The woman opened the door and told Garrido she didn't want him there.

She tried to close the door. Garrido stopped her and follow her into the residence, court documents state.

After telling him to leave, the woman then called her mother. Garrido approached the woman, placed his hands on her shoulder and headbutted her forehead, according to charging documents.

A responding officer noted the woman had obvious swelling on the right side of her lip.

The woman, along with her mother via cellphone, kept telling Garrido to leave. He allegedly punched the womans mouth, snatched the cell phone from her hand and left.

The woman used a neighbors phone to call Garrido, demanding he return her phone and their child, who was with him at the time.

Garrido didn't return the phone or the child, court documents state.

Previous cases

In June, Garrido was the subject of a reported disturbance in Tamuning after a minor called police to report she saw him holding a knife covered in a sheath behind his leg as he argued with his girlfriend, according to PDN files.

Garrido is on pre-trial release for a December 2021 case in which he allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign before being pulled over. Police officers found a glass pipe and five small baggies containing meth in the center console during a search of the car, PDN news files state.

Garrido also was charged in 2019 with burglary as a second-degree felony, theft of property as a second-degree felony and possession of a Schedule II controlled substance as a third-degree felony.

According to PDN files, in 2019, Garrido was charged with allegedly stealing copper tubing from the Guam Department of Education warehouse.
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Haiti - Insecurity : The 5 seconds gang attacks the facilities of Les Moulins d'Haiti





On the night of October 7 to 8, 2022, men from the "5 seconds" gang of the Village de Dieu led by Chief "izo" attacked the Moulins d'Haiti facilities located not far from Port Lafiteau, at the northern exit of Port au Prince.



Nearly fifty heavily armed individuals arrived by sea aboard a motorboat, quickly took control of the area and installed a leader to control the area. Local residents alerted the police authorities to intervene...



The maritime police made an attempt at deterrence before retreating off the Port of Lafiteau under heavy fire from the aggressors.



The attack on Les Moulins d'Haiti, began in the morning paralyzing the economic activities of the area, the terrified population locked themselves in their house against a background of bursts of automatic weapons.



At Moulins d'Haiti, the security agents who protect the facilities are besieged and cut off from any reinforcements, the bandits having blocked the road leading to the village near Les Moulins d'Haiti at Canaan 90 with a container, preventing the arrival of any ground reinforcements.



"Izo" and his men who already control the southern entrance to the capital with the gang led by "Ti Lapli", now intends to expand their activities and take control of the northern entrance to the metropolitan area (RN#1)



Let's remember that the entire bay of Port-au-Prince has already been under the control of armed gangs for more than a year, including that of "Izo" but also those of Ti Gabriel, "Chen Mechan", those of Canaan and the G9 snack of "Barbecue".



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Security : Rain of reactions to the decision of an international armed intervention in Haiti





The official request of Prime Minister a.i. Ariel Henry, authorized by the Haitian Government to its international partners to immediately deploy a specialized armed force aimed at "[...] stopping, throughout the territory, the humanitarian crisis caused, among other things, by the insecurity resulting from the criminal actions of armed gangs and their sponsors" https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37831-haiti-flash-towards-a-foreign-armed-intervention-in-haiti-to-eliminate-gangs.html has generated many negative reactions.



Among those who oppose it there are among others : those who wish to gain power without going through elections, those who take advantage of the current situation to enrich themselves, legalists who denounce the illegality of the decision, politicians, who see in this decision the opportunity to put themselves in the spotlight, of those who cry out for interference in the affairs of Haiti or those who see the culmination of a plot...



Camille Chalmers :

For Camille Chalmers, economist, university professor and director of the Haitian Advocacy Platform for Alternative Development (PAPDA) in Haiti, said Saturday, October 7, 2022 on a radio station in the capital that the Government's request is the result of "fabricated chaos to justify the occupation [...] Everything is a strategy of preparation. There is a way to organize the chaos to push the population to the limit and demand a military occupation call-for-help-video.html". He also expressed his "indignation" at the request for military intervention, stressing that Ariel Henry "has no competence or quality" to make such a request.



George Eddy Lucien :

For historian and writer Georges Eddy Lucien, this decision is not surprising because the regime in place "continues to be subject to the dictates of the international community" which ensures its continued power, describing it as "unscrupulous" the members of the Council of Ministers who agreed to the request for military assistance.



Fritz Alphonse :

Fritz Alphonse Jean, President-elect of the Montana Accord, called it shameful that in 2022 people are calling for international military intervention in Haiti



Steven Benoit :

Steven Benoit, Premier-elect of the Montana Accord said, "Ladies and gentlemen, Ministers of the PHTK #3 regime, you have just committed a crime of high treason. Prepare to pay the consequences of this horrible crime. The violation of the law is "always" temporary adding "our dear constitution (1987), the real one, unamended) has just been trampled on again. Criminals will pay dearly for their packages."



Pierre Esperance :

Pierre Esperance General Coordinator of the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH), sees in this decision "a" betrayal "towards the Nation. For him, the objective for Prime Minister Henry and the PHTK is only "the consolidation of their power, impunity and corruption". Pierre Esperance affirms that Ariel Henry and the PHTK have themselves created this situation in the country in order to request this military intervention.



Dr. Guibert Barthelemy :

According to Dr. Guibert Barthelemy, speaking Saturday on the program "Ranmase" The ruling coalition by authorizing the landing of foreign troops on national territory, in flagrant violation of article 263-1 of the Constitution, placed Haiti " in the operational phase of a planned genocide



Moise Jean Charles :

Former Senator Moise Jean-Charles, leader of the radical opposition Political Party 'Piti Dessalin' suggested that the third of the Senate declare "Ariel Henry, stateless" stressing that the OAS cannot in any case ask Ariel Henry, a de facto leader, to engage the Nation without a Haitian consensus.



Haitian Transport Sector :

The Haitian Land Transport Sector (STIH) and other transport unions such as (APCH), Owners of Lower Artibonite Vehicles (SCPVBA), the National Federation of Transport and Haitian Workers (FENATRATH) "condemn the decision of the government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry to ask foreign soldiers to walk on the soil of Papa Dessalines, which we qualify as treason", "We condemn the behavior of the Government which does not appeal to wisdom to hear the voice of the Haitian people in the street, but instead asks for international help so that foreign soldiers come to help him."



See also

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37831-haiti-flash-towards-a-foreign-armed-intervention-in-haiti-to-eliminate-gangs.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37815-haiti-flash-address-the-nation-the-pm-appeals-for-help-video.html



SL / HaitiLibre


















Published on 2022/10/08 | Source

First still added for the upcoming Korean movie "Ransomed" (2019)

Advertisement

Directed by Kim Seong-hun

With Ha Jung-woo, Ju Ji-hoon,...

Synopsis

In Beirut 1986, during the Lebanese civil war a Korean diplomat is taken hostage without a trace. Two years pass and long forgotten, a young diplomat Min-joon receives a phone call proving that the hostage is still alive. With the given mission, Min-joon is sent to Beirut to save the hostage with a bag of ransom money. However, Min-joon gets into trouble as soon as he sets foot in Beirut. As luck would have it, Min-joon manages to flee from the airport with help from a local taxi driver Pan-soo who he stumbles across. Despite the distrust toward Pan-soo of his obvious mischievousness, the two unlikely allies must navigate the demolished, war-raging streets of Beirut to bring the long-awaited hostage back home.

Release date in Korea : 2022
"Army General Sergey Surovikin has been appointed to command the joint group of forces in the area of the special military operation in Ukraine based on the Russian defense minister's decision," reported TASS quoting Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashekov telling reporters.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu on Saturday appointed Army General Sergey Surovikin to command the joint group of forces involved in the Ukraine war.

He earlier served as Commander of Russia's Eastern Military District and led Russian troops in Syria, reported TASS.

Notably, Russia recently annexed four regions of Ukraine - Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

The war between Russia and Ukraine appears to be entering a new phase after Kyiv dealt a big blow to Moscow's grip after it recaptured 2,400 square kilometres of territory in the Kherson region in the south of the country "since the beginning of the full-scale war," a senior Ukrainian official said Friday, reported CNN.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president's office said six settlements had been liberated in the Kherson district as well as 61 in the Beryslav district.

Tymoshenko said the evacuation of civilians continued amid massive destruction to critical infrastructure in towns like Arkhanhelske, Vysokopillia and Osokorivka, all of which saw weeks of heavy fighting and indirect fire. Demining is in progress, he added.

Ukrainian forces have been making steady progress in Kherson since beginning an offensive at the end of last month, and their successes have sparked rare criticism of Moscow's war effort among pro-Russian figures.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised his forces' counteroffensive in his evening address on Tuesday. "The Ukrainian army is making a rather fast and powerful advance in the south of our country in the course of the ongoing defensive operation," Zelenskyy said in his evening address.

"Our warriors do not stop. And it is only a matter of time before we will expel the occupier from all our land."

HT

Source: ANI
AN organic supermarket is to open in Henley, despite objections from town councillors.

Planet Organic, a chain which specialises in high quality plant-friendly food, has taken over the former Superdrug store in Market Place.

The building was due to become an Ole & Steen bakery but the plan fell through when the Danish company was refused permission for a change of use from a shop.

South Oxfordshire District Council, the planning authority, has now discharged a legal clause dating back to 1984 that said the property should be kept as a shop. This means that Planet Organic can open its first shop outside London, where it has 13 stores.

Henley Town Councils planning committee had recommended that the unit remained as a retail space.

Councillor Ken Arlett, who chaired the committee meeting, said: My view is we have sufficient takeaway shops in the town and this one is in part a takeaway.

It suggests that there wont be any tables and chairs but when you go on their website there are other similar shops which have tables and chairs outside. I do not believe we need another delicatessen and that is what I believe this is.

I dont believe we need any more takeaway coffee shops, especially in Market Place. Theres plenty there  hopefully they are all trading fairly well but my view is we dont need to encourage another one. We want more retail in the town.

Councillor Lorraine Hillier, who didnt vote because she owns the Hot Gossip coffee house in Reading Road, was also concerned about the loss of a retail space.

She said: Hospitality works hand in hand with retail and the erosion of retail is actually damaging to hospitality, more so than competition of another hospitality outlet, so, I dont support this.

The committee was tied with three votes in favour and three against so Cllr Arlett used his casting vote to recommend the application was refused.

Meanwhile, Planet Organic has agreed to change the materials on its shop fascia and projected signs after councillors criticised the use of vinyl. Cllr Hillier said: I have got vinyl stickers myself but the point is this is for Planet Organic.

I dont profess to be organic so thats fine but vinyl is made using chemicals and is not plant-based. I think if theyre opening a Planet Organic they ought to carry that through to their signage as well.

I would propose refusal and I think they need to rethink it given the type of shop they are opening.

Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak said the company should look at the district councils shop front design guide which advised wood and paint signs.

The district council approved the plans with a condition that the company uses painted timber for its signs. The supermarket is due to open on October 28.

Nick Ridley, property director at the firm, said: Planet Organic is a perfect fit for Henley. We are delighted to be bringing our organic and sustainable products, famous coffee and juices to the town, complementing todays fantastic retail mix.

For over 25 years weve been helping customers make better choices for their community, and the planet, and the opening of our Henley store marks the first step in our exciting plans for expansion.
ZIMBABWEANS who have been administered two Covid-19 vaccines are no longer required to wear face masks in public, according new regulations gazetted on Friday.

In terms of Statutory Instrument 169 of 2022, face masks remain mandatory indoors and on public transportation. Before the gazetting of the regulations, only the triple-vaccinated were exempt from wearing face masks in public.

Reads the SI in part: The wearing of face masks is mandatory  indoors at workplaces and places to which the public have access, or in public conveyances (taxis and commuter and other buses, goods, public service vehicles and trains and aeroplanes carrying passengers); outdoors in public places, except for those individuals who are fully vaccinated (that is to say those who have been vaccinated at least twice against Covid-19).

As at October 5, Zimbabwe had recorded 257 655 confirmed cases of the virus, including 251 640 recoveries and 5 604 deaths. A total of 6 533 054 people had been vaccinated against Covid-19. In a recent interview, Chief Co-ordinator of the National Response to the Covid-19 pandemic in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Dr Agnes Mahomva said the pandemic was reasonably under control.

We are proud to have a very strong and committed leadership who responded swiftly to the pandemic when it started. A whole Government and community approach really helped to level the curve to where it is now, the curve is now reasonably flat, a sign that the pandemic is now under control.

She said case numbers were at their lowest since the last wave mid-December 2021. Medical and Dental Private Practitioners of Zimbabwe Association (MDPPZA) president Dr Johannes Marisa said the pandemic was nearing its end, commending Government for a robust vaccination programme. Sunday News
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iciHaiti - OIF : Louise Mushikiwabo concerned about the evolution of the situation in Haiti





Louise Mushikiwabo Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) follows with concern the development of the humanitarian and security situation in Haiti and strongly condemns the persistence of acts of looting and violent demonstrations, recorded for several months on the whole country, in a context where the living conditions of the population are deteriorating in a worrying way.



"I would like to express my full solidarity as well as that of the entire Francophone family with the Haitian people who have endured for a long time multifaceted difficulties that are aggravated by the humanitarian crisis that is looming. All efforts, national and international, must be urgently mobilized to support the Haitian people in order to limit their suffering and avoid a large-scale humanitarian disaster,e declared the Secretary-General.



Louise Mushikiwabo invites the national authorities and all national actors to create, as soon as possible, the conditions for resuming the delivery of basic necessities and fuel for the operation of health services, and for the supply of drinking water to all the country's vital infrastructure.



IH/ iciHaiti


















An investigation has been launched by Bangladesh authorities after a Kali temple in Dautiya village in Jhenaidah district was vandalised. Police are on the hunt for the vandals who allegedly desecrated the idol of a deity at a Hindu temple which stood as a place of worship for Hindus since the colonial era, BDNews 24 said in a report. The idol of the goddess at the temple was broken and thrown outside.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has repeatedly underlined the need to uphold the countrys secular principles.

During the start of the Durga Puja Hasina in her message to the entire country said that the festival is not just confined to the Hindu community but signifies the destruction of evil forces. She said it is now a universal festival.

Destruction of evil forces and worship of truth and beauty are the main motives of Sharadiya Durgotsob. On the occasion of Durga Puja, I wish peace, welfare and prosperity to all citizens, including Hindus, she said. Hindus, comprise 10 per cent of Bangladeshs population.

Despite coming down heavily on the extremist forces, including the Hefazat-e-Islam, Hasina continues to face challenges from radical elements in the country.

Last year, the Durga Puja festival was marred by violence leaving at least seven people dead.

Since a long time, radical elements have been part of the society, which otherwise has been driven by its culture where both Nazrul Geeti and Rabindra Sangeet have been prevalent. These radical forces have been playing a part from time to time, Anil Trigunayat, former diplomat told India Narrative earlier.

Also read: Sheikh Hasina, symbol of a progressive Bangladesh, has an unfinished agenda
Baloch separatist group, the Baloch National Movement (BNM) has appealed to the UN to send a fact-finding mission to Balochistan and investigate the large-scale human rights violations taking place in Pakistans south-western province.

Addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session in Geneva earlier this week, BNM chairman Dr Naseem Baloch said that this year alone till August, Pakistani forces forcibly disappeared 505 people and killed 147.

The Baloch community in Pakistan claims that it is being exploited by the Pakistani establishment for over seven decades due to the presence of its rich mineral resources. The Baloch also say that the development indicators in the province are the lowest in education, health, livelihood opportunities and other social amenities.

The BNM chairman said: We would like to draw your attention to the worsening human rights violations in Balochistan by Pakistan. Enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings have been a daily practice there for many years. However, there has been a record surge in these cases in the recent months.

Referring to the Ziarat incident in which the Pakistani military was alleged to have killed people in custody, Baloch said: In Ziarat area of Balochistan counter terrorism department (CTD) killed 11 persons in a fake encounter, later, 6 of them were identified as missing persons.

He added that the killings and kidnappings continue in other parts of Pakistan as well. In Lahore, more than 100 dead bodies were found, are yet to be confirmed. However, it is believed that they were from the missing persons.

He also highlighted the trend of Pakistani security forces and spy agencies harassing Baloch women and students. In his address to the UN, Baloch said: There are verified reports of abduction of women and children by security agencies and their death squads. As Balochistan is a no-go area for media and human rights organizations, nothing is being reported about the worsening situation.

Urging the UN to send a fact-finding mission to Balochistan, he said that Pakistan has no respect for international laws and human rights obligations.

Its actions in Balochistan require immediate attention. Perpetrators must face justice. We call for sending a UN fact-finding mission to Balochistan to ascertain the magnitude of human rights violations.

The Baloch have extended their nationalist campaign against China as well, who they see as an exploiter of their mineral resources. The alienated community has undertaken disruptive actions against the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which seeks to link China to the Arabian sea as well as claims to bring development to Pakistan.

Also Read: Activists plan international campaign to sanction Pakistan over human rights violations in Balochistan
In a shocking incident, thousands of fish have been found dead in Annapurna pond of Indore. The incident came to light when the stench of dead fish made it difficult for passersby to pass through the area.

60,000-70,000 fish found dead

It is reported that 60,000-70,000 fish have been found dead in the pond in the last three days. A complaint has been made to the Indore Municipal Corporation about the incident.



Prahlad Prajapat, an employee of the civil park, has alleged that people associated with fish business intentionally poison the pond water to kill the fish. Then, they steal the dead fish and sell it in the market. He suspect that a poisonous medicine used to pollute the water resulted in the death of the fish.

MP | We received info that a large number of fish were found dead at a pond in Annapurna area, Indore. Water sample is being sent for testing. Fish are being removed as well. Daroga has been asked to monitor the area so no one steals fish: A Sharma, Water Resources Dept (08.10) pic.twitter.com/PKi88bsSLI  ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) October 9, 2022





Municipal Corporations water works in-charge Abhishek Sharma said that fishes are being taken out from the pond. He further told that the water of the pond has also been sent to the lab for medical test.

He also warned that the fish market was being monitored. Punitive action will be taken if caught selling dead fish.

Recent fish dying incidents

Recently, many instances of fish dying have been reported from across the country.

In September, several fish were found dead at Haralur lake in Bellandur, South-East Bengaluru, allegedly due to the entry of sewage along with rainwater in the city.

According to residents, this was the second instance of fish kill in the lake this year. For the last couple of days, the fish in the lake are dying as a result of polluted water, the residents had said, adding that it has been happening after the heavy rains.

Representational Image

Earlier in February too, a large number of fish were found dead at River Cauvery in Vairapalayam in Erode city.

Local residents claimed that a textile processing units discharge and untreated effluents, seeping into drains during night hours finally entered the river, leading to the death of the fish. They said that the number of dead fish was high and pointed out that pollution was the sole reason.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News.


In an unfortunate incident, a rhino was hit by a speeding truck at Assam's Haldibari in Dhubri district. A video of the incident has been shared by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Twitter that shows the rhinoceros colliding with the truck.

Video shared by Assam CM

"Rhinos are our special friends; we'll not allow any infringement on their space," the chief minister tweeted. "In this unfortunate incident at Haldibari the Rhino survived; vehicle intercepted & fined. Meanwhile in our resolve to save animals at Kaziranga we're working on a special 32-km elevated corridor."

Rhinos are our special friends; well not allow any infringement on their space.



In this unfortunate incident at Haldibari the Rhino survived; vehicle intercepted & fined. Meanwhile in our resolve to save animals at Kaziranga were working on a special 32-km elevated corridor. pic.twitter.com/z2aOPKgHsx  Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) October 9, 2022





In the ten seconds clip, the rhino comes running out of a wooded area before stumbling onto a road and ramming into a truck. After being hit, the rhino gets up, falls down again, and scurries back into the forest.

According to local media reports, the truck was enroute Guwahati from Jorhat and the incident occurred in Haldibari Animal Corridor. The vehicle was reportedly intercepted in Bagari area of Nagaon district and was heavily fined by the transport and forest department.

Population of one-horned rhinos in Assam

The population of one-horned rhinos in Assams Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) has increased by 200 in the past four years, as per the latest census released in March this year. With a population of 2613, KNPTR has the largest population of one-horned rhinos.

Unsplash

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is in Assam, on Saturday hailed the Assam government for "freeing" Kaziranga National Park from encroachment and rhino poaching, "stopping" cow smuggling through the Bodoland region and "preventing" illegal trading of supari (areca nut).

For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News.


Drunk people doing unexpected things is a well-known fact worldwide. Sometimes their deeds are funny, and sometimes they are outright dangerous. Recently, a drunk man in the US was arrested for hanging onto a truck for almost 200 km in the hopes of finding his wife. He ended up landing in a different state.

Drunk man arrested in the US

Just when you think you've seen it all... This Wichita man was arrested early Monday morning (around 2:30 am) after he hitched a ride almost to OKC holding on to the back rails of a semi. We'll have reaction from folks who know him tonight on #KAKENews pic.twitter.com/PuhSyFbp6b  Eli Higgins (@EliTheTVGuy) October 6, 2022

The inebriated man had 'hitched a ride on the back rails of a semi,' Twitter user Eli Higgins wrote in a post. He explained, "Just when you think you've seen it all... This Wichita man was arrested early Monday morning (around 2:30 am) after he hitched a ride almost to OKC holding on to the back rails of a semi. We'll have reaction from folks who know him tonight on #KAKENews."

The man was later identified as Dustin Slocum, 30, from Wichita, Kansas. He hopped on the back rail of the truck while it was leaving a shipyard. He managed to hang on for 130 miles (around 209 km) for two hours and ended up in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

The man was 'hoping to find his wife'

Unsplash

The man was drunk, but he sure knew what he was doing and why he was doing it. When authorities asked the drunk man why he was on the truck, he stated he was hoping to find his wife. "It's so bizarre. The person that called said there appears to be a man on the back of this truck," Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Eric Foster told Kake TV.

At 2:30 am that day, police arrested Slocum for public intoxication and joyriding, each a misdemeanour charge to which he pleaded not guilty.



What do you think about this? Tell us in the comments.

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The Department of the Environment waited three weeks into a four-week submission period before consulting its own competent authority regarding a 35bn EU renewable energy fund which Ireland has failed to apply for.

Ireland is one of just two European nations which failed to apply for a key European Commission (EC) funding initiative known as REPowerEU, aimed at ensuring continuity of energy supply in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

REPowerEU was established in March 2022 with a view to funding explorations of renewable energy sources and bolstering the European Unions energy supply chains following the invasion of Ukraine.

On March 8 of this year, the Department of the Environment (DECC) received correspondence from the ECs director general for energy requesting submissions above and beyond each countrys stated national energy targets regarding REPowerEU, with a deadline for response of April 8.

However, the department made no move regarding that communication before April 1, nearly four weeks later, when it requested submissions of its own from Gas Networks Ireland, the competent authority within Ireland with regard to biomethane, a form of renewable gas.

REPowerEU zeroes in on five policy pillars.

GNI was given until April 5, just two working days and three days before the REPowerEU deadline, to reply to the department.

A spokesperson for the department said that it is considering potential proposals for funding under this mechanism with the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform.

They added that European legislation necessary to provide for funding under REPowerEU will not come into force until next year.

However, gas industry experts have told the Irish Examiner that no such legislation is required for either the biomethane or liquefied natural gas strands of REPowerEU.

Biomethane production facilities

Meanwhile, Gas Networks Ireland confirmed that it had received a communication from DECC requesting information for the director general regarding the deployment and connection of biomethane production facilities on April 1.

Gas Networks Ireland provided a response to these queries on Tuesday, April 5 , they said, adding that funding applications are a matter for DECC.

Biomethane is a natural gas alternative made from agricultural and food waste via a process known as anaerobic digestion.

Its widespread use would be expected to reduce emissions across the economy, while also contributing to the decarbonisation of the agri-food sector.

Commenting on the amount of time taken to consult GNI regarding REPowerEU last March, and the fact no application was made for the biomethane funding itself, energy consultant and former MEP Kieran Hartley said Ireland had disadvantaged itself in terms of its own natural indigenous asset, which is grass growing.

Not applying reduces Irelands ability to cut carbon emissions and to achieve our net-zero 2030 climate targets, he said, adding that the failure to apply for the funding is an unforgivable let down to all of Ireland, especially its rural communities.

REPowerEU is expected to inject funding into the clean energy transition of some 210bn by the year 2027.

The biomethane section of REPowerEU has a budget of 35bn. At present biomethane is being invested in heavily across the developed world, with France for example currently spending nearly 2m per day in rolling out the technology.
An increasing number of third-level students are seeking mental health support amid increases in anxiety, depression, and isolation, according to the Psychological Counsellors in Higher Education in Ireland (PCHEI) group.

Counsellors say many are "languishing" due to a lack of support, with student counselling services (SCS) across Ireland experiencing increased demand for services, with a large number of students presenting.

PCHEI has highlighted the need for additional funding and resources to deal with the issue.

In the academic year 2020/2021, some 14,386 students attended 69,030 counselling appointments in SCSs across Ireland, an increase of almost 2,000 students and 4,000 appointments compared to the previous year.

The latest SCS data shows that the number of students presenting with a host of issues, from anxiety and depression to suicidal thoughts and self-harm, has increased between 2010 and 2020.

PCHEI chairwoman Treasa Fox highlighted a growing demand for student mental health services across the country.

Ms Fox revealed that student mental health services across Ireland saw a significant rise in the number of students presenting last year with low mood, isolation, loneliness, and anxiety.

It might not hit the markers for clinical depression, but they are experiencing low mood, social anxiety, general anxiety, isolation, and loneliness, she explained.

Even with the lifting of restrictions and the return to campus for many people, this has not gone away.

Its taking quite a bit of time to work with the student to come through that.

Ms Fox explained that the demand for SCS services has exceeded supply in recent years, even pre-pandemic up to the end of 2019, and that services have not been able to keep pace.

The ratio of counsellors to students remains far short of international best practice. While it has improved since 2019 to a rate of one counsellor for every 2,500 students, the recommended ratio  according to international standards  is one counsellor to 1,000 students.

Ms Fox explained that not many institutes in Ireland, barring maybe some of the smaller ones, have met that ratio.

While SCS did receive funding to cater for the demand for student mental health services during the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms Fox described it as a drop in the ocean.

Government response

A spokesperson for the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science said: In 2020 and 2021, a total of 5m was allocated to the higher education institutions to support student mental health and wellbeing.

This funding, allocated by the Higher Education Authority, included 2m delivered through the recurrent grant model to higher education institutions, along with an additional 3m secured as part of the Covid-19 response package.

The spokesperson added that the department is aware of research highlighting the need for long-term mental health service provision following a major emergency, as well as research highlighting the pandemics severe impact on the mental health of young adults.

In this regard, the funding allocation for mental health and wellbeing service provision in higher education is being considered as part of the estimates process for the upcoming budget, the spokesperson concluded.
Grassroots official in China's Sichuan brings rosy prospects to villagers through rose industry

People's Daily Online) 14:37, October 09, 2022

Chen Wanghui, a grassroots official in Maoshui village, Xiaojin county, southwest China's Sichuan Province, has led many villagers to prosperity by developing the rose industry.

Chen Wanghui (Xinhua/Liu Qiong)

Located at the foot of Jiajin Mountain, the village has an average altitude of nearly 3,000 meters, and people there once faced a hard life due to the high and barren mountains.

Chen, who ran restaurant and hotel businesses, was elected as the director of the village committee at the end of 2010. Since then, she has helped villagers get rid of poverty and live better lives.

Back then, rampant wild boars often destroyed villagers' crops. Chen coincidentally found several roses in a field of ruined crops and decided to grow them, which have high economic value and are free from the damage of wild boars.

After learning techniques from rose growers, Chen visited rose planting bases in multiple areas and mastered rose planting techniques several months later.

Chen Wanghui picks roses in the field. (Photo provided by the interviewee)

Chen planted eight rose varieties in the village, an ideal place for the growth of roses. She then established a cooperative and led members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in the village to teach villagers how to plant roses. When the village's rose market was stagnant, she bought villagers' roses at a price higher than the market price.

In 2016, Chen was elected as secretary of the village's Party branch and set up a factory that processes roses. The factory has developed over 10 kinds of rose products which have seen brisk sales, including rose essential oil.

While improving the lives of residents in Maoshui village, Chen has introduced rose planting techniques to more than 40 villages in Xiaojin county.

Chen Wanghui talks with a villager in the field. (Photo provided by the interviewee)

Yu Fuliang, a resident of Gonghe village in the county, is handicapped in the right leg. He began to plant roses in 2015 under the influence of Chen, which increased his income to 3,700 yuan (about $520) in 2016. At present, Yu plants roses on 4 mu (about 0.27 hectares) of land and can earn over 10,000 yuan from every mu of roses per year.

Nowadays, the rose industry has become one of the pillar industries in Xiaojin county. The planting area of roses in the county reaches 15,000 mu, and rose growers see an average annual increase of income of more than 5,000 yuan.

Chen has been awarded national honorary titles for her contributions to the poverty alleviation cause and elected as a delegate to the upcoming 20th National Congress of the CPC. "I will keep making efforts to help villagers increase their incomes," Chen said.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)
Gardai have confirmed the names of the 10 people who tragically lost their lives in an explosion in Creeslough, Co Donegal, on Friday.

They continue to investigate all circumstances surrounding the incident.

The full list of those who died in the tragedy is:

James O Flaherty, 48 years;

Jessica Gallagher, 24 years;

Martin McGill, 49 years;

Catherine O Donnell, 39 years; and her son James Monaghan, 13 years;

Hugh Kelly, 59 years;

Martina Martin, 49 years;

Robert Garwe, 50 years; and his daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe, 5 years;

Leona Harper, 14 years.

Jessica Gallagher and Leona Harper, who were killed in the explosion in Creeslough on Friday.

The remains of the deceased are at Letterkenny University Hospital where postmortems have commenced under the direction of Dr Heidi Okkers, assistant State pathologist. These will continue over the next few days. Results will not be released for operational reasons.

Undated handout photo issued by An Garda Siochana of Catherine O'Donnell, 39, and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan. Picture: An Garda Siochana /PA

One male in his 20s remains in a critical condition in St. James Hospital, Dublin. The seven other surviving casualties continue to receive treatment in Letterkenny University Hospital and remain in stable condition.

Robert Garwe, 50 years, and his daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe, age five, who died in the Creeslough explosion. Pictures: An Garda Siochana

The Garda Technical Bureau, with assistance from other agencies, will continue to examine the scene, which remains cordoned off. These examinations are likely to continue over the coming days. Traffic diversions on the N56 at the scene of the incident remain in place.

Garda Superintendent Liam Geraghty said the incident will have a huge impact to a small rural community.

They are all local people, he said.

They are all very much involved in the community. They are all people who were shopping in their local shop.

We have very, very young children. Schools are going to be impacted. The GAA clubs are going to be impacted.

The local church and general local community will be severely impacted by this.

But it is a very strong community.

The community will come together and will support each other."

Support is also in place for emergency workers.

He said: It was a very traumatic scene here on Friday afternoon.

Emergency response right across County Donegal and our colleagues in Northern Ireland responded to a very traumatic scene.

They were then processed into dealing with the recovery of fatalities at the scene.

This does have an impact on gardai who have young children and families themselves, and most of the gardai here (in the village) are local guards.

Several masses have taken place on Saturday and Sunday as the community comes together to grieve.

The staff at a local school, Mulroy College, where James Monaghan was a student and Jessica Gallagher was a past pupil, has paid tribute to them and all the victims, including Catherine O' Donnell and Martina Martin, who had children at the school, and were also among the fatalities.

A number of their students were also injured at the scene.

"It is with deepest regret that we advise that two of our students, James Monaghan and Leona Harper, and two mothers of students enrolled in our school, Catherine O Donnell and Martina Martin, were among the fatalities.

"There were also a number of our students who incurred injuries at the scene. Our deepest sympathies are with the families who have tragically lost a loved one following Fridays incident in Creeslough. We also hope that all those injured will make a full recovery," a spokesperson said.

Principal Fiona Temple said that the entire school community is "devastated."

We as a school community are devastated on hearing of the tragedy and the fatal outcome for our two beautiful students and our cherished parents. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families and the Creeslough community at this time," she said.

A critical incident plan was enacted at the school when the tragic news of what had happened reached them.

Students are being offered support by staff in the school, as well as pyschologists from the National Educational Pyschological Service.

Pope Francis has offered his support and condolences to the people of Creeslough in Donegal.

A statement sent to his representative, Bishop Raphor Alexander McGuckian, read:

His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the loss of life and destruction caused by the explosion in Creeslough and he expresses his spiritual closeness to all those suffering in the aftermath of this tragedy.

While entrusting the deceased to the merciful love of almighty god, His Holiness implores the divine blessings of consolation and healing upon the injured, the displaced and the families coping with pain of loss.

As a pledge of strength and peace in the lord, the Holy Father sends his blessing to all the people of Ireland.

Creeslough parish priest Father John Joe Duffy broke down in tears as he recalled giving those who died the Last Rites.

Hugh Kelly. Picture: An Garda Siochana /PA

I was there to pray over them, he told reporters.

I knew some of those children through their school and the parish.

This is unfair, it is unreal.

Speaking at the cordon of the blast site on Saturday, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said there was deep sadness in the village and a terrible silence, reflecting the enormity of what has happened.

The entire nation is mourning and deeply saddened, he said.

It is a very close-knit community, and our heart goes out to them.

Many volunteers rushed to the scene to try and do everything they could to help, because it was a horrific scene they came upon, and we must always remember our emergency services.

Martina Martin. Picture: An Garda Siochana /PA

I want to thank them for helping those who were trapped and injured. We must do everything we can to support the community.

Words on their own will not console someone who has lost a loved one, and we have to be with them. We will be with them for quite some time.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee commended the gardai and emergency services as well as locals, who began digging rubble with their bare hands.

James O'Flaherty. Picture: An Garda Siochana /PA

"The entire community will be coming to terms with this for a long time. Like everyone else, the first thing I thought of was my own local shop, the people who work in it, people who go to it every day and just to imagine this happening at home, it's absolutely devastating," she told RTE's The Week in Politics show.

Martin McGill. Picture: An Garda Siochana /PA

"It's very hard to know what to say, we all offer our condolences to the families whose lives have been utterly changed forever."
Cybermindz.org is attending the Australian Information Security Association's Melbourne CyberCon conference, on from 11-13 October 2022, with three offerings, while also recognising the Mental Health and Cybersecurity Awareness Months of October.

The in-person AISA CyberCon conference will provide business leaders with insights and best practices, taught by the industrys top experts, through keynotes, panel sessions and live demonstrations, and Cybermindz.org will be there.

CyberCon's attendees network with peers to help better understand and manage current threats, as well as identify and prepare to meet emerging challenges, with delegates ranging from company directors and managers to public servants, lawyers, risk professionals, software architects, and technical security specialists.

These delegates come from a broad range of industries from education to finance, government, healthcare, manufacturing, mining, transportation and utilities.

Cybermindz.org is attending CyberCon, and is Australias first peer-led, not-for-profit, cybersecurity mental health intervention and support program. It launched earlier this year, with the original launch event available to watch in full here.

Cybermindz is motivated by a concern for the deteriorating mental health of cybersecurity workers and those who manage the consequences of cyber attacks, bringing scalable, effective and evidence-based mental health support and on-the-ground resilience building to cyber teams and beyond.

Specialising in burnout prevention and restoration using a military proven protocol for stress, PTSD, trauma, depression anxiety and sleep disorders, Cybermindz's dedicated approach helps return cyber teams to peak performance, revitalising the sense of their mission and purpose.

Able to rebuild team morale and establish a common language, Cybermindz also normalises the conversation around personal vulnerability, and starts with what is strong, resilient and unbreakable in the individual and builds a foundation from that  so that workers can remain in "challenge situations" while remaining calm, centred and emotionally balanced.

With International Mental Health Day today, Monday 10 October, Cybermindz.org has shared three offers to allow cybersecurity professionals to experience, learn about and celebrate three dimensions of its work.

1) Free 'Integrative Restoration' (iRest) Demos at AISA

Cybermindz is delighted to be offering free demonstrations of the iRest protocol to its cyber peers who attend AISA CyberCon Melbourne 2022 on 12 and 13 October. Join them to experience a mental recharge through a facilitated shift into deep calm.

The protocol is the centrepiece of Cybermindz's work with cyber teams and over time creates a new default state which is calmer, clearer and enables you to switch on and off at will. Better sleep quality is one of the first changes observed.

Cybermindz.org is introducing the protocol to cyber communities as part of its pioneering mental health support initiative, with AISA generously allocating Cybermindz 8 x 40 minute sessions. Numbers are limited so please reserve your place at this link.

Cybermindz asks you to please share this with your colleagues and cyber networks.

2) Cybermindz National Baseline Study: Mental Health in Cyber

Under the leadership of its Director of Organisational and Behavioural Research, Dr Andrew Reeves, Cybermindz has started rolling out the first national baseline study on the mental health of cyber security professionals.

Cybermindz is the first in this space and is keen to connect with as many interested organisations as possible (and hoping to have stats out by the end of the month) Note: these stats will be an average of the industry; Cybermindz will not be releasing specific organisations results publicly.

To meet Cybermindz' standards for ethics, the Mental Health in Cyber Assessment is anonymous, and participants are free to withdraw their response at any time up until they submit the survey. After this, as the data is anonymous, Cybermindz is unable to retrieve it. The results are encrypted in transit and at rest. Cybermindz says is also careful to only collect data that relates to workplace functioning and avoids straying into clinical formations of mental illness. Cybermindz gathers informed consent at the beginning of the survey (you can read more here).

This study will allow Cybermindz to compare organisations to this baseline and to the broader Australian population. Specifically, Cybermindz is investigating several factors that relate to the mental and emotional resilience of cyber teams: namely, sleep quality, psychological capital, and burnout.

If you are able to take part, Cybermindz asks you to please provide the following link to your Cyber Teams 

https://adelaideunisop.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8iefNQ2aknekFBI?

Cybermindz can also provide a tagged survey form so it can report, to you and your company, on how your team compares to the rest of the sector, and help you with scripting the invitation email to your cyber teams, if needed. Cybermindz naturally reports being happy to chat further to accommodate any requirements you may have.

3) Melbourne Launch of Cybermindz.org

As the next phase in extending the Cybermindz community, Cybermindz.org will officially launch in Victoria on 20 October, 2022.

Time: 5:30 pm  7:00 pm AEDT

Place: Corrs Chambers Westgarth, 25/567 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

Registration is required, and you can register here.

This important initiative will be unveiled by Cybermindz.org founder Peter Coroneos, and the launch will be followed by a panel event of leading industry experts.

The event will outline the programs vision and approach, introduce you to its inaugural board and invite your participation in this exciting journey of restoration and empowerment.

You can listen now to a 15 min audio file outlining Cybermindz.org's genesis, mission and capability.

Finally, The Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG accepted Cybermindz.org's invitation to become its inaugural patron, which you can read about here.
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.
Around a thousand people formed a human chain around the UK parliament in London on Saturday, demanding the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

The Australian-born publisher has been held in a high-security London prison since 2019, and is currently appealing against a decision to extradite him to the United States.

He is wanted by US authorities to face trial for allegedly violating the US Espionage Act by publishing classified military and diplomatic files in 2010, related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The 51-year-old could face decades in jail if found guilty.

His case has become a cause celebre for media freedom and his supporters accuse Washington of trying to muzzle reporting of legitimate security concerns.

Supporters in London held life size cut-outs of Assange, along with posters reading "Free Assange, end extradition", "journalism is not a crime" and "prosecute war crimes, not Assange".

The chain formed outside the front of the Houses of Parliament, spanned the River Thames over Westminster Bridge before winding itself along the river opposite the historic building.

Another protest took place in Zagreb, Croatia.
Israeli forces were chasing the attacker behind an attack that killed a soldier at a checkpoint in east Jerusalem, authorities said Sunday, hours after two Palestinian teenagers were shot dead in an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli army said a soldier was killed as a result of serious injury in a gunshot attack which police say took place at a checkpoint in Israel-annexed east Jerusalem near the Palestinian refugee camp of Shuafat.

Another Israeli was seriously injured, police said, and a third person, whose nationality was unspecified, was hit by shrapnel in the incident, according to emergency services group Magen David Adom (MADA), all of whom Gunshot victims said were in their 20s.

Police cordoned off the area near the checkpoint and dozens of officers were stationed at the entrance and exit of East Jerusalem, while the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its medics were being prevented from entering the refugee camp.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid described the shooting as a severe attack.

My heart goes out to the wounded and their families tonight. Terror will not defeat us, we are strong even on this difficult evening, he said in a statement.

 Devastating Consequences 

Earlier on Saturday, two Palestinian teenagers were shot dead in an operation by Israeli forces in Jenin, the focal point of the northern city in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced the killing of two citizens by occupation (Israeli) shells in Jenin when Israeli forces carried out an arrest there. Eleven others were also injured.

Those killed were identified by the Palestinian Ministry of Health as Ahmad Daraghmeh, 16, and Mahmoud as-Sous, 18. Islamic Jihad praised the teenagers as its martyrs.

Israels military said troops entered Jenin on Saturday to arrest a 25-year-old Palestinian man said to be a member of the Islamic Jihad militant group and suspected of shooting at troops in the area.

During the activity, dozens of Palestinians hurled explosive devices and Molotov cocktails at IDF soldiers and shots were fired at them, the army said in a statement, adding that soldiers fired at the armed suspects.

Saturdays incident is the latest in a string of frequent and often fatal raids by the Israeli army on Palestinian militants that have killed dozens of Palestinian militants and civilians.

After the recent deaths in Jenin, the Palestinian Presidency called on Washington to put serious pressure on Israel to end its all-out war against our Palestinian people.

The Israeli action will push things towards an explosion and a point of no return, which will have devastating consequences for everyone, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas, said in a statement released by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The agency also reported that Israeli forces fired directly at journalists during the Jenin raid.

Two reporters were injured on Wednesday while covering a military operation observed by an AFP journalist near the West Bank city of Nablus that left one Palestinian dead.

In March, Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead while covering an Israeli raid in Jenin.

 Deterioration of the situation 

Saturdays violence in Jenin came a day after two other Palestinian teenagers were shot dead by Israeli forces  Adel Dawoud, 14, killed in the northern West Bank, and Mahdi Ladadweh, 17, killed near the city of Ramallah, according to the Health Ministry.

I am alarmed by the deteriorating security situation, including the increase in armed clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Tor Wennesland, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said in a statement.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War, and some 475,000 Israelis now live in settlements across the territory that are considered illegal by most of the international community.
North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into the sea on Sunday, the souths military said, the latest in a lightning wave of missile launches amid tensions over US-led military exercises in the region, Yonhap reported.

The South Korean militarys Joint Chiefs of Staff announced the launches  the seventh and eighth in two weeks  were coming from the south-east of the country, without giving further details.

As we increase our surveillance and vigilance, our military maintains a full preparedness posture in close cooperation with the United States, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, according to Yonhap.

North Korea on Saturday defended its recent spate of missile tests as a legitimate counter to US military threats after days of joint military exercises between the South, Japan and the United States.

The Japanese Prime Ministers office also confirmed at least one of the launches on Twitter on Sunday.

North Korea has launched a suspected ballistic missile. More updates to come, the office said.

Japanese Deputy Defense Minister Toshiro Ino said it was possible the missiles, which he said were launched just before 2:00 a.m. (Saturday 1700 GMT) and traveled 350 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 100 kilometers, were loud Kyodo were fired from submarines news agency.

The missiles, which were fired at the East Sea, also known as the Sea of ??Japan, appear to have fallen outside of Japans Exclusive Economic Zone, the Japanese government said, according to Kyodo. The Coast Guard said it had not received any reports of damage to Japanese ships so far, national broadcaster NHK reported.

The US militarys Indo-Pacific Command, meanwhile, said in a statement that it was aware of the two ballistic missile launches and is consulting closely with our allies and partners, and said the launch demonstrated the destabilizing nature of the North Korean missile program.

US commitments to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remain adamant, the statement said.

Sundays launches were the latest in a spate that included a medium-range ballistic missile fired over Japan on Tuesday, alerting people in affected areas below to take cover.

And on Thursday, North Korea launched two ballistic missiles, on the same day Seoul, Tokyo and Washington conducted new exercises involving a US Navy destroyer from the combat group of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

The United States moved the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to waters east of South Korea as part of a broad military response to Tuesdays Pyongyang test, which also included joint bombing and missile exercises.

Yonhap said exercises between South Korea and the United States ended on Saturday.

In addition, Seouls military said it grounded 30 warplanes on Thursday after 12 North Korean warplanes conducted a rare formation flight north of the inter-Korean air border. [and] conducted air-to-ground firing drills.

 Countermeasures 

Pyongyangs foreign ministry earlier this week called the recent launches the just countermeasures by the Korean Peoples Army.

And on Thursday, the United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss the Pyongyang launch over Japan.

The United States called the meeting after officials and analysts said a Hwasong-12 had been fired, probably covering the longest horizontal distance of any North Korean test.

At the meeting, North Koreas longtime ally and economic benefactor China accused Washington of provoking the spate of launches by Kim Jong Uns regime, and Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Geng Shuang accused the United States of pousing the regional security environment to poison.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield has called for existing sanctions on North Korea to be boosted, while China and Russia vetoed them in May.

The council was divided for months responding to Pyongyangs nuclear ambitions, with Russia and China on the sympathetic side and the rest of the council pushing for punishment.

Analysts say Pyongyang has used the opportunity of the UN standoff to conduct increasingly provocative weapons tests.
Restoring Russia to its rightful place among the worlds great powers has possessed President Vladimir Putin, whose offensive in Ukraine was to be the culmination of over 20 years of iron-clad leadership.

But Putin, who turns 70 on Friday, has seen his army exhausted by seven months of grueling military action and his country diplomatically isolated.

The Russian leader has even made veiled threats to use nuclear weapons, fueling geopolitical tensions over his election campaign in Ukraine.

Its a far cry from the turn of the millennium, when a newly minted 47-year-old Putin replaced the ailing Boris Yeltsin in the Kremlin, promising friendship and cooperation with the West.

US President George W. Bush hailed him as a remarkable leader, while German Gerhard Schroder and Italian Silvio Berlusconi were among his friends even as he cracked down on Russian media and waged war in Chechnya.

But things have changed. Joe Biden  the fifth US President of the Putin era  looked into his soul and saw instead a killer, even before the military intervention in Ukraine and the subsequent avalanche of unprecedented sanctions.

On the other hand, his popularity at home seems untouchable, as Russians are grateful for their relative prosperity and Moscows return to the top of the world after the economic and political chaos that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union.

For enemies, however, Putin has moved his homeland further from democracy, orchestrated a takeover of the state by a new elite of former secret police cronies, and stoked nationalism to restore Moscows lost empire.

 Shadow Army 

This alleged nepotism is personified by the Rotenberg brothers and Yevgeny Prigozhin, founders of the Wagner paramilitary group, which operates as Russias shadow army in conflict zones around the world.

A constitutional amendment referendum held at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 allowed him to stay in power until 2036 while the opposition was decimated and leading critic Alexei Navalny was in prison after being poisoned .

For Putin and many of his generation, the demise of the USSR and its sphere of influence remains a painful wound. The resentment for Putin, a former KGB agent in East Germany, was particularly bitter.

The upheaval in post-Soviet Russia unleashed hardships contrary to Western triumphalism. Years later, Putin said he was forced to work as a taxi driver to make ends meet.

In 2005, he described the collapse of the Soviet Union as the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century, and made little attempt to deviate from that claim, repeatedly emphasizing Russias historic mission.

This narrative generated resentment against the perceived encroachment of NATO and the European Union in Moscows backyard.

Convinced that the West was trying to subdue Russia, Putin made Ukraine his red line.

When crowds in Kyiv ousted Russian-backed leader Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014, the Kremlin threatened to lose its dominance over a key neighbor.

Within days, Putin ordered special forces to seize the strategic peninsula of Crimea andafter a hasty, internationally rejected referendumhe signed off on the regions annexation.

 genocide and nationalism 

The redrawing of Russias border unleashed the worst confrontation with the West since the Cold War and unleashed a wave of nationalism at home that skyrocketed Putins popularity.

Then, on February 24, 2022, using claims of genocide perpetrated by the Ukrainian government against the Russian-speaking population of eastern Ukraine, he sent Russian tanks into its pro-Western neighbors, a first in Europe since World War II.

In 2015, Putin summed up his philosophy as follows: When fighting is inevitable, strike first.

In his eyesif this war in Ukraine or for Ukraine is lost, the Russian state will soon cease to exist, said Tatiana Stanovaya, founder of analytics company R.Politik.

The military operation should have been a resounding success  after 22 years at the helm of Putin, Russias army has been modernized under an experienced command fresh from Syria.

But plagued by corruption and surprised by the determination of the Ukrainians, Moscow had to give up Kyiv by the spring.

The capture of the east and south proved costly in troops and ammunition.

The fall saw a series of military setbacks. On September 21, Putin announced a mobilization campaign that would recruit hundreds of thousands of reservists.

Battered by Western sanctions, Russia is cut off from international finance and advanced technology.

And his diplomatic isolation was blatantly evident when Putin was not invited to Queen Elizabeth IIs state funeral.

 Russians on the run 

And tens of thousands of Russians, probably hundreds of thousands, are fleeing mobilization and repression.

In the West, some are conjuring up the drift of this President, who spent two years largely cut off from the world to protect himself from Covid-19.

Just days before the start of the Ukraine offensive, French President Emmanuel Macron feared a more inflexible, more isolated Putin.

He was no longer the one bare-chested on horseback or exploring Lake Baikal in some sort of submarine, but someone sitting meters away from his guests at opposite ends of a huge table.

On television he has come out fiercely against a West in a moral state of decay, rotting to its liberal ideas and the LGBT movement. At the end of September he saw the coming of Satanism.

Macron or (Chancellor Olaf) Scholz have to choose their words, but not Vladimir Vladimirovich. He says what he thinks, does what he wants, said Russian political scientist Konstantin Kalachev. He has complete freedom, nothing holds him back.

With the same conviction he repeats that Ukraine is not a nation, that its independence is a bad turn of history.

Following this logic, on September 30 he announced the annexation of four more Ukrainian regions, even though his army suffered setbacks there.

Victory will be ours, he called out to a crowd gathered in Moscows Red Square.

Stanovaya, the political analyst, said: He really believes that he is the one who will reunite the Russian lands. And in my view, it could end badly.
Burkina Fasos new rulers say they have seized power to better fight jihadists, but history in the Sahel suggests the coup will only fuel turmoil and division, to the benefit of insurgents, analysts say.

The poor, arid region has been plagued by jihadist insecurity since 2012.

It started in northern Mali and then spread to the center and neighboring countries of Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015, killing thousands and causing more than two million people to flee their homes.

A new junta led by 34-year-old Captain Ibrahim Traore took power in Burkina Faso last week, the second such power grab since January, which has been blamed on failure to quell jihadist attacks.

Two similar coups followed in Mali in 2020 and 2021.

The latest takeover comes amid a struggle for influence between France and Russia in the former French colonies, whose leaders appear increasingly to be turning to Moscow for help in the fight against the jihadists.

But analyst Yvan Guichaoua said the coup would only serve the interests of jihadists  the al-Qaeda-affiliated group in support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM) and the local branch of the Islamic State group.

The big winners are not the Russians or the French, but GSIM and IS, said Guichaou, an expert at the Brussels School of International Studies. What a disaster.

Organizers of coups in the Sahel usually promise improved security, but those promises are misleading, analysts say.

A coup usually destabilizes the army structure and divides military personnel into supporters and opponents of the coup, said Djallil Lounnas of Moroccos Al-Akhawayn University.

It means instability, division and purges.

Coups only exacerbate problems in countries where armed forces are already accused of inefficiency and mismanagement, and security forces are often under-equipped, he and others said.

 army problems 

Alain Antil, a Sahel expert at the French Institute for International Relations, gave the example of more than 50 Burkinabe gendarmes killed by jihadists last November.

Two weeks earlier, they had warned headquarters that they were running out of supplies.

They were hunting gazelles in the bush to eat them, he said, unable to take on the insurgents.

You cant fight such determined opponents with such a logistics problem.

Disgruntled junior officers led by Traore drove out junta leader Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, whom they accused of abandoning his country.

Traore was declared president on Wednesday, three days after Damiba fled to neighboring Togo following a prolonged standoff over the weekend.

But, said Antil, nothing indicates that Traore will be more successful.

The myth of the enlightened military being able to solve problems  very rarely persists, he said.

Soldiers are often less well equipped than the civilians they replace to understand non-security aspects of a crisis.

GSIM poked fun at Burkinas recent leadership change this week.

Let the tyrants know that the repeated coups will do them no good, it said in a statement.

Mauritanian journalist Lemine Ould Salem, who has written a book on jihadism, said political unrest lends credibility to extremist speech that delegitimizes state institutions.

They say, Look, there is no democracy, no state, no constitution,' he said.

 Regional impact 

Military coups in the Sahel have also weakened regional cooperation in the fight against the jihadists.

Since coming to power, Mali has been at odds with France, the countrys strongest foreign ally, which withdrew its last troops from the country in August.

The junta has brought in Russian agents whom it describes as military trainers, but whom Western countries say are Wagner Group mercenaries.

Mali has also deserted a regional anti-jihadi force called the G5 Sahel and angered its southern neighbor, Ivory Coast, by arresting 46 Ivorian soldiers in July.

Bamako runs the risk of ruining the whole cooperation, including in terms of security, Antil said.

The Soufan Center think tank said in a note this week that France has served as a sort of bogeyman or pretext to explain the growing strength of jihadists in Burkina Faso and the wider Sahel.

Michael Shurkin, a US historian specializing in the French army, said there are also many who believe in conspiracy theories that the French are arming the jihadists.
The Kyiv-based Center for Civil Liberties has run successful campaigns for political prisoners, tracked enforced disappearances and focused on Russian war crimes, but they didnt see a Nobel Peace Prize coming.

The NGO became the winner of Ukraines first-ever Peace Prize on Friday, sharing the award with fellow Belarusian and Russian winners.

The announcement by the Norwegian Nobel Committee caused surprise and joy in the centre.

When we heard the news, we were amazed, CCLs Anna Trushova told AFP.

The group, formed in 2007, is led by right-back Oleksandra Matviychuk, a lawyer who turns 38 on Saturday.

It is above all a reward for Oleksandra (who) is rallying around her incredible people and doing immense work in the field of human rights, CCL board member Alissa Malytska told AFP.

Matviychuk, who was on her way to Ukraine from Poland when she heard the news, said in a Facebook message that she was delighted.

We must create an international tribunal and try Putin, Lukashenko and other war criminals, she added, referring to the autocratic presidents of Russia and Belarus.

CCL gained prominence after 2014 by conducting awareness campaigns around Ukrainian political prisoners and prisoners in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine  including the Crimea peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014 and the eastern Donbass region  as well as in Russia itself.

CCLs best-known prisoner campaign was for filmmaker Oleg Sentsov. He directed Rhino, which screened at the 2021 Venice Film Festival.

 prosecution of war crimes 

Senstov was arrested in Crimea after protesting its annexation and spent five years in prison in Russia before being released during a prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia in 2019.

It was (Matviychuks) idea to launch an international SaveSentsov campaign, Olexander Starodubtsev, deputy head of Ukraines national anti-corruption agency, told AFP.

Lessia is very powerful and confident in what she does, said Starodubtsev, who studied with Matviychuk at American University of Stanford five years ago.

Your life is dedicated to your mission. When we were studying in the US, she was busy with human rights projects even at night, he said.

A slogan posted on her Facebook page seems to back up his words: Pessimism is a luxury that cannot be afforded.

CCL is also following the enforced disappearances of rights activists, journalists and local council officials.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the center has also been working to expose and document Russian war crimes against civilians in Ukraine.

With the help of volunteers, the NGO sent groups to suspected crime scenes. It also worked to facilitate the return to Ukraine of tens of thousands of compatriots who were forcibly taken to Russia from the war zone.

We have already registered more than 20,000 crimes, Trushova told AFP.

The 2022 Peace Prize was also awarded to Belarusian human rights lawyer Ales Bialiatski and the Russian human rights group Memorial.

The Peace Prize winners represent civil society in their countries, according to the Nobel Committee.

But the award has not met with widespread acclaim in Ukraine, which was invaded from Russian and Belarusian territory in February.

Very bad idea (), but very typical for the West, commented Olga Roudenko, editor-in-chief of the English news site Kyiv Independent, on Facebook.
Hackers supporting Irans women-led protest wave interrupted a state TV newscast with an image of crosshairs and flames over Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneis face circulating online on Sunday.

In other anti-regime messages, activists have spray-painted Death Khamenei and Police are the killers of the people on public billboards in Tehran.

The blood of our youth is on your hands, read an on-screen message that flashed briefly during Saturday nights television broadcast as street protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, again rocked Tehran and other cities.

Police used tear gas to disperse crowds in dozens of locations in Tehran, state news agency IRNA reported, adding that protesters shouted slogans and set fire to and damaged public property, including a police booth.

Anger has flared since Aminis death on September 16, three days after the young Kurdish woman was arrested by the notorious vice squad for allegedly violating the Islamic Republics strict dress code for women.

Join us and rise up, read another message in the TV hack claimed by the group Edalat-e Ali (Alis Justice).

It also released images of Amini and three other women killed in the crackdown that claimed at least 95 lives, according to the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights.

Another 90 people were killed in Irans far south-east in riots on September 30 sparked by the alleged rape of a teenager by a police chief in Sistan-Balochistan province, the IHR said, citing the UK-based Baluch Activists Campaign.

A member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was killed on Saturday in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, and a member of the Guards paramilitary Basij force died in Tehran from a serious head injury following an armed attack by a mob, IRNA said  in those killings increased the death toll among security forces to 14.

 So many protests 

Iran has been hit by the biggest wave of social unrest in nearly three years, with protesters, including students and even young schoolgirls, chanting Woman, Life, Freedom.

Videos from Tehran show that there are so many protests, in every corner of the city, in small and large numbers, US-based activist and journalist Omid Memarian said on Twitter.

In Aminis hometown of Saqez, Kurdistan, schoolgirls sang and marched down a street, waving their hijab headscarves in the air, the Hengaw rights group recorded in videos Saturday.

The states often bloody response has resulted in gruesome footage circulating online despite widespread internet outages and lockdowns on every major social media platform.

A video shows a man shot dead at the wheel of his car in Sanandaj, the Kurdistan capital, where the provinces police chief Ali Azadi later accused him of being killed by anti-revolutionary forces.

Angry men then appear to get revenge on a member of the feared Basij militia by ambushing and brutally beating him in another widely shared video.

Another video clip shows a young woman who is said to have been shot dead in Mashhad in the northeast of the country.

Many on social media said it conjured up footage of Neda Agha Soltan, a young woman who became an enduring symbol of the Iranian opposition after she was shot dead during protests in 2009.

 No fear anymore 

Faced with violence and online restrictions, protesters have adopted new tactics to spread their message of resistance in public spaces.

We are no longer afraid. We will fight, read a large banner posted on an overpass of Tehrans Modares highway, seen in images confirmed by AFP.

In other footage, a man with a spray can is seen changing the wording of a government billboard on the same highway from Police are the servants of the people to Police are the peoples murderers.

Several fountains in the Iranian capital are said to have been colored blood red, but the head of the citys municipal parks organization, Ali Mohamad Mokhtari, said: This information is completely false and there is no change in the colors of the fountains in Tehran.

Iran has accused outside forces of fueling the protests as solidarity protests have been held in numerous cities around the world. The United States, the European Union and other governments have imposed new sanctions on Iran.

Regarding Aminis death, Iran said on Friday that a forensic examination found she died from complications from a long-standing illness and not from a blow to the head, as activists have claimed.
Jailed Filipino human rights activist Leila de Lima was briefly held hostage by three jailed militants who were shot dead by police on Sunday in an escape attempt on Sunday, authorities said.

The incident took place at the National Police Headquarters, where de Lima, a former senator, has been held with other high-ranking inmates for more than five years.

A policeman delivering breakfast was stabbed with a fork by an inmate, who then freed two others from their cells.

Two of the prisoners were shot dead by a sniper, Interior Minister Benjamin Abalos told reporters.

The third prisoner ran to de Limas cell. Abalos said he tied up the 63-year-old and blindfolded him before a police officer shot him in the head.

Police said de Lima is safe and the situation at the detention center has returned to normal. An investigation was underway.

Police Chief General Rodolfo Azurin said the three inmates were members of the Abu Sayyaf militant group, which is accused of kidnapping and beheading several foreigners.

De Lima was apparently not the target, Azurin told local radio station DZBB.

They saw her as ideal cover. Their intention was really to flee, he said.

De Lima was unharmed, Boni Tacardon, her attorney, confirmed to AFP.

She was taken to the hospital for the usual medical check-up, Tacardon said.

But based on the information given to us by our staff who is now with the senator, she appears to be fine.

 Calls to free de Lima 

De Lima, an outspoken critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte and his deadly drug war, is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

She has been behind bars since 2017 on drug trafficking charges, which she and human rights groups have described as a mockery of justice and revenge for Dutertes persecution.

Since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took power in June, diplomats and human rights defenders have continued to call for de Limas release.

The latest incident underscored the need for her immediate release, said Carlos Conde of Human Rights Watch.

Marcos tweeted that he would speak to de Lima to check on her condition and ask if she would like to be transferred to another detention center.

But Tacardon said de Lima doesnt want to be transferred.

For now, de Lima and her defense team are considering their options, including the hospital at the national police headquarters.

Prior to her arrest on February 24, 2017, de Lima had spent a decade investigating death squad killings allegedly orchestrated by Duterte during his time as mayor of Davao City and in the early days of his presidency.

She conducted the investigations while serving as the nations human rights commissioner, then from 2010 to 2015 as justice minister in the Benigno Aquino administration that preceded Dutertes rule.

De Lima won a Senate seat in 2016 and became one of the few opposition votes while populist Duterte celebrated a landslide victory.

But Duterte then accused her of running a drug trafficking ring with criminals in the nations largest prison when she was attorney general.

De Lima lost her candidacy for re-election to the Senate in May and Duterte resigned in June.
US and Philippine Marines stormed a beach near a disputed outcrop in the South China Sea on Friday as part of joint military exercises involving more than 3,500 soldiers.

It is the first time the annual naval drills will be held under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, who has expressed strong support for the decades-old alliance after rocky relations under his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte had threatened to cancel drills and scrap a key military deal with the United States as he veered toward China.

But Marcos told US President Joe Biden during a meeting in New York last month that he appreciated Americas role in keeping the peace in our region.

Chinas recent war games over Taiwan, which it claims as part of its territory, had alarm bells ringing among nations around the South China Sea.

Beijing claims sovereignty over most of the sea, while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have overlapping claims to parts of it.

China has ignored an international court ruling that its claims have no legal basis and has aggressively enforced its stance.

It has built artificial islands and deployed hundreds of Coast Guard and Maritime Militia vessels to roam strategic waters, swarming reefs and harassing fishermen and other boats.

The KAMANDAG drills  the Filipino acronym for collaboration of warriors of the sea  began Monday and will run until Oct. 14 on the countrys main island of Luzon.

One of the goals is to improve the coastal defense capability of the Philippine military.

Some 300 soldiers were involved in Fridays amphibious drills, which were held on an uninhabited beach in Zambales province, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) east of the Scarborough Shoal, which China seized from the Philippines in 2012.

The rich fishing ground has become a focal point between the two countries.

We are preparing for any threat that will come sooner or later, said Major Emery Torre, spokesman for the Philippine Marine Corps.

But Torre said the drills didnt simulate an attack by any particular country and didnt relate to any specific situation.

Marcos has taken a harder line in defending Philippine waters, insisting he would not allow China to trample on Manilas maritime rights.

During aerial surveillance over the Scarborough Shoal on Thursday, the Philippine Coast Guard spotted six Chinese vessels, including four Coast Guard boats and two militia boats, in and around the small ring of reefs.

We are conducting the patrol operations to be present in the area and also in the interest of our fishermen, Coast Guard spokesman Armand Balilo said.

As regional tensions mount, Washington is keen to maintain its security alliance with Manila, which includes a mutual defense treaty and permission for the US military to stockpile defense equipment and supplies at several Philippine bases.
KBS2 launched its newest legal-action drama, "Bad Prosecutor," headlined by EXO member and actor Doh Kyungsoo. He plays the role of an eccentric and righteous prosecutor, who is ready to fight for the truth.

'Bad Prosecutor' Episode 1: Jin Jung Declares War Against Oh Do Hwan

In "Bad Prosecutor" episode 1, Jin Jung (Doh Kyung Soo) started a mission to catch the most wanted rich man Kim Hyung Gyun (Jo Seung Yeon) for fraud. After putting on a show, Jin Jung was able to catch Mr. Kim.

He was assigned to Park Ye Young's assault and murder case. Even though there was evidence and the suspect admitted the crime, Jin Jung was not satisfied with the investigation. He put all his effort into investigating on his own and learned that everything about the case was covered up.

With his eagerness to find the mastermind behind the murder, he got suspended by Lee Jang Won (Choi Kwang Il) for it might affect Mr. Lee's candidacy. Oh Do Hwan (Ha Joon) became in charge of the case. Jin Jung went to him to ask for help. Do Hwan gave him hope, but later on found out that the case was already closed and the person in jail was falsely accused.

Jin Jung declared war against Oh Do Hwan and made a decision to reinvestigate the case. Jin Jung, Head prosecutor Kim Tae Ho (Kim Tae Woo), and Shin Ah Ri (Lee Se Hee) secretly joined forces to uncover the truth, for it might also be a case linked to Lee Jang Won.

'Bad Prosecutor' Episode 2: Jin Jung Secretly Investigates The Murder Case With His Squad

He was transferred to the public affairs division after hitting Oh Do Hwan in the face. Jin Jung had a hard time doing useless tasks with Park Jae Kyung (Kim Sang Ho). Thanks to his loyal secretary Lee Chul Ki (Yeon Jun Suk), Go Joong Do (Lee Si Eon), and Baek Eun Ji (Joo Bo Young), they all helped hand in hand to secretly investigate the murder case.

They encountered Yoo Jin Chul (Shin Seung Hwan), one of the person's interests related to Park Ye Young's case. He confirmed that Lee Jang Won has a secret affair with the victim Park Ye Young and planned to hide the murder because of his candidacy.

Jin Jung immediately reported it to his colleagues, particularly Kim Tae Ho and Shin Ah Ri (Lee Se Hee). After all the evidence against Jang Won was shown, the police arrested the chief deputy.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Blind' Episode 6: Ha Seok Jin Helps Ok Taecyeon Prove His Innocence

What are your thoughts about "Bad Prosecutor" episodes 1 and 2? Share it 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.
Jung Hae In encountered health issues as he returned to the small screen through Japanese horror master Takashi Miike's series' "Connect."

In a report, the actor detailed his experience including the struggles filming the fantasy thriller K-drama.

Jung Hae In Suffered Dizziness and Eye Discomfort While Filming 'Connect'

In Disney +'s "Connect" Jung Hae In plays Ha Dong Soo, a man with special healing power.

As part of his character, the team had to cover his one eye while doing some scenes.

Unfortunately, it led him to major discomfort, and suffered from lowered eyesight.

According to the outlet, Jung Hae In mentioned in the press conference that he felt extreme pain while filming part of the series.

"I was a little dizzy when I kept looking at it with one eye, and there were a few dangerous moments because I didn't feel the sense of distance properly because I was wearing an eye patch especially when I was taking action scenes," he furthered.

Despite this, Jung Hae In feels safe on the set as the team has thoroughly prepared beforehand through rehearsals.

Jung Hae In's New Drama: Cast, Release Date, and Where to Watch 'Connect'

Directed by the renowned Japanese filmmaker Miike Takashi of "The Great Yokai War: Guardians," "13 Assassins" and the blockbuster movie "As the God's Will," "Connect" will be his first time directing a K-drama.

The upcoming series depicts the story of a man whose body parts were stolen by organ hunters.

However, a mysterious incident occurs after he becomes connected to the person who has received an organ transplant.

Apart from Jung Hae In, the "Connect" cast includes Go Kyung Pyo as serial killer Oh Jin Seop, who received an organ from Ha Dong Soo, and "Kingdom" actress Kim Hye Joon as the lead stars while Jung Dong Hoon from "Prison Playbook" and veteran actor Jang Gwang joins as supporting characters.

The Jung Hae In-starred K-drama is slated to release on Disney+ in December 2022.

Jung Hae In on Working With Japanese Horror Master Takashi Miike

During the "Connect" press conference, Jung Hae In feels honored to be working with the renowned director.

Since there is a language barrier as Takashi Miike is Japanese, the actor says that he mostly communicates with him through body language.

"I could feel the connection and catch what he wants without difficulty. Also, he knew exactly what I wanted to do," he said as obtained by Korea Herald.

Interestingly, Jung Hae In shared that although they tried to connect and communicate the best they could, the only time he felt the language barrier was when the director cracked jokes and had to seek an interpreter to translate them.

On the other hand, the director says that Jung Hae In was very helpful throughout the process.

"I had some worries about the project and Jung Hae-in told me that he had my back no matter what," the director shared.

Moreover, Japanese filmmaker Miike Takashi says that he could feel the actor's support and was told that he should do whatever he wanted for the series.

READ MORE: Jung Hae In Spills Netflix's 'DP' Season 2 Spoilers

KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
These "Business Proposal" stars and real-life besties surprised fans with their reunion at the recent "The Fact Music Awards." They also shared new photos of their unexpected meeting.

Can you guess who they are?

'Business Proposal' Stars Kim Sejeong & Seol In Ah Reunite at 'The Fact Music Awards'

On October 8, the brightest and talented Korean stars gathered for this year's "The Fact Music Awards." It is the annual awarding ceremony to honor the artists and creative individuals who made an impact in the music industry through their works.

Apart from the K-pop idols present at the gathering, "Business Proposal" co-stars and now real-life friends Kim Sejeong and Seol In Ah were spotted at the "TMA 2022." The two reunited at the said event and shared adorable photos together on their personal Instagram accounts.

In the published photos, Seol In Ah was a wearing a black dress, while Kim Sejeong was clad in a white-toned dress. The two were glowing and boasted their beauty.

Fans poured out comments, saying, "They look so cute!" and, "Friendship forever."

As of this writing, their individual posts already surpassed one million heart reactions from their followers.

After working in the hit SBS romantic-comedy drama "Business Proposal," Kim Sejeong and Seol In Ah gained a massive following on their respective SNS. They are currently busy with their solo schedules.

Where To Watch Kim Sejeong & Seol In Ah Next

Since both these stars are receiving numerous offers and working with other activities, fans and viewers can expect to see Kim Sejeong and Seol In Ah in new dramas at the beginning of 2023.

Kim Sejeong is reviewing the offer to star again in the upcoming second sequel of the record-breaking OCN action series "Uncanny Counter." Once she accepts the project, she will reunite with her former co-actors Jo Byeong Gyu, Yu Jun Sang, and Yum Hye Ran. The drama's second installment will meet the viewers in 2023.

The idol-actress also announced her first solo fan meeting in Asia starting in November in Indonesia and Thailand.

Meanwhile, Seol In Ah began to expand her career in the music industry. She is also confirmed to reunite with "School 2017" co-star Jang Dong Yoon in the new KBS romance drama "Oasis."

The series is expected to start filming this year, and the production aim to release it in the first half of 2023.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Seol In Ah Bags Award Ahead of Drama Comeback With Jang Dong Yoon

What can you say about Kim Sejeong and Seol In Ah's reunion? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, follow and subscribe to KDramastars.

KDramastars owns this article.

Shai Collins wrote this.
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: Part 1: David Shenk, author of The Forgetting: Alzheimers  Portrait of an Epidemic. Part 2: Garrett Davis, author of the play Unforgettable, which is about the experience of a family trying to cope when Alzheimers strikes one of them. The play will be performed at Tremper High School on Saturday, Oct. 15.

Tuesday: Mary Ellen Geist, author of Measure of the Heart: A Fathers Alzheimers; A Daughters Return. The author gave up a promising career in journalism to return home and care for her father after he was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease.

Wednesday: Former Wisconsin governor Marty Schreiber, author of My Two Elaines: Learning, Coping and Surviving as an Alzheimers Caregiver. He wrote the book about his experience in caring for his wife.

Thursday: Martin McClendon, a member of the Carthage College theater department faculty, talks about this weekends performances of Frontline, a play about front-line workers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Friday: Award-winning music writer Paul Sexton discusses his latest book, Charlies Good Tonight: The Life, the Times, and the Rolling Stones: The Authorized Biography of Charlie Watts. Watts served as the primary drummer for the Rolling Stones for nearly 60 years.
Editors note: Debbie Ford, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, authored this piece as a special send-off to Bryan Albrecht, who is retiring as president and CEO of Gateway Technical College.

Most of the time a congratulations on your retirement letter starts out with congratulations on your retirement. Im not ready to go there just yet.

When I came to southeast Wisconsin and UW-Parkside 13 years ago, I was unsure just how I would be received by colleagues in higher education. What I remember is quickly realizing and appreciating that you and I share a passion for transforming lives. I may not have expressed it at the time, but that meant a great deal. You were generous with your time and very willing to help me meet business leaders, elected officials and influential community members.

Time goes by far too quickly. More than a decade later, I believe our institutions have made a difference by creating more opportunities for students to earn the academic credentials that will pave their way toward sustainable success.

You and I have attended a lot of community events together. Each served an important purpose. What stands out in my mind is that we attended as higher-education partners rather than higher-education competitors.

Weve served together on various community and business leadership boards  The Mahone Fund, KABA, RAMAC, Higher Expectations of Racine County, and Building our Future, to name a few. Hearing community feedback provided an opportunity for us to share and develop ideas on how Gateway and UW-Parkside could work better together and increase academic pathways for students to meet their individual needs.

I know you will remember a day at UW-Parkside where we announced new articulation agreements, spanning a variety of academic disciplines  again, more opportunities for student success. We shared the stage that day with Rudy the Red Hawk and Ranger Bear. Theres an old Hollywood saying: Dont work with kids or animals. They should add mascots to that list. What a fun morning.

Being a part of the Higher Education Regional Alliance (HERA), an innovative group of college and university leaders from throughout southeast Wisconsin including Greater Milwaukee, was especially rewarding. Your vision and passion to align institutional programs helped form a valuable foundation upon which HERA continues its mission to bridge equity gaps, transform lives, and expand the regions talent pool.

It was an honor last spring to join Carthage President John Swallow and Tim Mahone, chair of the Mary Lou & Arthur F. Mahone Fund Board of Directors, at the Reaching for Rainbows scholarship event. We proudly announced the renaming of the Reaching for Rainbows Living Legend Community Award in your honor. The Dr. Bryan Albrecht Living Legend Award is a fitting tribute to your dedication as a Mahone Fund board member and board president.

Recently, I felt a sense of coming full circle back to our initial meetings and the realization of a shared passion for transforming lives. Our efforts to develop associate of arts and associate of science liberal arts degrees for Gateway students, leading to a UW-Parkside bachelors degree in more than 25 academic disciplines will have a transforming impact for decades to come.

Your career has been purposeful and for the betterment of all. On behalf of the UW-Parkside learning community, thank you for making southeast Wisconsin a better place to live, learn, and grow.

I guess its time: Congratulations, Bryan, and best wishes on your retirement!
The woman who died after being knocked down in Laois at the Rock of Dunamase was an American tourist who had just arrived in Ireland on a family holiday.

The woman who was aged in her 50s died after being struck by a car in the vicinity of the historic site at 1.10pm on Friday, October 8.

It is understood she had stopped off in Laois with her husband and their adult children as part of their vacation in Ireland.

Her husband, who was aged in his 60s, was hospitalised with serious but non-life threatening injuries when he was also hit by a vehicle the occupants of which were not injured.

It is believed that he has had to undergo surgery at the Midland Regional Hospital Tulllamore.

Gardai confirmed that the driver of the car was arrested at the scene. The local man, who is aged in his late teens, was subsequently released from custody but an investigation is ongoing.

Gardai continue to appeal for any witnesses to come forward to help them with their enquiries into the incident which occurred at the site which is located off the N80 road between Portlaoise and Stradbally.

They especially want to hear from anybody who may have scene a blue 06 registered Ford Focus being driven in roads around the Rock in the time leading up to the collision.

Gardai ask that any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling on any of the approach roads to the Rock of Dunamase between 1pm and 1:15pm are asked to make this footage available to Gardai.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Portlaoise Garda Station on 0578674100, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.

The Rock is located on the Ireland's Ancient East trail but has minimal car parking for visitors. An extensive overhaul completed in 2006 did not involve the provision of car parking.

However, Laois County Council has plans in place to provide alternative car parking near the site. The council signed a deal in 2022 to buy land next to the Rock for a carpark and other visitor facilities.
I have often mentioned in this column how quickly time goes by, especially the older we get.

Its hard to believe its October already and I suppose as the year has gone we have been fortunate that most of the time conditions were good, even though some parts of the summer rain were slow to arrive.



I think a livestock farmer summed up the situation by saying six weeks of dry weather was of much more benefit to livestock as opposed to six weeks of rain. In dry conditions most livestock would get by with a smaller portion of grass as long as they have an adequate water supply.



The turmoil across the water resulting in the large fall in sterling value created a lot of negativity with suggestion that as the UK is one of our biggest trading partners products from here would prove less attractive price wise.



In the past few days sterling has strengthened which is welcome. A recent Teagast meeting in Kilkenny where Jonathan Forbes of Kepak attended suggested that the more expensive cuts, steaks etc, were more difficult to sell but the lesser cuts, mince , burgers etc were meeting an excellent trade.



Cattle Sale

Last Thursday in Kilkenny a large sale of cattle saw quality continentals range from 2,65 to 3.25 per kilo in the bullock ring, with quality Friesian meeting a good solid trade.



Quality stores in this sector ranged from 1.75 to 2.10 per kilo with beef types to a top of 2.25 per kilo.

Heifers were also in demand with the top beef types ranging from 2.40 to 2.75 per kilo.

Lighter store types saw prices range from 2.00 to 2.50 with top quality to 3 plus per kilo.

Cull cows are still selling well with Friesian ranging from 1.15 to 2.43 per kilo and continentals 1.60 to 2.75 per kilo.



Remember, all cattle for Thursday sale should be entered by 3.30pm on the previous day by phoning the office on 056 7721407.

Sheep Sale

Mondays sheep sale ranged from 135 to 148 for butcher types with factory types 120 to 133 per head and stores meeting an excellent trade with 78 to 118 per head, with the top price in this sector for ewe lambs.



This Tuesday we hold our first weanling sale of the season plus a suckler sale. I will have results from this sale in next weeks issue.



Its been a busy time in Kilkenny Mart and it will be interesting to see if numbers remain strong all year. There is a suggestion that beef type animals may be getting scarce and if that happens price should at least remain stable.

Until next week do be careful on the farm and good buying, good selling and good luck.
An Bord Pleanala has granted final planning permission for Castlebanny Wind Farm, a co-development project between FuturEnergy Ireland and ART Generation. The renewable energy development, which comprises 21 wind turbines, is located in southeast Co. Kilkenny. This news comes at a time when there is increased demand for renewable energy sources to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels and to meet climate action targets.

Castlebanny Wind Farm is expected to generate enough electricity every year to power the equivalent of around 70,000 homes annually. Every year, between 3 million and 4.4 million tonnes of CO2 are expected to be offset compared with traditional electricity generation.

Once operational, the project will support a substantial Community Benefit Fund that consists of near neighbour contributions and a wider community fund that provides direct local project funding. Based on the Governments Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS), the Community Benefit Fund contributions are estimated to exceed 500,000 per annum for the first 15 years.

A boost to the local economy is also expected in the form of an estimated 1.8 million to 2.3 million in annual rates contributions to Kilkenny County Council as well as the provision of on-site recreational amenities and employment opportunities both during construction and operation.

The project will now engage with EirGrid to apply for access to the national grid system and continue with the development activities to be eligible to enter subsequent Government RESS auctions. This phase is likely to take up to two years after which construction can commence.

Paul Gallagher, FuturEnergy Ireland Portfolio Director, said: While the receipt of planning permission represents an important milestone, we recognise that there is a lot of work remaining to successfully deliver this project with our partner ART Generation. We look forward to continuing our engagement with the local communities of South Kilkenny to harness the projects potential to contribute significantly towards Irelands climate action targets and improve the countrys energy security, while providing social and economic benefits to the local area.

Richard Walshe, CEO of ART Generation, said: The world, and indeed the energy world as we know it, has changed significantly in the past seven months. The basic need for energy and the way it affects all aspects of our everyday lives has never been so apparent. This decision from An Bord Pleanala endorses and complements our most basic needs in terms of energy security and environmental sustainability for future generations. We would like to acknowledge the local community in South Kilkenny who have supported the development of Castlebanny Wind Farm over the years.

All project information is available at www.castlebannywindfarm.ie.
Moyne Templetuohy Juvenile Camogie Club received their first Leading Lights 1,000 donation from Ronan Ely of Ely's Urlingford, who joined the Inver family in 2022.

"This is a new club formed to give young girls in the area the opportunity to play camogie rather than having to travel to neighbouring clubs. We started the camogie club in March and were thrilled to receive a 1,000 Leading Lights donation to help us buy equipment." explained Aine Concagh (pictured with her three girls who play for the club). " We would like to express our appreciation to Ronan Ely and Inver for selecting our club, and we know that this grant will help the club tremendously in its first year."

Leading Lights is Invers one-of-a-kind community initiative established in 2016. The programme was created to give support to organisations that focus on children, education, and families, around the local Inver service stations. Inver dealers have access to annual fund of 1000 which can be used to support one or two organisations, which put and effort and time into making their communities a better place. With over 90 Inver branded service stations across the country, Inver Energy is one of Ireland's largest national fuel suppliers.

Inver would like to thank Ronan Ely for nominating such a wonderful club and wish the Moyne Templetuohy Camogie club the very best for their first year and for the future.
For the community of Creeslough, things will never be the same again.

Ten members of their community were taken from them when the main shop in the village  the deli, the post office and a hairdressers  was ripped apart.

Among those who died were a father and his five-year-old daughter, a mother and her teenage son, a young girl, and a man who was not from here, but had chosen Creeslough as his home.

These people lost their lives doing something many of us do every day, in what Gardai are treating as an accident.

Despite the harrowing scenes many of them have witnessed, the community pulled together to look after one another, and to feed and host the emergency services at the scene and the crowd gathered outside the cordon.

After darkness fell on Saturday night, a man stood in the doorway of a building with blown-out windows and offered people the use of his toilet.

The Coffee Pod cafe across from the scene filled shelves with sandwiches, soup, chocolate bars and tea and coffee, ceaselessly handing them out to anyone who needed them.

Its natural for us in these communities to do that, Father John Joe Duffy told the PA news agency, echoing the words of Superintendent David Kelly, who said that looking after one another is what it means to live in Donegal.

Despite this show of kindness in the face of tragedy, Father Duffy expressed concern for his community that has a heavy burden of grief before them.

This includes the locals who rushed to the scene to pull people out from the debris at the confused scene, some using their bare hands to clear the rubble.

Others began using heavy machinery to lift away the rubble.

The trauma of what they experienced can be seen in their face or eyes, he said.

You dont imagine this would happen when you walk into a shop.

I was in a shop in the neighbouring village and I was just in the middle of the shop when it dawned on me that this happened in our shop in Creeslough. Its sort of unbelievable.

There are momentary blips where I think oh I must go to the shop, and then I realise the shops not there, the post office is not there.

He said that the community was like an extended family and they had lost several members of that family.

On Sunday, people were seen braving the bad weather to visit St Michaels Church while a vigil in the nearby town of Milford saw hundreds attend to help process the scale of the loss.

Parents hugged their children and people carried candles at the gathering at the top of the town.

I found it really difficult at mass this morning, Father Duffy said.

I knew some of the children involved in this tragedy and it just struck me, it was like a knife going into your heart, it was very hard to hold it together.

The families that have lost a family member, that is the most tragic of all, but others have lost an extended family member  members of the community have lost an extended family member.

One source of comfort has been the wide-ranging support from people across the island, the UK and further afield, including the cross-community support from the emergency services.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he had received a number of text messages from politicians in Northern Ireland and the UK expressing their sympathies.

SDLP leader Column Eastwood, who attended the service on Saturday night, told PA it was important to stand with their neighbours in the aftermath of an unspeakable event.

It must be so difficult for families to get their head around how this could happen in an instant, he said. I do think its important that were here and that we stand with people.

Father Duffy said that as a small rural community, theres certain strength within us.

I believe that we will get through this, and we will get through this by the prayer and goodwill, and by the strength, of what makes us unique.

In a way, were like a large family. Theres a certain strength in that.
South Kilkenny councillors have issued a renewed appeal to NAMA to reveal the identity of the purchaser of the 100million Ferrybank Shopping Centre.

At this month's meeting of Piltown Municipal District Council, Cllr Ger Frisby asked Kilkenny County Council Senior Planner Denis Malone if any update had been issued in relation to the centre.

He was informed that NAMA did respond to the Council's query confirming purchase however they still have not yet confirmed the identity of the purchaser.

"This is a huge piece of infrastructure and we need to know as councillors what is going on, we need answers and we need to be at the centre of it," Cllr Frisby said.

"If they're not getting back to us we'll need to get the County Manager to look into it," he added.

Cllr Frisby's comments are the latest in an ongoing saga as local elected representatives seek answers from NAMA as to the purchaser.

Speculation has mounted intensely over the last few months when it became clear that remedial, access and improvement works are being undertaken at the centre.

For over a decade, the site has been the centre of a legal dispute between Dunnes Stores, who were originally signed on as the anchor tenant, and Deerland Construction Ltd, a company that transferred the loans for the building to NAMA.

The massive 30,000m2 outlet has remained almost entirely vacant for the entirety of that dispute, with only Ferrybank Library and Kilkenny County Council's municipal offices utilizing any of the space.
Cllr Eamon Aylward has commended works being undertaken to improve access to Kilmogue Portal Tomb in South Kilkenny.

The councillor's comments came during a roadworks update from Area Engineer Stan Cullen at this month's meeting of Piltown Municipal District Council.

Cullen informed councillors that preparation for an overlay on the existing access road to the site is now 'underway'.

He also told councillors that an archaeologist has been appointed to monitor car park works in accordance with Ministerial consent.

Under CLAR Programme funding issued earlier this year, 50,000 was awarded for improvement works on the Kilmogue Dolmen access road.

This funding will also help provide improved signage, passing bays for two-way traffic and a car park.

"It's great improved access works being undertaken on Kilkenny's hidden gem," Aylward remarked.

Kilmogue Dolmen, also known as 'Leac An Scail', is noted for being the tallest dolmen of its kind in Ireland.

A jewel of local heritage, the dolmen can be found pitted amongst the sloping green hills of south County Kilkenny.

It was constructed around 4000-3000BC.
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North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from the Munchon area of Kangwon Province to the waters off the peninsulas eastern coast, South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters, and pictured, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, in Pyongyang on September 8.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
By Kim Won-soo





Multilateral diplomacy has been in full swing for the new government of South Korea since right after the inauguration of President Yoon Suk-yeol four months ago. Most recently it culminated in the United Nations summit in New York, home to the most universally multilateral institution. This fall will see the upcoming G20 summit in Indonesia and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Thailand held consecutively in mid-November.



This swing, in diplomacy, was partially spurred by the revenge boom of multilateral diplomatic gatherings after the three-year lull caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. But the larger reason can be attributed to the growing recognition of the strategic value of South Korea as a swing force in the new global diplomatic chess game amid intensifying rivalries among major powers.



Multilateral diplomacy is a wild card for South Korea, which is surrounded by four much bigger neighbors and one smaller but very tough neighbor. Above all, it provides South Korea with a crucial avenue through which global and regional norms and standards are made or updated. For South Korea, these multilateral norms serve as a safety net to check against the unilateralism of its tough neighbors. South Korea must do everything it can to nurture multilateral norms. It is for this very reason that value-based approaches to multilateralism are critical for South Korea's diplomacy.



A multilateral forum also offers South Korea breathing space in managing bilateral relations with bigger neighbors which prefer bilateral diplomacy as the main tool to impose their wills over South Korea on contentious issues. Seoul can further use multilateral settings to arrange a number of meetings with other partners in one go, which otherwise are difficult to arrange for logistical or political reasons.



Seoul must make the most of multilateral diplomacy. The window of opportunity is wide open for the Yoon government. The government is right in using the scheduled multilateral summits as an opportunity to elaborate on its policy vision for global, regional and Korean peninsula agenda, as well as to set up as many meetings with friends and other partners as possible at the margins of the summits. But in the conduct of multilateral diplomacy, Seoul has to be conscious of the following three caveats:



The first is that multilateral diplomacy does not replace but complements bilateral diplomacy on the issues of bilateral contention. Grounds must be prepared well through bilateral channels before a meeting takes place at the multilateral venue. Close coordination with the target country is an absolute essential for what will be announced before the meeting takes place, particularly when the bilateral pending issues with a country are very sensitive domestically.



The insufficient preparation and coordination may be behind the recent confusion over the purported South Korea-Japan meeting which was eventually held at the margins of the U.N. A valuable lesson must have been learned for the foreign policy team of the Korean government.



Secondly, multilateral diplomacy at the U.N. summit is like playing at the diplomatic Olympics. The spotlight is usually on either big powers with varying global agendas or other players with a burning agenda like Ukraine for example. The United States with both a global and powerful agenda and as the host country of the U.N. is inevitably in highest demand during summits.



Given this reality and the fact that a fully-fledged bilateral summit meeting was held only some months ago through U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to Seoul, it would have been far better this time to seek an informal pull-aside chat rather than a formal bilateral meeting at the U.N. Priorities of bilateral meetings at multilateral venues must be carefully weighed (the pros and cons) in the meetings.



Thirdly, the selectiveness and exclusiveness need to be minimized by Seoul when deciding which multilateral forum to attend. For South Korea, openness and inclusivity must be maintained as the governing principle for its participation in any multilateral forum unless otherwise required by compelling considerations of vital national interests. This principle should be continuously applied to the ensuing deliberative and normative processes of any multilateral forum in which Seoul participates.



Against this backdrop, the future focus of South Korea's diplomacy should be on maximizing the utility of multilateral diplomacy while minimizing the risks associated with the above caveats regarding multilateral diplomacy. For South Korea, no stone should be left unturned when it comes to its diplomatic efforts.



Among other things, Seoul must base its diplomatic conduct on the values to which it aspires, so as to maintain consistency in its foreign policy and cultivate the support base for the policy, both domestically and internationally. Seoul's diplomacy should also be backed by thorough and advanced preparations and discharged with diplomatic finesse.



Seoul's track record for multilateral diplomacy has been stellar with the triple crowns achieved at the helm of the three most important principal organs of the U.N., namely the secretary-general, the president of the General Assembly and the Security Council membership, in the shortest period. With the lessons learned from past trials, South Korea will excel even higher by perfecting the use of multilateral diplomacy as its wild card.



Kim Won-soo (wsk4321@gmail.com) is the former under secretary-general of the United Nations and high representative for disarmament. As a Korean diplomat, he served as secretary to the ROK president for foreign affairs as well as for international security. He is now the chair of the international advisory board of the Taejae Academy (Future Consensus Institute) and the chair professor of Kyung Hee University.


By Choe Chong-dae





I always feel sentimental and full of nostalgia towards a variety of cultural assets, even shards of pottery and a piece of a painting at home and abroad, whether they are valuable or not to the general public. They enshrine our ancestors' sacred spirit, wisdom and identity and represent the course of history.



Whenever I view Korean cultural artifacts at Korean galleries of foreign museums such as the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm, Sweden, the Museum of Ethnology in Leiden, the Netherlands and the British Museum in London, I would become full of emotion and reflect on our ancestors' way of life.



It is disheartening to learn that a great number of precious Korean cultural assets were taken out of the country during foreign invasions, such as the Mongolian invasion of Korea (1231-73), the Japanese invasion of Korea (1592-98), Byeongin-yangyo (French expedition to Korea in 1866) and Shinmiyangyo (the Invasion of the American Fleet in Korea in 1871).



When the Joseon Kingdom of Korea (1392-1910) was called the Hermit Kingdom, as at the time it was closed off to foreign nations, an armed U.S. Merchant Marine ship named the General Sherman entered the Daedong River near Pyongyang to force open trade with the country in 1866.



Due to insufficient communication, it ended up causing an armed conflict between the ship's crew and Korean soldiers, sacrificing the lives of several crew members of the ship. The ship was destroyed by the military of Korea and became stranded. The conflict is now known as the General Sherman Incident.



Five years after the encounter, a U.S. Navy ship named the Colorado landed on Ganghwa Island, Korea in 1871 in order to establish a trade treaty with Korea. However, due to communication failures again between the U.S. and the local government of Korea, clashes occurred in what is known in Korea as the Little War or the ''Shinmiyangyo'', the Invasion of the American Fleet in Korea in 1871. It resulted in a lopsided victory for the Americans.



As a token of the great victory, the U.S. Navy captured a distinctive trophy, a Korean yellow battle flag called "Sujagi" and other artifacts from Ganghwa Island. The battle flag had been flying atop a mountain fort and at the main gate of the barracks where the commanding general was located. It was a large yellow battle flag with unique Korean symbols, representing the authority of Korean General (Marshall) Eo Je-Yeon (1823-1871), commander of the garrison on Ganghwa Island who led the Korean forces bravely against the U.S. forces on the island. Despite the desperate fighting, he lost his life along with 430 Korean soldiers in the three-day battle.



After being taken to the U.S. with other war prizes, the iconic Korean flag was stored at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in the U.S. for 136 years until it was returned to Korea. According to negotiations between the U.S and Korea, the flag was repatriated in 2007 to the National Palace Museum of Korea in Seoul on a loan basis. Following this, the flag was moved to Ganghwa Island where the "Little War" had taken place.



It is currently displayed at the Ganghwa History Museum. The lease period of the flag had been extended to the end of September 2022. I was concerned about the fate of the flag, which should not return to the U.S. However, to my delight, the loan period for the flag was renewed again until October 1, 2023, after negotiations with the U.S Naval Academy Museum.



More than a century and a half have passed since the Americans captured the battle flag of Korea, and I do hope that the "trophy" of Sujagi would be displayed in Korea permanently, contributing to the opening of a new era of friendship between the U.S. and the Korean people.



Choe Chong-dae (choecd@naver.com) is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is president of Dae-kwang International Co., and director of the Korean-Swedish Association.


This photo, provided by the Canadian Forces Combat Camera, shows South Korean Navy personnel greeting His Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Vancouver in the southern port city of Busan on Oct. 4. Yonhap



The commander of a Canadian Navy frigate has highlighted Ottawa's steadfast commitment to the enforcement of U.N. Security Council (UNSC) sanctions on North Korea as part of efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.



Cdr. Kevin Whiteside, the head of His Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Vancouver, said Canada's commitment was demonstrated in the vessel's arrival in South Korea last week to conduct "Operation NEON" designed to support the sanctions implementation.



It came as South Korea, the United States and other like-minded countries have been cranking up security coordination following a recent series of North Korean missile provocations, including Tuesday's intermediate-range ballistic missile launch over Japan.



"The Government of Canada, through the Canadian Armed Forces, will continue to support multinational efforts to monitor the U.N. sanctions against North Korea through Operation NEON," he said in a recent written interview with Yonhap News Agency.



"Vancouver's conduct of Operation NEON demonstrates the level of international solidarity in support of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula," he added.



Operation NEON focuses on surveillance operations, including identifying suspected maritime sanctions evasion activities, like ship-to-ship transfers of fuel and other commodities banned by the UNSC resolutions. It started Sept. 20 and will run through the end of this month.



For the operation, Canada has deployed the Halifax-class frigate HMCS Vancouver, along with a CH-148 Cyclone helicopter detachment and a CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft. The crew of the HMCS Vancouver this time is comprised of 240 sailors, soldiers and aviators.



"This contribution bolsters the integrity of the global sanctions regime against North Korea," the commander said.



The naval operation comes in sync with Canada's pursuit of a "peaceful, stable, and prosperous" Indo-Pacific, Whiteside said, touching on his country's longstanding military presence in Korea, including its staff at the U.N. Command headquartered in Pyeongtaek, 65 kilometers south of Seoul.



"Canada remains committed to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, and as part of that, we are concerned by the threat posed by North Korea's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs," he said.



Whiteside voiced confidence that the Canadian Navy's support for the sanctions enforcement, coupled with its participation in regional exercises, is having an impact.



"This is evident through our contribution to collective efforts to help hold accountable those who are facilitating North Korea's maritime sanctions evasion contrary to international law," he said.



This month's visit was Whiteside's third trip to Korea with his Navy staff following his earlier visits in 2008 and 2017. Such continued trips in the region are essential to enhancing interoperability and military cooperation with the South Korean Navy, he said.



"Our continued presence in the region demonstrates our longstanding relationship with South Korea, which we hope to continue strengthening into the future," he added.



Since departing its home port of Esquimalt, western Canada, in June, the HMCS Vancouver has been on a six-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific, which included its participation in the biennial U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific Exercise and Operation NEON. (Yonhap)




Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk walks next to a screen showing an image of Tesla Model 3 car during an opening ceremony for Tesla China-made Model Y program in Shanghai, China Jan. 7, 2020. Reuters-Yonhap



Billionaire Elon Musk, days after floating a possible deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine that drew condemnation in Ukraine, suggested that tensions between China and Taiwan could be resolved by handing over some control of Taiwan to Beijing.



"My recommendation... would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, probably won't make everyone happy," the world's richest person, told the Financial Times in an interview published on Friday.



Musk was responding to a question about China, where his Tesla electric car company operates a large factory in Shanghai.



Beijing, which says democratically ruled Taiwan is one of its provinces, has long vowed to bring Taiwan under its control and has not ruled out the use of force to do so. Taiwan's government strongly objects to China's sovereignty claims and says only the island's 23 million people can decide its future.



"And it's possible, and I think probably, in fact, that they could have an arrangement that's more lenient than Hong Kong," Musk, was quoted as saying by the newspaper.



China has offered Taiwan a "one country, two systems" model of autonomy similar to what Hong Kong has, but that has been rejected by all mainstream political parties in Taiwan and has no public support, especially after Beijing imposed a tough National Security Law in the city in 2020.



Taiwan's Foreign Ministry declined to comment on Musk's comments on Saturday.



Wang Ting-yu, a senior lawmaker for Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party who sits on parliament's foreign affairs and defense committee, slammed Musk on his Facebook page.



"Individual independent companies cannot take their ownership as a joke," Wang said. "So why should they casually pass off the democratic freedoms, sovereignty and way of life of 23 million Taiwanese? It's not acceptable for Ukraine, and Taiwan certainly won't allow it."



A senior Taiwanese official familiar with security planning in the region told Reuters that "Musk needs to find a clear-headed political adviser".



"The world has seen clearly what happened to Hong Kong," the official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media. "Hong Kong's economic and social vibrancy abruptly ended under Beijing's totalitarian rule."



Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, asked about Musk's remarks, said Taiwan was a "domestic affair", adding that Beijing would continue to adhere to the principle of peaceful reunification while "resolutely smashing" Taiwanese separatism.



The Shanghai factory accounted for about half of Tesla's global deliveries last year. Musk said China has sought assurances that he would not offer the Starlink internet service of his SpaceX rocket company there.



Musk said he reckoned that conflict over Taiwan was inevitable and warned of its potential impact on not only Tesla, but also on iPhone maker Apple Inc and the wider economy. The interview did not elaborate on those remarks.



Earlier this week, Musk proposed that Ukraine permanently cede Crimea to Russia, that new referendums be held under U.N. auspices to determine the fate of Russian-controlled territory, and that Ukraine agree to neutrality.



He asked Twitter users to weigh in on his plan, drawing sharp criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who proposed his own Twitter poll: "Which @elonmusk do you like more? One who supports Ukraine (or) one who supports Russia." (Reuters)






Autumn scenery of Seoul from the city wall in November 2018 Robert Neff Collection



By Robert Neff



Autumn is, arguably, the best time of the year to visit Korea. The oppressive heat of summer and the unbearable humidity of the rainy season are replaced with the crisp, cool temperatures of the mornings and the brilliance of the red and golden leaves on the forested mountains. Besides beautiful scenery, cool temperatures and delicious food and drink, autumn has Jungyangjeol  one of the luckiest days in the Korean calendar.



Jungyangjeol, which falls on the ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar, is said to be one of the luckiest days of the year. In the past, people used to climb mountains and take in the scenery while drinking honey citron tea and eating gukhwajeon (chrysanthemum pancakes).



An American diplomat who had served in Korea in the mid-1890s claimed this was the day in which the chrysanthemums began to bloom and Koreans would place the flower's petals in their wine cups as they relaxed in the colorful splendor of fall and scanned the sky for swallows.



It was believed that on this day the swallows would leave the Korean Peninsula and fly south to China for the winter, returning in the following spring. Swallows were believed to be lucky. According to one divination, a family would greatly prosper if a swallow built its nest near the house or in the yard. Yet, despite the perception of them as symbols of luck, they are conspicuously missing from Korean zoological myths.





Visages of the past along the city wall in November 2018 Robert Neff Collection



Richard Rutt, an Anglican missionary, wrote a series of anonymous articles for The Korea Times in 1957 in which he described his life in a small village near Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. We are fortunate that very few things escaped his attention and his anecdotes provide some of the only observations in English of a time that is quickly fading from memory.



"I am watching for the swallows and the wild geese. They are supposed to change places on the ninth day of the ninth moon. This year we have had a leap moon before the ninth moon, and I wondered whether it would upset the birds' calculations. The swallows should have stayed until the end of October, but they seem to have lost patience, and I have seen none since last week."



Korean superstitions have always been popular subjects for foreigners to write about. Many of the early Western visitors to Korea wrote letters home to their families or articles for magazines describing these superstitions and beliefs. Edward S. Morse, an American educator, zoologist and archaeologist living in Japan in the 1880s, had the opportunity to speak with and interview a number of Koreans visiting or living in Japan during that period. In one of his articles, "Interviews with a Korean," he wrote:



"Among the Korean superstitions are a dislike to have a cat approach a dead person. If such an accident happens the corpse will stand upright and the body has to be knocked down with a broom."





Autumn's leafy blanket on Seoul's historical past in November 2018 Robert Neff Collection



Up until recently, cats were generally viewed in a negative light not only by the dead, but also the living.



Another source of bad luck was clumsiness at the dining table:



"In eating rice, which is always eaten with a spoon, if the first spoonful is dropped, it is considered a sign of bad luck."



Speaking about eating, according to Morse, some Koreans believed that if their chin itched it was a sign that you would soon enjoy rice cake, and if your ear itched, someone was talking about you. I am not sure about the first but the latter, at least amongst my friends, is still common.



It used to be fairly common to bring toilet paper, soap or cleaning supplies to a housewarming but according to Morse:



"In occupying a new house the first thing they do is to have a woman carry in a bunch of matches. This insures prosperity."





The beauty of the city wall in November 2018 Robert Neff Collection



There were other lucky charms:



"Unlike Europeans, [Koreans] believe the number thirteen to be lucky, but they agree with the [Europeans] in considering a horseshoe over the door as bringing good luck with it."



I am not sure how accurate his claims are but I do know James Scarth Gale, a Canadian Presbyterian missionary, found sadistic pleasure with Korean ponies being shod :



"I love to see the pony shod, see him pinioned teeth and nail, in one hard knot, lying on his back under the spreading chestnut tree, with the village smithy putting tacks into him that brings tears to his eyes."



Portents of good and bad luck could also be found in dreams or in the darkness of night:



"The hooting of an owl is thought to announce the death of the master of the house  [and] if a Korean dreams of a Buddhist priest he considers himself in danger of being poisoned."





Seoul seen from the city wall in November 2018 Robert Neff Collection


Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc. of Korea will strive for smooth business operations in China, in spite of the latest U.S. export controls, on the basis of continued consultations with governments concerned, according to officials of the firms Sunday.



The Joe Biden administration announced a set of restrictions last week that will cut China off from certain semiconductor chips made with U.S. equipment in an apparent bid to slow Beijing's technological and military advances.



The move was feared to disrupt operations of the South Korean chip giants in China, as they must undergo a case-by-case review by Washington to sell advanced chips to China.



"The (Korean) government has closely discussed the matter with the industry circle, and it has made consultations with the U.S. side based on the discussions," a Samsung official said.






Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Mostly cloudy. A shower of rain or wet snow possible. Low 31F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. A shower of rain or wet snow possible. Low 31F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
Kolkata, Oct 9 (PTI) One Bangladeshi smuggler was killed when Border Security Force personnel fired at a gang of armed cattle smugglers in self defence at Bisnupur Border outpost in West Bengal's Nadia district, a BSF statement said on Sunday.

Patrolling BSF jawans on Saturday night intercepted some smugglers along with cattle near the border when a group of 15-20 Bangladeshi smugglers surrounded the jawans and attacked the border guards with sharp-edged weapons and sticks, it said.

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The Bangladeshis were being supported by a gang from the Indian side to smuggle cattle to the neighbouring country, the statement said.

To scare away the smugglers, the jawans first fired in the air but as the gang continued to attack, one of the jawans fired another round which fatally injured a smuggler.

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Other gang members fled from the spot towards Bangladesh.

The jawans seized a buffalo from the spot.

The body of the smuggler and the confiscated buffalo were handed over to the Police Station Krishnaganj for further legal action, the statement said.

A spokesperson of BSF, South Bengal Frontier, said when smugglers are not successful in their wrong intention, they mounted deadly attack on the jawans seriously injuring them in past.

Jawans have to take measures to protect themselves and government property as well as to prevent smuggling, he added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kochi, Oct 9 (PTI) Cities of the future should be developed by adopting new trends in urban design, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Sunday while inaugurating a two-day national-level urban conclave here.

The National Urban Conclave-Bodhi 2022 hosts a series of discussions on 'Reinventing urban development through emerging tools and techniques'.

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Addressing the gathering virtually, Vijayan said the state can do a better implementation of techniques in urban planning.

"Our cities of the future should be developed by adopting the new trends in urban design and form. We can do better in the implementation of the efficiency tools and techniques in urban planning and development," Vijayan said.

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He said Kochi is the perfect place to host a national-level event as the city is now emerging as a global city with the development in services, industry, commerce, IT and tourism.

"In the present scenario, this conclave is relevant not only for Kochi but also for the entire state of Kerala," he said.

The Chief Minister said the urban planning and development practices such as land pooling, transfer of development rights (TDR) etc., have to be implemented on the major projects in order to reduce the financial burden on the government and to avoid legal formalities.

"The Kerala Town and Country Planning Act 2016 has the provision for these and the government has started the formation of the rules and guidelines. We are actively inviting investments in the development of the state in the urban sector, PPP projects are ongoing and many more are expected to come up," he said.

Local Self Government and Excise Minister M B Rajesh delivered the keynote address.

Rajesh said it is important to keep in mind how technology is going to solve the complex problems that arise out of the process of urbanisation.

"Consumerism is increasing in Kerala. As part of urbanisation, we are facing the issues of waste generation, pollution, unemployment, lifestyle diseases, environmental degradation, etc. In order to find a solution for all this, we need to understand the process of urbanisation," Rajesh said.

State Industries and Law Minister P Rajeeve called for a sustainable model for the further development of the city.

Retired IAS officer Keshav Varma, chairman of the Centre's High-Level Committee on Urban Planning, presented the theme of the conclave -- 'Calling for region-specific strategies for urban planning and development'.

Varma said Kochi has the potential to position itself as a global city.

Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) chairman K Chandran Pillai, who chaired the meet, stressed on the need to revisit the present mode of urban governance and consider fresh ideas and tools for addressing present and future challenges.

"As India gets increasingly urbanised, we need to accept that cities will be the key actors driving India's growth. We need innovative ideas and proposals to tackle the challenges of the future," Pillai said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Dwarka (New Delhi) [India], October 9 (ANI): A woman died after falling into a sewer in Dwarka's North police station area, informed the police on Sunday.

The incident happened on the day of Dussehra when the woman had come to see the fair near the local Ramlila ground and fell into an open sewer, as per the police.

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According to the police, a woman was reported to have fallen into the sewer, after which the police pulled her out and by the time she was taken to the hospital, she was already dead.

The police have started investigating the matter.

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Meanwhile, the police are probing whose negligence led to this death and what was the reason for keeping the sewer open. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
China to release fifth batch of pork reserve to stabilize price

Xinhua) 15:39, October 09, 2022

BEIJING, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities will release the fifth batch of pork into the market from central reserves to maintain supply and price stability, the country's top economic planner said Sunday.

The price of hogs has been running at a relatively high level recently, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

The NDRC said domestic hog production capacity is generally reasonable and abundant, hence the price of hogs does not have a basis for sustained hikes.

By 2 p.m. Saturday, the average wholesale price of pork went up 2.5 percent from last Friday to 32.81 yuan (about 4.62 U.S. dollars) per kg, data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs showed.

The NDRC said it would pay close attention to hog supply and demand as well as price trend, continue to release pork reserves, and increase pork releases if necessary.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Hongyu)
Chandigarh, Oct 9 (PTI) Alleging that the AAP government in Punjab promised minimum support price (MSP) for only moong and maize and that too failed to deliver on it, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday asked AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal not to "tell white lies to befool farmers" in Gujarat in the run-up to the assembly elections there.

In a statement here, former minister and Akali leader Daljit Singh Cheema said it was shocking that Kejriwal was claiming in Gujarat that the AAP government in Punjab was giving minimum support price on five crops and that the same formula would be replicated in Gujarat.

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"The truth is that the central government is procuring wheat and paddy on MSP in Punjab through the Food Corporation of India. Similarly, the Cotton Corporation of India procures cotton.

"Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had urged farmers to sow moong and promised to procure the entire crop on an MSP of Rs 7,250 per quintal but did not even procure ten per cent of this crop. The Punjab government has similarly failed to procure maize," he alleged.

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Asking Kejriwal not to give false hopes to farmers of Gujarat, Cheema said the farmers should come to Punjab and see the ground reality for themselves.

"The truth is that farmers are indebted because they believed the AAP government and went in for large scale cultivation of maize and moong," he said.

The SAD leader said far from giving MSP on all crops, the Punjab government had still not given compensation to farmers whose crops had been damaged due to untimely rains.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Congress president questioned Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's prolonged absence from the state and asked him not to waste and squander away precious resources of Punjab in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections.

"You are the chief minister of Punjabis...and not for anyone else," Warring told Mann while referring to his frequent visits to Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

He also referred to Mann's absence from President Droupadi Murmu's function on Saturday in Chandigarh.

"While it is the discretion and prerogative of the chief minister to choose the programmes he wants to attend and participate in, ideally he should have been present there since the President had come to the state for the first time," he said in a statement.

Warring alleged that Punjab's resources were being squandered away in poll-bound Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.

(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 9: With the focus on door-to-door campaigning, political parties in Uttar Pradesh have plunged into preparation mode for the upcoming municipal elections. Scheduled to be held in November and December, the polls will test the poll preparedness of the parties and give them an opportunity to prove their mettle in the run-up to the 2024 general elections.

According to the government, there are 438 Nagar Panchayats, 199 Nagar Palika Parishads and 17 Municipal Corporations in Uttar Pradesh. The last elections to the urban bodies were held in October-November 2017 when the BJP had won 14 of the 16 mayoral seats while the BSP bagged two -- Aligarh and Meerut. Shiv Sena Symbol War: Neither Eknath Shinde Faction, nor Uddhav Thackerays Allowed To Use Bow and Arrow Symbol During Andheri East By-Election 2022, Declares ECI.

Later, Shahjahanpur was also given the status of Municipal Corporation, due to which the total number of municipal corporations in the state increased to 17.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has set its eyes on capturing all 80 seats in the state in the 2024 elections, state media in-charge Manish Dixit told PTI.

We are taking the urban body elections very seriously and treating them on par with the general elections. A meeting of the in-charges and co in-charges of every urban body of the state was held on Saturday to prepare an action plan, Dixit said.

As part of the 'Har Ghar Abhiyan' campaign, the BJP will visit every household and seek people's support, he added. Dikshit said the BJP registered a comprehensive victory in the recent assembly polls in the state and will repeat its performance in the civic polls.

BJP's state president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, state in-charge Radha Mohan Singh and organisation general secretary Dharampal had recently prepared a strategy for the elections at a virtual meeting with the party's district presidents, district in-charges and conveners of civic elections, he highlighted.

Meanwhile, the focal point of the main opposition party -- Samajwadi Party (SP) -- will be ground level management, its national spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said. SP president Akhilesh Yadav had appointed the in-charges in all municipal areas about two months ago and the organisation is working at the ground level to win these elections, he said.

The in-charges have been appointed at the booth level and after the work of delimitation and reservation of municipal areas by the State Election Commission, the selection of SP candidates will also be done by early next month, he added. Bihar Assembly By-Elections 2022: Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav Attacks BJP for Targeting His Family Using CBI.

In view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the urban body elections would be fought very intensely, he stressed. Although there is a difference between both the elections, the level of preparedness and popularity of the the party among the masses will definitely be gauged by the results of these polls, Chaudhary said.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which was annihilated in the assembly polls winning just one seat in the 403-member state assembly, is keen to make a strong comeback through the urban body elections. As part of the 'Har Ghar Dastak' campaign, the party will take the ideology of Bhimrao Ambedkar, BSP founder Kanshi Ram and other Dalit leaders to the people, a leader said.

We had launched a membership drive on June 1. Now, we are focussing on connecting the people with the BSP's ideology and several other campaigns will be launched soon, he said. On the other hand, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will use the same strategy with which it achieved electoral successes in Delhi Punjab in the civic polls in Uttar Pradesh.

Party's state spokesperson Vaibhav Maheshwari said the AAP has started the process of selection of mohalla in-charges in the state. The party has also prepared a mobile application to report the problems of the mohallas. Through this application, the party will get information about major problems of every locality and on the basis of them, the election manifesto will be issued for every locality, Maheshwari said.

He said that the party would also release a consolidated manifesto for the urban body elections. The party is brainstorming on whether to completely waive the house tax for houses up to 600 sq ft and halve the house tax for houses up to 2000 sq ft if we come to power, he said.

We are also contemplating to completely abolish water tax and all these points will be included in our manifesto, he added. Maheshwari stressed that the tickets will be given to only those party workers who have a "clean" image. The party has invited applications. After 10 days, the process of releasing of names of candidates is likely to start, he said.

The Congress, which is arguably going through its worst phase in Uttar Pradesh, is looking to make a fresh start by planning to spring a surprise in the elections, party's media in-charge Lalan Kumar said. As the party's new state president Brijlal Khabri and his associate provincial presidents have taken charge, the preparations for the civic polls have begun in full swing, 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, Oct 9 (PTI) Private equity (PE) investment in real estate increased 40 per cent during the April-September period of this fiscal to USD 2.8 billion, with a huge inflow coming from foreign funds especially in office assets, says a report.

According to the Anarock report, PE investment stood at USD 2 billion in the corresponding period of the last financial year.

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"Investor confidence in Indian real estate is increasing steadily as a reflection of improvement in the Indian economy and state of real estate industry," said Shobhit Agarwal, MD & CEO of Anarock Capital, which is part of real estate consultant Anarock.

As per the report, investments by foreign investors contributed around 78 per cent to the total inflow in the first half of this fiscal, reflecting their strong confidence in Indian real estate.

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Domestic investments increased by 45 per cent while foreign investments rose by 36 per cent of the total capital inflows in April-September of 2022-23, compared to the year-ago period.

Top 10 deals accounted for 86 per cent of the total value of PE investments in the first six months of this fiscal, as compared to 80 per cent in the first half of FY'22.

Among various asset classes of the real estate sector, Agarwal said the demand in the office market has seen a "meaningful recovery".

The PE investments in office assets stood at USD 1,862 million during April-September of this fiscal -- almost equivalent to the investment in the whole last financial year.

Office market was adversely hit during the 2020 and 2021 calendar years, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. Adoption of work from home reduced office space demand.

The consultant said that housing demand has also remained healthy in post-pandemic times, resulting in the residential asset class being second-most preferred among all asset classes with USD 372 million being funnelled into it in H1 of FY23.

Across geographies, Anarock noted that PE investments came more in Delhi-NCR.

"NCR witnessed a strong increase in capital inflows in PE -- from USD 181 million in H1 (April-September) of FY'22 and USD 590 million in H2 (October-March) FY'22, to USD 942 million in H1 of FY'23," Anarock said, adding that the inflows were driven by joint venture platform deals like Brookfield with Bharti Enterprises and Bain Capital with Tarc.

Commenting on the trend, realtors' body NAREDCO President Rajan Bandelkar said the Indian real estate sector has so far very well navigated itself amid the pandemic and the current global economic concerns.

"The rise in private equity investments is both evidence and strong indication for the sector's growth prospects and investor community's confidence in it," he added.

Lifting of the COVID restrictions, improvement in market sentiments and resumption of economic activities have been major factors for the rise in investments, Bandelkar listed out.

Pradeep Aggarwal, Founder and Chairman of realty firm Signature Global, said the real estate sector as a whole, be it residential or commercial, has performed significantly well since last one year.

"Domestic as well as global investors are chasing for opportunities to deploy funds in the Indian real estate market. We expect the trend to continue," said Aggarwal, whose company is into development of affordable homes.

Anarock Capital's report highlighted that out of USD 2.8 billion inflow in April-September 2022 by PE firms, nearly USD 2.2 billion was in the form of pure equity and the rest structured debt.

The consultant noted that investments in office, residential and industrial & logistics assets will continue.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington [US], October 9 (ANI): Instant messaging and calling service WhatsApp premium subscription service has not officially launched yet; however it is now available for beta users.

According to GSM Arena, this means that only the WhatsApp beta program members can access the Premium menu, where all the extra features reside.

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As per WABetainfo, the premium subscription will be tailored towards businesses, which means that most of the paid features aren't going to be particularly useful for the average user.

Reportedly, the premium account gives users a customizable contact link to their WhatsApp, which can be changed once every three months.

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It is supposed to be an easier way for customers to find a certain business instead of typing in a phone number. Telegram has a similar feature where users can share a direct contact link with others.

The paid version of the app will also allow up to 10 devices simultaneously connected to the same account. This way, employees can connect and manage the business account. Lastly, users can make a video call with up to 32 participants.

Since the functionality is still in beta, WhatsApp hasn't come forward with an official statement or announcement, so the pricing or the launch date of the new subscription service is not yet known. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], October 8 (ANI): Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu Ravi in the Ministry of External Affairs during his visit to Tanzania held discussions on exploring possibilities of opening an Indian SEZ (Special Economic Zone) in Tanzania and bilateral trade in local currency.

"In the meeting with his Finance Ministry counterpart, Secretary (ER) Ravi discussed a range of issues including development cooperation, alternative ways of financing projects, exploring possibilities of opening an Indian SEZ in Tanzania and bilateral trade in Indian Rupees and Tanzanian Tshilling," an MEA press release read.

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Dammu Ravi visited Tanzania on October 6-7, 2022. During the visit, he met with high-ranking officials including ambassador Joseph Edward Sokoine, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, and Emmanuel M. Tutuba, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Planning on Thursday, in Dar es Salaam.

On Friday, Secretary (ER) visited Zanzibar where he called on the President of Zanzibar. During his meeting with Permanent Secretary Ambassador Sokoine, comprehensive discussions were held on the India-Tanzania bilateral relations.

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The Tanzanian side welcomed the ideas and both sides agreed to work on these.

Secretary (ER) also addressed a business event at the High Commission of India where he interacted with about 85 entrepreneurs and CEOs of Indian and Tanzanian companies. Prominent members of the Indian diaspora also attended the event.

During his visit to Zanzibar on Friday, Secretary (ER) called on Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar. The Zanzibar President welcomed the Indian development cooperation in Zanzibar and invited Indian investment in various sectors including IT, the blue economy and healthcare on the island.

Secretary (ER) also visited a project site under construction to supply water to Zanzibar's households. Three Indian companies are presently implementing water supply projects in Zanzibar under the Government of India Lines of Credit.

Tanzania is one of India's major development assistance partners in Africa with over USD 1.1 billion Lines of Credit and 700 annual scholarships for short-term and long-term courses. Bilateral trade stands at USD 4.5 billion for 2021-22 and Indian investment in Tanzania is USD 3.6 billion. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, October 9: While the authorities have swung into action and ordered a detailed investigation into the cough syrups produced and exported to Gambia by an Indian company, government data revealed that 384 persons were arrested after 462 samples of medicines were declared adulterated or spurious during 2019-21.

A total of 81,329 drug samples were tested in 2019-20 out of which 2497 samples were declared as not being of standard quality and 199 were declared of spurious nature. Similarly, in 2020-21, out of the total 84874 samples lifted for testing, 2652 samples were declared not of standard quality while 263 were found to be spurious. A total of 220 and 164 people were arrested in 2019-20 and 2020-21 respectively.

Officials said that the government has taken a series of measures including strengthening of legal provisions, workshops and training programmes for manufacturers and regulatory officials and steps such as risk based inspection. Gambia Urgently Recalls India-Made Cough and Cold Syrups Blamed for Over 60 Child Deaths.

As per a recent Parliament reply, the government has taken various regulatory measures since 2019 to ensure the quality of medicines in the country. The Drugs Rules, 1945 were amended providing that every Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (bulk drug) manufactured or imported in India shall bear Quick Response Code on its label. The stored data or information shall include the minimum particulars including unique product identification code, Batch No, manufacturing date, expiry date.

The Drugs Rules, 1945 were amended providing that any person who sells or distributes any drug shall be responsible for the quality of that drug as well as other regulatory compliances along with the manufacturer under these rules.

The rules were amended providing that "in case the applicant intends to market the drug under a brand name or trade name, the applicant shall furnish an undertaking in Form 51 to the Licensing Authority to the effect that to the best of his knowledge based on search in trademarks registry, central database for brand name or trade name of drugs maintained by Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, literature and reference books on details of drug formulations in India, and internet, such or similar brand name or trade name is not already in existence with respect to any drug in the country and the proposed brand name or trade name shall not lead to any confusion or deception in the market," said the reply by the Ministry of Health.

The regulatory control over the manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs in the country is exercised through a system of licensing and inspection by the State Licensing Authorities (SLAs) appointed by the state governments. India-Made Cough Syrups Under CDSCO Probe After WHO Issues Alert Following Deaths of 66 Children in Gambia.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning about drugs manufactured by a Haryana-based pharmaceutical company following which the Union government initiated a probe. The cough syrups have been linked with the death of over 60 children in Gambia. An initial enquiry has found that these drugs were not sold in India and were meant for export. The government has also said that the samples of the four syrups have been sent for testing and action will be initiated after the test results.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 09, 2022 09:19 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Army troops swung into action to rescue six people from a car, which suddenly caught fire on the National Highway near Rayang in #Assam's Dhemaji district, defence sources said on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/d4bvk7ZVFp IANS (@ians_india) October 9, 2022

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WATCH | External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar concludes his visit to New Zealand.



Will work towards making our relationship more contemporary and future-ready, EAM said.@MEAIndia pic.twitter.com/HGFvBrrPSW Prasar Bharati News Services & Digital Platform (@PBNS_India) October 9, 2022

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Google Doodle celebrated Philippines annual sailing competition by featuring a colourful graphical art of several boats (or vintas) lined in vibrant shades. Known as Regatta de Zamboanga festival, the competition features two fishermen in every boat who design their vintas by themselves to mark their culture and ethnicity. The paddling race is an important part of the Zamboanga Hermosa Festival that honours the patron saint La Virgen Nuestra Senora del Pilar de Zaragoza. Check out more about today's google doodle below!

Google Doodle for Regatta de Zamboanga festival

On your mark, get set, row! Todays #GoogleDoodle celebrates Regatta de Zamboanga, an epic race between champion fishermen in the Philippines. Learn more about how this beloved tradition marks the start of the month-long Hermosa Festival > https://t.co/GNuxEc7PMipic.twitter.com/IkuP4tWWUX  Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) October 8, 2022

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For decades, Texas has been a deep red state, with Republicans winning overwhelmingly against their democratic opponents in the state. Beto O'Rourke is now at the forefront of the Democratic Party's political resurgence in Texas.

The former Texas congressman is challenging Republican Governor Greg Abbott in this upcoming midterm election for Texas governor.

An El Paso native, O'Rourke has been serving as a Democrat since 2005, when he ran for El Paso City Council. Since then, he has risen through the ranks, even getting Senator Ted Cruz a run for his money in 2018.

While Abbott still leads in the polls, as many expected in the deep red state, that lead is not as big as the governor would have liked, with Beto O'Rourke seeming to be gaining on him fast.

READ NEXT: Texas Gubernatorial Debate: Uvalde Families Lash Out Against Greg Abbott, Throw Their Support Behind Beto O'Rourke

Did Texas Gubernatorial Candidate Beto O'Rourke Marry a Billionaire Heiress?

At a young age, Beto O'Rourke was already exposed to politics. Thanks to his father, Pat O'Rourke, who held several county government positions and even served on Jesse Jackson's 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns, Market Realist reported.

O'Rourke was part of several punk bands in college. He played bass in a punk band he formed called Foss. After graduation, he co-founded an internet service and software company called Stanton Street Technology Group.

O'Rourke stayed as a punk rocker and businessman until he entered politics in 2005 when he ran for the El Paso City Council and was elected. He was elected to represent Texas' 16th Congressional district in the House of Representatives in 2012.

After he tried to unseat Ted Cruz from his Senate seat but lost, he ran in 2019 as a Democratic candidate for the 2020 presidential election. However, he withdrew nine months after announcing his candidacy.

Beto O'Rourke married Amy Sanders in 2005, and they had three children. There are rumors that Sanders was a billionaire heiress, and it all started when O'Rourke described his father-in-law William Sanders as a "billionaire real estate developer."

However, according to reports, his father-in-law is not a billionaire but a multi-millionaire. Forbes estimated that William Sanders' net worth is around $500 million, still enough to bankroll his son-in-law's presidential aspirations.

Beto O'Rourke Net Worth: Where Does He Get His Money?

Beto O'Rourke strongly supports gun reform in Texas, and it seems the public is on his side. Many see his gun control platform as a winning issue following frustration over the apparent inaction of the Greg Abbott administration following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

However, the question is, where does he get his money? According to the El Paso Times, before running for president, O'Rourke sold shares from companies like Stanton Street Technology Group, which he founded.

Proceeds from the sale are between $100,000 and $1 million. He was also a partner in Imperial Arms LLC and partially owned Peppertree Square Ltd., a shopping center in West El Paso.

Celebrity Net Worth puts Beto O'Rourke's net worth at around $9 million. He reportedly built much of his net worth through real estate, and other investments, with the money from his wife, who also runs her own business.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Chief-of-Staff Mark Meadows in Communication With Trump Supporter Who Tried Stealing Voting Machines in Arizona, Texts Show

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: UT Dallas Turned Out! - From Beto O'Rourke
A woman has admitted assaulting two gardai by coughing in their faces while Covid symptomatic at the height of the pandemic.

Agnieszka Konarzewska, 43, of 1163 Drogheda Street, Monasterevin admitted committing the offences at her address on August 15, 2020.

Sgt JJ Kirby told a sitting of Portlaoise District Court that she had coughed at both gardai, coughed in the gardas faces.

The court heard the woman called gardai to her address and when they arrived she became verbally aggressive and pulled down her mask and coughed on Garda Mulcahys face. Sgt Kirby said the women then also coughed in Garda Boshells face. Sgt Kirby said she had no previous convictions.

The defendants barrister said his client was ashamed and embarrassed about the matter. On the date in question, he said she had been sent home from work because she was displaying symptoms of Covid.

And she dropped her mask and coughed into the face of Gardai? Judge Andrew Cody asked.

The barrister explained that she had called gardai as her husband was highly intoxicated but gardai were restricted in the assistance they could provide. He said there is also a sort of a language issue there.

He said after the event she went and took the appropriate test and immediately shared the good outcome.

Judge Cody said had there been any previous convictions she would be facing a three month jail sentence. To drop your mask and cough into the face, that is appalling, he said.

While he said it really should be a custodial sentence he said he had to give her credit for no previous and her guilty plea. It was a shocking episode, it really was, he added.

However, Judge Cody said if the woman donated 500 to the Garda Benevolent Fund, I will reluctantly strike out.

When the barrister requested legal aid, Judge Cody said I am being pushed to the limit here. He said she wants the State to pay for legal aid? Her barrister explained that she qualified.

Judge Cody put the matter back to December 1 in order for the woman to bring 500 to court.
The long-time partner of a woman who died from Covid-19, and their three children have lost their High Court challenge over the Minister for Social Protection's refusal to grant the man the Widower's Pension.

In his judgement Mr Justice Mark Helsin said that while he had enormous sympathy for John O'Meara, whose partner of over 20 years Ms Michelle Batey died on January 31st, 2021, as a result of contacting Covid19 and their children, the court had to dismiss their claim.

In their action Mr O'Meara, and his three minor children had claimed that sections of the 2005 Social Welfare Consolidation Act which excluded him from receiving the pension, because he was not married to nor had entered into a formal civil partnership with his late partner, despite their long relationship together amounted to a discrimination.

The action was against the Minister for Social Protection, Ireland and the Attorney General the family which had opposed the claim.

Mr Justice Heslin said that the challenge centred on the constitutionality of parts of the 2005 Act and the entitlement of the children, through their father Mr O'Meara were entitled to the payment.

The judge held that they were not entitled to the payment and rejected their claims that the State's refusal to make the payment amounted to a form of discrimination.

He said that the legislation concerning who is entitled to be paid this particular pension is extremely wide, however it does not apply to persons in the applicants' situation.

It was the role of the Oireachtas to decide exactly who should benefit from this pension, the judge said, adding that the making of such decisions "is not a role which this court can legitimately play."

Cohabitation he said was not a qualification requirement for the entitlement of the payment.

The case, he said, was ultimately about the State's decision to support not families but for those who make a choice to enter into a marriage contract whose spouse has died.

The payment, the judge also held is not a benefit for any child paid through a parent and is not a payment directed at supporting families with children.

It is directed, he said, at supporting a bereaved spouse and is a payment to which a person is entitled if they were married to the deceased.

It is, he added, payable irrespective if the said couple had any children or not.

In their statement of opposition, the respondents had argued that the payment for the Widowers Contributory Pension (WCP) is for persons who have entered into a civil partnership and who have therefore entered into a legally recognised relationship that confers rights and obligations on the contracting partners.

The Act provides for certain supports to be provided to the surviving spouse or civil partner including assistance in dealing with the economic hardships of that loss, the state submitted. .

The establishment of the payment is one of the mechanisms by which the State supports the institution of marriage, and the fostering of the legal and social bands which derive from that institution, the respondents said.

In his decision the judge also noted that the couple, who never married but had enormous love for each other in the two decades they had been together. It was claimed that Mr O'Meara had planned to marry Ms Batey but they couple were unable to go through with their plans.

The couple, he said, had not entered the institution of marriage and thus did not assume the particular rights and obligations between spouses. Tragically, he said Ms Batey was cruelly taken away before the couple could get married.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 and had been recovering well following treatment including chemotherapy. However, her condition made her vulnerable to Covid19, which she contracted sometime in December 2020.

Following her death Mr O'Meara, an agricultural plant contractor of Grawn, Toomervara, Nenagh Co Tipperary applied for the widower's pension, in respect of him and his three children, on the basis the children reside with him.

In April 2021deciding officers on behalf of the Minister refused the application, on the grounds that there was no civil marriage between Mr O'Meara and Ms Batey.

He sought to revise that decision claiming that he and Ms Batey had lived together full time, in effectively a marital relationship for twenty years.

He also submitted that the couple had been cohabiting together for many years and qualified for the pension under the 2010 Civil Partnership laws.

That application was also unsuccessful.

Mr O'Meara claimed he was told that the Minister was bound by legislative provisions in the 2005 Act restricting the payment of survivor benefits to those who were married or in a formal civil partnership.

As a result of that refusal Mr O'Meara and his three children brought judicial review proceedings challenging the Minister's decision. It is claimed that the Minister's refusal, and the contents of the Act amounts to a discrimination against both Mr O'Meara and their children.
Laois Chamber Alliance has written to TDs and Ministers representing Laois seeking an urgent meeting regarding the dire need for immediate action on the Countys bottom of the table placing in terms of IDA supported jobs.

In a statement the Chamber Alliance stated, "Within the letter, it is abundantly clear there is a need to make Laois a priority county for regional IDA site visits and to improve the countys position by encouraging further job creation by IDA-sponsored companies.

"The Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD, was recently asked through a Parliamentary Question for the number of jobs per county in IDA Ireland-sponsored companies on Tuesday 27th September.

"These figures were provided in tabular form in a written response, showing that in 2021 Laois came last with 157 IDA supported jobs. This figure is less than half the number of IDA supported jobs recorded in the second lowest county, Monaghan, at 430 jobs. In neighbouring Offaly, a figure of 1,302 jobs was recorded."

In their letter, Laois Chamber Alliance highlighted that the Midlands region as a whole has 6,868 IDA supported jobs, and the 157 Laois jobs representing 2.2% of that. So while the Midlands region performed well overall, looking at this headline figure is insufficient to reveal the truth of a very uneven distribution within the region, where for example Westmeath has 59.68% of jobs, Offaly has 18.95%, and Longford has 19%.

Laois Chamber Alliance further added that the imbalance is yet again a disappointing lack of acknowledgement of all that Laois has to offer: a superb location, convenient to the cities of Dublin, Cork, and Limerick, and their airports, and to Dublin Port and Rosslare Port.

"Alongside this extremely favourable logistical location, there is huge access to talent. For example, a survey showed that prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, 13,000 working people were commuting out of the county daily.

"We also have a thriving and growing population, with the 2022 Census showing an 8.2% increase in population since the last census in 2016. Laois also has availability of suitable sites for IDA client companies and investors, and indeed affordability with lower operational costs than Dublin and other large urban centres.

"Laois Chamber Alliance commends the support of numerous businesspeople and investors who can vouch for the excellent business and investment offering in the county and furthermore display a remarkably positive, can-do attitude.

"Laois Chamber Alliance calls into question Laois positioning in the IDA Midlands region and states that the current positioning simply isnt working. The IDA is urged to reconsider the region Laois is assigned to, stating that it would be far more appropriate for the county to be located in the Mid- East Region or South- East Region."

Newly elected President of Laois Chamber Alliance, Yvonne McKeon, said, "Laois provides quality market fundamentals in three key areas; location quality, connectivity ( physical and virtual), and a vibrant educated young workforce, 13,000 of whom are forced to commute daily to jobs outside the county.

"Despite this, and despite the stated regional focus of both government and the IDA, Laois has never yet seen a fair share of IDA supported jobs. Fairness means proportionate support and distribution of jobs and investment, and it is overdue for Laois to be offered a fair share. We need to see it happen in Laois now. Laois Chamber Alliance makes the call for a combined effort to see an immediate fair share allocation for Laois.

Martin Crowley, Chairperson of Invest in Laois and the first President of the newly established Laois Chamber in 2019, also highlighted his concerns and said, The number of IDA supported jobs is indefensible in relation to the spread of supported Jobs throughout the country. Laois is one of the best strategically placed counties in the country, it's convenient to everywhere.

"We have a County Council that with the development of Junction 17, is both proactive and visionary. We have such a talent pool leaving the county every day, that businesses have a ready-made workforce on their doorstep if they decide to set up in Laois.

"It's testament to our commuters that Laois is a more affordable place to live. It's about time that the powers that be see that it's better for everyone, including our environment, to bring the jobs to Laois rather than having people to commute a couple of hours each day to their employment. By working in Laois, it will give employees and their families more time to enjoy areas like the wonderful Emo Court Estate and the Slieve Bloom Mountains which has a positive bearing on productivity for businesses in Laois.

Caroline Hofman, CEO of Laois Chamber Alliance, added, "Unfortunately, our abysmal placing is not a new revelation, with the lack of IDA supported jobs and site visits hitting headlines for many years.

"There is simply no plausible explanation for the statistics, as we have such a strong offering with location, proximity to ports and airports, access to talent, availability of sites, and indeed affordability with lower operational costs than Dublin and our large urban centres.

"The fact that we have some excellent international companies located here already speaks dividends about Laois and why we are ideally located for FDI.

"It's clear Laois should be a priority site for IDA visits at a regional level."
Gardai have officially named and supplied photographs of the ten people who died in the fatal explosion in Creeslough on Friday.

Gardai said that with consent of the families, they can confirm the identities of the deceased as follows:

James O Flaherty, 48 years

Jessica Gallagher, 24 years

Martin McGill, 49 years

Catherine O Donnell, 39 years and her son

James Monaghan, 13 years

Hugh Kelly, 59 years

Martina Martin, 49 years

Robert Garwe, 50 years and his daughter

Shauna Flanagan Garwe, 5 years

Leona Harper, 14 years.

Gardai have posted photographs of the victims to their Facebook page.

A Garda statement said:

An Garda Siochana continue to investigate all of the circumstances into the cause of a fatal explosion at a premises in Creeslough, County Donegal on Friday 7th October, 2022.

The investigation is being coordinated from an incident room at Milford Garda Station.

The Garda Technical Bureau, with assistance from other agencies, will continue to examine the scene, which remains cordoned off. These examinations are likely to continue over the coming days. Traffic diversions on the N56 at the scene of the incident remain in place.

A total of 10 fatalities have been confirmed arising from this fatal explosion. The remains of the deceased are at Letterkenny University Hospital where State Post Mortems have commenced under the direction of Dr. Heidi Okkers, Assistant State Pathologist. These Post Mortems will continue over the next few days. Results will not be released for operational reasons.



One male in his 20s remains in a critical condition in St. James Hospital, Dublin. The 7 other surviving casualties continue to receive treatment in Letterkenny University Hospital and remain in stable condition.

The 10 fatalities included four men, three women, two teenagers (one male and one female) and one younger female child. Garda Family Liaison Officers have been appointed to the families and are continuing to provide support and information.

With consent of the families An Garda Siochana can confirm the identities of the deceased as follows:

James O Flaherty, 48 years

Jessica Gallagher, 24 years

Martin McGill, 49 years

Catherine O Donnell, 39 years and her son

James Monaghan, 13 years

Hugh Kelly, 59 years

Martina Martin, 49 years

Robert Garwe, 50 years and his daughter

Shauna Flanagan Garwe, 5 years

Leona Harper, 14 years.

Ar Dheis De go raibh a n-anamacha dilis, go leir.
Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, visits social housing in the 13th arrondissement of the capital on September 13, 2022. CAMLLE MILLERAND/DIVERGENCE FOR "LE MONDE"

On September 13, Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, launched her emergency plan for "energy sufficiency" during her first public appearance after the summer. She visited two social housing units in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. First, a dilapidated and high energy-use apartment, and then a brand new show apartment, benefitting from interior renovations which allow for maximum energy savings. While speaking about thermal renovation, water leaks and interior insulation, the mayor said that the city of Paris wants to be at the forefront when it comes to accelerating the energy transition, in order "to protect residents from a rise in energy prices which promises to last." Some 10 billion have been spent on the transition since 2014, including 600 million allocated to renovating social housing and 300 million to transforming public lighting (replacing 44,000 lights).

Read more Paris Mayor Hidalgo determined to put disastrous presidential election behind her

The city's energy bill amounts to 54 million. On the verge of an anticipatedly difficult winter due to the harshest energy crisis since the 1970s, the Paris mayor wants the city to reach 10% energy savings. To achieve her goal, Ms. Hidalgo announced an array of measures to cope with the crisis, including lowering temperatures in public buildings (from 19 C to 18 C) and in the 31 swimming pools managed by the city (reducing water temperature from 27 C to 26 C, and air from 26 C to 25 C), and switching off lights on public monuments, museums and municipal establishments at 10 pm. A meeting will be held in October with retail groups to reach an agreement over turning off shop display window lights at night. The measures are intended to be permanent.

'Leading the way'

Since September 23, the Eiffel Tower has gone dark at 11:45 pm instead of 1 am, sparking a slight controversy with French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. Ms. Borne distanced herself from the symbolic measure, wondering if turning off the city's lights more than an hour early might make Paris lose its allure, especially when the anticipated power cut would represent only 4% of its annual consumption.

"We were also surprised by the reaction from the Energy Transition Minister, who gave an astonishing response: 'Sufficiency does not mean we should stop living (...) it does not mean we should not welcome tourists.' At her level, it's not responsible to say that," said Dan Lert, Ms. Hidalgo's deputy mayor for energy transition. "Moreover, the Culture Minister announced the next day that the Louvre pyramid's lights will be turned off at 11 pm."

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Ms Hidalgo has claimed that, "Paris will always be exemplary and lead the way," but the City of Light must also find 250 million to make ends meet, meaning it is obligated to go into savings mode. The Paris mayor has not spared the French President over this point, saying, "State support is not sufficient to maintain local governments' investment capabilities. As part of the post-Covid recovery plan, Emmanuel Macron gave 4.5 million to Toulon, 30 million to Paris..."

Laurent Telo Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.
Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, in Paris on October 3, 2022. SIMONE PEROLARI FOR "LE MONDE"

With Europe plunged into an unprecedented energy crisis and the security of its supply under threat, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, called for solidarity among European countries and emerging economies.

What do you think of the decision of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on Wednesday, October 5, to significantly reduce its production?

Our world has never experienced an energy crisis of such magnitude and complexity. In this context, further increases in oil prices aren't the right way to go, as they're adding fuel to the fire. It will only accelerate the slide into a recession that's affecting emerging countries more heavily than advanced economies.

In fact, for the first time in 20 years, the number of people without access to electricity will increase this year  by 20 million. Oil and gas producers need to think about the consequences of their decision to drive prices even higher.

Is Europe ready for winter?

A few days after the invasion of Ukraine [on February 24], the IEA presented a plan to reduce Russian gas consumption and prepare for the winter.

We made suggestions, such as turning down the thermostat on heaters by 2C, shortening approval timeframes for renewable energies and postponing nuclear phase-out in some countries. Initially, many governments thought this was too radical. But most did it.

Read more Subscribers only Nord Stream: Faced with 'acts of sabotage,' West on high alert to protect energy infrastructure

Today, almost 90% of European gas stocks are full. If there are no unpleasant surprises, such as pipeline sabotage or an extraordinarily long and cold winter, I think Europe can get through these months: The economy will take a hit, but the European Union [EU] can cope if there are no major incidents.

The winter of 2023-2024 will also be particularly critical.

Gas stocks are 90% full because Europe is still receiving some Russian gas and China, the world's largest importer of liquefied natural gas [LNG], has imported 20% less than usual since the conflict began. But by February, stocks will only be about 25% full.

Read more Subscribers only As winter approaches, a global battle for liquefied natural gas has begun

However, by 2023, there won't be any Russian gas, and Beijing will have to import more LNG. LNG supplies into the market will also decrease. How will stocks be refilled between February 2023 and the winter of 2023-2024? That will be a big challenge.

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If "unpleasant surprises" arise, what could happen?

If there's an extremely cold winter or a fire in a pipeline carrying LNG, what will Europe do? The first scenario is that European countries show solidarity: I close my petrochemical plant, and I send you this energy to heat your hospital. That is what I would like to see happen. But I also foresee the risk of a second scenario, one in which each country looks after its own interests. A conflict could then break out.

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Prince Joachim, his wife Marie and their two children Athena and Henrik as well as his two eldest sons from his first marriage, Felix and Nikolai, attend the Golden Jubilee of Queen Margrethe II in Copenhagen. September 11, 2022. DANA PRESS/BESTIMAGE

Is it the Harry and Meghan effect? Or is it the frustration of always having to take second place to his brother, the heir to the crown? In any case, Prince Joachim, the youngest child of the Danish queen, Margrethe II, has revealed his anger after his mother decided to strip his four children of their royal titles.

The resulting commotion has revealed the weaknesses of a monarchy that was said to be solid at a time when Margrethe II, the oldest European monarch and the only living female monarch in the world, is celebrating her golden jubilee.

Since January 2019, Prince Joachim, 53, has been living in Paris with his second wife, of French origin, Princess Marie, and their two children, Prince Henrik, 13, and Princess Athena, 10. A military attache at the Danish Embassy in Paris, he gave his first interview on September 29 to the Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet.

The previous day, the royal palace in Copenhagen had issued a brief statement announcing that from January 1, 2023, four of the queen's grandchildren, born princes and princesses of Denmark, would be demoted to the rank of counts and countess of Monpezat  the surname of their paternal grandfather, Henri de Laborde de Monpezat. The husband of Margrethe II was born in Talence, Gironde, in 1934 and died in 2018.

Read more Subscribers only The lone queen: Who is Margrethe II of Denmark, the new doyenne of European monarchs?

'I don't think it's modern to hurt children'

"It's never fun to see your children being mistreated like that, especially since they don't understand what's happening to them," said Prince Joachim. Looking distraught, he said the plan drawn up in May was for his children to keep their titles until their 25th birthdays. "Athena is going to be 11 in January," he said. Two days later, while walking his dog in Parc Monceau, Prince Joachim again let his feelings be known. He told reporters from the tabloid B.T. that he had not spoken to his mother since her announcement.

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Although she usually stays in the background, Princess Marie acknowledged that her husband's relationship with his brother, Crown Prince Frederik, and his Australian-born wife Mary is "complicated to say the least." She added: "We've always told our children that they had to be independent and that they would not get an appanage [a financial package], but it's another matter to take away a title," she said, before slipping in, "I don't think it's modern to hurt children."

In her statement issued on September 28, the queen explained that she wanted to "allow [her grandchildren] to be able to shape their own lives to a much greater extent without being limited by the special considerations and duties that a formal affiliation with the Royal House of Denmark as an institution involves."

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A fire that ripped through part of Chiles Easter Island has caused permanent damage to some of its iconic carved stone figures known as moai.

The high temperature of the forest fire accelerated the process through which the stone carvings will eventually turn into sand, the mayor of the island locally known as Rapa Nui said.

The damage is irreparable and immeasurable as well, Mayor Pedro Edmunds Paoa said.

The Chilean island which lies in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has some 800 moais, half of which are inside the Rano Raraku volcano.

The work of avoiding accidents and fires involves a prevention plan that requires resources and thats what we dont have

The fire this week blazed through 104 acres and particularly affected an area inside the volcano where there are around 100 moais, around 20 percent of which have been damaged, Edmunds Paoa said. There are also some damaged structures outside the volcano.

The high temperatures calcinate the stone of the moais, which leads it to crack and with time it starts to collapse, the mayor told a local radio station.

The mayor blamed locals who raise cows and horses in the island and regularly burn grassland.

Edmunds Paoa accused the state of abandoning the island.

The work of avoiding accidents and fires involves a prevention plan that requires resources and thats what we dont have, he said.

Ninoska Huki, the local head of the National Forest Corporation, had said earlier that the island lacked firefighters.

Officials are currently working to determine how much the fire has affected the island, which is around 3,700 kilometres from mainland Chile and is inhabited by some 7,700 people.

The island is known around the world for its moais, stone structures that are thought to weigh around 14 tons, and the Rapa Nui National Park covers around 40 per cent of the island.

Since 2019, Easter Island is locally known as Rapa Nui-Easter Island.

The island reopened to tourists in August after it was closed off for more than two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
LIMERICK teachers will cat-walk alongside models to raise funds for their primary school.

In association with the Celia Holman Lee Agency, the Salesian Primary School fashion show will be a fun event with a lot of prizes to be won on the night, including concert tickets.

In a bid to raise funds for a new library and a sensory pod, the school's fashion show will see some of the teachers and the school's principal on the catwalk alongside models from Celia Holman Lee Agency.

Organiser, Anna Walsh, said: Theres great excitement around the school and once again. Even the caretaker is joining in with fathers, so were looking forward to having a bit of craic with them as well.

The Salesian Primary School fashion show will take place on October 20, in The Strand Hotel, Limerick - tickets here.

According to Ms Walsh, the government doesnt give enough funding to schools these days.

The school needed a new library, so they're going to renovate that. But also, the main thing is a sensory pod, which would benefit children in the school, they would love to be able to get it for children with additional needs. But once again, funding is very hard to get and there's not that much room in the school grounds, she commented.

Ahead of the events, children created posters for the fashion show and won prizes for their creative work.
COUNCILLORS should order the removal of cakes, sandwiches, tea and coffee from meetings, and pass the saving onto local taxpayers.

Thats the view of local Sinn Fein member Sharon Benson, who pushed for a 15% reduction in the Local Property Tax (LPT) at the monthly meeting.

She believes in a cost-of-living crisis, the local authority should remove all unnecessary spending  including the refreshments given out to members when attending meetings in the Dooradoyle chamber.

At each council meeting in Limerick, representatives are offered a variety of light refreshments, coffee and tea.

But councillor Benson argued: We dont need it  theres a canteen upstairs if councillors really want to get something. Or they can bring their lunch with them if they know theres not going to be anything there.

She pointed out that on a Monday at the start of last month, the refreshment table was replenished three times.

We started at 9.45am, and there was stuff outside before the meeting  chocolate croissants, scones and whatever. When we came out of it, as the meeting ran on, there were sandwiches and fruit, and it was topped up again later as another meeting came in. Its ridiculous, the City North councillor said.

Her initial comments came during a debate on the LPT, with Sinn Fein expressing opposition to a 15% raise in the scheme to pay for improvements.

Ultimately, her party were outvoted with the LPT increasing by 15% above the base rate next year. In real terms though, it will stay the same, as since councillors have exercised their power to vary the rate, they have always chosen a 15% hike.

We are talking about varying the rate, but that rate inevitably comes out of the pockets of people who might not be able to put food on the table themselves. Council can make savings on unnecessary costs, and I see this as an unnecessary cost, she said, joking that she will buy and share a box of tea bags with any councillor who asks.

Councillor Bensons suggestion was criticised, in particular by Fine Gaels Adam Teskey.

He said: Its very easy to criticise what I think is one of the most efficient ways to deliver back to the end user by this source of income. Its easy to come in and be populist and say get rid of a few sandwiches and cups of tea. But when youre doing this, youd better replace it with beef, pork and chicken!
THE TALE of a farmer spilling his dairy herds milk into a slurry tank in a dispute over a hedge has taken another twist.

Robert Hickey, of Carrigmartin, Ballyneety, returned home just after 6pm on Tuesday of last week to find the overgrown hedge had been cut in his absence. I was shocked, said Mr Hickey, whose initial thought was it was the councils doing. A response to a Leader query reads: No instruction was given by the Limerick City and County Council Metropolitan Roads team to complete hedge cutting on this road.

This all dates back to August 2021 when Mr Hickey received a note from a lorry driver for his milk processor. It read, Last collection til bushes cut back on the way into the farm.

Mr Hickey, aged in his early 50s, had received previous warnings that his milk collection would stop unless the ditch was trimmed.

Mr Hickey had written to the council in March 2021, to inform them of the excessive overgrowth and encroachment of the roadside hedge along the public road leading to my property.

I request that Limerick County Council immediately cut back and trim this roadside hedge to allow the dairy truck to be able to access my farmyard and collect the milk, wrote Mr Hickey.

Following a Leader query, a council spokesperson said cutting of hedgerow is the responsibility of the landowner.

Mr Hickey says this contradicts what a council employee said in a court case where he was prosecuted. During the hearing in 2018, the council employee said they take the view that it is responsible for the surface and margin of all public roads in as far as the roadside ditch.

Mr Hickeys position is that the hedge is in the charge of the council as was stated in court.

So ever since August 2021, Mr Hickey has been spilling the milk of his 21 cows into a slurry pit. He says the total cost currently is 110,000. Mr Hickey said there was no delight when he saw the hedge was cut.

I got no correspondence from anyone that the hedge was being cut back. I am disappointed because there is over 110,000 worth of milk gone into a slurry tank and it is no fault of my own. Who is going to compensate me for the loss of that? he asks.

Mr Hickey said the whole saga has put him under a lot of stress both mentally and financially. He spent a week in hospital due to a medical issue in June. During that time two dairy farmers milked his cows while a friend looked after his beef cattle.

A decision will be made next year on supplying his milk again as he is currently drying off his cows due to the slurry spreading deadline. Mystery surrounds who arranged for the hedge to be cut.
Pope Francis has sent a message of sympathy following the Creeslough tragedy.

Ten people lost their lives after an explosion at a service station in the town on Friday afternoon.

The devastation has reverberated around the globe.

Pope Francis has expressed spiritual closeness to those who are suffering in the aftermath.

In a letter sent to the Bishop of Raphoe, Alan McGuckian SJ, from the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis prayed for consolation and healing on all those affected.

His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the loss of life and destruction caused by the explosion in Creeslough and he expressed his spiritual closeness to all those suffering in the aftermath of this tragedy, he said.

While entrusting the deceased to the merciful love of Almighty God, his Holiness implores the Devine blessings of consolation and healing upon the injured, the displaced and the families coping with pain of loss. As a pledge of strength and peace in the Lord, the Holy Father sends his blessing to all the people in Ireland.

Five-year-old Shauna Flanagan Garwe and her father, Robert Garwe (50) who was originally from Zimbabwe, Catherine ODonnell (39) and her son James Monaghan (13) were among those killed.

The blast also claimed the lives of James OFlaherty (48), Jessica Gallagher (24), Martin McGill (49), Hugh Kelly (59), Martina Martin (49) and 14-year-old Leona Harper.

One male in his 20s remains in a critical condition in St. James Hospital, Dublin.

Seven other surviving casualties continue to receive treatment in Letterkenny University Hospital and remain in stable condition.
Hundreds of people have gathered at vigils in memory of the 10 people who died in a devastating explosion in an Irish village.

A five-year-old girl and her father were among those killed in Fridays blast in Creeslough, Co Donegal, at a complex that includes residential apartments and a petrol station.

The huge explosion claimed the lives of 10 local people who were named by police on Sunday.

Irelands police force, An Garda Siochana, continue to investigate the cause though at this stage it is being treated as a tragic accident.

Those who died were 50-year-old Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe, 48-year-old James OFlaherty, 24-year-old Jessica Gallagher, 49-year-old Martin McGill, 39-year-old Catherine ODonnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan, 59-year-old Hugh Kelly, 49-year-old Martina Martin, and 14-year-old Leona Harper.

One of the first funerals confirmed will take place on Wednesday  for James OFlaherty in St Marys Church in Derrybeg.

The Garda said a man in his 20s remains in a critical condition at St Jamess Hospital in Dublin.

The seven other surviving casualties continue to receive treatment in Letterkenny University Hospital and remain in a stable condition.

Almost 20 vigils were organised across Co Donegal on Sunday.

One of the first took place in the town of Milford, half an hours drive from the scene of the tragedy.

Parents hugged their children, people carried candles, prayers were said and music was played, including a song called Creeslough, written and played by a local musician.

The vigil ended with the crowd singing Irish language hymn A Mhuire Mhathair.

Parish priest Father Stephen Gorman read a statement sent on behalf of Pope Francis, expressing his sadness at the loss of life and sending his condolences to the people of Ireland.

A statement sent by his representative to Bishop of Raphoe Alan McGuckian read: His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the loss of life and destruction caused by the explosion in Creeslough and he expresses his spiritual closeness to all those suffering in the aftermath of this tragedy.

While entrusting the deceased to the merciful love of almighty god, His Holiness implores the divine blessings of consolation and healing upon the injured, the displaced and the families coping with pain of loss.

As a pledge of strength and peace in the lord, the Holy Father sends his blessing to all the people of Ireland.

Later there were similar scenes in the town of Castlefinn.

Local cleric Ciaran Hegarty led a moment of prayer before those gathered held a two-minute silence.

Musician Marian Harper-Coleman played the song Cutting The Corn In Creeslough on the button accordion.

Earlier on Sunday, Irish premier Micheal Martin met those who were admitted to hospital, the medical team which was on duty on the day of the explosion, and members of Letterkenny fire station.

Joining Mr Martin were Irelands deputy premier Leo Varadkar and Agriculture Minister and Donegal TD Charlie McConalogue.

The remains of the victims are at the hospital in Letterkenny where post-mortem examinations will continue over the next few days.

Police said results will not be released for operational reasons.

The Garda Technical Bureau, with assistance from other agencies, will continue to examine the scene, which remains cordoned off.

Garda Superintendent Liam Geraghty told reporters that what has happened will have a significant impact on the small rural community.

They are all local people. They are all very much involved in the community. They were all people who were shopping in their local shop, he said.

We have very, very young children. The schools are going to be impacted, the GAA clubs are going to be impacted, the local church, in general the community is going to be severely impacted by this incident.

But it is a very strong community as was seen here on Friday afternoon with the response of families, friends and neighbours who came to peoples rescue.

So I am sure the community will come together and will support each other.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a three-day visit to Gujarat starting today followed by a visit to Madhya Pradesh on October 11. During the visit, PM Modi will launch and lay the foundation stone for projects worth over 14,600 crore while also addressing multiple gatherings in the poll-bound state.

Prime Minister will start his visit by visit on the evening on October 9 by inaugurating projects worth over 3900 crore at Modhera village in Mehsana district. He will also declare Modhera village as India's first 24x7 solar-powered village while offering prayers at the Modeshwari Mata Temple and visiting the Surya Mandir.

A release by Prime Minister's office on the occasion read, "This project, which is first of its kind, realises the Prime Ministers vision of solarization of the sun-temple town of Modhera. It involved developing a Ground Mounted Solar power plant and more than 1300 Rooftop solar systems on residential & Government buildings, all integrated with Battery Energy storage system (BESS). The project will demonstrate how Indias renewable energy prowess can empower people at grassroots."

On the second day of his visit, the Prime Minister will be at Amod in Bharuch district where he would lay the foundation stone of and inaugurate projects worth over 8000 crore. Major highlights of his visit to Bharuch would include laying the foundation stone of Bulk Drug Park at Jambusar, performing the ground breaking ceremony for the development of multiple industrial parks and dedicating several projects which will give a boost to the chemicals sector.

In the evening, PM Modi will lay the foundation stone of and inaugurate projects worth over 1460 crore in Jamnagar.

On the third day of the visit, Prime Minister will visit Ahmedabad to inaugurate Phase 1 of Modi Shaikshanik Sankul, an educational complex for needy students.

Prime Minister will then leave for neiShree Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh where he will perform darshan and pooja followed by a public function in Ujjain. He will also dedicate Shri Mahakal Lok to the nation.




Russias invasion of Ukraine has produced a string of surprising changes in Germany over the past seven months: substantially higher defense spending, delivery of lethal weapons to a combat zone, new realism on the limits of trade-based diplomacy.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday announced new projects worth 7,000 crore for Uttar Pradesh. He also said that by 2024, the road infrastructure of the state will be at par with that of the US, according to an official statement by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Gadkari inaugurated the 81st session of the Indian Road Congress (IRC) here and said that a total of 5 lakh crore will be invested on roads in Uttar Pradesh before 2024, an official release said.

Stating that a gift of 7,000 crore is being given to Uttar Pradesh, he said this includes the Shahabad bypass-Hardoi bypass of 1,212 crore, Shahjahanpur to Shahabad bypass of 950 crore, Moradabad to Kashipur National Highway ( 2,007 crore), 13 railway over bridges ( 1,000 crore), among others.

"By 2024, the road infrastructure of Uttar Pradesh will be at par with that of America," he added.

Speaking about the Indian economy, Gadkari said that for achieving the target of USD 5 trillion economy, as directed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the road network is most important.

The need of the hour is to use "waste" for road construction without harming the environment in Uttar Pradesh, the minister added.

Gadkari stressed that along with the economy, attention must also be paid to the environment, hence, he appealed to the people to use CNG, ethenol, methanol and electric vehicles instead of diesel and petrol vehicles, which according to him, will also make fares cheaper.

Today we are making one lakh litres of bioethanol from stubble and are also working on manufacturing bio-CNG from it, he said.

Terming green hydrogen as the need of the future, the Transport minister said if work on this technology is done in 117 aspirational districts of the country, then it will help them become financially strong and generate employment.





(With PTI inputs)








































Ukraine's counter-offensive strike against the invading Russian forces saw a massive explosion take place on the Kerch Bridge on Saturday. The Kerch Bridge which connects the Russian mainland with the Crimean peninsula, caught fire due to an explosion sparked by a truck bomb. Following the explosion at the bridge in Crimea Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to enhance security measures in the area.

The Russian President also sought securing the energy bridge and the gas pipeline connecting the peninsula with mainland Russia, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

"The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation shall be vested with the authority to organize and coordinate protection measures for the Kerch Strait transport crossing, the power grid's energy bridge between the Russian Federation and the Crimean Peninsula, along with the main gas pipeline between the Krasnodar Region and Crimea, during their operation," TASS quoted the document.

This is done to enhance the efficiency of protection measures for the transport crossing, the energy bridge and the gas pipeline across the Kerch Strait, the report added.

Crimea Bridge explosion

A truck exploded on the road bridge, causing seven fuel tanks of a train heading to the Crimean Peninsula to catch fire. Three people were killed in the blast, which also led to the partial collapse of two spans of the road bridge, according to media reports.

Traffic reopened to cars and buses with a full inspection procedure needed on the road route of the Crimean Bridge, after an explosion on the viaduct on Saturday. Crimea's head Sergei Aksyonov said that trucks are still required to cross the Kerch Strait by ferry.

An initial assessment of the railway part of the Crimean Bridge has been carried out, and restoration work is underway, the Russian Ministry of Transport said.

The bridge was opened in 2018 by President Vladimir Putin, four years after Moscow annexed Crimea and was designed to link the peninsula to Russia's transport network.

The 19-kilometre bridge, which runs across the Kerch Strait and connects Crimea with mainland Russia, consists of a railway and vehicle sections. It became fully operational in 2020.

Earlier, the transport ministry had said the bridge, which consists of two parallel routes for automobiles and trains, will possibly open to trains by 8 pm Moscow time (1700 GMT) on Saturday.

"In light of the emergency situation on the Crimean Bridge, Putin heard reports from Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov and Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev, as well as heads of security services," the Kremlin statement said.

Putin instructed the Prime Minister to set up a government commission to investigate the incident and eliminate the aftermath as soon as possible.
On 15 September this year, a month after a Mahatma Gandhi statue was vandalised in New York, videos emerged of a Hindu Temple getting defaced in Canada. The gates of BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Toronto, one of the largest temples in Canada, were spray-painted with the words Khalistan zindabad" (long live Khalistan) and Hindustan murdabad" (death to India).

This has become a cause for concern as the Narendra Modi government has served the Canada High Commission a demarche to be conveyed to the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, expressing discontent and urging the Canadian government to stop the Khalistan referendum scheduled to be organised in Ontario on 6 November, Hindustan Times reported.

A demarche is a formal diplomatic representation of the official position, views or wishes on a subject from one government to another government or intergovernmental organization. It often denotes a note of protest or petition presented through diplomatic channels between governments.

The Indian government has expressed that the Khalistan referendum followed by the attack on the Hindu Temple in Canada defies territorial integrity and sovereignty of India.

The report further stated that demarche served by a senior Ministry of External Affairs official to the Canadian High Commission will be also conveyed by the Indian Embassy in Ottawa to Global Affairs, Canada next week.

It is to be noted that no step has been taken by the Trudeau government to rein in the anti-India forces in Canada. The inaction towards the Anti-India activity in their own nation comes creates a dichotomy when Trudeau take to Twitter to be vocal about his protest against the alleged referendum organized by Russia in occupied eastern parts of Ukraine.

See the tweet here

Canada denounces Russias planned referendums in occupied regions of Ukraine. We will never recognize them. This is a blatant violation of international law. It is a further escalation of war. And it is unacceptable.  Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) September 20, 2022

The incongruity further deepens wherein, the Canadian government has established that every Canadian resident has the liberty and the right to assemble and express their views so long as they do so peacefully and without breaking the law. This being said, they have also established that the Canadian authorities do not recognise the Khalistan referendum.

The Hindustan Times report stated that the referendum is being held in a private convention center in a suburb of Ontario. The first referendum was held in Brampton, Ontario on 18 September 2022.

Delhi has flagged the concern that by allowing the Sikh for Justice (SFJ) organization to flourish, the Indian diaspora would be divided in a foreign land, wherein students would be allowed to vote for the SFJ.

The Indian security agencies have informed their Canadian counterpart of the dangers of allowing Sikh extremist G. S. Pannu to radicalise the Sikh youth and the community in the name of Khalistan.

Earlier on 19 September, over 100,000 Canadian Sikhs took part in voting for the Khalistan Referendum in Brampton, Ontario which was organised by pro-Khalistani group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). Visuals on social media showed a huge number of men, women queueing up to vote in for Khalistan Referendum.

The report has stated that Indian senior officials bluntly told their Canadian counterparts that the radicalized may end up forming Khalistan in Canada if the Trudeau government did not stop the extremists from brainwashing the youth and taking over Gurudwaras.

Meanwhile, the Canadian police is still investigating the incidence of defacing the Hindu temple in Ontario. They have assured strong action against the culprit.

The Indian government had on 23 September has issued an advisory for Indians Nationals and students in Canada amid a sharp increase in incidents of hate crimes, sectarian violence and anti-India activities.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
From October 5 to October 16, 2022, the 21st edition of PELICULA-Spanish Film Festival will return to in-person screenings. After two years of having a virtual festival, PELICULA will screen more than twenty movies in three venues of Metro-Manila Edsa Shangri-La Plaza, Cine Adarna at UP Diliman, and Instituto Cervantes Intramuros branch.

Since its creation in 2002 by Instituto Cervantes de Manila, PELiCULA has been an annual attraction in Philippine theatres. After the Covid-19 crisis, which forced cinemas to close worldwide and caused audiences of PELiCULA to migrate online, the festival returns to the big screen, on a first-come, first-served free admission basis. Furthermore, as well as in-person screenings in Metro Manila, the Festival will also host online screenings for the Philippines, Malaysia and Australia.

PELICULA Spanish Film Festival is showcasing 13 movies at Red Carpet at the Shang kicking off with El buen patron. Its a 2021 comedy directed by award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker Fernando Leon de Aranoa and starring Oscar winner Javier Bardem. Its about an owner of an industrial scales manufacturing business who tries to get his company an award in excellence while resolving problems with his workers at the same time.

Other comedy movies in the lineup include El test, a 2022 Dani de la Orden flick about a broke couple who have to decide whether to get 100,000 now or 1,000,000 10 years later, and Con quien viajas, a dialogue-heavy road film full of comical situations and thrills and tension. Its directed by Martin Cuervo and released in 2021.





More feel-good films are screening at the festival. La boda de Rosa is a 2020 romcom film by Iciar Bollain that portrays a burnt-out woman in her mid-40s who sets out to start anew by marrying herself. Sentimental is a 2020 Cesc Gay film about two couples who explore the secrets of keeping the fire alive in long-term relationships. Rendir los machos, a 2021 David Pantaleon film, tells the story of two brothers who are forced to move their cattle across the wild and hand them over to their greatest rival to receive the inheritance from their father.





The festival also screens documentaries like the 2022 Laura Hojman film A las mujeres de Espana; Maria Lejarraga that tells the story Maria Lejarraga, writer and pioneer of feminism in Spain during the 1920s; and thrillers like La hija, Manuel Martin Cuencas 2021 movie about a pregnant teenager from a juvenile detention who agreed to give her baby to a couple desperate to have a child.





It also features dramas such as Maixabel, a 2021 Iciar Bollain production based on a true story of a widow who met one of her husbands assassins in prison after breaking ties with the Spanish separatist group ETA, and El olvido que seremos, a 2020 Colombian film by Fernando Trueba about an author recounting his life with his father who fought against oppression and social inequality and killed by Colombian paramilitaries.





PELICULA is also promoting Latin American films such as the Panamanian romcom Algo azul (Mariel Garcia Spooner, 2021) on a hotel employee who steals an expensive wedding dress; and Competencia oficial, a 2021 Spanish-Argentinean comedy directed by Gaston Duprat and Mariano Cohn, and led by Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, and Oscar Martinez. Its about a wealthy businessman who wants to produce a brilliant art film.

To celebrate its 21st edition, PELICULA is going to screen a celebrated classic Spanish film, the Cannes winner Muerte de un ciclista (Juan Antonio Bardem, 1953), which is a social realist Spanish drama about an adulterous pair of lovers whose lives are about to turn around after hitting a cyclist.

As part of its longtime tradition, the festival is encouraging moviegoers to vote for their favorite entry. The film with the most votes will receive the Audience Choice Award and will be screened again on PELICULAs closing night. All the movies are in Spanish or their original language with English subtitles.





PELiCULA 2022 is a project of Instituto Cervantes in Manila and Sydney, the Embassies of Spain in the Philippines and Australia, and the AECID, in collaboration with the Film Development Council of the Philippines, Shangri-La Plaza, Instituto Etxepare, Filmoteca Vasca, the Embassy of Colombia in the Philippines, the Embassy of Panama in the Philippines, the UP Film Institute, the University of the Philippines, Intramuros Administration, Vibal Foundation, Philippine Transmarine Carriers, Acciona, Rustans, Arthaland, La Picara, and Emperador.

All the screenings are FREE entrance. All the movies are in Spanish (or their original language) with English subtitles.

For updates on the Festival, please visit the website of the Festival (https://pelikula.org), or the Facebook pages of Instituto Cervantes de Manila (www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila)




The situation between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole looks to be close to being resolved. After Green's admission of his error, things appear to have calmed between the two and at the Golden State Warriors.

Green has also explained that he will be absent for a few days to take a break and help the situation to smooth over a little more. ??There may still be some tension though, and Bleacher Report have pointed out that Golden State are clear on who they will put over the other if it comes to choosing between the two.

"The Warriors are going to try to keep them both," Bleacher Report have reported. "Although Poole is obviously the priority. They all know Poole has outclassed Draymond and even Klay Thompson in terms of franchise value."

Steph Curry's unexpected comments on Poole vs Green

??Steph Curry also sought to relive some of the tension around the team. After the incident, Bob Myers asked Curry if he'd be willing to take Green's place as the Warriors' leader.

"You guys should pay me some more money," Curry joked.

Myers responded though, saying that the Warriors pay him "as much as we can".
Editors note: This is the fourth in an occasional series of stories. The Review-Journal agreed not to use Shabanas last name for the safety of family members still in Afghanistan.

Shabana had a golden ticket that was about to be snatched away from her.

The young Afghan woman had won the so-called green card lottery, a coveted chance at a U.S. visa that would allow her to join her husband in Las Vegas. Mohammad Benny Shirzad had been evacuated roughly a year earlier from Kabul during the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban.

Time was running out. Shabana, who was living with her in-laws in Kabul, had until the end of September to be interviewed for a visa at a U.S. embassy. However, there no longer was an embassy in Afghanistan.

In late June, she and her in-laws braved a dangerous journey by automobile into Pakistan. Although threatened at Taliban checkpoints, they safely crossed the border on temporary medical visas good for 60 days. But the family could neither secure visa extensions from the Pakistani government nor could they obtain an interview at the U.S. embassy.

Yet after an extraordinary series of events, Shabana would board a commercial airliner on Sept. 28 for her first-ever flight, which would transport her from Islamabad, Pakistan, to Istanbul, Turkey. Covered from head to toe except for her eyes, as required by the Taliban, she was without an escort for one of the few times in her life.

Before the plane lifted off, she removed her veil.

I was very happy, the 27-year-old recalled in an interview, with Shirzad, who speaks English fluently, translating for her.

I knew that now Im free.

Escaping the Taliban

From Istanbul, Shabana was to fly to San Francisco to meet up with her husband before the final leg of her journey to Las Vegas. Shirzad was living in Henderson with the parents of the U.S. Air Force pilot who had flown him out of Kabul.

In August 2021, Shirzad, a flight attendant for an Afghan airline, had been assisting with evacuation flights out of Kabul for days nonstop before American soldiers told him and his crew they were in danger and to board a flight themselves.

During the flight, Shirzad, now 27, served as an impromptu translator for the pilot, Lt. Christopher Hoffman. When the Afghan found himself alone and penniless at a military base in New Jersey that served as a way station for evacuees, he contacted the pilot, who had given him his cellphone number.

The pilots parents, Henderson residents Scott and Ellen Hoffman, dismayed by the plight of U.S. allies in Afghanistan, helped Shirzad relocate to the Las Vegas area in time to spend Thanksgiving with their family. Then, for the next 10 months, they would try to help him reunite with his own.

Returning to Afghanistan for Shirzad and his family was unthinkable. After receiving repeated threats and once being shot at, Shirzad had left a job with a U.S. government contractor providing internet technology services to the U.S.-backed government installed after 9/11. As a teen, hed been given the nickname Benny by U.S. soldiers in his village. His mother, who worked for U.S-affiliated aid organizations assisting Afghan women, also was threatened.

After Shirzads evacuation, armed members of the Taliban on two occasions searched the familys apartment in Kabul where his parents and wife were staying. During one of the searches, the Taliban members were going to take with them a portrait of her husband that hung on the wall, but relented when Shabana begged them not to.

Heartbreaking conversation

To assist them in navigating seemingly endless bureaucratic obstacles in the immigration process, the Hoffmans contacted the office of Nevada U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. Her office opened a case for the family, meaning that it would take the lead in congressional efforts that were also taken up by the office of Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen.

By late July, Shirzad and the Hoffmans were losing hope. They had a video chat with Shirzads wife and parents to tell them it seemed unlikely that the U.S. government would be able to help them before the expiration of their Pakistani visas and their expulsion from the country.

It was a heart-breaking conversation and as an American, it is hard to understand the mentality, after all of the paperwork submitted, fees collected, how this family has not been granted a temporary visa to make their case to a judge for asylum, Scott Hoffman wrote in an email to staff members for Cortez Masto and Rosen.

Millions enter our country with far less evidence, he wrote in the email dated July 24. A retired Air Force officer, Hoffman had served as a staff officer at U.S. Central Command, the administrative headquarters for military operations in the Afghanistan region.

That week, Shirzad had received his green card through the diversity immigrant visa program  known as the green card lottery  for individuals from countries with low immigration to the United States. Shirzad and his family also had applied for humanitarian parole, but the lottery route proved to be faster. As a couple, Shirzad and Shabana had won the lottery, placing them among the less than half of 1 percent of applicants who are randomly selected.

It was far from certain whether the couple would continue to be so lucky.

Can you help?

In August, Gardnerville resident Jill Derby, a former Nevada university regent, got a call from Cortez Masto.

Nevadas a small state, and we all go way back, said Derby, who chairs the board of trustees of The American University of Iraq, Sulaimani, in the countrys autonomous Kurdish region.

The senator asked, Can you help, or do you know anybody who can? Derby recalled.

Derby connected the senator with Vance Serchuk, a member of her board and a former senior adviser on national security and foreign affairs to the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security.

Serchuk also serves on the board of the Afghan Future Fund, a nonprofit that formed after the fall of Kabul that assists with evacuation flights and provides other support for at-risk Afghans.

He was happy to help. Serchuk described as painful and shameful the knowledge that there are so many people who were committed to America, who risked their lives for America, who put their lives on the line for the values and principles that we share, that were left behind.

Through its contacts within the Pakistani government, the nonprofit worked to extend the familys Pakistani visas through August of next year, he said.

The processes around all of this are very complicated, Serchuk said.  Theres a lot of bureaucracy. Things move very, very slowly. Unfortunately, its very, very difficult to navigate.

The difficulties in navigation would continue. An interview for Shabana at the embassy in Islamabad couldnt be scheduled before the completion of paperwork regarding her relocation to Pakistan from Afghanistan. The relocation paperwork couldnt be completed before Shirzads own green card was approved.

With the Sept. 30 deadline looming, Scott Hoffman on Sept. 1 wrote to staff members for Cortez Masto and Rosen that Shabana was poised to lose her chance at a visa.

This will be through no fault of her own, but a bureaucracy that we cannot seem to punch through, he said.

Meanwhile, the senators offices were in contact with the State Department and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, with Cortez Masto speaking directly to the immigration director, Ur Mendoza Jaddou, about the urgency of the case.

Brave Afghans like Benny aided our troops and sought refuge in the U.S. after fleeing threats and violence from the Taliban, Cortez Masto said in a statement emailed to the Review-Journal. It was inconceivable that government red tape was keeping him and his wife apart, so I pushed the administration and made sure they could reunite.

Rosen said in a statement that her office would continue to work with the State Department, immigration services and non-governmental organizations to assist anyone in Nevada attempting to get family members and loved ones out of Afghanistan.

Hustle, hustle, hustle

By Sept. 19, an interview had been scheduled for Sept. 22 at the U.S. embassy in Islamabad. Shirzad, who works in IT services for a Las Vegas gaming company, contacted travel agencies to find an interpreter for his wife, who speaks only a few words of English. A required medical exam for Shabana was expedited. A driver was secured for the journey to the embassy in Islamabad from Peshawar, where the family was renting an apartment.

Then, the day before the scheduled interview, Shabana received a phone call that her appointment at the embassy had been canceled. No explanation was given. From Nevada, Shirzad contacted the embassy and was told no explanation would be provided.

Scott Hoffman again emailed the senators staff, seeking their intervention.

Shabana is a young lady who has rarely ventured outside of her own home without an escort, he wrote. Until her escape to Pakistan, she had never left Afghanistan. She was already very anxious about her interview but desperate to reunite with her husband.

The phone call canceling her interview has devastated her, her family, and my family.

Late that night, Hoffman was on calls with members of Cortez Mastos staff.

I never thought this was going to happen on time, he would say later. We obviously gave it 100 percent, because this is the golden ticket for Shabana.

Ellen Hoffman at the time was more optimistic. I thought, man, theyre gonna get the adrenaline going. At the very end, its going to be hustle, hustle, hustle.  I could tell people were pushing, they were working on it from the senators office, and that the senator was standing by to make a phone call.

Despite the cancellation, Shabana showed up at the scheduled time. Embassy staff questioned why she was there when her interview had been canceled. But after closed-door consultations, embassy staff determined the interview could take place.

After a brief interview, followed by a review of her paperwork  the last steps in a vetting process that included background checks  the visa was granted.

It had taken 10 months, thousands of dollars of fees, a retired (Air Force) officer familiar with bureaucracies, a pro-bono lawyer, two senators and articles in the Review-Journal, Scott Hoffman said.

With all of that, Bennys two parents are still in Pakistan, praying to be rescued before they will be deported and killed, he said.

Asked about the plight of Afghan allies, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough told the Review-Journal on Tuesday he was proud that veterans across the country were stepping up to support Afghan refugees.

Im confident that there are more steps that we can and should be taking, said McDonough during a visit to the VA medical center in North Las Vegas. I know that Congress is working on this. I know that the administration is working on it.

Angel at the airport

With her visa secured, Shirzad and the Hoffmans turned their attention to getting Shabana commercial flights to the U.S.

The journey would not be easy. She was harassed by Pakistani police at the airport in Islamabad until a fellow Afghan intervened, telling them he was her brother and to leave her alone.

The Afghan assisted her and other Afghans in getting to their gates at both airports in Islamabad and again in Istanbul.

Shabana said she was helped by an angel at each airport.

Once in San Francisco, Shabana, whose cellphone did not work outside Pakistan, and Shirzad struggled to connect.

Shabana had with her a piece of paper that said in English that she did not speak the language and that listed her husbands phone number. She showed the paper to a stranger at the baggage carousel, whom she thought had a kind face and looked like Scott Hoffman, to call Shirzad on his cell. He did so and helped the young woman, who had a sore wrist, with her baggage.

When the couple met up, they rushed to catch a flight to Las Vegas. Arriving after midnight, they were greeted at the airport by the Hoffmans. Theyll be staying with the Henderson couple until they find their own place.

The day after her arrival, Shabana said, I want to start a very happy and good life with my husband. And I want to learn English and have that freedom to get educated and do my life in my own way.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has approved $160 million in federal funds to support the cost of a new Soldiers Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

After prematurely announcing receipt of the Feds approval in August, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services announced the official greenlight this week.

The award will include $160 million in Fiscal Year 2022 funding, with the expectation of full funding of federal share of the remainder of the project in subsequent fiscal years, the announcement said.

In August, the VA had asked the commonwealth to seek the conditional award.

The announcement added that the state will complete program requirements in the coming months and seek additional federal funds in the coming years.

We are grateful to the US VA for this offer, and for the ongoing support of the Massachusetts Legislature, whose passage of the bond bill allowed for this application, said Cheryl Lussier Poppe, Secretary of Veterans Services.

Gov. Charlie Baker last year fast-tracked a $400 million bond bill to replace the post-World War II-era building on Cherry Street. The state-run facility serves aging veterans and has a counterpart in Chelsea. Eighty-four veterans  many of whom survived deadly battlefields  lost their lives to the coronavirus in the spring of 2020. The leadership was maligned as incompetent and the building as outdated and cramped, contributing to the death toll at the site.

Dozens more veterans were sickened along with staff.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, a staunch advocate for the new home at the federal level, applauded the funding milestone.

When our brothers and sisters went to war, we as a nation promised indubitable support and quality care upon their return, said Neal, also chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means. I am pleased that my ongoing conversations with Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough have resulted in the allocation of this $160 million award to benefit the Holyoke Soldiers Home. Our veterans deserve the best care possible, and this is a tremendous step toward ensuring they receive nothing less.

In May, lawyers for veterans and their families who fell victim to the outbreak reached a $56 million settlement with the state to halt a class-action lawsuit. Payouts are now being negotiated and sorted out by former Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Donald K. Stern, selected as monitor for the process.

The plaintiffs were divided into two groups: survivors who contracted the virus and died before June 23, 2020, and those who died after or recovered from the virus.

According to the attorneys, the average payout to the first class of victims will be around $500,000 each, but not less than $400,000. Members of the second class will generally receive payments of between $10,000 and $20,000.

While lamenting the tragedy at the Soldiers Home, Baker said he hoped the settlement offered some solace to victims.

I think the fact that people engaged in what I would describe as a good-faith discussion about how to deal with this issue was a positive one, Baker said.

And Im glad we have a resolution, Baker said, adding that he hoped the settlement would offer closure to families and veterans.

A federal judge recently dismissed a lawsuit filed by employees of the Soldiers Home, who sued over what they called inhumane working conditions during the early weeks of the pandemic.

The design group initially pitched a $300-million state-of-the-art facility with 180 to 204 beds, an adult day health center and other enhanced features. The Board of Trustees pushed back and the size and bed count crept up to more than 220 beds, with mostly private rooms.

There has been no word yet on a groundbreaking date.
The news that Edward Snowden received Russian citizenship re-ignited the furious debate over whether the former National Security Agency contractor is a patriot or a traitor, with predictably diminishing returns.

Critics charged Snowdens citizenship is proof he was working for the Russian government. Snowdens admirers recalled how the techie, with a copy of the Constitution in his pocket protector, exposed the top-secret bulk data collection program that ingested personal information about the phone calls of virtually every Americana program that NSA director James Clapper at first told Congress did not exist. (We probably should have been more transparent, said Clapper, a master of understatement, told the Washington Post last week.)

Things quickly got personal. State Department spokesman Ned Price trolled Snowden saying he might well be conscripted into Russia's war in Ukraine. That wasnt true, said Snowdens lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, who explained to RIA news service that President Vladimir Putins recent mobilization is limited to men with Russian military experience, which Snowden does not have. One Snowden critic, in turn, implied Putin exempted Snowden from military duty in return for secret service to Mother Russia.

Former CIA chief of staff Larry Pfeiffer also sounded the traitor theme. Complete the process & visit your nearest US consulate to formally renounce your US citizenship, he urged Snowden in a tweet. Its likely he'd be detained to stand trial on espionage charges in the U.S., he suggested. Youll get to see your parents and sons. On visitation days.

Snowden, for his part, prayed for privacy, saying he was simply trying to keep his family together by enabling his wife and children to travel more easily between Russia and the United States.

The Posts coverage of the Citizen Snowden dustup signaled a sea change in how the capitals paper of record describes the man who filched the crown jewels of the NSA. Eight years ago, executive editor Marty Baron accepted the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for reporting with a salute to the papers source, Snowden. Disclosing the massive expansion of the NSAs surveillance network absolutely was a public service, Baron said.

This week, the Post, now helmed by Sally Buzbee, a former executive editor of the Associated Press, took a distinctly cooler editorial line. The lead of the Posts page one story made no mention of public service or Pulitzer prizes, only criminal charges. Snowden leaked information about top-secret U.S. surveillance programs and is still wanted by Washington on espionage charges, the Post reported, adding, the 39 year old Snowden considers himself a whistleblower. The Post, one might conclude, no longer does. Glenn Greenwald, Snowdens collaborator-turned-Tucker Carlson mainstay, tweeted it was extra weird for the Post to malign their own source.

Perhaps even weirder is the odd fate of Snowdens archive, unmentioned by the Post, Greenwald, and the savants of Twitter. The trove of documents that Snowden stole from internal NSA networks in 2013 contains the keys to the kingdom of U.S. national security: an estimated millionplus documents about how a secretive agency, with annual budget north of $10 billion, intercepts electronic signals from every time zone (and high in the atmosphere) for the sake of surveillance, collection, decryption, and deception programs that protect and advance U.S. national defense and foreign policy goals.

The continuing existence of this archive beyond the control of cleared U.S. officials infuriates Snowdens critics, who insist he is a criminal, not a whistleblower. It is an article of faith on Twitter that Snowden works for Putins government and gaveor was forced to surrendera copy of his purloined papers to Russian intelligence. Snowden denies that, saying he gave his only copy to filmmaker Laura Poitras and Greenwald, then writing for the Guardian newspaper, in Hong Kong in 2013 before he ever set foot in Moscow, a claim his critics have often challenged but never refuted. Likewise, allegations that Snowden had spied for China, raised by Vice President Dick Cheney and other critics, were never substantiated.

The U.S. governments criminal charges against Snowden, filed in 2013 and unsealed in 2016, do not allege he made contact with a foreign intelligence service. The criminal complaint indicates the U.S. government had three years to investigate Snowdens possible foreign ties and found no proof. And, if there was any classified evidence even hinting that Russias Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) or Chinas Ministry of State Security (MSS) had obtained Snowdens archive from him, you would think that Snowdens many critics in the U.S. intelligence community would either declassify it or, well, leak it. That hasnt happened. For security purposes, U.S. officials have to assume that U.S. adversaries have obtained the archive. That assumption is not a verified fact.

Corroborating exactly how Snowden damaged U.S. intelligence capabilities is also difficult. A top secret Defense Intelligence Agency assessment in 2014 called the damage staggering. A heavily redacted version of the report provided to the Guardian from a Freedom of Information Act request called the damage grave but lacked any substantiating details.

In response to a Twitter query about Clappers charge that Snowden compromised legitimate foreign intelligence activities, former FBI analyst and Defense Intelligence Agency staffer Patricia Ravalgi, replied:

I worked on one of the damage assessments. Clapper is correct. But unfortunately what he damaged, operations that had to be revamped, renamed- remains classified. I wish more could be revealed so that people would know the truth. But it was extensive.

I assume what Ravalgi (a SpyTalk contributing writer) says is true, but without public verification its impossible for the average citizen to know if the damage was more to the American peoples safety, or to NSAs pride.

Missing

Absent in the latest fusillades aimed at Snowden, meanwhile, has been any mention of the three Americans who are known to still control copies of the Snowden archive: the controversial Greenwald, the artist Poitras, and former Washington Post reporter Bart Gellman, leader of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of NSA surveillance based on Snowdens leak. (The New York Times and The Guardian are also known to have at least partial copies of the Snowden archive.)

FILE -- House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., left, and Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., the ranking member, leave a news conference after informing reporters about proposed changes to the National Security Agencys program of sweeping up and storing vast amounts of data on Americans' phone calls, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 25, 2014. Details of the government's secret phone records collection program were disclosed last year by former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden. Privacy advocates were outraged to learn that the government was holding onto phone records of innocent Americans for up to five years. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

In March 2019, Greenwald tweeted, Laura and I and others have full copies. When I spoke recently with Poitras, she declined to comment. Greenwald did not respond to a request for comment. Gellman told me his copy remains in cold storage.

These three have the goods that inflame national security mandarins and Twitterati alike. They are not eager to talk about it, not the least because the journalists find themselves in the ironic position of responsibly protecting some of NSAs most sensitive secrets.

Fiasco

Once upon a time, Greenwald and Poitras were determined to share the Snowden archive widely in service of their ideological goals: exposing, demystifying and denouncing the American surveillance state and national security system. With funding from eBay billionaire and philanthropist Pierre Omidyar, they (along with progressive investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill) established First Look Media and launched The Intercept, an online publication dedicated to investigative reporting in national security. They even set up their own private SCIF (Secure Compartmented Information Facility) in midtown Manhattan to protect classified documents they obtained. Following an elaborate security protocol developed by a nine-person research department, reporters from The Intercept and others could get access to records about the inner workings of the NSA, the vast enterprise whose acronym, Beltway wags once joked, stood for No Such Agency.

One former First Look employee recalled that the Intercepts SCIF, located on the 19th floor of a building at 5th Avenue and 16th Street in New York City, featured double doors that could only be opened by two different people with keys.

"You had to leave your phone outside the room," the employee said. "Inside the room were desks and computers that could only be turned by two different operators. You needed permission to burn anything from the the archive to an air-gapped computer. There were many passwords."

The security was supposed to serve the mission of dissemination.

We sought to fulfill [Snowdens] two principal requests for how the materials should be handled, Greenwald explained in a 2016 Intercept post, that they be released in conjunction with careful reporting that puts the documents in context and makes them digestible to the public, and that the welfare and reputations of innocent people be safeguarded.

The Intercept generated a steady stream of reporting about NSA that was less sensational than the initial stories Greenwald and Gellman wrote about NSAs mass surveillance programs but revelatory nonetheless about the way NSA functioned, from listening posts in Afghanistan and Iraq to the inside jokes of the office newsletter, SID Today.

And then things began to fall apart.

FILE - A sign stands at the National Security Administration (NSA) campus in Fort Meade, Maryland, June 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

In May 2018, Reality Winner, an NSA translator, sent The Intercept a copy of a classified report on Russian efforts to hack U.S. electoral systems in 2016. Despite their ballyhooed dedication to information protection, the Intercepts editors fumbled their handling of Winners document, which allowed federal investigators to trace it back to her and arrest her before her revelation had even been published.

The fiasco bred staff dissension. As Greenwald drifted away from the Intercepts high-brow leftism in favor of Tucker Carlsons trust fund anti-elitism, Intercept editor Betsy Reed lost interest in the Snowden archive as a source of stories. In March 2019, she shuttered First Looks SCIF, citing other editorial priorities.

Not only was outside access to the Snowden archive ended, the laid-off employees had to sign non-disclosure agreements prohibiting them from talking about their work. The NDAs effectively shrouded Snowden archive in a new layer of unofficial secrecy, imposed not by the government but by a left-wing publication wielding NDAsa favorite tool of former President Donald Trump, sexual predators and tobacco companies. Weird indeed.

When Poitras complained to management (and the details wound up in the Daily Beast), she was fired. Poitras called Reeds decision to close the Snowden SCIF as devastating betrayal of the organizations founding principles.

Poitras stressed that while The Intercept had punted on the documents, the Snowden Archive still exists, and there is still more to report  

There is a vast amount of information that hasnt been reported of enormous contemporary and historical significance, Poitras added. The Snowden Archive contains a history of the Iraq war, the rise of the surveillance state, the global structure of the U.S. empire etc.

Greenwald tweeted he was looking for another institutional sponsor, but he apparently never found one. In October 2020, he quit The Intercept with a blast at its editorial policies. He, too, seems to have lost interest in the Snowden archive. Greenwald did not respond to a request for comment.

Cold Storage

Poitras is tight lipped today about The Intercept. She referred SpyTalk to a 2021 interview where she said, This was a real betrayal of Ed and the many people who put so much effort into creating a secure infrastructure. Joining The Intercept and First Look Media in 2014, she added, was her biggest regret.

What the Intercept did was a travesty, former Intercept writer Dan Froomkin told SpyTalk. The whole point of the news organization was to expose the secrets of the surveillance state and to do so by creating best practices in data privacy and whistleblower protection. All those things are gone.

Gellman says he feels conflicted about the archive.

I have wondered whether I should be making this stuff available to the public, and I dont think I should, he told SpyTalk. Maybe down the road. But there are certainly things in there I dont feel comfortable making public. The sensitivity of some of it diminishes with time, but names and photos of people doing clandestine work doesnt go stale.

I asked Gellman about Clappers complaint that Snowden exposed so much else that damaged foreign intelligence capabilities that had nothing to do with so-called domestic surveillance.

Snowdens critics way overstate the case, he replied. Their definition of domestic surveillance is very narrow. A lot of surveillance done overseas had big impacts on American users. That was just collateral damage to them. Incidental collection. They were aiming for Boris and Natashas phone calls, and they got Joe and Marys too. But their rules allowed them to keep that information. So then they had this great big bucket [of data] on Americans. Because the information was lawfully collectedthere was no American targetthey felt entitled to keep it as long as they like. It was a form of indirect surveillance.

Yes, there is stuff in there that tells you how they do what they do, Gellman went on. One portion of what NSA does is absolutely pure foreign intelligence surveillance. Most Americans would say, Go get' em. Thats what youre paid to do. Snowden didnt want to decide if that sort of thing should be public. He wanted me to see the files in a raw form so I could decide. I still dont want to publish those things, even all these years later.

Froomkin, who gained access to the archive to report a story for the Intercept, said, Theres a lot of stuff in there that should never see the light of day. Theres no journalistic reason to report on it. Some of the files I saw, I didnt want to see.

Gellman agrees with Poitras that the Snowden archive would be really valuable for constructive research, but he added the opsec [operational security] needed to share it with anyone else is too hard to deal with. I just put the whole thing in cold storage. I feel bad about that.

Ironies and regrets abound about the fate of the Snowden archive, starting with the fact that today some of the NSAs most sensitive secrets are being protected by a bodyguard of NSA critics. The Washington Post has virtually disowned the Pulitzer awarded it for its reporting on Snowdens revelations. Glenn Greenwald is now a regular on a Fox News show that champions Trump and Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orban. And Laura Poitrous regrets ever teaming up with The Intercept.

The news organization was founded to protect sources and whistleblowers and hold the powerful accountable, Poitras said in a 2021 interview, ...and then didnt apply its founding principles to itself.

Nine years after Snowdens massive leak exploded on the worldnot just revealing the NSAs intelligence overreach but radically rocking the lives of all involvedthe remainder of his archive has returned its original status: off-limits.
YOU KNOW very well that you have hernia. You attend a business programme and see people crossing their legs in corporate style and you too decided to do same knowing very well that per your condition, there can be a balloon dor!

You go ahead! No one would force you to sit down well at this point. Don't be copying what people do la. For some of us, no matter what you do to us, we cannot sit down and cross our legs with or without hernia.

It is the reason I hate this thing about pharmacy or chemical shop attendants when you go there to buy medicine, either prescribed or over the counter, and they tell you: Oh this brand you want, we don't have but we have another one that does the same thing and is very effective.

It just puts me off and often the substitute brand is not as effective as the attendants or MCAs would claim. I think they should be professional by telling customers that: Oh we don't have this type but try from another shop and if you don't get it there, you can contact your doctor to prescribe an alternative brand for you. If you don't have, you don't have; medications are not like 'let-me-try-and-see'.

My first visit to a breast cancer patient was when a colleague requested that I accompany her to visit her auntie who underwent surgery at Korle Bu. I couldn't enter the ward and so waited for my friend to go and come. On her way back, she was in tears! Her auntie couldn't make it! Breast cancer is a big deal and all men must come together to help!

So, upon all the business and financial information in this serious medium, all you are interested in is this unnecessary good-for-nothing column? Your wife will insult you through your daughter p333. If you like, stop reading this and see, but woe unto you if you should read it. Please forgive me oo, 's3bi s3bi, I am one of 'my people'. Haaaa! I just love my people and their eyiHo airport is still the busiest airport in the world. People are flying every second but you can't see them with your physical eyes. From Ho to Kotoka: Departure time: 9am. Arrival time: 9:01 am! Alla! My people dey form ohahahahahaa!

Abeg, don't take anything you read here seriously o; it is just for the fun of it, Yawa!

Moon die as last week Friday was September 30 and salaries have been paid and I have my own payroll for some gals. They are the only ones who receive salaries for doing nothing for me. I don't even know what I get from them before they still receive salary from me but it is important to help people in need especially, those who pretend to be in need, anaa?

By the end of this month, all the noise about breasts, breasts, breasts will come to an end! You pass here they say feel, touch, squeeze and suckgently and men have been tasked with such responsibility and we have graciously accepted it and even doing 'overtime'. Yaovi, my cousin di33333oohh d3bida! When he got drunk 2 weeks ago, he just jumped on the wife singing doctor says let me do it for you to prevent it.

Do what for me to prevent what? The wife would ask. He has been doing the thing as if he's chewing boflot. If the thing is supposed to be that tender to reduce chances of getting breast cancer, why all these advice to suck; and some men do it quite gidigidi!

Newborn babies are now our competitors in the month of October. I told my wife I would do last one on Sunday and wait till October 2023. Why not make it every Friday of the week before October 2023? We have to wait till one whole year before the noise starts again? Or breast cancer happens only in October?

Sometimes I wonder what we men get from it o; there is really no taste apart from the feeling of yiiiiii with the potential to lead one to enter the net and to sin (where applicable). Maybe the breast cancer preventive component is a good reason otherwise??? Ironically some of the 'other ones' feel they are doing me a favour. They don't know I am rather becoming their breast doctor!

Effective November 1, wifee says she will suspend me from 'preventing any breast cancer' and that I don't even do it well and that I've been doing it basa basa basa. I said no problem. I will by all means get some from my 'vendors' p3333! If you refuse to 'cook' at home, e no bi 'outside food' I go chop? My only problem was with one left breast I had to dodge after I had observed that some hard lump was in it and subsequently, I had to be dodging that particular left breast. But the lady was understanding and saw it as a symptom and went for early check-up. Later, after doctors had attended to her, that particular left breast became bordorrrr and 'not a bad idea! Breast will kill us, men.

If men are to help women prevent breast cancer, we don't have a problem okay. But what can women also do to prevent hernia in men? I rest my case. The conclusion you have drawn is enough. Remain there, Ampesi. Hahahahaha!

For some time now, every Friday after work, I tell my wife I am going for All Night. It has become monotonous and she is becoming suspicious. I want to change my strategy. Or should I tell her I am going for a board meeting Tuesday night though I am not a board member anywhere, or I should 'fall sick' by force? Or I should travel outside Accra for an artificial end-of-year retreat? Please give me ideas la ah!

Why is it that when some wives want to insult their husbands, they do so through their children? We call it 'insult by proxy'.

Last Sunday, I heard Mantse Kumah's wife yelling at the daughter who had just woken up from sleep. Korshiwa, you are lazy, you are a drunkard, always chasing girls who will only chop your money. Korshiwa, a girl oo, getting drunk and chasing girls?

Imagine the indirect free kick! Hmmmm! Mantse Kumah was only somewhere dancing to Lucky Dube's 'It's not easy' in great frenzy.

His wife, Korshiwa's mother, continued When you, Korshiwa return from work, all you do is to throw your useless boxer shorts on the floor for me to come and pick. From now onwards, I won't do that nasty job again. Am I a slave to you, Korshiwa? Korshiwa, I say am I a slave to you? You lost your last job because of drunkenness and inefficiency in 'preventing breast cancer'. Korshiwa, you will kill me one day. If you continue drinking and you lose this job too, I will pack my things and leave you though I don't know where I am going. Korshiwa, be careful oo.

This marriage to you Korshiwa is just a waste of my precious time. It took you 8 years to pass your O' Level Maths yet you won't learn sense. Trust me, Mantse Kumah, the husband has decided to ignore all of these as he is becoming wiser and more accommodating. That's the way to go, or?

At this point, she calls Korshiwa to send her on an errand. She discontinued with the insult till Korshiwa returned and she resumed. So, you Mr. Reader, what do you want to hear again? Are you Korshiwa? Haaaaaaaaahahaaaa!

Remember happiness is not a destination. It is a journey! On this happy ending note, can we also consider dedicating a month for men and call it 'Hernia Prevention Month?'

Our wives should get ready to help us also to prevent hernia. As for me, I wouldn't mind how they would do it!

BY Mawuli Zogbenu
Member States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have been urged to meet their financial obligations to the Community.

The Leader of the Ghanaian delegation, the Deputy Majority Leader of Ghana's Parliament and the Member of Parliament for Effutu Constituency, Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo Markin, made this appeal during the opening of the 2022 Second Extraordinary Session of the Community Parliament, in Lome, the Togolese capital.

He observed that financial contributions from Member States of the community levy, constitute the major source of financing for the Community.

Unfortunately, we are witnessing a low rate of recovery of the Community tax, which has the immediate consequence of reducing the capacity of the ECOWAS in implementing its projects and programs, reducing the visibility of the Institutions to the citizens of the region, and slowing down the pace of economic integration, he stressed.

Hon. Afenyo-Markin attributed the causes of low remittance of community levy by member states to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, low import inflow, the effect of Covid-19 on the global economy leading to recession among other factors.

Speaking with Journalists at the Extra-Ordinary session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Lome, Togo, a cross-section of Parliamentarians from different countries also blamed the development on negligence on the part of some member states.

Leader of the Ghanaian delegation, added the pandemic came in and interrupted countries economic plans. I feel that is the reason why some of them have not been able to pay, no matter what, they have to pay, if they have problems, they have to come to us, they have to come and let ECOWAS know the problem, they put the Act together, they sign it and I believe that they will pay."

He calls for a technology to ensure that ECOWAS and other institutions receive payment directly from the Member States' ports.

That according to him, will be one way of resolving the issue of non-remittance of community levy.

There will be no excuses as to what the Member States have collected and refused or delayed. It is these levies that are used for capacity building, for all activities, for stability and for work to progress, and also for salaries of workers. Our community institutions depend on this levy, that is our only source of income and funding for our activities as a Sub-Region. For me, it is a key thing that must be considered", he emphasized.
The streets of Ghana could be flooded with milk, honey, cocoa, gold, manganese, bauxite, oil, and diamonds, but if the government in charge is made up of incompetent idiots, there would still be no jobs for the people, the economy would collapse, the currency would be worthless, and the nation would accrue multiple debts without accountability, while in Europe, prosperous nations use their workforces to recruit new workers.

A few years ago, Charles Michel, the prime minister of Belgium, decided to leave office after serving for five years because the European Union had given him a new position. Charles Michel, one of Belgium's most effective and successful prime ministers, was responsible for the creation of 290,000 jobs over the first five years of his administration.

"Charles Michel neemt afscheid: 290,000 nieuwe jobs en a tewerkstellingsgraad van 71%, onze grootse trots," or "Charles Michel says goodbye: 290,000 new jobs and an employment rate of 71%, our greatest pride," was the headline in the Belgian newspapers that caught my attention and piqued my interest in writing an article about it because Ghana's economy and the people have suffered greatly under the current leadership.



Tony Savage, my grandchild

Despite not producing any cocoa, Belgium is now among the richest in Europe, thanks to the manufacturing of chocolate. Even though there is a slight increase in commodities, the Belgian chocolate sector continues to provide the best of its economy and has employed thousands of people. In contrast to Ghana, where cocoa trees are produced, there are no jobs and the population cannot even support themselves.

Unless you are a professional or specialized in something, a job is one of the most common or easiest things to get in Belgium and around Europe. As a result, you need to locate your bachelor's or master's degree employment, which may take some time but you'll acquire it. The VDAB, Belgium's public employment service, can help you find the profession of your choice and also provides training for individuals looking to change careers. This is what I am fighting for my country, Ghana.

On January 19, 2022, I turned 65. After living in Belgium for 22 years, I felt that I had put in enough effort to qualify for retirement. My wife and two older boys all have jobs, and my youngest son, who is 15 and still in school, resides with me. But when I noticed I was gaining weight after only a few months at home, I went back to work. Ever since then, I've had my true physique in the shape I wanted.



I took a break this week to eat lunch while working at one of the agricultural enterprises in Antwerp. The cafeteria has a flat-screen television that broadcasts information to the thousands of employees who work there. Breng een nieuwe collega en ontvang 1200 Euro eindejaarspremie, or Bring a new colleague and receive a 1200 Euro end-of-year premium or bonus is the one that caught my attention the most.

When I thought about how most Ghanaians are suffering from a lack of employment and how Joseph Osei Owusu, also known as Joe Wise, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, advised Ghanaians not to rely on the government for employment but rather to look for employment themselves, my demeanor immediately changed. Yet, employers in Belgium are so eager to hire additional people that they offer money to current employees who bring in new people.

When I have no friends and the few people I know all have jobs, who can I call or take to work at this company? How does this connect to the circumstances in Ghana, where I am from? A nation that produces a lot of chocolate but not cocoa plants needs to come up with an appealing plan to attract additional workers because several of its corporations want to expand. That is what is referred to as a successful nation.

In Belgium, there are only a few political parties, and they all have one goal, to raise the standard of life for everyone, even the lowest-paid workers to earn better. That's why I view those tribal bigots in Europe and the United States of America, supporting this destructive and corrupt government as really terrible individuals. Would people stay in America and Europe if they were like Ghana?

Even though I am not a member of any political party in Belgium, let alone in Ghana, if I were to follow a Ghanaian leader, I would pick the most intelligent one to avoid embarrassment. These tribal bigots have the best living conditions, including work and access to healthcare, yet because of their tribalism or disrespect for other tribes, they advise Ghanaians to vote for this president despite his incompetence.

I have lived in Belgium for 22 years but have no friends. I value my family greatly, especially my wife, three sons and Tony Savage, my grandson. Tribalism continues to support poor governance under the NPP government among Ghanaians living in Europe and the United States of America. That is blatant hypocrisy and evil, and I am convinced that God would never pardon the Ghanaians living abroad who support this corrupt regime while living like affluent elites.

My nation is rich in natural resources, such as gold, diamonds, bauxite, and oil, which, if corrupt politicians would stop stealing from the government's coffers, would give the underprivileged people a better future. Ghana has resources that no country in Europe possesses; hence its citizens should never be destitute. If Belgium were to cultivate cocoa, I can't even begin to convey how truly wealthy and prosperous it would be.

I hope Ghanaians all around the nation would read the same advertisement I did, which said, "Bring in a new colleague and get a 1200 Euro End-of-Year Bonus." Akufo Addo claims he has disproved the claims that he is too short to serve as president. What has he accomplished with his height? Choose a sensible leader who will increase employment opportunities for the nation rather than one who, after having vowed to combat corruption, will legalize it.



The best way to curb corruption in Ghana is for Akufo Addo to imprison Eugene Arhin, Charles Bissue, and Paul Adom-Otchere, so don't vote for the NPP government if he doesn't.
India's Supreme Court has ruled that all women, irrespective of their marital status, are entitled to safe and legal abortion until the 24th week of pregnancy.

A woman must have the autonomy to exercise her rights, India's top court observed, pointing out that any artificial distinction between married and unmarried women cannot be sustained."

The ruling will be welcomed by India's 73 million unmarried women.

Over the past two decades, more than 50 countries have changed their laws on the voluntary termination of pregnancy. Some governments have granted greater access while others have restricted a woman's right to choose.

In a case in the US in June, the Supreme Court overturned the landmark decision in Roe v Wade that had legalised abortion.

India's Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act of 1971, had limited the procedure to married women, divorcees, widows, minors, "disabled and mentally ill women" and survivors of sexual assault or rape.

The latest ground-breaking judgment by the bench of Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice A S Bopanna and Justice J B Pardiwala also recognises marital rape as a factor conferring automatic access to abortion.

The court ruled that the enforced pregnancy of a married woman can be considered as marital rape.

India's laws do not consider marital rape an offence, though efforts are being made to change this.

Broad welcome for progressive decision

Medical practitioners and women's rights activists hailed the judgment that should help promote safe abortion practices.

We hope the judgment will be a step towards making our abortion regime more liberal and pro-women, said Poonam Muttreja, executive director of the Population Foundation of India.

Safe abortion practices have been a concern in our country and with this judgment, we can expect a reduction in morbidity and mortality associated with unsafe abortion practices, said Chitra Ramamurthy, a gynaecologist.

The decision came in response to a petition by a 25-year-old woman who said her pregnancy resulted from a consensual relationship but she had sought abortion when the relationship collapsed.

Judgment praised

In her plea before the court, the woman said she wanted an abortion because her partner had refused to marry her at the last minute and that having a child out of wedlock would open her to "social stigma and harassment".

In addition to granting all women the same rights and freedoms, the court recognised that single women can have relationships that involve sex.

The decision follows protests against the high incidence of sexual assault against women and girls across India in recent years.

Laws have had minimal impact in slowing the tide of sexual violence in India, ranked as the most dangerous country in the world for women in a 2018 Thomson Reuters Foundation survey.
National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi has urged the public to treat data on E-Blocks provided by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) with contempt.

In a release by GETFund on its Facebook page on Friday, it stressed that it had become necessary for it to provide clarifications on the construction and completion of E-Blocks since 2014 after citing a misleading post from Sammy Gyamfi.

This was after a post by the NDC firebrand on October 2 indicated that the erstwhile Mahama administration started 124 E-Blocks and completed 50 between 2014 and 2016 before leaving office.

Reacting to that post, GETFund said in its release that only a total of 29 E-Blocks were completed during Mahamas period.

It noted that 22 of the blocks were GEFTFund-funded while seven were funded by the World Bank.

Having cited the information put out by GETFund, Sammy Gyamfi has taken to his social media describibg it as lies.

According to him, GETFund cannot be trusted to speak the truth on matters when it is headed by a partisan appointee of the sitting President.

Treat the lies put out by the GETFUND secretariat about the number of E-Blocks completed by the NDC/Mahama government with utmost contempt. An institution headed by a partisan appointee of President Akufo-Addo cannot be relied upon to say the truth about the legacy of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi said in a post on his Twitter page.
A nine-month-old baby, who was reported missing for three days at Asankrangwa in the Wassa Amenfi West Municipality of the Western Region, has been found dead.

The body of Akua Ago was found in a stagnant water, suspected to be a fishpond, at Asikafoabatem, a suburb of Asankrangwa.

Mr Joesph Ayimberh, father of the deceased, confirmed the story to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) and said he lived at Bremang with his wife (Rose) and siblings.

He said on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, his wife came to Asankrangwa with their only daughter (Akua) to purchase some items as it was a market day.

Mr Ayimberh said when his wife got to Asankrangwa, she gave her daughter to a 13-year-old girl she knew nothing about and pleaded with her to take care of the deceased, while she dashes to the market to get some items.

She returned after a few minutes and realized the stranger together with her daughter had disappeared and started scouting around for them, but that did not yield any result.

My wife then went to a radio station to help her locate the whereabout of our daughter and later proceeded to the Asankrangwa Divisional Police Command to lodge a complaint, Mr Ayimberh explained.

On Thursday, October 6, 2022, one Mr Abdul Aziz, who had been contacted by some people to weed an area at Asikafoabatem, while attending natures call saw the deceased lying in a pond, informed the assembly member and the police.

The police went to the scene, inspected the body and conveyed same to the Asankrangwa Catholic hospital morgue, for preservation.

Information gathered by the GNA, indicated that, Dr Sabina Ansah of Asankrangwa Catholic hospital who examined the body found no mark of assault.

The police have since released the body to the family and she has been laid to rest.

GNA
Good day to you, Your Excellency, Dr. Mahmoud Bawumia and your team. I wish to welcome you to Gonjaland as you craftily design a campaign in a veil of an official visit.

Your Excellency, this message is but a reminder and largely a rehash of your FAILED PROMISES and empty sod-cutting ceremonies you and President Akufo-Addo conducted in Gonjaland (Savannah Region) since you took over the reigns of government in January 2017.

Your Excellency, I know how tough it is for you in these hard times as Ghanaians are wallowing in real economic hardships. I genuinely empathize with you, given the case that you have run down the economy with your unrealistic policies, recklessness and conspicuous incompetence, coupled with the fact that the Alan camp is using that as a scorecard to foil your Presidential ambition. In times like this, one should expect and appreciate your current posture. So, it is understood that you want to prove a point and to be seen working. Your lamentations in Northern Region is a clear testament of how frustrated you are in these times.

Mr. Vice President, I want to remind you and President Akufo-Addo of the outstanding arrears of promises and projects in Savannah Region you either cut sod for or openly promised of their timely execution amidst loud applause from our people.

Right before the skins of the King of Gonjaland, Yagbonwura Tuntumba Boresa 1, in 2018, you, Dr Bawumia, promised that the Damongo water project was going to start that same year with a seeming unequivocal disclosure that your government had secured the funding for it.

Following closely to this, your boss himself, President Akufo-Addo, upon a visit to the Jakpa Palace somewhere 2019, disclosed that some $49m had been secured from the UK Export Finance and Deutsche Bank AG, for the purposes of constructing a water supply system for Damongo and its environs. He ended by promising that a month after his visit, contractors will start work on 10 mechanized boreholes as a stop-gap measure while we wait for the main water project. As I write this, not even a single hand-pump borehole has been drilled to that effect. Even the existing boreholes are begging for maintenance.

As a way of giving the people of Damongo some false hopes in order to get their votes in 2020, President Akufo-Addo who was ably supported by Hon Abu Jinapor, came to cut sod for the supposed commencement of works on the Damongo Water Project on 29th July, 2020. This program was staged at the Damongo Town Park and not the project site as it is the standard practice. And they did so without any contractor on site and no machinery to showcase as a commitment. We were told the project will take 24 months to be completeits been well over 26 months without a single pipe on the ground to show for the Presidents pledge. As for the subsequent fake promises made by Hon. Samuel Jinapor and his Bible quotations to back his deceit, we have lost count.

Me. Vice President, as a way of reminder, exactly two months after the sod-cutting for the Damongo Water project, precisely on the 24th September 2020, you came to stage another deceit of a sod-cutting for the commencement of work on the so called Savannah Regional House of Chiefs Office Complex. As I write this message, not even a single block has been laid for the said project. While cutting the sod, you indicated that your government within three years of being in office, had initiated 785 projects for Savannah Region alone and had at the time completed 630 of them. Was that supposed to be a joke or you people as usual added 12 unit KVIPs as monumental projects?

Another disturbing deceit was staged at the 45th Gonjaland Youth Congress in Bole, specifically on the 6th of April, 2021. Mr Vice President, you looked in the faces of the chiefs and people of Gonjaland and solemnly promised that the Daboya bridge project was going to commence in August 2021. Could that be the reason you dodged the annual Gonjaland Youth Congress in Daboya, this year, 2022?

Mr Vice President, I should believe that the MP for Daboya/Mankarigu Constituency who also doubles as the Deputy Minister of Health and the DCE for the North Gonja District, will be part of your entourage to the Jakpa Palace as you campaign. I wish they will be able to tell you the truth, but in case they would not, may I beg to speak on their behalf and on behalf of the Chiefs and people of Wasipe?

The road linking Busunu to Daboya has been partly wiped off by heavy rains and flooding from the Tachali river. In case you dont know or forgotten, that road project which was started by HE John Dramani Mahama. Your government abandoned it for almost 6 years now, leaving the people to suffer in its current state. The livelihoods of thousands of our people especially women, within that enclave have been cut at the throat without any hope in sight.

Again, on the 3rd of February 2020, President Akufo-Addo at an event in Kpalbe, promised the good people of the East and North-East Gonja that the 138km Tamale-Salaga-Mankango road was going to be completed in 18 months beginning February 2020. If I can still remember my 2/4 maths well, its been 32 months now and there is no show. In fact, that road is still one of the worse roads during rainy days. Still, at the same event in Kpalbe, the President promised the people of North-East Gonja the following:

1. A District Hospital at Kpalbe in the North-East District.

2. A Senior High Scool in the North-East District.

3. A small town water project in the same District.

Indeed, after 32 months since these specific promises were made, nothing is there to show for same.

Note that, in the midst of these deceptions, most projects that H.E John Mahama initiated have either been abandoned or executed in a slow pace. Take note of the following projects: The 60 bed Salaga Hospital; the teacher training college in Bole; the Busunu-Daboya road project; the E-block at KPalbe in the North-East District; the Mpaha-Debre road and a host of others, have either been abandoned outright or been executed sluggishly.

The final choking reality I wish to convey to you, Your Excellency, is the fact that the $10m Buipe Sheanut Factory with about 40,000 capacity, which was built by HE John Dramani Mahama, to add value to our Sheanuts and to give sustainable jobs to our youth, has been grounded for more than two years today without hope of revival. The irony is that, this happened at the same time that your government is trumpeting yet another directionless slogan of 1D1F. Could it be deliberate to deny the youth of Gonjaland and the North at large decent but sustainable jobs while at the same time denying our mothers who painfully pick these sheanuts, their livelihoods?

So, Your Excellency, keep these valuable reminders in mind while you engage in your Flag bearer race campaigns. Maybe God will touch your heart to at least show some concern, although we know you are engrossed in your campaign than in governance.

Try and visit the Vatican City of the Gonja Kingdom, Laribanga, where your masters reside before you leave. . You are most welcome sir.

By Issifu Seidu Kudus Gbeadese

(Youth Imam from Laribanga)

0244198031

8/10/20222
Former President John Mahama has repeated that the judiciary owes it a duty deliver impartial justice to the people

In series of tweets, Mr Mahama said A judiciary owes it a duty to deliver impartial justice to the people; an Ombudsman owes a duty of care to the people to investigate all issues of malfeasance; a police force should exist to serve the people and not rein terror on them; an electoral commission owes 

 a sacred duty of care to the people by ensuring they are included in the electoral process & not excluded in the interest of the incumbent admin; an independent media owes it to the people to not only report facts without bias, but to hold the govt of the day accountable.

Earlier, Mr Mahama indicated that the brand image of Ghana's judiciary especially the Supreme Court, has been badly damaged.

In his view, the judiciary is lately subjected to public mockery because the people no longer feel they can get justice.

Mr Mahama whose election petition was unanimously dismissed by the highest court of the land after the 2020 general elections intimated that the time has come for the judiciary to undergo self-cleansing but, he added, the current Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah cannot lead that process.

He said these while opening the 2nd Annual Lawyers Conference of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Sunday August 28.

Recently, so badly has the image of our judiciary deteriorated that many of our citizenry openly make mockery of our justice system and of our justices. The phrase 'go to court' is these days met with derisive laughter instead of hope that one will truly get justice if he went to the court.

If people are not poking fun about politics and inducement being used to sway the hand of justice in the Lower Courts then it is poking fun and making statements about the 7:0 of the the unanimous FC, verdicts which mostly involve cases of a political nature in our Supreme court, this is an unfortunate but serious development.

One of the scariest existential threats to any democracy is when citizens think their judiciary holds no value for them or no use to them, this is the security threat that the National Security apparatus tried to draw the attention of the nation to recently but was poorly received by the President and hIs party. READ ALSO: Supreme Court has set a dangerous precedent  Mahama

It is scary because it threatens the peace and stability of our democracy and we must quickly correct this fast spreading notion. If care is not taken, we will get to a state where people will have no qualms about taking the law into their own hands because they do not have the confidence that they can get any justice in the system.

'There is therefore, the urgent need for the Ghanaian judiciary to work to win the trust and confidence of the citizenry and erase the widely-held perception of hostility and political bias in legal proceedings at the highest court of the land.

Unfortunately, we have no hope that the current leadership of our judiciary can lead such a process of change, we can only hope that the new Chief Justice will lead the process to repair the broken image that our judiciary has acquired over the last few years.

3news.com|Ghana
Tiger Eye P.I. has said its conduct and approach to all investigations, including the Galamsey Fraud expose, are based on truth, facts and audio-visual evidence.

It insisted that it caught the former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Mr Charles Bissue, engage in bribery and corruption contrary to recent claims by the presidential staffer to whitewash his image.

Tiger Eye affirms and maintains its investigations and conclusions in the Galamsey Fraud documentary about Mr. Charles Bissue and other staff at the dissolved IMCIM. Any claims or allegations to the contrary are false and without merit. Mr. Charles Bissue engaged in bribery and corruption and Tiger Eye uncovered this in the form of audio-visual evidence when undercover journalists posed as owners of an abandoned mining company, the investigative team led by Anas Aremeyaw Anas said in a counter-statement reacting to an earlier one by Mr Bissue, in which he alleged he was framed.

The team said: Allegations by Mr. Bissue that agents of Tiger Eye P.I solicited monies from him to drop the investigative piece is merely an afterthought and a figment of his imagination. It is part of the recent mantra by persons caught in undercover investigations to say it was published to disgrace them after they failed to pay monies. The old mantra was entrapment. None of these persons filmed engaged in bribery and corruption has ever been able to prove such allegations nor won any Court case confirming such fake claims.

It defies logic and exposes the incoherence in Mr Charles Bissues narrative, that, Tiger Eye would demand bribes to drop a story it had advertised long before, Tiger Eye added.

In a rebuttal statement, Mr Bissue insisted: I did not demand any money from the applicant with promise of fast-tracking or facilitating the process. The money in question was a donation from Bernard Antwi Boasiako [alias Chairman Wontumi] for a party activity. I did not grant the company any rights to resume mining when at the time, the ban was in force as published by Tiger Eye P.I.

For the record, I dont consider your work as an entrapment. In fact, it is hollow and a failed attempt to smear my reputation with lies, just as youve done to your victims in the past. I dare say, and I repeat that you are a liar, and should Ghanaians entertain your deceitful antics, this fight will never yield any results, he added.

Your claims of me demanding money or bribes is inconsistent with the very footage in the video and publications made in the New Crusading Guide in 2019, he argued.

Read the full details of the two press statements below:

Tiger Eye P.I. GALAMSEY FRAUD EXPOSE: REFUTING CLAIMS OF MR CHARLES BISSUE

Tiger Eye P. I has taken note of a series of lies and calumnies put out by the embattled secretary to the then Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Mr Charles Bissue, in his desperate attempt to defend his misconduct as captured in the documentary dubbed Galamsey Fraud Part 1 that was published in February 2019.

The latest of his lies which have animated responses from Tiger Eye are contained in his press release dated 6 October 2022.

2. Tiger Eyes position, conduct and approach to all investigations are based on truth, facts and audio-visual evidence. Tiger Eye affirms and maintains its investigations and conclusions in the Galamsey Fraud documentary about Mr. Charles Bissue and other staff at the dissolved IMCIM. Any claims or allegations to the contrary are false and without merit. Mr. Charles Bissue engaged in bribery and corruption and Tiger Eye uncovered this in the form of audio-visual evidence when undercover journalists posed as owners of an abandoned mining company.

3. Allegations by Mr. Bissue that agents of Tiger Eye P.I solicited monies from him to drop the investigative piece is merely an afterthought and a figment of his imagination. It is part of the recent mantra by persons caught in undercover investigations to say it was published to disgrace them after they failed to pay monies. The old mantra was entrapment. None of these persons filmed engaged in bribery and corruption has ever been able to prove such allegations nor won any Court case confirming such fake claims.

It defies logic and exposes the incoherence in Mr Charles Bissues narrative, that, Tiger Eye would demand bribes to drop a story it had advertised long before.

4.Tiger Eye set out to expose heavyweights who dabbled in the illicit galamsey trade on the back of our firm conviction that nobody should be allowed to profit from the devastations of our environment and to augment the President, Nana Akuffo-Addos commitment to fighting the menace.

5. When Tiger Eye received a tip-off from persons who had witnessed the first-hand sabotage from officials who were kept in charge of redeeming our environment from pillage by greedy individuals and established prima facie, we set out to investigate the claims through a sting operation, popularly known as the Anas principle.

In the course of our investigations, investigators busted Charles Bissue who took bribes on two occasions to allow our mining company to undertake illegal mining in defiance of the approved regime for regulating mining activities.

7. Subsequently, Tiger Eye petitioned the Office of the Special Prosecutor with all tapes and recordings as irrefutable proofs of official complicity in the galamsey menace with Charles Bissue as the arrowhead of same. The OSP announced an investigation into the complaint, and since called witnesses, amongst other processes.

8. While investigations were ongoing under the OSP, we noticed a parallel investigation (an unwelcomed intrusion) was opened by the Tiwaah Addo Danquah-led CID on the back of a so-called complaint from the Chairman of the IMCIM, Prof. Frimpong Boateng, which generated enormous public opprobrium.

9. Tiger Eye, sensing a fishy move had been designed to undermine the investigations of the OSP, took a decision not to collaborate with the CID since the same would have amounted to duplication of effort and a waste of precious resources, especially so when we suspected the whole CID intrusion was a smokescreen. Therefore, the so-called CID report which Mr. Bissue always hurriedly likes to bask in had no inputs from Tiger Eye who were the sole authors of the Galamsey Fraud investigations, and so, Tiger Eye considers the said report as a white-washing antic with no credibility.

10. Mr. Charles Bissue claims persons within NPP recorded the videos which expose his bribe-taking moves and sold them to Tiger Eye, and that, those monies were donated by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP popularly known as Wontumi for a party activity. Thats completely false. For the records, no agent of Tiger Eye works with or for the NPP, and, Tiger Eye has a time-tested procedure for employing its agents, who are usually highly trained and skilled in investigating the underworld. The conversations that ensued before Mr. Bissue took the bribes in our investigative piece are a matter of public record. Those conversations had nothing to do with any party activity which Mr Bissue is struggling very hard, albeit unsuccessfully, to interpolate into the whole narrative. Tiger Eye agents do not deliver party donations!

11. Tiger Eye is not privy to any clearance of Mr. Bissue by either the former Special Prosecutor or the current Special Prosecutor. It is interesting how Mr. Bissue, a suspect of OSP is bravingly claiming OSP has cleared him without the knowledge of the Complainant in the case i.e., Tiger Eye. Since the OSP is still seized with the matter, Tiger Eye is restraining itself from jeopardising the investigations and wouldnt want to put out too many details. We still patiently await pronouncements from the OSP, especially in the wake of the renewed galamsey struggle.

12. Our agent, from whom Mr Charles Bissue took the bribes to facilitate the illegal mining activities, is available and will always avail himself to bear testimony at any forum properly constituted for that purpose. The names being bandied about by Mr. Charles Bissue are a figment of his imagination.

We urge the public to disregard the wobbly attempts by Mr. Charles Bissue and his collaborators to fend off the damning revelations contained in the Galamsey Fraud expose, as those attempts are nothing but the kicks of a dying horse.

Charles Bissue  RE: GALAMSEY FRAUD EXPOSE: REFUTING CLAIMS OF CHARLES BISSUE

While I will not usually respond to propaganda, it will be a disservice to the discerning Ghanaian if I allow Tiger Eye P.I to get away with his baseless press release. First, I issued a statement underpinned by facts, against the claims made by the opposition National Democratic Congress

(NDC) about the governments effort in the galamsey fight.

Albeit not referenced to Tiger Eye P.I, and typical of the nature of his corrupted journalism, they fatuously jumped in with their usual baseless propaganda to serve their paymasters. Although this advice will fall on deafened ears because that is the path theyve chosen to travel, they should do better.

Now respectfully, let me lay down the facts and I believe Tiger Eye P.I can learn from it.

Vetting of licenses begun on 3 September 2018. The Ministry of Information on 30 August 2018 published the commencement date and requirements for the vetting process.

Documents required were to be submitted via post or in-person to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) before 7 September 2018.

ORR Resources through its ghostly representative presented its documents at a later date.

ORR Resources license at the time of submission was expiring in two months. Upon receiving the documents, it was tendered for evaluation. I then recommended the company files an application for all other permits required, which includes Environmental Permit.

As part of the approval processes, each concession was required to be mapped. This exercise was done per a schedule. The concession in question (as indicated in ORR Resources application) was in the Ashanti Region. The mapping team were then in the Central Region en route to Western, Ashanti and Eastern Region.

All applicants were required to pay an amount of GHC3,000.00, to which I directed the ghostly representative to pay and take a receipt issued to cover such payment. The risk of delay in getting their application approved before the mapping team leaves the Ashanti Region was high.

The exercise did not provide for a mop-up, and as such it was prudent and fair to grant the company an opportunity to have the concession mapped while the application is processed.

Waiting for the mapping team to complete the entire national exercise just to return later and map out ORR Resources concession was not only unwise but at a rather unjustifiable cost to the state.

6. It was in this context, I suggested the application be fast-tracked such that the data from the mapping exercise could be merged with every entry on our system. I did not circumvent any process, and there is evidence to that.

I did not demand any money from the applicant with promise of fast-tracking or facilitating the process. The money in question was a donation from Bernard Antwi Boasiako [alias Chairman Wontumi] for a party activity. I did not grant the company any rights to resume mining when at the time, the ban was in force as published by Tiger Eye P.I.

For the record, I dont consider your work as an entrapment. In fact, it is hollow and a failed attempt to smear my reputation with lies, just as youve done to your victims in the past. I dare say, and I repeat that you are a liar, and should Ghanaians entertain your deceitful antics, this fight will never yield any results.

Your claims of me demanding money or bribes is inconsistent with the very footages in the video and publications made in the New Crusading Guide in 2019.

Reference the image below.

10. I repeat, that Francis Owusu Akyaw, [a former staff of IMCIM whom I fired for misconduct] orchestrated these secret recordings. The documentary Tiger Eye published had Francis Owusu Akyaws name [referred as Owusu in the tape] mentioned as the one behind it.

11.The ban on small-scale mining was lifted on 17 December 2018. Before the trailer of the documentary was published [in 2019], I received an anonymous call with a demand for a ransom to be paid so the airing of the video could be stopped. Knowing and convinced by my actions of having done no wrong told the person to go public with whatever they have on me.

12. I stepped out of office as Secretary of the IMCIM just after the documentary was aired to allow a proper and uncompromised investigation to be undertaken. This has act goes to prove I had nothing to hide.

13. In July 2019, the Police after a thorough investigation into the allegations, exonerated me. Report on their investigation is a public knowledge.

14. It is rather ironic that Tiger Eye P.I who in its years of so-called undercover investigations, recognized and subjected its findings to the Police, now finds the institution as lacking the credibility to handle similar cases today.

15. In any event, following a petition to the OSP in 2019, I have availed myself for interrogations, and been very cooperative in unravelling this truth in this case. Mr Martin Amidu [then Special Prosecutor] hinted in his corruption risk assessment of the Agyapa Deal, of the extent to which he had carried his investigation by indicating there was a matter of identity yet to be uncovered. I believe Mr Martin Amidu provided his report on the subject matter in his handing over notes to the new Special Prosecutor.

16. Tiger Eye P.I. cannot capitalise on this moment to dissuade Ghanaians from interrogating this matter. Where lies his credibility in the fight against galamsey when he had turned a blind eye to the unprecedented devastation caused by galamseyers to our lands and water bodies?

His silence is nothing short of a traitor and a nation wrecker whose interest was to conjure propaganda to take me out for fighting the miscreants in our mining sector.

17. I dare Anas Aremeyaw Anas, and his entire Tiger Eye P.I to publish the Part 2 of that documentary. Why has he shelved that part? Or hes been paid off to conceal that? Mr Aremeyaw Anas is a wimp, and cannot be trusted.

18. Until I mentioned the name of the IMCIM Chairman, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng in my recent release, Anas Aremeyaw Anas had remained mute over the defence I put against his claims. Why so? Im sure hes alarmed and fears for what will ensue later on.

19. It is no doubt that Anas Aremeyaw Anas has been cowed into silence by his own nemesis, and the persistence at which I expose the untruth about his work. Ghanaians are very discerning and have come to realise the spin he puts on his recordings to defame people.

They will put to strict scrutiny every piece of publication he does going forward.

Vindication is in the womb of time!

Source: ClassFMonline.com
The Police have asked victims of the alleged money doubling scam allegedly perpetuated by the Founder of Heaven Way Church in Weija at Accra, Patricia Asiedua formerly known as Nana Agradaa, not to take the laws into their own hands.

The Police asked them to remain calm while investigation continues into the matter.

Scores of church members were captured in video that circulated on social media explaining how they were allegedly duped.

One of them indicated that about 5000 church members were victims of the action.

The Police announced in a statement on Sunday October 9 that investigations have commenced into this matter.

We would like to urge anyone with information that can assist the investigation to report to the Accra Regional Police Command at Accra Central close to the COCOBOD building.

3news.com|Ghana
Nigeria's university system witnessed its golden era between the 1950s and 1980s. It produced globally celebrated academics and virologists . But the story has changed. Under funding of the university system, inadequate support for research and lack of commitment to the development of science and technology by the government are robbing the nation of quality academics. Virologists are among them. Renowned virologist, Oyewale Tomori, who graduated in the 1970s, sets out how it was then, why the country is where it is now and what it can do to restore its lost glory in science and technology education.

What's the history of training virologists in Nigeria?

Although modern virology began with the discovery between 1915 and 1917 of bacteriophages (that is, viruses that infect bacteria , virology only became a discipline on its own in the last 50 years.

The discipline can be divided into the biology of viruses (molecular biology and biochemistry) and viral diseases (physiology, epidemiology, and clinical aspects of virus diseases). One branch deals with the study of the nature and properties of the virus, while the second is focused on the diseases caused by viruses and the interplay of the factors (human, animal, virus and the environment) that result in the emergence and reemergence of viral diseases.

Today, a thorough study of virology encompasses the One Health concept . This takes into account the interactions between humans and animals and the environment.

The first set of Nigerian virologists was trained outside the country. Local training of virologists started in the early 1970s, at the University of Ibadan. It was the sole training centre for virologists until the late 1990s.

Today, there are about 200 virologists in Nigeria . Is this number enough?

Answering the question isn't the same as measuring, for example, the ideal doctor to patient ratio. This is because virologists are researchers, so the headline number isn't the main issue. Rather it's whether those trained as virologists are functioning effectively and maximally.

Suffice to say that Nigeria needs more virologists given the size of the country, and the number of endemic viral infections prevalent in it. Annually, the country reports severe outbreaks of virus diseases, such as Lassa Fever, yellow fever and measles.

You need virolgists to be ahead of the emergence of viral disease outbreaks.

But the high cost of equipment and reagents, as well as other facilities for conducting virus studies have limited the output of trained virologists by the Nigerian university system.

Currently, the country has more virologists specialising as molecular virologists, rather than experts on the epidemiology and clinical aspects of viral diseases. And poor collaboration between laboratory scientists, epidemiologists and clinicians has robbed Nigeria of getting the needed balance between molecular virologists and those studying viral diseases. There is a disconnect between the study of viruses and the diseases they cause. We have expert virologists with little knowledge of how to control the diseases caused by viruses.

Virologists who will be relevant and contribute to improving the health of the society, must use their knowledge and expertise to prevent and control viral disease, otherwise they become a precious ornament of little use to someone dying of a viral disease.

Nigeria, a disease ridden society, has no place for virologists who discover a virus but can't decipher what it does. Or are unable to use their knowledge to mitigate the devastation of a viral disease outbreak.

What's different now in the training of virologists?

When I trained as a virologist at the University of Ibadan in South West Nigeria, the training was comprehensive. It involved both broad-based field work as well as laboratory investigation.

In the past, in addition to employing available techniques (antigen-antibody studies and animal experimentation) to identify and classify viruses, a detailed epidemiological study of the diseases caused by the virus was also carried out.

This was a One Health concept that considered the pathogen, the person, the animal, and the environment in the study of viruses and the diseases they cause. This provided information needed for the control and prevention of the disease.

Today, the focus is principally on studying and dissecting the virus, using more modern and highly sophisticated techniques, like genomic sequencing .

A host of hurdles stand in the way of building a bigger cohort of virologists in Nigeria.

Firstly, the lack of modern facilities in laboratories and the poor state of basic infrastructure and other resources (such as electricity and reagents) are working against research development. You cannot run genetic sequencing or even sterilise your equipment using a candle as your source of power.

Secondly, budgetary allocation to education is generally poor  at all levels, including the secondary school system.

Thirdly, and unfortunately, the Nigerian government is not committed to funding research . Financial support for science and research remains pathetic. This has led to the deterioration in the quantity and quality of trained virologists at Nigeria's universities. The oases of excellence in the Nigerian desert of research landscape are largely funded by grants from external bodies and agencies.

But for how long are you going to depend on external grants to fund your research and development? It is like Africa whining and crying for equity when, for example, COVID-19 vaccines were not available for our populations. You do not beg for equity, you fight for it. You use your resources responsibly to contribute to equity, and not just be a consumer of the crumbs of equity.

On top of this, we have corruption and examination malpractices undermining the very foundation of integrity and probity, the pillars on which science and research stand. Consequently, our university system is neither able to retain responsible academics, nor attract the right kind of prospective students imbued with responsibility.

Add to these hurdles the lack of interest of many students in science and technological education.

What's missing?

Sustained funding, infrastructure, facilities (regular power supply), and national government support for and sustained commitment to research.

There is a general national disdain for science and technology. There is also a national failure to fully recognise that science and technology are needed for the socio-economic transformation of Nigeria.

The government should invest in science, technology, research and development.

How has this affected Nigeria's ability to produce cutting-edge research?

Adversely.

We are a nation consuming other countries' returns on investment in science, research and technology. Rather than investing in research and contributing to global development through science and research, we have resorted to begging for the crumbs of equity.

We are only ready to consume other people's returns on investments on science and research.

What needs to be done?

Go back to basics. Invest in research, science and technology.

Nigeria should create an enabling environment for scientists to function effectively and maximally. The nation should commit to using research outcomes in science and technology as the medium for transforming our society to a developed nation. If Nigeria refuses to fund research especially in science and technology, we will remain at the blunt-edge, rather than the cutting-edge of research, science and technology. We will not have the body of knowledge that can help us to address the nation's health and other challenges.

Oyewale Tomori does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

By Oyewale Tomori, Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Science
09.10.2022 LISTEN

What can happen with Vaman Meshram's 6 October move?

On 8 April 1929, Bhagat Singh ji threw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly, Delhi. They knew that the police would be caught and jailed, but those who wanted to give a message to the people of India, that message reached the people. I see Meshram ji's action on 6th October in the same way, he didn't throw the bomb but the blast didn't work for him either. When he reached me, every Bahujan channel gave him coverage and this news reached many other WhatsApp groups. The objective was very clear, to expose the puppet governments that did not allow the programs of him and many Bahujan leaders like him. Where is the puppet control coming from? Meshram ji knew that after taking this step, he and his companions could be imprisoned, but the purpose of his bold move would be fulfilled and perhaps it would also be accomplished. Many people are asking who is Vaman Meshram, their discussions continued in the WhatsApp group. Second, Meshram ji once again put this thing in front of the Bahujans very well that the Bahujan leaders who walk with the puppets are so friendly to the Bahujans. By not directly targeting the backward leaders, Bahujan leaders who are with the puppet, managed to tell the people that these people stop those who do good things for the Bahujans and speak only those who call the puppets. Needless to say, many times many parties have been prevented from organizing programs, but no one has strongly opposed it. According to me, Meshram ji not only gave his message in Nagpur and Maharashtra, but his message is being discussed all over the country.
A Member of Parliament in Zambia has been suspended from parliament for a month after saying MPs were adults who shaved their pubic hair.

Cutting pubic hair for adults is a custom in Zambia, as people with uncut public hair are considered unhygienic. However, talking about cutting the hair in public is considered inappropriate.

Munir Zulu was on Wednesday incensed after Jamba Machila from the governing United Party for National Development party referred to him as a young man during a parliamentary debate about the abolition of district commissioners.

Everyone of us here shaves their pubic hair we are elders.

The remarks drew sharp reactions from other lawmakers who called speaker Nellie Mutti to compel Mr Zulu to withdraw the statement.

The MPs said they felt insulted. In the ensuing heckling, an MP was heard referring to Mr Zulu as a rat.

Mr Zulu later told the BBC he saw no offence in using the phrase pubic hair because it was used in a metaphorical way to describe adults.

He says he has been given the chance to prove that he did no wrong but before this matter could go to the privileges committee as per procedure, I have been suspended, he said.

This suspension is petty, vindictive and unprecedented, he continued.

What kind of parliament are we having where I can be referred to as a rat and nothing is done yet I am asked [about] my pubic hair remarks?

Mr Zulu, who is Muslim, is not new to controversy. He has previously been barred from parliament for wearing a thobe  an ankle-length garment that is often worn in the Middle East and North Africa.

Source: BBC
09.10.2022 LISTEN

Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor has officially announced his bid to lead the party as its new General Secretary, taking over from Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah who has served in that capacity for 17 years.

In a live broadcast on his social media platforms, Mr. Otokunor pledged his resolve to work towards ensuring the party returns to governance and take over from an administration that has plummeted the country's economic fortunes and left millions in despair.

According to him, he has had the privilege of learning from the best in the party and from his boss and mentor, Asiedu Nketiah hence, placing him well enough to take over as General Secretary of the NDC.

In recent times, our party has gone through one of its most difficult phases, since 1992. We have been through 2 major elections in an environment, that can be best described as hostile, unfair and undemocratic, yet in the face of these challenges we have demonstrated resilience, determination and have come together to work for our collective progress.

This happens at a time when the Akufo-Addo, Bawumia government have plummeted the country's fortunes and left millions of Ghanaians in economic despair I, all these times, as I served as Deputy General Secretary, have never lost touch with you. I have learned from the best and the party.

Dr. Otokunor who served as the founding registrar of the NDC's Ghana Institute of Social Democracy reiterated the resolve of himself and the NDC to work towards putting Ghana on the path of progress and prosperity.

I know how important for you, the Ghanaian public, that the NDC forms a government in 2025, to deliver this country from the clueless, tyrannical NPP and put Ghana back on the path of progress and prosperity, he added.

The opposition National Democratic Congress is expected to hold its regional conference in October 2022 to elect its regional executive members, while that of national executive members will be held in November 2022.

citinewsroom
09.10.2022 LISTEN

The Ghana Police Service has confirmed the arrest of Patricia Asiedua, popularly known as Nana Agradaa.

The one-time money-doubling queen has been arrested after allegedly scamming some members of Heaven Way Church in Weija, a church she reportedly established.

The Police have arrested Patricia Asiedua alias Nana Agradaa following allegations of money doubling scam levelled against her by some members of the public, a statement by the Ghana Police Service has said.

According to the Police Service, Nana Agradaa is currently in custody assisting with investigations.

The police are urging anyone who is a victim of the alleged money-doubling scam to report to the Accra Regional Police Command for further action to assist the investigation.

While investigations continue, the Police have urged everyone, especially those who might have been affected to remain calm and not take the law into their own hands.
Ghana is a nation of dreamers no doubt, but our collective imagination occasionally slips and betrays a nation without dreams. I refer to slippages in the naming of important entities in our motherland. We have been occasionally absent-minded in the naming processes, omitting great people who impacted the nation and localities; other times we have named important things after trifles. It makes you wonder what really goes into street naming for example. A friend once guessed that the nation sometimes runs out of names, compelling us to give street names like Kokonte Street in one part of Accra, where incidentally you may comb the entire neighborhood for a kokonte restaurant only to be disappointed, there is nowhere to face the wall. Other times you may find Osibisas Mac Tonto being compelled to name a street at his corner, Osibisa Close, at the Airport Residential area, when authorities were not watching. The nation had forgotten the great pan African Band, and ignored to extend honors due them. The great trumpeter Mac Tonto then helped himself in self-adoration.

But the naming process is occasionally logical even if trivial. Years ago while driving around Legon, I explored parts of the Kissema market looking for a quick exit to Legon, and found a curious lane where the dreadful hot alcoholic stuff, was for sale in tots. I regretted using that route, for I could have been mistaken for a frequent client myself. I raised my head to check the name of the busy place. It was called Borla Spot. Why the name? It was located at the foot of a huge refuse dump, Borla. So if you were looking for the hot stuff, there was no need looking for the blue kiosk, and turning right. If using a google map, just look for the nearest refuse dump, it doubled as a drinking spot.

But I have sometimes complained when I realize that our minds somehow strayed when we were naming administrative regions of the country. That is why I had problems with time-honored labels like Central region, Western region, Northern region, Upper East, Upper West, etc. My adrenalin inched further up when Ghana created new regions a few years ago. Our names for the new regions gave me occasional ear aches raising questions about who at all is this old man giving meaningless names to regions in Ghana? Whereas we already had a northwestern part of Ghana, here comes the old man saying, lets call one of the new regions Western North. Does western north mean the western part of northern region, or the northern part of western region. And by the way, lets go back to square one. Why Central region, when the entire region so-called is far from the central part of Ghana? Is the most central part of Ghana not Ashanti? Lets ask Sri on Google; or the GPR, the computer all-knowing grandma who gives road directions, and sometimes misleads you to drive into a Galamsey pit.

Then also Upper East, Upper West, Bono East, etc; who are these people?

Come with me to Nigeria, and ask for the names of the federal states: Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Cross river, Benue, Anambra, Enugu, Delta, Anambra, Imo. This is Nigeria.

In Ghana here, let me doff my hat to the regional labels, Volta, Oti, Bono, Ashanti, Savanna, regions etc. I would salute them, and thereafter dump all the directional road signs masquerading as regions of Ghana: East, West, Upper West, Northern etc., regions. Please join me to dump these regional names in the Atlantic Borla Spot. Those names are flat impositions; uninformative, and even hostile, telling us we are still colonies serving a Governor who, pipe in mouth, resides lazily in Cape Coast. The signs tell you northern and upper regions are too far away from the governor, so dont venture there. Enjoy yourself in Central and Western. The veteran broadcaster, Mike Eghan from Sekondi made it easier when in the 70s, he boasted that the Best Comes from the West, unknowingly implying that the western world was the place to go, since the baddest comes from Africa.

There are permanent features in our own history and eco-system that are meaningful reference points we have missed. Lets name River Birim after the Eastern region. Call it the Birim region; the river stretches through most parts of that region, and has sustained the people for generations. The Birim river unites that region in a sense. Western region is meaningless to Nkroful people; call it the Ankobra region. I would like to hear that the Best Comes from the Ankobra (not the West). Regions like Densu region, Pra region, Ayensu Region, Tano region, are home-made, and instill a sense of awe in nature. These denote unique environmental features that have promoted personhood and mutual respect between man and nature.

By so naming, we shall honor our great and charitable rivers in the environment, and extend apologies to them for our sins of omission and damage.

It may not be too late, folks; but who knows? We may also prick consciences and allow vindictive rivers, to pull the ears of Galamsey villains. In other words pull their ears small.
In a 15th-century priory nestled away in a prestigious neighbourhood of Geneva, an exclusive audience gathered on the gorgeous grounds of a university in Geneva before His Excellency Geoff Hoon, who served as the former defence minister of Great Britain under Prime Minister Tony Blair. Hoon was speaking as part of the Geneva Lecture Series conceived and conducted by Prof. Anis H. Bajrektarevic.*

"Dramatic world events can render irrelevant the most thoughtful of planning," started Hoon, as he highlighted five significant world events that have served that kind of impact over the last eight decades, with the Cold War in 1941 as the first event.

"It led to the subsequent division of Germany and the occupation of Eastern Europe by the Soviet Union, which in turn triggered the first major western policy responses, namely Western Union in 1948 and NATO in 1949," stated Hoon.

"The Cold War climaxed with the detonation of the Soviet atomic weapon in 1949 and the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950. The 1955 Warsaw Pact emerged as a counterweight to NATO and crystallised the demarcation lines."

Hoon recalled how Western Europe's higher living standard and political freedom motivated Eastern Europeans to "vote with their feet" as they migrated westwards.

Highlighting the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 as the second event, Hoon reminded the audience how close to nuclear conflict the world once came.

"Most are unaware, but it was only revealed in later days that a compromise was reached for the US to remove its nuclear weapons from Turkey, in return for the Soviet's removal of theirs from Cuba."

The missile crisis led to Khrushchev's proposal of a direct line between US and Russian leadership, and the creation of the Non-Nuclear Proliferation Treaty and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties.

Next on Hoon's list was the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1990 and the Soviet Union in 1991.

"While these two events reduced the threat of nuclear conflagration, they also eradicated the containment of broader discords, as seen from the eruption of violent conflicts at the West's doorstep, from Yugoslavia to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia to Serbia," Hoon paused before adding, "As defense minister, I ordered troops to Bosnia and Kosovo but encountered the arduous challenge of finding and deploying rapidly, flexible and agile forces."

Hoon continued his list of events with the 9/11 attacks in September 2001. He stunned the audience by divulging how an old tourist map was relied upon due to the lack of intelligence and a fundamental understanding of Afghanistan's geography.

"When it was evident that we needed boots on the ground, the US joined forces with the North Alliance while I took charge of procuring forces globally. However, I faced a deficiency in supporting troops and equipment, such as logisticians and heavy aircraft."

In admirable humility, Hoon acknowledged that the lack of experience and capabilities in a hostile and primitive environment eventually led to the withdrawal from Afghanistan. He admitted that a large proportion of Afghanistan's population was neither prepared for, nor receptive to the radical changes, and favoured the predictability of the Taliban rule over the foreign democratic style of governance.

The last event Hoon mentioned was all too familiar to the audience.

"The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February revealed a colossal intelligence failure on the Kremlin's part not to have anticipated the level of resistance of Ukraine. At this stage, there is no solution, and neither side is a clear winner," said Hoon, "Truss' calls for the return of Crimea to Ukraine as part of a peace deal are also unrealistic."

Despite noting how the invasion has spurred countries to increase their defence spending, Hoon concluded his speech with a piece of sobering advice.

"The growing focus of the US in the Pacific, especially in the event of an attack on Taiwan by Mainland China, may pivot them away from Europe and leave the Baltic states vulnerable to a Russian attack. Europe must not only spend more, but do more to enhance our own deterring capabilities against Russia."

Geoffrey William Hoon is a former Defence Secretary, Transport Secretary, Leader of the House of Commons, and Government Chief Whip of Britain. His book, See How They Run, recounts his careers as an academic, lawyer, politician, and in international business. Along with a former OSCE Secretary-General, Ambassador Lamberto Zannier, Hoon was among the first speakers of the Geneva Lecture Series that launched on September 3, 2022. The series is part of an Executive Masters in International Relations and Global Politics program, which proudly hosts current and former heads of state, Nobel prize laureates, and key influencers in the world of politics, economy, security, and energy.

About the author :

Lily Ong is an APAC-based geopolitical risk analyst who also conducts global risk and security investigations for a Fortune 500 client. Her travel experience spans over 95 countries and she is regularly invited to speak and moderate at high-level geopolitical and risk forums.
Dear Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,

Respectfully, I call on your highest office of the Republic of Ghana to declare illegal mining herein referred to as GALAMSEY as a National Disaster or Epidemic.

We think there is a disaster ahead if the menace continues but the truth is, we are already faced with that disaster. The future is now and not tomorrow. We are in crisis.

Anyone engaged in, supporting or unconcerned about the level of devastation being caused by illegal mining (Galamsey) in this country is highly insensitive to the growth, development and sustenance of same. We are faced with a national disaster whose negative impact affects all facets of our lives irrespective of one's social, economic and political status.

Galamsey is more deadly than COVID-19. It must be declared a national epidemic as soon as possible. People engaged in the menace should be declared as enemies of the state and if possible, coup plotters as they have staged a coup against the future of this country.

May God not forgive Us especially you President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo if we fail in this Galamsey fight. We must collectively fight against Galamsey with non-partisanship. We are all at risk. Galamsey is evil.
09.10.2022 LISTEN

When the history of Osun State is written for posterity, one of the critical areas of intervention where Governor Gboyega Oyetolas name will be written in gold is education. While other areas of his Midas touch are already in the public domain for inquiring minds to behold, the recently-upgraded College of Education, Ilesa to University of Ilesa necessitated this piece.

On Tuesday, September 27, 2022, Governor Oyetola assented to the law seeking to upgrade the College to a full-fledged institution of higher education. According to the governor, the carefully conceived as a thoroughly entrepreneurial and innovative University of Ilesa was not a product of fanciful effort but a thorough and rigorous interrogation, characteristic of the culture of deep engagement which his administration is known for. According to reports, the assent was the joyful culmination of a journey straddling over-40 years.

Now that University of Ilesa has come to stay, what next? To start with, the southwest zone in the context of Nigeria is perhaps the foremost region to embrace western civilization, just as no region can compete with the Northern part of the country in the area of Islamic orientation and civilization. For the SW zone therefore, the idea of having a university and the longing for it could not have been lower than that of the other zones of the country. Impliedly, the agitation for, and the location of a university in the heart of Yorubaland, especially, in Ijesaland is long overdue. Let us thank God that there are neighbouring towns where our children can acquire university education; but then, that Ijesas have an enduring sentimental attachment to western education is as true as ever. It is like Ekiti purportedly having the highest number of academic indigenes occupying professorial chairs, both at home and in the Diaspora.

Yes, Ijesas might not have produced the number of professors like Ekiti but, sentiments apart, the former are unbeatable in terms of being socially immersed in the transformatory philosophy and enlightenment benefits of education. Take it or leave it, the average Ijesaman takes pride in the virtues of education. So, it is a good thing that the Oyetola-led government decided to give this sub-ethnicity of the Yorubas a befitting University. One can only hope that the promoters of the proposed Federal College of Agriculture in Ijebu-Jesa, my Native Nazareth, would also fast-track the processes leading to its establishment to complement Oyetolas noble effort.

As fate would have it, the few antagonists to the establishment of this new University are people outside the beautiful landscape of Ijesaland. Of course, theres no doubting the fact that the spinners of insidious logic who are notoriously trying to destroy the threads of communal togetherness woven together over a long period of time are doing so for obvious crass negativism. Its simply because the Pharisees who cry even when they dont have tears must come up with something to catch their fancy.

Of a fact, the funding of our education institutions in Nigeria remains problematic. Had it not been so, there would have been funds sufficient enough to train our brilliant students abroad and bring them back to the country. Singapore, under Lin Kuan Yew, did it! In the United States of America, General Motors once approached Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), over the problematic electrical circuit of one of its SUV type cars. General Motors funded the research and MIT demonstrated how the gown could be relevant and empirically useful to the town. In the end, the world was better for it! When Yew was struggling to educate the Singaporeans, he was already an ex-Oxford. Unfortunately, here in Nigeria, the opposite always has its way. Isnt it sad that the educational qualifications of our leaders are oftentimes questionable? Of course, its that bad! It is therefore time Nigerias universities thought along this inspiring line of problem-solving, not just gathering students in a classroom for the purpose of vomiting turenchi and savouring tales by moonlight that have no bearing on our communal survival.

Talking specifically, the sad truth is that the people are not weighing the enormity of the challenge before us. Gone are the days when, before one graduated from the university, the goodies of life were already at ones doorstep, beckoning one to accept mouth-watering job offers. These days, parents sell their belongings to train their children up to the university level only for their graduate-children to return home to continue being fed by their parents. Those who feel uncomfortable with this pathetic arrangement simply embrace yahoo-yahoo business scam, and the society continues to suffer crossness, even from foreign countries! In the midst of these, our leaders send their children to private schools in foreign countries. Imagine the children of the poor who have been at home in the last 8 months due to the avoidable industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Isnt that enough to trap a countrys future in a darkroom of indistinctness?

It therefore behoves governments across board to make sure that education truly pays. Otherwise, people will no longer be motivated to study, but rather succumb to the social vices that guarantee survival. There and then, stealing, banditry, kidnapping and ritual activities will become a routine because people want money. Even, if the government decides to visit the celestial planes to hire angels to man our anticorruption posts, once ise la fi n deni giga (work is the antidote for poverty) fails to achieve its aims, the society will be ruined and we will all live to regret it. If we ruin the legacy of university education and allow the thriving of yahoo business; then, the importance of education will become totally repudiated. Why? A student who is in school must have a focus and a thrust at the back of his mind; that, one day, he must be able to feed himself. Its the absence of this thrust that fuelled #EndSARS, especially, when the youth saw that they left school only to go back home only to become liabilities to their parents again. But, here we are, in the throes of a system thats already been rigged against them.

Perhaps more importantly, it is the notion that we should not embrace education that has energized the presentation of rubbished school certificate holders as leaders. If we begin to rubbish education, we will continue to produce and reproduce nincompoops who will sooner rather than later aspire to become presidents of Nigeria. If we dont reverse it - if we continue in our unwholesome art of thievery; if elections continue to be upturned by the courts based on technicalities rather than merit; and if our leaders prefer being Wikileaks-compliant to being of help to the downtrodden - we will only be postponing the evil days. Until we go back to the drawing board, Nigerians will continue to clap with one hand, even if one million Emi lo kan, or Atikulated, even Obedients become Nigerias First Citizens!

Still on Ijesalands new baby, let it be in the consciousness of the Nigerians that, apart from just having schools, Osun State will also attain greater heights if only it has the intellectual capacity; and the intellectual capacity can only come from a well-funded and focused University, such as the new University of Ilesa.

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Osun State!

*KOMOLAFE wrote in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State ( [email protected] )
Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, has expressed concern at the fast rate at which water bodies in the country are losing their wholesomeness.

The bad conditions of these natural water resources, she said, were mostly due to the illegal mining activities (galamsey).

This could not continue to go on, Mrs Dapaah observed, when she inspected the Offin River at Abompe, in the Atwima-Mponua District of the Ashanti Region.

She called on Ghanaians to do things right in safeguarding water bodies and our immediate environments.

There needed to be concerted efforts of all stakeholders, including traditional leaders, religious leaders, and legal small-scale miners to rise and fight the war against the galamsey menace.

What we are doing currently is in pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Six  that we produce potable water and keep good sanitation and environment.

The Minister had gone to assess the state of the water body to know whether the activities had improved or worsened, and took the opportunity to take water samples to check the turbidity.

She was accompanied by officials from the Water Resources Commission, Ghana Water Company Limited and other engineers working on water quality.

Mrs Dapaah said the Ministry, which was responsible for water bodies and water resources, whether underground or surface water, was working hard to ensure that quality water was produced for Ghanaians to drink.

She said there was an ongoing exercise, moving from region to region, to find out the state and what is happening to our water bodies to inform the authorities of the necessary actions to take.

The inspection also afforded the Minister the opportunity to meet the chief and people of Bedabuo, a small farming and mining community in the district.

The Chief, Nana Omono Asamoah, suggested that task forces should be formed in all areas where mining activities took place in Ghana to better trace and prosecute illegal miners.

The Minister, in response to Nana Asamoah's request, proposed that other sector ministers who were jointly responsible to chase out the galamseyers, to consider the formation of such task forces to help in operations.

This, she believed, would help eradicate the issue and help in President Nana Akufo-Addo's warpath in the illegal mining.

No matter who you are, if you go wrong in this fight, you will be dealt with seriously, she stated.

Nana Asamoah pledged support to collaborate effectively with interested parties to ensure that the water and lands in the area were protected.

Mr Isaac Kofi Marfo, District Chief Executive, Atwima-Mponua, said the Assembly was working hard with security agencies to root out illegal miners in the area.

He said more than 20 persons have been arrested in connection with these activities and had been processed for legal actions.

GNA
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo left Ghana on Saturday to Paris, France, for a six-day working visit to that country.

Whilst in France, President Akufo-Addo would address the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at its 215th Session.

He would on Monday, October 10, 2022, receive an Honorary Award of Doctor Honoris Causa from Sorbonne University in Paris.

That would be the third Honorary Doctorate Degree to be conferred on him. The first was an Honorary Doctor of Law Degree conferred on him in May 2016, from the celebrated Fort Hare University of South Africa; and the second, in December 2017, was an honourary doctor of humane letters degree from the University of Liberia.

The President is also billed to address the Asia Society Forum on the theme, To Act in Troubled Times: new perspectives from France, Asia, Africa and the world, and commission the refurbished Chancery building of Ghanas Embassy in Paris.

He was accompanied by the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo; the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey; the Minister for Education, Yaw Osei Adutwum; and by officials of the Presidency and Foreign Ministry.

The President is expected back in Ghana on Friday, October 14, 2020.

Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia acts in his stead.

GNA
October 09, 2022

The MoA Week In Review - (Not Ukraine) OT 2022-168

Last week's posts on Moon of Alabama:

Oct 5 - Media Hide Fascist Ideology Of Ukrainian Militia Which Visit Congress

sarah @sahouraxo - 16:38 UTC  Oct 8, 2022 NATO media before and after 2022

Mark Ames @MarkAmesExiled - 13:23 UTC  Oct 8, 2022 Interesting that just a few days ago, US intel leaked to @nytimes that Ukraine responsible for assassination of Dugina & that US opposed it & had no knowledge of it. Almost as if Langley sought to indemnify US from the next operation on Crimean bridge.

---

Other issues:

Britain:

Liz Truss approval ratings reach new lows after Tory conference - Guardian

PMs -47 net rating in Opinium poll worse than Boris Johnsons at height of Partygate scandal

PMs -47 net rating in Opinium poll worse than Boris Johnsons at height of Partygate scandal Inside the Thatcher Larp - LRB

> Until Liz Truss, no one had ever thought to try Larping as a system of government. But it turns out that we in the UK are living inside a full-scale Thatcher Larp, whether we voted for it or not. (...) This unhappy discovery was something the country, and the financial markets, learned from Kwasi Kwartengs mini-budget on 23 September, the latest catastrophic fuck-up inflicted on the UK by an over-confident Etonian. <

'Progressive' supremacy:

> This is beyond the pale, the California Democrat told CNN in a phone interview on Monday. They are actively fleecing the American people and destabilizing the economy. Thats just outrageous. Who do they think they are?

...

Its outrageous. The Saudis need to be dealt with harshly, said Khanna, a progressive who has been a tough critic of the kingdoms humanitarian track record. They are a third-rate power. We are the most powerful country in the world. I dont know why we kowtow to them.

...

They are not our allies, Khanna said of Saudi Arabia. They are hurting the American people. And we need to be tough with them. The president needs to make it clear we will cut off their supply. We could ground their air force in a day. <

Iran Riots:

Syrian Girl  @Partisangirl - 0:37 UTC  Sep 25, 2022 Mahsa Amini died in custody of a heart attack. Iranian Police released the CCTV footage of her collapse.

She was a 22 year old woman. What a coincidence that she died after Russia started using Irans suicide drones in Ukraine and Iran joined the SCO.

Video

China:

Use as open (Not Ukraine) thread ...

Posted by b on October 9, 2022 at 12:57 UTC | Permalink

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Cast member Florence Pugh and director Sebastian Lelio attend the premiere of The Wonder during the BFI London Film Festival in London, Britain, Oct. 7, 2022.
A U.S. congressional delegation or CODEL led by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida and chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, with Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, and Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, visited Tinian on Tuesday. U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan of the CNMI was on Tinian to greet his colleagues and join them on a tour of the Air Force divert airfield, North Field, and the Tinian harbor along with Joint Region Marianas Commander Rear Adm. Benjamin Nicholson and Tinian leadership. I thank the CODEL for their visit, project oversight, and for listening to the concerns of our local officials, Kilili said.
Customers are seen inside Shango Cannabis shop to purchase legal recreational marijuana beginning at midnight in Portland, Oregon on Oct. 1, 2015.
Multinational companies highlight promising prospects of Shanghai Representatives of leading multinational corporations expressed confidence in Shanghai's economic resilience and green development at the International Business Leaders' Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai forum on Friday. The IBLAC forum, an annual pageant that has served as a conduit for communication between international business and Shanghai's mayors since 1989, was held for the 34th time this year. The theme was "green, low-carbon development and urban sustainability." About 40 senior executives from 16 countries and regions joined the forum online. Attending executives had words of praise for the Chinese business environment and that of Shanghai specifically. World-leading insurer Allianz is optimistic about China's development in the long run despite global uncertainties at present, according to Oliver Baete, CEO of Allianz SE. He added that Allianz has witnessed "enormous growth" in the Chinese financial market over the past decades, which has facilitated foreign companies' access to the country. He also added that the Shanghai municipal government is "especially welcoming" to foreign investment, and alongside the large number of leading universities domiciled in the city makes it uniquely conducive to multinational corporate activity. Allianz has nurtured a series of environmental, social and governance investment plans in China, especially in Shanghai. Its asset management arm teamed up with business partners to release an ESG product earlier this year, the initial scale of which came in at 2 billion yuan ($281 million). Allianz is also building up onshore funds in China to extend sustainable investment opportunities in the country, Baete said. Baete's words were echoed by others at the meeting, such as Martina Merz, CEO of German multinational conglomerate ThyssenKrupp AG, who remarked that, as home to a variety of world-leading enterprises, scientific research institutions and high-end talents, Shanghai has the ability to play an important role in China's green transformation. Merz pointed to green hydrogen  a product ThyssenKrupp has backed heavily  as one possible way for Shanghai to achieve low-carbon, sustainable development, adding that Shanghai's rich reserves of wind power, well-equipped ports and all-encompassing industrial chains provide advantages in production, shipping and application scenarios for green hydrogen. According to an action plan released by the municipal government in early July, Shanghai will see the total value of its green industry exceed 500 billion yuan by 2025, and at least 200 green manufacturing companies will be located in the city. Swiss healthcare giant Roche  the first foreign company to settle down in Zhangjiang High-tech Park in Shanghai's Pudong New Area  has kept abreast with Shanghai's green goals, according to Vivian Bian, CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals China. She pointed out that, over the past five years, Roche's Zhangjiang facility has reduced total energy consumption by 30 percent, and water consumption by 44 percent. Roche will increase its working capital in China this year by 250 million yuan, said Bian. The company also granted its innovation center in Shanghai independent decision-making capacity over new drug research and early development this year, making the city an important part of the company's overall strategy. The moves also highlighted Roche's confidence in the wider Chinese market, she said. Shanghai, long a hub of international business, has been extending its gravitational pull. A total of 26 multinationals set up regional headquarters in the city in the first half of this year, bringing the total number of corporate headquarters to 857. Another 10 multinationals set up regional R&D centers in the same period, making Shanghai home to 516 such centers.


If so, why is the healthcare sector in the country embroiled in so many problems which date back decades ago?

In spite of numerous, unfulfilled promises by previous governments who were in office in the past to correct the obviously incompetent running of this crucial sector, the problems remained unsolved, and continue to escalate at an alarming rate. I had in the past, raised my, and the publics, concerns over this matter in numerous, articles I wrote. Sadly, dololo - little or no efforts had been spared to fix once, and for all, a myriad of problems in this sector, especially the drug shortages conundrum. Why? We just cannot go on like this. No! This is a country - not a spaza shop, or a personal fiefdom of incompetentfumblers, who have no clue at all as to how a countrys government is run. All ministries must be run professionally, competently, not this joke we constantly witness in this country.

A widow had to stage a sit-in at the Master of the High Court Offices..why? Because of inexplicable delays in processing claims by widows and orphans on their late husbands estates. That office, just like the Health Ministry, and many other government departments, is one of the most controversially, ineptly, and unprofessionally run department in an equally incompetent national government. I will address the issue in my next article. At the time I wrote down my concerns about the drug shortages issue, and even now, I could not help, but inwardly pose this foreboding question to myself: Is there a sinister, political nunu, a chicanery, double-dealing of sorts, intent on fulfilling a veiled, and insidious conspiracy - a secret agreement or cooperation between two parties for an illegal or dishonest purpose to render this sector ineffective for reasons best known to themselves?

served

Personally, I had always had my suspicions that minister Lizzie, and other ministers who served before her in the ministry, had their hands tied. Someone or a sinister cabal of sorts was hindering and sabotaging the efforts of these ministers in efficiently running this ministry. The incumbent minister looks, and sounds, like a very hard-working civil servant who wants to fulfill he ministrys Mission Statement of, in part, improving the health of the people of Swaziland by providing leadership...in delivery and utilisation of health services which will consistently increase longetivity and quality of life... Please dont get me wrong here, but I cannot help but conclude, or rather speculate, that her efforts together with those of some of her team, are being deliberately watered down, for ulterior motives by good-for-nothing faceless people.

Please kindly look at it this way: Ever since the drug shortages conundrum began in so far as I can recall, around 2005-2006, the efforts of serving ministers like Senator Lizzie Nkosi in improving the countrys healthcare system had more or less, persistently failed. Why? What the heck is going on in this ministry? We cannot run away from the glaring fact that the development, and prosperity of a country depends largely on how healthy its citizens are, particularly, the working class. Kwentekani kule ministry, kahle kahle? Find the answers to some of these questions, and it will definitely become clearer as to what could be going on behind the scenes. The above questions are some of the million Dollar ones that I always incessantly pose to myself (and, I can bet you my last dime that I am not the only one) as the plethora of problems surrounding the ministry she (Nkosi) heads, continue to mount, and expose the shortcomings of her ministry (most importantly, the government she serves) threatening the health of the citizens of the country.

smothered

If truth be told, some of us in this God-forsaken kingdom are of the notion or view that the health of the citizens of the country is being deliberately smothered, and asphyxiated - instead of being given vital oxygen supplies to enhance, and oxygenate the health of the nation - by faceless cabals who stand to malevolently gain from this. How else does one explain the drugs shortage which had been going on since time immemorial? That said, it would be prudent of me to first give credit, though, where it is due, and state some of the positives in Minister Lizzies perfomances thus far in her current term in office. I cannot lie, though..but, have to put it succinctly clear that I used to have a soft spot for the likeable Minister of Health. I am a fierce proponent of supporting women who are in leadership positions in any male dominated industry.

Her most indelible and stellar performance was during the height of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. She impressed some of us with her visibility on the ground, as well as the updates on infection statistics during the COVID-19 pandemic conundrum. Love or hate her, she was the busiest, and most productive minister out of her more often than not, suspect in performance, colleagues in Cabinet. Although, naysayers constantly punched holes in her commendable and regular updates, sarcastically pointing out that she was acting more as a government spokesperson than a minister heading one of the most controversial ministries in government, I still insist, kudos for her! She deserves plaudits for her impressive performances at the time. She certainly stood out, and was a cut above the rest of her colleagues, and definitely raised the flag of her gender concerning the capability of women in holding their own in a male dominated profession.

arrogance

Let me end there with the applauds, and niceties...Now, let me tackle the brutal truth about her negative perfomances. But, first, let me give the reader a glimpse or snippet of the Health Ministrys Vision Statement..It proudly pronounces on its website that it is: To improve the health of the people of Swaziland by providing leadership in the production, delivery and utilization of health services which will consistently increase longetivity and quality of life... Got that? Not to be outdone, the Ministry of Health Mission Statement, clamours, also, for the attention of the reader: A healthy and economically productive population that lives longer, healthier and socially fulfilling lives, and contribute optimally towards the national vision of achieving first world status.. Well, well...there you have it!

The Ministry of Health is one of the most - if not THE most - important ministries in any country, inclusive of our unique Kingdom of Eswatini. Is this ministry performing adequately, satisfactory, along the lines of what its vision and mission statements, respectively, pronounce? Read again, dear reader, the last part of the Ministrys Vision Statement.. To improve the health of the people of Swaziland by.... providing delivery and utilization of health services which will consistently increase longetivity and quality of life... Got that? Longevity.. quality of life? Fat chance! Not when there are no drugs in hospitals! Dare mention the ministry of health to the ordinary man on the countrys streets, the first thought that comes to mind is the shortage of drugs!

This drugs conundrum has been going on for as long as some of us can remember. I daresay even before I started growing grey hairs on my head, way back around 2006. I remember vividly how the Parliament that was in office at the time, including our local press, questioned, and demanded an explanation from the Health Ministry concerning why drugs for emergencies and other health conditions had not been procured. As it had continued to be ever since then, patients were left with the option of purchasing medicines from retail pharmacies, private clinics, or even go outside the country to buy some drugs! Nowadays, patients are prescribed nonavailable drugs to purchase in local pharmacies.

revolting

Service delivery - a crucial part of any entity serving the public - had always been woeful, found wanting, and very revolting inasfar as the countrys government is concerned. It is a decades-long, recurring problem which latter day, ministers like Nkosi, inherited from their predecessors. As much as it is obvious that it is the system of governance that is dismally failing to prioritise the health of the nation, but, as grassroots people who are deeply affected by the drug shortages conundrum, we will always kill - or heap blame on the proverbial messenger - instead of confronting any bhoza - the Capo dei capi, boss of all bosses - who is in charge of, and pulling the strings behind the whole, government machinery.

It is deeply excruciating for patients to be denied treatment at clinics, and even the nations largest referral hospitals like the Mbabane Government Hospital. Some travel from far-flung places, queu for hours on end waiting to be attended to, only to find that at the last hurdle there is no drugs.

Imagine how agonising and harrowing that experience is! I remember how the late senior medical officer Dr Austin Ezeogu (may his soul rest in peace), described the situation of drug shortages back in 2006...He simply, quipped, Its chaotic. Kwentekani ye hheni ngale issue ye ma drugs? Fast forward to recent days - to be precise, last week. The nation received a shocker! We woke up to very perplexing, jaw-dropping, and jolting, media headlines: Patients lives at risk as expired drugs dispensed.. What the heck! - I could not help but ask - what is going on? According to last weeks Monday Eswatini Times newspaper, patients lives are at serious risk following allegations that governments lack of proper storage facilities had led to expired drugs being dispatched to hospitals and ultimately being given to patients.

Apparently there is a lack of storage facilities for obsolete stock in public health facilities and also at the Central Medical Stores, which results in the medication getting mixed up and old expired stock being dispatched to hospitals. It was said the expired drugs, due to the lack of storage, ended up being kept in close proximity to those that still had a shelflife... I could not believe my eyes! Do we have a government which cares about the health of its people, or a group of assassins, intent on snuffing out the life out of its own people? I will not waste precious time, and educate the reader about the inherent dangers of consuming expired drugs. All I can say is that if does so, better prepare for your death insurance. Then, came along the likeable Minister of Health, with a shallow denial which simply constituted a poor attempt at damage control! She was quoted as having allegedly said that, Its true that there were expired drugs at the Central Medical Stores and other health facilities but these drugs were not distributed, said the minister. A reader texted me, very livid about this denial. I will quote him, verbatim: Good morning, Mr. Nxumalo. Lendzaba yekusinika ema expired drugs yangiphatsa kabi impela in such a way that I asked the lady kutsi why do they prescribe to us such drugs. She responded with that arrogant attitude, saying, Thank you for bringing them back. I said, Can you give me lakahle? She said, Go to the chemists and buy them siyabonga kutsi usiletsele lawa.

arrogance

I said, Ok, let me have the ones I gave you. She told me straight in the face that she wont give them to me and mind you phela ngaleyondlela ye arrogance. I thought maybe they suspected that I will take the medication with me and sue them, I dont know. What pains me the most is that I first showed them (tablets) to my doctor the one who prescribed them for me, and it was through his order that I should take them back to the government pharmacy only to be treated like that when I got there. People think that the jobs they are in ngeyabo for life, and ngeke ubente lutfo, forgetting that it was through Gods mercy which enabled them to get such jobs. As a result, they end up not respecting human life and dignity. The Pharmacists at the Mbabane Government Hospital think that they are doctors themselves. They are really full of themselves. Unquote. There you have it! All I can say is that the jury is out as to whether the patients are truthful in their assertions that they are being prescribed expired drugs or government, through the the Ministry of Health, is being economical with the truth. We cannot afford or allow government to gamble or play Russian roulette with our lives. We demand a forensic investigation into this dispensation of expired, deadly drugs ..NOW!

Finally, may I plead with, and cajole our government to please, for Petes sake! Take the health of the nation, SERIOUSLY? Peace! Shalom!
Bosnian Serbs protest alleging vote-rigging by Dodik View Photo

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (AP)  Thousands of people rallied Sunday in Bosnia for the second time in a week, alleging that a pro-Russian Bosnian Serb leader rigged a ballot during a general election in the Balkan country earlier this month.

Final results of the Oct. 2 vote in Bosnia are yet to be announced. The election was held for all levels of government in both the Serb-dominated and Bosniak-Croat parts of the Balkan country, as well as for the joint central institutions.

Leading Bosnian Serb politician Milorad Dodik has claimed victory in the election for the post of presidency of the Serb entity. Opposition leaders, however, claim that their candidate Jelena Trivic is the winner, and that Dodik rigged the ballot.

Citing reports of irregularities, central election authorities in Bosnias capital Sarajevo have ordered the unsealing of ballot boxes and a recount at around 1,000 polling stations throughout the country before establishing the final tally.

Dodik, the most powerful politician the Bosnian Serbs semi-autonomous region, has denied allegations that he orchestrated an election fraud to rob his main challenger of her election triumph.

At Sundays rally in the northern city of Banja Luka, Trivic said opposition wants a recount and a check of all ballots in the Bosnian Serb entity, and an investigation into possible vote-rigging.

It wasnt me who was robbed, it was the people, said Trivic. We will not back down, we wont stop.

The crowd chanted Mile thief!, referring to Dodik by his nickname.

Dodik has ruled practically unchallenged for years despite being sanctioned by the West for advocating the separation of Republika Srpska, as the Serb entity is called, from the rest of Bosnia. Russia has backed Dodik, fueling fears in the West that Moscow might try to create further instability in volatile Bosnia to avert some attention from the war in Ukraine.

Separatist ambitions among ethnic Serbs sparked the devastating 1992-95 war in Bosnia, which killed more than 100,000 people, displaced millions and shattered the country for years to come. A U.S.-brokered peace agreement that ended the war created the Serb and Bosniak-Croat entities, tied loosely by joint institutions.

The Balkan nation of 3.3 million people remains plagued by corruption and ethnic tensions that have impeded efforts to join the European Union.
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Glacier Northwest, Inc. v. the International Brotherhood of Teamsters has been little covered in the press since the Supreme Court agreed to review it, but the Supreme Courts ruling might have vast implications for labor relations, and for a conservative assault on the administrative state generally. IANAL, but at the request of alert reader square coats, Ill do my best to review the issues involved. (Note that the Washington State-based Glacier Concrete d/b/a CalPortland is not a nice company at all; here they are losing a wage theft case in 2019). Here is the Supreme Court docket (No. 21-1449) and Glacier Northwests petition for a writ of certiorari; here is the Washington Supreme Court ruling that Glacier appealed. First, Ill set the context by looking at current labor actions in Washington state. Then Ill briefly look at the 2017 incident that sparked the Glacier Northwest lawsuit. After that, Ill look at the lawsuit itself, and Jones Day, Glacier Northwests lawfirm. Ill conclude by looking at implications of a Supreme Court ruling against the Teamsters, and some larger implications for the conservative assault on the administrative state.

To begin, Seattles concrete firms (of which Glacier is one) have been hit with a round of strikes in 2022, driven by Teamsters Local 174. From the Guardian, Seattles concrete workers strike over low wages and unfair labor practices:

Seattle, which has the second most construction cranes of any city in the US and has been leading the countrys construction boom since the pandemic hit. Hundreds of contractors have been laid off as construction projects have ground to a halt or been forced to reduce operations without concrete, and layoffs are expected to continue as the strike drags on.

Among other effects, the strike halted construction of Seattle Light Rail, along with other major infrastructure projects. Employer anti-union tactics were not gentle, involving as they did assaults on workers (Judge: Seattle concrete companies intentionally drove into striking workers at picket line) and drowning the noise of demonstrators on picket lines with air compressors.

Glacier Concrete was involved in these 2021 strikes too. From Kim Kelly, Concrete Actions Toward Worker Power:

More than a century later, another Seattle strike began on December 3, 2021, after contract negotiations broke down between the Teamsters bargaining committee and a representative of the five companiesCadman Materials, Inc., CalPortland [Glacier Concrete], Lehigh Cement, Salmon Bay Sand and Gravel Company, and Stoneway Concretethat control the sand and gravel industry. Cadman and Lehigh are both owned by German construction giants Heidelberg Cement Group, while CalPortland is owned by the Japanese Taiheiyo Cement Corporation. Meanwhile, the entire $23 billion Seattle-area construction industry is feeling the strain as Local 174 continues to hold the line, because, as [Brett Gallagher, a longtime cement mixer driver and member of the bargaining committee] told me, nothing gets done without him and his coworkers. This industry is literally the foundation that every other building trade builds upon, he explained. Without concrete, none of the construction projects dotting Seattle can get off the ground, and as a result, building project after project has been delayed while the strike continues. No matter how long this strike takes, the work will keep piling up. None of that work goes away, and were gonna have to dig so hard to get out from under this mountain. It was not a decision the local took lightly, to go out on strike.

The outcome was a happy one[1] for the Teamsters: Teamsters Make Gains by Ratifying New Concrete Agreement:

More than a year after their contract expired, Teamsters Local 174 members in the King County concrete industry have voted to ratify a strong new agreement. The contract closes out a long period of labor unrest, including a nearly five-month unfair labor practice (ULP) strike and countless one-day ULP walkouts by Teamsters as employers refused to bargain in good faith. The new agreement protects more than 225 concrete workers at Cadman, CalPortland, Salmon Bay Sand and Gravel, and Stoneway Concrete through 2025. Most of the memberships top priorities are resolved, including medical coverage for active employees, pension increases, and new rules to solve workplace issues. More than three quarters of voting concrete workers ratified the deal.

So, theres a history of strong labor action in the Seattle area (going all the way back to the general strike of 1919, as Kelly points out). I mean, you can see why management would be in a constant state of tickitude. Its no surprise, therefore, that incidents like the one that gave rise to Glacier Northwest v. Teamsters arose; every labor action has an opposite management reaction, and the two are not necessarily equal. We turn now to the 2017 incident as described in BallotPedia. The drivers stopped working with cement still in their trucks; Glacier Northwest argues this destroyed the concrete (their property, hence their tort suit):

Glacier Northwest Inc. (Glacier), also known as CalPortland, sells and transfers ready-mix concrete to businesses in Washington. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 174 serves as the labor union representative for truck drivers employed by Glacier in King County. On August 11, 2017, while Glacier and the truck drivers were negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement, the drivers went on strike and stopped working, resulting in the loss of some of Glaciers concrete . Glacier alleged that Local 174 had the drivers purposely time the strike in order to destroy the concrete.

The Teamsters argue that in fact they did not. (Although the facts themselves are not at issue after the Supreme Court granted the writ, we might as well know what happened.) The Teamsters write in their brief in oppposition to Glacier Northwests Petition:

As Glacier would have it, this case involves a union . . . intentionally destroying an employers property in the course of a labor dispute. Pet. i. Nothing could be further from the truth. The labor dispute in question was a strike by cement truck drivers and the property was concrete contained in some of the trucks at the beginning of the strike. The striking drivers returned their trucks to Glaciers yard and left them running precisely so that the concrete would not harden. By so doing, the strikers not only safeguarded Glaciers trucks but they allowed the Company to use the concrete as it saw fit . Glacier decided to dispose of the concrete because it had failed to arrange for replacement workers or additional management personnel, notwithstanding the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement and its no-strike clause. Glacier could have delivered the concrete to customers had it arranged for those contingencies.

Although I agree that leaving the cement in the trucks while the trucks were running is a massively ****-busting move  not unknown in labor relations in the Seattle area  I buy the Teamsters argument that all Glacier Northwest had to do was get some scabs to keep the cement-filled barrels turning. However, this is not relevant to the point of law involved.

Lets now turn to the point of law involved. From Bloomberg, Justices to Mull Labor Law Preemption of Property Damage Claims:

The US Supreme Court agreed to review whether federal labor law overrides common-law claims against unions for allegedly destroying employers property during labor disputes. The justices on Monday granted ready-mix concrete supplier Glacier Northwest Inc.s request to overturn a Washington Supreme Court ruling that threw out the companys tort claims against an International Brotherhood of Teamsters affiliate. The company accused the union of coordinating with truck drivers to time their strike so mixed concrete would harden and go to waste [but see above]. The case deals with the boundaries of National Labor Relations Act preemption under the Supreme Courts 1959 decision in San Diego Building Trades Council v. Garmon, which blocks state and local regulation of activities that the NLRA protects or prohibits. The Washington Supreme Court ruled that the strike arguably was protected by federal labor law, the Teamsters affiliate said in its brief. The National Labor Relations Board will decide whether the strike was actually protected, the union said.

To quote the decision of the Washington State Supreme Court:

We conclude the NLRA preempts Glaciers tort claims related to the loss of its concrete product because that loss was incidental to a strike arguably protected by federal law.

Its easy to see that if the NLRA does not preempt tort claims, every labor union that strikes will get nibbled to death by frivolous tort claims, and defending against them will deplete union treasuries. Its also very hard to to what once was the moderate Roberts court agreeing to hear the case if they didnt want to limit unions power to strike (not to mention their more expansive agenda which we will get to). And its also easy to see how the right to sue for damage to property could very easily be expanded to, well, just about anything. Farfetching here, but perhaps not: We all know Google gives its programmers free and excellent food to keep them at their desks. What if the food service workers strike, and Google sues their union for interfering with its ability to create intellectual property?

Sidebar: Here is an excellent TikTok (sorry!) from Connor Lewis (@uniondad), explaining the pre-emption issue:

(I cant figure out how to stop TikTok from looping, so if you sense that the video has gone beyond 2:58, stop it manually.) End sidebar.

Union advocates should also be concerned that Glacier Northwest is being represented before the Supreme Court by Jones Day, a vicious, brutal, and effective union-busting law firm. From the Columbia Journalism Review, A law firm in the trenches against media unions:

With more than 2,500 lawyers on staff, offices in 18 US cities, and 25 more offices internationally, Jones Day is one of the largest law firms in the world. At a time when uncertain market forces have driven more and more newsrooms to organize, Jones Day has become notorious for aggressive anti-union tactics that journalists and union leaders say have helped downgrade media union contracts and carve employee benefits to the bone. Negotiations where Jones Day is at the table are uglier than anything else we see, says Robert Struckman, president of the Washington-Baltimore News Guild, under which multiple publications are organized, including the Post. Negotiations are always hard, but theyre not always ugly. Jones Day makes the process ugly.

And:

Jones Days approach often goes beyond serving the pragmatic needs of client companies, he adds, to the point that it seems ideologically anti-union. With each new contract negotiation, the firms lawyers seem to be pushing the ball forward for their own sake, he says. If a specific stipulation brings benefits to a new low at one company, it is likely that Jones Day lawyers will portray them in subsequent negotiations with other companies as the new industry standard.

But Jones-Day has bigger fish to gut, fry, and consume than unions. From the New York Times, How a Corporate Law Firm Led a Political Revolution[2]:

For much of its history, Jones Day was a juggernaut in the field of corporate litigation. A global goliath with more than 40 offices and about 2,500 lawyers, it raked in billions a year in fees from tobacco, opioid, gun and oil companies, among many other giant corporations in need of a state-of-the-art defense. More than most of its competitors, the firm had an army of litigators who had perfected the art of exploiting tiny legal wrinkles, of burying outmatched opponents in paperwork and venue changes and procedural minutiae. But over the past two decades, Jones Day has been building a different kind of legal practice, one dedicated not just to helping Republicans win elections but to helping them achieve their political aims once in office. Chief among those aims was dismantling what Don McGahn  the Jones Day partner who helped run Trumps campaign and then became his White House counsel  disparagingly referred to as the administrative state. To do that, the firm was bringing all the ruthless energy and creativity of corporate law to the political realm.

As we can easily see, nuking the power of the NLRB would fit neatly into this larger agenda (besides irking the unions, always a plus). Jones Day, unsurprisingly, will find support for this agenda on the Court. From Bloomberg, Gorsuch v. the Administrative State Is Really Heating Up:

In the 6-3 OSHA decision, Gorsuch wrote a separate concurrence with a separate purpose. He didnt just reject the claim by the administration of President Joe Biden that a workplace mandate could be imposed under OSHAs power to regulate occupational safety, as the majority did. He said something fundamental about the Constitution and what it allows Congress to do when allocating power to any administrative agency. According to Gorsuch, the right question to ask, in considering whether an agency has power to do something, is not merely whether Congress has passed a statute that authorizes it. The right question is whether the Constitution allows Congress to delegate broad power at all. The traditional Supreme Court answer to that question has two parts. First, the court said in 1928 that when Congress delegates power to an agency, it must articulate an intelligible principle to limit the agencys actions. Second, in a 1935 decision striking down a key part of President Franklin Roosevelts New Deal, the court added, Congress is not permitted to abdicate or to transfer to others the essential legislative functions with which it is thus vested. For more than three-quarters of a century, the justices have interpreted their own words generously, to maximize the powers that Congress is allowed to give to the agencies that regulate the air we breathe, the water we drink and the safety of our workplaces, among many other functions . The court has treated almost any words used by Congress as satisfying the intelligible-principle requirement. And the justices have allowed Congress to delegate enormous lawmaking powers without saying that the delegation counted as an impermissible transfer of essential legislative functions. Gorsuch, Alito and Thomas want to give new vitality and force to these two requirements, to scale back radically what Congress is constitutionally permitted to allow agencies to do. The key line of the Gorsuch opinion reads: If the statutory subsection the agency cites really did endow OSHA with the power it asserts, that law would likely constitute an unconstitutional delegation of legislative authority.

Perhaps Glacier Concrete will serve as the pretext for Gorsuch et al. to interpret the words of the Court less generously with respect not only to the NLRB, but for all Federal agencies. Such an outcome would be wondefully clarifying; after all, the dark side of the administrative state is  no surprise here  the PMC performing their usual gatekeeping functions. Richard Trumka wrote in Why Labor Law Had Failed (1987), on the pre-emption issue:

This is the world I envision: the world without preemption and the expert agency. It is a world of struggle within the political and social arenas and of jury trials in the legal arena. We do not need an expert agency anymore. It only hurts labor and working people . I say abolish the Act. Abolish the affirmative protections of labor that it promises but does not deliver as well as the secondary boycott provisions that hamstring labor at every turn. Deregulate. Labor lawyers will then go to juries and not to that gulag of section 7 rights-the Reagan NLRB. Unions will no longer foster the false expectations attendant to the use of the Board processes and will be compelled to make more fundamental appeals to workers. These appeals will inevitably have social and political dimensions beyond the workplace. That is the price we pay, as a society, for perverting the dream of the progressives and abandoning the rule of law in labor relations. I have a profound faith in the judiciary and jury system as it exists at common law. It has been the enduring bulwark against biased decisionmaking by experts. The Board has transformed itself into a bureaucratic mechanism for defeating the rights of workers. Let unions get political, let unions get involved in the selection of state court judges, let labor law cases go to the jury .

We shall see. To the extent Glacier Concrete gets covered at all, well see whether Trumkas perspective is shared. Especially by the Teamsters![3]

NOTES

[1] I realize that this quote is in essence a union management press release, and that more militant members may feel a better contract was possible. Still, Most of the memberships top priorities are resolved.

[2] From the article lead: the international law firm of Jones Day, best known for representing Donald Trumps presidential campaigns. Youd think that would be enough to get some tribal juices flowing on Glacier Northwest v. Teamsters, but that would involve reinforcing the bargaining power of [ugh] workers, so no, not today. Note the URL: jones-day-trump, implying that the headline was nobbled by an editor.

[3] The role of the PEB raises similar issues for railway unions.
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.

* * *

Laughter is vital Aeon

This miracle plant was eaten into extinction 2,000 years agoor was it? National Geographic

R** And The Funniest Thing Youll Read All Week Heisenberg Report

Too Many Satellites: Astronomers Voice Concern Over Second-Gen Starlink PC Magazine

What Einstein and Bohrs debate over quantum entanglement taught us about reality Big Think

Climate

Chiles Easter Island Moai statues face irreparable damage after wildfire Reuters

#COVID19

China?

European Disunion

People in Poland Are Burning Trash to Stay Warm This Winter Bloomberg

Dear Old Blighty

New Not-So-Cold War

Are You The General Of Carl von Clausewitzs Dreams? Take This Quiz To Find Out! Defector

The Caribbean

Venezuela Wants Cash in Reboot of Caribbean Oil-for-Beans Pact Bloomberg. Commentary; For the context that outlets like @business never provide: PetroCaribe was launched in 2005 by Hugo Chavez. It provided 17 Caribean nations w/ oil on favorable payment plans, often in exchange for food or other products. It was a great step for a region plagued by US imperialism pic.twitter.com/3UMxkRUN8K  venezuelanalysis.com (@venanalysis) October 8, 2022

Biden Administration

US purchases $290 million of drug for use in radiological and nuclear emergencies The Hill. Sending a message?

#SmithfieldTrial: The Most Absurd Miscarriage of Justice Youve Never Heard Of Hadar Aviram

Healthcare

Police State Watch

Our Famously Free Press

The News is Just Guesswork Now Matt Taibbi, TK News. A media critique of this Times piece: U.S. Believes Ukrainians Were Behind an Assassination in Russia: Along with the strings of phrases about how that the U.S. wasnt happy about Ukraines aggressive covert operations (took no part, would have opposed had they been consulted, admonished, etc) came a passage promising that despite this, there have been no known changes in the provision of intelligence, military and diplomatic support to Mr. Zelenskys government. Taken altogether, you can read this as a thinly veiled hint, as in: Hey, stop whacking people outside Ukraine, or well cut off all the Javelins. That makes some sense, but then youre right back to the first and most glaring fact of the article. You can threaten Zelensky with the yanking of weapons shipments all you want, in private. Why do so publicly, while also announcing to the world that Ukraine engaged in cross-border assassination? Food riots any day now, corruption like there was no tomorrow, no one can live on his salary, fortunes being made, and the place bleeding to death. [T]he embassy is a nuthouse, more spooks than straight guys and all pretending theyve got a secret. How long do you give it? A week. Ten years.' John LeCarre, The Honourable Schoolboy, of Phnom Penh during the Vietnam war. Or?

Tech

How John Deere plans to build a world of fully autonomous farming by 2030 CNBC

The Bezzle

Realignment and Legitimacy

How Hitlers Enablers Undid Democracy In Germany The Atlantic. Somehow the role of German industrialists and the Social Democrats in enabling the rise of Hitler always gets overlooked in think pieces like this.

Imperial Collapse Watch

Class Warfare

The 40-Year Robbing of Rural America In These Times

Where Is All The Book Data? Public Books

More than a piece of furniture: it is sometimes as if these old pianos have souls The Conversation

Antidote du jour (via):

I am here for geckos. Bonus antidote:

Nothing else matters but the gecko in the window pic.twitter.com/KnARfk1Bd7  quantifiably bitchy (@cultmenephila) October 3, 2022

More a meta-gecko, I grant. All the gecko action takes place off-stage.

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Lambert here: That great progressive, Woodrow Wilson, was quite a character.

By Adam Hochschild, who teaches at the Graduate School of Journalism, University of California at Berkeley. He is the author of 11 books, including King Leopolds Ghost and Spain in Our Hearts: Americans in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. His latest book is American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracys Forgotten Crisis. Originally published at TomDispatch.

Donald Trump has had the urge to crush many things, including the last election. So I must admit I found it eerily amusing that, when the FBI entered his estate at Mar-a-Lago recently, they did so under a warrant authorized by the Espionage Act of 1917. History certainly has a strange way of returning in our world and also of crushing alternatives. Whatever Trump did, that act has a sorry track record in both its own time and ours when it has been used, including by his administration, to silence the leakers of government information. And because my latest book, American Midnight: The Great War, A Violent Peace, and Americas Forgotten Crisis, is about the crushing of alternatives a century ago in this country, in the midst of all this, I couldnt help thinking about a part of our history that The Donald would undoubtedly have been the first to crush, if he had the chance.

But let me start with a personal event closer to the present. While visiting Denmark recently, I developed an infection in my hand and wanted to see a doctor. The hotel in the provincial city where I was staying directed me to a local hospital. I was quickly shown into a consulting room, where a nurse questioned me and told me to wait. Only a few minutes passed before a physician entered the room, examined me, and said in excellent English, yes, indeed, I did need an antibiotic. He promptly swiveled in his chair, opened a cabinet behind him, took out a bottle of pills, handed it to me, and told me to take two a day for 10 days. When I thanked him and asked where I should go to pay for the consultation and the medicine, he responded simply, We have no facilities for that.

No facilities for that.

Its a phrase that comes back to me every time Im reminded how, in the worlds richest nation, we still dont have full national health insurance. And thats far from the only thing were missing. In a multitude of ways, were known for having a far weaker social safety net than many other wealthy countries and behind that lies a history in which the Espionage Act played a crucial role.

A Danish friend who visited with me recently was appalled to find hundreds of homeless people living in tent encampments in Berkeley and Oakland, California. And mind you, this is a progressive, prosperous state. The poor are even more likely to fall through the cracks (or chasms) in many other states.

Visitors from abroad are similarly astonished to discover that American families regularly pay astronomical college tuitions out of their own pockets. And its not only well-off European countries that do better in providing for their citizenry. The average Costa Rican, with one-sixth the annual per capita income of his or her North American counterpart, will live two years longer, thanks largely to that countrys comprehensive national health care system.

Why hasnt our country done better, compared to so many others? There are certainly many reasons, not least among them the relentless, decades-long propaganda barrage from the American right, painting every proposed strengthening of public health and welfare  from unemployment insurance to Social Security to Medicare to Obamacare  as an ominous step down the road to socialism.

This is nonsense, of course, since the classic definition of socialism is public ownership of the means of production, an agenda item not on any imaginable American political horizon. In another sense, though, the charge is historically accurate because, both here and abroad, significant advances in health and welfare have often been spearheaded by socialist parties.

The globes first national healthcare system, in Imperial Germany, was, for example, muscled through the Reichstag by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck in 1883 precisely to outflank the German socialists, who had long been advocating similar measures. Nor was it surprising that Britains National Health Service was installed by the Labour Party when it took power after the Second World War.

And in the United States, early in the last century, some of President Theodore Roosevelts modest moves to regulate business and break up trusts were, in fact, designed to steal a march on this countrys socialists, whom he feared, as he wrote to a friend, were far more ominous than any populist or similar movement in times past.

Back then  however surprising it may seem today  the American Socialist Party was indeed part of our political reality and, in 1904, it had come out in favor of compulsory national health insurance. A dozen years after that, New York Socialist Congressman Meyer London introduced a bill strikingly similar to the Obama administrations Affordable Care Act of more than a century later. In 1911, another socialist congressman, Victor Berger of Wisconsin, proposed a national old-age pension, a goal that wouldnt be realized for another quarter of a century with the passage of the Social Security Act of 1935.

Socialism was never as strong a movement in the United States as in so many other countries. Still, once it was at least a force to be reckoned with. Socialists became mayors of cities as disparate as Milwaukee, Pasadena, Schenectady, and Toledo. Party members held more than 175 state and local offices in Oklahoma alone. People commonly point to 1912 as the partys high-water mark. That year, its candidate for president, Eugene V. Debs, won 6% of the popular vote, even running ahead of the Republican candidate in several states.

Still, the true peak of American socialisms popularity came a few years later. The charismatic Debs decided not to run again in 1916, mistakenly accepting President Woodrow Wilsons implied promise to keep the United States out of the First World War  something most Socialists cared about passionately. In April 1917, Wilson infuriated them by bringing the country into what had been, until then, primarily a European conflict, while cracking down fiercely on dissidents who opposed his decision. That fall, however, the Socialists made impressive gains in municipal elections, winning more than 20% of the vote in 14 of the countrys larger cities  more than 30% in several of them  and 10 seats in the New York State Assembly.

During that campaign, Wilson was particularly dismayed by the partys popularity in New York City, where Socialist lawyer Morris Hillquit was running for mayor. The president asked his conservative Texan attorney general, Thomas Gregory, what could be done about Hillquits outrageous utterances against the war. Gregory responded that he feared prosecuting Hillquit would enable him to pose as a martyr and would be likely to increase his voting strength. I am having my representatives in New York City watch the situation rather carefully, and if a point is reached where he can be proceeded against it will give me a great deal of pleasure. Hillquit lost, but did get 22% of the vote.

Jubilant Socialists knew that if they did equally well in the 1918 midterm elections, their national vote total could for the first time rise into the millions. For Wilson, whose Democrats controlled the House of Representatives by the narrowest of margins, the possibility of Socialists gaining the balance of power there was horrifying. And so, already at war in Europe, his administration in effect declared war on the Socialists at home as well, using as its primary tool Wilsons sweeping criminalization of dissent, the new 1917 Espionage Act. The toll would be devastating.

The Governments Axe Falls

Already the partys most popular woman, the fiery Kansas-born orator Kate Richards OHare  known as Red Kate for her politics and her mass of red hair  had been sentenced to five years under the Espionage Act for speaking out against the war. Still free on appeal, OHare, who knew the hardships of farm life firsthand and had run for both the House and the Senate, continued to draw audiences in the thousands when she spoke in the prairie states. Before long, however, her appeal was denied and she was sent to the Jefferson City, Missouri, penitentiary, where she found herself in the adjoining cell to anarchist firebrand Emma Goldman. The two would become lifelong friends.

In 1918, the government went after Debs. The pretext was a speech he had given from a park bandstand in Canton, Ohio, following a state convention of his beleaguered party. They have always taught you that it is your patriotic duty to go to war and to have yourselves slaughtered at their command, he told the crowd. But in all the history of the world you, the people, never had a voice in declaring war.

That was more than enough. Two weeks later, he was indicted and swiftly brought before a federal judge who just happened to be the former law firm partner of President Wilsons secretary of war. At that trial, Debs spoke words that would long be quoted:

Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest of the earth. I said then, I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; while there is a criminal element, I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.

Spectators gasped as the judge pronounced sentence on the four-time presidential candidate: a fine of $10,000 and 10 years in prison. In the 1920 election, he would still be in the federal penitentiary in Atlanta when he received more than 900,000 votes for president.

The government didnt merely prosecute luminaries like OHare and Debs however. It also went after rank-and-file party members, not to mention the former Socialist candidates for governor in Minnesota, New Jersey, and South Dakota, as well as state Socialist Party secretaries from at least four states and a former Socialist candidate for Congress from Oklahoma. Almost all of them would be sentenced under the Espionage Act for opposing the war or the draft.

Not faintly content with this, the Wilson administration would attack the Socialists on many other fronts as well. There were then more than 100 socialist dailies, weeklies, and monthlies and the Espionage Act gave Wilsons postmaster general, segregationist Albert Burleson of Texas, the power to deem such publications unmailable. Before long, Burleson would bar from the mail virtually the entire socialist press, which, in the prewar years, had a combined circulation of two million. A few dailies, which did not need the Post Office to reach their readers, survived, but for most of them such a banning was a death blow.

The government crippled the socialist movement in many less formal ways as well. For instance, Burlesons post office simply stopped delivering letters to and from the partys Chicago headquarters and some of its state and local offices. The staff of a socialist paper in Milwaukee typically noticed that they were failing to receive business correspondence. Even their mail subscriptions to the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune were no longer arriving. Soon advertising income began to dry up. In the midst of this, Oscar Ameringer, a writer for the paper, called on a longtime supporter, a baker who had suddenly stopped buying ads. According to Ameringer, the man slumped down in a chair, covered his eyes and, with tears streaming through his fingers, sobbed, My God, I cant help itThey told me if I didnt take my advertising out they would refuse me flour, sugar and coal.

Also taking their cues from the administration in that wartime assault were local politicians and vigilantes who attacked socialist speakers or denied them meeting halls. After progressives and labor union members staged an antiwar march on the Boston Common, for example, vigilantes raided the nearby Socialist Party office, smashed its doors and windows, and threw furniture, papers, and the suitcase of a traveling activist out the shattered windows onto a bonfire.

In January 1918, the mayor of Mitchell, South Dakota, ordered the partys state convention broken up and all delegates expelled from town. One party leader was seized on the streets by five unknown men and hustled into an automobile in which he was driven five miles from town, a local newspaper reported. There he was set out upon the prairie and told to proceed afoot to his home in Parkston [an 18-mile walk] and warned not to return.

The Big What if? Question

The Socialists were far from alone in suffering the wave of repression that swept the country in Wilsons second term. Other targets included the labor movement, the countrys two small rival Communist parties, and thousands of radicals who had never become American citizens and were targeted for deportation. But among all the victims, no organization was more influential than the Socialist Party. And it never recovered.

When Debs took to the road again after finally being released from prison in 1921, he was often, at the last minute, denied venues he had booked. In Cleveland, the City Club canceled its invitation; in Los Angeles, the only place he could speak was at the city zoo. Still, he had an easier time than the socialist writer Upton Sinclair who, when he began giving a speech in San Pedro, California, in 1923, was arrested while reading the First Amendment aloud.

By the time Debs died in 1926, the party that had once elected 33 state legislators, 79 mayors, and well over 1,000 city council members and other municipal officials had closed most of its offices and was left with less than 10,000 members nationwide. Kate Richards OHare wrote to her friend Emma Goldman, who had been deported from the United States in 1919, that she felt herself a sort of political orphan now with no place to lay my head.

Despite their minority status, the Socialists had been a significant force in American politics before patriotic war hysteria brought on an era of repression. Until then, Republican and Democratic legislators had voted for early-twentieth-century reform measures like child labor laws and the income tax in part to stave off demands from the Socialist Party for bigger changes.

If that party had remained intact instead of being so ruthlessly crushed, what more might they have voted for? This remains one of the biggest what ifs in American history. If the Socialist Party hadnt been so hobbled, might it at least have pushed the mainstream ones into creating the sort of stronger social safety net and national health insurance systems that people today take for granted in countries like Canada or Denmark? Without the Espionage Act, might Donald Trump have been left to rot at Mar-a-Lago in a world in which so much might have been different?

The last time you tried to pay a medical bill, might you, in fact, have been told, We have no facilities for that?
(Natural News) The U.S. is being sold to the global elites, according to investigative journalist George Webb.

I think its always troubling for an American who believes in our country to be talking about these people who are selling us out to these elites. This isnt conspiracy theory that these folks that are running our government are making these side deals and deals for their leads, for their pet projects, Webb told host Jeffrey Prather during an episode of Prather Point on Brighteon.TV.

Webb added that America and its people are being sold at events like the World Economic Forum in Davos, the G7 meeting and the World Health Organization (WHO) conference in Geneva. (Related: The ruling elites and the governments they control have shown conclusively that they are against us, the people.)

I saw the selling out firsthand with my own eyes. I heard the side discussions all week I was there, and we are not dreaming this up, Webb said. He added that Americans need to figure out a way to fight back. Webb also said he is going to use helpful information to bring the truth about what is really happening.

Prather lauded Webb along with fellow investigative journalists Michael Yon and Lara Logan for doing great work in using fifth generation war or information influence operations to get the truth out and influence people.

Russia waging an all-out war against Ukraine

The retired Special Operations Command (SOCOM) soldier mentioned that Russia is now waging an all-out war by calling up its reserves and Putin has already given up on their special military operation of demilitarization and denazification because he has now realized that Ukraine is a puppet of the U.S. and NATO.

Prather, who is also a former intelligence officer, said that according to Yons assessment the coming winter will start the dark and cold time of Europe with famine happening in the European continent and America.

Webb also gave his assessment for Europe and America in the coming years.

According to the investigative journalist, he doesnt like are the manufactured crises and false flags that are happening in Europe. He noted that the crisis is pushing people to the edge of becoming homeless, cold and hungry.

Webb mentioned that Americans are also headed to a crisis point  and it could be a manufactured crisis. He lamented the fact that the countrys bio sector has been undermined horribly by a bunch of insiders who were wiring the vaccine bids for themselves and stealing other peoples intellectual property to get rich with a lockdown.

The investigative journalist also related that he is waiting for the energy and reconstruction deals for Ukraine to happen with an American politician not named Pete Buttigieg representing the U.S. at the table.

It all boils down to leadership in the U.S. government. Webb is hoping that the coming midterm elections will bring a majority of conservative people on the intelligence committee of Congress, who will start asking important questions.

However, Prather noted that those currently running the American government are not going to allow any free elections  and that this is going to be a crisis inflection point.

Follow Globalism.news for more news related to the global elites.

Watch the September 30 episode of Prather Point below. Catch new episodes of Prather Point every Friday at 10 a.m. and every Saturday at 7 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

Putin declares victory over New World Order: Change of elites coming because humanity has woken up.

New Italian prime minister puts globalist elite on notice, says her people are taking country back from New World Order.

Jeffrey Prather: Ukraine is the biolab for fifth-generation warfare and global inflection point for Great Reset  Brighteon.TV.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

JeffreyPrather.com
MOTSHANE  A meeting that was punctuated with high emotions and serious allegations of abuse, ended with laughter and reconciliation after the intervention of the Ludzidzini Council at the Nduma Royal Kraal yesterday.

The meeting had been convened at the request of the Ludzidzini Council, following an internal squabble which had led to the royal kraal being operated by two inner councils running parallel to each other. The dispute had also led to some casting doubt on the legitimacy of a decision to identify Mangaliso Shongwe as the next chief to succeed the late Chief Sipho Shongwe. The Ludzidzini Council, led by its Chairman Chief Mdlaka Gamedze, met with all the disputing factions in a rondavel and mediated on the disagreement between the ruling clan (bantfwa benkhosi baka Shongwe). Also forming part of the Ludzidzini Council delegation were former Cabinet Ministers Hlobisile Ndlovu, and Mathendele Dlamini, former Correctional Services Commissioner Mnguni Simelane, Ncumbi Maziya and Chief Mabuza.

The late chiefs mother, Princess Salaphi, told the delegation that she was living a sorrowful life at the royal kraal, because she had been isolated by the committee, led by her brother-in-law Jim Shongwe and Michael Shongwe. She accused them of having locked a house that she was supposed to use, to the extent that she could not use a bathtub anymore. She also said the committee had taken a cow from the royal kraals herd without her permission. Princess Salaphi further accused some members of the Shongwe family of having called her names whenever she confronted them about the affairs of the royal kraal. They broke a window in one house belonging to Princess Mnengwase and further gained entrance, after which they changed the locks in order to stop me from accessing the house, she said. The princess also said she was bitter that she had not been involved in important decisions touching on the welfare of the royal kraal, such as the appointment of the candidate for the chieftaincy seat.

opposing

She further informed the committee that the faction opposing her had polluted the people of Motshane not to listen to her, saying ningabosilalela lesalukati (dont listen to the old woman). She alleged that Jim had also made a court application to remove her from the affairs of the royal kraal. Speaking about the decision to install the new chief, Princess Salaphi said it was tantamount to feeding the King with an uncooked meal (badlisa Inkhosi inhlata). She was supported by Stefana Shongwe, one of her brothers-in-law, who also said he had been called by the liaison officer (ndabazabantu) to the Mbabane Police Station, where he tried to set the record straight about the rightful authorities to man the affairs of the royal kraal. He warned that if the dispute was to be resolved, the Shongwe family tree should be taken into consideration. You cannot speak about the current kingship without referring to other kings that have ruled before him, he said.

Meanwhile, Jim refuted allegations against him saying, he respected Princess Salaphi, even though she had taken him to court accusing him of harassment. Jim said every decision that was taken for the well-being of the royal kraal was done in good faith with all the houses of Chief Mbetsambalwa being involved. Chief Mbetsambalwa is the father to the late Chief Sipho Shongwe. Michael Shongwe said Chief Sipho Shongwe had four wives; namely, Make LaMhawu wase Mdumezulu, Make LaMagenwane of Enyakeni then Make LaMakhosikhosi of Mbelebeleni and Make LaLitchfield of Malutha. Amongst these women, it was found that Make LaMakhosikhosi of Mbelebeleni was the most qualifying for the selection of an heir to the throne because of her bloodline. I am relating this story to dispute the allegation that we are feeding the King an uncooked meal, he said. Shongwe said all due consultations were also done before identifying the rightful heir. The Ludzidzini Council managed to bring all parties to dialogue on the concerns raised during the meeting.

apologised

Those who felt they had erred against others voluntarily apologised. Grandchildren of Chief Mbetsambalwa were then asked by the committee to leave the meeting, and the media followed suit. However, at the end the meeting the disputing families shook hands and enjoyed a meal together. Chief Mdlaka, however, declined to be interviewed on the issue, saying he had a mandate to report to his superiors. There is nothing I can say to the media at this point, he said. It remains to be seen if the Nduma Royal Kraal will be included in the list of identified chiefs, who will be blessed by the Ingwenyama before the start of the Incwala Ceremony this year.
(Natural News) Some 140 million people in Bangladesh are without power after the nations power grid collapsed on October 4.

Nearly the entire country, the AFP News Agency reported, suffered a blackout due to the collapse. Officials from the state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) said a power transmission failure in the eastern part of the country tripped power plants nationwide, cutting off power to the entire country, including the capital city of Dhaka.

BPDB official Shameem Hasan announced that engineers are investigating glitches in the power system. There have apparently been serious problems with the Bangladesh electricity grid for several months now.

As usual, Russias invasion of Ukraine is taking the blame. Energy prices are rising, along with food prices. And this, we are told, has wrought havoc on Bangladeshs electricity grid in recent months, with utilities struggling to source enough diesel and gas to meet demand.

A depreciating currency and dwindling foreign exchange reserves left Bangladesh unable to import sufficient fossil fuels, forcing it to close diesel plants and leave some gas-fired power stations idle, reports further add. (Related: The transition to green energy is also weakening Americas power grid.)

What will become of Bangladeshs clothing industry?

Keep in mind that Bangladesh is one of the worlds largest garment exporters after China. If energy problems there continue, the rest of the world could lose a large segment of the clothing market.

Bangladesh is also an emerging outsourcing destination for business operations such as call centers. If those are lost, multinational corporations will have to choose another country to exploit.

Most important of all are the people of Bangladesh whose lives are now at risk due to the unstable energy situation across the country.

Coming soon to Western countries, wrote a commenter about the turmoil that Bangladesh faces due to the escalating energy crisis.

These are World Economic Forum trial runs, added another. October is looking to be full of excitement. Get your kettle-cooked popcorn over a campfire ready!

Others pointed out that shifting power grid conditions can be disastrous for electronics like kitchen appliances, mobile phones, and even electric cars. Should similar unexpected blackouts occur here in the West, people will want to make sure that their electronics are surge-protected.

Drop in voltage and frequency tends to fry electronic components, one of them wrote. That is why grid operators do rolling blackouts instead of uncontrolled brownouts.

Another commenter wrote that a similar situation occurred in Utah back in the 1980s. Claiming to have worked for Utah Power and Light (UP&L) at the time, this person says the situation in Bangladesh is surprisingly easy to have happen.

A big generator trips offline, now the load is too high, a bunch of load trips offline, now theres too much generation, more generators trip, and in a cascade taking only seconds, youve lost everything, he writes.

Bringing it back up is a matter of delicately balancing load and generation as you rebuild the network. And thats if nothing fried. UP&L dropped it once while they were bringing it back and had to start over, but eventually they got it.

Hear that? Its the sound of one hundred million sewing machines sitting idle, wrote another about how no more garments can be made in Bangladesh without power.

Another rewrote the words to the famous John Lennon song Imagine to reflect the current energy crisis in Bangladesh and around the world:

Imagine no more electricity.

I wonder if you can.

Imagine all the people

Livin life in darkness.

More related news coverage about the global energy crisis can be found at Collapse.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A district attorney (DA) in California warned that shoplifting in the Golden State is now out of control due to soft-on-crime policies that essentially meted out zero punishments for perpetrators.

El Dorado County DA Vern Pierson issued this warning during an episode of California Insider on EpochTV. While property crimes including shoplifting are illegal, certain laws passed at the state level under the guise of criminal justice reform allow these crimes to go undeterred. Pierson cited two laws  Proposition 47 and Proposition 57  that enable these illegal activities to continue.

Passed by voters in 2014, Proposition 47 downgraded certain thefts and drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. It also permitted currently imprisoned felons to petition for re-sentencing under the new classifications. Those who have already served their prison terms can also have their past convictions reclassified as misdemeanors.

Proposition 47s most well-known statute raised the minimum amount of stolen goods for a felony classification from $400 to $950. This statute, critics argued, was the main cause of a sudden increase in petty theft across California.

The practical reality is that most retailers have learned if they call law enforcement for a theft of less than $950, [police officers] will not respond, remarked Pierson. If they respond at most, what they will do is issue a citation [for court appearance]. The DA added that most theft suspects do not show up in court as there are little no consequences.

Because of this, most businesses in the Golden State have a policy that prevents employees from reporting low-level property crimes. Some stores, Pierson added, completely stopped reporting petty theft altogether as police cant do much. To make things worse, Proposition 47 empowered robbery suspects to sue establishments if store employees physically confront suspects while in the act. (Related: LAWLESS CHAOS: LAPD tells residents to comply with robbers as society collapses in blue cities escape while you still can.)

Were a very litigious society here in California, Pierson said. The stores and their insurance carriers really are afraid of being sued for trying to stop a crime that has little to no consequence.

California crime rate on the rise

Proposition 57, which passed in 2016, allowed certain criminals deemed non-violent to be released early. It also banned prosecutors from charging juvenile offenders as adults without a judges approval. The law also allowed adults tried for crimes committed as juveniles to appeal their sentences.

In April 2020, the Judicial Council of California removed cash bail for some defendants as an emergency measure to reduce the jail population during the pandemics early days. While this statewide zero-bail order expired in June 2022, courts still have to consider each defendants ability to pay while setting bail amounts as per a March 2021 ruling by the California Supreme Court.

The repercussions of Propositions 47 and 57 came to light by means of an October 2022 fact sheet from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), a nonpartisan research group.

According to PPIC data, statewide property crimes went up by 2.4 percent last year from 2020 figures. Sixty-three percent of property crimes in the entire Golden State were larceny thefts, 21 percent were auto thefts and 16 percent were burglaries.

Meanwhile, 37 of Californias 58 counties saw violent crime rise in 2021. Ten counties saw an increase of 20 percent or higher, with Fresno County recording a 24.1 jump in violent crimes for that year.

What weve seen in the last six or seven years is that auto burglaries and auto thefts are up dramatically, Pierson said. Thats a truer set of data for where crime actually is in California.

We have this increased lawlessness that comes from [the perception that] I can take other peoples property because nothing will happen to me.

Collapsifornia.com has more stories about the rising crime rates in the Golden State.

Watch the full California Insider interview of El Dorado County DA Vern Pierson on EpochTV below.

This video is from the high impact Flix and more!!! channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Businesses continue to shutter in San Francisco due to rampant shoplifting.

Robbing spree: Organized criminal elements hitting California luxury retailers.

USPS stops delivering mail to Santa Monica, California due to worsening crime.

L.A. is so crime-ridden and dangerous, head of police union is warning tourists to stay away.

Businesses fleeing Washington, California and New York because of crime, violence and anti-business policies.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

PPIC.org

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Are you a male interested in science-backed gender affirming surgery? Thats where surgeons create a vagina from a section of your bowels, and use tissues from your amputated penis to create a clitoris. Seattle Childrens Hospital wants everyone to know that it is their mission to do this to little boys who are confused by Leftist social media and now think they want to be a girl.

Its an all-ages show, so step right up to the 3000-mile circus (the whole Leftist gender-fluid country), and get those irreversible surgeries to affirm all that gender confusion by making life WAY more confusing. Whats most confusing is that these child-mutilating surgeons and their hospitals claim all this work is based on science, but they dont believe theres a difference between men and women, or boys and girls, such as claiming men can get pregnant. If you dont believe it, just watch Fox News tell Resident Biden all about it.

In other words, the misinformation specialists are hard at work confusing children by pretending theres no difference between males and females, while sawing off their private parts (which may never work again) to make them look like the other gender, biologically-speaking.

Seattle Childrens Hospital brags about being the only pediatric academic medical center with fellowship-trained plastic surgeons who provide gender-affirming surgery in their region, and theyre doubling down now that theyre getting lots of resistance from normal people and responsible parents in this country.

We will continue to offer evidence-based gender-affirming care because it is lifesaving care and is aligned with our mission to help every patient live their healthiest and most fulfilling life possible, they claim. Lifesaving care? Really? So the teenager was going to commit suicide if he didnt get his penis turned into a vagina, or her breasts cut off and a fake penis added to her crotch? These are unique needs of adolescents and teens, they further claim.

Non-functioning sex organs and infertility are side effects of dangerous gender-affirming surgery promoted at Seattle Childrens Hospital

Just because surgeons use a scalpel and a mask, and do the surgery adolescents are saying they want, doesnt make the procedure or results science-based or even safe. So if social media starts saying that gorilla-human-hybrids are now popular, should all the teenagers rush to the closest childrens hospital and get an apes tail permanently sewn between their buttocks?

Seattle Childrens Hospital website will do just about any kind of revision surgery on adolescents that has to do with altering gender looks, like double mastectomies, Adams apple removal, and bottom surgery. These victims of voluntary mutilation can suffer total loss of libido, proper ability to urinate, and permanent infertility.

Trying to change ones gender by undergoing dangerous surgery is not by any means lifesaving care or necessary. It also doesnt affirm the opposite gender because biologically one remains the same gender from birth to death. Its just a huge, perverted distraction from everything in this world that actually matters, like family, health, safety, and livelihood.

Still, if the insane, gender-fluid Leftists had their way, the entire country would be chock full of deformed trans-humans and it would look like the Island of Dr. Moreau, where we would all be like violent Neanderthals, having sex outside everywhere, all day, like the animals on the Discovery Channel.

Be happy with what your parents and God have given to you. Dont take things for granted, and keep those morals and ethics in tact. Tune your internet channel to Gender.news for updates on the gender-confused insane Left pushing mutilating sex surgery on kids across the nation.

Sources for this article include:

DailyCaller.com

NaturalNews.com

SeattleChildrens.org
(Natural News) The Chinese Communist Party may run China, but as an organization, it has a global reach.

That is thanks to a years-long initiative by the regime in Beijing to set up unofficial police stations in countries all over the world in order to engage in spying and illegal policing actions against Chinese citizens living abroad, according to new reports.

Police in China, in coordination with overseas association of Chinese, run by entities of the Chinese Communist Party, has established a series of overseas police service stations, in particular in Europe, says a report from the group Safeguard Defenders, a human rights NGO established in 2016. In Spain, there are 9 such stations so far uncovered. While much of their work is to simply service Chinese residents, or tourists, evidence from the Chinese government itself now shows that one station in Madrid, has been actively working with Chinese police to engage in covert and illegal policing operations in Spain.

An investigative report published last month by the organization contains five major findings:

 Between April 2021 and July 2022, Chinese police persuaded 230,000 claimed fugitives to return to China voluntarily (while admitting not all the targets have committed any crimes);

 Established Nine forbidden countries, where Chinese nationals are no longer allowed to live unless they have good reason;

 New tools for persuasion operations laid down on paper, including denying the targets children in China the right to education, and other limitations on family members, punishing those without suspicion of any wrongdoing by guilt by association (similar to the North Korean practice);

 The establishment of at least 54 police-run overseas police service centers across five continents, some of which are implicated in collaborating with Chinese police in carrying out policing operations on foreign soil (including in Spain);

 A new law adopted 2 September, going into effect 1 December, establishes full extraterritoriality over Chinese and foreigners globally for certain crimes (fraud, telecom fraud, online scams, etc.).

For this overseas operation, rather than using international police or judicial cooperation mechanisms  which provide for control mechanisms to protect the rights of the target, including the right to a fair trial and the presumption of innocence prior to judgment  official provincial statements and guidelines from the local Ministries of Public Security or Procuratorates highlight the mass use of persuasion to return methods, the report summary states.

The organization noted that in a single 15-month period, all of which occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic that China caused, hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals were returned to the mainland so they could face criminal charges through the persuasion methods. Often, those included harassment and threats to family members still living in China, or made directly to the targets living abroad through physical or online means.

Safeguard Defenders founder and director Peter Dahlin, who co-authored the report, noted in an interview with The Epoch Times that after his group released its findings, security officials or related agencies in several North American and European countries have approached the organization to sit down and have a briefing discussion on the Chinese government police operations.

So they are certainly aware of it, at least in some countries, Dahlin told the outlet.

Weve also seen a [Chinese] government notice that said that 10 different provinces should launch these types of operations on a pilot basis, he said, referencing the reports citation of a July 5, 2018, news release issued by Beijing.

So, we have two of these operations uncovered [in Fujian Province and Zhejiang Province]. There might be eight more provinces doing this that could have their own stations, and we have not been able to track down that information yet. Thats why we keep saying that  we believe and we have good reason to think that there are more [overseas Chinese police stations], he added.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

SafeguardDefenders.com
On September 8, a reporter from 100 Percent Fed Up attended The Pit, where True the Votes Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips dropped a bombshell about the arrest of Eugene Yu, CEO of Konnech, an E. Lansing, MI-based company responsible for the software used in managing elections in several states that stored personal information of over 1 million Americans in its database.

(Natural News) (Article by Patty McMurray republished from 100PercentFedUp.com)

Konnech, much like Dominion, almost immediately sued True the Vote as a way to silence them and keep them from speaking out about the bombshell information they provided to reporters at The Pit related to Konnech and the unlawful transfer of information from America to China.

Kanekoa The Great, a spectacular investigative journalist and blogger, reported about the findings of The Pit on September 8, 2022- In January 2021, Phillips said that the cyber analyst he had been working with encountered an oddity in some of the URLs such as vote4la.com, vote4detroit.com, and vote4boston.com, which Konnechs PollChief software application used to gather personally-identifying information about poll workers.

Using Binary Edge, a software product companies use to identify and assess the risk of cyber breaches, We began to look at where these URLs actually resolve to. We found that most of them resolve to one IP address and that IP address  the URL resolved in China, Phillips said.

What we also learned in our review, apps.konnech.com [.net], resolved into this same URL in China, meaning that the application itself was residing in China, he continued.

In Binary Edge, you can figure out what type of database they are using, their database port, and all the different services offered by ports in this particular application living in China. It turned out that not only did it live there, but they left the database open.

This database stored the personally identifying information of over a million Americans, he emphasized.

Engelbrecht and Phillips decided that this was a major national security risk and immediately took the information to the FBI.

According to True the Vote investigator Gregg Phillips, the FBI had already been investigating Konnech.

These were legitimate people who believed that this software posed a national security risk to the United States of America, and they were working with us closely to try to stop this from being in place during the midterms, Phillips said.

The focus point was always we needed to remove this software from the election, but taking a step further, there were a lot of other concerns that the bureau had.

Read more at: 100PercentFedUp.com
(Natural News) The former wife of Elon Musk reportedly urged the Tesla CEO to do something to fight wokeism, as revealed by text messages from Musks phone submitted as part of his lawsuit with Twitter.

Bloomberg managed to obtain and analyze these text messages between Musk and English actress Talulah Riley, his second wife. While majority of Musks exchanges with other parties involved funding, his exchanges with Riley mainly focused on politics.

Please do something to fight wokeism, she wrote in one message, promising to do anything to help.

Rileys message stemmed from the suspension of satirical news outlet Babylon Bee on Twitter.

Raiyah and I were talking about it today, she wrote, referencing a conversation with her friend Princess Raiyah bint Hussein of Jordan. It was a f***ing joke. Why has everyone become so puritanical?

Shortly after the Bees suspension, Musk posted a poll about free speech on his Twitter account.

Musk and Riley first tied the knot in 2010 and divorced two years later in 2012. They reconciled in 2013, and broke up for good in 2016 after a second divorce filed by Riley was finalized in October of that year.

In 2018, Musk became domestic partners with Canadian musician Grimes (Claire Elise Boucher)  having two children with her. Grimes later confirmed in March 2022 that she and Musk have broken up on good terms.

The texts were submitted in connection with Musks lawsuit against the social media platform. Initially purchasing the company for $44 billion, the Tesla CEO later reneged on the deal  leading to court battles. Musk eventually pushed through with his purchase of the company.

On Oct. 3, Musk informed Twitter of his intentions to push through with his acquisition of the Big Tech firm for the original offer price through a letter.

We received the letter from the Musk parties which they have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Twitter confirmed the following day. The intention of the company is to close the transaction at $54.20 per share. (Related: Elon Musk changes course, now says he plans to go through with Twitter purchase.)

Texts also reveal Musks conversations with Joe Rogan, Jack Dorsey

Aside from Riley, Musks texts also revealed conversations with podcaster Joe Rogan and former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.

I will provide advice, which they may or may not choose to follow, the Tesla CEO said in response to Rogans question about liberating Twitter from the censorship-happy mob. The host of The Joe Rogan Experience expressed hope that Musk acquires Twitter, remarking that there should be a hell of a party if the deal pushes through.

Musk also spoke with Dorsey, who established Twitter with three others in 2006, about creating an entirely new platform. The former Twitter CEO texted the tech bigwig of South African origin back in March 2022: Yes, a new platform is needed. It cant be a company. This is why I left.

I believe it must be an open source protocol, funded by a foundation of sorts that doesnt own the protocol [and] only advances it  a bit like what Signal has done, Dorsey continued. It cant have an advertising model. This isnt complicated work. It just has to be done right, so its resilient to what has happened to Twitter.

Musk texted back that he wanted to help out in this endeavor. Dorsey then divulged this interesting tidbit: He previously wanted to get the Tesla CEO on Twitters board, and when that failed, Dorsey planned on leaving.



I wanted to talk with you about it after I was all clear because you care so much, get [the new platforms] importance and could [definitely] help in immeasurable ways. I tried my hardest to get you on our board, and our board said no. Thats about the time I decided I need to work to leave, as hard as it was for me.

ElonMuskWatch.com has more stories about the Tesla CEO and his acquisition of Twitter.

Watch this video that discusses Elon Musks plans for Twitter.

This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey now GASLIGHTING everyone, stupidly claiming Twitter doesnt censor conservatives.

The evidence is clear: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey must be arrested and charged with racketeering and treason.

Conservatives celebrate Elon Musks purchase of Twitter by gleefully posting censored truths

Venture capitalist: Elon Musk could close Twitter deal at a lower price due to fake accounts.

Sources include:

InformationLiberation.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The Ukrainian Defense Ministry on Tuesday posted a photograph of a box of gold dental crowns they claimed were extracted from Ukrainian victims in a torture chamber in Pisky-Radkivski they dubbed a mini Auschwitz.

(Article by Chris Menahan republished from InformationLiberation.com)

A torture chamber in Pisky-Radkivski, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry tweeted. 2 photos. A gas mask that was put on the head of a victim who was covered with a smoldering rag and buried alive. And a box of gold dental crowns. A mini Auschwitz. How many more will be found in occupied Ukraine?

A torture chamber in Pisky-Radkivski. 2 photos. A gas mask that was put on the head of a victim who was covered with a smoldering rag and buried alive. And a box of gold dental crowns. A mini Auschwitz. How many more will be found in occupied Ukraine?

Photo @serhii_bolvinovpic.twitter.com/So4glJlt9N  Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 4, 2022

The story was spread to millions by Ukrainian officials and media outlets like The Telegraph and The Independent.

This is a box with extracted gold teeth, which was found in a terrible torture chamber in the village Pisky-Radkivski, liberated from Russians. Local residents told police that they constantly heard screams from there.

Doesnt remind you of anything from the past history? pic.twitter.com/LA9GHFv1aY  Oleksandra Matviichuk (@avalaina) October 4, 2022

The German media outlet BILD visited Pisky-Radkivski to investigate the story themselves and found that the crowns were actually taken from the village dentist.

EXCLUSIVE @BILD: We spoke to local dentist Sergey in the village about this horror-photo: The teeth look like the ones from my cabinet, my house was looted by russians. They come from people that I treated all these years. I took these teeth out. Story: https://t.co/nnIjHzvilNpic.twitter.com/c9S7X4XTnJ  Paul Ronzheimer (@ronzheimer) October 5, 2022

[T]he teeth that were found apparently do not come from dead or tortured people  but from patients of the local dentist, BILD reported.

The teeth look like from my stolen collection, says Sergey (60). BILD had shown him the ministrys picture. Im the only dentist here. So if they were found here, they must be by me. The dentist assumes that the Russians stole the teeth because they thought they are made of real gold (they are actually made of stainless steel)  and because they wanted to intimidate the Ukrainians. Some residents told me that the Russians used the teeth to scare people, Sergey reports. Asked whether the crowns might come from dead people, the dentist replies: My God, no! They come from people I have treated all those years. I took these teeth out because they were bad. The doctor tells BILD: Over the course of 30 years, I have removed tens of thousands of teeth. This is just a fraction of them. Sometimes, I pull out five to eight teeth in one day. I have been doing this for 33 years. It is not clear where the gas mask came from that can be seen on the other photo.

Its also not clear where the dildo came from (BILD left that gem out of their story)!

Read more at: InformationLiberation.com
(Natural News) Four individuals were arrested for looting after Hurricane Ian wrecked Florida homes and communities. Three of the four are illegal aliens, according to Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.

Omar Mejia Ortiz, 33, Valerie Celeste Salcedo Mena, 26, Brandon Mauricio Araya and Steve Eduardo Sanchez Araya, both 20, were arrested on charges of burglary of an unoccupied structure during a state of emergency.

Ortiz was charged with petit larceny, while the other three were charged with grand larceny.

The group was arrested a day before the release of a video of five individuals sitting handcuffed for looting in a devastated section of Fort Myers. However, it was unclear if any of the four suspects charged were the same ones in the viral video.

Jail records indicate that the group was released from jail on Saturday after posting a $35,000 bond.

Officials of Lee County announced a curfew on Sept. 28 following reports of looting and other criminal activities in the wake of the hurricane, with Marceno addressing the problem at a news conference.

I know we had a report of one incident where someone tried to loot into a gas station. I dont know the details, but its infuriating and were not gonna allow it, Marceno said at the time.

We are a great law and order state. We need to access the people that need to be helped; their life and safety [are] most important. But my message is very clear to those who think theyre gonna loot. Go somewhere else, leave the state, dont do that in here, not in Lee County.

This was not the first time Marceno spoke to would-be looters as he previously warned that they better think twice.

When I say zero tolerance, zero tolerance means we will hunt you down, track you down, and youre going to jail. If youre lucky, he said. (Related: Looters run amok in Florida following Hurricane Ian devastation.)

On Sept. 30, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also warned potential looters targeting residents homes. 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.

He also noted that they are a law and order state and a law and order community. Do not think youre going to take advantage of people whove suffered misery.

Death toll climbs, power stalls

Meanwhile, ABC News reported that the death toll in Florida from Hurricane Ian has now hit 121 statewide.

Lee County has the most deaths at 59, and recovery efforts are still underway particularly in areas around Fort Myers where a seven-foot storm surge caused devastation to homes and businesses. With five deaths reported in North Carolina, the nationwide death toll from the storm is at 126.

Danger remained post-hurricane. Two line workers were shocked while attempting to restore power to a neighborhood in New Smyrna Beach on Oct. 2.

One of the victims was rushed to a local hospital with severe burns to his face, back arm and hands. His partner suffered minor injuries and declined treatment.

DeSantis has prioritized the restoration of power in Florida, dispatching thousands of line workers across the state to work on the damaged infrastructure.

By Oct. 3, roughly 600,00 homes and businesses were still without electricity. Hard-hit areas where infrastructure had been completely wiped out may face up to a month without power, as per Lee County Electric Cooperative.

A spokesperson for the company also said that road bridges had collapsed, cutting off vehicle access to the island and forcing crew members to bring equipment by barge to get the power back up and running.

Visit PowerGrid.news for more updates about energy sources this summer.

Watch the video below for updates regarding the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

This video is from the Martin Brodel channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Florida coastal towns devastated by Hurricane Ian in panic mode over water, food and gas shortages but help is on the way.

Hurricane Ian leaves 2.7 million Florida customers without power; significant casualties expected.

Hurricane Ian DEVASTATES Florida; full recovery expected to take years.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

NYPost.com

MySunCoast.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Once again, The New York Times, in its unhinged hatred of all things Donald Trump and the papers ongoing effort to cover up the fact that his 2020 reelection was stolen, published a story earlier this week claiming that election deniers and right-wing conspirators were attempting to link the head of a U.S. elections software company to the Communist Chinese government.

And within a day of that story being published, the paper had to timidly admit that its first story was a lie  that its not a right-wing conspiracy  after the companys CEO was arrested in Los Angeles County.

The Times initially reported that Konnech, a small company with 27 employees had become the subject of election deniers spouting a new conspiracy theory about the 2020 presidential election.

Using threadbare evidence, or none at all, the writer, Stuart A. Thompson, reported, election deniers said the company had secret ties to the Chinese Communist Party and had given the Chinese government backdoor access to personal data about two million poll workers in the United States.

Over the past two years, the report continued, conspiracy theorists have subjected election officials and private companies that play a major role in elections to a barrage of outlandish voter fraud claims. However now, the attacks on Konnech demonstrate how far-right election deniers are also giving more attention to new and more secondary companies and groups.

The Times reported that company officials assured that none of the reports were true. Thompson went on to report that the firms employees feared for their safety from right-wing violence (which was complete garbage) and that Konnechs founder and chief executive, Eugene Yu, an American citizen who immigrated from China in 1986, went into hiding with his family after receiving threatening messages.

The Washington Examiner noted further:

Any reasonable reader would come away with the conclusion that Konnech, an innocent company that makes products to deal with basic election logistics, such as scheduling poll workers, has been the target of crazy, and possibly dangerous, conspiracy theories. To press the point, the New York Times used the phrase conspiracy theory or conspiracy theorists nine times in the article, once in the headline  How a Tiny Elections Company Became a Conspiracy Theory Target  seven times in the body of the story, and once in a photo caption. Got it?

But less than 24 hours later, the paper published another story by Thompson under the headline, Election Software Executive Arrested on Suspicion of Theft. He reported that Yu had been arrested by Los Angeles County officials in connection with an investigation into the possible theft of personal information about poll workers.

The company has been accused by groups challenging the validity of the 2020 presidential election with storing information about poll workers on servers in China. The company has repeatedly denied keeping data outside the United States, including in recent statements to The New York Times, Thompson reported, adding: The Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office said its investigators had found data stored in China.

This is precisely what the election deniers  Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips of the group True the Vote  reported to the FBI.

Phillips said a cyber analyst he was working with encountered an oddity in some of the URLS in January 2021 including at vote4la.com, vote4detroit.com, and vote4boston.com. Konnechs PollChief software application used the URLs to gather personally identifiable information regarding poll workers.

Using BinaryEdge, software that companies utilize to find and assess risks of cyber breaches, Phillips said, We began to look at where do these URLs resolve to. We found that most of them resolve to one I.P. address and that I.P. address  the URL resolved in China.

What we also learned in our review, apps.konnech.com [.net], resolved into this same URL in China, meaning that the application itself was residing in China, he added.

In Binary Edge, you can figure out what type of database they are using, their database port, and all the different services offered by ports in this particular application living in China. It turned out that not only did it live there, but they left the database open, Phillips continued.

This database stored the personally identifying information of over a million Americans, he noted.

It should be clear by now that the American leftist media is in cahoots with the globalist deep state to protect China at any cost so they can do business with the regime, even if it means tanking U.S. elections in the process.

Sources include:

WashingtonExaminer.com

NYTimes.com
(Natural News) As you might expect, the news about billionaire Tesla icon Elon Musk taking over Twitter has the left-wing media riled up over the implications of this move for free speech.

Up until now, Twitter has remained a bastion of far-left political correctness, with no controversial conservative speech allowed. Conservative commentators and even the former president have been banned from the social media platform for violating its dubious community standards, which only ever seem to apply to conservatives.

Musk has suggested that he will change this to allow free speech on both sides of the political aisle, which triggered Politico Magazine editor Garrett M. Gradd, NBC News reporter Ben Collins, NPR editor Neela Banerjee, BBC journalist Dickens Olewe, and many others.

Be afraid, be actually afraid, whined Graff as he nearly hyperventilated over the thought of Musk running things (Related: Elon Musk claims that up to 90 percent of Twitter users are actually non-human bots).

Yes, I do think this site can and will change pretty dramatically if Musk gets full control over it, tweeted Collins in a tizzy, warning that opening up free speech on the platform could actually affect midterms.

Banerjee retweeted Collins tweet, adding that there are broader implications for the rest of us if Musk takes over the platform.

Guardrails will be dropped, misinfo & conspiracy theories will thrive, complained Olewe. No functional alternatives available, this is it: complete destruction of the global public square. Been nice yall.

CEO Parag Agrawal says Twitter is not to be bound by the First Amendment

Then we have PoliticusUSA head Sarah Reese Jones, who believes that Musks takeover of Twitter will somehow lead to users on the left being censored.

Before 2020, Facebook de-platformed progressives, then it came to mainstream media and elevated only radicalized conservatives. Cut to 2022, we know Elon Musk plans to do the same with Twitter. We know how damaging it will be. Tech giants pose an ongoing threat to western democracy.

Euronews correspondent Shona Murray took a more end of the world approach with the news, claiming that The end of Twitter as we know it is nigh.

Many would argue this is a good thing right now as Twitter is just a left-wing echo chamber where the First Amendment has no place.

Remember that Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal does not even believe in free speech rights. Where he comes from, there is no First Amendment, so naturally, he does not respect it on his social media platform.

In a statement, Agrawal actually said his company is not to be bound by the First Amendment. Instead, it regulates speech as reflective of things that we believe lead to a healthier public conversation, meaning only left-wing speech is allowed.

Agrawal added that Twitters goal is to focus less on thinking about free speech because speech is easy on the internet.

Most people can speak, he explained. Where our role is particularly emphasized is who can be heard.

In other words, there is no equity or equality when it comes to free speech rights on Twitter. Only certain voices are allowed to be heard at the exclusion of others because not all people are equal, according to Agrawal.

Next on Elons agenda should be ceasing all of his business arrangements with the Chinese Communist Party, which censors, imprisons, tortures, enslaves, and murders many of its own people, wrote a commenter about the news.

No one media outlet should approach the power of a monopoly, added another about how many competing outlets are good for free speech.

Want to keep up with the latest news about the social media wars? Check out Technocrats.news.

Sources include:

JonathanTurley.org

NaturalNews.com
MBABANE  Category A public enterprise ESWADE is accused of illegally taking over ancestral farming land belonging to a family living in Big Bend.

The name of Silwayiphi Sithole, the Chief Executive Officer at the Eswatini Water and Agricultural Enterprise (ESWADE) features prominently in the land debacle. Occupants of the land allege that on Monday, October 3, 2022, an earthmoving equipment arrived and began removing fence around the property and started clearing it without talking to them. The family says they have been using the land to cultivate crops and had prepared it this time around to plant cotton and maize.

According to Lawyer Sipho Gumedze, who is the affected familys legal representative, when his clients enquired from those who were clearing the land, they were told that it was ESWADE that was doing land preparation on behalf of an agricultural scheme known as the Sojobe Farmers Association. Those who were clearing the land reportedly informed the family that permission had been granted by Chief Mshikashika Ngcamphalala, the traditional authority KaNgcamphalala Chiefdom where the property is situated. The family has now gone to court to seek an order stopping, among other things, ESWADE from continuing with work on the land.

Application

Maphumzane Gina, who says the land was allocated to his father, Hlokota Gina, even before he was born and that his elder brother, Alfred Gina, was born on the land on November 27, 1955, has filed an urgent application at the High Court. He says he has been residing on the land for a period of four years, having started living there in 2018, when he built his home.

My father was allocated the land. He was shown the boundaries of the land. He fenced the land because he used to carry out farming for both household and commercial purposes, Maphumzane states in his papers. He says he took occupancy of the land after he was requested by the family since this used to be their parental home and in 2018 he built his house where their fathers home used to be. On Monday October 3, 2022 I observed earthmoving equipment on my land. I queried those who were working and they informed me that they were employees or agents of Eswatini Water Agricultural Development Enterprise (ESWADE), (sic) he alleges.

According to Maphumzane, the employees or agents of ESWADE were removing the fence that he had erected to demarcate the land that he cultivates. I then took photographs of the damaged fence. I beg to refer this Honourable Court to copies of the damaged fence and the people who were removing the fence including the equipment used. I have attached the photographs herein and marked them as annexure MGI collectively, the court papers further read. He alleges that when he enquired the authority on why they had to remove his fence, he was informed that permission had been granted to Sojobe Farmers Association to use the land for commercial sugar cane farming. I was informed that permission had been granted by Chief Mshikashika Ngcamphalala to Sojobe Farmers Association to commence sugar cane farming on the land, he alleges.

evolved

Maphumzane says he and his siblings formed an association and secured funding to cultivate the land, which was lawfully allocated to our father. Our father when he passed away the land evolved to us. He claims that when the ESWADE agents and or employees cleared the land with the earthmoving equipment, it had already been cultivated, with pipes already installed on the ground ready to continue with commercial agricultural activities. He accuses Sojobe, Chief Mshikashika and ESWADE of interfering with his right of possession of the land. The land is rightfully possessed by me by virtue of the fact that the land was allocated to my father. When my father passed away, the land revolved to me, Maphumzane says.

He further claims that when he woke up on the morning of October 4, 2022, he observed a bulldozer on the land.

bulldozer

The bulldozer was being driven on the land that has been prepared and was ready for planting maize and cotton. I went to inspect and observed the bulldozer removing irrigation pipes, which I had aid on the ground, he alleges. He further avers: I called the Chief Executive Officer of ESWADE Mr. Silwayiphi Sithole on his mobile phone and enquired why there (sic) were removing my irrigation pipes on the fields. He responded saying, that if I was not happy I should approach the courts of the land. Maphumzane alleges that he also called one Bongani Magagula who he was advised was the Project Manager of the Lower Usuthu Irrigation Project (LUSIP) under ESWADE, who also told him that they were going ahead with removing the fence and irrigation pipes and further said that they were going to plough over where he had already ploughed.

He says if the court grants him an interdict, there is no harm or prejudice that Sojobe, Chief Mshikashika and ESWADE stands to suffer. I am already suffering prejudice. I obtained a loan which I used to lay down the irrigation pipes. I also purchased a fence in order to secure the crops that I was about to cultivate. If the authorities in the country make a finding that the respondents have a right to deprive me of the land in the manner they are doing, then the respondents can then go ahead with the project, he continues to state. He claims to have tried to engage all parties without any success. This morning I sought and was granted an audience by Chief Mshikashika Ngcamphalala, who informed me that he did not sanction the project carried out by the first respondent (Sojobe) to be carried out on my land. The first and third respondents (Sojobe and ESWADE) say that they were given authority by the chief to use the land. The only legal remedy that is available to me to secure my rights in the interim is through an interdict granted by this Honourable Court, pleads Maphumzane.

damage

He says the matter is urgent for the following reasons: Sojobe and ESWADE are removing the fence demarcating the land; there is a bulldozer preparing the land; the bulldozer is driving on land that is laid with water pipes; he has seeds and fertiliser in a storage and will be ruined if not used urgently; he has hired tractors to plough the land in preparation to plant; the land is ready for planting; and because the damage is ongoing. Despite that, on one hand, the CEO of ESWADE says he wants us to talk, on the other hand, he is carrying out the project on my land without my consent, he alleges. He says Sojobe, the chief and ESWADE have caused him to unnecessarily engage attorneys in order to protect his rights on a matter that could have been resolved peacefully. The respondents are provoking me, they want me to engage in a physical confrontation. This honourable court has an obligation to show displeasure by punishing the respondents with costs at punitive scale, he adds. The matter is still pending before court; however, the Times SUNDAY gathered yesterday that means were being made to resolve it out of court.
(Natural News) Ben Armstrong delivered a bad news and good news to his audience during the Oct. 4 episode of The Ben Armstrong Show.

Those who have taken at least one dose of Pfizers Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine probably have some damage to their immune system, he said. But theres a chance they can eventually recover.

A new report showed that the original COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer had negative efficacy within 30 days. Worse, the shots were found to destroy the immune system at a rate of 10 percent per month.

I think this report by its rate, and from things that Ive seen in the past, it means it will destroy your immune system. But then it might stop and level out, Armstrong said. And hopefully, that means your immune system recovers.

Moreover, the vaccines are known to cause Vaccine Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (VAIDS) and double-vaccinated individuals were losing their immunity against the delta variant at five percent per week compared to the unvaccinated.

Expose News compared COVID-19 vaccines to Trojan horses. They offer initial immunity against a variant, but also progressively destroy the immune system to a point that initial immunity is wiped out. The vaccines then continue the destruction until the immune system kills most of the spike-producing cells of the vaccinated.

Some people die before that point, mainly from cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, spike-infected organ failures or cancers.

The new report revealed the decimation of immunity caused by the original Pfizer vaccine. Based on the analysis of the report, the causes of the enormous effectivity reductions include the fact that the old Pfizer vaccine has no impact against the newer strains, specifically the omicron.

Also, both the old and the new vaccine progressively destroy the immune system with spike proteins that they program your cells to make.

No scientific paper on Pfizer trial

The third phase of Pfizers clinical trial for its original COVID-19 vaccine was supposed to be published as a scientific paper in the New England Journal of Medicine. It began on April 29, 2020 and set to finish on February 15, 2023. (Related: Whistleblower: Pfizer vaccine trial data was falsified, participants who experienced adverse effects were ignored.)

However, the 46,953-participant trial ended after six months, when Pfizer permitted participants in the placebo group to be vaccinated after they received the emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.

There is also no more data expected from the trial, especially since the results have demonstrated links to VAIDS. The company stopped the trial 28 months early to conceal the long-term damage that the vaccines do to those who take them.

Overall, Pfizers data for the new vaccine compared to the old one proved that the old version did not work against omicron and the companys bivalent versus monovalent trial results showed that one shot of the old vaccine destroyed 14 percent of the COVID-19 antibodies in one month. Thats why Expose News called the original Pfizer vaccine as an anti-vaccine against omicron.

The good news, as Armstrong mockingly pointed out, is that the rate of immune degradation will decrease as the immune system kills off spike-producing vaccinated cells in the body.

Visit Vaccines.news for more updates about the adverse effects of the COVID-19 shots.

Watch the video below to learn more about the things Pfizer did not want people to know about their dangerous vaccines.

This video is from the channel The New American on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Pfizer docs reveal HIGH number of vaccine clinical trial participants withdrawing due to adverse reactions.

Former BlackRock advisor says Pfizer colluded with FDA to hide data that shows COVID vaccine clinical trials FAILED.

BOMBSHELL: Pfizer lied about death count in key covid vaccine clinical trial  fatalities were MUCH higher.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

Expose-News.com
(Natural News) An emboldened Alex Berenson is absolutely going off on the beastly jabs today.

(Article republished from Revolver.news)

The mRNA Covid vaccines are killing people, plain and simple. Best guess, they lead to about a 10% rise in non-Covid mortality and no reduction in Omicron deaths. This is Australian data, very clean because AUS had ~no Covid before vaccines; deaths are 17% above normal in 2022. pic.twitter.com/Rbc4qk9AV3  Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) October 5, 2022

In his latest broadside against the deadly vaxx, Berenson cites Australian data:

Also: the rise in deaths is higher and lasts longer after the third shot. The dose makes the poison, and artificially modified mRNA (in an LNP shell) doesnt seem to be a product humans tolerate well with repeated exposure. Original data source here: https://t.co/NaTUX821bX  Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) October 5, 2022

Berenson makes it clear that these jabs should not simply be tolerated, they must be completely withdrawn:

Ill just keep saying it. Because its true. And because I can. The mRNA Covid vaccines (theyre not vaccines, no vaccine lasts two months) are unsafe, ineffective, and should be withdrawn. Unsafe.

Ineffective.

Should be withdrawn. Unsafe.

Ineffective.

Should be withdrawn  Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) October 6, 2022

Berenson posted this chart from Israel as well:

This is a graph of Covid deaths in Israel since 2020. See if you can guess when mass vaccinations with @pfizers mRNA jab started. As you make your choice, remember mRNA shots are almost completely effective against deaths from Covid lol pic.twitter.com/tqMz58p6QG  Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) October 6, 2022

Very damning:

Our Twitter crusader also teased a coming lawsuit against the Regime currently ensconced in the White House:

If you have 45 minutes to burn and want to hear more about social media censorship, Section 230, my lawsuit against Twitter and the coming suit against the White House, this interview with @RobertKennedyJr is the placehttps://t.co/1ixal4gWdP  Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) October 6, 2022

For Berenson, the question is no longer whether the vaccines are safe and effective the question of primary importance is now, exactly how much irreversible damage have they done?

The vaccine fanatics have not yet realized the debate around the mRNAs is quickly moving from: What kind of fool would oppose them? to How much harm have they done? No surprise, as they made the same mistake with masks, school closings, and lockdowns.  Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) October 6, 2022

Thank God Berenson is back on Twitter, for the sake of the truth, free speech, and the fact he is a major thorn in the side of the Great Reset Regime.

Read more at: Revolver.news
(Natural News) The presidential press office of Ukraine accused global media outlets of nuclear hysteria on Thursday for sharing remarks made by President Volodymyr Zelensky in which he asked the world for preemptive strikes on Russia to avoid nuclear war.

(Article by Frances Martel republished from Breitbart.com)

Zelensky made the remarks during a question and answer session with the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank, on Thursday, asserting that NATO had a responsibility to make it impossible for Russia to use nuclear weapons.

Preemptive strikes are needed so that they know what awaits them if they use nuclear weapons. Not the other way around, waiting for Russias nuclear strikes and then saying, oh, youve done that, then get this, Zelensky said, according to the Interfax news agency.

The comments are consistent with how Zelensky has discussed conflict generally in the past. The Ukrainian president expressed outrage last year following the decision by leftist President Joe Biden to lift sanctions on the Nordstream 2 pipeline project, which would have greatly increased Russias ability to sell natural gas to Europe. Zelensky insisted that sanctions prior to an invasion, not after the damage is done, were necessary.

Sanctions are considered to be a preventive tool because they can be applied and then lifted. If there is an invasion by Russia, do you introduce powerful sanctions after we might have already lost several territories? Zelensky asked in an interview with the Washington Post in January. Once you introduce sanctions, what will Russia do?

Russia Asks Ukraine to Stop Shelling Nuclear Plant, Let International Inspectors In https://t.co/119NvUbAJ2  Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 14, 2022

Zelensky made similar remarks in June when asked about Chinas repeated threats to invade the neighboring country of Taiwan.

We must not leave them behind at the mercy of another country which is more powerful in financial terms, in territorial terms and in terms of equipment, Zelensky said. And therefore, if there is a way out diplomatically, we need to use the diplomatic way. But it must be a preemptive way, not the one that comes after the war has started.

Zelenskys preemptive strikes remarks on Thursday caused alarm worldwide in the greater context of growing panic over a potential nuclear war, fueled by individuals such as Biden, who warned of an impending Armageddon on Thursday. The Russian government, as the target of the remarks, was particularly appalled, referring to Zelensky as a monster.

Everyone on the planet must realize that Zelensky, a puppet pumped with weapons, has turned into a monster whose hands could destroy the planet, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a social media post responding to the remarks.

The Ukrainian government has addressed the backlash by attempting to walk back Zelenskys comments. The remarks do not appear in the official transcript of Zelenskys comments to the Lowy Institute  only his prepared speech, not the question and answer responses, appear  and the president does not make similar calls to attack in that text. Zelensky instead focused on sanctions, condemning the administration of world powers in charge in 2014, when Russia first invaded Ukraine, for not punishing Moscow enough to prevent an escalation.

In 2014, we did not see, for example, really tough sanctions against Russia. It was not punished for this crime. At that time, there was a very strong desire among many in the world to turn a blind eye to the annexation, to consider the war simply a crisis and to continue relations with Russia, Zelensky said, referring primarily to the foreign policy of then-American President Barack Obama, who greatly influenced the European non-response to the invasion of Crimea.

But this always happens: when a criminal does not receive an adequate punishment for a crime he has committed, he perceives it as permission for further criminal acts. They are weak, is how the aggressor reacts when he feels no response, Zelenskys remarks continued.

Ukraine War: Reports of More Shelling Near Europes Biggest Nuclear Plant https://t.co/XkDzvW4RqW  Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 22, 2022

Zelensky also repeated the official Ukrainian government claim that damage to the Nordstream pipelines, which funnel natural gas from Russia to Europe, was Russian sabotage meant as an attack on European peace. The Nordstream pipelines in the Baltic Sea began leaking in late September; the countries through which the pipeline passes have claimed that such leaks would be impossible without sabotage but no investigation has identified a culprit at press time. Russia stands to lose millions in natural gas profits from being unable to use the pipeline.

The recent sabotage with gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea was also very eloquent. These are actions that can destabilize life on the entire continent. This is a real energy weapon of mass destruction, Zelensky said. Absolutely every country in the world depends on underwater cables and pipelines, which can be destroyed by an aggressor in the same way as gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

The presidential office focused on Zelenskys call to sanctions. Ukrinform, the official state media agency, also omitted his preemptive strike comments.

Ukrinform reported on the comments in the context of Zelenskys press secretary, Serhii Nykyforov, condemning international media for reporting them. Nykyforov alleged that media outlets around the world had published incorrect interpretations of his remarks, particularly those who suggested that Zelensky had called for a nuclear bombing of Russia.

Colleagues, you have gone a little too far with your nuclear hysteria and now you hear nuclear strikes even where there are none, Zelenskys press secretary wrote on Facebook. The president spoke about the period before February 24. At that time, it was necessary to apply preventive measures to prevent Russia from starting a war. Let me remind you that the only measures that were discussed at that time were preemptive sanctions.

Only the terrorist state Russia allows itself to blackmail the world with explosions at the ZNPP [Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant] and hint in every way at the use of nuclear weapons. You will never hear such calls from Ukraine, Nykyforov wrote.

Blackouts Across Much of Ukraine as Russian Missiles Blast Power Plants, Waterworkshttps://t.co/hDbkCoyJoj  Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) September 13, 2022

Ukraine is not known publicly to possess any nuclear weapons. Russia escalated its eight-year-old invasion of Ukraine on February 24, announcing that it would recognize the territories of Ukraines Donbas region, Donetsk and Luhansk, as sovereign states. Russian leader Vladimir Putin annexed the regions, along with Ukraines Kherson and Zaporizhzhia territories, last week. Contrary to Nykyforov, Zelensky was discussing how to prevent a nuclear escalation currently and did not make any indication that he was discussing the use of a preemptive strike in the past.

One of Zelenskys top advisers, Mykhailo Podolyak, took a different approach, claiming that Zelensky was calling for countries to outline potential consequences preemptively rather than actually making preemptive strikes.

Zelensky reminded the world of Russian nuclear blackmail and suggested it pre-emptively outline the consequences for Russia and intensify strikes against Russia  sanctions and armed aid, Podolyak wrote on Twitter.

Read more at: Breitbart.com
(Natural News) Russias invasion of Ukraine has sparked the largest land conflict in Europe since World War II, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is looking to make the war even bigger.

After Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested last week that the use of nuclear weapons to bring Ukraine to heel after his own forces have taken a beating this month and are being pushed out of previously occupied regions was on the table, Zelenskyy saw that warning as in invitation to widen the conflict in a way that would most assuredly take it nuclear.

What should NATO do? Eliminate the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons, Zelensky said in provocative Thursday remarks. I once again appeal to the international community, as it was before February 24: preemptive strikes so that they [Russia] know what will happen to them if they use it, and not the other way around.

Dont wait for Russias nuclear strikes, and then say, Oh, since you did this, take that from us! Reconsider the way you apply pressure. This is what NATO should do  reconsider the order in which it applies pressure [on Russia], the Ukrainian leader noted further.

NEW  Ukraines Zelensky calls on NATO to launch preemptive strikes against Russia to eliminate the possibility of a Russian nuclear strike.pic.twitter.com/gj6mSRZfFF  Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) October 6, 2022

Following those remarks, one of Zelenskyys spokespersons attempted to clarify the remarks: The president was speaking about the period before Feb 24. Preventative measures should have been used at that time to prevent Russia from unleashing a war. I will remind you that the only measures discussed at that time were preventative sanctions.

MORE  Zelenskys press sec: The president was speaking about the period before Feb 24. Preventative measures should have been used at that time to prevent Russia from unleashing a war. I will remind you that the only measures discussed at that time were preventative sanctions.  Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) October 6, 2022

Zelenskyys remarks led to a response from Russias Foreign Ministry, which accused the Ukrainian leader of trying to provoke a nuclear war. Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that every person on the planet should recognize that the unbalanced puppet leader of Ukraine, who has been pumped full of weapons, has turned into a monster, whose hands can destroy the planet, according to state-controlled outlet RT.com.

President Joe Biden also remarked on Putins threat of nuclear weapons.

Were trying to figure out what is Putins off-ramp? Where does he get off? Where does he find a way out? Biden noted at a Thursday fundraiser in New York City for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which was held at the New York home of James Murdoch, the liberal son of News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch. Where does he find himself in a position that he does not, not only lose face but lose significant power in Russia?

He is not joking when he talks about potential use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological and chemical weapons, because his military is, you might say, significantly underperforming, Biden added, according to Bloomberg. I dont think theres any such thing as the ability to easily use tactical nuclear weapons and not end up with Armageddon.

Some analysts tried to pick apart Zelenskyys words to see if there is a deeper meaning other than a straight-up invitation to trigger World War III.

Several potential interpretations can be made of [the] remarks, said analysts from Forward Observer, a private intelligence firm, in a Friday subscribers note. The first is a call for pre-emptive nuclear strikes on Russia that could trigger a global nuclear war. An alternative version is a request for long-range precision strike capabilities to eliminate Russian tactical nuclear forces immediately before a launch.

Regardless of interpretation, the remarks will serve as a nexus for propaganda from Russia and the West, and will undoubtedly increase regional tensions, the analysts wrote.

Sources include:

ForwardObserver.com

RT.com
Astronomers unveiled an amazing new rare cataclysmic pair of stars. It is also called a stellar binary with a short orbit.

National Geographic explained that stars refer to huge celestial bodies consisting mostly of helium and hydrogen. It also noted that it is difficult to determine the number of stars.

Astronomers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found a rare 'cataclysmic variable' considering that it is like the Earth's sun orbiting around. It orbits every 51 minutes.

The discovery is called ZTF J1813+4251. According to the study, it happens as two stars get closers, which the white dwarf accumulates.

On the other hand, NASA said that stars are considered the most recognized astronomical objects. How stars emerge or are born depends on the clouds and dusts in their galaxies.

The ZTF J1813+4251 is said to have the shortest orbit they found. Based on the study's simulation, they unveiled that the star system is in the process of transition, which noted that the sun-like star orbiting appears to donate its hydrogen atmosphere to the white dwarf. The simulations the researchers conducted considered its evolution over the next hundred million years.

Kevin Burdge explained that the rare case showed switching from hydrogen to helium accretion. Burdge is also a Pappalardo Fellow in MIT's Department of Physics. He asked if the discovery seemed like the sun but noted that it could not fit in orbit for shorter than eight hours.

According to the study, Burge realized that the discovered ZTF J1813+4251 was more likely a cataclysmic variable, noting the transition process from hydrogen to helium body.

The discovery was reported in Nature. The European Research Council supported the study with research collaborators from different institutions, such as Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. It is also available to read in ScienceDaily.

Sky search

What is amazing about the study is that astronomers unlocked the discovery based on the stars' vast catalog. The researchers said that the catalog was observed by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). It can provide high-resolution sky images using the telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California.

Based on the study's sky search, they explained that the researchers considered over 1,000 images from the massive one billion stars in the sky. Astronomers observed the changing brightness of stars from days to years.

Also Read: Astronomers Say Eclipse Season to Set After Autumn's First Meteor Shower

Burdge observed the data, which he considered the repeated flash appearing in less than an hour. Finally, he unfolded a discovery of a rare binary or pair of stars occurring every 51-minute. The idea is to analyze the frequency that signals systems closely orbiting.

Burge explained that the special systems helped answer questions, which he considered beautiful and behaved cataclysmic variables.

Galaxy

According to NASA, galaxy is defined as a massive collection of dust and gas with a billion stars, which gravity holds together.

NASA added that the large black hole is in the middle of the Milky Way Galaxy, closer to hitting its neighbor Andromeda. It also noted different types of galaxies, including spiral, Elliptical, and irregular galaxies.

Related Article: SpaceX Crew 5 Start Mission to International Space Station

For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News
Forecasts revealed that parts of the Northeastern United States would feel a temperature cooldown this coming weekend after the warm to nearly-record-high temperature.

The cooldown to a colder air temperature will alleviate the heat, especially in parts of the country with a recorded spike in temperature.

The latest weather update from AccuWeather explained that the temperature would have a roller coaster ride in the Northern Eastern.

It said that the temperature in the Northern eastern would seem like November.

Residents would exhaust their air conditioning if the weather feels warm or with record-breaking heat to feel at ease.

On the other hand, people without air conditioning would feel the brunt of the hot weather. As a result, the cold breeze and air would give comfort amidst the roller coaster weather due to climate change.

According to the weather website, AccuWeather Meteorologist Alyssa Smithmyer explained that the cold front would reach the Northeast's portions, resulting in showers and temperatures that feel like late fall.

The weekend cooldown is expected, AccuWeather reported in the following areas:

Part of the Great Lakes and the Northeast would feel a brisk wind with several degrees lower.

Eastern Massachusetts and Ohio Valley would have cold weather. Ohio Valley may experience the risk of frost.

Rain showers could happen in areas nearby Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

Despite the cold air breeze, AccuWeather noted that Tuesday could feel moderate temperatures in Boston, New York, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania

Tropical Storm Julia

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Julia is forecasted not to impact the United States. However, forecasts have been monitoring the storm's development if it reaches hurricane level.

In a recent advisory, National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that tropical storm Julia would strengthen today.

Parts of Central America starting this weekend are advised for potential life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides, with tropical warnings and watches are issued in Nicaragua's Pacific Coasts, El Salvador, and Honduras.

Isthmus Tehuantepec, Mexico, could experience flash flooding early next week.

Furthermore, the Hurricane Center said that Hurricane Warning has been in effect in areas where tropical storm Julia would move.

The Hurricane Warning is on the Nicaragua coast, San Andres, and the islands of Providencia.

Also Read: Western U.S. to Expect Cooler Air with Potential Snow

The advisory noted that residents in affected communities should be prepared for potential Hurricane-force wind and dangerous storm surges, which could hit later today.

For the current weather update, visit the website of the National Hurricane Center.

Roller coaster temperature

While reports said that temperatures in parts of the Northeastern U.S. would cool down, temperatures are expected to be moderate next week.

It is important to be prepared for the changing temperature or warm to extreme heat.

Anticipate the weather conditions so you can set the appropriate clothes for warm to hot temperatures.

For hot temperatures, make sure to drink enough water. Heat-related health risks can threaten your health, including heat fatigue and stroke.

Avoid sugary, alcoholic, or coffee during the hot temperature.

Check your house to see if the air conditioning and other equipment work.

Related Article: Unseasonable Warmth to feel in Northwest and South California

For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
Tropical Storm Julia has intensified into a hurricane over the Caribbean Sea on Saturday evening (local time), October 8, as it hovers closer to Central America.

Meteorologists issued hurricane alerts, including watches and warnings, regarding the potentially life-threatening and disruptive impact of Hurricane Julia, which can bring coastal flooding and storm surges due to hurricane force winds, as well as heavy rain.

Hurricane Julia

Hurricane Julia was dubbed as a tropical rainstorm on Tuesday, October 4, until the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) upgraded it to Tropical Depression 13 on Thursday night, October 6.

The NHC announced on Friday noon, October 7, that the depression strengthened to become the 10th tropical storm of the 2022 hurricane season.

It was only on Saturday evening when the NHC upgraded the storm's status into a hurricane, making Julia the 5th hurricane of the 2022 season.

The NHC cited reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter Aircraft that Julia became a hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour) when it passed near San Andres and Providencia Islands.

This is according to the NHC's update statement at 7:00 p.m. EDT (local time) on Saturday.

Based on the latest NHC report, Julia is located 10 miles (15 kilometers) south of San Andres Island in Colombia, situated about 140 miles (225 kilometers) east of Bluefields, Nicaragua.

The hurricane was observed moving ate a speed of 17 miles per hour (28 kilometers per hour).

Also Read: Eastern Atlantic Tropical Wave Could Develop Into Hurricane Julia

Hurricane Alerts

The NHC stated weather alerts like hurricane watches and hurricane warnings were placed for parts of Nicaragua and for Colombia's offshore islands.

The hurricane warning extends from Nicaragua's northeastern coastal city of Puerto Cabezas to Bluefields in the south.

Related warnings were also in effect for Colombia's Providencia Island, Santa Catalina Island, and San Andres Island.

AccuWeather meteorologists are reportedly confident that Hurricane Julia's landfall on the central coast of Nicaragua will likely take place on Sunday early morning, October 9.

In addition, torrential rain will increase, winds will get stronger, and seas will build by Saturday night.

AccuWeather issued a forecast the Julia's impact could be felt until Tuesday, October 11, bringing deadly flooding, mudslides, damaging wind gusts, and rough seas.

As maritime activities are at risk, the meteorologists advise operators of recreational, commercial fishing vessels, and cruise ships to avoid the path of the hurricane.

Ground Situation

On the ground, several disaster mitigation and preventative measures are underway ahead the arrival of Hurricane Julia.

In Colombia, President Gustavo Petro declared a "maximum alert" on the affected islands and requested hotels to prepare additional space to shelter the vulnerable population.

San Andres Island officials imposed a curfew for its residents starting 6 a.m. on Saturday to limit the people in the streets.

Air operations, including flights, to the islands were also suspended, the Associated Press reported.

In Nicaragua, local authorities have issued an alert for ally types of vessels to seek safety.

The Nicaraguan army reportedly started preparing the evacuation of residents of islands and cays around the town of Sandy Bay Sirpi, as well as delivered humanitarian supplies.

Related Article: Tropical Storm Julia Strengthens Into Hurricane, Tracking Caribbean Sea to Nicaragua
A New York City man was charged for smuggling three Burmese pythons in his pants while traveling the US-Canadian border crossing.

The New Yorker could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for violating both international laws and federal regulations in the United States on the illegal possession and trafficking of wild animals, which includes the Burmese pythons.

Canadian Border Python Smuggling

The New York man named Calvin Bautista, 36, was accused by local authorities for bringing the hidden snakes on a bus that crossed into northern New York in July 2018.

The charge was based on the importation of Burmese pythons that is regulated by an international treaty and local laws listing them as "injurious to human beings," NBC News reported.

Bautista, who hails from Queens, New York, was reportedly arraigned on Tuesday, October 4, in Albany regarding the federal smuggling charge and was released pending trial.

This is according to a news release from the office of US Attorney Carla B. Freedman, as cited by NBC News.

Also Read: Biologists Have Discovered How Burmese Pythons Grow and Evolve

Burmese Pythons

Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) are considered to be one of the world's largest snakes.

Native to Asia, this snake species is deemed invasive in Florida, where it threatens the population of native animals.

In previous years, the invasive species were reported colonizing the Sunshine State's natural ecosystems for decades, a story which was also covered by Natural World News in November 2021.

The pythons prey on small mammals and ranks as a competitor with other native species for food.

It made them one of the growing concerns of south Florida since the 1980s.

The large nonvenomous constrictor is found mainly in and around the Everglades ecosystem in south Florida where it remains a threat to native wildlife until now, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

The exact number of Burmese pythons in Florida remains unknown.

However, unconfirmed reports suggested that its population could be more than 100,000 across the state.

The fearsome reputation of the pythons in outcompeting native wildlife for food has led to the decrease of native mammal populations in the Everglades, according to Newsweek.

Invasive and Vulnerable Species

The Burmese python is a nocturnal predator that kills its prey by constriction.

It is the largest and most water-dependent among the Python molurus complex, even if it lives on land or on trees during its juvenile years, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said.

In particular, these invasive snakes threaten native species of amphibians, birds, bats, lizards, and other snakes.

It also poses a threat to humans, especially small children, as well as pet animals.

The elusive reptiles are also capable of damaging agricultural activities.

There are also several documented attacks of adult pythons on full-grown caimans, goats, pigs, and even pet owners.

Despite the fearsome nature of the Burmese pythons, they are still classified under the category of "vulnerable" by the IUCN Red List.

Related Article: Burmese Pythons Invade Florida's Natural Ecosystems, Terrorizing Native Species in the State
Child sacrifice victims were found at ongoing excavations near Huanchaco, Peru, and more are likely to be unearthed.

This comes after dozens of remains of children with their hearts ripped off were found recently at an excavation site in the area.

Archaeologists involved in the excavation believed the remains were part of a child sacrifice ritual that took place in the South American country several centuries ago.

For hundreds or thousands of years, child sacrifice and other related activities are common in the ancient world.

Previous research suggested that these sacrifices are part of ancient civilization's culture and tradition, wherein most are religious by nature with the purposes of appeasing their gods.

In Peru, these practices have transcended different civilizations and archaeologists frequently find children remains.

Child Sacrifice Victims

A total of 76 children skeletons were dug up and evidence shows that the children's hearts were intentionally removed, according to Gabriel Prieto, an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Florida.

Prieto spearheads the excavations at Pampa La Cruz, the site near Huanchaco where the remains were found, as cited by Live Science.

The University of Florida assistant professor said all of the 76 skeletons had a clean cut, which suggests that they possibly opened up their rib cage and possibly extracted the heart.

The evidence also showed that the skeletons were buried on an extended position, with their feet facing east, Prieto told Live Science through email.

In addition, the remains were buried above an artificial mound, and it is not clear why the sacrifices were located in such position and place.

The archaeological team thought the area, particularly the mound, was free of Chimu child sacrifices but it turned out to be the opposite, Prieto added.

Also Read: Ritual Human Sacrifices Helped Build Up Social Classes, New Study Reveals

Peru Child Sacrifices

In recent years, archaeologists have found multiple sites in Peru containing the remains or skeletons of sacrificed children.

In April, Nature World News covered the discovery of buried Inca children, dating back 500 years ago, who were killed as part of sacrificial rites during the time of the Inca Empire in what is now modern-day Peru.

Upon examination, the children's remains contain hallucinogenic plants like cocaine and ayahuasca, which were used as a ritual drug.

The discovery was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

In April 2018, similar excavations of children were found in Peru, but this time, archaeologists found a site of ancient mass child sacrifice involving over 140 children killed in a single event in Peru 550 years ago.

Based on the numbers alone, archaeologists at that time told the National Geographic the evidence presented could show it is the largest, single event mass child sacrifice in the Americas and likely across the world.

Although incidents of human sacrifice during the reign of the Aztec, Maya, and Inca empires have been documented in the past, the discovery of large-scale child sacrifice during the little-known pre-Columbian Chimu civilization is not common in the Americas or perhaps in the entire world.

Related Article: Ritual Drug: Sacrificed Children Found with Cocaine and Ayahuasca in Their Bodies During Inca Sacrificial Rites
MBABANE Eswatini is of the ardent belief that Africa must have permanent representation in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

This was said by His Majesty King Mswati III on September 21, 2022 during the United Nations (UN) General Assembly held in New York, USA. His Majesty said the call for Africas seat in the UNSC was made by the African Union in 2005 in Ezulwini, Eswatini. The agreement was later known as the Ezulwini Consensus. It is named after Ezulwini, a valley in central Eswatini where the agreement was reached in 2005. The consensus was then adopted at an extraordinary session of the executive council of the African Union (AU) in March 2005 in Addis Ababa. Our position emanates from the fact that every democracy has its exceptionality and that societies are founded according to different cultural norms and values. We will not tire of the consideration and belated adoption of this call by the UN to bring in the proper perspective on the African polity, His Majesty the King said.

permanent members

The current permanent members of the UN Security Council are Russia, USA, China, UK and France. The stance by the superpowers was initially unclear, but China has openly called for the increase of representation of developing countries, as a matter of priority, in the reform of the UNSC. Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi advocates for the reforms. Wang made the remarks during his virtual meeting with Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani and Martin Bille Hermann, co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council Reform of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly. Political analysts have said that Africas relationship with China would work to its advantage as there was no way PRC could oppose the continents demand for permanent seats in the United Security Council. China wants Nigeria to be given a permanent seat.

In a statement to the UN General Assembly, Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert said; France supported granting the G4 and Africa permanent membership and the British-French proposal of intermediate reform, which would last 15 to 20 years. The G4 nations, comprising Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan, are four countries which support each others bids for permanent seats on the UNSC. Africa is the second largest continent in the world, with Asia the largest, spanning 17.2 million square miles (44.6 million square kilometres). Political/Social Analyst Emmanuel Ndlangamandla backs the call for Africas permanent seat at the UNSC. He said it was important for Africa to have veto powers. Ndlangamandla stated that the current UN system was unfair as it made Africans look like children. We have to veto policies that are not in line with the interests of Africans, he said. A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action.

It must be said though that there is a group called Uniting for Consensus (UFC), known as the Coffee Club, which was set up to oppose possible expansion of the permanent seats of the United Nations Security Council. However, in a twist of events, the ministers whose countries are members of the Coffee Club, issued a statement in September 2021 to the effect that UFC shall engage constructively and in good faith to achieve a Security Council reform for all. Members of the UFC are Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Italy, Malta, Mexico, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, San Marino, Spain and Turkey.

primary responsibility

The Security Council has the primary responsibility, under the United Nations Charter, for the maintenance of international peace and security. During last months assembly, Chad also reiterated the call for Africas permanent seat in the Security Council. Chads Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Awatif El Tidjani Ahmed Koiboro, said it would correct an historic injustice. Nigeria demanded two permanent seats for Africa. As His Majesty and Africa as whole have been intensifying the call for the implementation of the Ezulwini Consensus, there are people who may need to know what Africa would benefit from being a member of the Security Council? World Economic Forum noted that efforts to reform the 15-member UN Security Council have become an annual ritual in New York.

During the general debate at the general assembly in 2014, the issue was raised countless times. Members also called for the reform by 2015, since that year was to mark the 70th anniversary of the UN. That did not happen. This year, Africa reminded the UN general assembly of the Ezulwini Consensus, with His Majesty, not for the first time, touching on this issue. There are two issues of global concern, which the King has been brave to tackle at the UN General Assembly  the recognition of Taiwan and the UNSC reforms, with particular reference to the Ezulwini Consensus. Jakkie Cilliers, the founder and former Executive Director of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), published an article in the World Economic Forum webpage in which he pointed out that every effort at reform appeared to have fallen foul of power politics.

Cilliers currently serves as the chairperson of the ISS Board of Trustees and head of the African Futures and Innovation Programme. He said it would seem that all countries were in favour of reform until it got to the detail. Back then, after much lobbying, numerous meetings and increasingly convoluted proposals, the status quo was eventually retained. The expert in security studies and global affairs mentioned that bruised diplomats had to retreat to their respective national corners to contemplate a next round, and so the charade would have to continue.

two-thirds majority

It must be said that an amendment to the UN Charter to effect reform requires a two-thirds majority out of a total UN membership of 193. That would basically require a buy-in from 129 countries. Another hurdle is that the reforms will necessitate national legislation in each of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. So, how can the process be restarted when key countries  the five permanent members with veto rights in particular  have no interest in acceding to such change? He noted that the then chairperson of the UN Security Council reform, E. Courtenay Rattray embarked on a clean slate approach in April 2015, after several months of consultations. Instead of trying to unblock the impasse, he circulated a one-page framework outline consisting of various headings, which member states were requested to populate with their suggestions on reform. By May 13, 2015, Rattray had received inputs from countries and groups that probably represent close to two-thirds of the member states of the UN.

These included input from 30 individual countries plus the Africa group, the L69 (representing countries from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific), the G4 (Germany, India, Japan and Brazil) and Guyana (on behalf of 12 small island states). These recommendations were summarised in a 24-page consolidated framework document. Impressive as the response was, opposition remains very strong. It is said that China rejected Rattrays approach, deferring to an earlier negotiation text and was supported by Italy (on behalf of the Uniting for Consensus group) as did the 22-member Arab group. Although not rejecting the clean slate approach, Russia and the USA, in their separate responses, insisted that no reform should tamper with the prerogatives of the current permanent members, including the right of veto.

important swing region

The ISS noted that Africa, with 54 members, presented an important swing region in these negotiations after AU adopted the Ezulwini Consensus in 2005. Africa called for 11 additional members on the Security Council, thus proposing to expand its size from its current 15 to 26. The continent also wanted two permanent seats and five non-permanent seats that would rotate between African countries (one for each of the five regions in Africa, North, East, West, Central and South). Its position is that as long as the anachronism of the veto exists, any new permanent members should gain all existing privileges, including veto powers, explained the ISS. For its part the AU would choose the two new permanent seats representing Africa.

The African position is, therefore, only likely to change once real reform and a balanced formula are on the table. Until then, Africa and like-minded groupings, such as the L69, may not have a majority, but can clearly block others. Cilliers said the lack of legitimacy of the council was a cancer that ate away at every institution within the broader UN system. It must be said that Africa is one of the continents not permanently represented on the Security Council. Therefore, the Ezulwini Consensus captures the African position on the debate as it argues that the Security Council is undemocratic and leaves smaller states at the mercy of major powers.

international peace

To address the imbalance between the developed and developing worlds on the council, the consensus pushes to secure the three categories of freedom, which are freedom from want, freedom from fear and freedom to live in dignity, noting that they are a sine qua non for international peace and security. There is a belief that freedom can only be achieved when the UN system is properly managed. The UN Security Council (UNSC) is composed of five permanent members with veto rights  China, France, Russia, the US, and the UK, also called the P5  and 10 non-permanent members elected by the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. However, in over seven decades since its formation, the UNSC has struggled to deal with and stop numerous international and civil wars. Most importantly, one or more of the P5 members have often been directly or indirectly involved in these wars and used their veto privilege to undermine UNSC action.

basic structure

The basic structure of the UNSC was negotiated in the mid-1940s when much of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean were colonised by countries of Western Europe.

This meant that a vast majority of the current 193 member states of the UN had no meaningful participation in negotiating the structure of the UNSC, as observed in the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration of the African Union. Therefore, reforming the UNSC is essential not just to perform its primary responsibility of keeping international peace, but for the legitimacy and primacy of the UNSC in the international security architecture. As calls for reform got louder, the UNGA established an Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) in 1993 to consider all aspects of UNSC reform and since 2008 to facilitate so-called Inter-Governmental Negotiations.

extremely slow

The progress at the OEWG/IGN (Inter-Governmental Negotiations) has been extremely slow so that it is often dubbed the Never-Ending Working Group. In its almost three decades of operation, the working group has identified the substantial differences among countries while managing to narrow a few. The proceedings in the OEWG/IGN are characterised by repetitive statements from groups of countries with divergent and often rigid positions.
MBABANE  The Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF) is concerned about the high unemployment rate in the country.

With the national unemployment rate standing at 33.3 per cent and youth unemployment as high as 58.2 per cent, ENPF Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Prince Lonkhokhela says this should bother every liSwati, whether employed or unemployed; in power or not; in school or not. We should all be concerned because this is not for any individual, but all of us. If you look at the history of employment worldwide, there is no specific individual who should create jobs, but this is the responsibility of every development oriented citizen. It is just that, generally, we are people who have been taught to be employees instead of creating employment for ourselves and others, the prince said during an exclusive interview in his offices.

As a result of the high unemployment, he extended the funds invitation to emaSwati with entrepreneurial and other employment-creating bankable proposals to come forward for discussion and possible partnership.

He, however, emphasised that as the fund considers the proposals, over and above the financial returns and the social impact aspects, the proposals should also have taken into consideration ESG and NDGs factors. This is because, as the fund, they were also mindful of the planet and governance issues. He was also quick to mention that: Where there is no sound governance, we do not even entertain that proposal. We want people who work in the open and where proper corporate governance is at the core of their way of doing business. He stated that as management of the fund they are answerable to the Board and members of the fund. The Board is in turn answerable to Cabinet, which is why, in part, they ensure that business proposals, ventures, partners observe corporate governance principles. It is within our strategic plan as a fund to work with emaSwati and we strongly appeal to those with bankable good business proposals to come to us and we are willing to work with them. But we dont want chancers because we cannot afford to lose even one penny of our members money, the CEO said. The prince said he had realised that people are afraid of venturing into business and generally aligned to being employed, yet real success is constantly measured by the ability to create jobs and provide employment opportunities for others, and not by being employed necessarily. Of course, yet still many complain about lack of funding.

financial difficulties

When the prince took over the position of CEO at the fund, the organisation was worth about E300 million and was experiencing huge financial difficulties. He has over the years been able to steer the fund to greater heights, such that it now ranks among the best managed government entities in the kingdom, with an asset value of E5 billion. The prince views ENPF and their work there as a major success as besides leading the institution into a multi-billion Emalangeni entity, they have also managed to convince the institutions Board to invest most of its monies locally instead of outside the country, particularly South Africa. As it stands, funds invested locally are currently at 56 per cent, while only 44 per cent is invested offshore. The fund is invested in the following sectors locally: agriculture, hospitality, real estate, retail, forestry, financial sector, etc. He said it was in the 2011/2012 financial year when he advised the Board that all fresh monies should be invested locally. At that time, local investments were at 30 per cent, and we pushed that drive, such that local investments now far outweigh the investments that we have outside the country. We have been doing well in that regard as a fund; I would like to believe, he emphasised.

He said they had realised significant returns from the funds local investments. This has been the case even during the global financial crisis where the institutions international investments performed very poorly. Even this year, the global economy has been negatively affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It goes without saying that we will not be spared from the effects of this on our international exposure because we are exposed to the JSE (Johannesburg Stock Exchange), which is, in turn, influenced by the international movements. Of course, we are happy that we are at that level as we have brought most of our investments locally to boost our own development, he said. The CEO said they work and wish to work with other funds on various projects because then they would be sharing the risk that comes with the investment exposure. He further explained that it is the funds desire to work with companies that are risk adverse just like itself.

EDUCATION SYSTEM

When asked how the mindset of emaSwati could be changed so that they would adopt an entrepreneurial attitude as opposed to being job seekers, the CEO called for a change in the education system as well as instilling in children at their tender age an entrepreneurial attitude. He encouraged parents to teach their children the skills related to the importance of handling and saving money at an early age. If you do not save, then chances of succeeding in business or in life are minimal. You have to save for rainy days, however small the savings may be; if you dont save then you are facing imminent disaster, he said. He emphasised the importance of transforming the education system such that it produces and develops entrepreneurs because, at present, entrepreneurship is a scary field for most of emaSwati. Having said that, he counselled that it is critical that education is supported as it is viewed as the basis of development for any country.

INCOME STREAMS

The prince recalled what he witnessed in the Republic of China (Taiwan) during a visit there, where he found that people holding even senior positions, who were employed in offices during the day, went to do business after work by conducting trade in what is known as the night market. He said it was indeed intriguing and impressive to see the same faces he had seen in the offices during daytime manning their stalls in those night markets. The night markets are operated in designated areas between sunset and sunrise and are conducted on sidewalks or even entire streets that carry vehicle and pedestrian traffic by day. These were senior people in offices, fully and decently employed, but in the evening, they would go to do business at the night markets. I was impressed. Like Warren Buffett said, if your salary is your only source of income, you are one step away from poverty, the prince said.

His wish is that emaSwati could copy such entrepreneurial virtues to supplement their income for those who are in formal employment and the self-employed. The people there are far ahead of us in terms of life and standard of living. These are the mindsets we should be instilling in our children at home and in schools. They should be taught the importance of supplementary income which is over and above normal pay, however small, he opined.

TRADE OPPORTUNITIES

The prince was at pains with the existing paucity in the country and urged emaSwati to take full advantage of the opportunities that have been opened by Taiwan and other regional markets for Eswatini goods and services to be exported into those countries markets at no tariff; tariffs, which on their own can be anti-developmental. Such opportunities are very rare to come by, let us take advantage of this opportunity and export in masses. This is a great window to develop our economy. We have been given a window which we dont know when it will close because we cant say this is forever. He observed that we also do have EU markets, AGOA and SADC, etc, but all offered in different terms and conditions. I believe that we can do a lot more to take advantage of these available markets he said.

market opportunities

He said ENPF wanted to work with emaSwati to take advantage of these market opportunities through co-funding from the Industrial Development Company of Eswatini (IDCE), which is a development finance institution formed to promote industrial growth in Eswatini. The ENPF is a major shareholder of the IDCE, which holds a 62 per cent stake in the company.

Many people seem not to know about IDCE, yet it is there for their benefit, noted the prince. He emphasised that the fund is not inclined to operate or fully own businesses but is interested to empower emaSwati to be majority shareholders of the projects they would come up with for partnering. The prince reiterated that the private sector has the potential to drive the countrys economy and thus employment; all that was needed was commitment and the will to support each other. He said for that to be realised, the private sector should emphasise on the utilisation of local supplies and services instead of going to other countries to seek same that are otherwise available in Eswatini, because that was self-defeating. Our private sector has all the potential; they just need the will, commitment and cooperation, he said.

He said he had realised that emaSwati are not adequately informed about the existence of the various government schemes that provide funding, which includes the Youth Fund, Export Credit Guarantee Scheme, Business Credit Guarantee Scheme etc, but were only familiar with the Regional Development Fund, which they also complained that it was not enough. It is critical for the information on these funding schemes to be disseminated to emaSwati. Awareness of these schemes would go a long way in capacitating emaSwati to venture into businesses. We need to communicate and advise each other about these good initiatives. The rate of unemployment would be in part addressed in that way. We may not totally eradicate unemployment, but we can do something to significantly reduce it, added Prince Lonkhokhela.
Film Critic

Chuck Koplinski is The News-Gazette's film critic. His email is chuckkoplinski@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter (@ckoplinski).
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.
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Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Rain showers this evening with mostly cloudy conditions overnight. Low 26F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with mostly cloudy conditions overnight. Low 26F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
MBABANE  Three associations have been established in Europe to defend the institution of the monarchies around the world.

They listed Eswatini as one of their own, adding that they exist to defend all monarchies from political extremism. Extremism in politics is essentially a political term which determines the activities that are not in accordance with norms of a State, as they are fully intolerant towards others. These activities reject democracy as a means of governance and the way of problem solving, and they also reject the social order. The associations are the British Monarchist Society, Constitutional Monarchy Association and International Monarchist League.

The league is the prominent one among the three. It is based in the United Kingdom, with its delegates and groups drawn from around the world. The Constitutional Monarchy Association has categorised the monarchies. Eswatini falls under reigning international monarchies alongside Japan, Denmark, Brunei, Kuwait, Monaco, Malaysia, Belgium, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Cambodia, among others.

advantages

Other countries fall under the category of Governors of the Crown, which include Australia, Bahamas, Canada, Jamaica, Grenada, New Zealand. There are also Loyal Friends of the Crown and Non-Reigning International Royal Family Families. Apart from the Constitutional Monarchy Association, the Monarchist League states in its profile that its objective is to unite all who share its belief in the advantages of monarchy for their nation State. Like monarchy itself, the league says it is independent of any political party or group. As a result, it has made it clear that prejudice against any section of the community has no place in its policy or programme. Drawn from many countries and from all walks of life, the subscribers of the league span the whole political spectrum, although many are without any political alignment.

According to the organisation, its purpose is quite simply, to support the principle of monarchy. The league states that it represents adherents of differing styles of monarchy, from constitutionalists to absolutists, recognising that differing traditions require differing styles of leadership. It states that among its subscribers are supporters of different claimants to vacant thrones. The interests of the Monarchist League lie far more in the future than in the past, and it has a high proportion of student subscribers, reads its profile. The aims of the league can be summarised as -

* To unite support for the monarchical system;

* To work for a better awareness of the advantages of monarchy;

* To foster respect for monarchy and to defend those royal prerogatives which enable monarchs to be truly the fount of justice and honour, and to safeguard their peoples from political extremism;

* To liaise with and support monarchist groups throughout the world in the preservation and furtherance of the monarchical ideal;

* To counter unjustified criticism of monarchy in the media, and from whatever source it may come.

The league publishes a regular journal and other items which cover a wide field, dealing with modern problems of monarchy, recording and publicising events of interest to monarchists, and keeping subscribers abreast of news from monarchist movements around the globe. It says its publications are read by leading royalists, historians and politicians. They are issued free to league subscribers and complimentary groups. As well as receiving the journal and other publications, subscribers have the opportunity to attend the leagues social events, which are always attended by a distinguished gathering, including members of royal houses around the world.

Subscribers are encouraged to participate in local activities, enabling them to gain greater benefit by meeting and interacting with fellow monarchists. We endeavour to provide advice on how to support the royal house in which any subscriber has a particular interest, states the league. Most important, by joining the Monarchist League, the entity has said the subscribers knew that they were helping to defend, sustain and promote mankinds oldest institution - an institution which they all believe to be, without doubt, the finest form of government. In its profile, the monarchist league believes that both history and contemporary experience prove that the monarchy has been, is, and will continue to be, of inestimable value in establishing and maintaining the stability, welfare and dignity of all countries.

tranquil transition

In Spain, for example, the league states that the restoration of the monarchy ensured a tranquil transition to democracy. It said the people of many other countries had seen a return to constitutional monarchy as their way forward to establishing the free society that has been denied under extreme regimes of the left or right. The worlds most stable nations are monarchies, states the International Monarchist League. The three organisations are of the same belief that the constancy and political impartiality inherent in a soundly based monarchy secured for its people freedom from civil or military dictatorship and ensured a genuine concern for the welfare of the entire community. Last week, the Times SUNDAY referred to four studies that claimed monarchies could perform better than republics  economically.

The researchers from USA and Europe, agreed that monarchies outperformed republics in many ways particularly in the economic space. For instance, a study by a USA think tank showed that monarchies tended to perform better than republics  economically. According to the study, monarchies have delivered extremely high standard of living for their populations.

It is stated in the research released by Cato Unbound that more than half (23) of the 43 monarchies in the world are among the 50 richest countries. By contrast, of the 157 republics, only 27 are among the 50 richest, a mere 18 per cent. The research outcome was authored and released by Dr Mauro F. Gullen, the holder of the Zandman Endowed Professorship in International Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the holder of a PhD in Sociology from Yale University and a Doctorate in Political Economy from the University of Oviedo in his native Spain.

Percy Simelane, the Director of Communications at the Kings Office, said he had heard of the formations of the monarchist groups  informally. He said he had no official record of Eswatinis participation in their activities or consultations as a monarchy. Commenting on the study on monarchies outperforming republics, Simelane, in the previous interview, said they had no reasons to think the research had missed the point. It is spot on! he said. The director mentioned that the fact that 23 per cent of the 50 richest countries of the world were kingdoms tended to speak volumes of the standard of leadership that was obtaining among monarchies on planet Earth. He said Eswatini remained a developing country but it had been rated as a medium income country for decades, a clear indication that its economy was not so bad.

uncertain terms

It you look at the 1994 UNDP report it puts it in no uncertain terms that the standard of living in Eswatini is one of the best in the region, Simelane said. He said Eswatinis current economic growth was at 7.9 per cent from a negative 2.1 per cent in 2011. He said the economic growth was realised at a time when most economies of the world were not doing well.

When King Mswati III took over in 1986, the communications director said clean drinking water supply to communities covered only about 40 per cent of the country. It now stands at more than 80 per cent, he said. He mentioned that the King has also successfully led the country into the following projects:

* Rural electrification;

* Free primary school education;

* Free ARVs;

* Youth Development Fund;

* Phalala Referral Fund;

* Rural Development Fund;

* Social grants for the elderly;

* Free medication for senior citizens (over 60 years) in public hospitals;

* National constitution;

* His Majesty the King is now considering free secondary school education;

It must be said that the study was not conducted by this publication but intellectual researchers are responsible for it.

Thulani Maseko, the Chairman of the Swaziland Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF), said the reality of the Swaziland (Eswatini) socio-economic and political situation was that, for the last 49 years since April 12, 1973, emaSwati had suffered under the terrible internal colonialism of royal supremacy and domination. He said the monarchists that existed to defend the monarchy as an institution were informed by their own experiences with their monarchs. While they have always believed that a monarchy could coexist with a multiparty democratic dispensation, Maseko said credibility and legitimacy of the monarchy in the country has been shaken since the death of people during last years civil unrest, coupled with the malicious persecution and prosecution of the pro-democracy MPs.

interrogate

The Swazi people (emaSwati) have begun to interrogate the question of what value, if any, do we as a people derive form a self-serving, insensitive and irresponsible institution, he said.

He said those who defended monarchies in Europe might be doing so because theirs were not absolute ones, but they were subjected to a civilian democratically elected government. He said there had never been and there should never be choice between democracy (multiparty) and the monarchy or Tinkhundla. In the country, Maseko said the monarchy was Tinkhundla and Tinkhundla remained the monarchy. We are not seeking a referendum on whether Swazis (emaSwati) want freedom under a multiparty democratic dispensation or the perpetuation of royal oppression and domination. Whether the institution survives is a matter for those who will have a chance to participate in the dialogue, he said. He said they could not choose between freedom and oppression.
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

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A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 38F. Winds light and variable..

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Bahrain renews support to disarmament, calls on Iran to cooperate with IAEA

Bahrain renews support to disarmament, calls on Iran to cooperate with IAEA

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain renewed its 'firm' support for nuclear disarmament yesterday, describing it as the only way to ensure peace in the Middle East and beyond and calling on Iran to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran's cooperation is critical to making the Middle Eastern region free of weapons of mass destruction, a top Bahraini official said, citing the ongoing conflicts and tension around the world.

The comments also come amid rising speculations that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons, which US President Joe Biden termed as a nuclear "Armageddon".

The Kingdom also raised the possibility of the weapons of mass destruction falling into the wrong hands, which would produce catastrophic repercussions.

The warnings came during a speech of Ambassador Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, the Permanent Representative of Bahrain to the United Nations in New York, yesterday at the Disarmament and International Security Committee.

Calling the Treaty of non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons the cornerstone of international peace efforts, he also called for ensuring the right of states to make optimal use of advanced nuclear technologies for peaceful uses.

The Permanent Representative further stressed the importance of implementing the 1995 Review Conference decision for freeing the Middle East of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

In this regard, he highlighted the outcomes of the second session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Middle East.

The envoy also expressed Bahrain's desire to actively participate in the third session in November next year under the chairmanship of Lebanon.

The Bahraini official also called on the international community to pay special attention to cyber security to ensure that the gains of countries and people are not targeted.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Starting a business is easier said than done. Tasks are numerous. First, one needs a business idea, then secure funding, hire employees and market the business.

Tax, relevant licences, permits, bank accounts, and insurance are a few of the umpteen procedures that need constant attention. But even if someone manages to tackle all these, now comes the million-dollar question.

Where to open the shop? Discovering the best place to begin your entrepreneurial adventure and start a business is no mean feat. But dont panic.

Many people have already gone through that pain and identified which city offers the best market.

According to Sortlist, Manama, the capital city of Bahrain, is a strong contender and fast becoming a favourite destination for entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The finding considers factors such as broadband speed, public transport, population qualifications, office and electric costs, and happiness. On that scale, Manama, for investors, is ranked sixth on the list that has Saudi Arabia at the top end and Tripoli in Libya at the bottom end.

Manama scored 5.83 out of 10, whereas Riyadh made 7.92, Dubai 7.78, Kuwait 6.95, Amman 5.97 and Istanbul 5.97. The ranking says investors are extremely-happy with Manama. The capital city scored 6.65 on the Happiness scale, beating Saudi Arabias 6.49.

The average broadband speed at Manama is 74 Mbps. Dubai tops the ranking with a massive internet download speed of 189.07 Mbps, better than any city in the UK and MENA on this list.
Agencies | Manama The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Kuwait Finance House-Bahrain has officially launched the previously announced Waed Graduate Trainee Program which is a structured and customised program it organised in partnership with the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF).

The program aims to train and enhance the employability of Bahraini graduates and equip them with the necessary skills required to enter and succeed in the job market.

Twenty Bahraini graduates have been welcomed to the program in a launching ceremony held on 19 September at the BIBF premises.

In attendance were key guests from the Central Bank of Bahrain namely Mr Khalid Hamad Al Hamad, the Executive Director of Banking Supervision; and Ms Khawla Ebrahim, the Acting Director of Islamic Financial Institutions Supervision Directorate; and from the Bahrain Association of Banks, Dr Waheed Al Qassim, the Chief Executive Officer. All of them expressed their commendation of the efforts of Kuwait Finance House-Bahrain and BIBF in investing in the development of Bahraini youth and praised the strides of Kuwait Finance HouseBahrain towards increasing the career opportunities available for graduates.

In addition, Dr Ahmed AlShaikh, the Director of BIBF, Mr Abdulhakeem Yaqoob Alkhayyat, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of KFH-Bahrain as well as a number of representatives from both entities had attended the launch ceremony.
North Korea fired two more ballistic missiles into the sea on Sunday, the South's military said, the latest in a blitz of launches amid tensions over US-led military exercises in the region, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The South Korean military's joint chiefs of staff announced the launches from the southeast of the country - the seventh and eighth in two weeks - without giving further details.

"While strengthening our monitoring and vigilance, our military is maintaining a full readiness posture in close cooperation with the United States," the joint chiefs of staff said, Yonhap reported.

Earlier, North Korea had defended its recent flurry of missile tests as a legitimate counter to US military threats, following days of joint military exercises between the South, Japan and the United States.

The Japanese prime minister's office also confirmed at least one of Sunday's launches on Twitter. ...continue reading
MBABANE  Veteran political activist and senior member of the Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) Mphandlana Shongwe, says removing the Monarch could risk the nations culture and tradition.

Shongwe warned that the King should quickly lead the political reforms to avoid eroding Eswatini culture and traditions, with the institution of monarchy. He stated that he was revived to the importance of culture and tradition in cementing the identity of a nation by the Canadians. Shongwe is currently in Canada on a political visit. He stated that the Monarch is a cultural symbol and the country is going to run the risk of losing its cultural identity and traditions if the institution of the monarchy was to be totally eradicated. Shongwe said the Monarch should be the one leading the reforms in order for it to remain relevant and for the countrys history to be preserved. What I am discovering is that we are not wrong when we say the Monarch must elevate itself above politics and leave governance to political formations. This is very possible, he said.

reform

Shongwe has been calling for the countrys system of government to reform and embrace multiparty democratic principles, but has pronounced himself firmly on the role of the Monarch.

He said while in Canada, he has learnt the importance of the preservation of culture and tradition and it has since assisted him to discover the truth behind the calls for the King to leave governance to political parties and assume an elevated position. He said in Canada, he has experienced that countrys strong cultural ties, which is what awakened his senses to the need for emaSwati to ensure the preservation of traditional institutions in order to maintain identity.

intrigued

My arrival in this land of the first people, as they are known coincided with their conference in which I was proud to have been allowed in during their dinner. We were serveda traditional and symbolic dish made of meat of a moose; a large deer with palmate antlers and a growth of skin hanging from the neck (looking like liphiva) which is their traditional animal completing their delicatessen. I was very intrigued by the subject of their conference which was very similar to Africas history. It was the land issue. This is very interesting because one seated in troubled Africa would never have thought that the issue of land exists in First World countries. Who would have thought that I would sit next to a chief after the conference around a fire like I was at home. All this was a sign for me that we need to consider the discussion around preservation of culture and tradition, he said.

Shongwe added that like emaSwati, the people of Canada are cultured and they believe in God and ancestors. He said he was moved when the chief offered them tobacco and they all stood up and burnt some of it in a fire, as a sign of speaking to both God and the ancestors. He mentioned that he felt at home and immediately learnt that democracy, culture and traditions could co-exist. Like any people that suffered through occupation and colonisation the Algonquin as they are known lost all their land and culture. For many years like everyone under foreign occupation they were subjected to new methods of life and culture.

resisted extinction

Like any nation under occupation they have resisted extinction and survived all attempts to wipe their history out of the pages of history. This is what we are familiar with in Africa. In a jest and according to King Sobhuza II, there are some good things we can learn from other people across the world.Traditional structures do have a role to play in governance but through democratic means, he stated. He added that in Eswatini it was paramount for the Monarch to be the one allowing political reforms and helping the nation to embrace democratic means of governance. Our Monarch must rush into allowing democratic reforms in order to remain relevant. This will save us the risk of having our traditions and cultures eroded with the institution of the monarch.We now hate some of our traditions because they are being abused. We are now at a risk of being a nation with no history and no culture because it is already tainted. What I am experiencing here is the opposite of what our chiefs do.What we expect is that our chiefs should embrace democracy. Democracy and traditions can coexist in Eswatini if it can coexist somewhere else, he said.

Shongwe mentioned that his political organisation, PUDEMO, was not against culture and tradition but was calling for the identity of emaSwati to be preserved, so the country could have a lasting image in the world. If there is one issue that has been left unattended or explained in our pursuit for democracy, it is the issue of culture and its traditional apparatus. We have been preoccupied by the ever changing paradigm shift and left some issues in deep grey areas. In PUDEMO we believe in culture and traditions and in our founding documents and principles, we acknowledge the significance of this. We are therefore on record and we are sayingit clearly that our stance and position on this issue is that culture and tradition shall be subjected to democratic principles. Cultural and traditional practices that are not in line with democratic foundations shall be done away with, said Shongwe.

briefing

When quizzed on the purpose of his trip to Canada, Shongwe said the trip was part of PUDEMOs international political work. He said it covered two issues which included meeting emaSwati and briefing them about the latest political developments in the country and to also meet some Members of Parliament (MPs) to tell the Eswatini story. Canada is a member of the Commonwealth that sponsored the crafting of the Constitution. In my tour I have been able to attend one conference for indigenous people of the first nations (Algonquin). With these people we share a similar history (colonisations), which was possibly by the same people. To my surprise these people have chiefs and that taught a very important lesson that democracy, culture and traditions can coexist and it works here.This means traditional structures must embrace democracy, he added.

Shongwe further stated that the trip was facilitated by the President of PUDEMO, Mlungisi Makhanya, through his contacts. He said he was under monitoring and supervision of the office of International Affairs in the movement which is under the leadership of Siboniso Mkhabela. The community east of Toronto along the Ottawa River and its tributes is deeply embedded in cultureand traditional. The area has the great lakes with a history and civilisation dating back to 12 000 years before the coming of settlers (English and French).
KYOTO, Oct 09 ( businessmirror ) - After almost three years of Covid-induced border closures, Japan is finally opening up to vaccinated tourists from most countries, with no need for quarantine, PCR tests or visas. And with the yen making hotels, restaurants and shopping more affordable, demand is sure to be high.

No list of Japans travel spots would be complete without mention of Japans ancient capital and home to centuries-old temples and shrines, art and exquisite cuisine.

A beloved tourist destination for Japanese and overseas visitors alike, the city of 1.5 million has had a love-hate relationship with its popularity, as its narrow streets and limited public transportation were under strain from heavy tourist traffic pre-Covid. And even if it does get crowded, there are enough off-the-beaten track options to explore, such as the National Museum of Modern Art.

A recent visit to the 1,200-year-old Kiyomizudera Temple overlooking the city saw only a handful of visitors, on a weekday. Theres new stuff too; Mario fans can visit the former Nintendo Co. headquarters thats been transformed to a hotel thats just opened this year complete with a library, bar and spa. ...continue reading
The Niger State Governor and Chairman, North Central States Governors Forum, Alh. Abubakar Sani Bello has called on citizens of the state to...





The Niger State Governor and Chairman, North Central States Governors Forum, Alh. Abubakar Sani Bello has called on citizens of the state to participate positively in all the democratic processes that will usher in another administration in the country.





The Governor, in a statement to mark the celebration of Eid-el-Maulud, reminded them of the need to come out and be politically active during the periods ahead of the election.





He urged the Muslim Ummah to always show humility, tolerance, gratitude, care, and love to one another, as they are some of the most important virtues that guarantee peaceful co-existence and progress of any society.





The Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had lived an exemplary life worthy of emulation by all adherents of the religion. I am calling all on them to use the occasion of the prophets birth and reflect on the essential lessons of his life and times, he said.





Bello reminded the Muslim Ummah that humanity is fast losing its essence because of the obvious disregard for the teachings and practice of religions.





He explained that the Prophets servitude, exemplary conduct, and leadership qualities should serve as the righteous path which every leader and follower would want to follow.





According to him, Indeed, our socio-political and economic well-being will be better of and the whole world a better place to live in if we imbibe the exemplary virtues and practically apply the teachings and practice of the noble Prophet (SAW).





He also urged them to continue to be law-abiding, prayerful, patient, and optimistic that the present administration in the state and the country would continue to bring necessary interventions that would enhance the socio-economic well-being of citizens.
The only Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) lawmaker in Zamfara State House of Assembly, Salish Zurmi has lamented that he was denied a ticket to...





The only Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) lawmaker in Zamfara State House of Assembly, Salish Zurmi has lamented that he was denied a ticket to contest the 2023 House of Representatives election because he is physically challenged.





In an interview with newsmen in Gusau, the state capital, Zurmi said while he was facing intimidation in the State House of Assembly because he refused to defect to APC with lawmakers, his party was also dealing with him because of his physical condition.





Zurmi said all the 23 state lawmakers decided to join the State Governor and defect to APC but he refused, saying that they were brought in as State lawmakers through the wings of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).





Since then, the lawmakers have been treating anything concerning me with a mere wave of hands. They dont even see me as a fellow lawmaker he lamented.





Zurmi alleged that all the allowances being paid to the other 23 lawmakers have been denied him, even though his salary is intact.





He said, This is simply because I refused to decamp to the All Progressive Congress (APC), upon all the maltreatments, I refused to dump PDP.





The lawmaker lamented that he purchased a nomination and expression form to contest for Shinkafi/Zurmi Federal constituency in the Federal House of Representatives but the party in the State refused to allow him to contest, alleging that they anointed someone else on consensus.





I even wrote to the National secretariat of the party, complaining of the injustice of the highest order but nothing was done until the time elapsed





But I will not dump PDP and I want the leadership of the party to know that there are serious injustices going on in the party both in the national and State levels





No member of the party has caught or challenged me against anti-party activities but they are doing everything negative to me because of my health condition
The House of Representatives Minority leader, Ndudi Elumelu, has expressed shock at the death of the former National Chairman of the Peoples...





The House of Representatives Minority leader, Ndudi Elumelu, has expressed shock at the death of the former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Vincent Ogbulafor.





In a statement he issued on Sunday, which he sent to newsmen in Abuja, the opposition leader in the lower legislative chamber described late Ogbulafor, who was also a former Minister of State, Special Duties, as a highly patriotic Nigerian whose death has created a vacuum too difficult to fill.





He recalled that the late politician was committed to the unity and stability of the nation, which anyone could attest to in the course of his services to the nation.





The statement said: I received with shock and deep grief, the sad news of the death of the former Minister of State Special Duties, former National Secretary and former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Vincent Ogbulafor.





Prince Ogbulafors death is a great national loss. He was a patriotic leader, a nationalist and detribalized Nigerian, who was very passionate and dedicated to the sustenance, unity, stability and development of our country.





As the National Secretary and later National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Ogbulafor discharged his duties with great commitment and played key roles towards deepening the tenets of democratic rule and good governance in the country.





Also, as a Minister of the Federal Republic, he exhibited undiluted loyalty and dedication to our dear fatherland and assisted in developing and implementing effective policies for the stability and development of our dear nation.





Prince Ogbulafor will always be remembered for his administrative deftness in carrying any responsibility assigned to him. It is saddening that he left the stage at the time our nation needs his skills and wealth of experience the most.





I commiserate with the Ogbulafor Family, the entire PDP family, the Government and people of Abia State as well as the people of Olokoro, Umuahia, Abia State and pray to God to grant us all the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.
Ademola Lookman was among the scorers as Udinese and Atalanta battled to a thrilling 2-2 draw in their Serie A clash on Sunday. Atalanta, wh...





Ademola Lookman was among the scorers as Udinese and Atalanta battled to a thrilling 2-2 draw in their Serie A clash on Sunday.





Atalanta, who kept their unbeaten run intact, moved to the summit with 21 points from nine matches.





Lookman opened the scoring for Atalanta nine minutes before the break after he was set uo by Luis Muriel.





It was Lookmans third goal in nine league appearances for Gian Piero Gasperinis side this season.





Muriel doubled the advantage from the penalty spot six minutes before the hour mark.





Udinese introduced Nigeria forward, Isaac Success in the 65th minute in place of Beto.





The Zebras reduced the deficit two minutes later courtesy of a fine strike from Gerard Deulofeu.





Argentina defender, Patricio Nehuen equalised for the home team in the 76th minute.





Both sides were unable to find the winning goal, earning a share of the spoils.
Godswill Akpabio has stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, will emerge victorious in ...





Godswill Akpabio has stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, will emerge victorious in 2023.





The former Akwa Ibom governor noted that the APC and Tinubu have the required competence, capacity, and acceptance.





Akpabio, ex-Niger Delta minister, is the APC candidate for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District.





He spoke in Ukana on Sunday at a gathering of party members and supporters from the senatorial zone.





Go all out and campaign for all our candidates because the party has all it takes to win elections from the national to the states, Akpabio told them.





The politician described Tinubu as a flagbearer with records of good governance and performance to rule Nigeria.





Akpabio called the ex-Lagos helmsman a tested and trusted leader who is going into the race as an achiever.





Presidential contest is for somebody with capacity to deliver and Asiwaju Tinubu represents that, NAN quoted him saying.





Akpabio hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for the release of the kidnapped train passengers and the second Niger Bridge to be commissioned in December.
Two suspected internet fraudsters, otherwise known as Yahoo boys, have confessed to the police how they kidnapped a 40-year-old man and kill...





Two suspected internet fraudsters, otherwise known as Yahoo boys, have confessed to the police how they kidnapped a 40-year-old man and killed him for a money-making ritual





Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the suspects told the police that the victim Abdullahi Azeez, was dismembered after they took his life.





The suspects, Friday Abinya Odeh (21) and Poso Idowu (20), Oyyeyemi said, were arrested after a report was lodged at the Owode Egba Police Division on June 9, 2022, by the relations of the victim that he left his home at Kobape on June 8, but never returned.





The State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, was said to have directed the anti-kidnapping unit of the State CIID to take over the case and unravel the mystery behind the mans disappearance.





In compliance with the CPs directive, the SP Taiwo Opadiran-led team reportedly embarked on a technical investigation, and the hideout of Friday Abinya Odeh was discovered on September 22.





It was learnt that the victims SIM card was recovered at the hideout.





The arrest of Odeh, Oyeyemi said, led to the apprehension of his accomplice, Poso Idowu.





On interrogation, the suspects confessed that they kidnapped the victim on the 8th of June 2022 at the Kobape area, at about 7:30 pm, from where they forcefully took him to the bush, killed him and dismembered his body.





They confessed further that it was one herbalist simply identified as Arab money who they claimed to have contacted on Facebook that prescribed the ritual for them, the police spokesman explained.





He added that efforts to recover the victims remains proved futile, saying the suspects claimed to have disposed of them.





Meanwhile, the state Police Commissioner, Bankole, has directed that the suspects be charged to court as soon as the investigation is concluded.
Ahmad Lawan, the President of the Senate, has dispelled a report circulating that he has made a U-turn on his earlier decision not to appeal...





Ahmad Lawan, the President of the Senate, has dispelled a report circulating that he has made a U-turn on his earlier decision not to appeal the judgement of the Federal High Court Damaturu which voided his candidature.





Lawan in a statement via his media aide, Ola Awoniyi described the report as utter falsehood.





It is just another fabrication by the discredited habitual purveyor of fake and malicious news  Sahara Reporters, the statement further said.





The statement also explained that if anybody is dissatisfied and decides to challenge the verdict of the court, it has nothing to do with the President of the Senate.





For the umpteenth time, we want to emphasize that the Senate President has no intention to appeal against the court judgement, the statement emphasized.





According to the statement the Senate President has made his own position public and has since moved on. He is a man of his words.





It, therefore, urged members of the public to accord the fake report nothing other than the contempt it deserves.





Recall that the Yobe State chapter of the APC reportedly vowed to appeal the Federal High Courts judgement, which declared Bashir Machina as the Yobe North Senatorial candidate.
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Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Partly cloudy early followed by increasing clouds with showers developing later in the day. High 51F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low near 35F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Hey Blake,

How did Loyola and Tulane universities end up next to each other on St. Charles Avenue? Which of them was there first?

Dear reader,

Tulane got there first, but both universities began downtown  Loyola as the College of the Immaculate Conception and Tulane as the Medical College of Louisiana. Both moved to St. Charles Avenue more than a century ago.

Tulanes first campus opened in 1834 on Common Street. It later became part of the University of Louisiana system and in 1884 became a private university renamed for benefactor Paul Tulane.

Loyolas roots are in the College of the Immaculate Conception, which was established by the Jesuits in 1847. The school opened at Baronne and Common streets in 1849. It would later split into Jesuit High School (in Mid-City since 1926) and Loyola University.

The World Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition of 1884 first spurred the Jesuits interests in locating their college Uptown. According to Loyola historian Bernard Cook, the Jesuit superior, Father John OShanahan, learned of an undeveloped tract of land across from Audubon Park and the exposition site. The land was part of the estate of Pierre Foucher.

The Jesuits purchased a portion of the tract in 1889 for $22,500. Tulane bought the adjoining tract for $37,000. In 1892, the Jesuits opened Holy Name of Jesus Church on the site. In 1894, Tulane University moved to its present campus. In 1904, Loyola College opened at its present site on St. Charles Avenue. It was chartered as Loyola University in 1912.

In 1909, the Jesuits sold another portion of their original tract of land between Freret Street and Claiborne Avenue to Tulane for $150,000. That allowed Tulane to expand its campus even more. Now, its downtown campuses also house Tulanes medical, public health, tropical medicine and social work programs.
This week marks 50 years since the disappearance of one of Louisianas most powerful political figures  Congressman Hale Boggs, who represented New Orleans and Louisianas Second Congressional District for nearly 30 years. Boggs was U.S. House Majority Leader when his private flight disappeared in Alaska in October 1972.

Born in Long Beach, Mississippi in 1914, Thomas Hale Boggs became the youngest member of Congress when he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1940. When he lost his first re-election in 1942, he joined the Navy and served in World War II. He won back his seat in 1946 and was re-elected 13 times, becoming a powerbroker in Congress.

On Oct. 16, 1972, Boggs flew from Anchorage to Juneau to fundraise for Rep. Nick Begich, a freshman congressman from Alaska. The twin-engine Cessna 310 plane, piloted by Don Jonz and carrying Boggs, Begich and Begich aide Russell Brown, vanished in foul weather.

Their disappearance triggered a massive search-and-rescue operation as more than 140 military and civilian aircraft scoured more than 325,000 square miles. After 39 days, the search was called off with no sign of the wreckage or survivors.

That November, both Boggs, 58, and Begich, 40, were posthumously re-elected to Congress. On Jan. 3, 1973, the House officially recognized Boggs presumed death and called a special election to replace him.

His widow, Lindy, whom Boggs married in 1938 and who managed his political campaigns, was elected to succeed him. Lindy Boggs served 18 years in Congress and became a power in her own right. In 1997, President Bill Clinton appointed her U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, a post she held until 2001. She died in 2013.
GIG Gulf, a leading insurance provider in Mena, said that AM Best affirmed its Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of A (Excellent), for the second year in a row.



The outlook assigned to these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.



The ratings reflect the financial strength of GIG Gulf for its operations across its four key markets of Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. AM Best refers to the firms balance sheet strength assessment as being very strong, pointing to its risk management capabilities and strong operating performance.



Additionally, GIG Gulf's track record of strong profitability, solid underwriting, and minimal reliance on reinsurance is recognised by the credit rating, particularly when compared to regional peers.



Paul Adamson, CEO of GIG Gulf, said: Following the challenges of the pandemic, we smoothly transitioned our brand from AXA to GIG whilst maintaining our commitment to our customers and distributors. To streamline our customer experience and expedite the pace of innovation for the local insurance markets, we have successfully completed our digital transformation.



We have remained financially strong, maintained ongoing investments in the region, and with the well-being of our employees at the forefront, we were able to materialise our purpose to protect people in the moments that matter. As part of the largest regional insurance group, we are proud of this track record and enthusiastic about the new growth prospects and added value for our customers and partners across the Gulf.



Consistent profitability

AM Bests assessment of GIG Gulfs operating performance also considers its historic overall profitability, which has delivered a five-year (2017-2021) weighted average return-on-equity ratio of 11.9%. The companys earnings have been supported by a weighted average combined ratio of 95.6% over the same period.



Geographic spread

AM Bests assessment also considers GIG Gulfs risk-spread across four distinct markets in the GCC. Domiciled in Bahrain, GIG Gulf earnings also come from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE  countries all carrying moderate risk. GIG Gulf has a variety of business lines and operates across the region, holding a top-five position in each of its key markets.



According to the AM Best rating report, all GIG Gulf investments are in US Dollars or US Dollar-pegged currencies, providing stability during times of global uncertainty and economic cycles. In 2022, GIG Gulf proactively rebranded its operations from AXA Insurance (Gulf) whilst maintaining its competitive market position.  TradeArabia News Service
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
A view of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2022. (Photo/ Xinhua) The Communist Party of China (CPC) in the 20th century successfully led China, the worlds most populous country, to free itself from the oppression of colonialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalist monopolism and established a socialist system, making outstanding contributions to the liberation of people all over the world, especially those living in the developing world. The reform and opening up initiative marked another giant leap forward for the CPC, transforming China from backwardness to the second largest economy in the world. China was also the first developing country to wage a decisive battle against and eradicated absolute povertyover the years, numerous development miracles of the country have stunned the world. While celebrating these glorious achievements, its important to note that since entering the 21st century, and especially since the second decade, the changing dynamic of the CPC, China and the world has posed new governance requirements for the CPC. At the same time, to continue Chinas development miracles, the Chinese people must continue emancipating their mind, seeking truth from fact, and exploring new governance approaches from its own realities. The 18th CPC National Congress in 2012 was a landmark congress as it sorted out the real challenges China faced and drew the blueprint of governance for the next stage, kicking off a new decade for the CPC. After the Congress, under the leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the CPC has made remarkable achievements in many areas, including strengthening internal discipline, boosting high-quality socio-economic development, and promoting the democratization of international relations, which highlighted the importance of the CPCs scientific and democratic governance to Chinas modernization and to world peace and development. In this process, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era was formed, as a fundamental guideline, it has reflected the CPCs exploration in modernizing its governance system and capacity at home on the one hand, and actively participating in global governance on the other. It is for this reason that the Thought was established as the guiding ideology of the entire Party at the 19th CPC National Congress, and the new compass for the CPC in governing the country. Discipline within the Party is the prerequisite for Chinas governance reforms in the new era. History has shown with countless cases that any person or political party that sits on the laurel its achievement in the past will eventually be abandoned. Some African political parties that led the African people to victory in their struggle against imperialism and colonialism lost their ruling positions because their ideas or organizations degenerated and were eventually phased out over the course of Africas transformation and development after the Cold War. As the leading core of Chinas modernization drive, the corrupt and privileged few within the CPC must be promptly eliminated so as to enhance the Partys credibility in the society. After the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has vigorously intensified the self-discipline of the Party and addressed this issue through self-revolution. By removing disciplinary offenders from the leadership ranks, Party organizations at all levels have been strengthened. The CPC has demonstrated to the world its courage to face problems head-on, its determination to solve them and its wisdom to reflect on them, and thats how the firm foundation is reconsolidated for the CPC to lead the nation forward. Changes within the Party helped match the Partys governance capacity and system with the requirement of Chinas development, which has also set the stage for greater development in other critical areas. Chinas sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development demonstrates its strong resilience in the new era. Eradicating absolute poverty is not only a common challenge for developing countries, but also an important target of the UNSDGs. Although many developing countries, including some in Africa, have been able to maintain relatively stable economic growth, there is a serious disconnect between growth and development and a weak resistance to risks, which highlights the need for sustainable and inclusive development. One of the key transformations powered by the 18th CPC National Congress was that high economic growth was geared towards high quality growth. Under the new development model, economic growth is synchronized with livelihood improvement, environmental protection, social equity and justice, as well as coordinated regional development. Inclusive development has enabled every individual, group and region to become a witness, participant and beneficiary of socio-economic progress, and thats why China managed to build a moderately prosperous society in all aspects. The sustainability of development has enhanced Chinas ability to withstand and manage internal and external risks. Chinas steady socio-economic growth was not halted by either the unilateralist actions of some western countries, or the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Quite on the contrary, Chinas achievements are bound to inject more momentum to global recovery in the post-Covid era and contribute to the human quest for peace and development. Chinas win-win approach in global governance demonstrates the image of China as a responsible power in a changing world. At present, western powers are wielding the stick of unilateralism and protectionism for geopolitical gains, and Covid-19, climate change, terrorism and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have added to the uncertainty of the world. The conventional global governance system has increasingly proven to be unfriendly to developing countries. As the world stands at the crossroads, President Xi Jinping described the changing dynamic as unprecedented changes of the century and has introduced the cure of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Global Development Initiative (GDI) in building a community of shared future for all. Unlike the western thinking of competition, confrontation and zero-sum games, Chinas proposals are centered on equality and win-win cooperation, which embody the traditional Chinese philosophy of peace and benevolence. The fact that Chinas proposals have been welcomed and supported by Africa and the developing world highlights the significance of Chinese wisdom in promoting South-South cooperation and North-South dialogue. Contributed by Charles Onunaiju, Director of the Center for China Studies (CCS) in Nigeria
The Bicester Collection, a family of 11 distinctive shopping destinations in Europe and China, has renewed its partnership with Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) at the Sustainable Fashion Awards.



CNMI, in collaboration with the Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI) of the United Nations, a program of the International Trade Center, and with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, of the ICE Agency and the Municipality of Milan organized the ceremony of the CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards 2022 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.



The event saw the protagonist and rewarded personalities and virtuous examples that in the world of Italian and international fashion were committed to sustainability in its highest meaning, for vision, innovation, commitment to craftsmanship, recognition of differences, circular economy, human rights and environmental justice.



The CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards recognized and rewarded the most virtuous and influential personalities in the world of Italian and international fashion for their commitment to sustainability in its highest form, through vision, innovation, craftsmanship, recognition of differences, circular economy, human rights, and environmental justice in the world of fashion.



A total of 14 prizes and 2 special mentions were awarded, where the winners received a reproduction of the Venere Degli Stracci, an iconic work of 20th century art, made with 3D printing and customized by hand by Maestro Pistoletto with unique colours for each reproduction, thus making each piece exclusive.



The Bicester Collection confirms its commitment to supporting creativity and emerging talent in the world of sustainable fashion through its renewed partnership with CNMI at the Sustainable Fashion Awards. Winners of The Bicester Collection Award for Emerging Designers will receive mentorship and a physical space - The Creative Spot - along with crucial resources to grow their businesses, while benefiting from access to The Bicester Collections global platform.



The Bicester Collection awarded Emerging Designer Nkwo Unkwa.  TradeArabia News Service
The Xiaomi Truclean W10 Wet Dry Vacuum Series has been launched in Europe. There are two new devices in the range, the W10 Ultra and the W10 Pro. The gadgets can simultaneously scrub, mop and vacuum, with an intelligent dirt detection system to adjust the settings based on the floor area's cleanliness.

The Ultra model can clean at up to 75 C (~167 F), with the high temperature allowing for a more intense clean. The device has a smart base station that can automatically clean and dry the mop head and refill the water tank. The Pro version has a similar dock, without the ability to add water to the gadget. Plus, this cheaper model has a handle which you can adjust by an angle up to 90, allowing you to reach dirt in tight spaces, and a cylindrical brush to cover a larger area.

You can currently buy the Xiaomi Truclean W10 Ultra Wet Dry Vacuum and the Xiaomi Truclean W10 Pro Wet Dry Vacuum for 799.99 (~US$779.59) and 599.99 (~US$584.69), respectively. You can purchase the gadgets at the Xiaomi online store or on Amazon; the wet-dry vacuums will be available from other retailers later this month. Customers who order one of the devices at the Xiaomi store before October 11 are eligible for a free Xiaomi Smart Air Fryer 3.5 L.
North Korea fires unidentified ballistic missile

Seoul, Oct 8 (UNI) North Korea has launched an unidentified ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan, the Yonhap news agency reported on Saturday, citing the South Korean military.

North Korea has been launching ballistic missiles since late September in response to the refusal of the United States and South Korea to halt military exercises near its territory, which Pyongyang sees as a rehearsal for a war.

On Tuesday morning, North Korea fired a ballistic missile that flew over the territory of Japan and fell in the Pacific Ocean. It was the first missile launch over Japan since 2017. Last week Pyongyang also conducted several missile launches.
The Whitney, built in 1894 and once a private home, would indeed seem to have it all. And it does and that includes ghosts who roam amongst the 22,000-square-feet of this mansion that was once the private home of David Whitney, a Detroit lumber baron who was such good friends of Thomas Edison that the inventor himself did the wiring for electricity.

All elegance and grandeur with paneling of imported rare woods, The Whitney also has stained glass windows created by the master of glass himself, Louis Comfort Tiffany, a sweeping staircase rising majestically to the two floors above, 52 rooms and 20 fireplaces.

Now an award winning restaurant, The Whitney celebrates its hauntings with their annual Halloween Adventure running Oct. 27 to that spookiest night of all, evenings of live musical performances, Champagne toasts, selected spirits (the type you drink) a ghost tour and tours by Haunt Investigators of Michigan.

The tours include the house as well as Halloween-only access to the basement and Carriage House, live piano music and a four-course dinner. Its a 21-and-over event as is their Spirited Absinthe Tea on the Oct. 29, a four course elegant tea service with cocktails and a special absinthe gift.

Cant make it around Halloween time? Well, whoevers haunting The Whitney doesnt leave. So dont despair as Whitney offers paranormal four-course dinners and tours are available on a regular basis throughout the year.

For those with little ones, consider The Whitneys Halloween Trick-or-Treat Tea where costumes are encouraged. Of course, you can dress up in your Victorian finest for any of the events. When I last dined there on a summer night, the woman next to me wore a flowing, billowing bridal gown.

Its our 10th wedding anniversary, she said when I glanced her way once too often.

So whats behind the pink jasper granite facade with its turrets, gables, towers, and archways that stands imposingly on Woodward Avenue in Detroit that makes it a favorite for haunts?

Well, theres a plethora of possibilities but it all probably goes back to the beginning to when the first Mrs. Whitney was planning her magnificent dream homeall 22,000-square-feet of it. Alas it wasnt to be. The first Mrs. Whitney passed on and her husband chose to quickly remarry, making the first Mrs. Whitneys sister his new wife. Its all so complicated and enough to make any first wife jealouswhether she be living or dead. David Whitney died in 1900, shortly after moving into the house. The second Mrs. Whitney lived on another 17 years. The house also served as a hospital which may have added to its ghostly residents.

Whether you take a tour or not, there are all sorts of spirits, both the kinds you imbibe and the more ghostly types on the third floor at the aptly named Ghost Bar. Its a classy space to sip the house specialty Witching Hour Martinibut take extra cash in case one of the spirits of the house decides to join you for a drink.

Visiting The Whitney is just one way to celebrate this Halloween season along Michigans Sunrise Coast.

Author Nicole Beauchamp is encouraging those taking her Hells Half Mile Spirit Walk to dress in Victorian garb as she leads a tour in exploring.

Beauchamp, a native of Bay City has not only written books on the supernatural including Haunted Bay City Michigan but also founded the Tri-City Ghost Hunters Society which has investigated hauntings throughout the world. The two-hour tour takes participants on Beauchamps customized Hells Half Mile Spirit Walk.

Between 1865-1900, Hells Half Mile was an extremely dangerous red light district and was known as being the epicenter of debauchery and brutality, thus leaving an enormous paranormal imprint on the area, said Beauchamp. If you enjoy true crime, chilling ghost stories, obscure history and getting into the spirit of spooky season, this tour is for you.

Beauchamp mentions that the second to the last stop on the tour is in front of the Old City Hall, jail and police station, a place said to be seriously haunted. Though the tour doesnt go in, for those wanting to return and exam the interior of what is now a restaurant, she notes they have killer apple cider mimosas.

Spirit Walk dates and times are as follows:

Friday, Oct. 21, 5  7 p.m. and 8  10 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 22, 5  7 p.m. and 8  10 p.m.

Tickets are $30/person and a sizable portion of the collected funds go directly to Studio23 to help support community art projects.

Rain or shine unless there is severe weather. Bring an umbrella if it looks like rain and wear some comfy shoes to walk in.

Join a Paranormal Team to Investigate a Haunted Lighthouse.

Built in 1814 while the War of 1812 was raging, Fort Gratiot protected the confluence of the St. Clair River as it flows into Lake Huron. By the end of the next decade, the Fort Gratiot Light Station, Michigans first lighthouse and the second on the Great Lakes, helped guide boats through the dark and stormy weather into safe harbor. Said to be haunted, the Detroit Rock City Paranormal is offering the chance to help them investigate Fort Gratiot Light Station, which is said to be the site of many tragedies. The investigation uses a variety of ghost hunting techniques and equipment.

Dianna Stampfler, who knows a thing or two about ghosts and haunted lighthouses having written not one but two books on the subject, Michigans Haunted Lighthouses and Death & Lighthouses on the Great Lakes, did a tour with the Detroit Rock City Paranormal of the light station.

We recorded some interesting videosflashlights going off and on by themselves, we heard words coming out of a spirit box, picked up cold spots with digital thermometers and things like that, she said. It was a pretty cool experience.

Saturday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m.- midnight. Adults 18 and over only.

Fort Gratiot Light Station

2802 Omar St.

Port Huron, MI
LANSING  A man was shot and killed Friday evening outside of a Planet Fitness in Lansing, according to a release from the Lansing Police Department.

Police were dispatched at approximately 6:45 p.m. after they received a report of shots fired. When officers arrived, they located a male subject with gunshot wounds, according to Detective Lt. Scott Bailey of the Lansing Police Department. The man was 36 years old, according to data from the Cook County Medical Examiner Case Archive.

The subject succumbed to his injuries on scene, Bailey said.

The Lansing Criminal Investigations Division and the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force are investigating the incident. Lansing police and the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigators gathered evidence from the scene.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lansing Police Department at 708-895-7150.
A lawmaker representing Lake County at the Statehouse has been named "Legislator of the Year" by the Indiana Fire Chiefs Association.

First-term state Rep. Mike Andrade, D-Munster, was presented the award Thursday during a meeting he convened in Highland with Region fire chiefs and emergency medical services personnel to discuss their needs and how the state can help.

The award recognizes Andrade's work to advance House Enrolled Act 1115 through the 2021 General Assembly.

The new law expanded the definition of the crime "interfering with public safety" to include firefighters  ensuring the public stays a safe distance away from firefighters as they go about their duties at fire scenes.

Andrade also was praised by the fire chiefs for his efforts in Senate Enrolled Act 396 (2021) to clarify the pension benefits available to retired Hoosier firefighters.

"It's an honor to receive this prestigious award from the Fire Chiefs Association," Andrade said. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve those who serve us, especially when firefighters like those in my district are volunteers."

"It is important to support our first responders because doing so ensures that they and our communities remain safe," he added.

Andrade represents Indiana House District 12, which includes all of Munster, Highland and Griffith, and a tiny slice of northeast Schererville.
Amtrak stopped 2 (copy) Passengers use glow sticks to keep light on the train, according to one rider

An Amtrak train en route from Pontiac, Michigan, to Chicago faced multiple delays Friday night, according to information from passengers and Amtrak data.

According to a live map on the Amtrak website, the train was stopped in Ann Arbor at 7:20 a.m. Multiple passengers were told engine issues caused the delay. Power went out, passengers said, and they had no electricity, heat or running water.

The train sat at the Ann Arbor station until approximately 11:30 a.m., passengers said, when a second train destined for Chicago arrived to tow the train. The train cars attached to one another and slowly started moving toward Kalamazoo, where it arrived at 3:29 p.m.

Around 7 p.m., the train stopped near the Ameristar Casino in East Chicago. Passengers were told the crew had reached their 12-hour legal work limit and needed to wait for a second crew to arrive. While waiting for the new crew, according to multiple passengers, they were told by Amtrak conductors that there were issues with the brakes on the train.

Passengers waited until approximately 10 p.m. when crews arrived and power returned. The train started moving around 11:20 p.m. The train arrived at Union Station around 12:30 a.m., over 12 hours after it was scheduled to arrive.

Amtrak Senior Public Relations Manager Jason Abrams said the train stopped due to a power issue. Amtrak did not release any additional information about the incident.
GARY  All of the city's police officers will soon be better equipped to save a life, thanks to the U.S. Department of Justice's National Public Safety Partnership program.

When veteran Gary police Sgt. William "Bill" Fazekas found himself bleeding heavily after a shootout during a traffic stop in February, he knew he needed a tourniquet, he previously told The Times.

Gary officers didn't carry tourniquets at that time, but Officer Donald Briggs came to Fazekas' aid and used a belt to slow Fazekas' bleeding.

The U.S. Marshals Service approached the Gary Police Department after Fazekas' shooting about equipping every officer with a medical kit containing a high-quality tourniquet and other supplies to treat life-threatening injuries, Gary police Cmdr. Jack Hamady said.

The Marshals Service used about $35,000 in PSP funds to purchase 160 medical kits and has been training Gary officers how to use the kits, which can be clipped to a vest or belt.

Every officer will receive a kit, from those in patrol and investigators to those working the front desk, Hamady said. Officers also will be encouraged to carry the kits during special assignments and side jobs.

"We never know when those kits might be used," Hamady said. "We never know when it could save an officer's life or someone else's life."

The Marshals Service is committed to replacing kits after they're used, he said.

Todd L. Nukes, U.S. marshal for the Northern District of Indiana, said the Marshals Service is proud to partner with Gary police.

"These kits contain lifesaving essentials that can be utilized for both officers and members of the general public as dictated by circumstance," Nukes said. "Certainly, with any traumatic event, time is critical. As a result, having these first aid kits will allow officers to deliver immediate medical interventions with the goal of increasing survival rates."

Nukes commended his Investigative Operations Division-Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force and district USMS personnel for providing the kits and coordinating and conducting training for Gary officers.

During a session Friday, Cpl. Carlos Aleman said he helped save the life of a gunshot victim about 10 years ago by applying pressure to the wound.

"We're always in unpredictable life-and-death situations," he said. "This is something we can use. We just gotta be prepared."

Cpl. Javier Garza said training was needed.

"It's a great thing," he said.

Hamady said officers who take the required four-hour training will have an option to take another eight-hour course.

The training, which was developed in coordination with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, focuses on the survival mindset, real-world medical planning and tactical combat casualty care principles, according to the Marshals Service.

Simulation scenarios reinforce immediate actions required to provide life-saving interventions under stressful circumstances.

Hamady said the department also was grateful for a donation from Ogden Dunes Police Chief Jeremy Ogden, who provided a number of tourniquets for officers in the wake of Fazekas' shooting.
Minutes after immigration agents dropped Anna Sorokin off at her fifth-floor walk-up apartment in the East Village of Manhattan late Friday night, she returned downstairs dressed in black-framed glasses, a hoodie and sweats, a monitor loosely hanging from her ankle. Beneath her apartment was a check-cashing business.

Ms. Sorokin, 31, lived for several years in the 2010s as Anna Delvey, a socialite with a trust fund of her own invention, persuading members of Manhattans elite to invest in a members-only arts club named after herself, all the while using the ill-gotten funds to pay for the very designer lifestyle that had first allured them.

In 2019, a Manhattan jury convicted her of a range of financial crimes, including grand larceny and stealing at least one flight on a private jet. After completing her criminal sentence in February 2021, she was released for six weeks before being detained by immigration authorities for 18 months for overstaying her visa. (Ms. Sorokin was born in what was then the Soviet Union and has German citizenship.)

In a series of interviews beginning shortly after her criminal trial, her tone has shifted from one of defiance to something nearing an apology. Reviewing that later interview, Judge Charles R. Conroy of federal immigration court ruled this week that while he didnt believe she was remorseful, Ms. Sorokin was no longer a danger to the community  provided she remains on house arrest, wears an ankle monitor and stays off social media. She was released from the Orange County Correctional Facility in Goshen, N.Y., Friday afternoon. The Department of Homeland Security has 30 days to appeal the judges decision.
A rookie San Antonio police officer was fired after he shot a teenager who was eating in a McDonalds parking lot, leaving the 17-year-old in critical condition, the authorities said.

The San Antonio Police Department said that the former officer, James Brennand, was fired because of his actions during the encounter on Oct. 2. Body camera footage showed him abruptly opening the door of a car the teenager was in and opening fire moments later.

The teenager, Erik Cantu, was initially charged with evading detention in a vehicle and assault on a police officer, the department said. But the Bexar County criminal district attorney, Joe Gonzales, said during a news conference on Friday that he had dismissed the charges.

The police are investigating the shooting and will forward their results to Mr. Gonzales, Capt. Alyssa Campos, the training commander for the San Antonio police, said in a video statement on Wednesday.
The bridge itself is an engineering marvel that cost an estimated $7.5 billion and for the first time created a physical link between the Russian Federation and Crimea, which for centuries was part of the Russian Empire before being given by the Soviet government to Ukraine in the 1950s, in what was then a largely ceremonial gesture.

The bridge allowed easier access to Crimea not only for Russian tourists, but also for Russias military, which transported weapons and equipment into the peninsula in the years before Februarys invasion.

It was from Crimea that Russian forces attacked southern Ukraine, quickly gobbling up large swaths of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in the Kremlins most successful operation in the war to date.

But, as the attack on the bridge underscored, that success seems increasingly imperiled.

After the explosion, Russian officials, along with the countrys increasingly bellicose military bloggers, did not wait for confirmation that Ukraine was responsible, calling for a swift and devastating response.

If this time, we do not respond or do not respond just so, it will show definitively that we are weak, said Sergei Mironov, the leader of a pro-Kremlin political party. This extreme audacity requires an extremely harsh response.

Reporting was contributed by Maria Varenikova from Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Megan Specia from Kyiv, Ukraine, Cassandra Vinograd from London and Katrin Bennhold from Berlin.
Kevin Locke, who brought traditional Native American culture to audiences all over the world through flute songs, hoop dances and stories, helping to preserve both the art forms and the Lakota language, died on Sept. 30 in Hill City, S.D. He was 68.

His son, Ohiyesa Locke, said the cause was an asthma attack he suffered after performing at the Crazy Horse Memorial nearby.

For decades Mr. Locke was a familiar sight at cultural festivals, in schools and in theaters, playing his traditional wooden flute, performing hoop dances and explaining the history and meaning of the works.

He performed for small groups and in larger settings like Symphony Space in New York City, where he and his Kevin Locke Native Dance Ensemble presented a program in 2008 titled The Drum Is the Thunder, the Flute Is the Wind.
Washington, Oct 9 (UNI) Former US President Donald Trump said it is necessary for Russia and Ukraine to start immediate negotiations, otherwise the crisis may turn into World War III and cause global destruction.

"And now we have a war between Russia and Ukraine with potentially hundreds of thousands of people dying. We must [start] the immediate negotiation of a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine or we will end up in World War III, and there will be nothing left of our planet," Trump said on Saturday, delivering a speech during a rally in Minden, Nevada, as quoted by the C-SPAN broadcaster.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on the implementation of the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on the impossibility of holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow would wait for a change in the position on the negotiations of the country's current president or his successor.

UNI/SPUTNIK GNK
LONDON  Visitors to Frieze have an embarrassment of other attractions to choose from in London. All they need to do is step off the fairgrounds in Regents Park and roam the capitals many museums and galleries. Here is a selection of exhibitions taking place during Frieze week.

Queens Gallery  Ever wondered what treasures were contained in Britains Royal Collection, which Queen Elizabeth II had custody of for seven decades until her recent passing? Regular glimpses into the collection are provided by the Queens Gallery, part of Buckingham Palace. (It originally served as Queen Victorias private chapel before it was left in ruins after a World War II air raid and was turned into a museum in 1962.) Currently on display is Japan: Courts and Culture, a selection of more than 150 exquisite Japanese treasures received by the British court over the course of more than three centuries. They include Britains first samurai armor, sent as a gift to the sovereign in 1613, and an embroidered folding screen that Queen Victoria received for her Diamond Jubilee in 1897.
LONDON  When the Pompidou Center in Paris was putting together a special display called Elles, of works by women in its permanent collection in 2009, Camille Morineau, the contemporary-collections curator who spearheaded the effort, noticed colossal gaps in the documentation.

There were so many, its hard to list them, said Ms. Morineau. In the case of 80 percent of the names, there was barely a book about them: just a few pages. Thats even though two-thirds of these women had been renowned during their own lifetimes. Some of the available documentation was partial or outright wrong, Ms. Morineau added: Female artists who had attended prestigious schools were described as self-taught and as lone operators, when they were in fact part of important contemporary avant-garde artistic movements.

So scant was the information on female artists that Ms. Morineau decided to leave her job at the museum and take action. In 2014, she co-founded an association called AWARE (Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions) in Paris to spotlight the lives and careers of female artists of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Can you describe the process of creating this work  its materials, the time frame, the genesis of the idea?

About three years ago, I was researching a book on Malawian political history and came across a photograph that looked ordinary but had something luminous about it. Two men in hats, one white, the other African. What was the big deal here? I put the photograph as a screen saver on my phone. About that same time, the mayors office in London invited me to propose for the Fourth Plinth. I thought of the two men immediately.

John Chilembwe was important enough for me as an African to go on the Fourth Plinth. I wasnt too sure about John Chorley, the white man. I began to research the photograph. I was trying to find a hat like the one that Chilembwe was wearing  Ive always been sort of a dandy: I like a hat  but I couldnt find one, shopping around London. Thats when I realized he was wearing his hat sideways. From that moment, my focus was on the hats.

Why were the hats significant?

It turned out that in the early 20th century, Africans were forbidden to wear hats in front of white people, and that this photograph was actually an act of defiance. Chilembwe distributed this photograph among his followers to encourage them to consider themselves equal to white people. He was killed months later, fighting such injustices. Chorley deserved his place on the Fourth Plinth because he was standing supporting his friend in the fight for equality and justice. But there was still more to do to translate this photograph into a plausible 3-D sculpture.
He added that even if there is demand for the artists work on the primary market, often there is no demand for a piece once it has been sold to a collector. Its the exact same painting: if it comes out of the gallery, it gets sold but once it goes from the gallery to the person, the person cant sell it because the secondary market doesnt accept it.

So, what do people do who are in situations like Ms. Shaffrans? The first move is  as she did  to go back to the gallery.

Its the polite, diplomatic thing to do, said Dr. Roberts-Komireddi. Any good gallery will also want to control what seeps onto the auction market, so they would prefer to do things on the secondary market behind closed doors. She added that many blue chip galleries make a lot of their money on the secondary market.

We are happy to help facilitate arrangements to sell or re-buy the work, Alex Logsdail, the chief executive of the London-based Lisson Gallery, which participates in the worlds top art fairs, including Frieze London, wrote in an email. He added that donating the work to an institution is another option, one that could often qualify the seller for a charitable deduction.

Kristin Hjellegjerde, whose galleries are in London, Berlin and Norway, said she sometimes buys back works and resells them. I tell clients Can you wait, hold on a little bit, she said, adding that sometimes an artist may have a big exhibition or museum show coming up. Then its easier for us to do a resale.

If a gallery does not respond or is not interested, another idea is to reach out to the artist, Dr. Roberts-Komireddi said, as they are sometimes quite interested in their old pieces and may be keen to rework them or simply have them back for nostalgia. But Ms. Shaffran did not, saying she assumed she had to go through the gallery.
Literature is extremely political, but it is a politics that works best when it comes in spaces where no other politics can go, a more delicate space that doesnt require the precision of saying, OK, were going to talk about glyphosate because someone has to, said Schweblin.

True to form, Schweblins social commentary in Fever Dream straddles the space between the fantastic and the everyday, written entirely as a dialogue between a dying woman and a young boy who could be real or imagined. In a similar vein, Ojedas Jawbone, which centers on the kidnapping of a young woman by an obsessive teacher, uses horror to explore the anxieties of adolescence and womanhood in modern Ecuador.

We always link fear to ugliness, but I think above all it is linked to beauty, Ojeda said via email. The biggest fear we can experience is the loss of beauty. It seemed natural to think about adolescence from that perspective.

Like Duenas and Davila before them, Ojeda and other contemporary writers in Latin America use different means to confront the often fraught realities for women in the region. But their form of feminism, such as it is, represents an evolution from the writing of the last century, said Alemany Bay.

Writers like Davila incorporated the interior world, the world of the nightmare, the world of madness. And that interior psychology can be characteristic of womens writing, Alemany Bay said. Current writers also incorporate this internal world, but now they are in a different place, one where they no longer have to vindicate the fact of being a woman. So in that sense I think theres a step forward.

For Schweblin, that more personal form of feminism has taken time to fully understand.

In Mouthful of Birds, all of the issues that feminism has been preoccupied with in the last 10 years are there, but written with the naivete of someone who was 18 years old, she said. So Im not sure if it was feminist, but there was exigency, there was anger.

Still, recognizing those realities can be jarring. Schweblin said that when she first moved to Berlin, she didnt understand why it filled her with happiness to ride her bike home alone at night without worrying about the consequences. Her friends didnt understand why she would send them text messages after getting in late.
Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, has set off one controversy after another in the last week, first at his fashion show and then on social media, prompting accusations of racism and antisemitism.

On Monday, at Paris Fashion Week, he debuted a T-shirt for his fashion line bearing the phrase White Lives Matter. On Friday, he suggested on Instagram that Sean Combs, the rapper known as Diddy, was being controlled by Jewish people. Yes account was restricted by Instagram that day.

Early on Sunday morning, he went on Twitter and lashed out against Jewish people in a series of tweets.

Ye tweeted that he would soon go death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE, an apparent reference to the United States defense readiness condition, known as Def. Con.
Good morning. Rick Martinez is in The Times with an overview of his essential Mexican recipes. In Mexico, people cook the food they love to eat without any fear of getting it wrong, he writes. And just like cooks in the United States, Mexicans use food to celebrate individuality, creativity and diversity.

Rick, who grew up in Texas and is the grandchild of Mexican immigrants, flew to Mexico City in 2019, bought a car and set off on a road trip across Mexicos 32 states in search of connections to the country and to his family. Todays recipes emerged from his travels. Try his chiles anchos rellenos de queso, smoky and slightly spicy; a complex, velvety mole negro from the state of Oaxaca; tacos campechanos (above), a meaty, little-bit-of-everything Mexico City standard; and more. Its a terrific package, well worth cooking through.

In other news of road-trips and cooking, our Kim Severson traveled to Tucson recently to spend some time with the rock star Linda Ronstadt. Ronstadt is 76 and has written a cookbook, although she doesnt really know how to cook.

Think of it as a road trip with Linda Ronstadt through the part of the world where she is from and loves the most, said the journalist Lawrence Downes, who wrote the book with her. Thats southern Arizona, mostly, and the Mexican state of Sonora.
Such criticism has been heard from Greene County, in the Hudson Valley, to Erie County, home to Buffalo, the states second-largest city, as well as from groups like the New York State Sheriffs Association, which called the new law a thoughtless, reactionary action that aims to restrain and punish law-abiding citizens.

We will take the complaint, but it will go to the bottom of my stack, said Mike Filicetti, the Niagara County sheriff, who appends a Ronald Reagan quote to his emails. There will be no arrests made without my authorization and its a very, very low priority for me.

The law took effect on Sept. 1, and, at least anecdotally, has been used only sparingly since. Jeff Smith, the sheriff in mostly rural Montgomery County, west of Albany, said his office has had no calls for enforcement of the new law, noting that almost every household in his jurisdiction had some sort of gun.

Sheriff Smith, a Republican, said he understands the motives of lawmakers to quell violence and mass shootings, but that the gun law inadvertently targeted lawful gun owners.

The pendulum swung way too far, he said.

An element of the New York law makes it a crime to carry a firearm onto any private property, including homes, unless there is clear and conspicuous signage indicating that the owner allows such weapons. Some sheriffs have printed their own signs and distributed them to gun-friendly businesses and residents.

I dont think you could find one case in this country, in United States history, where a sign said SCHOOL ZONE NO GUNS PERMITTED, and it stopped an active shooter, said Sheriff Giardino.

For supporters of the law, the opposition is insincere, considering that sheriffs demands for law and order are often coupled with complaints that the state is in disarray, that crime is rampant and that the Legislature has empowered lawbreakers.
The United States averted a national freight rail strike a few weeks ago, when the Biden administration stepped in to broker a deal between rail companies and their union employees. Rail workers have not yet ratified that agreement, and a strike is still on the table. According to a railway trade group, a shutdown could cost the economy more than $2 billion a day. Among the disasters that could ensue, power plants would lack the coal needed to produce electricity and water treatment plants would lack the chemicals needed to provide clean water. If the companies dont come to an agreement with rail workers, eventually, grocery shelves would go empty.

Rail workers demands are not outrageous  union members have little to no predictability in their schedules and are subjected to draconian attendance policies. But the current standoff is about more, and is the result of a deliberate, half-century-long conversion of the nations rail system from a network that could deliver many kinds of goods to market (while also hosting hundreds of passenger train lines), to a fleet of land barges that are good for coal and containers  not much else.

After World War II, railroad companies ceded freight, including mail and perishables, to semi trucks and instead favored goods like newsprint, chemicals and steel coils, which could sit in rail yards for days. Many freight companies made this change enthusiastically; truckings rise gave them a strong reason to stop servicing goods that were financial and logistical pains to ship. So long to the rail cars full of livestock.

Despite shifting to nonperishable goods, railroads did not stay profitable. By 1976, several railroad companies had gone bankrupt, threatening to collapse rail shipping along with them. Sensing disaster, Congress stepped in to create Conrail, a mostly government-owned company to keep service functional in the Northeast and Midwest. Its executives saw austerity as the way to profitability.
Russia has put Europes largest nuclear power plant in the cross hairs of combat, but it was not the first nation to attack an operational reactor in war. That was the United States three decades ago. The American strike on an Iraqi site is part of a little-known history in which foreign attackers have fired more than a dozen times on nuclear plants not only in Iraq but Iran, Israel and Syria. Their attacks sought to end atomic bomb programs.

Analysts divide the 42-year history into intensifying stages. The dangers soared in March when Russian troops attacked the six reactors at the Zaporizhzhia power plant in Ukraine and seized control of the giant complex. Its capture, and the ongoing fighting at the site, have set off global alarms over the possibility of catastrophic damage and deadly plumes of radioactive fallout.

Russias siege of the Zaporizhzhia site is without precedent in the history of warfare, with an invading power aiming to extract economic leverage over a highly complex power generation plant. But experts say that knowledge of the earlier strikes on nuclear reactors, and the missed opportunities to create a global prohibition on attacking such sites, can help policymakers and the public better understand the rising dangers and ways to limit them.

History underscores the urgency, said Bennett Ramberg, a former State Department analyst and author of a 1984 book on the vulnerability of reactors in war. The scale of the current threat demands a renewed effort by the international community to establish legal prohibitions on striking reactors during military conflict, as well as new physical protections for the atomic plants.
Fourteen years later, construction is now underway on part of a 171-mile starter line connecting a few cities in the middle of California, which has been promised for 2030. But few expect it to make that goal.

Meanwhile, costs have continued to escalate. When the California High-Speed Rail Authority issued its new 2022 draft business plan in February, it estimated an ultimate cost as high as $105 billion. Less than three months later, the final plan raised the estimate to $113 billion.

The rail authority said it has accelerated the pace of construction on the starter system, but at the current spending rate of $1.8 million a day, according to projections widely used by engineers and project managers, the train could not be completed in this century.

We would make some different decisions today, said Tom Richards, a developer from the Central Valley city of Fresno who now chairs the authority. He said project executives have managed to work through the challenges and have a plan that will, for the first time, connect 85 percent of Californias residents with a fast, efficient rail system. I think it will be successful, he said.

Bullet Train to Nowhere : Construction of the California high-speed rail system, Americas most ambitious infrastructure project, Construction of the California high-speed rail system, Americas most ambitious infrastructure project, has become a multi-billion-dollar nightmare

A Piece of Black History Destroyed: Lincoln Heights  a historically Black community in a predominantly white, rural county in Northern California  endured for decades. Lincoln Heights  a historically Black community in a predominantly white, rural county in Northern California  endured for decades. Then came the Mill fire

Warehouse Moratorium: As warehouse construction balloons nationwide, residents in communities both rural and urban have pushed back. In Californias Inland Empire, As warehouse construction balloons nationwide, residents in communities both rural and urban have pushed back. In Californias Inland Empire, the anger has turned to widespread action

But there are growing doubts among key Democratic leaders in the Legislature  historically the bullet trains base of support  and from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has been cautious about committing new state financing. As of now, there is no identified source of funding for the $100 billion it will take to extend the rail project from the Central Valley to its original goals, Los Angeles and San Francisco, in part because lawmakers, no longer convinced of the bullet trains viability, have pushed to divert additional funding to regional rail projects.

There is nothing but problems on the project, the speaker of the State Assembly, Anthony Rendon, complained recently.

The Timess review, though, revealed that political deals created serious obstacles in the project from the beginning. Speaking candidly on the subject for the first time, some of the high-speed rail authoritys past leaders say the project may never work.
There will be no debates in one of the most competitive governors races in the country  between Katie Hobbs, the Democratic secretary of state of Arizona, and Kari Lake, a former TV news anchor endorsed by Donald J. Trump  because Ms. Hobbs has refused to participate, arguing that Ms. Lake would create a circus.

In what might be the closest they come to a debate, they were interviewed back-to-back on Face the Nation on CBS on Sunday, with a focus on immigration and abortion.

The host, Major Garrett, pressed Ms. Lake on her proposal to create an interstate compact in which Arizona and other states would make immigration arrests independent of the federal government, and Ms. Lake defended it in incendiary fashion, saying the Biden administration had abdicated its duty to protect states from invasion.

She cited Article I, Section 10 of the Constitution  which says that without congressional consent, states cannot enter into any agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay  and claimed that Arizona met the conditions of the clause.
But the F.B.I. did not open the investigation based on the dossier, and the final report by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, did not cite anything in it as evidence. The F.B.I. did cite some claims from the dossier in applying for court permission to wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser with ties to Russia.

The dossier grew out of opposition research indirectly funded by Hillary Clintons presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Their law firm, Perkins Coie, contracted with the research firm Fusion GPS, which subcontracted research about Trump business dealings in Russia to a company run by Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence agent.

Mr. Steele in turn subcontracted to Mr. Danchenko, a Russian-born analyst living in the United States, who canvassed people he knew, including in Europe and Russia. Mr. Danchenko verbally relayed what the analyst later called raw intelligence  essentially uncorroborated gossip  to Mr. Steele, who drafted the dossier.

A bureau counterintelligence analyst determined Mr. Danchenkos identity and the F.B.I. first spoke to him in early 2017, during which he said he had not seen the dossier until BuzzFeed published it. Its tenor was more conclusive than was justified, he said, and he portrayed the blackmail tape story as mere rumor and speculation.

Mr. Danchenko talked to the F.B.I. for hours about what he had gathered, and court filings by Mr. Durham disclosed that the bureau formally deemed him a confidential human source.

An inspector general report revealed in late 2019 that Mr. Danchenkos interview had raised doubts about the credibility of the dossier and criticized the bureau for failing to tell that to a court in wiretap renewal applications that continued to cite it. The report essentially portrayed Mr. Danchenko, whom it did not name, as a truth-teller, and the F.B.I. as deceptive.

But after further investigation, Mr. Durham accused Mr. Danchenko of deceiving the F.B.I.  including by concealing that a public relations executive with ties to Democrats, Charles Dolan, had been his source for a minor claim involving office politics in the Trump campaign. That assertion made its way into the dossier.
As the Thai authorities investigate Thursdays ghastly mass killing of 36 people by a former police officer, they are also confronting the role of their own ranks in the countrys distorted gun market and gun culture.

The gunman, Panya Kamrab, 34, used a 9-millimeter pistol he obtained legally, the police said. He also owned a shotgun. And before he was fired from the police force in June on drug possession charges, both would have been easy for him to buy. Thailands security forces can purchase as many weapons as they want through the government, and at a steep discount.

Civilians seeking to buy guns, by contrast, face tough laws and high prices  a disparity that creates perverse incentives and other problems. In some cases, it has led those charged with public safety to sell caches of weapons for profit.

In rarer moments of horror, they have turned their guns on the innocent.

We will surely have to do something, Anutin Charnvirakul, the health minister, said on Friday, when asked whether he was concerned about security officers being involved in shootings. Im sure that the people in charge  the prime minister, the chief of police  will surely consider it and try to tighten the enforcement as much as they can.
Mr. Milburn wants America to go all in. Short of that, he has decided to deploy himself.

The alternative for me would be to be in the States just reading about this and being frustrated and angry, he said. I know were not changing the course of the war, but for the individual people were helping, like those we evacuate, it has a very direct impact.

And, he was quick to add, I feel far better than I did in the last deployments in Iraq.

Though Mr. Milburn is not involved in the actual fighting, he is constantly risking his life. On a recent day in Soledar, he and his colleagues were nearly hit by Russian rockets. Minutes after that, as they were changing a flat tire that had been shredded by shrapnel, a fighter jet swooped down on them, shooting more rockets and sending them scurrying into the bushes.

He and his men admit theres an adrenaline component to all this.

Youre always looking for it, right? said one of Mr. Milburns trainers, an American sharpshooter named Rob. Youre always wanting to be where it is.

For Mr. Milburn and Mozart  and many in the West, for that matter  Ukraine is it.

You just got killed about 100 times

One afternoon earlier this summer at a riverside park outside of Kyiv, Mozart held a series of combat drills. The Ukrainian recruits, many of whom had never touched a gun before, were assigned with running around the park and surrounding one of Mr. Milburns trainers in a mock assault. Just a few yards away, ordinary people rode scooters and pushed baby strollers along the parks shaded paths. It was the two Ukraines  the normal life people were striving to maintain, and the war that had been foisted on them  unfolding in the same place, at the same time, almost without recognition of the other.

The recruits moved fast and with enthusiasm. But they moved in clumps and didnt seem to have a plan.

You just got killed about 100 times, by your own guys, bellowed one of Mr. Milburns trainers, an enormous Estonian.
Bill Richardson, the former New Mexico governor and ambassador to the United Nations, said on Sunday that he is cautiously optimistic that a deal will be reached to release Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, two Americans imprisoned in Russia.

Mr. Richardson  who has been unofficially negotiating with Russian officials as a private citizen  told CNNs State of the Union that a deal could be feasible by the end of the year, saying that Russia appeared to be willing to move forward on an agreement to exchange Ms. Griner, a W.N.B.A. all-star, and Mr. Whelan, a former Marine, for two Russian prisoners held by the United States.

I got the sense that the Russian officials that I met with, that Ive known over the years, are ready to talk, Mr. Richardson said.

Ms. Griner, who was arrested just before Russia invaded Ukraine in February, was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony after pleading guilty to a drug possession charge. Mr. Whelan was sentenced to 16 years on espionage charges in 2020.
Mr. Putin, in his first comments about the explosion, did not hesitate to point a finger at Ukraine on Sunday. There is no doubt that this is a terrorist attack aimed at destroying the critically important civilian infrastructure of the Russian Federation, he said.

According to Russia, the truck exploded as a train pulling seven fuel tanks was passing on a parallel rail, setting them afire. If that timing was deliberate, it would suggest either luck or a fair degree of sophistication to the operation.

A day after the explosion, details about how it was carried out remained spotty.

Though Ukrainian officials made no secret of their glee, the government in Kyiv had yet to publicly take responsibility for the attack. Another senior Ukrainian official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that Ukraines intelligence services were behind the bombing, and said that explosives had been loaded onto a truck that was driven onto the bridge and detonated. The official did not, however, know what happened to the driver of the truck or whether the driver had even known about the bomb.

A Russian news outlet, Baza, published a video interview of a young man from Krasnodar, in southern Russia, who claimed to have owned the truck. In the video, the man said that his uncle had been the one who was driving at the time of the explosion, and denied knowing anything about a bomb.
ATHENS  For decades, the police were rarely allowed on university campuses in Greece without express permission from the schools rector and the approval of a prosecutor, even in cases of emergency. But in September, the government began trying to deploy officers at four universities, stoking vehement protests and prompting accusations of authoritarian tactics.

The concept of law enforcement on campuses had largely been anathema in Greece since 1973, when more than 20 people were killed after a student uprising at the Athens Polytechnic against the countrys military dictatorship. But the no-police policy was repealed in 2019. (In 2011, a previous government scrapped the law, but it was reinstated in 2017.)

The current conservative government says the officers are needed to curb lawlessness on campuses. But students have fought the move, blocking entry to the grounds of universities in Athens and in the northern city of Thessaloniki. Demonstrations against the measure have turned violent in both the capital and in Thessaloniki.

And during a concert in Thessaloniki last month featuring Greek artists who said that they stood in solidarity with students, the police used tear gas on audience members. Officers said that they had been attacked.
The Russian-installed authorities in Crimea moved quickly on Sunday to restore some road and rail traffic on the Kerch Strait Bridge, after an explosion a day earlier partly damaged the span and embarrassed the Kremlin.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Kremlin-installed leader of Crimea, said on Sunday that cars would be able to use the bridge, but that for the time being, trucks, buses and all heavy-duty vehicles would have to cross using a ferry service that will be provided for free.

As state officials and the official news media strove to present the situation as under control, railroad service would operate normally, said Mr. Aksyonov, who has been head of the administration on the disputed peninsula since Russia seized it from Ukraine in 2014.

Eighteen trains carrying a total of around 6,000 passengers had crossed the bridge since traffic resumed overnight, the state-run Russian news outlet RIA Novosti reported, quoting the railroad service.
BOROVA, Ukraine  The battle zone east of the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, is a mileslong territory of muddy roads, blasted intersections and destroyed bridges. The only traffic is military vehicles, as soldiers bring in supplies and move equipment.

Wrecked Russian tanks and armor dot the roads and villages, burned out in battles or crashed and abandoned as Russian troops retreated. Ukrainian units have painted their names on the vehicles to claim them as trophies.

As Ukrainian troops press their counterattack against occupying Russian forces, fighting is continuing apace in the northeast. The front line is shifting fast, revealing casualties and destruction from recent battles and, as Ukrainian soldiers capture territory, evidence of killings and torture in a forest camp outside the village of Borova.

Every day we are taking another village, said Serhii Filimonov, commander of a Ukrainian assault unit that helped recapture the strategic city of Kupiansk and a string of towns and villages down the eastern bank of the Oskil River in the past few days.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan  On the dusty, sunny streets of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, bands of young migrants, nearly all men, wander aimlessly, dazed at their world turned upside down  and their hasty, self-imposed exile to a poor, remote country that few could previously place on a map.

After leaving often well-paying jobs and families in Moscow and Vladivostok and many places in between, tens of thousands of young Russians  terrified of being dragooned into fighting in Ukraine  are pouring into Central Asia by plane, car and bus.

The influx has turned Kyrgyzstan  a country long scorned in Russia as a source of cheap labor and backward ways  into an unlikely and, for the most part, welcoming haven for Russian men.

Some are poor, many are relatively affluent and highly educated  but all are united by a desperate desire to escape being caught up in President Vladimir V. Putins war in Ukraine.
Since Russias invasion of Ukraine, Pentagon officials have sent the Ukrainian military an array of equipment totaling billions of dollars. But one powerful weapon, called the Army Tactical Missile System, has become part of a debate about the limits of U.S. support for its ally.

The long-range missile  known as ATACMS and pronounced like attack ems  can strike targets 190 miles away with a warhead containing about 375 pounds of explosives. It can be fired from the HIMARS mobile launchers that the United States has provided Ukraine, as well as from older M270 launchers sent from Britain and Germany.

Ukrainian officials say the missile could help them regain Crimea, a part of the country that Russia seized in 2014. But Pentagon officials insist they are already giving Ukraine the weapons it most needs: Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, or GMLRS.

The ATACMS is such a sensitive issue because the White House has concerns that Ukraine could use it to strike targets deep inside Russia, and that President Vladimir V. Putin might respond by escalating the war, possibly by invading a neighboring NATO country. Ukraine has insisted it has no plans to strike Russian cities or target civilians.
External power had been restored to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant by Sunday night after repeated shelling caused an outage that lasted nearly two days, the chief of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said in a statement.

Mr. Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agencys managing director, is planning to visit Russia early this week for talks about establishing a safety zone around the plant in southern Ukraine, a goal that has received renewed urgency after a series of attacks in the area the past week. Mr. Grossi was in Kyiv, Ukraines capital, on Thursday to begin the negotiations.

Early Saturday, Russian shelling caused the plant to lose access to external power, forcing it to rely on diesel generators to power safety equipment used to cool its reactors, according to Ukrainian officials. Russias Ministry of Defense blamed Ukrainian forces for the shelling, saying in a statement on Telegram that Ukrainian rockets had hit near the industrial zone and knocked out the power supply.

Mr. Grossi said in the statement that there has been shelling almost every day now around the plant, including where the plant workers and their families live.
JERUSALEM  Israeli security forces on Sunday said that they were still searching for the gunman who carried out a deadly attack late Saturday at a checkpoint in East Jerusalem and that three Palestinians had been arrested in connection with the shooting.

The attack, which left an Israeli soldier dead and a security guard severely wounded, came as tensions surged before the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, when worshipers and pilgrims pour into the city. Israeli forces were put on high alert across the city ahead of the holiday, which begins at sundown on Sunday evening and lasts a week.

The attack on Saturday night at the checkpoint near the Shuafat refugee camp, on the northeastern outskirts of Jerusalem, occurred hours after a deadly Israeli arrest raid and armed clashes in the city of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, during which two Palestinians were killed.

The recent spasm of violence gripping Israel and the West Bank is the worst those areas have seen in years. The Israeli military has been carrying out an intensified campaign of arrest raids, particularly in and around the northern West Bank cities of Jenin and Nablus, after a spate of terrorist attacks in Israeli cities that killed 19 people in the spring.
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Ten red candles will remain lit at St Michaels Church in Creeslough for the next week.

Each one is in honour of the ten people who died in a horrific explosion that rocked the small north Donegal town to its core on Friday.

A little girl of primary school age has been confirmed as being among the dead. Four men, three women, a teenage boy and a teenage girl also lost their lives in the blast, which occurred on Friday at around 3.20pm.

Political and Church leaders converged on Creeslough.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald, Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle ONeill and SDLP Leader Collum Eastwood were among the attendance at a church service on Saturday evening.

The Bishop of Raphoe, Alan McGuckian SJ, lit ten candles in memory of the ten with the candlelit display to remain for a week.

Emergency service personnel who had assisted in a gruelling and harrowing rescue operation were also present with the church packed to overflowing.

The strength of our community will carry us, Fr John Joe Duffy, the parish priest, told the congregation.

The closer we are as a people the stronger the sense of community, and nowhere is that sense stronger, in no place is there as strong a community as we have here in Creeslough.

Our hearts are broken. We all sense a numbness, a disbelief that we are really experiencing this tragedy, that it is real.

The grief we see in the young and in the old shows that this is a family that cares for each other, a genuine community.

We suffer the loss, we all sense the pain. The days ahead will be difficult days. I wish there was some easier way, but unfortunately there is not.

Mr Martin met with members of the emergency services at the Applegreen service station, where the tragedy unfolded on Friday afternoon.

The entire nation is mourning, he said. It is truly shocking and tragic.

One is greeted with a terrible silence, reflecting an enormous loss on a scale that no-one can comprehend.

A search operation at the scene has concluded and no further casualties have been located.

Eight other people were hospitalised, seven of whom are said to be in a stable condition at Letterkenny University Hospital. One person who was airlifted to a hospital in Dublin remains in a critical condition in a burns unit.

Dr Paul Stewart, who has been the local GP in Creeslough for 23 years, has said that the work is only just beginning, as the community comes to terms with immeasurable grief.

It is going to take a long time for these scars to heal, Dr Stewart said.

We have lost ten friends, neighbours and loved ones and there are nearly as many in hospital.

It was horrific. We had to wait. We knew that there were people who hadnt come home. Waiting was the hard bit.

Superintendent Liam Geraghty told a media briefing at Milford Garda Station that officers were quite satisfied that there would be no further casualties. The deceased, he said, were all from the North Donegal area.

Post mortem examinations will be carried out on the bodies, which have been taken to LUH.

Gardai are treating the incident as a tragic accident.

Emergency services were on site within ten minutes. They arrived to what was described as a very traumatic and confused scene.

Crews worked overnight on Friday to clear the rubble from the forecourt. They were aided by a team of specialised officers using cameras, listening devices and sniffer dogs.

Gardai are working with the local coroner, Dr Denis McCauley, and liaison has been arranged with the bereaved families.

Liam McElhinney, the Chairman of the St Michaels GAA club, told how he was in the complex just 45 minutes before a blast that has ripped the heart from the community.

There were lotto sellers outside the shop and they had just left their post, Mr McElhinney said. I had left the shop at 2.30. It could easily have been me. It just wasnt my time, I suppose.

We expect to see these type of things in other places, but not in our wee community in Creeslough. You see things like this on tv and you just dont expect it to come to your own door.

We are in total shock. It will take days, weeks and maybe years to recover from this.

Their flames - like the candles at the local church - will flicker through the darkness.
The people of Creeslough in Co Donegal are living through a nightmare of shock and horror, a bishop has said after a devastating explosion at a petrol station killed 10 people.

A five-year-old girl and her father, and a woman and her teenage son, have been named among the victims of the blast, while a man in his 20s remains in a critical condition.

The seven other surviving casualties continue to receive treatment in hospital and remain in a stable condition.

Speaking at Sunday mass in the villages St Michaels Church, Bishop of Raphoe Alan McGuckian said: At this time, you, the people of Creeslough, are living through a nightmare of shock and horror since the very heart of the community was deeply wounded on Friday afternoon.

Its an experience that we are living through together. But we recognise that the trauma is different for every single individual. We hold in our hearts most especially those for whom this is most acute.

We think firstly of the 10 who have lost their lives and gone to God, and then of those nearest to them who are most cruelly bereaved.

And then we think of the injured, struggling to recover in body and spirit. We think of everyone, both from the community and the first responders in the public services who have carried the burden of being close to the tragedy as it has unfolded.

And we remember everyone here in Creeslough, and indeed throughout Ireland and further, who feels helpless and shaken by what has happened.

He spoke about the randomness of the tragedy and the upset caused by seeing what can happen in life.

Over the last couple of days as people gathered in groups to talk about what has happened here these last days, the one word that stands out for me in relation to the explosion is something somebody said.

It is so random, they said. And what she was referring to was, anybody could have been caught up in that. Theres something deeply shocking and upsetting about what life throws up, can throw up.

We ask why did it have to happen here, to this person, that person, why did they have to be there at that awful moment?

The bereaved and the injured have to carry the awful insecurity of that question. Others of us could easily carry a certain sense of guilt.

Why was it them and not me who was hit by the randomness of this tragedy? There is fundamentally a terrible realisation that we are not masters of our own destiny.

We are very fragile, all of us, fragile and vulnerable.

Ten red candles sat flickering at the front of the altar during the mass.

Those who died were 48-year-old James OFlaherty, 24-year-old Jessica Gallagher, 49-year-old Martin McGill, 39-year-old Catherine ODonnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan, 59-year-old Hugh Kelly, 49-year-old Martina Martin, 50-year-old Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe, and 14-year-old Leona Harper.
Almost 800 Transition Year students in Offaly will receive a free copy of a bestselling money advice book from Irelands top financial expert to make them more financially savvy.

As the cost-of-living crisis deepens, John Lowe insists it is more crucial than ever that school leavers are equipped with the tools to help them to manage money.

A pilot scheme which last year saw 3,000 hard copies of Lowes bestselling book, Money Doctors 2021, delivered to 30 schools in Dublin, is now being replicated this month with Money Doctors 2022 ebook being rolled out to over 763 Transition Year students in 11 schools in Offaly for free.

Lowes gift to tomorrows leaders was prompted after his 19-year-old son asked him while in UCD: Whats an overdraft Dad?

After this question, I knew something needed to be done to arm young people with practical money advice thats useful in their day-to-day lives, said the father-of-three and qualified financial adviser.

Many young people talk enthusiastically about cryptocurrencies and NFTs, but how well do they understand basic financial terms like an overdraft?

The 2022 edition of Money Doctors covers everything you would want to know about personal finance in Ireland and contains a chapter aimed specifically at TY students and their money.

As many start earning with part-time jobs in Transition Year and take their first steps in handling personal finances, it is important for them to understand how money works and how to make, manage and spend it responsibly.

The TY chapter was written in collaboration with UCDs Dr Rachel Farrell and James Doyle, the TY co-ordinator at St Andrews College in Booterstown, Dublin.

It covers advice on how to make money, young peoples rights as part-time workers, managing money, opening bank accounts, getting the best return on savings and being credit wise.

Lowe, whose 2023 edition of Money Doctors is out in December, insists there is no ulterior motive in the gesture other than ensuring the next generation is clued into the world of finance.

This is my gift to tomorrows leaders and will be an annual gift to future TY students, he said.

687 Irish secondary schools nationwide are in the process of receiving a unique code for their schools TY class, which will allow students to download the 2022 e-book edition for free until October 9th.

The gesture will be repeated every September.

In addition, a 148-page mini-book Teenagers  You & Your Money will be incorporated into the 18th edition of Lowes upcoming book, Money Doctors 2023, published by Providence Press, which goes on sale in mid-December (RRP12.99)

The book has been a bestseller in Ireland three times since the first edition was published in 2006.

Lowes tips on top 5 things teenagers can do to help reduce household costs this winter



1. Take shorter showers



Standard showerheads use around 9 litres of water per minute, of which 6 litres are heated at a cost of 1cent per litre. A 10-minute shower could end up costing 70 cents per person per day. Cutting your shower time by even 2 minutes will knock 50 off your bill over a year  thats 200 for a family of 4.



2. Bring your own lunch to school every day



It can be tempting to ask your parents for money to buy lunch in school or the local shop when youve all ingredients for a tasty lunch at home. That chicken fillet roll and drink from the canteen or local deli adds up, even if you were only to do it once a week.



3. Buy and sell second-hand clothes on apps like DePop or Facebook marketplace

It's no longer considered uncool to buy second-hand clothes and the quality can be excellent. As well as saving on clothes costs, it can be a great money earner too when youve grown out of your clothes and theyre still in good condition. Buying second-hand instead of new also helps protect the environment.

4. Dont waste food

A massive 700 worth of food is wasted in an average Irish household every year. So try and avoid throwing out perfectly edible food. Watch best before dates, use up leftovers and if youve food that you no longer want, you can share it with your neighbours through an app like OLIO



5. Avoid using the tumble dryer and dry your clothes naturally

It's tempting to throw your clothes in the tumble dryer in winter but these are massive energy guzzlers, using five times the energy of a washing machine. A two hour cycle will cost almost 3.50, based on average prices right now. So 3 cycles per week adds up to 10.50 or 546 per year.

And finally, remember to switch off the immersion and shut the doors behind you!
A Queensland team found shooting and baiting failed to rein in the pests. Now experts have a new strategy for protecting habitats.
Rumble 16 Oct 2022

President Putin has accused Ukraine of an act of terrorism after a key strategic bridge to Crimea was badly damaged by an..
The Russian president signed a decree increasing security after explosions occured on the Kerch Strait bridge. Meanwhile, Ukraine's president has reported tough fighting around Bakhmut. Follow DW for the latest.
A Russian missile strike has damaged residential buildings and killed at least 12 people in Zaporizhzhia. Meanwhile, Russian divers will examine the extent of damage of the Crimean bridge blast. Follow DW for the latest.
By Cinzia Bianco*



*Introduction*



The Middle East is one of the regions of the world most exposed to climate..

Eurasia Review 16 Oct 2022
The British Supreme Court is set to deliberate on whether Scotland can hold a second independence referendum without London's consent. The independence referendum in 2014 resulted in a 55% "No" vote to leaving the UK.
Vladimir Putin urged in a statement that the gas pipeline and energy bridge that connect the peninsula to the Russian mainland be secured.
Moscow moves to secure the key connector and repair it as soon as possible after the explosion.
The people of Creeslough in Co Donegal are living through a nightmare of shock and horror, a bishop has said after a devastating explosion at a petrol station killed 10 people.
Hundreds of people have gathered at a vigil in memory of the 10 people who died in a devastating explosion in an Irish village.
Creeslough's welcome sign, picked out in gold lettering on a black background, proudly announces that the village is the "home of Bridie Gallagher, the Girl from Donegal", a popular entertainer in the '50s and '60s known as Ireland's first international pop star.
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters, the latest of a recent barrage of weapons tests, a day after it warned the redeployment of a US aircraft carrier near the Korean Peninsula was inflaming...
Russia's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova took potshots at a UN Official for his statements, which discredited the Ukraine plebiscite.
Both sides in the two-year long civil war in northern Ethiopia have agreed to attend peace talks in South Africa.
Ukrainians celebrated the Saturday attack on a key bridge connecting the Crimean peninsula to mainland Russia by flooding social media with memes, which have become a staple of the conflict.
Malta is Cleaning Up its Regulation Model

Published October 9, 2022 by Lee R

Pioneering Malta is seeking to forge a leadership role in regulation.

Pioneer jurisdiction Malta is updating its responsible gambling rules.

The Session

The news that Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is preparing to introduce detailed player protection guidelines for licensees is based on the new opening of a consultation on the subject.

New Categories to Address

The closed consultation took place last week introducing five new broad categories of harm that licensees will be responsible for honoring and maintaining compliance with.

MGA Review

The MGA defines the session as a review of licensees obligations regarding their responsible gaming policies and procedures and the introduction of five markers of harm that must be considered by licensees when determining effective measures and processes to detect and address problem gambling.

Expert Consultation



The new session comes on the heels of an expert review of existing player protection directives, combined with MGA research and the work of its Responsible Gaming Unit.

Licencee Response Window

The consultation has not been made public yet, pending an MGA licensee response period which extends until October 14th. Responses to proposals will be recorded and integrated as amendments to the Malta Player Protection Directive.

Tightening Procedures

The MGA re-emphasised the procedural requirement of licensees to draw up an agreed-upon procedures report detailing further protocols for holding player funds and

maximum projected winnings.

MGAs Work This Year

The MGA model is so far effective, and the MGA is proactively improving upon it. In its annual report published last month, MGA revealed only seven licences had been canceled in 2021, with no licenses suspended. This was a strong improvement over 2020s 14 cancellations and three penalties.

Penalties Moderation

.

MGA seems to have found a common ground by issuing more penalties during 2021, giving operators a chance to learn and adapt.

Coming In Line for 2021

It has not been fully smooth sailing for the MGA. The jurisdiction was placed on the Financial Action Task Force FATF grey list for gaming jurisdictions deemed vulnerable to deficiencies in certain money laundering controls, a list which MGA was removed from in 2021 in a big win.

Maltas Internal Clean-up

Within the space of a year, Malta was able to effectively fulfill an action plan presented to them by the FATF for improving practices.

Points Addressed

The points include emphasising the value of keeping effective owner information, accompanied by directives regarding enhancement and definition of the role of Maltas Financial Intelligence Unit.

Outlook

The renewed vigilance to get off the grey list has spurred a proactive response in Malta which should pervade the entire industry and make all gaming and registration processes safer for licensees and players.
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Police on Saturday marked the 58th anniversary of its establishment with Prime Minister Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba saying the occasion is an opportunity to assure everyone that the security institution is doing well, thanks to the determination of its leaders and members
Photo: (Photo : GETTY IMAGES/ Francois Durand)

Actor Jesse Williams was granted visitation rights with his children in New York, overruling his ex-wife's request to let their children stay in Los Angeles. Court also ordered him and his ex-wife to go through sessions of co-parenting.

Jesse Williams and his ex-wife Aryn Drake-Lee showed up in court Friday, September 30, to hear the decision about their current custody battle. Williams got the court's favor as he was awarded various visitation days with his children in New York City.

The actor and the real estate agent, both 41, were together for more than ten years and married for five until Williams filed for divorce in April 2017. A custody battle ensued since then over their two children, daughter Sadie, 8, and son Maceo, 7.

Williams can be recalled requesting custodial visits with his children while he temporarily relocates to New York City from Los Angeles this fall to once again play his Tony-nominated role in the "Take Me Out" Broadway revival.

Co-parenting sessions and other orders from the court

Despite Drake-Lee's argument against her ex-husband's request, the court allowed their two kids to visit the actor in New York on specific days in October, November, and December.

Moreover, the court also ordered the parents to do ten sessions of co-parenting counseling and were restrained from making derogatory remarks about each other, whether directly or indirectly, to their children or allowing any third party to do so, People reported.

The judge also ordered that they should not discuss the case with or in front of their minor children or anyone else and not use their children as messengers to "deliver messages to the other parent." And, when children are under their custody, they should not ask "excessive questions or interrogate" their children about what happened during the other parent's custody.

Lastly, the judge ordered that neither of them can post any derogatory remarks about the other that their kids will be able to see on social media.

Read Also: 5 Usual Reasons Why Couples Get Divorced

#SpeakingMyTruthIsSettingMeFree

After the court hearing, Drake-Lee took to Instagram and posted a photo of herself writing a lengthy caption that expressed how she felt about the court's decision.

She declared that it turned out the court thinks it is good for the children to regularly fly through overnight flights to accommodate a parent who would not do the same for them.

"Those of us who walk this path know what it is and know what we need to do to protect ourselves and our babes to the best of our ability. Every day we show up and do what's needed despite the circumstances. I know I journey this road with my head held high and my integrity intact," she expressed.

She further said that she would be watching how long it would take for the "suspects" to leak attacking information and storylines to portray someone as the victim. She added the hashtag #SpeakingMyTruthIsSettingMeFree in her caption.

Earlier this month, Williams went to court to change the custody agreement with his ex-wife, claiming she was not honoring the previous visitation agreement they had during his Broadway run in spring. He also claimed that she was not granting him to call the children once daily.

Drake-Lee, however, argued that she has the best interest of her children, and William's difficult and demanding requests can become unreasonable burdens to bear by her children. She also allegedly said that she was going through "emotional distress" because Williams and his legal team were allegedly bullying and harassing her.

Related Article: Child Of Divorce Writes A Powerful Letter To His Parents; It's A Wake-Up Call For Everyone
Photo: (Photo : Pexel/Ollie Craig)

Parents in Oakland have united and formed a new coalition that wants a seat at the teacher union's negotiation table after being fed up with their children's public school education.

The newly formed coalition of Oakland parents that consists of two groups: the CA Parent Power, made up of "white and affluent families" in Hills school, and The Oakland REACH, which champions Black and Latino families from the flatlands of the city, drafted a resolution requesting for a seat at the table during the Oakland Unified School District's negotiations with the teachers union, The 74 reported.

Lakisha Young, the founder of The Oakland REACH, said, "When you think about the piss-poor education outcomes of our kids, the parents that we believe need to be most at the table are the parents who want to be at the table in a meaningful way."

For transparency

The said resolution asks the school board to give parents and families permission to provide meaningful ideas, comments, and suggestions on all proposals for labor agreements, such as collective bargaining and memoranda of understanding.

This new parent coalition requests official support from the school district to allow parents into the "sunshining phase of negotiations," where public participation is consented. The coalition explained that their request is due to their experience with the schools lacking transparency, leaving parents out in the dark, powerless to have a say when legally they have the right.

These parents are serving different constituents and yet are uniting as a team for this common goal, according to KQED.

Read Also: New Ohio Bill Allows Parents To Review School Lessons of Their Children

More movements are rising

In an interview, the President of the Oakland Unified School District board, Gary Yee, stated that he is favorably willing to place the resolution on the agenda to be discussed by the school board. He expressed that it is just right to properly consider the requests of the parents, especially since they were the ones who have been helping them teach the children at home for the past 2  years during the pandemic, and now, they are the ones working to keep the children safe at school.

The founder of CA Parent Power, Megan Bacigalupi, agreed, indicating that the pandemic has awakened the parents to the "awful reality" that student outcomes have been poor for decades in California, especially in Oakland.

General counsel with the California Public Employment Relations Board, Felix De la Torre, declared that the school district and the teachers union would have no choice but to agree to the resolution and parents' participation.

The Oakland Education Association has yet to comment regarding the parents' proposal.

Movements for more parents' rights and power have been on the rise in California. Recently, a new parent group, Berkeley Parents Union, has been created to "amplify the parent voice," as quoted from their mission statement published on their website.

This group of parents is quite causing a stir. School board director Ty Alper had already expressed his disappointment over the group stating that the group's approach could ultimately cause "division and distrust."

Related Article: Teachers Union Switches Stance, Now Endorsing CDC Guidelines
Photo: (Photo : JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

A San Antonio cop still in his probationary period was fired after he shot at and injured a 17-year-old boy in a McDonald's parking lot, the police department said on Wednesday, October 5.

The teen, Erik Cantu, was admitted to the hospital after suffering multiple gunshot wounds. His condition was not known on Friday morning, according to NBC News.

The police officer, identified as James Brennand, responded to the fast-food eatery on Blanco Road for an unrelated disturbance call around 10:45 p.m. on Sunday, according to police.

Car driven by Cantu was not subject of the disturbance call

Captain Alyssa Campos, the department's training commander, said in a video statement that as the officer attempted to gather information from witnesses, he noticed a vehicle that had evaded him the day before. She added that the officer attempted a stop because the registered license plate did not match the actual vehicle.

According to Campos, the car that Cantu drove was not the subject of the disturbance call at McDonald's. The cop, believing the vehicle was stolen, called for cover but approached the car before other police officers arrived. Campos said the officer abruptly opened the driver's door and ordered Cantu to get out of the car.

The department released police body-camera footage showing Cantu sitting in the driver's seat eating a McDonald's hamburger, according to KSAT. A 17-year-old girl was also seen in the video in the passenger's seat.

The video showed the officer telling Cantu to get out of the car. Campos said Cantu put the vehicle in reverse with the driver's door still open and backed up. She added that the open door hit the officer.

Read Also: Risk of Crohn's Disease May Be Linked to Norovirus Infection, Study Reveals

Brennand's actions are indefensible

Campos said the officer stepped back and opened fire on the vehicle as Cantu reversed away from him. Multiple gunshots can be heard in the footage as the driver's door closes and the maroon car backs away. The video showed more shots being fired as the vehicle fled the parking lot, according to Local 10.

Cantu and his passenger were later found about a block away, with the latter not injured in the shooting. Police charged Cantu with assault on a peace officer and evading detention with a vehicle. The cops have not said if the car was stolen. According to Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales, Cantu's charges have now been dismissed.

Brennand had been on the police force for seven months and was still on probation, a standard practice for officers in San Antonio. He graduated from the police academy less than a year ago.

Chief William McManus said that the former Officer's actions were indefensible and did not align with their training, tactics, and procedures. McManus added that, as such, he terminated him. He said he would withhold further comment as this incident is still under investigation.

Related Article: Florida Man Swims Half a Mile to Save 84-Year-Old Mom During Hurricane Ian
Photo: (Photo : Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Thursday, October 6, that teen vaping rates are rising again in the United States, a signal that as children return to school, so has teens' use of e-cigarettes.

Data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) revealed that 14.1 percent of high school students and 3.3 percent of middle school students said they had recently used an e-cigarette or other vape products. The survey, led by both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC, was conducted from January through May this year.

The vast majority of the youths who were surveyed, 84.5 percent to be exact, said that they used flavored e-cigarettes. The kids most often use fruity or other sweet flavors.

Teen vaping rates rise in the country as students return to school

Linda Neff, the chief of the epidemiology branch of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health, told NBC News that the new numbers show that 2.55 million middle and high school students in the United States are vaping this year.

Neff added that these numbers confirm that the e-cigarette epidemic in the U.S. is far from over, and their work is far from done. She said that what is even more disturbing is the frequency of use of e-cigarettes. She noted that among those who currently use e-cigarettes, more than 1 in 4 teen Americans use them daily.

Frequent use was even greater among American high school students, as 46 percent of older teenagers said they vaped nearly every day.

Matthew Myers, the president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said that this is powerful evidence that kids are not just experimenting with e-cigarettes, but they are becoming addicted to the high-nicotine products dominating the market now.

Read Also: Daughter Who Saves Father's Life During His 70th Birthday Encourages Others to Learn CPR

Numbers closely resemble those before the pandemic started

The new vaping numbers more closely resemble those from before the COVID pandemic. Nearly 20 percent of high school students and 5 percent of middle schoolers in the first half of 2020 said they had recently vaped.

The numbers appeared to take a dip last year, but experts cautioned that the downward trend witnessed during the COVID pandemic may have been an underestimate because of how the data was collected, as children were surveyed remotely at home. Data for this particular survey has been collected historically in schools.

This year's data was collected in a hybrid manner, with some teen respondents in class and others at their own homes.

Robin Koval, the president of the nonprofit tobacco control organization Truth Initiative, spoke about the new youth vaping statistics, saying that even if they are not directly comparable, they are not unexpected. He added that they have lots of other data pointing in this direction.

Related Article: State Stimulus Checks Arriving to Americans in October 2022: Which States Are Sending Payments?
Provident Insurance Company Limited as part of its 40th Year celebrations, which commenced last week with a Grand Staff Durbar which brought together all its staff from across the country to their Head Office at Ring Road Central, donated certain essential medical equipment worth over GHS One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis (150,000) to the Princess Marie Louise Children Hospital.



The items donated by Provident included Patient Monitor Equipment, Suction Units, Water Tanks, and Pumping Machines among others.



An elated Medical Superintendent, Dr. Maame Yaa Nyarko emphasized, We are more than grateful for this kind gesture from Provident Insurance. Not only for the presentation but the timeliness and we can assure you that they will be put to good use for the benefit of our patients and staff.



Attaining 40 years is such a great achievement for us. Provident Insurance has a strong resolve to protect lives and livelihoods from unexpected occurrences. We will continue to spread our arm of protection wide for the benefit of all. We will also continue to serve the Ghanaian society dutifully and give back to them whenever we can, Mr. Michael Ashong, the Chief Executive Officer of Provident Insurance remarked.



Provident Insurance will remain dedicated to providing security for all Ghanaians and making society a better place for the present and the future with our consistency in keeping with our corporate social responsibilities.

About Provident Insurance



Provident Insurance Company (Provident) is a private Limited Liability company which was registered in Ghana in February 1981. It commenced business in October 1982 on the principle of providing our policyholders with near-perfect protection.



We are committed to delivering professional and client-oriented services and settling claims speedily by leveraging on technology to achieve operational viability for the mutual benefit of stakeholders.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
In a major blow for Russia, a fuel tank explosion early Saturday caused part of Europes longest bridge that links Russia to the annexed territory of Crimea to collapse, according to Russian officials.



Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately ordered a government commission to examine the Kerch Bridge emergency in Crimea, Russian state media TASS reported.



The heads of Russias Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Transport are now at the scene of the incident, according to TASS.



Sergey Aksenov, the Russian-appointed Head of Crimea, confirmed that two spans of the roadbed of the part [of the bridge] from Krasnodar to Kerch, collapsed after a large explosion.



Aksenov said that at the same time, fuel tanks caught fire. Now two locomotives are approaching to remove the burning train, he said. Video and images from the bridge show several charred rail fuel trucks.



As soon as the fire is extinguished, it will be possible to assess the extent of damage to the bridge and pillars, and it will be possible to talk about the timing of the restoration of traffic, Aksenov said.



Images of the Kerch bridge posted on social media appear to show a portion of the roadway of the vehicle and rail bridge had fallen into the waters below it. Flames are seen burning from rail cars above.



The tanker was located on the 19-kilometer (11 mile) long bridge  strategically important because it links Russias Krasnodar region with the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula.



The bridge spans the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, on which sit key Ukrainian ports, including Mariupol. The source of the explosion remains unclear.



Read Full Story .... HERE >>> :









Source: CNN









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Eni Ghana and Partners hand over OCTP school infrastructure project to Ellembelle District



11 newly constructed and rehabilitated state-of-the-art school buildings with ancillary facilities, have been handed over to the people of Ellembelle by the OCTP Ghana Partners, led by Eni Ghana Exploration and Production Limited.



The project which took 16 months to complete forms part of the OCTPs commitment to giving back to the community and improving the lifestyle of people in their host district, Ellembelle of the Western Region of Ghana.



Beneficiary schools include; Anyanzinli D/A basic school, Bakanta Catholic primary school, Sanzule/ Krisan basic school, Eikwe Catholic primary school, Eikwe Catholic JHS, Ngalekyi/Baku basic school, Anokyi Methodist primary school, Anokyi D/A JHS, Atuabo Methodist primary school, Atuabo Methodist JHS and Asem-Nda Suazo Methodist primary school



The handing over ceremony saw massive participation from the respective communities, with each school comprising of fully furnished basic and junior high blocks, canteens, staff common rooms, libraries, toilet facilities and AstroTurf parks. The schools will also enjoy uninterrupted power supply as they are fitted with solar panels, in addition to independent water supply and improved sanitation, all in the bid to promote sustainability.



Managing Director of Eni Ghana, Valenti Giuseppe, addressing the chiefs and people of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Council at the handing over of the school infrastructure project, described the event as an all-important one as 16 months of hard work and support from stakeholders had yielded improved teaching and learning environments for beneficiary schools without any damage or harm.



Good infrastructure improves school attendance and staff motivation. After teaching in these new classroom blocks, teachers will also get to rest in staff rooms. The canteens will be great places for eating hot meals and the AstroTurf will be good for extracurricular and sporting activities. The provision of an independent source of water and sanitation will improve the general well-being of students with the buildings also being child and disability friendly, he posited.



Valenti Giuseppe applauded the OCTP Partners, World Bank and the Chiefs and people of beneficiary communities for their contribution in ensuring the buildings were in line with their needs, while charging them to put the infrastructure to good use and well maintained.



The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah expressed gratitude to Eni Ghana and the OCTP Partners for investing in Ghana and the region in particular through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. He charged Eni Ghana and its partners to invest similarly in other parts of the region. We want Eni, GNPC and Vitol to also invest in other parts of the region, prioritizing and tailoring infrastructure to meet the needs of these communities. The regional minister further pledged unflinching support towards companies seeking to establish themselves in the area to achieve maximum productivity to support communities they operate in.



Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III, Paramount Chief of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Council described Eni and its OCTP partners as the best amongst the lot to have operated in the area. Eni and its OCTP partners have built and renovated school buildings in our communities and that is something we cannot comprehend. We have seen other companies run operations from here but have never enjoyed the development given us by Eni and partners and such, we very thankful for that.



As a sign of gratitude, the people of Nzema East Traditional Council gifted Eni Ghana and its OCTP partners with a fattened ram and drinks.



The event was well attended by stakeholders, dignitaries and representatives from the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Petroleum Commission and the World Bank Group. Also present were Country Manager of Vitol Upstream Ghana Limited, James Thorburn, Deputy Minister of Energy, Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer and District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ellembelle, Kwasi Bonzoh

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Parliament has failed to be an effective check on the Executive arm of government, the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, and a Deputy Attorney-General, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, have said.



But while Mr Iddrisu attributes the failure of Parliament to extreme partisanship and the extensive powers granted the Executive by the 1992 Constitution, Mr Tuah-Yeboah is of the view that the legislative body has the necessary powers to be effective but has failed to utilise them.



The two were among a panel of three lawyers at a colloquium to mark the 20th anniversary of the 2002 Class of the Ghana School of Law (GSL) which was moderated by the Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, himself a member of the 2002 Class of the GSL.



The third panellist was Victoria Barth, a private legal practitioner and lecturer at the GSL.



All three panellists were members of the 2002 Class of the GSL.



The colloquium was on the theme: Parliament as a Countervailing Force for Effective Governance in Ghana: Challenges, Prospects and Recommendations.



It was attended by two Justices of the Supreme Court, Justice Nene Amegatcher and Prof. Justice Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu; the Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu; a former Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye; the Director of the GSL, Yaw Oppong, and many students of Law.



Arguments



According to Mr Iddrisu, the 1992 Constitution had indirectly made the President a monarch, with so many powers to the extent that Members of Parliament (MPs), depending on the government in power, performed their functions to please the President.



However, for Mr Tuah-Yeboah, Parliament was equally powerful, if not more than the Executive, as it had the power to remove the President and censure ministers; therefore, any failure on the part of Parliament should be placed at the doorstep of the legislative body.



No one is denying Parliament the power to check the Executive, but perhaps it has failed to do so from its own doing, he said.



Passive parliament



Mr Iddrisu said Article 78 of the 1992 Constitution, which enjoined the President to appoint majority of ministers from Parliament, had made the Legislature passive, as MPs would yield to the influence of the Executive in order to get appointments.



Have you ever seen any Minister of State who is also an MP criticise the government or the President on the floor of Parliament? He wants to please the President in order not to avoid a reshuffle, he said.



Again, the Minority Leader said, due to excessive partisanship, instead of scrutinising the actions of the Executive, Parliament had become more or less a rubber stamp for the Executive.



For instance, he said, Parliament had, over the years, failed to diligently scrutinise loan agreements brought before it by the Executive.



Mr Iddrisu said Parliaments under both New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) governments had been guilty of such failure and mentioned loan agreements such as the STX, CNTI and the recent $750 million.



Take the agreement on the $750 million loan  it arrives at 5 p.m. and you want it passed in two hours. What due diligence is the Parliament of Ghana doing to get the public purpose and good served? he asked.



This is a mark of the failure of our Parliament to undertake scrutiny and due diligence because we want to satisfy the Executive President, the Minority Leader said.



However, contributing to the discussion, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the hybrid system, whereby a legislator is allowed to also be a minister, should not be a hindrance to the work of Parliament.



He said some of the best parliaments in the world had legislators also acting as ministers.



Parliament to blame



Explaining his position, Mr Tuah-Yeboah said the Constitution had given Parliament so many powers and responsibilities, but the institution had failed to act on some of them.



He cited Article 22 of the Constitution, which enjoins Parliament to pass a law on spousal property rights, and Article 181(5), which gives power to Parliament to pass a law on what constitutes international business transactions that ought to be approved by Parliament.



On what was inhibiting the work of Parliament, the Deputy A-G mentioned the qualification of MPs in terms of skills.



There are no qualification criteria in terms of skills for MPs. How do you expect such MPs to be a check on the Executive? he queried.



For her part, Mrs Barth said Parliament had failed to pass many gender-sensitive laws, such as the Affirmative Action Bill which had been pending in the House for many years.

Source: graphiconline.com









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Former General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwabena Agyepong, has expressed his discontentment against former President John Dramani Mahamas criticism of the judiciary.



According to him, such criticisms do not bode well for the judiciary which ought to be supported like any other institution.



Speaking in an interview with Accra-based Joy News on October 6, Kwabena Agyepong said he was disappointed in the comments by former President Mahama especially when he has been at the helm of the countrys affairs and should appreciate what it means to support the judiciary.



Although he admits that judges are prone to imperfections like everyone else, he said leaders must endeavour to be supportive of them.



Kwabenya Agyepong was responding to a question on concerns raised by Justice Jones Dotse that attacks on the judiciary can lead to how three High Court judges were gruesomely murdered in 1982.



What surprised me was the one who really attacked the judges. Thats former President Mahama who I know very well, a good friend of mine. I was surprised because he has been president before. He has occupied the highest seat in government therefore you know what it takes to support the judiciary.



And so for him to come out and say the kinds of thing that he said, I find it was a downer. It was disappointing. You dont need to do that. Whatever the shortcomingsIm not saying the judges are perfect. They are not perfect. All of us are not perfect.



We the leaders are the ones to provide the maximum support and having been in the seat as Chief Executive of state and the first gentleman of the land, I think he should be the last person to be running down a critical institution like the judiciary, he said.



The NPP flagbearer hopeful added that even though Mahama may have made the comment in the spur of the moment, political leaders should be circumspect in their utterances.



He stated that this was because the younger generation in society looked up to the political leaders thus comments from them should engender confidence and inspiration.



Every comment that we make as political leaders has to be measured especially to infuse confidence and inspiration for the younger generation. They are looking on to us. Thats why I have always advocated against the insults that are dominating the media space, Kwabena Agyepong mentioned.



Background



In recent times, Former President John Dramani Mahama has had the course to express concern over a decline in public confidence in the judiciary.



He stated that it will only take a new Chief Justice to chart a path of regaining public trust in the judiciary.



There is therefore the urgent need for the Ghanaian Judiciary to work to win the trust and confidence of the citizenry and erase the widely held perception of hostility and political bias in legal proceedings at the highest courts of the land.



Unfortunately, we have no hope that the current leadership of our judiciary can lead such a process of change. We can only hope that a new Chief Justice will lead a process to repair the broken image that our judiciary has acquired over the last few years, Mahama said at a forum held for lawyers of the NDC on August 28.



Attorney General Godfred Dame described the comments by Mahama as deplorable, coming from someone who has been a former president.















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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Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has been receiving lots of goodwill messages for the better part of Friday, October 7 because the day marked his 59th birthday.



He spent the day feting cured lepers at his official residence surrounded by a host of party bigwigs.



Many other absent party members opted to send their messages through social media. One of them was Information Minister Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah.



In his message, the Ofoase-Ayirebi lawmaker described Bawumia as "one of the brightest sparks in the NPP's history" and wished him grace for the rest of his life.



"Happy birthday VP Mahamudu Bawumia. You are one of the brightest sparks the NPP has seen in our journey so far. May the good Lord increase you in grace for the journey ahead," the full message read.



The first to publicly wish Bawumia a happy birthday was his wife, Samira Bawumia, who despite being far away in Geneva posted her message on social media.



It read: "Happy 59th birthday, sweetheart @mbawumia. We're grateful to Allah for protecting and guiding you throughout the years. The kids and I are proud of your commitment to our family and the entire nation.

Profile of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia

Dr. Bawumia was born on October 7, 1963, in Tamale to the late Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia, former Chairman of the Council of State (19922000), and Hajia Mariama Bawumia.



Born into a large family, Mahamudu Bawumia was the twelfth of his fathers 18 children and the second of his mothers five. Mahamudu Bawumia attended the Sakasaka Primary school in Tamale and gained admission to Tamale Secondary School in 1975. He was President of the Ghana United Nations Students Association (GUNSA) in 1981.



After graduating from Tamale Secondary School, he went to the United Kingdom where he studied banking and obtained the Chartered Institute of Bankers Diploma (ACIB). He took a First-Class Honours Degree in Economics at Buckingham University in 1987.



He then obtained a master's degree in Economics at Lincoln College, Oxford, and obtained a PhD in Economics at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1995.



His areas of specialization include Macroeconomics, International Economics, Development Economics, and Monetary Policy. He has numerous publications.



He became an economist and banker by training and went on to serve as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Ghana between 2006 and 2009.



Dr. Bawumia was running mate to Nana Akufo-Addo in the 2008 and 2012 elections which they lost. He became Vice President on his third attempt with Nana Akufo-Addo after winning the 2016 and 2020 elections.

Source: Ghanab.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Seeing President Biden utilize the presidents pardon power under Article II to see that justice is done was like a breath of fresh air, taking the pardon power back to where it should be and away from the pardon celebrities and the power players who lied and covered up for me as it was under Trump.

As the Brennan Center describes it:

When it comes to reducing our prison populations, weve argued that this power should be used more frequently as a vital mechanism of mercy, tempering the often harsh, racist, and inequitable effects of our criminal legal system.

Yes. Well said. And even some Republicans came forward yesterday to praise Biden on the pardons he signed. Some. This is where one sees the split in the GOP between MAGAs loyal to Trump (Kellyanne Conway, below) and the GOP Proper. To the extent the GOP is a thing unto itself, it is carried on by representatives like Nancy Mace, who has turned away from Trump on certain issues.

From The Hill:

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace (S.C.) on Thursday applauded President Bidens decision to pardon all individuals convicted of simple possession of marijuana under federal law, giving the White House credit where credit is due.

I want to give credit where credit is due. I dont always agree with the Biden administration, Ive been very vocal about that, but this is a step in the right direction, Mace told Fox Business Networks Kennedy when asked for her thoughts on the move.

On Thursday, the South Carolina Republican plugged her own legislation, the States Reform Act, which would also remove cannabis from Schedule I. The measure has not received a vote in the House.

Meanwhile, back at MAGA Ranch, Kellyanne Conway wants a word. She says the pardons are an election ploy. To which one might say, So? You are elected to do things and it is totally appropriate to show people what you stand for, prior to an election. Kellyanne Conway said, Whether it is student loan forgiveness or pardoning marijuana possession convictions, a bereft Biden tries hard to change the subject and get people who dislike him to dislike him a little bit less.

The nerve! Doing things that make people dislike you a little less? Impossible! Oh, and that doesnt sound bereft, otherwise, Kellyanne wouldnt be so upset.

Even if this makes sense legally or practically to Biden, he runs the risk as being seen again as ignoring the broader and deeper concerns surrounding violent crime surges and an inescapably devastating economic picture.

As President Josiah Bartlett might say, These are the deeper things, Kellyanne. Biden also sent billions to local law enforcement and  against all Republican attempts to stymie it  has put together an economic package that will help in time.

Never mind. It is far easier to persuade a ham than it is a true MAGA:

BLOWING SMOKE: Kellyanne Conway and Mark Penn on Biden's weed pardon being 'timed for the election' https://t.co/UfkshzFjyb  Fox News (@FoxNews) October 7, 2022

And the Mace video:

"I want to give credit where credit is due"  Nancy Mace on Fox Business on Biden's moves to decriminalize marijuana pic.twitter.com/efeHUWbV4C  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 6, 2022


* Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has experienced a decade of extraordinary transformations with the support of the central government and the entire country. * The living environment and quality of life of farmers and herders have significantly improved over the past 10 years. * With heavy spending on the construction of railway and road facilities, Tibet has fostered rapid development and constant improvements to the lives of the locals. * Improved transportation network has rendered a further boost to tourism in the region. Rural Tibet attracted more than 12.7 million tourists last year, generating about 1.6 billion yuan in tourism revenue and creating 64,500 jobs for farmers and herders. By Xinhua writers Shen Hongbing, Cao Jian, Zhang Jingpin, Lyu Qiuping LHASA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as the "roof of the world," southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has experienced a decade of extraordinary transformations with the support of the central government and the entire country. After years of efforts, rural residents in Tibet have achieved fruitful results and seen improved livelihood, with their per capita disposable income maintaining double-digit growth for 19 consecutive years. Photo taken on June 3, 2022 shows a view of the Yamzbog Yumco Lake, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan) In 2021, the per capita disposable income of rural residents in Tibet reached 16,935 yuan (about 2,385 U.S. dollars), 2.97 times the income recorded in 2012, said Du Jie, director of the regional department of agriculture and rural affairs. The income growth has been the highest nationwide for seven consecutive years. "The living environment and quality of life of farmers and herders have significantly improved over the past 10 years," Du said. NEW ROADS With heavy spending on the construction of railway and road facilities, Tibet has fostered rapid development and constant improvements to the lives of the locals. Since 2012, more than 337 billion yuan has been spent as fixed-asset investment in Tibet's transport sector, according to the region's transport department. Over the past decade, three railway lines have formed a "Y" shape on the plateau region, with the latest Lhasa-Nyingchi line, the region's first electrified railway line, kicking off operation on June 25, 2021. The Lhasa railway station, where the three lines meet, has seen passenger flow up from 2.24 million in 2007 to more than 4 million in 2021. A Fuxing bullet train runs on the Lhasa-Nyingchi railway in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, April 14, 2022. (Xinhua/Chogo) In Cosibsumgyi Township, Ngari Prefecture, residents of Baka Village have enjoyed development dividends in local infrastructure. "In the 1990s, local residents started to plant willow trees along the river valley. Considering the weather in Ngari Prefecture, plantations are usually carried out in April and May, when Cosibsumgyi is often snowbound," said Oizhu Doje, who hails from Baka Village. Oizhu Doje recounted a time when the mountain was completely blocked for a month due to heavy snowfall, preventing the transportation of nursery stock to the outside. At the end of 2020, an asphalt road was operational in the township. "The road, coupled with a series of favorable policies, has guaranteed smooth shipment for nursery stock," Oizhu Doje said. The total length of roads in Tibet has increased by some 55,000 km to 120,000 km over the past 10 years, including more than 90,000 km of rural roads, according to official figures. IMPROVED WELL-BEING Improved transportation network has rendered a further boost to tourism in the region. Rural Tibet attracted more than 12.7 million tourists last year, generating about 1.6 billion yuan in tourism revenue and creating 64,500 jobs for farmers and herders. Local residents pose for a photo in front of their new house in Gurum Township of Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, April 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan) In Tashi Chodan, a community in the Nedong District of Shannan, known for its Tibetan opera, some 30 artists perform regularly for tourist groups. Dawa Drolma, 52, one of the performers, said they have shows every night during the peak season. Dawa Drolma and her family have also refurbished their house into a homestay with six beds. "During the busiest time, all rooms are full," she said, adding that the opera performance and homestay business bring the family an extra income of more than 50,000 yuan every year. Located in a deep valley in the Himalayas, Medog County is besieged by high hills and primitive forests. For centuries, porters were the major transportation means for the county. The situation significantly changed following the start of the 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. Tourists take photos of the ruins of the Guge Kingdom in Zanda County of Ngari Prefecture, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng) Thanks to the country's pairing-up assistance mechanism, by the end of June, seven batches of more than 1,300 medical professionals nationwide have trained more than 2,400 local doctors of different levels for Tibet. At the same time, hospitals in Tibet sent 1,800 local medical personnel to their pairing-up provinces and municipalities for further study. By the end of 2021, more than 400 serious diseases could be treated without leaving Tibet, and more than 2,400 moderate diseases could be treated without the patients having to leave their cities. Moreover, the average life expectancy in Tibet rose from 68.2 years in 2015 to 72.19 years. RURAL REVITALIZATION Improved transport facilities, telecommunications networks and courier service coverage have contributed to e-commerce development in the region, with online shops and consumption surging rapidly. Local specialties are sold to other parts of China via online e-commerce platforms. At a workshop in Chagyab County, more than 30 artisans were busy producing goldware and silverware, and their creations, such as pagodas and vases, were placed next to them. A harvester operates in a highland barley field in Rasog Township of Gyangze County, Xigaze, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Sept. 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje) Maidoi Village in Chagyab County has a long history of manually processing goldware and silverware, and the craftsmanship has been included in the region's intangible cultural heritage list. Tengpa Doje, an inheritor of the craft, said villagers earlier processed gold and silver at home with low efficiency and poor product quality. "Thanks to the workshop, we can now sit together and discuss challenges we are facing, and pool wisdom to attract young artisans and consumers with our products," he said. The workshop is part of the county's ethnic handicraft industrial park, which was established in October 2018 with a total investment of about 27.2 million yuan. The park, featuring Tibetan cultural handicrafts such as thangka painting, and goldware and silverware processing, has helped boost the income of local residents. Sherab Doje, a local villager, joined the workshop three years ago. "I have learned how to make ethnic accessories, earning some 4,000 yuan a month," Sherab Doje said. Enditem (Chen Shangcai and Fan Fan also contributed to the story. Video reporters: Lodro Gyatso; Video editors: Zhu Cong, Li Qin and Liu Xiaorui.)
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On Sunday, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) threatened the FBI with congressional hearings because they are investigating Trump.

Video of Jordan on Fox Newss Sunday Morning Futures:

Jim Jordan vows to investigate the FBI because they searched Trump's club and recovered stolen documents. pic.twitter.com/4V8nJxk5ao  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) October 9, 2022

Jordan said:

This is the FBI who raided the home of a former president, took the phone of a sitting member of Congress ninety-one days before an electionI think a key point to remember too, Maria. This is the FBI whove involved themselves in every single election for the last four cycles. This is a point Congressman Gaetz made in committee a few weeks ago. In 2016, they spied on President Trumps campaign. In 2018, it was the Mueller investigation. In 2020, they suppressed information about the Hunter Biden laptop, and now in 2020 (sic) theyve raided the home of a former president, taken the phone of a sitting member of Congress 91 days before an election, so when has the FBI not involved themselves in one of our elections?

Thats probably a key question, so that to me is the real concern. Were going to do everything we can to hold these people accountable if we have the majority.

Rep. Jordan apparently had no problem interfering in the 2016 election with the Hillary Clinton email investigation.

Jordan only seems to have issues with FBI investigations that involve Donald Trump.

For the record, none of what Jim Jordan claims that the FBI did to Republicans in previous election cycles was true. The Mueller investigation was overseen by the Trump Justice Department, not the FBI.

Rep. Jordan is trying to scare the FBI away from Trump, and his meltdown was evidence that Republicans plan on using their House majority, if they win one, to smear Joe Biden and try to protect Donald Trump.
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Nevada GOP Secretary of State candidate Jim Marchant said that he and his coalition of Sec. of State candidates will make sure that Trump is president in 2024.

Marchant said at the Nevada Trump rally:

"We're gonna fix the whole country."  Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) October 9, 2022

If Republican Secretary of State candidates are successful around the country, they intend to make sure that Donald Trump wins the 2024 presidential election in their states.

Marchant was talking about election rigging.

His comments should sound the alarm for everyone who cares about democracy because the scant available polling shows that he is ahead of Democrat Cisco Aguilar.

The one thing that would ruin Marchants plan, besides losing the election, will be the passage of the reformed Electoral Count Act, which would explicitly ban Secretaries of State and state legislators from ignoring the will of the people in an election.

Both the House and Senate versions of the Electoral Count Act would make it impossible for Trump and his accomplices to use a Secretary of State to stage a series of coups that overturn election results.

The one sure way to make sure that democracy is safe from people like Jim Marchant is to support his opponent Cisco Aguilar in November.
There are five seats up for re-election in November on the Aiken County Board of Education, but there is only one contested race .

The District 3 seat is the only contested race. It includes an area between Aiken and North Augusta that includes Graniteville and the Midland Valley area, and goes to the border of North Augusta and Beech Island.

The candidates who filed to run for the District 3 seat are Brian Silas (incumbent), Leona Guyton and Connie Rendleman.

The other seats up for election are District 2, District 5, District 6 and District 7. For these seats, the candidates who filed are running uncontested.

Those who filed are Jim Broome for District 2, Barry Moulton (incumbent) for District 5, Dwight Smith (incumbent) for District 6 and Patrice Rhinehart-Jackson (incumbent) for District 7. The incumbent for District 2, Jason Crane, announced earlier this year we would not be running for re-election.

Aiken County school district getting ready for another penny sales tax referendum The Aiken County Public School District is getting ready for a campaign to implement another penny sales tax when the district's current penny

District 3 candidates

Brian Silas (incumbent)

Brian Silas is seeking his second term on the Aiken County Board of Education.

He wanted to run for the school board the first time because he felt that Area 3, which includes District 3, did not have good representation. He also thought there were changes that needed to be made. As for why he wanted to run for re-election, Silas said it was because he felt there was not as much progress made as he would've liked during his first four years.

Some things that maybe got in the way of making true progress even though I think weve made some, Silas said. So I felt that another term going through what we saw is a normal four year term, we can maybe address some and build on what we started.

If re-elected, Silas said he has four things he would like to see addressed, which include safety and security, learning loss, facilities and recruitment and retention.

In regards to safety and security, Silas said the school district needs to provide a safe learning and work environment for staff and students. He noted the school district has taken several steps in the last few months to do this, including hiring Vicky Gaskins as the director of security and emergency management. Her job includes looking at the physical security points and at what needs improvement.

Besides physical security, Silas said he thinks the school district needs to also look at the mental health of students and focus on stronger disciplinary measures when needed.

The modified calendar was a much talked about topic earlier this year, with Silas ultimately voting for it because he said the school district believes it will address some issues and have a positive impact on morale.

(It) gives us breaks where we need it, where discipline sometimes spikes up and teachers get burned out and students get a little burnt out, so its going to give us some breaks there, Silas said. But they also believe its going to help address learning recovery, so I want to monitor that."

He added that the modified calendar is not set in stone, so if the school district doesn't see the benefits of it then they can always change it.

When it comes to teacher recruitment, Silas said many school districts are having trouble with the issue. He added the school district needs to look at how it can improve the jobs for teachers and address any concerns they may have that would result in them leaving.

As for if theres anything he would like to see changed or done in the school district, Silas said theres always things that need fine tuning.

I think that as long as we keep recognizing the needs and address those as they change, because we see change over time, Silas said. What was our needs 10 years ago is not today. I think we just have to continue to evolve the district in how we approach those needs that bubble up.

Silas currently works for Battelle Savannah River Alliance and Savannah River National Laboratory as a procedure writer.

Leona Guyton

Dr. Leona Guyton is an educator who worked in the classroom for 30 years, with a majority being at Jackson STEM Middle School as an art instructor before she left in 2014.

The reason Im seeking this board is because I will be a new voice, positive, encouraging, uplifting, Guyton said.

If elected, Guyton has four top things she would like to see accomplished, including an increase in the budget for education, increasing support for paraprofessionals in the classrooms, more assistance for special needs children, and bus attendants to help school bus drivers. She would also like to see some improvements to county parks.

As an Aiken resident, I would advocate improving our countys parks and recreation facilities with wifi and internet service, Guyton said. Having a place available for them (students) at different times to go in and research or just have fun, not just at the park service, but have that access to do work. Students are involved in a lot of after school activities, and they may need some time to do extra work or catch up on work.

School safety is a big topic and Guyton said she would like to revisit some of the countys policies on public safety. She added that she has a specific idea for safety that would address gun violence and other issues.

These are different things if they go through that standard and procedure that they already have, just have them perhaps review and like I said, there is something I have an idea for; and when elected, I can share that idea that would benefit the community, Guyton said.

As for any changes she would like to see, Guyton said she would like to see more diversity among the teachers.

The modified calendar for the 2023-24 academic school year was a hot topic earlier this year. Guyton said she attended one of the meetings and that as long as it benefits the students, then shes OK with it.

Aiken County, like many counties, is dealing with teacher shortages, and to help recruit teachers Guyton recommended looking at the size of the classroom because one-on-one time with students is important.

Guyton stressed how important it is for everyone to be involved in the school district.

We are stakeholders, all of us are stakeholders as far as parents, teachers, principals, superintendent, the community. We are all stakeholders and we have an investment, the most important investment and thats our children.

+10 Mustang Classic Band Competition brings bands from South Carolina and Georgia Fourteen high school marching bands showed off their skills during the 2022 Mustang Class Band Competition at Midland Valley High School on Saturday.

Connie Rendleman

Dr. Connie Rendleman wanted to run for school board because she feels it's a way for her to give back to the community.

I felt that I had a lot to share, as well as aid in the improvements that I actually was hearing once I moved here, a lot of neighbors shared some thoughts on the school system, Rendleman said. I let them know that on the school board I am not making all of the decisions, it is a committee that is making these decisions. However, I can let them know your concerns.

If elected, Rendleman said her top goal is to work with other school board members so they are a cohesive unit when it comes to dealing with problems. Because of her military experience, and because shes not from Aiken, she feels that she can bring some new and fresh insight.

If we change up some things and actually hear what our stockholders are saying, we can make a difference, Rendleman said.

As for what she would like to see changed, Rendleman said would like to find out about why she is hearing about many students being homeschooled instead of attending public school.

Why are they migrating to the idea of homeschooling? I do have some reservations with that only because I do know our children lose social skills when we're pulled away from the actual real world, Rendleman said. That's an actual concern for me. So I would like to shine some light on that.

Communication between parents and teachers, and more parent involvement is something Rendleman said she would also like to see. She added that when she looked at past school board meetings she didn't see or hear any input from parents about how they felt .

Aiken County Public School District has done a lot recently for school safety and Rendleman said the school district hiring a safety director is a good step.

However, we can do more. I feel the way of doing more is communication, we need to communicate our plans more effectively with not only the staff, but also the students as well, how do we react to these violent shootings and things like that, Rendleman said.

In regard to the modified calendar, Rendleman said the school district wont know until it tries and if its not working someone needs to speak up about it.

To help address the teacher shortage, Rendleman suggested creating incentives that will make teachers want to be part of the school system and addressing teacher pay.

Rendleman retired from the Army after 23 years where she worked as a budget analyst, which she said would help her on the school board. She also has a Ph.D. in public health and has done a lot of research on adolescents to find effective treatments for substance issues.

+4 Weapon detectors approved for Aiken County schools Aiken County Board of Education members were treated to a live demonstration of another step the school district is taking to ensure the safet

Uncontested races

District 2

Jim Broome was the only candidate to file to run for the Aiken County Board of Education District 2 seat.

I feel like that a schools only as strong as its community that supports it, Broome said. Im born and raised in that Area 2 community and I just felt like we needed somebody out of that community that would be willing to try to help affect change.

Broome said he would like to see more community involvement in the school district.

We need to allow the community to feel like theyre part of the process when things are going on, Broome said. Theres a lot of things that go on in the schools that people dont understand. We just need to make the community feel like theyre more involved in the process of what were doing. Discipline is an issue in the schools, I cant stress enough that discipline is an issue. Some of the codes and things we come up with in the schools that probably make a lot of sense, people need to better understand why were doing it.

Broome has been on the advisory council for eight years, but will resign if elected to the school board.

District 5

Barry Moulton is the current District 5 representative on the Aiken County Board of Education, and he is running for a second term. He wanted to run for the school board the first time because he has a desire to help those in education.

My wife has worked in the school system for over 20 years, and I have a passion for trying to help the kids and the teachers, Moulton said. Im sort of a teacher and administrator advocate, trying to look out for their best interest.

While a couple of Moultons top goals have been accomplished, including improving discipline and enforcement of the disciplinary code, Moulton said he would also like to see smaller class sizes.

Ive always had a passion for trying to decrease the student number in a class to increase the learning per student, Moulton said. I feel like all children need to be at least recognized by the teacher at one point and thats hard to do when you get really large classes.

District 6

Dwight Smith is the current District 6 representative on the Aiken County Board of Education and will be starting his third term. He ran for school board originally because he spent his career in education.

I think we need people that know the school system and have been in the school system and that can make decisions that are good for all kids, Smith said. Secondly, theres still a lot that needs to be done in our district; and I feel like Im not fulfilled in what my original mission was and that was to help the kids of Aiken County, primarily Area 3.

Smith said some of his top goals are to get facilities improved, especially ones that havent had anything done on them in years. Safety of students and staff is another top priority of his.

My No. 1 thing since I've been on the board is safety, Smith said.  Those kids that want to be there want to learn, and our teachers who come to teach our kids and our staff deserve to be in a safe environment, Smith said.

District 7

Patrice Rhinehart-Jackson is the current District 7 representative and is running uncontested in the upcoming Aiken County Board of Education race. She decided to run the first time because she wanted to be an advocate for parents, teachers and students.

A lot of people dont know the questions to ask when they come to the district or interact with school personnel, especially parents of special needs kids, and I just wanted to be a voice, Rhinehart-Jackson said.

For Rhinehart-Jackson her top priority going into her second term is safety, teacher retention, post-secondary education for students with special needs and test scores. She would also like to see more parent involvement.

I just really think that parents need to get more involved. I cannot stress that enough. We need the parents' help in educating the kids, and I would just like to see more parents involved in their kids' education, Rhinehart-Jackson said.

Voting information

Early voting begins on Oct. 24 and runs through Saturday, Nov. 5. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.

For more information and to view a personalized election ballot by address, visit scvotes.gov.
The Aiken City Council is set to meet for the first time since Project Pascalis was stopped.

City council is expected to meet at 5 p.m. Monday for a work session and at 7 p.m. for a regular meeting. An executive session for the council to receive a legal update and advice on the failed $75 million downtown redevelopment project known as Project Pascalis is included in the agenda for the work session.

The project was focused on the block surrounded by Richland Avenue, Laurens Street, Park Avenue and Newberry Street.

Preliminary redevelopment plans announced included the demolition of the vacant Hotel Aiken and a building next to it on Laurens Street and the construction of a 100-room hotel in their place. The Holley House and several buildings located between it and Newberry Street, including most of the former C.C. Johnson Drug Store, would be demolished to make way for an apartment complex and parking garage. The city's former municipal building would be expanded into a conference center.

The project failed to move forward because the potential developer, RPM Development Partners, and the Aiken Municipal Development Commission, the owner of the properties to be redeveloped, terminated the agreement to sell RPM the properties if the two sides reached an agreement on a master redevelopment plan.

Aiken Municipal Development Commission Chairman Keith Wood and Vice Chairman Chris Verenes made statements after the Sept. 29 vote saying the commission voted to end the project because the law for finding a developer for the project wasn't followed and that they were mislead to believe that the law had been followed.

Aiken Mayor Rick Osbon said the commission did the right thing to end the project but added he was disappointed that the project wouldn't be moving forward.

"I have confidence in the AMDC," Osbon said. "I think that they'll come forward and work with the community. There was a big movement in the community to do it right, and I think all of us stand by that including the AMDC."

He said stopping the project also opened the opportunity to restore the hotel rather than demolish it.

"Processes aren't always enjoyable at the time, but I think you have to judge a project on what the end result will be," Osbon said. "I'm confident that AMDC will have a project that will make all of Aiken proud."

He also said the statements made by Wood and Verenes didn't change his respect for them and their leadership on the commission. Osbon said he was sure they would continue on for the betterment of the city.

Aiken City Councilman Ed Woltz said the council and commission had agreed to stop the project.

"I think they did exactly the right thing, and I admire them for doing it," Woltz said.

Woltz said Wood and Verenes were men of character, and it took a lot of fortitude for them to make their statements.

Aiken City Councilwoman Gail Diggs said she was appreciative of the commission's service, and she supported the decision.

She added she was anxiously awaiting to see the presentation of new plans for a favorable development project.

Diggs said she appreciated the openness and honesty of Wood and Verenes.

Aiken City Councilman Ed Girardeau said he didn't disagree with the commission's decision. He added the commission did not meet with the council before taking the vote to start over.

He also said that he didn't agree with Wood and Verenes that they had been mislead.

Aiken City Councilwoman Lessie Price said she had high regards for the people who volunteered to serve on the commission and their integrity. She added she looked forward to further discussion about what will come next.

Aiken City Councilwoman Kay Brohl said she hoped going forward everyone can work together for the good of the city.

Aiken City Councilwoman Andrea Gregory said she trusted the commission's decision. She said the city council had appointed a very capable group of individuals and gave them autonomy to "take the project to new heights."

"They did just that," she continued. "Like any bold project, this one ran into its own set of 'hiccups.' No one is perfect and errors were made along the way. I am certain that any successful municipality, entrepreneur and/or small or large business has run into various obstacles and mistakes on their path to success. The City of Aiken is no exception."

She said the city compensates capable people to prevent errors in areas that require attention to detail and a careful throughput, so the city is not violating its own rules and all of city council is involved in the decision.

"Therefore, I have asked that some changes be made at the city level and will be persistent until all necessary changes are complete," Gregory said. "As part of any project, it's OK to revisit certain areas and continue to work towards seeing the various visions into fruition. All while learning and adjusting through errors and mistakes but making certain we prevent these errors and mistakes from re-occurring in the future."

She said she was ready to step back, reassess and see how the city can spark new traction with this project or the individual projects that will address the immediate downtown needs. Gregory said the city needed to and she would make every effort to incorporate the community in all communication as the work to improve the downtown areas in dire need of attention.

"I have heard all week from the very small group of citizens against this project that Aiken 'won,'" Gregory said. "I disagree. Aiken did not win. Aiken is far from victory. Aiken is just getting started on a journey that will meet buy-in and resistance no matter what direction is taken with development. That is OK. I welcome that buy-in and that resistance. I welcome the various schools of thought, ideas, passions, etc. that make Aiken a very integrated and involved community. For the City of Aiken to improve the downtown, Eastside and the Northside we need visionaries and marketers that will influence people to invest. Not scare them away. We need people that understand our city and will push back or support projects for all the right reasons and with integrity."

Gregory added her past, present and future is the city and she supports a community-based vision that will drive downtown improvement and become something everyone can all be proud of.

"It won't be easy, but we have to commit to our city, and her future," she said.

The legal advice the council could receive Monday may also involve the city's response to a lawsuit that was filed July 5 to stop the project on several technical grounds.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Luis Rinaldini, David Blake and the Historic Aiken Foundation. The defendants include the City Council, Aiken Municipal Development Commission, the Design Review Board, RPM and its parent company Raines Development.

The defendants have asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed. Those motions are set to be heard Oct. 18.

Prior to the executive session Monday, city council will discuss its options for regulating short-term rentals.

During the regular meeting, the council will also consider the second and final readings of ordinances annexing and zoning a home on Town Creek Road and a parcel of land at 123 and 154 Ginger Lane and the first reading of an ordinance spending excess accommodations tax revenue.

Petitions on the agenda include leasing space at the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program and receiving a $306,625 grant from the South Carolina Department of Parks Recreation and Tourism for the rehabilitation of Smith-Hazel Recreation Center.

The council will also consider a proclamation recognizing Bill Collins for his service as a tax preparer for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

City council meetings are held in the city council chambers on the third floor of the municipal building located at 111 Chesterfield St.
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It's a nice bonus when we're able to get a reward for something we were going to do anyway.

For example, getting a flu shot, or donating to relief operations for hurricanes Ian and Fiona.

At least two U.S. airlines are thanking customers who donate to hurricane relief by giving them frequent flyer miles. For patrons of American Airlines that's particularly useful because, unlike most major frequent flyer programs, AAdvantage miles expire if an account has no activity for 24 months.

Through Oct. 15, donate at least $25 to the American Red Cross and in addition to helping with storm recovery efforts you'll get 10 AAdvantage miles per dollar donated, and that will reset the expiration date on all your AAdvantage miles.

To do that, go online to www.redcross.org/donate/cm/americanairlines-pub.html/ or call 1-800-HELP NOW, and have your AAdvantage number ready.

United Airlines can get 250 Mileage Plus bonus miles by donating $50 or more to any of six relief organizations, online at https://donate.mileageplus.com/hurricane-relief. For larger donations United will give up to 1,000 bonus miles, through Oct. 31.

For frequent flyer program members who have miles they don't plan to use, most airlines allow for those to be donated to charities.

If we're nearing the end of hurricane season (and we are) that means the start of flu season is arriving. For those who plan to get vaccinated, several retailers are offering cash incentives.

Flu shots are free for most people who have insurance, so any bonus for getting one is nice.

Most of the offers I've seen this year are worth five bucks, usually as a store coupon. Those offers are:

CVS is offering a coupon good for $5 off a purchase of $20 or more, through Dec. 31, and through Nov. 13 a sweepstakes entry as well for a chance to win gift cards. Customers must have an ExtraCare reward card to get a coupon, and you can't get a coupon at CVS locations inside Target stores.

Walgreens is offering $5 in Walgreens Cash, to customers who are myWalgreens members, through Dec. 31.

As subscribers who read the grocery store circulars on Wednesdays may already know, Harris Teeter is offering a $5 grocery coupon plus 50 fuel points through Oct. 31 for shoppers who get a flu shot. See the in-store pharmacy for details. Fifty fuel points are good for five cents off per gallon on one fill-up at participating gas stations.

So, depending how large your gas tank is, Harris Teeter's incentive appears to be the most generous, because you get $5 off groceries and additional money off gas. To use fuel points, one must have a free VIC membership at Harris Teeter.

There may be other offers out there, so if you usually get a flu shot at a pharmacy or grocery store, be sure to ask. Albertson's pharmacies and Winn-Dixie grocery stores have the best offers I've seen, but neither have locations in South Carolina.
South Carolina's method of doling out tax incentives to businesses is penalizing some coastal counties, according to a legislator who represents retiree-rich Beaufort County.

State Rep. Weston Newton, a Republican who chairs the House Legislative Oversight Committee, said during an Oct. 4 meeting that businesses regularly bypass his neck of the woods because it can't offer as many incentives as counties that are deemed poorer based on average income levels.

New businesses can qualify for state tax credits based on the number of jobs they create and maintain, and the size of those credits is based on the average annual income of residents within the county where that business sets up shop or expands.

Areas with higher incomes, called "tier-one" counties, get fewer credits than the state's lowest-income "tier-four" counties. The difference can mean tens of thousands of dollars per job.

Newton said Beaufort County's average annual income  $41,070, according to the U.S. Census Bureau  is inflated by its large number of retirees who move to the area, while much of the working population is living in "abject poverty." Nearly 10 percent of residents are at the federal poverty level, Census numbers snow.

Newton wants the S.C. Department of Revenue, which assigns the tier level for each county, to dig deeper into the numbers to more accurately reflect an area's economic conditions.

"Fifty percent of the public school children in Beaufort County qualify for free and reduced lunches," Newton said. "And yet, we're a tier-one county purely because our per-capita income is so high since retirees come down and bring that money" from pensions and other investments. Nearly 30 percent of the county's residents are age 65 or older.

Unless the formula for determining credits is changed, Newton said, "the only job opportunities down there will continue to be changing sheets."

"We just ought to be able to figure out a way to do better," he said.

Eleven of South Carolina's 46 counties  including Charleston and Berkeley  are considered tier-one areas, where businesses can get $1,500 in tax credits per job.

Dorchester County is among 11 counties in the tier-two category, where the credit rises to $2,750. The dozen counties classified as tier-three areas can offer $20,250 while the 12 tier-four counties can offer $25,000.

The intent is to attract employers to a place like Marlboro County  where the average annual income level is $16,092 and the poverty rate is 26 percent  so the entire state benefits from job growth.

But the incentive program hasn't always worked as intended.

There's been talk at the State House of determining tax credits at the ZIP code level, so residents of a county's inland areas wouldn't be lumped in with those living in wealthy seaside communities. But such a move would involve changing the law that created the tax credits in the first place.

Harry Lightsey, who oversees the S.C. Commerce Department, said he's heard from some legislators who would be in favor of such a change.

"They are aware that in some counties, that are tier-one counties, there are still areas that are distressed even within high-income counties," Lightsey said.

Georgetown County, for example, is considered a relatively wealth tier-two county, with an average annual income of $34,629. That's boosted by a large number of retirees  30 percent of residents are 65 or older  primarily on the Waccamaw Neck. The county's poverty rate, however, is 15.1 percent.

Blowin' in the wind

The Nexans plant in Goose Creek will produce underwater electric cables for phase one of the Empire Wind offshore wind energy program being developed off the coast of New York's Long Island.

The French company's Lowcountry campus will work with a Nexans plant in Norway to make and install the cables that will connect offshore turbines to the power grid at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. The 2.1-gigawatt project is being developed by BP and Norwegian energy company Equinor. It will deliver electricity to more than 500,000 homes when completed.

New York is one of the most aggressive states in the U.S. in terms of committing itself to create a fully carbon-free statewide economy, and offshore wind energy will likely be the main source of electricity for the state by 2035, Nexans CEO Christopher Guerin said in a written statement.

The company recently completed an $80 million expansion at its Berkeley County site to manufacture high-voltage undersea cables  making it the only such factory in the United States. The expansion, which nearly doubled the site to 475,000 square feet, included a new onsite shipping terminal along the Cooper River where miles-long power cords can be loaded onto the Nexans Aurora  a custom made cable installation vessel.

Nexans recently announced that the plant has also been awarded a second contract for the Revolution Wind Farm being developed off the U.S. coast by Danish power company Orsted and Connecticut-based Eversource, New England's largest power provider. That 704-megawatt wind farm is expected to produce enough power to bring electricity to more than 350,000 homes.

SC: A select site

South Carolina is the nation's best state for manufacturing, according to Site Selection Group, a Dallas-based firm that advises businesses on the best places to locate.

The Palmetto State edged out its neighbor to the north with an overall score of 120. North Carolina was second with a 118.3 score.

South Carolina earned the highest marks for the cost of doing business and for its transportation and logistics network, highlighted by the Port of Charleston.

Labor costs and availability were also tabulated as part of each state's score.

Rounding out the top five were Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia. California and Minnesota had the lowest overall scores.
An early legal test has been put to the test in a cascade of lawsuits pouring almost daily into the federal courthouse in downtown Charleston from points far and wide.

It went against the defense, which insisted that it won't be resting  or abandoning its strategy  despite the setback.

The mounting litigation stems from hazardous "forever chemicals" that have been linked to cancer and other serious health ailments after leaching into public and private water systems across the country and overseas.

One of the primary manufacturers of the nearly indestructible contaminants include 3M Co., the iconic business that came up with Post-it Notes and Scotch Tape.

For decades, the Minnesota-based company, DuPont and others used the water- and heat-resistant compounds in all sorts of everyday consumer items, from Teflon-coated cookware to stain-resistant carpeting.

The "per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances"  or PFAS  also became an important ingredient in a foam that was discharged at numerous industrial sites, airports and military bases to extinguish liquid-fueled fires. The Navy was an early buyer of the highly effective suppressant in the 1970s.

The first personal-injury lawsuits targeting the chemicals were filed more than a decade ago. The litigation focused on the fire-fighting foam came later. It was fairly contained when the earliest far-flung claims were consolidated in Charleston a few years ago and assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Richard Gergel. The other defendants include DuPont and Tyco Fire Products.

"Right now, we have 110 cases," Gergel told lawyers at a 2019 hearing, "and if I'm reading the tea leaves right, there's a lot more coming.

His instincts were correct. More than 2,600 lawsuits from around the nation have since made their way to the J. Waties Waring Judicial Center at the Four Corners of Law, with new complaints trickling in on a daily basis. The plaintiffs range from water utilities and local governments to landowners and ill firefighters. Among them is the board that owns and operates Charleston International Airport.

Its an enormous number of cases, David Hoyle, an attorney at Mount Pleasant-based Motley Rice LLC, told Politico last month. The aggregate damages here are substantial.

An analysis by Bloomberg Intelligence has pegged the potential financial liabilities for 3M at as high as $30 billion.

The use of the foam at Defense Department installations emerged as an early defense tactic. In a pre-emptive strike, 3M and some of the other manufacturers sought to have the case thrown out at a hearing in August. The crux of their argument was that they were working as government contractors, which they said provided them immunity from liability under a 1988 U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

The question was whether they could persuade Gergel of that by meeting three key legal thresholds, such as demonstrating that the government was aware of the risks associated with the chemicals.

In short, they didn't. In his Sept. 16 ruling, Gergel rejected the contractor immunity defense, which the manufacturers can try to revive later when it really counts.

"These disputed issues of material fact, vigorously contested by the parties, require a full factual presentation at trial and a resolution by a final jury verdict," he wrote.

His 31-page decision didn't portray 3M in the best light. Gergel took the company to task for withholding key information about forever chemicals, including the delayed disclosure of 1,200-plus reports and studies between 1998 and 2000 that have since "unleashed significant scientific inquiry and investigations" by the government and other researchers. While 3M "assured the public and the government" that its compounds didn't pose "a threat to human health or the environment," its corporate toxicology manager told his bosses in writing that the compounds were "VERY persistent and thus insidiously toxic.

"The withholding by 3M of its voluminous internal studies and its privately held conclusion that the product is 'insidiously toxic,' are obviously inconsistent with the type of conduct required of a contractor seeking government contractor immunity," Gergel wrote.

In a written statement, the company said that the fire-fighting foam at the center of the lawsuits "has helped save countless" lives.

It said it was disappointed with the ruling while also noting that Gergel, under these particular circumstances, was required "to examine the facts in the light most favorable to the plaintiffs."

"We believe that the evidence at trial will demonstrate 3M met the criteria for the government contractor defense in the ongoing ... litigation," 3M said.

No court date has been set.
A consulting engineer this year all but wrote the obituary for a dilapidated 19th-century house on the Charleston peninsula.

Now, the weathered and tilting structure is destined to be saved after a preservationist builder stepped in and bought the run-down home for $651,000.

In February, consulting engineer Russell Rosen of Rosen & Associates inspected the two-story single house at 34 Percy St. and wrote in a report: "Multiple sections of the floors and ceilings have collapsed. There are significant openings in the walls and roof."

He deemed the boarded-up, overgrown building unsafe. The city Fire Department affixed a safety marker on the structure to notify rescue personnel not to enter.

"Based on our observations, very little, if any original fabric can be salvaged or incorporated in a renovation," Rosen said. "Our opinion is that the building must be demolished."

The Preservation Society of Charleston disagreed and encouraged further examination of the home to stave off its proposed fate.

"While the property has undergone insensitive alterations, the building still retains its characteristic single- house form, as well as a significant amount of historic material," said Erin Minnigan of the Preservation Society of Charleston.

"This house is an early survivor along Percy Street and contributes to the historic character of the streetscape and neighborhood at large," she said. "Having seen many examples of buildings in similar or worse conditions successfully rehabilitated, we encourage further study of options for the buildings preservation."

The demolition proposal never made it to the Board of Architectural Review, which endeavors to save historic structures throughout the city whenever possible.

The request was pulled before the board could consider it, then a "For Sale" sign showed up on the property.

Not long afterward, developer Cameron Glaws of Old City Builders, who specializes in renovating historic peninsula properties, drove by the site and noticed it was on the market.

After checking out its bones to see what was salvageable, he decided it was worth the risk.

Shortly after the Fourth of July, he bought the run-down property where no one has lived for at least 25 years, if not longer.

"The price would have been laughable a few years ago," Glaws said. "The way the peninsula has gained value in that area, it's become more realistic and common now."

Shoring it up

The 1,428-square-foot house, believed to have been built around 1885, had three bedrooms and one bathroom, as best as Glaws can determine.

He plans to transform the property into a three-bedroom, three-bathroom home to be rented out to a family in a couple of years.

His first order of business was to shore up the leaning structure to keep it from crashing into the house next door.

To alleviate the awkwardness of the consulting engineer's calling for the structure to be demolished, Glaws reached out to Rosen & Associates for advice on shoring up the property.

"The consulting engineer was pretty accurate," Glaws said. "This one is in pretty bad shape, but they already knew what condition the house was in, so why not ask them for help? Any house can be salvaged."

Huge support beams now brace both sides of the failing structure, with its missing boards, tattered gutter and clipped vines dangling from the roof.

"We have it pretty much stabilized to make sure it doesn't fall over," Glaws said. "I suspect my neighbors are happy with what we've done."

Shortly after the purchase, workers with Old City Builders cleaned out the inside of the house.

"You could definitely tell it's been abandoned for many years," Glaws said.

Asked why he bought something in such bad shape, Glaws said, "If done correctly, you can make a rehab like this make sense. You can make it financially viable. It's expensive to do, but there is an investment calculus to doing the project yourself."

He believes the final restoration project, including new plumbing and underground utilities, could approach about $750,000  not including the original purchase price.

"We intend to rehab it as the home originally sat," Glaws said. "It will be preservation in the strictest sense."

One of the first things Old City Builders plans to do, after analyzing the foundation and framing for structural integrity, is to insert steel I-beams under the house to lift the structure a couple of feet so work can begin on building a solid foundation.

After that, work can begin to bring it back to life.

Minnigan, with the Preservation Society, lauded the effort by Glaws and said it epitomizes that a neglected structure can be saved.

The society, she said, "is encouraged to hear about plans to restore this building as a single-family residence, which goes to show that, even after showing up on a BAR agenda for demolition, buildings in seemingly dilapidated condition can be successfully rehabilitated."

She called plans to restore the house "the ideal outcome for preservationists in Charleston."

"Our historic building stock is highly unique and irreplicable, and we commend the developer for taking on this project to save the structure," Minnigan said. "We look forward to seeing 34 Percy St. brought back to life and once again contribute to the neighborhoods character."

Saving the past

Glaws is familiar with properties in similar states of deterioration.

In the latter part of the past decade he helped renovate the Freedman's Cottages, a row of four one-story homes on Jackson Street built in the late 1800s on the upper peninsula. It is believed as many as 1,000 of the small houses were built in a late 19th-century version of affordable housing as residences for the city's former enslaved citizens, as well as immigrants from Germany and Ireland.

Over time, the structures were abandoned and fell into disrepair. Many no longer exist.

One of those that does is now the office of Old City Builders, where Cameron and his wife, Kimberly, have plenty of preservation work on their plate.

A stone's throw away from the Percy Street project is another renovation work by Glaws.

The rental property at Line and Coming streets is undergoing a total makeover and should be completed in the fall.

Last year, Old City Builders purchased the two-story structure at 95 Line St. and a vacant lot next to it on Coming Street for $1.8 million. Glaws has been working on it for about a year.

When finished, it will have three apartments and a storefront. A commercial tenant has not been announced.

As for the house at 34 Percy St., Glaws noted the crumbling structure is fortunate to be in the Holy City.

"In localities other than Charleston without an ingrained preservation ethic, it might get knocked down pretty easily," Glaws said.

He knows the task of breathing new life into it will be exhaustive.

"But," Glaws said, "it's rewarding in and of itself. ... It's the preservation of a cultural resource."

In a lighthearted note, he pointed to the sign placed on the building to indicate it's a danger to go inside and he noted his business sign next to it.

"The nasty red X means everything is not OK," Glaws said. "The sign with the white lettering means everything is going to be alright."
What does a kitchen have to do with The Citadel's first African American graduate?

The Rev. Dallas H. Wilson Jr., an Anglican priest who's conducted ministry on Charleston's East Side for decades, says there's an important connection. It has to do with how the new kitchen at Wilson's downtown Charleston church will benefit minority children who come from the same city where Charles Foster, the first African American to graduate from The Citadel, lived and studied.

There's also the relationship between food and the idea of health disparities among African Americans, Wilson said.

Foster, who finished his stint at The Citadel in May 1970, matriculated within a military educational institution that demands physical fitness. He illustrates what people can accomplish when they are healthy, Wilson said.

"This young man, what he did as a pioneer represents health for our community and represents an avenue for young children to enter into the process of being a part of The Citadel," Wilson said.

Agape InnerCity Community Church, which has roots dating back to the early 1990s on Charleston's East Side, will host a dedication ceremony at 11 a.m. on Nov. 4 for its newly renovated restaurant-quality kitchen at 727 East Bay St. The new space, completed in collaboration with The Citadel's 1970 graduating class and Peninsula HELPS, will be named for Foster.

The church will use the new kitchen to feed the community. Agape intends to have weekly feedings from the location at 10 a.m. every Saturday once the project is completed. The church additionally plans to host meals for students in the ministry's afterschool programs.

Agape also wants to partner with 10 other congregations to provide 1,000 meals on Christmas and Thanksgiving.

The church is not far from a federally designated food desert in downtown Charleston, indicated as such because of the limited access to healthy food options.

In addition to providing meals, the space will be an educational tool. Agape hopes to partner with professionals in the medical field who can teach students important health information. The church also wants to connect with first responders who can help children become more comfortable talking with people in uniform, Wilson said.

An important goal for the food center is to allow it be a revenue-generating tool by hosting events, Wilson said. This will help raise funds for scholarships for the elementary students being served by Agape.

"If these kids stay in the process, they will have an opportunity to go to The Citadel for free," Wilson said.

Foster, who died in a house fire in Texas in 1986, has been honored several times by The Citadel, including during the colleges Diversity Milestones celebration in 2016. In 2020, the school honored the 50th anniversary of Foster's graduation.

Glen Avinger, from the college's Class of 1970, said he supports the idea of the kitchen being a ministry that helps feed those in need and also supports young students. He and Wilson think Foster's legacy is a cause people would get behind.

Avinger recalled Foster's attendance at The Citadel and speaking to Foster a few times. It was a dangerous time for many African American students in the South who were integrating formerly all-White schools.

"The only remorse I have is we didn't do anything for him," Avinger said.

So far, $70,000 has been raised for the $140,000 kitchen project, Wilson said. Donations can be made by mailing the church at Agape Intercity Community Church, JSTH Box 1202, Charleston, 29403.
Kristy Danford founded the Charleston County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and led the group for seven years, achieving many of the goals they had set out initially.

During her tenure as founding director, the Charleston County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council helped reduce the number of people booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center while also increasing legal representation for those seeking bail. Those efforts have kept people who are poor, homeless or suffering mental health or substance-abuse issues from languishing behind bars on minor offenses.

Danford brought together key players across the local system to discuss and enact reforms, and the data to back them up, which helped secure nearly $7 million in grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

"She had the vision from the very beginning," said Jason Bruder, the CJCC's chairman and a Charleston police captain. "And she had the drive to stick with it."

Her departure marks the first change of day-to-day leadership since the CJCC formed in 2015. Taking her place is former Magistrate Ellen Steinberg, who has been part of the council since the beginning and most recently served as vice co-chair.

Members said they expected the transition would not disrupt their mission of making the local criminal justice system more equitable and efficient.

"Seven years is a long time to be in one place," Danford said during a recent interview at the CJCC's offices in North Charleston. "And I think giving the CJCC new energy and new legs is really good for its long-term vision and mission. I was happy to be here at the beginning, but I am excited for this next leg."

Danford will continue to be engaged, she said. She still sits on several boards, nationally and locally, including The Charleston Forum, which was founded after the Emanuel AME Church shooting in 2015. She hopes to see more CJCCs form across the state and nation. For now, the 45-year-old mother wants to make more time for her two children.

"I love this work, I really do," Danford said. "It's part of who I am. I just really wanted to have more energy for my kids before they're grown and gone."

The number of people booked into the jail has dropped 63 percent between 2014 and 2021, from more than 19,200 people to roughly 7,200 people, according to the group's latest report.

To achieve the reduction, the CJCC targeted the five most common low-level charges that made up a majority of the jail's local bookings in 2014: simple possession of marijuana, open alcohol container violations, trespassing, misdemeanor shoplifting and public intoxication. Rather than bringing those alleged offenders to jail, the CJCC encouraged officers from department's across the county to ticket-and-release them, or divert them to the county's crisis stabilization center and other programs that would keep them from being locked up.

"It was very important that they have a focus on behavioral health, as many people that cycled through our detention center and criminal justice system have mental-health and substance-use disorders," said Chanda Funcell, director of the Charleston Center, Charleston County's Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services. Funcell is also an active member of the CJCC.

Keeping the focus narrowed to non-violent, minor offenses meant broader buy-in from law enforcement officials and prosecutors, said Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson.

"Kristy (Danford) has kept us focused on the areas where we all see eye-to-eye while leaving divisive issues aside," she said. "As a great leader, Kristy knew that instead of concentrating on the most complex and controversial issues and getting stuck, it made sense to focus on addressing a plethora of smaller issues. Ultimately, this had a tremendous impact."

From 2014 to 2021, local bookings for those five targeted offenses plummeted 84 percent, the CJCC's latest report showed.

The group also developed a risk-assessment tool to better help officers on the street weigh whether to release someone. For those who were jailed, the CJCC pushed to have public defenders appear in bond court to better advocate for their client's release, and provided magistrates a similar risk assessment to determine a persons likelihood to reoffend if granted release on bail.

Early data shows the tool appears effective: level-one defendants, those deemed least likely to violate bail conditions, successfully returned to court with no new charges in 83 percent of cases, the report states. Level-four defendants, those at highest risk, violated bail 55 percent of the time.

Part of the CJCC's ongoing strategic plan calls for developing a better way to ensure defendants make court appearances and stay out of trouble while on bail. Steinberg said bringing more options for pretrial diversion is one of her priorities, as is addressing racial disparities.

Some worried progress would be stymied as a new director learned the ropes. But Funcell said those fears subsided when Steinberg was selected. She assumed her new role Aug. 12.

Though not a Charleston native, Steinberg married one. The couple met in her home state of Texas, and moved to Charleston after she completed law school, the 65-year-old said.

Prior to becoming a magistrate judge, she worked as an assistant solicitor for the Ninth Circuit, an assistant public defender, a family court attorney, a prosecutor for the Department of Social Services, and as a teacher in the paralegal department at Trident Technical College. She is also a founding member of the Tri-County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council and serves on several local boards and mentorship programs.

Ashley Pennington, who recently announced his retirement as 9th Circuit public defender, called Danford "the catalyst" who spurred initial changes in the local criminal justice system. Steinberg will only continue to "build on that success," he said.
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.
The people of Johns Island have spoken  and, much to their surprise, Charleston City Council actually listened.

And they'll no doubt be listening even more soon, because Johns Island's voice is about to get notably louder.

On Tuesday, City Council is expected to pledge that Johns Island  for the first time  will get its own council district when a new census-mandated redistricting map is approved.

Despite some mild reservations from a couple of members, this resolution is almost certain to pass. So, come November 2023, some lucky (or masochistic) Johns Islander will win a seat on Charleston City Council.

That's good news ... and potentially a prime example of how folks should be careful what they wish for.

Right now, Johns Island is part of Councilman Karl Brady's West Ashley-based district. Residents arent thrilled with the arrangement, although their gripe isnt with Brady.

John Zlogar, chairman of the Johns Island Task Force, told council at a redistricting workshop last week that a recent poll found 86% of residents want the island represented by a single district  because they want to ensure one of their own is on council.

For years, Johns Island has felt like a stepchild who did not have a seat at the table, Zlogar said.

Yes, the island has always been tacked onto a West Ashley or James Island council district. But in the past decade, the island's population of city residents has grown to nearly 12,000  making it almost the perfect size for a single council district.

But the city's earliest drafts for new districts had Johns Island divvied up between two or even three council members. Those plans proved unpopular on the island, so a parade of folks (including the League of Women Voters) urged council to reconsider.

Even West Ashley Councilman Ross Appel  who would get part of the island under one of the proposals  argued Johns Island would be better off with its own representative.

Makes sense. But so does the advice islanders have gotten from veteran Councilman Keith Waring.

Waring sympathizes with Johns Islanders, because he remembers when West Ashley didnt have an adequate voice on council. But several weeks ago, he warned them about unintended consequences.

See, in the city's initial plans, Johns Island was slated to make up almost two-thirds of one district and close to 40% of another. Another proposed map even had a sliver of the island in a third district.

Yes, that divided the island  but it gave residents significant sway over two council members (and some influence over a third, since council races are often decided by less than 1,000 votes).

Waring supports giving Johns Island its own district, but he notes the original map wasn't a bad deal for them.

I asked them if they know that Three Dog Night song, One is the loneliest number, Waring recalls. Because it takes seven votes to get anything on council."

And having electoral influence over three council members and the mayor, Waring notes, gets them more than halfway to that magic number.

It also gives them more votes when local opinions vary, as they often do on Johns Island. See: Interstate 526.

He's right, of course. Having all of Johns Island in one district ensures residents have a voice at City Hall (well, two, if you count the mayor). Conversely, it means they have no influence over the 11 other council members, who could completely ignore their wishes.

Not that council would do that, Waring says.

Yes, not that council would do that. City Council is normally a conscientious group. Well, as normal and conscientious as politics is these days.

Johns Islanders should understand the dynamic. On Charleston County Council, they're represented by Councilwomen Anna Johnson and Jenny Honeycutt, neither of whom lives on the island. But both fight vigorously for its interests. Earlier this year, the pair teamed up to kill plans for an unpopular burn site on Johns Island.

Islanders assured Waring they considered his scenario  and math  but believe the upside of their own seat outweighs the potential pitfalls. Maybe it does.

Either way, Johns Island has apparently won  and it wasn't easy. The map that gives them a single seat is going to cost Councilman Jason Sakran his, and council was hesitant to unseat an elected member.

But Waring argued this has happened before, and last week his colleagues realized they couldnt save Sakran's seat ... or split Johns Island.

As Appel noted, council members should be able to explain their districts in English  which means they ought to represent an easily definable area.

A Johns Island district fits that definition almost perfectly. But as Waring noted in plain-spoken political terms, it won't be perfect.

Because when youre one voice out of 12, and not three, some things are bound to get lost in translation.
WOODRUFF  Pilar Ortiz plans to ignite a creative spark in children through her store in downtown Woodruff.

Ceramic piggy banks, plush toys waiting for names and stuffing, canvases and vases are some items that fill the shelves of Pilars All Occasions on 122 N. Main St.

The store will open on Oct. 15 and serves as a DIY arts and crafts, candy and hobby shop.

Ortiz will sell her pre-packaged kits that give customers all the supplies necessary to create and decorate edible and non-edible art.

You are the creator and the one bringing it to life, Ortiz said. It's like you're making a gift from the heart, and everyone loves handmade gifts.

Children can paint ceramics, make their own gift bags, decorate t-shirts and make their own cards. Some box containers, tin, cardboard and glass items will be available for decoration. There will be pre-packaged doughnuts, cookies and cupcakes ready to decorate.

Ortiz said her business caters to children but is open to all ages. Customers can buy a project and complete it at home or take a class at the shop that teaches people how to create projects from start to finish.

At 15, Ortiz started making gifts when shed go to birthday parties. She would create baskets and decorate frames and albums. A few years later, she started to make party favors, wedding favors and Easter baskets.

Before moving to South Carolina, Ortiz had her own painting studio and candy shop in New Jersey that she ran while working in medical billing.

Though Ortiz has done creative projects as a side job for many years, her daughter inspired her to get into craft making. Ortiz was her daughters class mom from kindergarten through seventh grade and would create activities, art projects and decorations for events.

I've always loved to see kids smile and be happy doing the simplest things, she said.

Pilars All Occasions will also sell candy and party favors. Ortiz said she hopes her store allows people to make unique gifts at an affordable price.

Pilars All Occasions is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

On Fridays and Saturdays, Ortiz said shes planning to host a parent time-out from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Parents will be able to drop off their children so that they can complete a project during one of the stores workshops. Pre-registration is required for parent time-out.
How can an American do anything but intensely admire and vocally support the resistance of Iranians to their brutal regime? Someone really ought to ask President Biden and his foreign policy gurus about it. The folks at MEMRI have caught and translated a truth blast that was inserted into a broadcast on state-run television via an inspired hack (tweet below). The Guardian provides this summary along with the video:

A broadcast on Iranian state-run television has apparently been hacked and interrupted with images of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, surrounded by flames, accompanied by the chant woman, life, freedom, before returning to a shot of a news presenter. Pictures of Nika Shakarami, Hadis Najafi, Mahsa Amini and Sarina Esmailzadeh  women who have died during the protest movement  were shown at the bottom of the screen. A caption said join us and stand up and the blood of our youth is dripping from your claws, a reference to Khamenei. Protests that have broken out across Iran started in Kurdish regions of the country after the death last month of Amini while in the custody of Irans morality police.

I say above that the hacks truth blast was inspired. Its also inspirational.
In the New York Post Deroy Murdock compiles The chilling numbers that reveal the scale of Joe Bidens border disaster. He observes that Democrats are napping peacefully through the US-Mexico border crisis they engineered. He seeks to snap them out of it with the data:

The US Department of Homeland Security reports that the Mexican cartels income from smuggling illegal migrants into America has soared from $500 million in 2018 to $13 billion this year  up 2,500%. If these criminals merged into a corporation, their 2022 gross revenues would rival that of  are you sitting down?  Fox Corporation. Fox News Channels parent company earned $12.91 billion in the year ended June 30, 2021, and $13.97 billion 12 months later.

He then lists these bullet points:

 Border Patrol agents apprehended 951,568 illegal immigrants during President Donald Trumps final 19 months in office. In President Bidens first 19 months, Border Patrol encountered a staggering 3,588,877 illegals  up a sickening 377%.  In Fiscal Year 2020, the last fully under Trumps control, 69,000 illegal migrants were detected on the border but got away into Americas interior. FY 2021 (four months of Trump, eight of Biden) witnessed 389,155 gotaways  up 464%. In FY 2022 (all Bidens watch), gotaways hit 599,000  up 54% versus FY 2021 and 768% compared to FY 2020.  At least 266,000 unaccompanied migrant children/minors have been encountered at the southern border since President Biden took office, per CBP data, Fox News Channels priceless southern-frontier correspondent Bill Melugin explained via Twitter on September 26. Thats enough to fill up approximately three Rose Bowls.  Fourteen House Republicans wrote Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sept. 23 to complain that between October 2021 and July 2022, more than 130,000 Venezuelan nationals were encountered after entering the United States illegally. The Marxist Nicolas Maduro regime, they added, is deliberately releasing violent prisoners early, including inmates convicted of murder, rape and extortion, and pushing them to join caravans heading to the United States.  Twelve US senators contacted the US Marshals Service about crooks cascading across the border. According to their August 30 letter, So far in FY22, CBP has apprehended over 9,000 criminal immigrants, including 53 for homicide or manslaughter, 283 for sex crimes and almost 900 for assault, battery and domestic violence.  During Trumps FYs 2017 through 2020, 11 terrorists on the watch list were captured at the border  two, six, zero and three, in those respective years. Under Biden, Border Patrol apprehended 15 in FY 2021 and a terrifying 78 in FY 2022, through August 31; Septembers figures will follow. How many terrorists got away? Who knows?

Deroys column is premised on the assumption that this isnt what Democrats want and that they can be dissuaded from it. That does not appear to be the case. Bidens border disaster, as the headline calls it, has flowed from Biden administration policy since day 1. Its going to take more than chilling data to snap them out of it.
Yesterday, Floridas Surgeon General issued a new guidance regarding mRNA vaccines: he said that young men between the ages of 18 and 39 should not be given such vaccines for covid:

This analysis found that there is an 84% increase in the relative incidence of cardiac-related death among males 18-39 years old within 28 days following mRNA vaccination. With a high level of global immunity to COVID-19, the benefit of vaccination is likely outweighed by this abnormally high risk of cardiac-related death among men in this age group. Non-mRNA vaccines were not found to have these increased risks. As such, the State Surgeon General recommends against males aged 18 to 39 from receiving mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

An 84% increase in cardiac-related death is stunning, although in this age group the numbers would be low. As I understand it, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are mRNA, while the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines are not.

The analysis on which this guidance was based is here. Its conclusion:

In this statewide study of vaccinated Florida residents aged 18 years or older, COVID-vaccination was not associated with an elevated risk for all-cause mortality. COVID-19 vaccination was associated with a modestly increased risk for cardiac-related mortality 28 days following vaccination. Results from the stratified analysis for cardiac-related death following vaccination suggests mRNA vaccination may be driving the increased risk in males, especially among males aged 18  39. Risk for both all-cause and cardiac-related deaths was substantially higher 28 days following COVID-19 infection. The risk associated with mRNA vaccination should be weighed against the risk associated with COVID-19 infection.

Given the tiny risk that covid poses to young men, it seems reasonable for young men to avoid covid vaccines altogether, pending further information.

I dont know whether the findings of the Florida study will hold up, or how the debate over the risks and benefits of various types of vaccines will ultimately be resolved (assuming it is resolved at all). But what should be blindingly obvious is that it was outrageous for the Centers for Disease Control, the federal government generally, and the governments social media minions to try to suppress discussion of the need for, efficacy of, and risks associated with, covid vaccines. The idea that the public health establishment knew all there was to know about covid vaccines in a flash of revelation, and that any dissenting opinion or any pointing to contrary data constituted misinformation, is an affront to the scientific method. This is also a valuable reminder of why free speech is so important.

By pretending to omniscience and suppressing all dissent, while constantly revising the party line, our countrys public health establishment has forfeited the confidence of Americans. The current issue of Thinking Minnesota, now in the mail, includes poll data on the publics trust in various institutions. Our poll, conducted by Meeting Street Research, finds that confidence in a broad range of institutions has plummeted.

Among the worst is the public health establishment: only 36% of Minnesotans express a great deal or quite a bit of confidence, while 62% express either not much confidence or no confidence at all in our public health establishment. This finding is a well-deserved repudiation of what we have seen from Dr. Fauci and his colleagues over the last two and a half years.
Well, well, look at what we have here: the New York Times has finally caught up with what every sensible person knew at least ten years agoCalifornias high-speed rail project is a joke. Americas first experiment with high-speed rail has become a multi-billion-dollar nightmare, the Times says in a long feature today. Fun bits:

The dogleg [route] through the desert was only one of several times over the years when the project fell victim to political forces that have added billions of dollars in costs and called into question whether the project can ever be finished.

Actually there really isnt much question: it isnt going to be finished. And in any case, since Californians will all be driving electric cars in little more than a decade (heh), why bother finishing it, since it will not do anything to save the climate.

The tortured effort to build the countrys first high-speed rail system is a case study in how ambitious public works projects can become perilously encumbered by political compromise, unrealistic cost estimates, flawed engineering and a determination to persist on projects that have become, like the crippled financial institutions of 2008, too big to fail. . . [A]ccording to projections widely used by engineers and project managers, the train could not be completed in this century.

But this passage is the best part of the whole story:

The state was warned repeatedly that its plans were too complex. SNCF, the French national railroad, was among bullet train operators from Europe and Japan that came to California in the early 2000s with hopes of getting a contract to help develop the system. The companys recommendations for a direct route out of Los Angeles and a focus on moving people between Los Angeles and San Francisco were cast aside, said Dan McNamara, a career project manager for SNCF. The company pulled out in 2011. There were so many things that went wrong, Mr. McNamara said. SNCF was very angry. They told the state they were leaving for North Africa, which was less politically dysfunctional. They went to Morocco and helped them build a rail system. Moroccos bullet train started service in 2018.

There you have it. As far as good governance is concerned, California now ranks below North Africa.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has assured Nigerians that the insecurity bedevilling the country would be over by December.

Mr Aregbesola gave the assurance when he was featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.

The minister said that President Muhammadu Buhari had given a December deadline for the security forces to restore order and stability in all parts of the country.

He quoted Mr Buhari as saying that he would not leave the country without curtailing and effectively addressing the security challenges.

He gave the deadline of total elimination of such threat to the security of lives and property by December.

I believe that nobody is resting in all the arms of government with the mandate of maintaining law and order, guaranteeing security and eliminating threats.

We are at it, and in the first instance, we must ask ourselves, governance is about ensuring security of lives and properties.

We will eliminate all insecurity issues by December.

If you look at the state of affairs in Nigeria, Ill tell you that a whole lot of progress had been made over the years, he said.

Mr Aregbesola recalled that before 2015, Nigerians were living with bombs everywhere.

The minister, however, said that the government had completely eliminated the incidence of Improvised Explosive Devices and Nigerians no longer have such fears.

There was a time when the northeastern part of the country was a daily record of one dastardly act or the other and the entire region was under siege of the insurgents.

To God be the glory, that today it is no longer there and lives had since returned to the region, that people even want to forget that there was a theatre of blood-chilling insurgency, he said.

Mr Argebesola attributed the spread of banditry and kidnapping in some sections of the country, partly to the dislodging of the terrorists in the North-east.

Militancy in the South-eastern part of the country, and South-south, cultism, in the South-west; but by and large, we have tamed considerably the level, the incidences and the threats to lives and property in Nigeria.

However, we could do better no doubt, and that is why the president has given us all in the security arm of government the deadline.

We are all now up on our heels and toes addressing vigorously such threats and I can assure us all that we will get there.

Nigerians will definitely heave a sigh of relief at the end of the day, the interior minister said.

(NAN)
As Nigerias federal budget proposal surges past an unprecedented N20 trillion, capital expenditure which covers projects with direct impact on citizens is receiving no extra funding from last year, according to details of the 2023 budget announced by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The government will instead spend less on capital projects than it did in 2022.

Government capital spending typically covers allocations to new hospitals, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. Despite being a key driver of economic growth, the so-called CAPEX has perennially received lower amounts than personnel and overhead costs in Nigerian government budgets. Of N4.72 trillion the government spent between January and April, only a N773.63 billion went to capital projects.

President Buhari says his government will again give more money to the usual big spenders in 2023: personnel cost will receive a 21 per cent rise, overheard will get 40 per cent and debt repayment 90 per cent over the previous year, helping to push the overall budget to 20.51 trillion, from 17.1 trillion in 2022.

Capital expenditure will get two per cent less than it did in 2022 when it received a N5.46 trillion allocation. The president acknowledged the infrastructure gap nonetheless.

Nigeria requires a huge outlay of resources to close current infrastructure gaps and boost its economic performance. Government will develop projects that are good candidates for Public Private Partnership (PPP) by their nature for private sector participation, he said while submitting the budget proposals to the National Assembly on Friday.

The lop-sidedness has not surprised analysts. Unfortunately, this is the last year of the president in office. In all of the promises that they have made in terms of cutting waste in governance, it looks like nothing has been done, said Adeboye Adegoke, a senior manager at Paradigm Initiative.

Mr Adegoke said the proposed amount budgeted for capital expenditures is a reflection of a lack of vision and political will, which has been affecting governance delivery over the years.

Even a layman knows that the bulk of the budget should go into infrastructural development because that is really where the government should come in in an economy. But in this case, we see that the government spends most of its money on servicing loans and paying recurrent expenditures which we know for a fact that it is bloated and is not being judiciously used, he said.

Budget Credibility

There are even more concerns as the government is unlikely to spend the proposed amount. Nigeria has struggled with revenue problems for years with significantly reduced oil returns, a challenge expected to persist in 2023.

Joshua Olufemi, chief executive officer of the Abuja-based Dataphyte said Nigerian should worry about the budgets budget credibility, which he said is about the governments ability to release the amount it budgets.

Over the years, up until 2021, there has been no time that Nigeria has spent up to N4 trillion on capital expenditure, Mr Olufemi said.

Even if the government is budgeting N5.35 trillion this year, what we should be asking for is that whatever the government is budgeting should be released. We should also be ensuring that what is budgeted and released is used for the purposes for which it was budgeted for.

Editors Note: This article has been updated to show that the government is proposing even less capital budget than earlier reported.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, says he will meet with state governors to agree on the mass release of at least 30 per cent of inmates from custodial centres across the country.

Mr Aregbesola made this known when he appeared on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.

The minister said that the interface was necessary as more than 90 per cent of the inmates were being held for contravening various states laws.

Mr Aregbesola also said that over 70 per cent of the 75,635 inmates at present were awaiting trial.

The minster said that the federal offenders in the system were far less than 10 per cent, adding that the bulk of people in custody were those who have run foul of state laws.

He said that they were therefore being kept under the legal jurisdiction of their respective states.

The minister added that the decongestion of the 253 custodial centres nationwide was necessary as some of the inmates have no reason to remain in custody.

Mr Aregbesola, therefore, said all stakeholders must work towards a better structured criminal justice administration, otherwise we will just be left with congested and overcrowded facilities.

He said, I have written the Nigerian Governors Forum to allow me to come and address them on how they can support the process of decongestion.

Because the governors must buy into this system for us to do a massive decongestion especially of Awaiting Trial Inmates.

If we get the buy in of state judicial authorities and the government of the states, we can pull out 30 per cent of those who are there.

According to him, some of the awaiting trial inmates have stayed longer than the punishment provided by law for the crime they were arrested for.

If you look at a man that is caught for petty theft and you are trying him for three years, even if you convict him for that crime, how long will he stay?

How long will that fellow stay, probably six months, but without trial he will be there for three years.

Again, you arrested a boy under the bridge, there is no fixed crime and he is there forever and so on and so forth.

So, we need the buying in and support from state governments.

This is for them to critically know the situation and let them set up committees that will profile all those who are there.

And help either to convict, release them or see if they have overstayed their required time, the minister said.

Mr Aregbesola assured that the interior ministry was doing everything within its powers to decongest the custodial centres.

He said that the meeting with the governors would help to critically review the situation and relieve the system of inmates who should have been out.

Buhari reformed prisons

Mr Aregbesola also said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has facilitated unprecedented development in the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).

He disclosed this when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum, in Abuja.

He said that the development had a backwash effect on not just the Ministry of Interior but also the inmates of custodial centres nationwide.

If any administration has given life to the reorientation of prison in the history of Nigeria, it is President Muhammadu Buharis administration.

What he has done in making our penitentiary system a corrective one is historic.

We had a prison system that was simply coercive, punitive and oppressive both in law and in operation of the law.

So, that was changed forever in July 2019 when he signed and assented to the NCoS Act 2019.

From the name of that law, you know it is a reformatory document, he said.

Mr Aregbesola said that the reform has also changed the orientation of Nigerians, as many prisoners who served out their term came out as better citizens.

As I am talking to you, we have Doctor of Philosophy students, we even have Phd graduates now from our correctional facilities.

We also have several undergraduates, postgraduate students and thousands of people doing their West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) examinations.

Thousands not hundreds, thousands upon thousands of people acquiring trade tests, craft skills and what have you.

So, indeed, we are a champion in reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of our inmates, he said.

Mr Aregbesola explained that the reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates affected only those convicted by a court of law, not those awaiting trial.

Seventy per cent of those who are there are awaiting trial.

It will be clear to us why it is usually difficult for ATIs who either after their trial they are freed to now be seen as product of our system that are not rehabilitated, he said.

The minister assured that the federal government would continue to improve the condition of inmates in custodial centres, in line with global best practices.

(NAN)
Five persons, including a mother and her two children, were found dead in a community in Enugu State on Saturday.

The victims were identified as Chinyere Odoh and her two kids: seven-year-old Udochukwu and four-year-old Chukwuemeka.

The two others include Martina Ezeme and Ngozi Ezeme. They are Mrs Odohs sisters.

The police spokesperson in the state, Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

He said the incident was reported to the police at about 9:25 a.m. on Saturday. It happened in Amutenyi, Obollo-Afor, a community in Udenu Local Government Area.

Mr Ndukwe, a deputy superintendent of police, said preliminary investigations revealed that the deceased went to bed the previous night, but could not wake the following morning.

The police spokesperson said police operatives were drafted to the area in response to a distress call about the incident.

The operatives, he said, forced the victims door open and found all of them unconscious in two separate rooms in their apartment.

They were immediately moved to a hospital and confirmed dead by doctors on duty and their corpses deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy, Mr Ndukwe said.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Ahmed Ammani, has ordered an investigation into the incident, Mr Ndukwe said.

Mr Ammani directed that the investigation should be concluded: within the shortest possible time.

The police commissioner commiserated with the family and friends of the deceased.

He described the incident as unfortunate.

This is coming about two months after six persons, including a groom, were found dead in Akutara, Adani Community, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of the state.

The six persons had, the previous day, attended a traditional wedding in Obollo-Eke Community in Udenu Local Government Area of the state, the council area where the latest incident happened.

After they returned and held a celebration, they all went to bed but did not wake up the following morning.
Since 1999, some groups have been seeking the secession of the South-east region from Nigeria to become the independent Republic of Biafra.

Although the South-east is not the only region with separatist agitators, these groups have been most vocal and consistent in their quest.

The agitators said they are driven by feelings of marginalisation of the region in the power-sharing formulae of Nigeria and the distribution of resources by successive governments.

Also, alleged lopsided appointments by President Muhammadu Buhari to the disfavour of the South-east have been linked to the resurgence of the pro-Biafran agitation in the region lately.

No presidency

People in the region grew increasingly frustrated by their inability to produce Nigerias president since the return of democracy in 1999, despite some of the other regions producing at different times.

The region, which had largely supported the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was disappointed that the party, in May, picked its 2023 presidential candidate outside the region.

This was despite the clamour by South-east leaders that the region should be given a chance to produce the president in 2023.

Like the PDP, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) also picked its presidential candidate outside the region.

First secession attempt

The first attempt by the region to secede from Nigeria precipitated a 30-month civil war between 1967 and 1970, with the number of dead from fighting, disease and starvation estimated at between one and three million, according to a report by Cable News Network.

Odumegwu Ojukwu, as the then military governor Eastern Region, had declared the independence of the Sovereign State of Biafra on 30 May, 1967, drawing the ire of the then Military Government of Nigeria under Yakubu Gowon. The secessionists eventually surrendered after Mr Ojukwu fled into exile in January 1970.

More than 52 years after, the agitation for separation from Nigeria continues to flare.

Many believe this is due to the feeling of marginalisation as well as historical grievances of the Igbos, who accused the Nigerian government of genocide during the civil war.

Secession struggle continues

Between 1999 and 2022, several separatist groups emerged in the South-east agitating for an independent state of Biafra to be carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south region.

The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) was the first pro-Biafra group to emerge in 1999 to push for the secession of the region.

MASSOB was founded by Indian-trained lawyer Ralph Uwazurike, after the defeat of a former vice president, Alex Ekwueme, by Olusegun Obasanjo in the presidential primaries of the PDP. But the group failed to gain traction and virtually disappeared until President Goodluck Jonathan, who was massively supported by the Igbos, lost his reelection bid in 2015.

Nnamdi Kanu, a supporter of Mr Jonathan, later floated the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

IPOB appears to be more organised and vocal than other pro-Biafra groups that emerged later, some of which have fizzled out.

Peter Obi factor

Since Peter Obi emerged as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), he has been enjoying growing support across the country.

Mr Obi, who hails from the South-east, also enjoys a large following in the region.

Although the former governor of Anambra State is not the only presidential candidate from the South-east, many residents of the region believe that he is a potent instrument for the realisation of the Igbo presidency dream.

The Igbos rely on the swelling support for Mr Obi to take a shot at the Nigerian presidency for the first time in 2023, according to many residents of the South East who spoke with this reporter.

Since his emergence as the LP candidate, IPOB has been less active in the South East, fueling speculations that Mr Obis victory at the 2023 poll could end the agitation for Biafra.

However, there are indications that such speculations may be misplaced.

Ohanaeze on Igbo presidency

A leading Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and other Igbo leaders have consistently backed the Igbo presidency bid, arguing that the South-east is the only region yet to produce Nigerias president.

Since the Fourth Republic started in 1999, four persons from three of Nigerias six regions have been elected president. They are Mr Obasanjo from the South-west, Umar Yaradua and Mr Buhari from the North-west and Mr Jonathan from the South-south.

Ndigbo are prepared and look forward to Igbo presidency as a national priority. It is also indeed reasonable and logical that before any other zone in the country goes for a second turn of occupying the office of the presidency, that Ndigbo should at least have their first turn, the President-General of Ohanaeze, George Obiozor, said in January.

However, the group has also repeatedly maintained that the Igbos will remain in Nigeria, although it has shown considerable sympathy and clandestine support for IPOB and their agitation.

IPOBs position

But IPOB has repeatedly insisted that Biafra Republic, not Igbo presidency, is its demand.

A faction of the IPOB, led by a Nigerian-Finnish citizen, Simon Ekpa, for instance, has been threatening to disrupt elections in the South-east, maintaining that the Igbo presidency cannot assuage the quest for Biafra.

There will be no election in Biafraland until there is a possibility for a referendum, Mr Ekpa reiterated in a Twitter post on Thursday.

Another faction of the IPOB led by Nnamdi Kanu has also been calling for a referendum in the region.

In 2018, Emma Powerful, spokesperson of Mr Kanus IPOB faction, was asked by TheCable if an Igbo presidency would make the group back down from its agitation. He responded:

Nothing can make IPOB back down from this divine quest to restore the lost Sovereign State of Biafra. Only the will of the people clearly expressed during a referendum (can do that). If we lose in a referendum, we (will) stop the agitation for Biafra the same day.

In August 2022, when the group was accused by a Fulani group, Miyetti Allah, of backing Mr Obis presidential bid, Mr Powerful responded: IPOB is not interested in Igbo president or a Nigeria president from Biafra extraction. The Igbo people rallying behind Peter Obi are not IPOB members because IPOB doesnt want the contraption called Nigeria to continue to exist and we must break away from Nigeria enterprise irrespective of whether Peter Obi or anyone from the Biafran geographic space is contesting in the Nigerian farce of an election.

Again, some gunmen said to be part of the Biafra agitation in the South-east, have been attacking and killing officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), maintaining that there would be no election in the region in 2023.

The hoodlums, in a viral video clip, threatened to disrupt elections in the region if a referendum was not held by the government.

While the government may work hard to ensure that the 2023 general elections are held in the region, the threats and attacks by the pro-Biafran gunmen against INEC officials, indicate that they are not in support of Mr Obis presidency bid and are not swayed by his prospect of victory at the poll.

What residents say

Many residents who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES corroborated IPOBs position that Mr Obis presidency cannot end the agitation for Biafra in the South East.

However, they conceded that the LP candidates victory at the poll may douse the agitation as it would give the region a feeling of belonging to the Nigerian project.

Peter Obis election is quite different from the agitation (for Biafra). On that (election) day, I will go and vote, but agitation continues, said Augustus Ike, a resident of Enugu State.

This also implies that Mr Obis defeat at the 2023 poll could intensify the Biafra agitation in the South-east, given the widespread belief among residents of the region that only rigging can stop him.

His defeat will thus be interpreted by many residents as part of the suspected conspiracy to deny the South-east the presidency.

Likely reason for insistence on Biafra

Observers highlight a major reason why the Biafra agitation will continue even if Mr Obi wins the presidential election.

The feeling of marginalization (of South-east) over the years has created the feeling among the youths, particularly those who didnt witness the civil war, that there is no way, a Southeasterner will get a fair treatment under the structure called Nigeria, Onyebuchi Ezeani, a professor of political science, told PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr Ezeani, who lectures at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, stressed that IPOBs insistence on Biafra must have been informed by the groups belief that even if Peter Obi wins, he will just be a mere stooge in the hands of those who have been putting up the posture of being owners of Nigeria.

The political scientist said the separatists believe that Mr Obis presidency can only last for two terms of eight years at most, after which the injustice (against the South-east) will continue.

Their position is that the Nigerian state, as it is considered today, does not and will never serve the interest of Igbos. Thats why they have continued to show no interest in any Igbo man who is contesting for any political position in Nigeria.
In a joint pre-election assessment statement they presented to journalists in Abuja back in July, the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute of the United States observed that the Nigerian 2023 presidential election may go into a runoff.

A delegation of the two institutes, led by the Secretary of State for Ohio, Frank LaRose, made the assessment during a visit to Nigeria from July 13 to 22.

The statement read in part, The 2023 elections are a departure from some of the political dynamics that defined previous polls. For the first time since 2007, the presidential election will be an open contest with no incumbent. The ruling All Progressives Congress selected former Lagos governor, Bola Tinubu, as its flag bearer. Former Vice President and 2019 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, will contest on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party.

However, the emergence of Peter Obi  former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate for the Labour Party  and Rabiu Kwankwaso  former Kano governor and presidential candidate for the New Nigeria Peoples Party  as viable Third Forces has excited many young Nigerians. If a third party draws sufficient support, a runoff presidential election could be a real possibility for the first time since the transition to democracy, adding complexity to the 2023 elections.

Runoff

A runoff will be called between the two leading candidates if the candidate with the highest number of votes does not have a quarter of the total votes cast in at least two-thirds (24) of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

Since Nigeria narrowly avoided a runoff in its first presidential election in 1979, through the controversial interpretation of two-thirds of 19 states by the electoral commission and the Supreme Court, each of the eight subsequent presidential elections has produced a winner at the first ballot, including the annulled poll of 12 June 1993.

All the elections in the Fourth Republic, except that of 1999 that began the dispensation, featured multiple candidates, yet no candidate outside the first two has secured more than a single-digit percentage. But the forthcoming one bears a close resemblance to that of 1979, when the five candidates had considerable followings, especially in their parts of the country. That is the reason why some analysts agree with the projections by the Americans.

However, for a runoff to happen next year, at least three parties may need to poll double-digit percentages of the votes, shared in such a manner that none of them would meet the two requirements of the highest number of votes and spread of the votes needed to be declared elected.

The APC and PDP are the only two parties that have governed Nigeria in this dispensation. Both also head into the 2023 elections with 22 and 13 state governors respectively and most members of the National Assembly. These make them the dominant parties in the country and their candidates the putative front runners in the presidential election.

Given that political configuration and barring an upset of seismic proportion, any runoff should involve those two, meaning that the maximum damage that a third force may do to them is to delay the victory of either of them.

Opinion polls

However, at least three recent national polls have suggested that the candidate of the upstart Labour Party (LP) is not just capable but is poised to upturn that apple cart. The results of the exercises conducted by NOI Polls/ANAP Foundation, Bloomberg and Daily Trust (online) all indicated that Mr Obi would win if the presidential election was held when the polls were conducted. Two of the polls were conducted in September, before the official kick-off of electioneering.

Of course, many people, including this analyst, do not take the polls seriously for that and many other reasons. Despite the attention he is drawing from inside and outside Nigeria, they consider Mr Obis bid a long shot. But the dynamics in the last few weeks, especially immediately after INEC sounded the whistle for campaigns to start on September 28, have shown that at least his supporters take Mr Obi seriously and really fancy his chances at the poll next year.

Their relentless online activities, boisterous street marches in many cities across Nigeria and the continuous appearance of Mr Obi on soapbox fora abroad are buttressing his reputation as a candidate who can at least draw enough votes to take Nigeria into the uncharted waters of a runoff presidential poll next year.

Political strategy

However, from the emerging tone of their campaigns, the two establishment parties either do not see the LP candidate as their main threat or they have taken a strategic decision to keep him where they think he should belong  outside the frame.

By ignoring Mr Obi through each focusing his salvos on the other, the ruling partys and main oppositions candidates obviously think they can assert themselves as the protagonist and antagonist in this electoral drama.

In the first place, Mr Obis candidature appears to be capable of hurting Atiku more than Mr Tinubu. He was the formers running mate four years ago. And the areas where he is projected to draw most of his votes from  the South-east, South-south and Christian North  are traditional PDP constituencies. Also, most of the angry votes  voters disenchanted with the ruling party over the performance of the central government and the APCs same-faith ticket  would have supported the PDP.

The entrance of the two third-force candidates, including Mr Kwankwaso, has divided the opposition. And the chance of the opposition is always brighter when it is united. Simply put, Atikus chances will be considerably brighter if Mr Obi returns to his side or just somehow drops out of the race. Or given what the polls have suggested, we can inverse that last sentence.

With that scenario, you would expect the APC to be less hostile to Mr Obi and indeed be offering him subterranean support to deepen the erosion of Atikus territories. Perhaps, the nature of the campaign of Mr Obi, especially of his supporters, makes this difficult to do for the APC.

The Labour Party supporters revile Mr Tinubu more than Atiku and have clear designs on his territory, especially Lagos. They have made him the butt of their cruellest attacks. They were the most active in spreading dark conjectures about him during his recent 12-day stay in London that kept him absent from the signing of the peace accord by the presidential candidates in Abuja.

So perhaps out of anger or fear of his threat to its own interests too, the APC does not appear to see a strategic sense in being kind to Mr Obi or in even being mild with his supporters. The APC seems to view the upstart almost the same way as its main rival does  another irritant.

And the public statements of the two parties suggest they may be dealing with him the same way: refrain from drawing more attention to him than his supporters in and outside Nigeria are already doing for him.

Ignore Obi?

This tone appeared last week from the several exchanges between campaign officials of Mr Tinubu and Atiku. Although the spokesperson of the APC presidential campaign council, Festus Keyamo, responded to the attacks by Mr Obis supporters on Mr Tinubu over his trip abroad, the minister of labour and employment seems to have more joy in taking up the PDP and Atiku.

Mr Keyamo mocked the PDP over its intractable post-primary crisis and the reported theft of a telephone handset belonging to former vice president Namadi Sambo at an event at the partys secretariat in Abuja. But it was his exchange with Paul Ibe, a personal spokesperson of Atiku, that probably signposts the future of the campaign. In an interview on NTA which he shared via his Twitter handle, Mr Keyamo had said Atiku has no personal achievement to sell to Nigerians, unlike Mr Tinubu, and mocked the PDP candidate for clinging to the achievements of the Obasanjo administration under which he was vice president.

According to Mr Keyamo, while Atiku was answerable to his boss Mr Obasanjo for eight years, Mr Tinubu as governor in the same period was in charge of a state.

Atiku Abubakar can be likened to a bus conductor applying for the post of a driver along with another applicant who was a proper driver, Mr Keyamo captioned the video.

But in an acerbic riposte, Mr Ibe said: Tinubu can be likened to a drug baron applying for the job of head of an anti-narcotics agency when other drug dealers are spending time in jail.

APC has no candidate?

The PDP had also mocked the APC over the disqualification of its defeated Osun State governorship candidate, Governor Gboyega Oyetola. The federal high court had said the national caretaker committee of the APC that conducted the partys primaries in the state was illegal, by virtue of being headed by a sitting governor.

Mr Oyetola has appealed the judgement. But PDP spokesperson Debo Ologunagba would not let pass the opportunity offered by the judgement to taunt the ruling party. He said APC will have no candidates in next years elections, ominously referencing the scenario in the 2019 elections when the courts barred the party from presenting candidates in Rivers State.

However, unless that scenario is reenacted and expanded to the national level next year, each of the APC and PDP will consider the other its main adversary in the presidential election and may do the most they can to diminish Mr Obis standing in the contest, as much as it aligns with their strategic calculations.

While the two large parties were sparring, Mr Obi is abroad in continuation of his conversations with the Nigerian Diaspora that has been a bulwark of his support. He was in the US and the UK where he had speaking engagements at the iconic Harvard and Oxford universities and a photo-op with Lamido Sanusi, the former governor of the central bank who until a few years ago was the emir of Kano. Even if his opponents conspire to ignore him, Mr Obi appears to have figured out how to keep himself in the news.

Omehia pays heavy price for Atiku

The soap opera of the internal crisis in the PDP is still running. In the previous episodes, Atiku is trying to pacify Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike who had been his closest opponent in the party primary. The candidate wants to gain the endorsement of the governor of a key state without paying the asking price  the head of party chairman Iyorchia Ayu on a silver platter.

Last weeks episode sees the governor taking his belligerence to a new level with the continued repression of Atikus supporters in his state. The latest victim is Celestine Omehia who was stripped of recognition as a former governor of Rivers State.

Mr Omehia has been an unfortunate politician. On 25 October 2007, the Supreme Court removed him as governor over no offence that he committed in person. He was virtually a bystander when the previous year the PDP tapped him to replace his cousin, Rotimi Amaechi, whom the party had disqualified as its governorship candidate. Mr Omehia won that election handsomely in a state that has since 1999 voted for the same party.

But Mr Amaechi had the last laugh when the apex court voided his disqualification and declared him the rightful winner of the election that he had taken no part in. Mr Omehia was not officially recognised as a former governor in the state until Mr Wike succeeded Mr Amaechi. Now, Mr Wike has accepted that the belated recognition was improper and has now asked him to refund every penny he has been paid as financial entitlements, amounting to about N600 million. His monthly pension of almost N100 million has also been stopped.

That is a huge price to pay for loyalty to Atiku. But it also shows the extent that Mr Wike may go when made angry. A meeting with the partys Board of Trustees last week could not break the impasse.

Atiku may face the election with Mr Wike and perhaps a few other governors of the party aloof or working actively against his bid. That is not the sort of consolation you need from your party leaders after your previous running mate deserted to become a direct rival. Or has 30 years of running for president also prepared Atiku for such?
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, is not known for holding back his tongue. But on Friday, he craftily avoided endorsing the presidential candidate of his party, Bola Tinubu.

Mr Ngige had shown interest in the presidential ticket of the ruling party by picking the N100 million nomination and expression of interest forms but pulled out after President Muhammadu Buhari directed his appointees who were aspirants to resign in line with section 84(12) of the electoral act.

When Mr Ngige appeared on Politics Today on Channels TV, he was asked about his choice between Mr Tinubu and the candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.

The minister refused to give a straight answer.

I am not active in politics. When I withdrew from the presidential race, I said I was going to face my work. The work is multifaceted and multifarious as I came back.

I am not in the campaign council and I dont want to be. I am doing a national job which is more important than any campaign council. The Vice President and the SGF are not there, he said.

Initially, it appeared as though Mr Ngige was torn between supporting the candidate of his party, Mr Tinubu and his kinsman, Mr Obi.

Or perhaps he was scared of facing the backlash that South-east politicians who endorsed anyone other than Mr Obi have faced.

It would be recalled that Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, are some of the recent politicians who have had to recant their statements for daring to speak against the former Anambra State governor.

However, in the course of the interview, Mr Ngige later dropped the ball that his sitting on the fence has to do with the crisis in his party. He even picked holes in the track record of the man who succeeded him.

The way the parties have problems, especially the big parties  PDP has problem that is two times more than our own. Disagreement over the list and that, if we get our acts together, my party will sweep the poll, he stated.

Mr Ngiges non-committal approach got a rebuttal from the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Murtala Ajaka, who in a statement on Saturday, asked Mr Ngige and other ministers who are not ready to endorse Mr Tinubu to resign.

It is expected of a serving minister in an APC government to be a trusted Apostle of Bola Ahmed Tinubus presidency in 2023, who along with other party leaders laboured to ensure the enthronement of the same government in 2015 which they are now serving in.

Chief Ngige and other APC appointees, especially in the federal cabinet, should not forget in a hurry that they are holding onto the partys mandate, hence the need to protect it with whatever it requires. But if they can no longer protect the interest of the APC in public and that of our presidential candidate (Tinubu), I think the honourable thing to do is to step aside from the government formed by the APC, Mr Ajaka had said.

Mr Ngige is the latest in the list of appointees that have for one reason or another stayed away from the campaign. There is the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

Although the explanation for their non-inclusion in the campaign council is focusing on governance, many believe that their decision may be connected with the Muslim/Muslim ticket of the party.

For Mr Ngige, there is the issue of South-east agitation for the presidency, which he invoked repeatedly during his short-lived presidential aspiration.

If we want to be our brothers keeper and bury the pains of the civil war and the impression that a certain group of people is not wanted in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, our brothers from other zones should concede that position to the Southeast in 2023, stated this in May while speaking with journalists in Lagos.

As it stands, even Mr Tinubu is not sure of Mr Ngiges vote on election day, as he refused to disclose who he will be voting for.

You like to box people into a corner. I have told you, I am not active. Why are you asking me a difficult question? My choice will be in the ballot box. Conscience or no conscience, forget it. In February I will cast my one vote, he said.

All these show that even though the crisis in the PDP is open and loud, the APC may be facing the silent type.

Tinubu turns London trip into a PR coup

Mr Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the ruling, returned to the country after a 12-day hiatus in the United Kingdom on a resting vacation.

The trip had fuelled speculations on the health status of Mr Tinubu. Conspiracy theorists on social media had a field day speculating that he was critically hospitalised.

Henry Shield, a critic of Mr Tinubu, tweeted: The News from the UK is terrifying. I hope and sincerely pray this is not true.

None of the people posting his pictures has seen him in a while. Whatever theyre doing online is a bloody lie!

I dare them to live stream a meeting with him.

Some even swore that Mr Tinubu was transferred to another hospital due to the nature of his illness.

Claitopapa tweeted that Mr Tinubu may be on life support with chances of pulling through not looking good.

Tinubu may be on life support as we speak, even his family are not sure hell pull through, this is the beginning of bitter crisis in APC as there will be a serious battle on who replaces him. This is the will of God, the tweet read.

However, Mr Tinubu turned the crisis into a public relations coup with a seven seconds video showing him on a stationary bike with a caption:

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, he tweeted.

The video dominated political discourse for over 48 hours, with over 1.6 million views.

Mr Tinubus handlers pushed further with the release of pictures of their candidate in a tailored suit. In one stance, he was playing with kids. In another picture, he was discussing with some businessmen.

To crown the PR campaign, Mr Tinubu returned to the country unannounced.

However, PR stunt may not be sufficient to resolve the crisis in the ruling party. In his absence, the composition of the Presidential Campaign Council almost ripped the party apart.

Although, according to reports, the Director-General of the Campaign, Simon Lalong, and Governor Abubakar Bagudu are working on expanding the PCC list, however, two weeks after, no news yet on their project.
Two persons, including a police officer, were killed on Sunday when gunmen attacked Inyi Police Divisional Headquarters in Oji River Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigerias South-east.

The gunmen, numbering about six, were said to have stormed the police facility in two vehicles and opened fire on some police officers, killing one of them and a resident at the spot.

Sources told PREMIUM TIMES that the hoodlums also razed the facility, a one-storey building, after about an hour of shootings.

Some video clips apparently shot after the attack have gone viral on social media.

One of the clips, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, showed the facility in flames.

Residents gathered near the facility, crying and watching the corpses of the victims.

I witnessed the attack. The gunmen are just youths. They came in two vehicles, shooting sporadically. We were standing by.

They told us that we are not their problem, but police officers and we should not run. They shot two officers and started razing their building, a voice speaking in the Igbo language could be heard saying in the background of the video.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that one of the victims was a police officer, while the other was an unidentified resident, said to have gone to the facility to lodge a complaint.

In another clip, two corpses were lying on the ground in front of the facilitys perimeter fence, as residents were heard lamenting the attack.

Some motorcycles, believed to have been confiscated by police officers working in the facility, were destroyed by the fire.

When contacted, the police spokesperson in the state, Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES.

He, however, declined to comment on the killing of the officer and the unidentified resident in the attack.

Police operatives are on the trail of the masked hoodlums, he said.

Increased attacks

Enugu, like other states in Nigerias South-east, has witnessed an increase in deadly attacks lately.

The latest incident comes barely three weeks after gunmen attacked an army checkpoint in Amodu Awkunanaw, a community in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State. Two persons were feared killed in the attack.

Gunmen, in September, killed the wife of a leader of a local vigilante operative in Umuopu, Enugu-Ezike, a community in the Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of the state.

Days after, gunmen also killed three police officers at New Haven, Enugu North Local Government Area of the state.

Earlier in September, gunmen attacked members of the Labour Party (LP) who were holding a meeting in Awgu Community, Awgu Local Government Area of the state.

Some LP members were also attacked on 31 August by gunmen in Nenwe, a community in the Aninri Local Government Area of the state.

Gunmen, in June, attacked a police checkpoint along Agbani Road in Enugu South Local Government Area of the state. Two officers were feared killed in the attack.

A police officer was killed in mid-June by gunmen who attacked a police checkpoint in Ibagwa-Ani, a community in Nsukka Local Government Area of the state.

Two police officers were also killed on 2 June when gunmen attacked Mkpamte Community in the Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of the state.

The Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, recently banned the operations of motorcycles and tricycles in some local government areas to check the frequent attacks in the state.

The governor later lifted the ban following public outcry, and assurances from leaders of the transport unions to assist the government in bringing an end to the attacks.

The attacks, mostly targeted at security officials and government facilities, have been attributed to the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) which is agitating for a sovereign state for the Igbo-speaking people in the South-east.

The IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is detained in Abuja where he is standing trial for terrorism.
Gunmen have shot dead a Chinese expatriate in Ebonyi State, south-east Nigeria.

Details of the attack were still sketchy as of the time of filing this report, but sources said the incident happened on Sunday at a mining site at Iboko, Izzi Local Government Area of the state.

The gunmen reportedly disarmed police operatives who were protecting the Chinese man.

The corpse of the Chinese was said to have been deposited at a mortuary in Abakaliki.

The Chairman of Izzi Local Government Area, Steve Emenike, who confirmed the incident, expressed displeasure over the killing, which he described as a national embarrassment.

Mr Emenike said the gunmen came on motorcycles, and that they caused mayhem in Otam village in the council area.

READ ALSO:

He said the local government council, in its response to the incident, has reconstituted a vigilante group and has banned the operation of motorcycles between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. until further notice.

Mr Emenike said the council was working with the police and the State Security Service to track down those responsible for the killing of the Chinese.

We can no longer accept or tolerate this spate of insecurity. Izzi is peaceful, and we intend to sustain that peace for the well-being of our people, he added.

The police spokesperson in Ebonyi State, Chris Anyanwu, said his office was yet to be notified of the incident.

I believe the signal will come in tomorrow, he said.

The security situation in south-east Nigeria has continued to deteriorate, with armed men carrying out frequent attacks on security officials and security facilities.

Most of the attacks in the region have been attributed to a separatist group, IPOB.

Two people, including a police officer, were killed in Enugu State on Sunday when gunmen attacked a police facility in the state.
Gunmen have killed the youth leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area of Enugu State, south-east Nigeria.

The victim, Lucky Idoko, hailed from Unadu, a community in the council area.

He represented the community as a councilor.

The APC youth leader, who was the chairperson of a local vigilante group, was shot dead in the community on Saturday, while travelling on a commercial motorcycle.

The motorcyclist conveying him was said to have escaped unhurt.

Sources said there were speculations in the community that the incident must have been an assassination.

The police spokesperson in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, has confirmed the incident.

The command has launched an investigation into the case of the alleged shooting and murder of one Lucky Idoko, he said.

Worsening insecurity

Enugu, like other states in Nigerias south-east, has witnessed an increase in deadly attacks lately.

The latest incident occurred hours before gunmen attacked Inyi Police Divisional Headquarters in Oji River Local Government Area of the state. Two persons, including a police officer, were killed in the attack on the police facility.

About three weeks ago, gunmen attacked an army checkpoint in Amodu Awkunanaw, a community in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State. Two persons were feared killed in the attack.

Gunmen, in September, killed the wife of a leader of a local vigilante operative in Umuopu, Enugu-Ezike, a community in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of the state.

Days after, gunmen also killed three police officers at New Haven, Enugu North Local Government Area of the state.

Earlier in September, gunmen attacked members of the Labour Party (LP) who were holding a meeting in Awgu Community, Awgu Local Government Area of the state.

READ ALSO:

Some LP members were also attacked on 31 August by gunmen in Nenwe, a community in Aninri Local Government Area of the state.

Gunmen, in June, attacked a police checkpoint along Agbani Road in Enugu South Local Government Area of the state. Two officers were feared killed in the attack.

A police officer was killed in mid-June by gunmen who attacked a police checkpoint in Ibagwa-Ani, a community in Nsukka Local Government Area of the state.

Two police officers were also killed on 2 June when gunmen attacked Mkpamte Community in the Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of the state.

The Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, recently banned the operations of motorcycles and tricycles in some local government areas to check the frequent attacks in the state.

The governor later lifted the ban, following public outcry and assurances from leaders of the transport unions to assist the government in bringing an end to the attacks.

The attacks, mostly targeted at security officials and government facilities, have been attributed to the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) which is agitating for a sovereign state for the Igbo-speaking people in the South-east.

The IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is detained in Abuja where he is standing trial for terrorism.
The federal government is planning to establish electronic surveillance posts at different locations to monitor the nations borders.

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said this in Abuja when he was featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum.

Mr Aregbesola said that the electronic surveillance posts were meant to strengthen existing immigration checks, to enhance the security of the country.

As a matter of fact, we are at the point of signing an agreement with Huawei on e-border.

This means we want to employ technology to put all the critical border positions on 24/7 satellite-based electronic surveillance.

This will give us 24/7 real-time surveillance of designated border areas from all our monitoring centres, particularly the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) headquarters.

You can as well press a button, know what is happening in Kamba border post, Jibia border and even Mfum among others, he said.

Huawei is a Chinese-owned technology company.

Mr Aregbesola assured that the federal government was committed to ensuring the safety of all citizens.

He added that the NIS in conjunction with other sister agencies would continue to do their best in curtailing illegal migration and all cross-border criminalities.

We are the lead in border control, we are not the only agency in border management, but well do our best to ensure Nigerians are safe.

Virtually all the other security and intelligence agencies are involved, we are not relaxing, we are dedicated and committed.

And we are zealous and ensuring that this move will reduce threats, and well manage and control the borders, the minister said.

Mr Aregbesola said Nigerians should appreciate that the country has one of the longest borders in Africa.

To really drive that home, Nigeria has about 5,000 kilometres of borderline.

What that tells you is that it is not possible for you to have enough men that will man every inch or centimetre or millimetre of that borderline.

But we have established border positions that are manned, spread across the entire length of the boundaries of Nigeria.

But beyond that, which is about sovereignty, is the fact that the artificiality of our boundaries cannot just be thrown aside.

It means that except where it is impossible for human beings to exist, there is no borderline where there is human existence that does not separate human beings, communities who are homogenous.

It is in the South, West, Central, North-west, North-east, North-central.

Every line of our boundary separates communities, homogenous communities, people of the same tongue same eyes, same customs.

So, how are you going to now ensure that the Nigerian, the Yoruba man on Nigeria side who is cut off by artificial line from his kinsmen in Benin republic will not interact?

He, however, said Nigeria would not allow such a relationship to undermine national security.

The minister said all security and intelligence agencies were involved in the task of policing the borderline and securing the country.

The federal government is not relaxing, its highly dedicated and committed to ensuring that border threats are managed and controlled effectively, he added.

The minister however assured Nigerians that when deployed, e-border monitoring and surveillance would greatly curtail the rate of cross-border crimes and other criminal activities.

(NAN)
A former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, says the All Progressives Congress (APC) has the competence, capacity, ability and acceptance to win the 2023 presidential election and remain in power.

Mr Akpabio, who is the APC candidate for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District, said this on Sunday while addressing a crowd of party members, supporters and stakeholders from the senatorial district in his Ukana country home.

I came here today to formally inform you that I am on the ballot as your senatorial candidate on the platform of the APC.

Let me assure us all that our governorship candidate, Obong Akanimo Udofia, will also be on the ballot. Therefore, go all out and campaign for all our candidates because the party has all it takes to win election from the national to the states, Mr Akpabio said.

The former governor of Akwa Ibom State used the occasion to extol the virtues of the presidential candidate of the party, Bola Tinubu.

According to him, Mr Tinubu has the capacity and ability, with records of good governance and performance to govern Nigeria.

Sen. Bola Tinubu is a tested and trusted leader, who is going into the presidential race as an achiever and performer in public office.

Tinubu stands for good governance and performance. The presidential contest is for somebody with the capacity to deliver and Asiwaju Tinubu represents that,

he said.

Mr Akpabio thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment to the security of the country with the recent release of the kidnapped train passengers and the inauguration of the second Niger Bridge by December this year.

He urged party supporters to get their PVCs ready and return to polling units, wards and local government areas to canvass support for APC candidates at all levels.

Let us all return to our polling units, wards and local government areas to canvass support for all our candidates at all levels. Let us also open our arms to all our members, who are aggrieved in one way or the other.

We need every member on board because our party is large enough to accommodate everyone, he said.

The Chairman of APC in Akwa Ibom, Stephen Ntukekpo, extolled the virtues of Tinubu, Udofia, Akpabio and other candidates and promised to deliver votes for all of them in the next general elections.

Mr Akpabio was recently listed as the APC candidate for Akwa Ibom North-west senatorial district by INEC following a court judgement that compelled the commission to recognise him as the winner of the APC primaries for the district.

(NAN)
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has distributed relief materials to people displaced by flood in nine local government areas of Kogi.

Justin Uwazuruonye, head of Abuja Operations of NEMA, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.

According to him, the food and non-food items distributed include rice, beans, maize, salt, vegetable oil, tomatoes, mats, mosquito nets, toilet soaps and clothes.

This urgent intervention of the Federal Government through NEMA, led by Mr Mustapha Ahmed, is to cushion the impact of the ravaging flood that has displaced thousands of persons this year.

So far, we have distributed these items to victims in nine local government areas in the state, namely; Lokoja, Kogi, Igalamela/Odolu, Ajaokuta, Ofu, Omala, Bassa, Ibaji and Idah, he said.

Mr Uwazuruonye said the distribution was done in collaboration with Kogi State Emergency Management Agency (KGSEMA) at St. Lukes Primary School, Adankolo.

The flood victims are temporarily residing at the school.

Edward Onoja, the Deputy Governor of Kogi, who was present at the exercise, thanked the Federal Government, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management and NEMA for the timely intervention.

(NAN)
The All Progressives Congress has no legally valid presidential candidate for the February 2023 election, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said.

The partys spokesperson, Debo Ologunagba, stated this at a press conference in Abuja on Saturday.

He said the nomination of Mr Tinubu as well as the election of the Abdullahi Adamu-led national working committee was illegal since they could be traced to the defunct APC Caretaker Committee chaired by Governor Mala Buni of Yobe State.

He cited a ruling on 30 September by the Federal in Abuja which nullified the candidature of Governor Gboyega Oyetola in the 16 July Osun State Governorship election  on grounds that his nomination was invalid, having been conducted and submitted by then APC chairman, Mai Mala Buni  who is also the Yobe State governor.

This act, he said, violates Section 183 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

The Section states that a state governor shall not, during the period when he holds office, hold any other executive office or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever.

Mr Ologunagba said the court ruling means that every decision made by Mr Buni as Chairman of the APC is null and void

Consequently, the congresses as well as the National Convention which produced APC excos including the Adamu Abdullahi-led NWC are void, he said.

In effect the primaries and Presidential Convention conducted by the Adamu Abdullahi-led NWC, including the nomination of Bola Tinubu as presidential candidate of the APC is invalid, null and void ab-initio.

Mr Tinubu, he added, has nothing to offer being the architect of the woes, calamities and life-discounting experiences faced by Nigerians in the last seven and half years.

He asked Mr Tinubu to go home and face the issues of inconsistencies in his educational qualifications, name, ancestry, age as well as corruption allegations.

Mr Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, was elected as the APC flag-bearer on 8 June after beating 13 other candidates including the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and former Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi.

The primary was organised by the Adamu-led NWC.

Efforts to get the spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Festus Keyamo, to react to the indictment by the PDP were unsuccessful.

Another spokesperson of the PCC, Bayo Onanuga, did not also pick calls to his mobile telephone.

While the two parties have been at loggerheads with each other all week, they are also making plans to commence campaigns in the coming week.

The PDP earlier announced that it would kickoff campaigns in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital on Monday.

The APC is, however, yet to announce its plans but spokesperson and members of the party have assured that campaigns would start soon.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, on Saturday, held talks with the immediate past Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, on his presidential aspiration and plans for Nigeria.

In a tweet on Saturday evening, Mr Obi announced, I met with my dear friend and brother, HRH Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. We spent time exchanging views on matters pertaining to national interest, nation-building and broad concept of diversity, education, social inclusion, the economy, consumption and production patterns.

Quite a constructive engagement. My sincere gratitude to him for the warm reception and insights.

The LP candidates meeting with Mr Lamido comes barely two weeks after he met with the incumbent Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero in Kano. He also held talks with the Emir of Gaya, Aliyu Ibrahim.

The meetings are believed to be part of Mr Obis moves to make inroads into the core northern states.

Kano has a large voting population

While Mr Obi and members of his Obidient movement are making serious impacts in the southern part of the country and the North-central zone, the predominantly Muslim core northern states mainly in the North-west and the North-east geo-political zones of the country have remained their weak links.

The meeting with Mr Lamido and similar others in recent weeks, also appear to be part of the moves by the LP presidential flagbearer to break the ice in the two zones where he is still an unknown candidate or distrusted by many people.

Chummy relationship

Mr Obi, a former banker and Anambra State governor, is believed to have a chummy relationship with Mr Sanusi, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

He was among those who openly criticised the deposition of Mr Sanusi as emir of Kano, arguing it was an action that could rub off negatively on, not just the Kano emirate, but Nigeria at large.

He did so in a series of tweets on 11 March, 2020.

Mr Sanusi was controversially deposed as emir of Kano and banished to Nasarawa State by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State on 6 March 2020.

The deposed traditional ruler later left Nasarawa and moved to Lagos State.

The removal of Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Emir of Kano has impacted more negatively on Nigeria than on the former emir himself. His removal portrays clearly the recklessness of our country today.

A few weeks ago, while speaking to investors in London, their primary concern about investing in Nigeria was the unceasing lawlessness and insecurity. The recent reckless executive action in Kano further validates their fears.

We must be better and act better if we seriously plan to play on the global stage, Mr Obi tweeted at the time.

Vice presidential offer

There were speculations that Mr Obi wanted Mr Sanusi as his running mate for the 25 February election but the former CBN Governor was said not to be favourably disposed to the number two position due to the fact that he is more of spiritual and traditional leader than a politician.

It was also speculated that the former Kano governor and now NNPP presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, was also proposed to be the running mate to the LP candidate ostensibly based on the high premium he (Obi) places on their populous state.

Mr Kwankwanso openly repudiated the offer as condescending.

He allegedly scorned the offer based on his reasoning that he was older and more experienced in governance than Mr Obi.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, says the high number of Awaiting Trial Inmates (ATIs) is putting undue pressure on custodial centres in the country.

The minister said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the sheer number of ATIs is a threat to the security of the custodial centres.

NAN reports that a total of 51,541 out of the 75,635 inmates (68 per cent) in various prisons in the country are awaiting trial.

Mr Aregbesola said that the situation was the greatest challenge the service has presently.

No fewer than 70 per cent of Nigerian inmates are serving time without being sentenced as they are awaiting trials.

Assuming the period of waiting for trial is even small, probably it will not be an issue, we can manage it.

How can you put people on trial for fifteen, ten years, how? and they are not a small number.

Some are even there forever, there is no file, there is no prosecution process, they are just there.

Our own is to keep, we have no power over who is there, we cannot release them. So, as long as there is a warrant to detain them, we keep them, he added.

Mr Aregbesola, therefore, called for a review of the administration of the criminal justice system of the country to provide a timeline for trials.

The administration of criminal justice is such that the timeline we give for trials is indefinite. I dont believe this is the way it should be, and it is putting pressure on the system, he said.

On the reform of inmates, the minister insisted that the custodial centres were doing a good job.

He, however, explained that those awaiting trial were not part of those being trained and reformed while in prison, except those who voluntarily chose to.

He said that recidivism was more with ATIs who could not be forced to do anything outside the control of their liberty and freedom which was what the correctional facility must give.

This can only happen only if they choose to. You cannot say they should go to school, they may see opportunity of being there to begin studies, but it is by their choice and not by anybody.

If they choose to, they will not be prevented from learning skills or from acquiring education, they will not be stopped, as it is their choice.

If those people you see after their release and they tend not to have been in any way impacted in any form are people who had awaiting trial stint in our facilities.

We cannot force them to do anything outside their custody. They can voluntarily engage in activities but is their own free will.

The state cannot compel them by virtue of their status in the jail houses to do anything other than limiting their freedom, and keeping them for trial, he said. (NAN)
The thousands of prisoners who escaped from Nigerias correctional centres will be rearrested no matter how long it takes, an official has said.

Interior minister Rauf Aregbesola said this while fielding questions at the flagship interview programme of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), NAN Forum.

In the interview published Sunday, Mr Aregbesola did not give a timeline for the re-arrest of the prisoners.

They can only run, they cannot hide; they are like trapped mouse, we will get them, Mr Aregbesola said.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that about 4,000 persons who escaped from Nigerian prisons are still at large. The culprits include terrorists and others convicted of violent crimes.

Some of the prisons where the jailbreaks occurred are in Abuja, Oyo and Edo State.

In his interview, Mr Aregbesola gave a hint of how the prisoners may be re-arrested.

They will open bank accounts; they will have telephone numbers; they are just deceiving themselves; they will be caught, he said.

They are like trapped mouse. Where is a trapped mouse going? If you release the rope used to trap the mouse, you are just entertaining yourself, later youd retrieve the rope and bring the mouse home.

They are trapped as far as I am concerned, he added.

The minister conceded that the recapture of the fugitives was slow, but assured that they would be re-arrested all the same, no matter how long it took.

Government is not giving up; government is the most difficult institution to offend; it has long insatiable memories.

I have read about criminals or suspects who ran away from justice forever or even died as fugitives, but ultimately found out when the DNA of their bones were assessed and analysed.

Government is a patient institution; we have done what we should do; there is nobody today in our custodial facility without all the biometrics registered; none.

All inmates, either as awaiting-trial persons or as convicts in our custodial facilities are registered in our database or have their biometrics in the database.

To the extent that that is done, unless that person does not exist as a human being, it is a question of time before we get them; that is the assurance I want to give Nigerians, he said.

The minister stressed that the Ministry of Interior was collaborating with relevant security agencies and other ministries to ensure the arrest of the fugitives.

We need the cooperation of all the other agencies; the cooperation of other operators in the system to help us.

We have circulated the biometrics of the fugitives to every relevant organisation that could help us use the data to apprehend them and we are not relenting.

I am meeting with the Minister of Finance on some things to do with that because we need to work directly with that ministry and some of its agencies.

I am also meeting with the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy since some of its agencies are well-positioned to accelerate the process of re-arrest.

The truth is, having registered the biometrics of all inmates and the fugitives, the escapees can only run, they can never hide, he emphasised.

Mr Aregbesola stressed that the process of re-arrest might take time, but as long as the escapees functioned as human beings, they would be recaptured.

The minister reiterated that all those who escaped from custodial centres including those involved in the jailbreak of 5 July at the Kuje Custodial Centre in the FCT would be re-arrested.

Sad as the jailbreak and the escape were, the escapees can only survive to the extent of living outside human communities, he said.

(NAN)
The federal government has declared all correctional facilities across the country red zones, following incessant attacks and jailbreaks in recent times.

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola said this when he was featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.

Mr Aregbesola said that the service now conducts periodic simulation exercises of attacks and responses in the riskiest facilities in the country.

He said that the service was also doing its best to prepare the operatives to respond to any such attack.

Before Kuje attack, regrettably, that was not done, but since the attack, we now have what we call periodic simulation of attack and response.

So with that, I still want to say those who want to test our will might not live to tell the story.

As far as humanly possible, we are improving, we are learning every day from our weaknesses and we are overcoming.

We declared all our centres as red zones that whoever attempted to breach them will be risking his life, we still maintain that and we are reinforcing, he said.

Mr Aregbesola said the Kuje correctional centre was not breached for lack of security, stressing that Kuje had the best security even at the time it was breached.

He said that the service was improving on its weaknesses that led to the breach of the most fortified custodial facility in Nigeria.

The minister said the Nigeria Correctional Service now has the backing of high-powered armed agencies to support in defending the facilities.

According to him, the support of other armed security agencies will help to contain threats to custodial centres.

Our facilities are now war fronts from what you have seen. We can no longer assume that threat to security in our facilities can only come from within as it used to be.

Providing stations and bases to supportive armed agencies is to build up the security of our facilities, he said.

(NAN)
The police and immigration personnel in Katsina and Kebbi have rescued 30 persons being trafficked across the state.

In separate statements on Friday, the victims confessed they were being trafficked out of the country.

Nine victims were rescued in Katsina State while the remaining 21 were rescued in Kebbi State.

Gambo Isa, the police spokesperson in Katsina State, said the nine victims were rescued by a police team in Daura Local Government Area with the intention of taking them to Libya through Niger Republic.

Mr Isa said the rescue operation followed a tip-off the police received about the activities of the traffickers.

In the course of investigation, the victims stated that they were conveyed from Kano State to Daura by a driver, who on sighting the police team, abandoned the victims and took to his heels. They further stated that they are en route to Libya through the Niger Republic border, he said.

Mr Isa said those rescued were from Ondo, Lagos, Ogun, Kaduna and Enugu states.

Those rescued were: Timilaye Ojo, Blessing Joseph, Khadija Abdullahi, Safiyyat Ahmed, Precious Nuhu, Bolanle Adewusi, Okpoekwu Eunice, Kabirat Azeez and Taiwo Adeola.

In Kebbi State, the Nigeria Immigration Service officers rescued 21 children who were being taken to Senegal and Mauritania by an Islamic cleric.

The states NIS Comptroller, Rabi Nuhu, in a statement said she handed over the rescued victims to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

The victims consist of 19 males and two females and were arrested in Kangiwa, a border community.

On interrogation, the children revealed that they were going to Senegal for Mauld celebration and to proceed to Mauritania with the intension to seek Islamic knowledge, Mrs Nuhu said.

She said the 21 children and the Islamic cleric who is from the Bida area in Niger State, were all issued fake ECOWAS passports.

Kebbi State shares a border on its western side with Niger Republic and Benin Republic while Katsina State shares a border with Niger Republic.

Those states are mostly used by traffickers to take their victims to Libya with the aim of reaching Europe from there.
A Nigerian advocacy group, Ferdinand Effah Music Heritage Foundation, has called for the inclusion of regenerative stem cell medicine for children living with Autism into the National Health Insurance Scheme managed by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

The group, in a statement signed by its president, Stanley Effah, said children with autism have to push past many barriers to actualise themselves in life.

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Mr Effah said there is an urgent need to commence dialogue on the chances and prospect of including regenerative stem cell medicine for children with autism under the NHIA social health insurance coverage and benefits package.

He said till date, autism has no cure, despite successes recorded around some of the very expensive treatment approaches including, but not limited to music therapy.

These children and their families suffer tremendous stigmatisation and discrimination from society which further compound the challenges they go through, especially with the high cost of treatment for autism which remains a trauma to families affected by the condition, he said.

Autism

Autism has been identified as a complex developmental condition that involves persistent challenges in social interaction, speech and nonverbal communication, and restricted behaviors.

However, the effects of autism and the severity of symptoms are different in each person. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood with many of the most obvious signs presenting around 2-3 years old, but some children with autism develop normally until toddlerhood when they stop acquiring or lose previously gained skills.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one out of 160 children lives with Autism worldwide.

Statistics also show there are 135 million established cases of autism in the world and more than one million children and teenagers suffering from this condition live in Nigeria.

Although data on autism in Nigeria and Africa generally is sketchy, a 2014 research indicated that 54 of the observed sample of 2,320 children in Nigeria had autism.

The research shows that the condition is relatively more common among boys as 45 males and nine females were identified with autism in the 2014 study.

READ ALSO: Group launches mobile application for Autism therapy in Nigeria

Even though there are no recent statistics on autism in Nigeria, the majority of persons with autism lack medical, psycho-social and financial support.

Many families of children with autism in Nigeria lamented the high cost of managing such condition which is considered one of the most ignored health issues in the country.

Alternative treatment

Mr Effah said the ground-breaking development proffered under stem cell clinical therapy is more promising as hopes of children affected by the condition is beginning to see the much-awaited light.

He explained that this clinical alternative standard introduced under regenerative stem cell is the area almost 90 per cent of families would desire to explore.

He, however, said more families will explore the option when there is room for affordability and financial access through social health insurance coverage, especially to the benefit of the underprivileged.

Mr Effah said a specialised healthcare provider readily available in Nigeria for the treatment is already in the process of completing a partnership agreement with the foundations charity project scheme on a 30- 40 per cent discount rate.

It is therefore our solemn endorsement that the management of NHIA may consider giving room to our call for inclusion, he said.
The Nigeria Labour Congress has rejected the registration of the Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA) and the Nigeria Association of Medical and Dental Lecturers in Academics (NAMDA) by the Nigerian government.

NLC said the government violated a labour law by registering the unions because another union already exists in the sector.

Presenting certificates of registration to both unions last week, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said they are to operate alongside ASUU in Nigerian universities.

While Mr Ngige said both unions met the requirements for registration, NLC President Ayuba Wabba said the registration of CONUA and NAMDA contradicts the Trade Union Act, the Nigerian Constitution and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention that the minister claimed to have followed.

Both Messrs Wabba and Ngige cited Section 3(2) of the Trade Union Act to support their stance.

But the minister claimed the same section granted him power to approve the registrations.

(Section) 3(2) encompasses that you should not register where an association is existing. However, the minister, in his own opinion that the association that is there is no longer discharging performing the functions for the benefits of that community, I can regroup. And that is what I have done, said Mr Ngige during the presentation of certificates to CONUA and NAMDA.

Anyone who doesnt like what I have done can go to court and seek redress, the minister added.

Section 3(2) of the Trade Union Act states: No combination of workers or employers shall be registered as a trade union save with the approval of the Minister on his being satisfied that it is expedient to register the union either by regrouping existing trade unions, registering a new trade union or otherwise howsoever ever, but no trade union shall be registered to represent workers or employers in a place where already exists a trade union.

You violate the law, NLC tells Ngige

In a letter to Mr Ngige, the NLC president stated that the registration of new academic unions was a violation of existing laws.

The NLC, therefore, demanded that the minister withdraw the registration of CONUA and NAMDA.

We demand that you respect the doctrine of the Rule of law, especially the clear provisions of our labour laws cited and withdraw the Certificate of Registration issued to the two new trade unions, Mr Wabba wrote in the letter.

He said: Clearly, from the provisions of Section 3(2) and Sections 5(2), 5(3) and 5(4) (of the Trade Union Act), there is no basis for the purported registration of the Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA) and the Nigeria Association of Medical and Dental Lecturers in Academics (NAMDA) as both entities failed woefully to satisfy the precedent conditions provided by the Trade Union Act for the registration of trade unions.

Mr Wabba added that the legitimacy of granting registration certificates to groups in a sector where unions already exist has been tested and affirmed to be a violation.

From the National Industrial Court to the Supreme Court. In the case of Erasmus Osawe Vs Registrar of Trade Unions and also the case of Nigeria Nurses Association Vs Attorney General of the Federation Unreported Suit No. S.C. 69/1980 delivered on 6th November 1981, it is trite that anywhere there exists a union registered to cater for a category of workforce it would be unpardonable proliferation and offence against the Constitution and Trade Unions Act for any other union to be registered for the same category of workers, he said.

And this position was more recently restated by the Supreme Court in a judgement delivered on 11th January 2008 and cited as (2008) 1 S.C. (PT.III) Supreme Court Justices led by Hon. Justice Sylvester Onu and four others.

Background

Last week, the labour minister granted the registration request for CONUA and NAMDA.

CONUA, a university lecturers union opposed to ASUU, has constantly said it is not on strike.

Some members of ASUU at Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU) left the union to create CONUA in 2018 following a leadership crisis at Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU) Chapter of ASUU in 2016.

But the ministers move is believed to be a way to weaken ASUU which has been on strike since February. The move is also believed to be connected to Mr Ngiges recent brickbats with the ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke.

The duo had engaged in hot arguments at a meeting on Thursday conveyed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.

The minister had accused Mr Osodeke of deliberately frustrating the governments efforts at resolving the crisis and mobilising Nigerians against the government but the union leader said Mr Ngige was peddling lies against the union.

Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe
The chairperson of the Lagos State Parks and Garages Committee, Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly called MC Oluomo, is leading a five million man walk for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, on Sunday in Lagos.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is also participating in the walk which is aimed at supporting Mr Tinubus presidential ambition in 2023.

The walk, which began at Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, is expected to end at Oshodi.

Details later

See Photos Below:
Some beneficiaries of the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) have accused the Nigerian government and the implementing agency of abandoning them.

In a video shared on Twitter, the beneficiaries accused a Nigerian embassy and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) of improper treatment.

The NSDP, which commenced in 2009, is a NIMASA programme initiated to address the dearth of trained and certified seafarers in the Nigerian maritime industry.

Some men in the video who identified themselves as cadets said they had arrived at the Nigerian embassy in Manila, The Philippines for a simple demonstration but were denied access.

One of the cadets who spoke in the video said the embassy authorised law enforcement officials in The Philippines not to let them into the embassy.

The embassy had instructed the security to stop us here, that we are not allowed to go to our own embassy when we have a challenge, he said.

He said he and others were sent to The Philippines 10 years ago to study Marine Engineering and Transportation under the NIMASA-NSDP scholarship.

The scholarship was meant to last for four years: three years in school and an exit examination in the fourth year.

This has lasted for 10 good years, I have wasted my life, 10 years of my life and many of my colleagues also in this same programme.

Now finally we are here for the last lap where we would get our license and go back to Nigeria, yet, he lamented.

One of the persons who reacted to the video, Abraham Samuel, accused NIMASA of negligence. He narrated how he had to leave the programme after he could no longer wait on the agency to continue his studies in The Philippines.

Mr Samuel, whose LinkedIn profile says he studied at the University of Cebu in The Philippines, noted that a programme that began in 2012, 10 years later people are still languishing and suffering at home. I for one can say that NIMASA failed in making the programme a success, most of the persons in the Philippines are self-sponsored and only because they got tired of waiting for NIMASA and had to look for every means possible to kick start their lives, I am one of those such people.

Nigerian Embassy responds

Responding to the allegation that they were denied access to the embassy, the Nigerian Embassy in Manila in a statement said: the said cadets did not have any scheduled appointment with the Embassy on the said date which is in defiant to the rules of Estate managements in the Philippines.

And as such, the Estate/ Barangay reserves the right to prohibit persons from entering the premises without an appointment.

It added that the cadets did not submit any formal notification of protest to the Philippine authorities before they embarked on the protest.

This explains why there were a lot of policemen present at the scene where the unruly cadets were disturbing the peace of the residents in the area and obstructing vehicular traffic, the embassy said.

However, it noted that officials of the embassy went to meet with the defiant cadets at the entrance of the estate to listen to their complaints which were delivered in a very insulting and demeaning manner with no regard for the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on whose sponsorship they were in the Philippines in the first place.

It said all complaints from the cadets have been communicated to the relevant authorities in NIMASA and the embassy awaits further directives.

NIMASA monitoring unfortunate development

In response to the video, NIMASA said it is monitoring the unfortunate development in the Philippines involving NIMASA NSDP 2013 cadets, as seen in a recent online video.

It noted that the maritime agency will be in The Philippines at an undisclosed date this month (October) for an assessment visit to ascertain the issues and finally address them.

The visit will be led by the Executive Director of Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Victor Ochei. He said the officials will engage with the school and the cadets.

As responsible management, we must deal with this from an informed position, as the matter far predates this administration. While we regret the embarrassment this may have caused all concerned; we urge caution and avoidance of any speculative reporting until the official outcome of the on-the-spot evaluation to the Philippines is submitted, NIMASA said.

Chiamaka Okafor is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.
Thousands of supporters of the APC on Sunday embarked on a five million solidarity walk in support of the presidential candidate of the party, Bola Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, in Lagos State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the political rally was organised by the Chairman of Lagos State Parks and Garages Management, Musiliu Akinsanya popularly called MC Oluomo, in collaboration with Team Lagos, Nigeria, a support group.

The rally was also to show support for the re-election of the Lagos state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his running mate, Obafemi Hamzat, and all the APC candidates in the state.

The APC supporters, who defied the early downpour, converged on the entrance of Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere as early as 7.00 a.m.

The rally terminated at Bolade, Oshodi, with fanfare at noon.

Addressing the supporters, Mr Akinsanya, a former Chairman of the proscribed National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), said the walk became imperative to demonstrate the massive support for Mr Tinubus presidential ambition.

Mr Akinsanya said the former Lagos state governor who laid the foundation for the progressive development of the state had the character, capacity and competence to provide leadership that everyone would be proud of in the country.

According to him, Mr Tinubu has the experience and ability to replicate all the visible developments in Lagos state at the federal level if given the opportunity.

Also speaking, Waheed Seriki, one of the leaders of the APC support group in the rally, said: Asiwaju Tinubu is prepared to change the narrative of the challenges facing the nation.

Some areas that will enjoy priority of the incoming Tinubus administration include insecurity, power generation and employment creation.

NAN reports that several political support groups of different presidential candidates have been staging solidarity walks in support of their candidates.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lifted the ban on campaigns in public by political parties officially on 28 September.

The electoral umpire fixed 25 February 2023, for national elections (Presidential and National Assembly) and 11 March for state elections (Governorship and State Assembly).

(NAN)
A former EFCC Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, has described his exit from the anti-corruption agency as corruption fighting back.

Mr Magu made the assertion on Sunday in Abuja at an award ceremony organised in his honour by Northern Female Students Association.

I am a victim of corruption fighting back, but I am happy that recent events are revealing the truth to Nigerians, he said.

Mr Magu who was represented by his son, Mohammad-Saeed Ibrahim-Magu, thanked the association for conferring on him the award of Achiever per Excellence and said he was happy to receive the award.

Aisha Nasir, spokesperson of the association, which comprises female students of universities in the northern parts of Nigeria, explained that Mr Magu was unanimously chosen for the award for his dedication to national service.

The anti-corruption fight in Nigeria is a binding moral duty that requires seeing beyond political affiliations or preferences.

Love him or hate him, Ibrahim Magu took the anti-corruption fight to uncharted levels where many people thought could never be attained.

Magu attracted continental and global commendations for tackling what had been described as the leading factor hindering growth and development of African nations and economies, Nasir said.

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the award came on the heels of the 4 Oct judgement of the FCT High Court delivered by a judge, Yusuf Halilu.

Mr Halilu absolved Mr Magu of a false claim that Pastor Emmanuel Omale of the Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministry, and his wife, Deborah laundered N573 million for the former EFCC boss.

The money was said to have been used by the cleric to buy a property for Mr Magu in Dubai.

The judgement was delivered on the suit marked: FCT/HC/CV2541/2020 filed by Mr Omale, his wife and the church against the churchs bank.

During the investigation of Mr Magu by the Isa Salami-led presidential investigation panel, it was claimed that an investigation by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) revealed that Mr Magu paid N573million into Mr Omales churchs account.

Mr Halilu noted in his judgement, however, that the evidence before his court showed that Omales bank admitted error in its report to the NFIU, of entries in Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministrys account.

The judge further held that the bank claimed that the purported N573 million was wrongly reflected as credit entry into the churchs account by its reporting system, which it recently upgraded.

Mr Halilu noted that the bank admitted the error, which occasioned incalculable damage to the reputation of Mr Omale, his wife and their church within and outside the country.

He also awarded the sum of N540.5 million as the cost to Mr Omale against the bank for the falsely generated weekly report of a suspicious credit inflow of N573.2 million.

Mr Magu was suspended as acting chairman of the EFCC in 2020.

(NAN)
The Governor of Jigawa State, Mohammed Badaru, and his Deputy, Umar Namadi, were on Saturday, booed by an irate crowd at the Gumel Local Government Area of the state.

The governor was in Gumel to celebrate the annual Maulud  marking the birth of Prophet Muhammad.

Earlier, the States Commissioner for Special Duties, Auwal Sankara, in a statement, said his principal will be in Gumel to attend the annual Sallar Gani (Maulud celebration).

The Executive Governor of Jigawa state Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar is expected to join the Emir of Gumel to celebrate Sallah Gani which will take place tomorrow (Saturday) at the Gumel Emirate.

Sallah Gani is an age-old festival observed in Gumel emirate, every year during the Eid Maulud celebration, precisely on the 12th Day of Rabiul Awwal in the Islamic calendar, sons, and daughters of Gumel emirate origin, from all walks of life return home to take part in the prestigious festival, the official statement said.

The governors appearance at the event was the first public event he attended after he returned from a holiday abroad.

The governor has come under intense criticism for travelling abroad on holiday without showing empathy and visiting victims of flood disasters across the state.

READ ALSO:

Over a hundred people have died in the flood which destroyed farmlands, and houses and displaced thousands of people.

At the event in Gumel, the governor and his deputy were seen in a viral video being booed by the crowd.

The angry residents were seen shouting Bamayi (we dont want you) while the duo were standing waving to the crowd through the sunroof of a moving vehicle.

However, the governor was also greeted by many at the event while passing through the crowd to the emirs palace where the event took place.

While the reason the governor was booed was not clear, many believed it was due to the governors nonchalance towards the victims of the widespread flood in the state.

Gumel council area is also believed to be the stronghold of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and the hometown of its deputy governorship candidate, Babandi Ibrahim.

When contacted on Sunday, the governors spokesperson, Habibu Kila, said its not true.
Ukraine voted against the call for concrete action against racism, Xenophobia and related intolerance.

The European country alongside its allies, including the UK and the US, at the just concluded 51st regular session of the UN Human Rights Council, also voted against concrete actions to put an end to intolerance.

Ukraine came under Russias attack on 24 February and has since fought to repel Russia from its territory. In a recent development, Russia illegally annexed about 15 per cent of its region in a referendum.

Other countries that voted against this call include France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, and Montenegro.

A total of 31 countries voted in favour of the call, seven abstained and nine voted against. The call was, however, adopted.

The resolution was submitted by Cote dIvoire on behalf of the Group of African States.

From rhetoric to reality: a global call for concrete action against #racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance was ADOPTED, UNHRC tweeted.

The session which was held from 12 September to 7 October saw the adoption of 41 texts.

The resolution among other things reiterated that the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and colonialism were grave violations of international law that require States to make reparations proportionate to the harms committed and to ensure that structures in the society that are perpetuating the injustices of the past are transformed, including law enforcement and the administration of justice.

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It noted that although some States have taken the initiative to apologise and have paid reparations, where appropriate, for grave and massive violations, those that have yet to express remorse should find some way to contribute to the restoration of the dignity of victims.

The resolution also called upon all the relevant States that have not already done so to dispense reparatory justice, including finding ways to remedy historical racial injustices contributing to the development and recognition of the dignity of the affected States and their people.

According to the UK Human Rights Ambassador, Rita French, her country voted against the call because states are required to make reparations for the slave trade and colonialism, which caused great suffering to many but were not, at that time, violations of international law.

She added that the claims divert focus from the pressing challenges of tackling contemporary racism and global inequality, which are global challenges affecting all regions.

Ms French noted that tackling racism requires coming together to find a new approach that works for all. This draft resolution, however, does not offer the sort of new approach around which we can achieve consensus and for that reason we will vote against it.

The Council requested the Office of the High Commissioner to provide a written report, at the 53rd session, on the progress of the two-year comprehensive communications strategy, inclusive of an outreach programme to raise awareness about and mobilise global public support for racial equality.

Chiamaka Okafor is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.
Rather than the Kogi governor deploying his usual weaponry of violence to seek rent in Obajana, what civilised governments do all over the world is to go to court to enforce their claims. A rent seeking by force system makes humanity indistinguishable from a band of apes who use raw brunt to tackle their traducers. Yes, governors have limitless access to violence and can manipulate state power to do their bidding, but this deployment of raw power will scare away investors from Nigeria.

Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State, is facing one of its worst disasters ever. Four persons, which included a three-year-old baby, according to press report, were swept away to their deaths last week by a flood which broke its barriers. Ibaji Local Government Area of the state is the worst hit by a flood that broke the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers at Lokoja. Travelers passing through the 196-kilometre-Lokoja-Abuja highway, which connects the North and South got stranded and the road literally cut off. The Niger and Benue rivers had broken their banks, resulting in a flood disaster unprecedented in the states history. As a result, a wide swath of the state is currently underwater. Economic activities have practically come to a standstill in these Kogi communities. The magnitude of the destructions is benumbing as people mourn their losses.

Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, is however battling a bigger flood of greater intensity. Dangote Cement Plant in Obajana appears a flood of more immense purport. In the heat of the flood disaster, last Wednesday, Bello caused the cement plant to be shut. According to him, the ownership of the plant is shrouded in a miasma of doubts. The government then began a process of recovering the plant. In the report of a specialised technical committee it set up for an evaluation of the legality or otherwise of Dangote Cements acquisition of the plant in Obajana, a sleepy Kogi town, Secretary to the State Government, Folashade Ayoade, said the transfer of Obajana Cement Company to Dangote Industries Limited was invalid, null and void.

On paper, the plant belongs to Dangote Industries Limited. Formerly known as Obajana Cement Plc, it changed name to Dangote Cement Plc in July, 2010, becoming a subsidiary of the Dangote Group. Obajana Cement, before the acquisition, was solely owned by the Kogi State government, having been incorporated in 1992. In 2010, it got listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The Dangote Group said that between 2007 and 2012, its founder, Aliko Dangote, invested the sum of $6.5 billion into the company, and cement production and trading constitute a large chunk of the Dangote Groups core businesses.

From available data about it, this same Dangote Cement plant in Obajana is the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a production capacity of 10.25 million tonnes per year across three lines. It also said it had a further 3 million tonnes per year capacity currently being built. Since 2012 when its $1 billion cement plant in Ibese, Ogun State was built, with a production capacity of six million metric tonnes of cement per year, it had further gone to Gboko, Benue State where in 2013, it acquired a three million tonnes per year capacity.

For Governor Yahaya Bello, however, that was immaterial. Dangote Cement has to vacate the soil of Obajana, despite its investments. Giving reasons why this has to be so, the SSG alleged that Dangote Industries converted three Obajana Cement Company Plc Certificates of Occupancy to obtain a loan of N63 billion. Thus, in view of findings, the SSGs committee recommended that Kogi State should take steps to recover the cement plant from the Dangote Group. It also recommended that the overall seven C of Os acquired by Dangote should be cancelled.

The state governor, Yahaya Bello came out in the open to say that the decision to void Dangote Cements ownership of the plant was a bold step taken to safeguard the lives and livelihood of Kogi people who gave him their mandate as governor. Whatever that means.

In its defence, however, the Dangote Cement Company, through its Group Managing Director, Michael Puchercos, alleged that the Bello government illegally shut down its Obajana plant, maintaining that the governments claim to its ownership contained tissues of falsehood. The cement company also alleged that Yahaya Bello caused the invasion of the plant by armed vigilantes.

Yahaya Bello has been in government for close to eight years now. How come that this gangsterism as method of swinging Obajana back to his people is coming at a time when he is almost on the verge of leaving office? The transaction that midwifed Obajana is over a decade now. Governors have come and gone. It took only Bellos eagle eyes, a few months to leaving office, before locating the alleged illegalities in the transfer of title from the state government to Dangote.

The vigilantes (were) led by some officials of the state government In the process of forcefully evicting the workers to enforce the shutdown, the vigilantes shot at 27 of our workers and also destroyed some of the companys property at the plant, said Puchercos.

Now, the ongoing spat between Yahaya Bello, with the Kogi State government as facade, and Dangote Cement Plant, should be of great concern to Nigerians. For a Federal Government that has worried over scant investments in Nigeria of recent, it should be a development that must be viewed with tremendous concern. Being emergency judges in the court of public opinion, and with the initial facts presented before us, two things are germane in our consideration of the matter. One is precedents; another, antecedents; and the hard facts presented at the court. With these, we may be availed of a window to appropriately look into the matter.

A major allegation against Aliko Dangote, owner of Dangote Cement Plant, by his competitors is the head-butting of business competitors. Other than this, Dangote and his companies have established the renown of clean businesses guided by law. The Nigerian corporate environment, though bespattered with underhand dealings, boasts of fastidious adherence to rules. You do not achieve this level of corporate behemoth that Dangote has attained by circumventing rules and practices. It then stands to reason that even if Dangote head-butted other competitors  which businessmen, shylocks and vultures that they are, do anyway  in acquiring the franchise on Obajana, his corporate wizardry and acumen must have taken the company further up from there. Not perfecting the papers of acquisition of Obajana and the equivocation in alleging tax evasion are not likely to arise for Dangote who, from what has been said about his companies, is about the largest tax-paying corporate concern in Nigeria today.

Yahaya Bello of Kogi State was right in claiming that he is doing all these to safeguard the interest of his people, especially the Obajana community, who he alleges have been shortchanged. After all, a governor is elected to stand in the gap for his people. However, the baggage the governor carries is far weightier and casts the burden of guilt more on his shoulders. First is that as a Nigerian politician and governor, he belongs to a class of unbroken thievery of the public patrimony, which is often legitimised by roguery. In other words, the political class of which Bello is a major player has a reputation of the persistent quest for corrupt enrichment, and armed tactics. Most of the time, this is shrouded round the claim of safeguarding peoples interest. This is often sustained by a criminal assemblage of jobless young boys who are used to legitimise it.

Yahaya Bello has been in government for close to eight years now. How come that this gangsterism as method of swinging Obajana back to his people is coming at a time when he is almost on the verge of leaving office? The transaction that midwifed Obajana is over a decade now. Governors have come and gone. It took only Bellos eagle eyes, a few months to leaving office, before locating the alleged illegalities in the transfer of title from the state government to Dangote. Why this beggars belief is that allegations are flying in the air that this whole scaremongering is a renteer system gone awry and that this scaremongering is aimed at upping the ante of personal entitlements that successive governors always get from every bag of cement that comes out of the Obajana plant.

This is because the oscillation by the state government from tax payment evasion allegation to improper transfer of title makes the whole sordid and cynical game very suspicious. While it may not be enough, it is doubtful that Dangote would not have been observing its corporate social responsibility to the Obajana community. If you ask Dangote to give the statistics, there is also no doubt that the sons and daughters of Obajana will constitute the highest bulk of beneficiaries of the siting of the industry in their locality. That argument that Bellos latest primitive machismo in Obajana is on behalf of the people will not wash.

The major question that needs to be answered is, why is Yahaya Bello always resorting to violence as medium of action? Wherever violence as medium of securing the upper hand is at issue, all eyes rivet towards Bellos Kogi. He is held as typifying the archetype of violence in politics and Kogi, the headquarters of unruly thugs used to put governmental imprimatur on primitive actions. Dangote Cement, through its Managing Director, Puchercos, has alleged that Bello caused a forceful eviction of its workers in the process of enforcing the shutdown. It also alleged that vigilantes, on the assignment of the governor, shot at 27 of its workers, who also destroyed some of the companys property at the plant.

In November 2019, a tragic viral video of some young Kogi ladies chanting the panegyrics of Governor Bello at a pre-election rally went viral. In the video, the ladies delivered in a local dialect a highly melodious song which went, inter alia: Who is saying that Yahaya will not be Governor?/ Dem go hear am ta-ta-ta-ta-ta/What are you saying?/What are you talking?/What a tyranny4+4. In a piece I did shortly after, entitled Kogis ta-ta-ta-ta-ta and Nigerias head of the Medusa, I submitted that the video was of Hiroshima and Nagasaki proportion  a tragedy that Nigeria found itself in the hands of gangsters masquerading as politicians. I also called the ladies legitimisation of violence an euphemisation of violence, delivered in a melodious tune.

Bello had claimed that his government received petitions from several people and all attempts to sit down with the conglomerate failed, so how has government been able to get the other sides position as against its own? Going by the incoherence and contradictions on the real reason for the invasion of the company, the world out here will need to know whether the shutdown was occasioned by the alleged evasion of tax or illegality of acquisition.

In the said piece, I had written: Enraptured by the very rhythmic song, you would almost lose track of the fact that the young ladies were ratifying and justifying the violence and murders which eventually engulfed Kogi in the melee of the elections. While I listened to it, I didnt know the time I got sucked into the beautiful song and began to wriggle my body to the melody. The beautiful ladies delivering the song and their apparent mastery of the art of dancing also blithely delivered the parcel of electoral intolerance. Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta is undoubtedly the unfriendly rhythm of a rifle. Did the ladies know or realise that ta-ta-ta-ta-ta means that votes will not count? Did they bother at all? Did they know that ta-ta-ta-ta-ta is sorrow for some persons children? Do they care?

It was as if the choristers of death were presaging what would be parceled to the world shortly after, a broth of political hatred, blood and outright disdain for the sanctity of electoral politics. The ta-ta-ta-ta-ta caught me gasping for breath. Like the euphemism that it was, it cushioned the blow of bloody electoral reality that it portended. But, why would a people give political, cultural and societal stamp to gangsterism and violence like this in Bellos Kogi and Buharis Nigeria?

The election that brought Bello into office in 2019 was very violent. Till date, no one can say with precision the number of persons martyred for this so-called victory, which was celebrated with juvenile excitement, neither can anyone count on the finger tips how many homes lapsed into sorrow on account of it. The most horrifying of the violence was the one that consumed Acheju Abuh. Abuh, the Women Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Wada/Aro Campaign Council, was set ablaze in her residence at Ochadamu in Ofu local government area of Kogi on Monday, 18 November, 2019. From accounts of Abuhs gruesome murder, the killers were identifiable. Were those killers brought to book for the dastardly act? I doubt. It was a permanent scar on the election that reportedly produced Bello for a second term in office.

Questions that further arise on the Kogi government waylay of activities at Obajana are: Does the alleged conversion of the three Obajana Cement Company Plc Certificates of Occupancy to obtain a loan of N63 billion, if it is true, void its ownership? If the Folashade Ayoade technical committee recommended that Kogi State should take steps to take over the plant from Dangote, does that recommendation include strong arm tactics and can it be done outside of the law courts? Since Bellos Kogi claimed that there was no evidence of consideration paid by Dangote for the acquisition of the Obajana plant, can the Dangote Cement furnish this court of public opinion same?

Bello had claimed that his government received petitions from several people and all attempts to sit down with the conglomerate failed, so how has government been able to get the other sides position as against its own? Going by the incoherence and contradictions on the real reason for the invasion of the company, the world out here will need to know whether the shutdown was occasioned by the alleged evasion of tax or illegality of acquisition.

The gangsterism exhibited in Kogi by the governor is a great dent on the rule of law that should undergird human relations. It is also an apparent attempt by Governor Bello to use raw political power to achieve personal scores. It has been said that in Third World countries, governments, which have parliaments at their beck and call, deploy manipulative means to subvert rules, using their anvils planted in the parliament as enforcers. Otherwise, a House of Assemblys resolution, which the Kogi government is harping on, is a mere legislative opinion and doesnt have the force of law.

What Bello is seeking in Obajana is a continuation of a rentier system into which many states have sunk in Nigeria. In rent seeking, an entity seeks to gain added wealth, without any reciprocal contribution or productivity. While the Bellos operate at the cusp of that system, at its lowest level are thugs who go round about-to-be-developed lands in South-West Nigeria forcefully asking to be paid rent as Omo Oniles.

Rather than the Kogi governor deploying his usual weaponry of violence to seek rent in Obajana, what civilised governments do all over the world is to go to court to enforce their claims. A rent seeking by force system makes humanity indistinguishable from a band of apes who use raw brunt to tackle their traducers. Yes, governors have limitless access to violence and can manipulate state power to do their bidding, but this deployment of raw power will scare away investors from Nigeria. What is happening in Kogi has the same scary and scaring import as the violence in Nigerias Northeast which has shut the door against potential investors. If a state government could, through naked deployment of machismo, shut down a plant that provides jobs for hundreds of people and which sustains large scale economic activities as the Dangote Plant in Obajana does, then, look towards the window: Armageddon is here!

Festus Adedayo is an Ibadan-based journalist.
In this age of digital surveillance, it is nothing short of a national embarrassment that kidnappers would be negotiating ransom and issuing threats on open mobile networks without being traced by law enforcement authorities. Owolabi was bitten by the bug of patriotism but the land of his birth failed him.

We all go through happy times and sad times. Cheers today, tears tomorrow. When you see a heap of footwear at the entrance of your neighbour, it is a signal that many people have come to either celebrate or commiserate with the family. In the ambivalence of Fates Tarot cards, there is darkness and there is light. And there are shades of many colours in-between. We would rather savour the fruits of joy than taste the vinegar of sadness. However, life is made of both; one is the handmaid of the other.

You could hear Nigerians collectively heaving a sigh of relief when the remaining 23 train passengers abducted by terrorists on the Abuja-Kaduna route were released after a six-month ordeal. We couldnt be bothered by how the release was procured. All that mattered was that those innocent souls were now free. We had a genuine reason to celebrate.

It has since become known that a committee empanelled by the Chief of Defence Staff handled the negotiations. Coming on the heels of the arrest of erstwhile self-appointed negotiator, Tukur Mamu, in Egypt and his subsequent repatriation to Nigeria to face charges bordering on terrorism, many analysts have been linking the dots. A do-gooder could be a terror merchant. (By the way, where is that list of 200 terror suspects handed over to us by UAE sometime ago?).

We must all fear wolves disguised as sheep. Virgil the poet warned long ago that we ought to fear the Danaans [Greeks], even when they bear gifts.

According to Daily Trust newspaper, government negotiators held talks with the terrorists for several months before the criminals tabled their demands, which were agreed in principle. It took a lot of assurances and brinksmanship on the part of the negotiators to persuade the terrorists to release the captives. One of the agreements reached was for the government to open a dialogue with them for a broader resolution of some issues, the newspaper reported.

Nigerians deserve commendation for their forbearance. And the Federal Government deserves congratulations for getting this one right. Although the details of the deal between the governments negotiators and the terrorists are not yet known, the release of the victims can be counted as one of the major achievements of the current administration. The earlier release of hostages in batches cost over N2 billion in ransom payment. The fact that the remaining 23 hostages have now been released is cause for cheer in this season of political tension and economic strangulation.

A couple of months before this cheering news, President Buhari had assured the families of the hostages that his government would ensure the safe return of the remaining captives. My primary concern is to get everyone released safe and unhurt, he had said at that occasion. Congratulations are in order.

There are, however, some analysts who are not celebrating. Rather, they think that the way we have handled the security situation in the country leaves much to be desired and that the release of the victims should make us introspect, not celebrate.

One Aliyu Nuhu lamented on the social media that the terrorists are the ultimate winners in the encounter because they have achieved all their objectives of hostage swapping and ransom collection without retribution. Nuhu wonders how the government could be claiming victory when some passengers died during the operation and the train service between Abuja and Kaduna has been stalled for six months, leading to untold social and economic hardship.

Nuhu thinks we have not seen the end of the audacious crime. As long as people benefit from train attacks and kidnapping, there will be no end to this kind of tragedy. The terrorists have made a good, safe and profitable venture and have gone to plan another attack. Security agencies that benefit from it will be too willing to be part of the next attack.

He notes that many of those earlier released had paid billions of naira in ransom and that some families have been thus ruined forever, having sold all their earthly possessions to extricate their loved ones from the den of the kidnappers. His conspiracy theory is given further fillip by the fact throughout the process of securing the release of the hostages, there was no shooting and no arrests. He is also worried that all through the saga, although the governments negotiators knew the terrorists they were negotiating with by name, none of the criminals has been declared wanted.

Nuhu thinks we have not seen the end of the audacious crime. As long as people benefit from train attacks and kidnapping, there will be no end to this kind of tragedy. The terrorists have made a good, safe and profitable venture and have gone to plan another attack. Security agencies that benefit from it will be too willing to be part of the next attack. Those that made billions from ransom negotiation will be waiting to make a ransom harvest. A kidnapping Industry has been created by the governments inability to deal ruthlessly with criminals.

The families of the freed hostages may, however, not agree with him. Freedom is freedom, no matter how procured, they would say. And their position is understandable.

But how does one rationalise the heart-wrenching killing of Olugbenga Owolabi, the owner of Tana Suites, Ogbomosho, and his staff, Rachael Opadele, a 21-year-old final year student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), who had taken a temporary job at the hotel pending the resolution of the ongoing strike by university teachers?

Owolabi, was a US citizen. He had left Nigeria for Canada 33 years earlier. After only one year in Canada, he emigrated to the US and made good. As a son of a Baptist minister, he had been brought up to work hard and do good by his fellow men and women. When fortune smiled on him, he remembered home. He decided to invest in the hospitality business in his hometown, Ogbomosho. In these days when the government has been campaigning for Nigerians in the Diaspora to come back home and invest, Owolabi was a model.

The venture was a home-comers dream until the evening of 28 July, when a gang of kidnappers, who had earlier done a reconnaissance of the hotel, struck.

Where is the director? The gun-toting men demanded.

The proprietor, Olugbenga Owolabi, wondered what the commotion at the gate of his hotel was all about. He had only just returned from his Maryland base in the United States. Barefooted and unsuspecting, he came out and identified himself as the director. The gunmen seized him and one of his staff, Rachael Opadele, and disappeared into the night.

The kidnappers played on the emotions of members of his family for several days. They wanted N50 million for the lives of the two captives. Owolabis brother, Ayorinde, negotiated on behalf of the family. A recording of his negotiation with the criminals went viral on social media. His brothers agonised plea could be heard in the exchange.

For unripe fruits violently plucked before their time; and for returnees like Owolabi plunged into premature ancestor-hood while the rest of us cower in utter helplessness, I shed a tear.

Im dying tonight! How much have you been able to raise? My hands have been tied, blood is no longer flowing, Owolabi cried

One of the bandits warned Ayorinde that if he didnt meet their demands, they would just kill their captives and look elsewhere for new victims. He warned, I no go sleep here today, I go kill this baba to go. Sebi, the money is for baba. Is it your money?

The angry kidnapper replied to Ayorindes offer of N2 million with a curse, You and that 2 million, God go punish you.

His life doesnt mean anything to me, he declared; If I kill him today, Ill abduct somebody else tomorrow. If the 50 million is short of 5, I wont accept it.

The family sent 5 million to the bandits on 2 August. They took the money and killed Owolabi, Rachael, and the motorcycle rider, Idowu Ajagbe, who conveyed the ransom-bearer to the bandits den. The ransom-bearer survived with injuries.

In this age of digital surveillance, it is nothing short of a national embarrassment that kidnappers would be negotiating ransom and issuing threats on open mobile networks without being traced by law enforcement authorities. Owolabi was bitten by the bug of patriotism but the land of his birth failed him.

In death, against the usual pattern of bringing Nigerians home to be interred after death, Owolabis body was returned to the United States, the land that gave him opportunities to make the fortune he invested in his native Ogbomosho. He was buried in Maryland, USA, after a funeral service at the Trinity Life Church on 1 October, Nigerias Independence Anniversary. The symbolism of that coincidence is not lost on the perspicacious.

It is desirable for Nigerians in the Diaspora to come home and invest. But what are we doing about this Mother Hen that devours its own eggs?

For unripe fruits violently plucked before their time; and for returnees like Owolabi plunged into premature ancestor-hood while the rest of us cower in utter helplessness, I shed a tear.

Wole Olaoye is a public relations consultant and veteran journalist. He can be reached through wole.olaoye@gmail.com. Twitter: @wole_olaoye; Instagram: woleola2021.
In the face of these facts, it is unwarranted to regard INECs failure to organise these ballots for these parliamentary vacancies as a failure. Rather, it feels both willful and deliberate and carries significant credibility consequences for the Commission. The losers are not merely the people of the affected constituencies but also the people of Nigeria who have a right to trust that their electoral umpire should take seriously the public investment in its institutional credibility.

Seven days after he emerged on 26 March as Chair of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu resigned from the Senate, where he had represented the people of Nasarawa West Senatorial Zone since 2011. Senate President Ahmad Lawan read his letter of resignation on the floor of the Senate on 12 April.

Senator Adamus resignation took effect 330 days before the date of the 2023 presidential election.

Section 76(2) of Nigerias 1999 Constitution empowers the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organise a by-election to fill such a vacancy within 30 to 90 days of the date of the vacancy. Yet, nearly 190 days after the resignation of Senator Adamu, the INEC has not considered it fit to organise an election for his replacement or to explain its failure or refusal to comply with this important constitutional duty.

The failure or refusal of INEC to undertake the process required to fill the vacancy created by Senator Adamus resignation denies the people of Nasarawa West their entitlement to be represented in the Senate of the National Assembly. They are not the only people in this position.

At the same APC Convention in March, in which Adamu became chairman, another Senator, Abubakar Kyari, representing Borno North in North-East Nigeria, was elected as Senator Adamus deputy. Like Adamu, Kyari, by a separate communication addressed to the Senate President, also resigned his seat with effect from 1 April. Like Adamus people in Nasarawa West, Kyaris people of Borno North have also been without representation in the National Assembly since the first day of the second quarter of 2022.

One month before the party chose Senators Adamu and Kyari to lead the APC, Hassan Muhammadu Nasiha Gusau, representing Zamfara Central also in the Senate, was sworn in on 23 February as the state deputy governor. His seat in the Senate therefore fell vacant under section 68(1)(d) of the 1999 Constitution, which specifically requires a member of the National Assembly to vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member. if he becomes President, Vice-President, Governor, Deputy Governor. The vacancy in this case of the Zamfara Central Senatorial Zone occurred exactly one year before the 2023 general elections. Since then, they have been without representation in the Senate.

22 days after Senators Adamu and Kyari resigned their seats in the Senate, on 23 April, Nse Ekpenyong, representing the Oron Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, died.

Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) from Edo State, describes the failure or refusal of the INEC to take prompt steps to fill these seats as inexcusable, egregious, and politically unwise. The PUNCH newspaper reported that INEC spokespersons chose not to respond to inquiries addressed to them on this issue despite initial promise to speak on the issue.

On 1 July, Jude Ise-Idehen representing the people of Egor/Ikpoba-Okha Federal Constituency in Edo State similarly died suddenly.

Like the people of Borno North, Nasarawa West, and Zamfara Central in the Senate, the people of Oron Federal Constituency in Cross River State, and Egor/Ikpoba-Okha Federal Constituency in Edo State, both in the Niger Delta have been without representation in the House of Representatives since April and July respectively when their representatives died.

Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) from Edo State, describes the failure or refusal of the INEC to take prompt steps to fill these seats as inexcusable, egregious, and politically unwise. The PUNCH newspaper reported that INEC spokespersons chose not to respond to inquiries addressed to them on this issue despite initial promise to speak on the issue.

In the absence of any explanation from the INEC, we are left to speculate as to why it has chosen to behave as if the constitution is expendable.

To excuse INECs refusal, Idayat Hassan, executive director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), a non-governmental think-tank, argues that no doubt the forthcoming 2023 elections have preoccupied the attention of INEC.

But on 18 June, nearly four months after the vacancy fell open for the Zamfara Central senatorial seat, INEC organised an election for the high office of Governor of Ekiti State. One month later, on 16 July, more than two weeks after the death of Jude Ise-Idehen in Edo State, it also organised the election into the office of governor of Osun State. Both of these were state-wide contests, in both cases, much more fraught than for seats into the Senate or the House of Representatives.

The attempt by the CDD to manufacture an excuse for INECs retrenchment of the constitution is evidently without support in either fact or evidence. It is, indeed, disconcerting that civil society actors whose vocation should be to hold INEC to account have chosen to put themselves in the position of self-appointed surrogates of the electoral umpire, inventing alibis for it when it decides to disregard the constitution. This clearly calls into question their capacity or readiness to function as independent or credible monitors of elections organised by the same body.

The course chosen by INEC is therefore not just unlawful, it is also equally counter-intuitive and irrational. It can hardly be argued that a vacancy that occurred in February was too close to the 2023 election due one year thereafter. The INEC struggles for credibility when it is sought on its behalf to equate that vacancy with another occurring nearly five months later in July.

Another explanation for the failure or refusal of the INEC to organise the elections into these vacant seats as required by the constitution could be that it is reluctant for such contests to be used as barometers to measure the relative strengths of the leading parties ahead of the 2023 elections. This would be unfortunate if it were to be the case because it could encourage a suspicion that the Commission, which is supposedly independent, is in fact sympathetic to one party or another. This suspicion would rise to a near certainty if the explanation were to be offered that the partisan leaderships of the Senate or the House have failed to formally communicate the vacancies to the INEC.

The arguments for complying with the constitution here are overwhelming. First, it is intrinsically the lawful and rightful thing to do. Second, it is a mandatory constitutional requirement on which INEC actually does not have a discretion. Third, it serves a beneficial function of according the affected constituencies affected representation in these essential chambers of parliament in equality to all other parts of Nigeria.

There is also an instrumental argument: In failing to organise contests into these seats, the INEC passed up an opportunity to have evaluated the Bi-Modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS)  its advertised magic solution to all the dysfunctions afflicting elections in Nigeria  in precisely the kinds of locations that would prove its viability, such as in Borno North and in Zamfara Central. As such, the INEC voluntarily denies itself useful field experience and intelligence, which could immensely advance its preparations and readiness for the 2023 elections.

The course chosen by INEC is therefore not just unlawful, it is also equally counter-intuitive and irrational. It can hardly be argued that a vacancy that occurred in February was too close to the 2023 election due one year thereafter. The INEC struggles for credibility when it is sought on its behalf to equate that vacancy with another occurring nearly five months later in July.

In the face of these facts, it is unwarranted to regard INECs failure to organise these ballots for these parliamentary vacancies as a failure. Rather, it feels both willful and deliberate and carries significant credibility consequences for the Commission. The losers are not merely the people of the affected constituencies but also the people of Nigeria who have a right to trust that their electoral umpire should take seriously the public investment in its institutional credibility.

When the electoral umpire suffers this kind of credibility deficit, usually it also costs lives. The least that the INEC owes the country is an explanation on record for why it has chosen to treat the constitution as an adornment of convenience. Absent that, an INEC that can behave this way cannot expect to be treated with trust when the stakes are much higher.

Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, a lawyer and teacher, can be reached at chidi.odinkalu@tufts.edu.
I want to use this opportunity to appeal to President of Nigeria, General Buhari and his Vice, Professor Osinbajo to please heed the call to help our vast number of Nigerians in Diaspora come back to contribute something for the development of their motherland.

I think patriotism is like charity  it begins at home.  Henry James

7. Biki John is the head of the Marketing Communications department for a Port Harcourt-based, international school called Greenoak International School (GIS). In addition, she also runs an independent consulting company that specialises in crafting communication strategies for companies in the fashion industry.

Her formative years were first spent in Nigeria and then the UK. For university, she continued her studies in the UK and attended Kings College London (KCL), where she studied Law and graduated with a 2:1.

Upon graduating from KCL, she completed her LLM (Master of Laws) at Nottingham University. Biki decided to leave the United Kingdom and come back for greener pastures in Nigeria, where she is not just contributing to developing the economy, but is also making it as a professional. She is also finding fulfillment in impacting the younger generation.

8. After completing his studies at Harvard Business School, Tomiwa Igun and some friends established the organisation Young African MBAs with the aim of closing the gap of management talent in Africa. Now boasting thousands of members, the organisation fosters ties between the continents young talents and also assists its members in career transitioning to Africa. This is a practical way of building a new Africa. These young men are showing us the way. Bravo!

9. Taris primary focus at the moment is baking. She bakes under the Honeys Cupcakes brand, which she founded a few years ago. Besides that, she does some freelance writing, though she writes primarily on africanhadithi.com, an online reader that focuses on issues that matter to Africans, written by Africans based in the diaspora, and on the continent. Her writing focuses on real life experiences  mostly hers  written and experienced through a gendered lens and finished with a sprinkling of academia.

She went to Cambridge, England for her A-Levels at the Cambridge Centre for Sixth-Form studies (CCSS). After this, she moved to Boston for her undergraduate degree at the University of Massachusetts, Boston graduating with a B.A. in Liberal Arts in 2007.

There is no business that doesnt sell in Africa. Some Israeli expatriates that I meet in Lagos Sheraton hotel, once told me only fools cant make millions in Nigeria. All these young men and women are proving that to be true. Million dollar opportunities abound all over Africa waiting to be tapped by her enlightened citizens. Thereby contributing to making Africa a first world continent.

10. Professor Vincent Chinedum Anigbogu is the director general, Institute for National Transformation, which has centres in Atlanta, Nairobi (Kenya), Kampala (Uganda), and Lagos (Nigeria). He is also the president and CEO of the consulting firm, JC (Jesus Christ) Quality Management Group in US, Nigeria, and Uganda. He speaks to both presidents and leaders of the above mentioned African countries teaching them on National Transformation.

In 2004 Professor Anigbogu moved back from the USA to give back to Nigeria his motherland. He has a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Alabama in 1986. He also obtained his M.Sc. in Analytical Chemistry and B.S. in Chemistry from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, in 1981 and 1978, respectively. He has taught, conducted research, and published in the field of analytical Chemistry for nearly 20 years at several universities including Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA (1992-95) and Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA (1995-2004).

Professor Anigbogus dream is to see the development of purposeful leaders who will impact their generation and Africa. Anigbogu is a wonderful example of a Nigerian from the diaspora who is taking the continent by storm.

THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR YOUR STORY. PLEASE, DO SOMETHING WORTH WRITING ABOUT!

My dear readers, especially those of you in the Diaspora, as you go through this article, I hope God is starring something in you. It is not by accident that you were born a Nigerian or an African. Please dont leave this earth without contributing your quota. It doesnt matter if you go back home or not, but leave your mark.

Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.  John f. Kennedy

I want to use this opportunity to appeal to President of Nigeria, General Buhari and his Vice, Professor Osinbajo to please heed the call to help our vast number of Nigerians in Diaspora come back to contribute something for the development of their motherland.

A mans feet must be planted in his country, but his eyes should survey the world.  George Santayana

My dear brothers and sisters, I dont believe anyone of you traveled out of Nigeria to die there.

Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, and instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs.  Isa. 61:7

My prayer is, you will fulfill the destiny and purpose for which you left your native land and return with a smile on your face and also put smiles on the faces of those you love.

Sunday Adelaja is a Nigeria born leader, transformation strategist, pastor and innovator. He was based in Kiev, Ukraine.
The Chief Judge of Edo, Joe Acha, has said his vision for the state is to fully digitise its judiciary.

Mr Acha, who spoke in Benin while formally opening the 2022/2023 Legal Year, stressed that he was aiming for a fully digitised judiciary that would conform to global best practices.

He said with the help of one of its partners, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (ROLAC) Programme, Edos judiciary has become one of the most digitised in the country through the institutionalisation of a digital case management system.

He said he was also concentrating on improving staff welfare and the massive development of infrastructure.

According to the chief judge, the training and retraining of judicial staff, across all cadres, has increased productivity.

He said in the course of the last judicial year, some judges and magistrates quarters, as well as new court halls, were inaugurated in various parts of the state.

He also noted that some hitherto abandoned vehicles were refurbished.

Mr Acha said the judiciary earned N316 million in the 2021/2022 legal year.

According to him, a report submitted by a committee headed by Justice D. I. Okungbowa, with the active participation of the members of the bar, had led to the plugging of loopholes within the system.

Mr Acha said that in collaboration with the state government, revenue collection in the judiciary has been digitized.

The chief judge attributed the success he had recorded so far to the cooperation he had received from the members of the bar.

He put the total strength staff of the Edo judiciary at 1,751, noting that it was made up of 27 High Court judges, a chief registrar, 47 magistrates and 28 presidents of the Area Customary Courts.

Mr Acha said the figure also included 40 members of Area Customary Courts, seven presidents and 43 members of District Customary Courts and 1,558 other workers.

He said in the last judicial year, 22 staff members retired, six were demoted, six were dismissed and three resigned.

ALSO READ: Dogara challenges judiciary to help promote press freedom

Mr Acha expressed appreciation for the support and loyalty he got from the judiciary staff and members of the bench.

Dignitaries present at a special court session held to herald the new legal year included the Speaker of the Edo House of Assembly, the Edo Commissioner for Justice and the Deputy Commissioner of Police.

Others were members of the bench of senior advocates, members of the Nigerian Bar Association and other judicial officers.

(NAN)
The police Command in Enugu State says its operatives have begun trailing the masked hoodlums that attacked the Inyi Police Station in the Oji River Local Government Area of the state.

The Commands spokesperson, Daniel Ndukwe, a deputy superintendent of police, gave the confirmation to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Sunday.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported earlier that the hoodlums, numbering about six, attacked the police facility killing one police officer and a civilian in the area.

The hoodlums also razed the facility, a one-storey building.

READ ALSO:

Mr Ndukwe said: Police operatives are on the trail of the masked hoodlums. Further development will be communicated on the incident, please.

The police spokesperson, however, did not give the timing, material or human causalities involved in the attack.

A witness, who sought not to be named, said the hoodlum attacked the station at 8 a.m. on Sunday.

Enugu, just like any other state in the South-east, has repeatedly come under attacks by hoodlums in recent times, killing many defenceless citizens, security operatives and also burning police facilities.
LAOLING, China, Oct. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This is a report from Shandong Office of Hong Kong Business Daily.

In October of the golden autumn, 300 thousand mu of golden jujube in Laoling City, Shandong Province, China ushered in the harvest time. The jujube farmers were busy shooting and picking dates during the farming season, and the joy of harvest was everywhere. In recent years, Laoling jujube products rely on technological innovation to achieve "selling by gram and by bottle". The soft strength with regional brands as the core and the hard strength with deep processing as the label have been constantly improved, which has driven 50000 jujube farmers to increase their income and become rich.

Ziziphus jujuba is the name card of Laoling. It has been planted for more than 3000 years. Local integration of resources of all parties, adaptation to local conditions, science and technology guidance, not only do a good job in protection and management, but also to stabilize the scale and improve quality.

In recent years, Relying on 300000 mu of jujube forest, Laoling City has vigorously implemented the jujube rejuvenation project. Through the implementation of the jujube planting model of "enterprise+cooperative+farmer", efforts have been made to guide local jujube farmers to adopt technological innovation, business model innovation and business model innovation. By means of deep processing, the jujube industry chain has been extended to enhance the added value of agricultural products, so that farmers can obtain more value-added benefits in technological innovation and processing circulation. The local government also endows the jujube industry with cultural connotation by holding the jujube expo and the golden jujube cultural tourism festival, creating a new highland for the development of jujube industry integrating the planting, processing, sales and cultural tourism of golden jujube, giving full play to resource advantages, creating regional brands, and making the jujube industry bigger and stronger.

Data shows that Laoling has cultivated more than 120 jujube processing and e-commerce enterprises, more than 2000 stores and WeChat businesses, with an annual output value of 3.32 billion yuan, which has driven 50000 jujube farmers to increase their income and become rich.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1916764/image_5023305_10180634.jpg

SOURCE Information Office of LaoLing Municipal Government
PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, Left Coast Financial Solutions is a neo-bank offering an online payment platform bridging cannabis and banking. As a provider of dispensary business banking solutions for the cannabis industry, Left Coast partners with a depository institution to offer checking, ACH, and wires that allow businesses to receive money from customers and pay their vendors. It also provides free cash-in-transit, digital access to funds, and ongoing payment compliance services.

The services of Left Coast are devised to support businesses throughout their brick-and-mortar entire seed-to-sale life cycle. Especially for the cannabis industry, Left Coast aims at simplifying the process of compliance and making it inclusive for companies that are frequently underserved, underbanked, and forgotten.

Left Coast follows a compliance-based approach where its team of experts monitors every transaction. In the process, it reduces common risks and costs associated with providing financial services to cash-intensive industries, such as cannabis.

The Services Offered by Left Coast

To begin with their services, Left Coast requires government-issued identification that establishes that the business is a registered identity at par with state and federal regulations. It also performs an initial financial analysis that ensures deposits match sales volumes.

As a provider of dispensary business banking solutions for the cannabis industry, the services of Left Coast include money handling, compliance, and transaction management. It also helps streamline the process by aligning it with standard financial practices such as electronic checking, automatic and recurring payments, and standard invoicing times. The streamlining ensures that all the segmental operations relating to transactions, regulations, and compliance adhere to the best practices in the industry.

To support the day-to-day workings of cannabis businesses, Left Coast offers cash pick-up, transit, and deposit services. Without asking for any change in the client's existing banking relationship, Left Coast allows integration of its platform to the ongoing accounting software. Through online or mobile avenues, it ensures that users keep getting all the required access to their account information uninterruptedly, 24/7.

Left Coast does not charge any monthly or other types of service fees and recovers its costs only when transactions happen. A company not transacting implies a company not paying. This way, Left Coast's services remain economically viable for businesses that are not capital intensive and depend on their day-to-day trading volumes for continuing operations.

All services of the Left Coast are following the FinCEN guidance, laid out by the federal government, that surrounds cannabis-related businesses.

Media Contact:

Lea Goodsell

760.399.6912

[email protected]

SOURCE Left Coast Financial
BEIJING, Oct. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- By Beijing Review: On January 21, 10 days before the Spring Festival holiday (from January 31 to February 6 this year), the workshops of Baoji Saiwei, a heavy machinery manufacturer in Baoji, Shaanxi Province in northwest China, are in full swing to complete their orders. By late 2021, Saiwei had already received its orders for the first half of 2022. Deputy General Manager Li Hui told Beijing Review, "We need to deliver the products in time as well as explore new markets."

The Beijing Stock Exchange starts trading on November 15, 2021, focusing on funding for innovation-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises (WEI YAO)

That same day, in the capital of Beijing, Du Peifan, founder of ZhiqingFin, an artificial intelligence (AI) company focusing on smart speech services, was doing his routine work taking his employees through a checklist in service of their bank clients.

The next day, January 22, in Yiwu, known as the world's largest wholesale market of consumer goods in the eastern province of Zhejiang, Wei Lingying, CEO of OMAWine International, a company importing Spanish wines and foods, is busy taking and delivering orders. Wei even struggled to squeeze in this Beijing Review interview.

Though operating in different sectors and playing individual roles in the market, all three are part of the most robust component of the Chinese economysmall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

China's SMEs, accounting for roughly 99 percent of all firms nationwide, are the main force behind China's economic and social development. According to a 2020 report by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, over 50 percent of national tax revenue and 60 percent of GDP stem from SMEs. They create 70 percent of technological innovation and 80 percent of urban employment.

However, these companies do face many difficulties in and concerns about their further development.

Alive and kicking

COVID-19 flare-ups, rising commodity prices, supply chain problems and financing difficulties, among others, pose treacherous challenges.

The rising expenditures of importing wine and food products combined with a declining demand due to the pandemic put OMAWine International on edge. Compared to pre-pandemic times, wine orders decreased 20 percent during this year's pre-Spring Festival sales season, according to Wei.

On the plus side, all three companies are still alive, inspiring those willing to have a go at entrepreneurship.

Saiwei only halted production for a brief period at the very onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 and soon resumed operations. "Like gears, we are the inseparable parts that guarantee the swift functioning of China's industrial and supply chains," Li said. "We, SMEs or private companies, could not simply give up and close up shop; we are not just enterprises, but also the economic backbone of our workers' families."

Trials and tribulations

SMEs usually gather in competitive industries, making it essential for them to adjust their business models and actively find new growth opportunities in the new market environment, Zhang said.

Compared with large intelligent speech companies that provide only one standard product, ZhiqingFin's customized services are better, especially in the post-sales field, according to Du. The pandemic has generally stimulated technological expansion, with AI now widely applied. Yet financing remains an issue. It's a tough task for Du to increase company bankrolling to invest in technology capacity and service research.

Pan Gongsheng, Deputy Governor of the People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, said at a press conference in September 2021 that addressing the financing needs of SMEs is high on the agenda of the regulatory authority. Loans to micro and small firms totaled 17.8 trillion yuan ($2.75 trillion) as of late July 2021, up 29.3 percent year on year, according to Pan.

Hi-tech SMEs like Saiwei also receive financial assistance. As opposed to regular enterprises producing heavy machinery, Saiwei caters to specific customer requirements. Last year, it invested roughly 30 million yuan ($4.7 million) in research and development.

The company has been inducted into the Little Giant Firms program, covering small enterprises in their early stages of development, all focusing on high-end technologies. This could bring Saiwei millions of yuan in research support over the coming year. Du's company, too, has applied for the program.

So what does the future hold for China's SMEs? The answer is two-fold: Innovation-led and green development will be two key directions to promote their high-quality growth in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, according to a government guideline.

SOURCE Beijing Review
BEIJING, Oct. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- By Beijing Review: In 2019, TCL, a Chinese consumer electronics company, began to build its new manufacturing base in Viet Nam. The new base has improved TCL's production capacity with its products selling not only in Viet Nam but also to other markets in Southeast Asia and beyond.

In the first four months of 2022, the total foreign investment in Viet Nam surpassed $10.8 billion, up 88.3 percent year on year, according to its Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The country's exports in the first quarter hit $88.58 billion, up 12.9 percent year on year, data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade showed.

Viet Nam's rising status in the global supply chain has sparked discussion of the possibility that it will take away orders from China. In response, Wang Xiaosong, a research fellow at Renmin University of China's National Academy of Development and Strategy, pointed out that China should adapt to the trend of some enterprises relocating their businesses to Southeast Asia.

"It is a natural process of industrial upgrading for China," Wang told Beijing Review, adding that the development of near neighbors will facilitate mutual prosperity.

The strategy of relocating labor-intensive jobs to countries with competitive local resources that are much closer to target markets, while maintaining core and critical links in China, is motivating increasing numbers of Chinese manufacturers to take their operations overseas. For example, while TV assembly is the core business of TCL's Vietnamese base, the company's factories in China produce high value-added products such as display panels.

"The industrial relocation began in 2015," Wang said. "Economic development has raised the cost of labor-intensive businesses in China so companies have turned their eyes to Southeast Asian countries with cheaper workforces."

In addition, emerging markets in the region are also offering preferential policies to attract foreign investors. In Viet Nam, for example, firms making new investments in sectors including technology, footwear and automobiles are taxed at 10 percent for 15 years. This period also includes a tax holiday for the first four years and a 50-percent reduction in the corporate income tax rate for nine subsequent years, according to Bloomberg Tax.

Some companies have transferred due to non-market factors. Hanyu Group is a Chinese company producing drainage pumps. Three years ago, Hanyu's products were included on the U.S. list of Chinese goods to be subject to added tariffs. Its U.S. clients told the president of company that he needed to take part of his operations overseas, otherwise they would turn to other suppliers. Consequently, he moved part of his assembly line to Thailand.

The COVID-19 flare-ups have also triggered concerns about a possible industrial chain exodus from China.

"Southeast Asian countries are unlikely to replace China as a destination for foreign investment," Wang said, citing statistics released by Viet Nam's Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Despite the 88.3-percent rise in foreign investment, Viet Nam's newly registered capital decreased by 56.3 percent in the first four months of the year. It means few companies established new factories in the country and the increasing foreign investment came from companies already present there.

During the same period, paid-in foreign direct investment into the Chinese mainland expanded 26.1 percent year on year to $74.47 billion, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

China has complete industrial clusters, technological accumulation, and a huge market that cannot be replicated in the short term, he added.

"The growth of Southeast Asian markets is actually a boon for China," Wang said. "We have close industrial chain connections with our near neighbors."

Viet Nam, for example, imports upper stream core equipment, raw materials and supporting facilities mainly from China, which will create more opportunities for Chinese suppliers, he explained.

According to the General Administration of Customs of China, trade between China and Viet Nam hit $230.2 billion in 2021, with a year-on-year growth of 19.7 percent. China was Viet Nam's biggest trading partner.

Wang suggested China to tap the potential of its less developed areas where the labor costs are relatively low and which could be new destinations for industrial shifting.

SOURCE Beijing Review
ANKARA, Turkey, Oct. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With a modern appearance in the flow of light and shadow, TIGGO 7 PRO displays a glamorous glow in the midst of relaxation and leisure. Walking in the hustle and bustle of the city, you will meet the overwhelming beauty of TIGGO 7 PRO, which is the new model going to be available in Turkish market soon.

TIGGO 7 PRO adopts the surrounded cabin whose design style is exactly the same as that of Audi Q7 and Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, making it more premium, so that you can experience the charm of its appearance. When entering the cabin, you will find the horizontal integrated instrument panel with partitioned screen and buttons for easy control and convenience. Moreover, the double-stitched interior and laser drawing plate reflect the exquisite technique of the whole vehicle, thus highlighting the luxury quality.

TIGGO 7 PRO is willingly eye-catching and highly practical. The luxurious technology configuration, including 12-inch full LCD instrument panel + 10.25-inch ultra-clear central control screen + 8-inch air conditioning LCD touch screen, offers young users another travel enjoyment. In addition, TIGGO 7 PRO can support interaction among the LCD instrumentation, high-definition touch screen, air conditioning display, and achieve the thematic information sharing, which as a whole creates a sense of the future and technology that young people are fond of today.

While the tri-screen linkage is the winning feature of TIGGO 7 PRO for consumers who pay attention to the appearance, there are also some more trendy technology features that are particularly thoughtful. TIGGO 7 PRO is equipped with wireless charging for cell phones, keyless entry + one-button start, induction opening power tailgate and the unique automatic constant temperature air conditioning of the double temperature zone among its peers, which makes every journey more relaxing and comfortable.

The beauty of TIGGO 7 PRO is enchanting. The charm of TIGGO 7 PRO is not only reflected in the visual enjoyment brought by the interior design that is comparable to that of luxury brands, but also in the highly humanized driving experience created by the future technology. Without any fear and boundaries in driving, Tech Chery TIGGO 7 PRO will be the extraordinary choice for more Turkish users.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1916768/image_5011064_14197709.jpg

SOURCE Chery
PITTSBURGH, Oct. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- JM Steel Corp. (JM) is proud to announce the purchase of Five Star Roll Form, LLC. JM Steel is excited to expand its value-added roll form expertise. JM looks forward to building upon the solutions that Five Star has been giving its loyal customer base in the Trailer, Garage Door, Roofing, and Solar industries. Sun States Steel Corp. will be rolled directly into JM Steel's service center division as of October 7, 2022. All senior employees and management teams of Five Star Roll Form, LLC will remain.

"I am very optimistic that this new acquisition will add to JM Steel's value-added services for downstream customers. We are eager to serve Five Star's customers current roll formed parts, and will strive to bring additional solutions in the future. In addition, we are extremely excited to work with JM Steel's existing customers on roll formed solutions. The addition of Five Star will bring many new opportunities for our customer base as well as Five Star's customer base. Exciting times ahead!"

 Tony Calandra, Group President of Frank Calandra Inc. and Calandra Group, LLC.

"I could not be happier to see Five Star Roll Form attract a world-class organization like JM Steel. The acquisition of Five Star brings a wealth of talent and a portfolio of exciting new products. Tony and his Team are strong believers in Five Star's core group of products and its new emergence into the Solar industry. The combination of these two companies solidifies our position as one of the fastest growing and most dynamic roll forming companies in the marketplace today."

 Will Bruning, CEO and President of Five Star

About JM Steel

JM Steel began production in 2000 and is located on Nucor Steel's Industrial campus in Huger, South Carolina. Our state-of-the-art 120,000 sq. ft. steel processing and warehousing facility have the processing capability and extensive inventory to provide a variety of flat-rolled steel products including master coils, slit coils, hot-rolled, cold- rolled, galvanized, blanks, and flat bars. Other capabilities available for clients include; plasma cutting, roll forming, stamping, and press braking.

JM Steel's newest facility is located in Sinton, Texas in the SDI's Sinton Campus. This modern 90,000 sq. ft. steel processing and warehousing facility is home to one slitting line, one roll forming line and capabilities to produce liner plates used in tunneling and shaft construction.

With its geographical advantage and being located next to a world leader in coil production, JM Steel prides itself in being the most responsive steel processor in the southeast.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Matthew Brock

Vice President JM Steel

(412) 963-9071

SOURCE JM Steel
45 voting and women's rights orgs outline plan to double-down in final weeks before midterm elections

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As the United States marks 30 days until Election Day 2022, Women Are Voting , a coalition of organizations focused on mobilizing women to vote led by Supermajority, announces that they have made contact with more than 11 million voters so far this year. This mobilization effort has been made possible through the activation of 45 organizational partners, more than a dozen influencers, and digital content that has already reached more than 9.8 million people.

The coalition launched in May  two months earlier than planned  in the days following the leaked Supreme Court decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion. It has already exceeded the original goal of contacting 10 million voters total, so the coalition is now doubling down on efforts in the remaining weeks before Nov. 8. The groups, many of which are led by women of color, are demonstrating their collective power by planning multiple touchpoints with voters in this final stretch via volunteer-driven calls, letters, texts and door-knocks as well as influencer, advertising and brand partnerships.

In order to mobilize and tell the story of the largest voting bloc in the United Stateswomen the Women Are Voting coalition has been working throughout the year to encourage women who are fired up about the 2022 midterm elections to talk to other women about their plans to vote. With 3 million new young women eligible to vote this November and women registering to vote in record numbers after the Supreme Court's decision to gut the legal right to abortion, women are rallying to elect leaders who will champion policies that restore and expand women's freedoms. These include affordable healthcare and childcare, practical gun safety legislation, student loan debt forgiveness, paid leave for all, and the freedom to make decisions about our bodies. It also includes explicitly adding equality for women in the U.S. Constitution.

"Women will vote like our lives and our bodies and our families depend on it, because they do. Women refuse to stand by as extremist attacks on our reproductive freedoms escalate. We made our voices heard in the streets this summer and turned out in never-before-seen numbers in Kansas, where abortion was already on the ballot," said Amanda Brown Lierman, executive director of Supermajority. "We hold the power to vote leaders in  and vote those who don't work for us out. Women voters, and in particular women of color voters, were the margin of victory in 2020, and we are working to make sure women turn out again this year in an election that is even more consequential."

As of today, Supermajority has 31 full-time organizers who, along with volunteers, have reached 1.7 million voters in target states, including more than 300,000 in one day of action on Sept. 24. This effort has been supported by 1,300 Women Are Voting volunteer captains who have pledged to contact 1,500 voters each (with a specific focus on sporadic or infrequent young women voters). Supermajority has also collaborated with women's workwear brand Argent to launch Voting Suits You , the campaign featuring the iconic pink suit from 2020, to get women across America ready and excited to vote in the midterms.

Other Women Are Voting coalition members weigh in on this group's important work and share why their organizations view the 2022 midterms as critical:

Laphonza Butler, president of EMILY's List: "With the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the extreme bans being proposed and passed around the country, it is more clear than ever that our rights are on the ballot everywhere. EMILY's List is proud to work with our partners in the Women Are Voting coalition to turn out women voters because we know that there's a very real impact when they do. Women voters are critical to electing state legislatures and governors who will codify our rights at the state level, to protecting Congressional majorities that will prevent a national abortion ban, and electing officials at all levels who will work to protect and expand rights rather than roll them back."

Maria Teresa Kumar, president and CEO of Voto Latino: "Women's lives are on the line in this election. And that's doubly true of Latinas and other women of color who suffer the most when our rights are attacked. Whether it's access to abortion or the right to fair pay on the job, we're organizing to demand that our government give our needs the support and attention they deserve. Change won't happen on its own. That means we're going to raise our voices at the polls. Women, especially young women and women of color, will decide the future of this country. We hold the power, and we're going to use it."

Jody Rabhan, chief policy officer at National Council of Jewish Women: "This week marks both 30 days out from the election and 100 days after the fall of Roe. National Council of Jewish Women's advocates are working tirelessly to register, educate, and mobilize voters this fall because we know that these two things are intimately connected. Our vote is our voice, and to support policies that improve the lives of women, children, and families  including access to abortion, paid leave, and lifting children from poverty  it is imperative we show up in November."

Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Women's Law Center Action Fund: "Since our last midterm election, we have seen our democracy pushed to the brink by extremist politicians who have weaponized every institution to exert control and remove power from the people of this country. From a Supreme Court majority going against settled law and stealing our right to abortion, to radical state politicians restricting voting rights and silencing communities by unfairly redrawing district lines, to schools that are banning books and endangering LGBTQ+ students, we are at a tipping point where women voters need to say enough is enough. The 2022 midterm elections will be some of the most consequential in history for gender justice. It is time that our country and our elected officials show up for us, and we  women and gender justice activists  need to show up for one another. The National Women's Law Center Action Fund is proud to join with our peers to ensure that women everywhere hold our elected officials accountable during this election."

Zakiya Thomas, president and CEO of the ERA Coalition/Fund for Women's Equality: "With recent rollbacks on nearly 50 years of established law, the Supreme Court has changed everything; all of our rights and freedoms are currently under attack, making the ERA even more important now than it ever was. Women are going to make the difference in this midterm election. Women, men, and gender non-binary people are going to vote like our equality depends on it. Because it does!"

Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez, president of NextGen America: "Today we are celebrating the incredible work NextGen America, Supermajority and our partner organizations have done to register, educate and mobilize millions of young women ahead of this year's midterms. And now, with just 30 days left before Election Day, we are more determined than ever. We are not taking our foot off the pedal. If extremist MAGA Republicans gain control of Congress, they will enact a national abortion ban and empower wealthy corporations over everday working-class people. We cannot let a patriarchal and archaic collection of white men define our future. Young women can protect the issues we care about, but only if we come together and use our collective voice."

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, executive director and CEO of MomsRising: "This will be a midterm election like no other. America's moms are fired up to vote, motivated by the crushing blows of the U.S. Supreme Court denying us access to abortion care; as well as by Republicans in Congress denying us paid family and medical leave, affordable child and elder care, and the care infrastructure every society needs; and by lawmakers who bow to the gun lobby, forcing us to worry about keeping our kids safe in the midst of unprecedented gun violence. Women and moms have been registering to vote in record numbers, and we're doing a massive amount of work to turn them out. Moms will exercise our power at the polls this year."

Danielle Atkinson, national and founding director of Mothering Justice and Mothering Justice Action Fund: "Women of color are a powerful voting bloc in our country. We are not a monolith; our intersecting identities are made up of diverse cultures and values that have strong connections at our roots. Women Are Voting because our vote is powerful. The midterm elections are a prime opportunity for women, mamas and caregivers to use our power to vote to change the future of politics and policy. We are excited to have joined forces with Supermajority and partners to educate and mobilize women of color to vote during this election and every election moving forward. We believe at our core that when women across intersecting identities work together, we will win policies for a better future together!"

Christian F. Nunes, national president of National Organization for Women (NOW): "NOW is proud to join with Supermajority and this dynamic coalition to energize our grassroots in this election. Women Are Voting because we know that this fall, we must vote for women's lives. From abortion care and reproductive freedom to marriage equality and from voting rights to basic human rights, it's all on the line this November. We know that women will show up and turn out, making sure we vote for equity and justice for all."

Danielle Butterfield, executive director for Priorities USA: "Priorities is proud to support this historic effort to engage women voters and ensure that their voices are heard at the ballot box this November. So much is on the line this election, from the right to an abortion to the right to vote, and voters are tuning in to make their voices heard on these critical issues. We will continue to work in coalition with our allies to ensure that voters are getting the critical information they need, on the online platforms where they are spending their time, to successfully cast their ballot in this election."

Aimee Allison, founder and president of She the People: "For generations, women of color have been organizing on the frontlines in the fight for reproductive justice, safety, and dignity for our families and communities. The Supreme Court's Roe overturn was a major setback for the progress of our nation, but it will be women of color voters and electeds who will right that wrong. As the most powerful Democratic voting bloc, Black, Latina, Native, Asian and Pacific Islander women will turn out to vote this November at every levellocal, state and federalto not only protect our freedoms but our collective future."

Nick Knudsen, executive director of DemCast USA: "In 2020, nearly 10 million more women voted than men. In 2022, many more women have registered, and they have the power to ensure their freedoms are enshrined in law. DemCast USA has seen that enthusiasm translate into social media energy: Our digital volunteers have generated over 3 billion social media impressions for pro-choice candidates, overwhelmingly powered by women."

Katie Paris, founder of Red Wine & Blue: "Roe's overturn has ignited a fire burning deep within America. In swing suburbs across the country, women are voting and talking to their family and friends about voting for candidates that respect their rights and freedoms. The suburban woman backlash is underway."

Amanda Pohl, executive director of Deliver My Vote: "Women know the future of our democracy is on the line and are more engaged this election than ever before  we can't afford not to be. Deliver My Vote is working hard to ensure that women, especially young women and women of color who are most affected by voter suppression, are confidently able to cast a ballot at home or at the polls. Vote-by-mail increases turnout, allows voters more time to make decisions, and is convenient and accessible for voters. This access is critical in a pivotal year for women's rights and every year for inclusive, intersectional women's representation."

Kenda Sutton-EL, executive director of Birth in Color: "Women, especially women of color, have always had to do the work to speak up for ourselves, to protect ourselves and to ensure that our voices are heard. We stand on the shoulders of the women who did this work before us, and our efforts ensure that the women who come after us are both protected and empowered. At Birth in Color, our fight for reproductive justice and maternal justice is one that we will continue to persevere in. We believe that race, class, gender, voting rights and climate change intersect with reproductive justice. We know that our votes impact each of these topics, which is why we stand alongside those doing the work to mobilize women voters and do our part to elevate the voices of women."

Emily May, president, co-founder and lead executive officer of Right To Be (formerly Hollaback!): "A world where women and gender-expansive people have the right to fully be who we are, no matter where we are, doesn't exist yet. Our dignity, equality, and bodily autonomy face new threats daily. But we can fix this. We've got to turn the care we have for each other into action. One of the easiest ways to do that is to vote. That's why we at Right To Be are honored to partner with Supermajority and this historic coalition to engage women voters and make sure our voices are

heard at the election box this November."

In addition to the Women Are Voting coalition's focus on federal races, member organizations are also building power in state legislatures across the country to create local governments that work for women.

Hillary Holley, executive director of Care in Action: "Women have everything to win this year. What's at stake can't be understated: This year, Republicans and the Supreme Court focused on disempowering women economically and politically with their anti-abortion decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. That was a political miscalculation on their part. We know that women of color, who will be disproportionately affected by these decisions, win elections. It's why Care in Action has committed to endorsing women of color candidates across seven key states and investing in women of color voters because we make the difference at the ballot box. In 2020, we mobilized voters and we won real relief for all Americans. This year, we're at the doors, on the phones, and reaching voters in their communities by demonstrating the care we expect of our elected leaders. We're honored to be in this fight with our Women Are Voting partners to continue protecting democracy, and we're going to continue this fight to Nov. 8 and beyond."

Kia Guarino, executive director of Pro-Choice Washington: "Pro-Choice Washington is thrilled to join Supermajority and this remarkable coalition to channel our collective outrage into action. Women Are Voting because we must raise our voices to protect our fundamental freedoms. People of all genders recognize that this is a defining moment in our history, and that we can only win by firmly standing in our power. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we have seen a significant increase in engaged voters and passionate activists. This is the moment to harness our ability to drive change. We cannot be complacent."

Elisheva Johnson, director of Emergent Justice: "We are working to be the storytellers of the movement! So that means we're trying to innovate and transform. We're trying to dismantle. We are trying to reimagine. We're working to educate and empower under-represented voters and to create lasting political change by encouraging all people, but specifically BIPOC women, to raise their voices at the polls."

National and state-based Women Are Voting partner organizations include:

Abortion Access Front

All* Above All Action Fund

American Federation of Teachers

Birth in Color RVA

Black Voters Matter

Care in Action

Deliver My Vote

DemCast

Emergent Justice

EMILY's List

ERA Coalition

Higher Heights

Ladies Entrepreneur Empowerment Corporation

Latino Victory Project

League of Women Voters (LWV) of the United States

LGBT Detroit

Mississippi in Action

in Action MomsRising

Mothering Justice

Mothering Justice Action Fund

NARAL Pro-Choice America

National Congress of Black Women

National Council on Jewish Women

National Council on Jewish Women Dallas

National Organization for Women (NOW)

Florida NOW

National Women's Law Center Action Fund

NextGen America

OnePA

The Outrage

Paid Leave for All Action

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona

Pro-Choice Washington

Priorities USA

Red Wine & Blue

& Blue Rideshare2Vote

Right To Be

Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

She the People

Sister District

UltraViolet Action

Vote Forward

Vote Mama Action

Vote ProChoice

Voto Latino

Women's March

Women Are Voting is a coalition of organizations that focus on the issues women care about. We're coming together using our shared values to demonstrate how strong women are when we vote together. Women are the largest voting bloc, and it's time we're seen that way!

Supermajority is a women's equality organization made up of women of all backgrounds, races, and ages who are coming together to create a future where we are truly equal. Supermajority is connecting women with each other and building on our collective power by providing the information, training, and resources to take action in our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and in the voting booth.

CONTACT: [email protected]

[email protected]

SOURCE Women Are Voting
Nicosia, Oct 9 : Ministers of interior and immigration of Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta and Cyprus called for enhanced surveillance of external European Union (EU) borders to check irregular immigration.

In a declaration issued on Saturday following the end of a two-day meeting held in the western Cypriot city of Paphos, the ministers of the so-called MED5 group, consisting of the five Mediterranean and southern EU member states, drew special attention to the surveillance of the United Nations-controlled Green Line in Cyprus, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ministers called for a balanced approach in negotiations to achieve a "truly common (European) system of asylum and migration management" so as to reach a migration policy aimed at a "holistic approach for the effective management of asylum and migration".

In relation to the Green Line in Cyprus, the MED5 ministers called for adequate management "due to the specific circumstances that apply, despite the fact that the Green Line is not an external border of the EU." Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris, who hosted the meeting, said asylum seekers make up 4 per cent of the country's population.
Kanpur, Oct 9 : Uttar Pradesh's Minister for Micro, Small and Medium enterprises (MSME), Rakesh Sachan has been acquitted in a 32-year-old case of encroachment on a government building and assaulting a government employee in Kanpur.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate (III) Alok Yadav acquitted the minister after the witnesses turned hostile and there was lack of concrete evidence against him.

In 1990, Kanpur Development Authority (KDA) employee G.D. Das had lodged a report against Rakesh Sachan and others at Gwaltoli police station.

He had alleged in his complaint that with the intention of grabbing the Hindi Bhawan of KDA, Sachan along with his aides reached there and threw away the goods after claiming that the building was his office.

When the government staff present there protested, he abused and beat them. He also threatened them of dire consequences.

After the investigation, the charge sheet against Rakesh Sachan was sent to court.

Rakesh's advocate Kapil Deep Sachan said, "After framing of charges, witnesses were produced by prosecution. They, however, turned hostile and dismissed the allegations against Sachan. It was said in the court that there was no incident of assault. The plaintiff, GD Das, had died during the trial itself. His statement also could not be recorded in the court."
Sultanpur, Oct 9 : A young woman student was allegedly abducted and then gangraped by three persons in Uttar Pradesh'S Sultanpur district.

The survivor, 21, had reached Sultanpur from Lucknow and was offered a lift in an SUV, which she accepted.

The accused was joined allegedly by two of his associates and all three raped the woman by turns and then left her at a secluded place near a canal close to her house in Jaisinghpur area in an unconscious state.

She somehow reached home after gaining consciousness and narrated the sequence of events to her parents, who in turn informed the police.

An FIR has been registered on the complaint of the woman, but no arrests have yet been made.

The police said that the survivor is doing her bachelors in technology from a private institute in Lucknow and is a native of Sultanpur.

Sultanpur superintendent of police (SP) Somen Barma said that an FIR under the charges of gangrape has been registered and a medical examination of the survivor has also been conducted.

He said the complainant's statement will be recorded before a magistrate soon. "We are tracking the vehicle and its owner will be arrested soon," said Barma.
Meerut, Oct 9 : A 12-year-old rape victim gave birth to a baby boy at the medical college in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut district.

The medical college administration confirmed that the mother and the child were healthy.

Medical college principal Dr R.K. Gupta said that the girl, a Class 7 student, who lives in Ghaziabad's Khoda police station area, was admitted to the medical college on October 1 and she gave birth through C-Section.

Her family members told reporters that a 19-year-old boy living in their apartment had threatened and raped her multiple times. His brother aged 21, too, had raped her after threatening that they will kill her parents if she did not heed to their demand.

The family also alleged that a 16-year-old girl living with the two brothers had handed the victim over to another man for money, who also took sexual advantage of her.

After the victim's relatives learnt about her trauma, they lodged a police complaint.

The victim's parents have sought capital punishment for the accused.

According to the family, the victim did not exhibit any sign of pregnancy and she remained normal till the time of delivery. While bringing her to the hospital, she was told that she had a kidney stone and that she had to undergo a surgical procedure.

Inspector in-charge of Khoda police station Altaf Ansari said the family had lodged a complaint on September 5 against the two brothers, the girl living with them, and a 35-year-old man.

All of them have been arrested and a chargesheet has been filed against them in the court, he said.
Jaipur, Oct 9 : It's raining investments in Rajasthan which is sure to turn the desert state into a business hub of the nation.

Top industrialists of the country were in Jaipur recently during the Invest Rajasthan summit which paved the way for the state to emerge as a leader in the renewable energy segment, cement manufacturing, sports, fintech and much more.

Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani group, shared how the state should get the credit for accommodating the world's largest wind-solar hybrid power plant.

He said, "just a week ago we achieved commercial operation of the world's largest wind-solar hybrid power plant, and it is here, in Rajasthan." He highlighted the state's contribution in making Adani the second largest cement manufacturer in India. "Following our acquisition of Ambuja Cements and ACC, we are now the second largest cement manufacturer in India. We anticipate investing another Rs 7,000 crore to double our cement manufacturing capacity in the state," he said.

Dr Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD, Tata Power, said, "Rajasthan has today emerged as a role model to produce green energy through solar power. We are fully poised to make Rajasthan future ready and realise its full potential and emerge as a Green Power House of the country." The company said it plans to develop upto 8000 MW of utility scale projects, 1000 MW of solar rooftop and 1,50,000 solar pumps in the next five years in the state.

Adani praised Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and said, "In the economic domain, your vision has laid the foundation to turn Rajasthan into our nation's solar energy leader. It is fascinating to see you repurpose - what many call the inhospitable Thar desert - into one of the global capitals of renewable power." Not only Adani, Vedanta chairman Anil Agrawal praised the desert state and said, "There are about 30 types of stones in Rajasthan, which are in demand all over the world." He added that he will help in building a world class stadium in Jaipur.

"I was surprised to see that world class stadium in Ahmedabad. CM Gehlot wishes that such a stadium should also be built in Jaipur. I would like them to build this stadium," he added.

A total of 25 RIICO Industrial Areas were launched simultaneously for the first time in Rajasthan during the Invest Rajasthan summit.

Officials confirmed that there are preparations going on to make Jaipur a Fintech City. A Fintech Park was also launched at the summit on Friday.

It is being launched as the first fintech ecosystem in North India on the lines of Mumbai to attract investors.

Also, there are preparations to make equipment like X-ray machines in Rajasthan. A Medical Devices Park is being set up in Boranada, Jodhpur. Apart from this, investors have also been invited to this summit for the Medical Devices Park, Glass and Ceramic Zone.

Similarly, a petro zone is being developed at Borowas Kalwa and Ramnagar Thobe near the refinery which it is believed will generate a huge number of jobs.

Gehlot also launched the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme (RIPS) 2022 which is in congruence with his vision to make Rajasthan the most preferred investment destination in the country.

Speaking during the Invest India summit, industries minister Shakuntala Rawat said, "Our state is the only producer of Zinc and Lead and ranks second for minerals in the country that are required for the ceramics sector. For the vision of inclusive balanced industrial development, the industrial policy has been implemented." Gehlot also enumerated the reasons why Rajasthan is the best for investment.

He said, "If we compare the GDP with other states, Rajasthan comes at the seventh place. Rajasthan has emerged as a manufacturing hub in northern India with a wide variety of small, medium, and large enterprises that have been established." The Chief Minister also informed that under the current year's proposed budget, Rs 250 crore provision has been made for developing a multi-storey industrial complex at Greater Bhiwadi and Boronada in Jodhpur. This will benefit the manufacturing and service sector units of the state, he said.

4,192 MoUs/LOIs amounting to Rs 10.44 lakh crore have been received from various national and international investors. The MoUs/LoIs that were signed include sectors like Mining and Minerals, Agriculture and agro-processing, among others.

Forty per cent of the MoUs/LOIs received have already been implemented or are in an advanced stage of implementation.
New York, Oct 9 : Over 30 years since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), some doctors harbour biases toward people with disabilities, and even actively avoid accepting them as patients, a new study has found.

In focus group discussions with about two dozen US doctors, researchers found that many said they lacked the knowledge and skill to care for patients with disabilities. Even basic physical accommodations, like accessible buildings and medical equipment, were an issue.

While some doctors said they did the best they could, others expressed negative attitudes, saying that patients with disabilities were "entitled", or that providing care to them was a burden, said US News & World Report in its report of the study.

Additionally, those surveyed insisted that this is a systemic problem, as medical school and post-graduate training do not prepare doctors for meeting the needs of patients with disabilities.

Another broad problem is insurance reimbursement, which does not factor in the longer appointments that are often necessary for patients with more complex needs, according to the findings published in the October issue of the journal Health Affairs.
Ramallah, Oct 9 : An escalation of tension in the West Bank would fuel an atmosphere of fear, hatred and anger between Israelis and Palestinians, a senior UN official has warned.

"It is necessary to reduce tensions immediately to open the way for decisive initiatives aimed at creating a viable political horizon between the two sides," UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland said in a press statement sent to Xinhua on Saturday.

On Friday and Saturday, four Palestinians were killed and dozens injured by Israeli soldiers in several West Bank towns and villages, said the Palestinian ministry of health, Xinhua news agency reported.

Since early January, more than 100 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli soldiers, the ministry said. Since March, 18 Israelis have been killed in attacks carried out by Palestinians in Israeli cities.

Wennesland expressed his concern over the deterioration of the security situation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, calling on Israelis and Palestinians to restore calm and avoid further escalation.

"The fragility of the situation underscores the urgency of changing the dynamics on the ground while addressing the underlying security and political issues that fuel the current instability," he added.

On Friday, a senior Palestinian official called on the United States to intervene immediately and stop the Israeli army from killing Palestinians in the West Bank.

Palestinian presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh urged the US to immediately intervene "and stop these daily crimes in the West Bank, which would have dangerous consequences that no one can bear, and then it will be too late." Tension in the West Bank has been mounting since March after the Israeli army intensified its military actions and operations against Palestinian militants and activists.

In the June 1967 Middle East war, Israel occupied the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, which are claimed by the Palestinians, and has controlled the areas ever since. The Palestinians aspire to establish a Palestinian state on these territories.
New Delhi, Oct 9 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday said that it had conducted searches at two locations in Tamil Nadu's Salem and Sivagangai districts in a case relating to two self-radicalised individuals, who had extended support to the LTTE, a proscribed terrorist outfit.

The searches were conducted in October 7. The NIA said that the accused were engaged in manufacturing illegal firearms, ammunition and explosives with the intent to target commercial establishments and important leaders in Tamil Nadu.

The case was initially registered at the Omalur police station, Tamil Nadu and re-registered by the NIA in July 2022.

"During the searches conducted by the NIA, incriminating materials, including digital devices (compact discs related to LTTE), books on LTTE, photos of LTTE leader Prabhakaran, other LTTE leaders, incriminating documents/invoice/bills for the purchase of materials used for manufacturing of illegal firearms, ammunition and explosive substances, seeds for making poison and jungle survival kits have been seized," the official said.

Further investigations were on.
Seoul, Oct 9 : North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) toward the East Sea on Sunday, the South Korean military said, after Seoul and Washington wrapped up a naval exercise, involving a US aircraft carrier, the previous day.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launches from the Munchon area in Gangwon Province between 1:48 a.m. and 1:58 a.m., and that the missiles flew some 350 km at apogees of around 90 km at top speeds of Mach 5, Yonhap news agency reported.

Given the distance and altitude, the projectiles are presumed to be "super-large caliber" missiles, fired from a multiple rocket launch system, known as the KN-25, according to observers in Seoul.

The launch, the North's seventh missile provocation in two weeks, followed the conclusion of the South Korea-U.S. exercise, involving the USS Ronald Reagan carrier, on Saturday and of the allies' trilateral drills with Japan on Thursday.

It also came on the eve of the 77th anniversary of the founding of the North's ruling Workers' Party.

"The recent series of North Korea's ballistic missiles is an act of significant provocation that undermines peace not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in the international community, and a clear breach of U.N. Security Council resolutions," the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters.

It added, "Our military will maintain a firm readiness posture while tracking and monitoring related movements in close cooperation with the U.S. in preparation against additional provocations." Soon after the launches, JCS Chairman Gen. Kim Seung-kyum and Gen. Paul LaCamera, the commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, had virtual consultations.

In a statement, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said that the latest launches highlight the "destabilizing" impact of the North's "unlawful" weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.

"The U.S. commitments to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remain ironclad," the command said, referring to South Korea by its official name.

South Korea's top nuclear envoy Kim Gunn had back-to-back phone consultations with his American and Japanese counterparts -- Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively -- and strongly denounced Pyongyang's continued violation of the U.N. Security Council resolutions, according to his ministry.

They stressed that the North's provocations using annual combined military drills, defensive in nature, by Seoul and Washington as a pretext can't be justified, it added.

The USS Ronald Reagan carrier was redeployed to waters east of the peninsula Wednesday, a day after Pyongyang fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan.

On Saturday, a spokesperson of the North's defense ministry took issue with the carrier's deployment, calling it an "event of considerably huge negative splash to the regional situation." Also on the day, the North's National Aviation Administration (NAA) said Pyongyang's missile test is a "self-defensive" step against what it sees as U.S. military threats.
New Delhi, Oct 9 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday filed a chargesheet against two accused persons before a special court in Patna in a case pertaining to levy collection by the members of CPI (Maoist) and development of cadres for the outfit's revival.

Earlier, local police arrested Vijay Kumar Arya and Umesh Chaudhary, who were found in possession of Maoist Pamphlets, Levy Receipts and electronic devices containing incriminating data.

The case was initially registered at Rohtas police station in Bihar and then re-registered by NIA in April 2022.

"Vijay Kumar Arya alias Dilip and Umesh Choudhary have been chargesheeted under Sections 120-B & 121A of the IPC, and sections 13, 17, 18, 18B, 20, 38, 39 & 40 of the UAPA," said the official.

The official said that investigations have revealed that accused Vijay Kumar Arya, a Central Committee Member of proscribed terrorist organisation CPI (Maoist), conspired with other accused persons and was actively involved in propagating the ideology of CPI (Maoist), recruitment, influencing and motivating others to join the outfit. Chaudhary had provided shelter to Arya at his house in Rohtas and was part of the conspiracy for furthering activities of CPI (Maoist).

Further investigation in the matter is on.
Bengaluru, Oct 9 : A Karnataka policeman has been arrested on charges of keeping Rs 10 lakh for himself while seizing Rs 50 lakh in Bengaluru, police said on Sunday.

The policeman has been identified as Mahendra Gowda, a head constable attached to the Chandra Layout police station. According to the police, the accused committed the crime during his patrolling duty.

The seized money belonged to Lingesh, a real estate agent and farmer from Ramapura village in Channapatna town. He told police that as per his friend's advice he had brought the money, which was in the denomination of Rs 2,000 notes to the city to exchange in smaller denomination.

His friend, Dinesh, had informed him that Rs 2,000 currency notes would be banned and advised him to change the denomination to Rs 500 for a 10 per cent commission, police said.

Lingesh came to Bengaluru with Rs 50 lakh cash in his car. He reached the Jananabharthi campus of Bengaluru University as per the advice of persons who came to exchange the currency notes. After reaching Jananabharthi campus, they went to the Chandra Layout locality for the exchange of money.

Meanwhile, Gowda, who came there, got suspicious and searched the car to find the huge cash. He threatened them that he would seize all the money and took Rs 10 lakh from the amount.

Later, the accused seized the car and maintained that Rs 40 lakh had been seized from the vehicle in documents. However, Lingesh lodged a complaint in this regard.

The preliminary investigations showed that the head constable had taken the money. following which he was arrested. The police have arrested one more person in connection with the case. His role is yet to come out. The police have said that they would conduct a detailed inquiry on the exchange of currency notes.

Further investigation was on.
Chandigarh, Oct 9 : With Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit taking strong exception over the absence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at the civic reception organised by him in honour of visiting President Droupadi Murmu, state Cabinet Minister Aman Arora said it was unfortunate on the part of the Governor for raising this 'political' issue.

Arora said that these remarks are uncalled for coming from the Governor and urged him to restrain from making such statements in the future.

Reminding the Chief Minister of Constitutional obligations that have to be met on such occasion, the Governor, amidst the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and his Haryana counterpart Bandaru Dattatreya said publicly from the stage: "I had personally called him up, but he has not come apparently due to some compulsion." "Whatever the compulsion, the Constitutional obligations are more important and have to be fulfilled on such an occasion." Chief Minister Mann was on a political tour to poll-bound Gujarat along with AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday. Mann was also conspicuously absent at the Indian Air Force's 90th Air Show at Sukhna Lake here.

Reacting sharply to the Governor's assertions, Arora said that Mann's event was scheduled and he had deputed him to receive and welcome President Draupadi Murmu during her visit in the Chandigarh.

He said that he, along with seven other Cabinet Ministers and all senior bureaucrats, attended the event to celebrate Air Force Day on Saturday.

However, honorable Governor made these unfortunate remarks against the Chief Minister.

Even earlier, he said that the Governor had been interfering in the matter of state and he cancelled the session of Punjab Assembly convened by the state government on September 22 only to prove the trust vote.

Mann called the session again on September 27 citing issues related to Punjab but he was first reluctant to give his assent for the session being called by the elected members of the government against 'Operation Lotus' of the BJP, the AAP minister said in a statement.

"It is condemnable that the Governor seems to be acting at the behest of BJP to implement 'Operation Lotus' in Punjab," Arora said.

He said that Saturday's remarks of the Punjab Governor clearly indicates that "he is working in cahoots with the BJP to weaken the democratic system and deter the AAP government from working for the welfare of common people".
San Francisco, Oct 9 : Apple is likely to build its own 5G modem for new iPhones but reports suggest that chip-maker Qualcomm is still going to provide its modem for upcoming iPhones at least till 2025.

A note to investors by Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu has said that Qualcomm Snapdragon X75 modem will be used in the 2024 iPhones.

Meanwhile, all four iPhone 15 models next year are expected to be equipped with Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X70 modem.

The 5G modem will be made by TSMC using a 4nm process to introduce power efficiencies, reports MacRumors.

The iPhone 15 using X70 modem could provide download speeds of up to 10Gbps, improved coverage, better signal quality and up to 60 per cent improved power efficiency.

However, the prospect of an iPhone using an Apple-designed modem has potentially been pushed back to 2025, the report suggested.

Famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also predicted that iPhone 15 could continue to use Qualcomm modems.

According to Kuo, due to the high demand for the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max, the tech giant may decide to further differentiate its next iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models.

Kuo had also suggested that "Ultra" will exclusively have a periscope lens (6x or 5x). Also, the Ultra will come with an improved battery life.
To mark the 80th birthday of megastar Amitabh Bachchan, an 18-city retrospective and exhibition called "Bachchan: Back to the Beginning" is being held from October 8 to 11.

Curated by Lucknow-born S.M.M. Ausaja, who is now termed as a "Bachchan scholar" in Bollywood and has the biggest collection of Bachchan memorabilia, the initiative has been formalised in collaboration with Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, founder of Film Heritage Foundation.

Ausaja had curated exhibitions earlier on Amitabh Bachchan to commemorate his 70th birthday (which he had organised for Jaya Bachchan) and his 75th birthday.

It took Ausaja almost a month to carefully curate the exhibition, ensuring that it would not have any of the displays that he had exhibited earlier.

Talking to IANS, Ausaja said, "The exhibition is focused on Amitabh Bachchan's rise to stardom and hence it centres around 1970s and 80s. I have avoided the post-90s because there is easy access to information on that phase of his life. Everything is there on the internet. It is the 70s and 80s phase which is most interesting for today's generation, to discover and appreciate." As is the speciality of Ausaja's exhibitions, "Bachchan: Back to the Beginning" will also have some rarest of rare displays.

"One of the frames is the announcement that such an actor has arrived in the industry and has been signed by a few directors. This is perhaps the first image of his that came out in the press," said Ausaja.

"This is pure research and it is extremely difficult to get such rare items. This newspaper scan records how the press announced the arrival of the actor," he said.

The title "Bachchan: Back to the Beginning" aptly captures the essence of the retrospective which will screen 11 films of Bachchan released in the early part of his career including classics like "Kaala Patthar", "Kaalia", "Kabhi Kabhie", "Amar Akbar Anthony", "Namak Halaal", "Abhimaan", "Don", "Satte Pe Satta", "Mili", "Chupke Chupke", and "Deewar".

The exhibition for "Bachchan: Back to the Beginning" will also have some rarest of rare displays.

The original "Shahenshah" jacket with the iron arm, sourced from Fantico, will be going on display. The mix of memorabilia will include rare LP record jackets, lobby cards and working stills, none of which can be found on the internet.

"There is a frame of silhouettes of the 7 Indians in Saat Hindustani. You have to figure out where is Amitabh among those 7 silhouettes. Normally you can see the actors in the posters but this one with silhouettes is very interesting," said Ausaja.

The show stopper is a massive 7-feet cut out artwork of the knotted shirt Bachchan from "Deewar" by famous artist Shrikant Dhongade, which is bound to tower over the selfie seekers.

A 3D artwork on Bachchan's films by award winning artist Shailesh Acharekar and artwork on "Deewar" by Mithul Biswas are among the other exhibits.

The "Bachchan: Back to the Beginning" festival will be screened in Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Chandigarh, Kanpur, Mumbai, Pune, Kolhapur, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Raipur, Indore, and Surat.
One was an intrepid man of arms who led the Indian Army to its biggest victory on the battlefield in 1971, and the other a remarkable actor who has ruled the hearts of millions since marking his presence on screen in the same year - and gone to reinvent himself since then. But there was one thing common between Field Marshal S.H.F.J. Manekshaw and Amitabh Bachchan - as the former pointed out once.

In possibly his last public appearance in 2004, Field Marshal Manekshaw remarked that that they are both alumni of Sherwood College, Nainital.

But they also had a Punjab connection - the Field Marshal was born there and attributed his longevity to it, and Amitabh's mother was Punjabi, born into a Sikh family in Lyallpur of then undivided Punjab.

Field Marshal Manekshaw, invited by then Indian Army chief, Gen N.C. Vij, to the first-ever conclave of all the Indian army chiefs - eight including him - in Delhi, held a review of the army's sole horse-mounted unit, 61 Cavalry on October 23, 2004, and later opened up to media persons, including this correspondent, about his early days.

Seemingly frail, but clutching his baton steadily and with keenly alert eyes, he noted that he was "90 years, six months, and 13 days old" and attributed it to being born in "a healthy place" - in Punjab, more specifically in Amritsar, where his father practised as a doctor.

Sam Bahadur, who proved that he still had the abundant wit and the gift of repartee, said that at 15, he had wanted to be a doctor like his father, studied hard for it, but his father advised him to to wait till he was a bit older. In the meantime, he got into the army and chose to make it his career instead.

"Thus, I joined the army in 1931 and am now here. I still feel I would have made a better doctor. Even a gynaecologist." Asked about his school days, he said his stint at the Nainital College had been remarkable.

"Sherwood College holds the distinction of producing two legends - Amitabh Bachchan and Sam Manekshaw," he said.

(Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)
New Delhi, Oct 9 : Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to announce the company's progress towards building the $10 billion metaverse, as internal reports claim there are still several quality issues and those building the virtual reality (VR) social network at the company are barely using it.

The company will organised 'Meta Connect' virtual conference on October 11 for developers, creators, tech enthusiasts and others.

Zuckerberg will share share updates on the VR developer ecosystem, the progress building toward the metaverse, and 'Project Cambria', a new high-end VR headset with mixed reality.

"If you have a Meta Quest 2 headset, you can register to attend in VR in Meta Horizon Worlds," said the company.

The flagship metaverse event comes as Vishal Shah, Meta's VP of Metaverse, apparently told the employees that the metaverse team would remain in a "quality lockdown" for the rest of the year to "ensure that we fix our quality gaps and performance issues before we open up Horizon to more users".

"Simply put, for an experience to become delightful and retentive, it must first be usable and well crafted," he told them in an internal memo.

In August, Zuckerberg was forced to post new screenshots on Facebook and Instagram, showing off a more life-like version of himself, after he faced memes on his poorly-designed metaverse avatar.

In the same month, Vivek Sharma, the Indian-origin VP of Meta's Horizon social media virtual reality (VR) platform, departed, at a time when Zuckerberg doubles down on his $10 billion metaverse dream.

A Meta spokesperson said the company is "confident that the metaverse is the future of computing and that it should be built around people".
Hyderabad, Oct 9 : Governors and Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh greeted Muslims on Sunday on occasion of Eid Milad-un-Nabi.

Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan stated in her message that Prophet Muhammad's noble teachings of compassion, tolerance, unity, harmony and universal brotherhood may continue to inspire us all in working for the well-being of all. May there be peace and prosperity all around, she said.

"The most venerable Prophet's mission is fulfilled when we serve our fellowmen with faith, trust, care, kindness and compassion," the Governor said.

"On this occasion, let us all resolve to promote unity, harmony, peace, universal brotherhood and prosperity in the society," she added.

Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan too extended his greetings to the Muslim brethren of Andhra Pradesh on Eid Milad-un-Nabi.

"The life of the Prophet has been an inspiring saga of love, brotherhood and virtue to mankind. May the birthday of Prophet Mohammad usher in peace and goodwill amongst all," he said.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao stated that all should be inspired by the teachings of Prophet Mohammad, who aimed for the establishment of peace and equality of all human beings. He said more efforts should be made to promote peace and harmony in the country.

On the same occasion, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also greeted Muslims brothers and sisters of Telugu states.

"Love for fellow human beings, responsibility towards society, world peace are the great messages given by Prophet Muhammad to mankind," he said.
Kabul, Oct 9 : Unknown armed men have gunned down an official with the provincial administration in Afghanistan's northern Faryab province.

Qari Abdul Rahman, the director of the economic commission of Faryab province, was on the way to his residence when he came under attack in Qaisar district on Saturday and lost his life on the spot, provincial head for information and culture Mawlawi Shamsudin Mohammadi said Sunday.

Without providing more details, Mawlawi Mohammadi said an investigation has been initiated into the case, Xinhua news agency reported.

This is the first time that a provincial administration official has come under attack in northern Faryab province and its vicinity since the Taliban's taking over power in August 2021.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility yet.
Hyderabad, Oct 9 : Dismissing RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's talk of 'religious imbalance' in India, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that the population growth rate of Muslims is actually on the decline and claimed that Muslims use condoms the most.

Owaisi's remarks came after Bhagwat expressed concerns over the population imbalance. In his speech at the annual Dussehra rally of the RSS, he also called for a comprehensive policy to check population rise.

The Hyderabad MP alleged that Bhagwat is trying to create fears about Muslims population while the fact is that their population is coming down.

"Don't take tension. Muslim population is not rising. In fact, it is on the decline," he said while addressing a public meeting late Saturday night on occasion of Eid Milad-un-Nabi.

"The gap between two children is called spacing. Do you know who is maintaining that the most? We Muslims. Who is using condoms the most? We are doing," he said and questioned the silence of Bhagwat on these 'facts'.

Owaisi found fault with the RSS chief for speaking without data. He pointed out that Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in the country has dropped to two per cent. Citing the national family health survey - 5, he said the TFR fall was steepest among Muslims.

Owaisi also asked RSS chief to break his silence on female feticide among Hindus. He said 90 lakh Hindu girls were not allowed to be born between 2000 and 2019.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President also questioned Bhagwat's silence on the sex ratio at birth. "Among Muslims, there are 943 females for every 1,000 males while among our Hindu brethren there are 913 females for every 1,000 males," he said.

He pointed out that in 2020 the Modi government gave an affidavit in the Supreme Court that it does not want to make family planning compulsory in the country.

The MP said Bhagwat out of his hatred towards Muslims was trying to create fear by claiming that population of Muslims was increasing.

He said attempts were being made to demonise Muslims by calling them traitors, cow eaters and terrorist and by projecting madrasas as centres of terrorism.

Owaisi also took exception to Bhagwat using the term so-called minorities. "We are minorities under Article 30 of the Indian Constitution. I am not living in the country at the mercy of BJP and RSS," he said.

The MP said that the idea of 'Hindu Rashtra' is against Indian nationalism, and it shatters dreams of the great freedom fighters who fought for the country's Independence.

He reminded Bhagwat that RSS did not participate in the freedom fight while several Muslim leaders laid down their lives. "Maulvi Allauddin was sent to Kalapani but he did not write an apology to the British like Savarkar did," he said.

Owaisi also alleged that wherever BJP is in power, Muslims feel like they are living in open jails. He slammed the survey of madrasas being undertaken in Uttar Pradesh and questioned the silence of Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav.

The MP demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak on public flogging of Muslim youth by police in Gujarat. He said Muslim youths were tied to a pole and publicly thrashed amid slogans by people who had gathered to watch it.

"If this was how the punishment is given, shut down the courts and remove police," he said.

Owaisi also remarked that a dog on street has respect than a Muslim in India. He questioned the silence of those who call his party 'B' team and take votes of Muslims.

He alleged that those drunk with power had become oppressors and reminded them that power is not permanent.

"Today the time is yours. Our time will also come but we will not reply with zulm. We have to respond to violence with unity, political power and by strengthening democracy and rule of law," he said and advised Muslims not to get demoralised.

On the demands by some parties to react to the ongoing protest by women in Iran, Owaisi said he was not bothered about what happens in other countries. "I will talk about my country. Here, my daughter wants to wear a Hijab and you are not allowing her to do so. How is this justified," he asked.
New York, Oct 9 : Indian-American computer science professor Brajendra Panda has been awarded $637,223 (Rs 5.2 crore) by the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity to improve recovery methods for critical infrastructure systems following a cyberattack.

Critical infrastructure (CI) includes things like the power grid, gas and oil pipelines, military installations, and hospitals.

Panda, a University of Arkansas professor of computer science and computer engineering, says that the interdependence and interconnection of CI systems make them more vulnerable to cyberattacks and can cause initial damage to spread quickly to other systems.

"Thus, a small vulnerability in one of these systems can result in crippling a large number of them," Panda said. "These systems are of heterogeneous type by nature, meaning they contain both heterogeneous software and data." Due to the complexity of CI systems, recovering them can cause significant delays, which is concerning given the time-sensitive nature of the functions these systems provide, such as electricity.

An example of a recent attack on critical infrastructure is the ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline last year. The pipeline system originates in Houston, Texas, and carries gasoline and jet fuel mainly to the Southeastern United States.

The attack on computerised equipment left the pipeline down for six days while the company forked over an estimated $4.4 million in Bitcoin to pay the attackers (though much of it was subsequently recovered).

Panda aims to develop fast, accurate, and efficient recovery mechanisms that, when coupled with the expeditious damage assessment techniques he has already developed, will offer an "integrated suite solution".

This will allow affected CI systems to continue running while providing as many critical functionalities as possible.

The National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity programme is managed by National Security Agency's National Cryptologic School.
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 9 : Kerala's motor vehicle department seized 20 kg of ganja and hashish oil from a tourist bus that was coming to the state from Bengaluru. The driver of the bus Ananthu Nair, and two of his accomplices were arrested.

In the wake of the recent Wadakkanchery tourist bus accident in which nine persons including five children lost their lives, state's motor vehicle department has stepped up vigil and has been conducting searches in all tourist buses.

The motor vehicle department authorities, who searched the bus near Walayar in Palakkad district, told IANS that the driver has accepted that they were using the seized material while the bus was being parked during the daytime in Bengaluru. The motor vehicle department and police are probing whether the bus driver and his accomplices were bringing banned narco substances to the state from Bengaluru.

The police are also investigating whether the driver and his accomplices were acting as carriers to bring in ganja and other substances to the state.

While cracking down against narco substances including ganja and hashish oil and other drugs, the government has started a series of campaigns across the state among students against drug use.
Islamabad, Oct 9 : Two alleged terrorists were killed and four security forces personnel injured in an exchange of fire in Swat district of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

According to Counter Terrorism Department of police, the law enforcement agencies conducted an intelligence-based operation in the Engaro Dherai area of the district on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

During an exchange of fire, two wanted members of a banned militant outfit were killed while four security forces personnel, including an army officer, got severely injured, police said.

The law enforcement agencies seized arms and ammunition from the terrorists' possession, it added.

The police said that the alleged terrorists were in contact with a militant organisation in Afghanistan, adding that one of the deceased had been there recently to take training for improvised explosive devices.
Los Angeles, Oct 9 : Hollywood star Mila Kunis briefly attended UCLA and Loyola Marymount University because she "was very keen on getting a college degree".

The 'Luckiest Girl Alive' star admitted feeling the pressure to head to university because her "whole family is college educated" before she briefly attended UCLA and Loyola Marymount University, leaving before she earned her degree, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

While appearing on SiriusXM's 'The Jess Cagle Podcast with Julia Cunningham', the 39-year-old actress said: "I was very keen on getting a college degree. Not for any reason other than I thought I should or had to, because my whole family is college educated. So, I was like, well, clearly, that's what one does." Kunis called her school life "erratic" because of her commitments filming 'That '70s Show' - the sitcom on which she first met her husband Ashton Kutcher, with whom she now has eight-year-old daughter Wyatt and five-year-old son Dmitri.

She said: "And so I went through the public school system, so I had tutors when I was shooting and then when you do sitcoms, you do, there's a schedule of like three weeks on one week off, two weeks on one week off three front, whatever." "So during that one week, you as an adult, you can do other projects, if you have time or you can do other things. I just went back to public school. So the erratic behaviour was probably popping in and out of my public high school and then going back and doing schoolwork on sets." "I never looked at it as anything weird or strange. It was just like, my norm." The 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' star feels she "never missed out" on a typical adolescence due to her fame because she grew up pre-social media.

Kunis said: "I was in high school before social media. I mean any form of it. There was no Facebook. I don't even think MySpace, I think. MySpace happened right after I was in high school."
Kolkata, Oct 9 : A member of a cross-border cattle smuggling racket was killed in firing by the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel at the Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal's Nadia district on late Saturday night, officials said.

A BSF jawan was also injured in the clash.

The deceased has been identified as Muntaz Hossain, 32, resident of Choto Baldia village under Damurhuda sub- district in Bangladesh. Hossain, along with others, were trying to smuggle cattle through the porous border in the region, when they were caught by BSF personnel at border gate number 54 in Krishnaganj block of Nadia.

Hossain attacked a BSF personnel with a sharp weapon and injured him. In self- defence, the BSF personnel opened fire, killing Hossain.

Later the BSF handed over the body to the local Krishnaganj Police Station. His body has been sent to the local morgue for autopsy.
Hyderabad, Oct 9 : Three members of a family were washed away while crossing a flooded bridge across an overflowing stream in Telangana's Wanaparthy district, police said on Sunday.

The victims, including two women, were crossing Madanapuram low-level bridge on a motorcycle, when its driver lost control and all the three were washed away along with the vehicle.

The incident occurred on Saturday evening in Madanapauram mandal (block). Locals who saw the trio being washed away tried to save them but in vain.

Police, with the help of expert swimmers, launched the rescue operation. On Sunday, the rescue workers found the bodies of Santoshamma, 38, and her daughter Parimala, 18, in the stream some distance away from the bridge.

The search was on for Sai Kumar, 25, who was driving. He is the son of Santoshamma's sister.

According to police, tragedy struck the family when the mother-daughter duo were returning to their village Kaukuntla after celebrating Dasara at the house of their relatives in another village Kuttakota. Santoshamma's nephew Sai Kumar was bringing them to their village on his motorcycle.

Following heavy rains in the upstream, gates of Sarala Sagar and Shankara Samudram reservoirs were opened three days ago to let out the flood water. The water was overflowing the low-level bridge of Okachettuvagu stream. In view of this, traffic was stopped between Wanaparthy district headquarter and Atmakur via Madanapuram for three days. Following a drop in the flood water level, the bridge was reopened for traffic on Saturday evening.

A video of the incident shows vehicles passing on the flooded bridge. Like the other two-wheelers, Sai Kumar also tried to cross the bridge. However, apparently due to triple riding, he lost control of the vehicle and all the three were washed away.
Kiev, Oct 9 : At least 17 people were killed and dozens injured in overnight Russian strikes on Ukraine's south-eastern city of Zaporizhzhia, the Ukraine defence ministry has said.

Ukrainian regional governor in Zaporizhzhia, Oleksandr Starukh said, "Russian missiles partially destroyed a nine-story building . Eight people have been rescued. There may be more people under the rubble." Though the city is under Ukrainian control, it is a part of the region Russia claimed to have annexed last month, BBC reported.

Denouncing the Russian action, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky termed the shelling "merciless strikes on peaceful people again".

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Vietnam, Japan boost cooperation in traditional medicine

A seminar on traditional medicine of Vietnam and Japan was held in Hanoi on October 7, attracting the participation of almost 100 experts and researchers in the areas from the two countries.



At the event, the participants exchanged experience in the application of advanced techniques in traditional medicine to raise the efficiency of community health care.

Acupuncture is one of traditional healing methods. (Photo: VNA)



Nguyen The Thinh, head of the Traditional Medicine Management Department under the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Health, said that there are 63 specialised hospitals in this area across the country.



Vietnam has set a goal that by 2030, all provinces and centrally-run cities will have a general hospital for traditional medicine, he said.



According to Truong Viet Binh, Oresident of the Vietnam Traditional Medicine Association, the demand for treatment with traditional medicine is a trend not only in the East, but also in the world due to its great health benefits.



At the event, experts from Vietnam and Japan presented reports affirming the role of traditional medicine in peoples health care while proposing solutions to renew traditional treatment methods.
BEIJING, Oct. 9 -- An army aviation brigade under the PLA 81st Group Army recently organized its first combat training exercise off China's southeast coast. More than ten helicopters of different types took off from an inland airport and headed in combat formation toward the target airspace hundreds of kilometers away. With training subjects such as island takeoff/landing and air defense penetration being practiced, the exercise has enhanced the brigade's capability of accomplishing missions on the sea.
Jakarta, Oct 9 : A 5.5-magnitude earthquake jolted Indonesia's western province of Banten on Sunday.

The quake struck at 17:02 local time (1202 GMT), with the epicenter at 26 km southwest of the province's Lebak district and 12 km under the sea bed, Xinhua news agency reported quoting Indonesia's meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency.

The earthquake did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami, it said.
New Delhi, Oct 9 : In a tragic incident, two labourers working at a construction site at Indira Gandhi International Airport's Terminal 1, were killed while six others suffered severe injuries after they fell from a scaffolding. The incident took place on October 6 while it was reported on Sunday.

A senior police official said that the labourers who were killed were identified as Manoj (19) and Vikash (30).

"It happened on October 6 at around 10:15 p.m. We got to know about the incident from Safdarjung Hospital. The emergency staff of the hospital informed us that two patients Vikash and Manoj got admitted in the hospital. We were told that they were admitted after getting hurt by falling from height at Terminal no 1," the official said.

The police said that injured Vikash was declared brought dead on arrival while Manoj succumbed during the course of treatment in Safdarjung hospital.

"Beside this, six other persons who had got injured were still under treatment at hospital. The work of scaffolding was under contractor Mintu Yadav at Node building T-1 arrival at L&T construction site," the official said.

The official said that an FIR under sections 337 and 304 A of IPC was registered in this respect.

Further investigation in the matter is on.
New Delhi, Oct 9 : Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam on Sunday resigned from his post, following the row over his presence at a "religious conversion" event earlier this week.

Gautam was facing severe criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for his presence at the event, where hundreds of people abandoned Hinduism to adopt Buddhism, and the opposition party demanded his resignation, accusing that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party of hurting sentiments.

A Delhi BJP delegation also filed a complaint against the minister.

"Today is the manifestation day of Maharishi Valmiki ji and on the other hand it is also the death anniversary of Manyavar Kanshi Ram Saheb. In such a coincidence, today I have been liberated from many shackles and I have born again today. Now I will continue the fight for rights and atrocities on the society more firmly without any restrictions," tweeted Gautam while sharing his resignation letter.

"BJP has objection to Baba Saheb and 22 oaths given by him. The BJP is using this to do the dirty politics which has hurt me and I am resigning from my ministerial berth," he said in his resignation letter in Hindi.
Chandigarh, Oct 9 : Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said the state government while respecting the Sikh sentiments had strongly defended the formation of a separate gurdwara management committee for the state in the Supreme Court.

Addressing a gathering after attending the concluding ceremony of Akhand Path at Gurdwara Sri Nada Sahib in Panchkula near here, Khattar said, "As a result of which the Supreme Court announced its verdict in favour of the Sikh sangat of Haryana by upholding the validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Act, 2014.

"The verdict will certainly further strengthen the unity of the sect." The Chief Minister said Sri Akal Takht is still the highest authority. But local committees are needed for the gurdwaras built at different places. "The separation of the management system of gurdwara is certainly not going to affect the unity of the sect," said Khattar.

"When separate gurdwara management committees can be formed for Patna Sahib, Takht Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib, Nanded and Delhi, then why the same cannot be done in Haryana. The formation of the gurdwara management committee has been done only for making the governance and management system of the gurdwaras smoother," he asserted.

"The religious system is supreme, there is no interference of the government in it," clarified the Chief Minister.

He said as per the order of the Supreme Court, the election of the gurdwara management committee will be held in 18 months, till then the ad hoc committee will look after the functioning of the gurdwaras in the state.

In the elections, whosoever wins will get the command of the committee. "There will be no interference from the government. After the completion of the election process, the ad hoc committee would hand over all its functioning to the newly elected committee," added Khattar.

He said talks are going for giving the HSIIDC plot in Panchkula to Gurdwara Sri Nada Sahib. A final decision in this regard will be taken soon, the Chief Minister said.

"I am hopeful that the entire Sikh sangat will now work in the spirit of harmony and brotherhood and will do its best for the interest of society." The Chief Minister assured that the Sikh sangat would get full support from the state government and together they would do the welfare of society.
Bhopal, Oct 9 : In a shocking incident, a cardboard was used by the medical staff at a hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind district in place of the Plaster of Paris bandage to dress up the fractured leg of a patient.

A video that surfaced on the social media shows a cardboard tied around a man's leg. Surprisingly, the medical staff defended the usage of the cardboard, saying "it was done to give support to the fractured leg and stop bleeding".

The man was rushed to the hospital after he injured his leg in a road accident.

Later, it emerged that the health staff used the cardboard as Plaster of Paris bandage -- usually used on fractured limb -- was not available at the health centre.

According to sources, due to unavailability of the regular plasters, the medical staff often use cardboard as temporary bandage when injured persons are brought to the hospital.

"This particular incident was revealed as a video surfaced on social media but such episodes have occurred earlier as well. The doctor or other health staff should not be blamed for such things because they provide treatment without having proper facilities. If plaster bandage was not available, it is not the staff's mistake. Question should never raised against those are responsible to provide medical kits to the hospital and management of the hospital," said a medical staff requesting anonymity.
New Delhi, Oct 9 : Following rainfall in the national capital on Sunday, for the second consecutive day, traffic came to standstill at several places due to water-logging, and fallen trees, with a spate of vehicle breakdowns adding to the chaos.

Traffic snarls were reported from Mathura Road, Punjabi Bagh Chowk, Anand Vihar, Red Fort, Mathura Road, ITO and Chhawla areas with vehicles moving at snail's pace.

With rain throughout the day, the Delhi Traffic Police advised commuters to plan their journey accordingly.

"Traffic is affected on Mathura Road in the carriageway from Sarita Vihar towards Badarpur due to breakdown of two trucks near CNG pump Mohan co-operatve Estate. Kindly avoid the stretch," it tweeted as it shared details regarding water-logging, cave-ins, and fallen trees on city roads and the stretches to avoid.

As per traffic police, there are potholes on Ashram towards Kilokidi on Mathura Road, the roundabout of Rail Bhawan, Moti Bagh Gurudwara, Barafkhana Chowk, Peeragarhi Chowk, IIT to PTC on South Delhi's Aurobindo Marg.

"Water logging was there on the following roads- near New PHQ gate no-3 on Ashoka Road, Peeragarhi Chowk, Lajpat Nagar Metro station, near metro pillar 422 to 427 on Rohtak Road, roundabout of Bagga link on Panchkuian Road, several other areas on Rohtak Road, Dhaula Kuan flyover, GT Karnal Road and few parts of Outer Ring Road," it said.

The trees were uprooted at the Outer Ring Road near Palam flyover and Benito Juarez Marg near Ring Road.
Mumbai, Oct 9 : Popular faces of the TV industry Rashami Desai, Shefali Jariwala, Adaa Khan, and Priyal Gor briefed about being part of the show 'Ratri Ke Yatri 2' and how challenging it was for them to portray prostitutes on screen.

Directed by Anil V Kumar, the anthology series includes five different stories set with a common background of the red-light area and it brings out the dark reality of the people living in these areas.

The 'Uttaran' actress opened up on preparing for her role and watching each and every actor, who played the character of a sex worker.

"While essaying the role of a sex worker comes with its fair share of responsibilities, my first instinct was to watch every actor who played the role of a prostitute and take note of every nuance that they embodied. I made it a point to rewatch the movie to draw minute details as inspiration," she said.

Adding that along with watching others she also did research works so that she can do justice to her character in the show.

She added: "Along with that, I added in my own ground research that would enable me to showcase a performance that will be appreciated by the audience. Anil V. Kumar sir, our director really helped me a lot in preparing for the character. I am a director's actor on the sets but I was too nervous this time. I really hope the audience will like the efforts we all have put in." On the other hand, the 'Kaanta Lagaa' fame interacted with the sex workers to get into the skin of her character.

"I have always been selective with the roles that I enact and portray, keeping in mind the challenge it poses and the importance of telling a story through the lens of the character. I ensure that I undertake thorough research on the character and add a personal touch to it. I believe that taking the extra mile to interact with sex workers would give me better clarity on how to do justice to it," she shared.

While Adaa Khan, who is known for her role in 'Naagin' always prefers to prepare herself for playing any character by practicing in front of a mirror, and this time also, she did the same.

As she mentioned: "I believe that acting is a test and before every test, there has to be a concrete amount of learning in order to ace it. The preparatory stage helps me as an actor to gauge the complexity of the role. I like to take my own quiet time to rehearse in front of the mirror and ascertain the right emotion and action to portray according to the script." From watching videos to docu-series, 'Yeh Hai Aashiqui' actress Priyal Gor left nothing to give her best while preparing for her on-screen personality.

"Friendship is of core value to me and in today's world it is very easy to lose contact with another; however my character reignites her friendship with her childhood friend in one of the most unlikely places, a brothel. To help me get into the skin of the character, I watched online videos, docuseries, movies, and all that I could get my hands on in order to better prepare myself for the role," she said.

'Ratri Ke Yatri 2' stars Rashami Desai, Sharad Malhotra, Shakti Arora, Monalisa, Shefali Jariwala, Adaa Khan, Bhavin Bhanushali, Abigail Pande, Priyal Gor, Mohit Abrol, Meera Deosthale, and Aakash Dabadhe.

It streams on Hungama Play.
New Delhi, Oct 9 : The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is looking at a phased implementation strategy to unveil the central bank digital currency (CBDC).

It has made this observation in a concept note on CBDC prepared by RBI's fintech department.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the launch of CBDC in her budget speech, informing that it would be unveiled in the current fiscal itself.

"RBI has been exploring the pros and cons of introduction of the CBDCs for some time. As there are multiple compelling motivations for the introduction of CBDCs, RBI is currently engaged in working towards a phased implementation strategy, going step by step through various stages of pilots followed by the final launch, and simultaneously examining use cases that could be implemented with minimal or no disruption," the note said.

CBDC, across the world, is in conceptual development or at pilot stages.

Therefore, in the absence of a precedence, extensive stakeholder consultation along with iterative technology design must take place to develop a solution that meets the requirements, it said further.

RBI however noted that CBDC holds a lot of promise by way of ensuring transparency and low cost of operation, among other benefits and has the potential to expand the existing payment systems to address the needs of a wider category of users.

The central bank further said that while the intent of CBDC and the expected benefits are well understood, it is important to identify innovative methods and compelling use cases that will make CBDC as attractive as cash if not more.

Elaborate planning is needed in terms of scope, cost and timelines to ensure the timely roll out of different phases of CBDC introduction, the RBI note said further.

"Depending on the different use cases, multiple technological options shall be tested and based on the outcomes, the final architecture shall be decided. As per recommendations of the internal Working Group (WG) set up by Reserve Bank in October 2020, RBI is exploring the option of implementation of account-based CBDC in wholesale segment and token-based CBDC in retail segment vide a graded approach," it informed.

Elaborating on details of the phased implementation of CBDC, the note said that first a prototype as per the recommendations of the WG would be prepared and technical requirements would be specified to technology partners.

The idea then would be tested in an operationally controlled environment to examine its functionality, including the design, deployment plan and success criteria.

After this, test cases would be performed with both positive and negative scenarios to examine its durability and document the results.

These test results would then be finalised to design the prototype.

Once this is done, large scale pilot tests would be conducted with a diverse and larger user base.

"This will help RBI understand the potential use of the CBDC in a diverse country like India. The results and learnings of the pilot need to be carefully evaluated and must be incorporated into the final design of the CBDC," the note said.
Astana : , Oct 9 (IANS) World No.7 Novak Djokovic clinched the Astana Open men's singles title after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 in the final, here on Sunday.

It was the ninth consecutive match victory for the fourth seed Djokovic, who won the title a week ago in Tel Aviv. This was the 90th tour-level title for the 35-year-old and it required only 75 minutes.

For the third-seeded Greek Tsitsipas, it was the ninth time he played in an ATP 500 final -- and the ninth time he came up empty. Djokovic now leads their ATP head-to-head series 8-2 and has won the past seven.

As a result of the win, the Serbian star secures himself a Top 20 spot in the ATP Live Race to Turin after the 2022 Paris Masters, meaning the reigning Wimbledon champion qualifies for the 2022 ATP Finals as a current-year Grand Slam winner. It was the 90th career tour-level title for Djokovic and the fourth of 2022.

When the on-court interviewer observed that Djokovic probably never dreamed of 90 ATP Tour titles, Djokovic shook his head.

"I dared to dream, actually. I always hoped that I would be going to have a great career," he corrected.

"Obviously, I didn't know the number of finals I was going to play, the amount of tournaments I was going to win, but my intention was always to reach the highest heights in our sport," he added.

Tsitsipas will return to the Top 5 in the ATP Rankings on Monday and the 24-year-old Greek still leads all ATP Tour players with 53 match wins.

Djokovic began the match with an extraordinary level of play, winning the first game at love in a little over one minute. With Tsitsipas serving at 3-4, the 21-time major champion turned up the heat.

Employing the drop shot that undid Daniil Medvedev in a semi-final tie-break, Djokovic went on to create the only break point of the first set. After Tsitsipas over-hit a forehand, Djokovic served it out, finishing a flourish - an ace outside.

Djokovic scored another break in the fifth game of the second set when a frustrated Tsitsipas attempted a drop shot that fell into the net. Later, Djokovic converted his third match point with a backhand winner into an open court.

"I'm just very grateful and blessed to be able to play this well at this stage of my life," said Djokovic.

"You know, 35 is not 25. But I think the experience, probably, in these kinds of matches and big occasions helps as well to approach mentally in the right way," he added.
New Delhi, Oct 9 : Vaibhav Balghare on Sunday became a well-known Twitter follower of Elon Musk after the Tesla CEO responded to his tweet about how the electric car-maker caught an employee who leaked the trade secrets in 2008.

Balghare who has a Twitter handle @NASAEarthMars asked Musk that how did he caught "that employee who leaked the confidential data of Tesla and sold it to the news outlet?" in 2008.

The Tesla CEO replied: "That is quite an interesting story. We sent what appeared to be identical emails to all, but each was actually coded with either one or two spaces between sentences, forming a binary signature that identified the leaker".

Another follower asked Musk what finally happened to those employees.

"They were invited to further their career elsewhere," Musk replied.

When a follower asked the Tesla CEO if he took any legal action against them, he said: "Too busy trying to survive at the time".

Musk in December last year responded to Indian engineer Pranay Pathole on how the company neared bankruptcy on Christmas eve during the 2008 financial crisis.

"On Christmas eve 2008, Tesla funding round completed, Tesla was literally a few days from bankruptcy,@elonmuskhad to put in all his money & assets," Pathole wrote on Twitter.

Responding to the tweet, Musk said it was the "crazy tough year".

"Payroll would otherwise have bounced two days after Christmas," he replied.

"That was a crazy tough year. Tesla financing closed at 6pm Christmas Eve - last hour of the last day possible. Payroll would otherwise have bounced two days after Christmas," Musk replied.

In 2008, Tesla was in dire need of cash to survive the recession.
Hyderabad, Oct 9 : Milad-ub-Nabi, the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad, was celebrated with gaiety and fervour in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana on Sunday amid tight security.

Processions, meetings, sermons, feeding of the poor, and feeling of religiosity marked the festival.

Thousands of people participated in the processions across Hyderabad, holding green flags and raising slogans in the praise of the Prophet.

The biggest Milad procession was organised by the Sunni United Forum of India (SUFI). The participants were carrying flags, standards and buntings which bore religious inscriptions and symbols.

The main procession started from Syed Quadri Chaman and pass through various parts of the old city including Falaknuma, Aliabad crossroads, Laldarwaza crossroads, Charminar, Gulzar House, Madina, Nayapul bridge, Salarjung Museum, Purani Haveli, Etebar Chowk before concluding at Volta Hotel Bibi Bazar.

Dozens of small processions were taken in other parts of old city and other Muslim majority areas in both twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Groups of youth took out bike rallies.

Religious organisations held different programmes to mark the occasion. Lectures were organised in several mosques. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) late on Saturday night organised an annual public meeting where a galaxy of religious scholars and faith leaders spoke.

Majlis-e-Tameer-e-Millat, a socio-religious organisation, also held its annual meeting on the occasion.

Police had made elaborate security arrangements to maintain peace. Most of the flyovers were also closed in the city in view of the processions.

Personnel of the Rapid Action Force and City Armed Reserve were deployed near the historic Mecca Masjid and other parts of the old city to maintain law and order.

Except Begumpet, Langar House, Dabeerpura and Lalapet flyovers and PVNR Express Way, all flyovers were closed for traffic from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Traffic restrictions were also imposed to relieve traffic congestion, to maintain smooth flow of traffic and ensure public safety.

The vehicular traffic was diverted at several places along the procession route.

In view of the processions in other parts of twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, traffic was diverted at various places in north zone, west zone, east zone and west central zone.

The Hyderabad police had also ordered closure of petrol pumps since Saturday night. However, AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi found fault with the move.

"Why the closure of petrol pumps only for this festival," he asked and said he would accept it if the police ordered the closure of petrol pumps during all festivals.
New Delhi, Oct 9 : Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal will attend the 4th National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) Investors' roundtable conference organised by Maharashtra Industrial Township Ltd (MITL) in Mumbai on Monday.

Besides prominent investors, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state Industries Minister Uday Samant and several Consul Generals are expected to attend the conference.

The conference will showcase the development of upcoming greenfield industrial cities across India, which have been planned by the NICDC.

Currently, four such greenfield smart industrial cities are being developed in Maharashtra in the districts of Aurangabad, Raigad, Satara, and Nagpur.

The conference is intended to facilitate a meaningful discussion among stakeholders and thus help in identifying various collaboration opportunities for investors.

NICDC is a special purpose vehicle that envisages to establish, promote and facilitate development of the NICDC programme, India's most ambitious infrastructure programme aimed at developing new industrial cities as "smart cities" and converging next generation technologies across infrastructure sectors.
Moscow, Oct 9 : Europe will feel the negative consequences of the rejection of Russian energy resources in the next 20 years, Press Secretary of the President of Russia, Dmitry Peskov said, RT reported.

"The Europeans kept repeating, like a mantra, that it was necessary to get rid of dependence on Russia for energy resources, oil and gas," he said.

As a result, in European countries today "production is being curtailed, de-industrialisation is on the way", he said.

"All this, and, probably, in the next 10-20 years, at least, will have very, very deplorable consequences for the European continent," Peskov said, RT reported.

Earlier, Oleg Tyapkin, director of the third European department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that Germany's complete refusal to import Russian gas within two years would lead to an economic crisis there.

Central heating will be restricted in Italy this winter, as it becomes the latest country to take action on European gas supply shortages sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, BBC reported.

Under a new government decree, buildings will face an extra fifteen days without central heating.

Italians will also be told to turn their heating down by one degree, and off for an extra hour a day.

Some buildings will be exempt, including nurseries and hospitals.

The move comes as governments across Europe look to reduce demand and shore up energy supplies ahead of winter, BBC reported.

Many were dependent on gas from Russia, which has been restricted following the war in Ukraine.

Before February's invasion, Italy was the second-largest importer of Russian gas in the EU, with imports making up 40 per cent of its total supply.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, Oct 9 : In a significant religious-political development, the Delhi State Akali Dal led by Paramjit Singh Sarna on Sunday united with the Shiromani Akali Dal.

Describing the development as "a turning point in Sikh and Punjab politics and a religio political game changer", SAD president Sukhbir Singh Babal appointed Sarna as president of the Delhi state unit of the party and asked him to lead the campaign to unite entire 'panth' under one Panthic flag.

He also asked Sarna to build units of the party in other states.

Sarna in his speech on the occasion lashed out against "the traitors and black sheep of the Sikh quom" and said "today's development had cast a pall of gloom over these stooges and their masters".

In his hard hitting speech, Badal also blasted the "traitors of the Panth who operated in Sikh garb to promote and implement the conspired the enemies of the Sikh quom".

"Devious conspiracies are at work to engineer a civil war in the Sikh community. Unity alone will defeat these conspiracies," he said, while thanking both Paramjit Singh Sarna and Harvinder Singh Sarna and their entire team and supporters for extending their unflinching support to this noble cause.

Badal said periods of crisis had always united the Khalsa Panth.

"Today, Khalsa Panth and its historic institutions are under attack from visible and hidden enemies who want to weaken the panth by breaking the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) by recognizing a separate gurudwara committee for Haryana. Unity is the historic need of the hour to fight external attack and internal sabotage," he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Paramjit Sarna said he had never left SAD and was still a soldier of the party.

"I have always worked for the welfare of the Panth and will continue to do so by way of the new responsibility bestowed on me today." He also said those who had betrayed SAD after contesting elections to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on the party ticket should seek forgiveness from the Panth as well as Guru Sahab and return back to the party fold.
New Delhi, Oct 9 : RJD chief Lalu Yadav's son and Bihar minister Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday left the party's executive meeting midway, alleging that a senior leader abused him.

Coming out of the party's two-day national executive meeting at the NDMC Convention Centre here, he said that Shyam Rajak abused him when he called the latter to know about the programme's timing.

"Shyam Rajak abused me, my personal assistant, and my sister today when I asked him about the meeting schedule. I have an audio recording, and I'll put it on my social media. Such BJP-RSS people should be thrown out of the organisation," he told media persons outside.

The RJD's two-day national convention began on Sunday. However, everything doesn't seem proper within the party as Bihar state President Jagdanand Singh skipped it.
Washington, Oct 9 : Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa was given a ceremonial military reception called the "Honor Cordon" at the US Department of Defense on October 4, just a little over a week after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar received the same during his recent visit.

Yashwant Raj Washington, Oct 9 (IANS) Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa was given a ceremonial military reception called the "Honor Cordon" at the US Department of Defense on October 4, just a little over a week after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar received the same during his recent visit.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken just hours before the latter hosted Jaishankar to a working dinner at his residence.

And Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif met US President Joe Biden at a reception the latter hosted in New York for visiting dignitaries from the member nations of the UN for the annual General Assembly meetings. The meeting was mostly a meet-and-greet that lasted no more than a few minutes, but it was infinitesimally longer than anything his predecessor Imran Khana managed with Biden; the two never met or spoke on phone and Khan capped this lack of a relationship with unfounded accusations that Biden engineered his ouster.

The US and Pakistan are mending their longstanding relationship that in its 75 years has scaled dizzying heights - the US declaring Pakistan a "Major Non-NATO Ally" and plumbed subterranean depths, when then US President Donald Trump accused Pakistan of "deceit" and "lying", and shut down all security aid.

"The new government in Pakistan created new opportunities for the two sides to explore greater cooperation. The environment had become prohibitively toxic during the end of the Imran Khan era, because of Khan's baseless accusations of a US conspiracy to oust him," said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert with Wilson Center, a top US think tank. "The floods--as horrible as they have been--did provide a silver lining as they provided a new spark for cooperation." But Kugelman cautioned against leaping to conclusions. "I don't think we should overstate the new momentum in relations, as encouraging as it's been in recent weeks. The ship may have been righted but the waters are still choppy and the skies are murky. The relationship's future is still unsettled. It's unclear if there is scope for continued security cooperation, especially related to counterterrorism in Afghanistan," he said.

A former White House official who dealt with South Asia said that the two sides are indeed fixing the relationship that "is both important and longstanding". But the official noted that Indias must not read this in zero-sum terms, the improvement in US ties with Pakistan doesn't come at the cost of US ties with India.

Many in India have reacted angrily, for instance, to the massive $450 million package proposed by the Biden administration for the maintenance of Pakistan's fleet of 52 F-16s fighter jets and see in it a slap on the wrists for India for its stand on the Russian invasion of Ukraine (India continues to buy massive amounts of discounted crude from Russia, which, the west believes, helps Moscow withstand sanctions).

"The US doesn't do foreign policy like that," the official said, scoffing at those in India who believe the F-16 package has something to do with India.

India has protested - both Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have publicly attacked it, although without linking it to Ukraine tensions. The Biden administration has shown no signs of a rethink on it and there is also no move to stop it yet in the US Congress, whose go ahead is needed for the proposal to go through. A move by the Obama administration in 2016 to sell eight F-16s to Pakistan at subsidised costs was killed by bipartisan opposition from both parties and in both chambers.

In another sign of a relationship on the mend is the absence of the cautionary appeal from the US from readouts of conversations and exchanges between the two sides - that Pakistan should act decisively against all terrorists and punish the Mumbai attacks masterminds who are all in Pakistan. It my have to do with the fact that Pakistan has met and fulfilled all conditions imposed by the Financial Action Task Force, a global watchdog against terror financing and money laundering.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
London, Oct 9 : Iranian school children were being arrested inside school premises on Sunday by security forces arriving in vans without licence plates, according to social media reports emerging from the country as the protests against the regime enter their fourth week, the media reported.

The authorities also shut all schools and higher education institutions in Iranian Kurdistan on Sunday -- a sign that the state remains concerned about dissent after weeks of protests over the death of a Kurdish 22-year-old Mashi Amini, The Guardian reported.

Footage showed protests in dozens of cities across Iran early on Sunday, with hundreds of high school girls and university students participating in the face of teargas, clubs, and, in many cases, live ammunition by the security forces, rights groups said. Tehran has denied that live bullets have been used, The Guardian reported.

On Saturday, Iran's main news channel was briefly hacked with images and messages in support of continuing protests being aired. Islamic Republic TV footage of supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, in a meeting with state officials was interrupted and replaced with images of dead protesters, The Guardian reported.

An image showing Khamenei in crosshairs and in flames was also aired during the interruption, for which the hacktivist group Edalat-e Ali claimed responsibility. The images were accompanied by the words "join us and rise up".

The semi-official Tasnim news agency confirmed that the state TV news broadcast "was hacked for a few moments by anti-revolutionary agents".

The scale of the continuing protests is disputed, with government officials claiming western backed media are giving a false picture of scattered gatherings that quickly dissolve once the security forces arrive.

But the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group said on Saturday that at least 185 people, including at least 19 children, have been killed in the nationwide demonstrations.

Supporters of the protests, sparked by the death of Amini after being arrested by the morality police in Tehran for not wearing the hijab correctly, say the persistence and originality of the often spontaneous demonstrations shows the depth of alienation among a younger generation to an elderly and socially reactionary ruling class that is out of touch with their values and attitudes, The Guardian reported.

Despite the pictures of vans arriving at schools, Mohammad Mahdi Kazem, an Iranian education minister said no expulsions from schools had been issued. He said parents of students involved in the protests are being contacted.

The Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, met with security officials to discuss how to make the clampdown more effective. Afterwards, Iran's deputy interior minister, Seyyed Mirahmadi said: "Yesterday, aside from Tehran and Sanandj, the country was completely peaceful -- From now on, those who are arrested in the riots will stay in jail until put on trial. They will be rapidly prosecuted and their sentences will be decisive and set as a deterrent." Business groups said the repeated internet black-outs being imposed by the regime on platforms such as Instagram is severely damaging business activity, with the sales of small to medium sized enterprises down between 40 and 70 per cent.

Security officials are nervous of relaxing the controls for fear of allowing protesters to send out live pictures of what is happening, as well as enabling them to remain in better contact with one another, The Guardian reported.
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 9 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday paid tribute to Marxist revolutionary Che Guvera on his 55th death anniversary.

"Che Guvera sacrificed his life to fight against imperialism and build a new era of socialism on the foundation of social justice and equality. He had an unwavering love of humanity and an unbreakable revolutionary spirit. My salutes to #Che Guvera on this day of his martyrdom," he tweeted.

The Kerala Chief Minister, currently on official tour of Europe, also stated that the revolutionary and iconic Marxist leader was a universal symbol of struggle against exploitation and oppression.

The CPI-M's Kerala unit, in a tweet, said: "Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, known to the masses simply as Che Guevara was brutally murdered by CIA- backed Bolivian armed forces on October 9, 1967." " Red Salute to the master of guerilla warfare, military theorist, incomparable leader, fearless soldier, and a staunch Marxist." The iconic revolutionary has a lot of followers in Kerala and in almost all campuses of Kerala, the SFI has painted the walls with Che's image.
He had been in Bollywood for over three years and appeared in over two dozen films, but the ones that stood out had him in cameos and the ones he starred in were flops. Then came the indignity of being removed from a film halfway for a more saleable star - and a disheartened Amitabh Bachchan was ready to quit Bollywood. However, three men - a pair of steadily-rising scriptwriters and a director - ensured that he not only remained in the industry but rose to the top.

And with "Zanjeer" (1973), prime movers Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, along with the initially reluctant Prakash Mehra, created a new Bollywood archetype, of the "angry young man", and Bachchan was picked to give its definitive shape. He was also lucky that most of the reigning top actors rejected this paradigm shift for some reason or the other, based on their quirks.

The script-writing pair of Salim-Javed had divined the time was ripe for a change in Bollywood from the usual romance and dancing films after heartthrob Rajesh Khanna, who had over half of 1971's top hits, delivered a string of flops in 1972, as Diptakirti Chaudhuri recounts in his "Written by Salim-Javed" (2015). Against the backdrop of rising discontent among public over prices, jobs and other maladies, they zeroed in on the "angry young man" who takes on the system.

In fact, Salim Khan, son of a police officer, had already the genesis of an idea even before he teamed up with Javed Akhtar, the son and nephew of noted Urdu poets, based on the tales his father told of dutiful police officers in the badlands of north and central India. What the duo did was to shift it into an urban setting and update it to the times.

They had prepared a script and convinced Mehra to take it on as his fifth film. However, they could find no hero for it. Dharmendra was initially interested but things did not work out between him and the director. Dilip Kumar liked the idea but considered the lead actor "uni-dimensional" and having no scope for "performance" (years later, he confessed to Salim that the picture was among the three he regretted not taking, as per Chaudhuri - the other two were "Baiju Bawra" and "Pyaasa").

Dev Anand was approached but found fault with the hero given no songs, while even the supporting character had one, and turned it down when his stipulation. Next was Raj Kumar, who had been a police officer in Bombay himself before entering films, but he also declined - a story that did the rounds then was that he rejected it as he could not stomach the mustard hair oil the director applied! Salim-Javed continued to espouse Bachchan's case but Mehra was not very happy, given his track record so far. However, the duo, who had twigged that Bachchan was only waiting the right opportunity to demonstrate his talent ("I don't know why the industry could not see what we thought was absolutely obvious - that Amitabh Bachchan was an exceptionally good actor!", Javed told Chaudhuri for the book), continued to espouse his case.

They had found an ally in veteran actor Pran, who was the first to be cast as Sher Khan. As the story goes, Pran's son, working with Ajitabh Bachchan in then Madras, was taken by the latter to see his brother's "Bombay to Goa", liked his performance and told his father - who agreed, and passed his recommendation, and Mehra finally agreed.

He later told an abortive Bachchan biographer (Jessica Hines) that he chose Bachchan because "I liked his voice and eyes, this worked with the character - a cop who speaks very little and has all his expressions in his eyes".

But, Salim-Javed still did not give up attempts to make their plan rock-solid. They, then approached Jaya Bhaduri, who was a top star - and getting close to Amitabh - and convinced her to be the heroine, thus enhancing the film's saleability.

The film was done but the distributors - the key element in a picture's release - were still wary. And here, Salim-Javed performed a stratagem.

Then working on the script of "Sholay" for the Sippys, they organised a special screening of "Zanjeer" - at their own expense - for them, and prevailed on them to sign up Bachchan for the epic, which was still being cast. This sent a tremendous message - if Bachchan was good for the Sippys, then, the others need not fear to take him.

"Zanjeer" was a hit eagerly needed for all parties and they were left satisfied.

Mehra was now sold on on Bachchan and gave him a string of films that have become Bachchan classics - "Hera Pheri" (1976), "Khoon Pasina" (1977), "Muqaddar Ka Sikandar" (1978), "Lawaaris" (1981), "Namak Halaal" (1982), "Sharaabi" (1984) - and the forgettable "Jaadugar" (1989).

(Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)
Banjul, Oct 9 : Police in Gambia are investigating the deaths of 66 children, which have been linked to four brands of imported Indian cough syrup, the media reported.

Senior officials from the Medicine Control Agency and the importers have been called for questioning, the President's Office said, the BBC reported.

President Adama Barrow said that the authorities would "leave no stone unturned" in the investigation, the BBC reported.

Gambians, angry about what happened, are wondering who is to blame.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a global alert over the four cough syrups -- warning they could be linked to acute kidney injuries and the children's deaths in July, August and September, the BBC reported.

The products - Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup - were manufactured by an Indian company, Maiden Pharmaceuticals, which had failed to provide guarantees about their safety, the WHO said.

The Indian government is also investigating the situation.

Gambian health officials and Red Cross workers are now going door to door, as well as to pharmacies and markets, searching for the syrups as well as other medicines.

More than 16,000 products have been located so far and have been taken away for destruction, a Red Cross official told the BBC.

On Friday, President Adama Barrow addressed the nation, expressing his regret for the loss of life saying that "the source of the contaminated drugs" would be investigated.

He announced plans to open a laboratory capable of testing whether medicines are safe and a review of relevant laws and guidelines for imported drugs.
New Delhi, Oct 9 : Congress party's presidential candidate Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said he will implement the Udaipur Declaration -- the party had adopted during its Chintan Shivir meet in May this year -- if he is elected to the top post of the grand old party.

Kharge on Sunday met the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates in Delhi.

The Congress had adopted the Udaipur Declaration on the final day of its three-day (May 13-15) Chitan Shivir in which it has demanded that caste census report should be made public, pressed for an MSP guarantee act, and that the party will reserve 50 per cent posts for people below 50, among others.

Interacting with the mediapersons here, Kharge said he is getting tremendous response from the delegates wherever he has been campaigning.

"I will try to implement the decision taken in Udaipur with the help of party colleagues and leaders," he said.

Kharge is contesting against Shashi Tharoor who is claiming to bring change in the party.

The senior Congress leader from Karnataka was in Srinagar in the morning while Tharoor was in Mumbai where he met the delegates.

For the Congress party's presidential polls scheduled to be held on October 17 polls, 67 booths have been set up in all the states, the party's central election authority (CEA) has said.

Madhusudan Mistry, chairman of the CEA, said: "In AICC also, there will be a booth, especially for all senior leaders, working committee members and all those whose identity card is from a different state but are staying in Delhi. If they write to us that they want to vote in Delhi then we will make arrangements here as well, they can also vote here in AICC." A camp booth will be set up for Rahul Gandhi and others who are participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The election will take place on October 17 in every state capital between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

All the ballot boxes will be brought to the AICC headquarters.

On October 19, the counting of votes will start and the result will be declared as soon as the counting gets over.
New York, Oct 9 : A case against Infosys by a former recruiter alleging that "to her shock" the tech giant discriminated against Indians, can proceed, a federal judge in New York has ordered.

Judge J. Paul Oetken, hearing the case in New York, threw out late last month requests by Infosys and its executives to dismiss the case.

The former recruiter, Jill Prejean, said in court papers seen by IANS that at Infosys she "consistently heard from at least a dozen partners, to her shock, that they preferred not to hire additional consultants of Indian national origin".

She has also alleged that she personally faced discrimination as a woman and because of her age when she was dismissed from her New York-based job.

Oetken said that Prejean had shown that there were sufficient grounds for the case alleging "unequal treatment based on her age and gender" by Infosys' three senior executives.

Prejean, who was hired in 2018 to help recruit "high-level executives and/or partners for Infosys", was "dismissed" the next year and it is believed she was "replaced by a younger, less qualified person", the complaint said.

The complaint said that although she worked for Infosys, she had been hired by a company called IT Associates Inc and was paid through them.

Her original complaint in 2020 only said that she was instructed to exclude women with children at home and people near or over the age of 50 from consideration for hiring.

But it was amended last year to include people of "Indian national origin" among victims of alleged discrimination.

It said that Prejean "consistently heard from at least a dozen partners, to her shock, that they preferred not to hire additional consultants of Indian national origin, that they wanted women without children at home, and candidates not approaching 50".

In their meetings, she "apprised the partners that they were advancing illegal criteria and that she would not act on them", the complaint said.

"These preferences were open and notorious and seemed to be the company culture," her complaint said.

The amended complaint also included as defendants Mark Livingston, the CEO of the consulting division, and vice presidents Dan Albright and Jerry Kurtz, while IT Associates appeared to have been dropped.

It said that "among the partners who endorsed illegal criteria were Defendants Kurtz and Albright, who expressly stated them to" her.

The complaint said Livingston "made good on his threats of retaliation" for raising various issues.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)
Agartala, Oct 9 : President Droupadi Murmu would visit Tripura on Wednesday, her first visit to the northeastern region after assuming the highest office, and flag-off a new passenger train in between Agartala and Kolkata, officials said on Sunday.

An official of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said that the President would flag off the Agartala-Kolkata passenger train on Thursday from the Agartala railway station.

Another Tripura government official said that during her two-day stay, Murmu would inaugurate the Judicial Academy and lay the foundation of the National Law University at Narsinghgarh, on the outskirts of Agartala.

The Tripura government would also accord a civic reception to the President, who would also virtually inaugurate and lay the foundation of many other projects in Tripura.
Guwahati, Oct 9 : Army troops swung into action to rescue six people from a car, which suddenly caught fire on the National Highway near Rayang in Assam's Dhemaji district, defence sources said on Sunday.

A defence spokesman said that prompt response by the team from Red Shield Division ensured timely evacuation of the five passengers and the driver besides dousing of fire which otherwise could have led to grave injuries to the civilians.

"The passengers under shock and trauma were moved to a safe location and traffic congestion building up near the site was restored to normalcy," he added.
Guwahati, Oct 9 : A alleged drug peddler was shot dead while trying to escape from police in Assam's Tinsukia district on Sunday, police said.

The incident happened in the Tongona area of the district. The deceased was identified as Binod Moran.

Superintendent of Police, Tinsukia, Debojit Deuri told IANS that in an anti-drug operation, four peddlers were arrested around 2 p.m., but among them, Moran tried to flee.

"While the police team opened fire, Moran sustained serious injuries and was immediately rushed to the nearby hospital. But, unfortunately, he was declared dead by the doctors," he added.

Police have seized narcotic substances of around 13gm in this operation and a few other materials were also recovered, the SP said.

The body of the deceased was sent for an autopsy.
Guwahati, Oct 9 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that "the era of insurgency in the state is history now", expressing confidence that peace in the northeast would provide a new fillip to the region's growth momentum.

"Insurgency was a major issue in the Northeast that was hindering the progress of the region on multiple fronts," the Chief Minister said while speaking at the 70th Plenary Meeting of the North Eastern Council in Guwahati.

He also spoke on the measures being taken to reach an amicable settlement to the inter-state border disputes in the northeast, adding that 50 per cent of Assam's boundary dispute with Meghalaya has already been resolved.

"Processes have been initiated to reach for a permanent solution to Assam's boundary dispute with Arunachal Pradesh," Sarma added.

He also stressed the need for collective efforts of governments of all the states of the northeast, if boundary dispute settlement is to be permanent and final.

The Chief Minister further said that initiatives such as Udan Scheme have lent new momentum to the communication scenario in the northeast.

"Improving the air-connectivity scenario between the states of the northeast would be a huge boost for the region in general." The meeting was also attended by Minister of DoNER G. Kishan Reddy, Minister of State for DoNER B.L. Verma, Assam and Nagaland Governor Professor Jagdish Mukhi, Governors and Chief Ministers of the States of the Northeast, along with a host of other dignitaries.
Washington, Oct 9 : Former President Donald Trump allegedly told his lawyers he was willing to return the classified materials found in his Mar-a-Lago residence for files he believed would expose the FBI's probe into his 2016 campaign's ties to Russia.

As National Archives officials pushed for Trump to return the files he had taken with him to Florida, he floated the idea to his lawyers that they should cut a deal with the department, the Daily Mail of London and other media outlets reported quoting a New York Times dispatch.

Trump didn't specify what files he wanted; he told his attorneys that there were documents that could "prove" the FBI's investigation was a "hoax". Trump's team, however, never acted on the idea because the government had a right to take back the documents Trump had brought with him to Mar-a-Lago.

Gary Stern, the top lawyer for the National Archives, began demanding Trump return the classified files from Mar-a-Lago in a letter in 2021. "It is also our understanding that roughly two dozen boxes of original presidential records were kept in the residence of the White House over the course of President Trump's last year in office and have not been transferred to NARA, despite a determination by White House Counsel Pat Cipollone in the final days of the administration that they need to be," he wrote as per the Times report.

Stern continued to hound Trump's team to return the documents throughout the year, and sources told the Times that Trump repeatedly claimed to his legal team that there was "nothing of consequence" inside the boxes, the Mail said.

Alex Cannon, a Trump lawyer, was reportedly worried that the files Trump took might contain documents sought in the January 6 inquiry or be classified material, which Trump's team did not have the proper security clearances to look after. It was when Cannon began pushing for the boxes to be returned in late 2021 that Trump pitched his idea of trading the documents for materials in the Russia probe.

The FBI raided Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate on August 8, retrieving 11,000 documents. Among the files taken were confidential records that Trump and his team did not have the clearance to hold or look over, the Mail said.

The documents recovered required such a high level of clearance, FBI agents and even senior members of President Joe Biden's administration were not allowed to view them, according to an explosive report from The Washington Post.

Cannon believed Trump had files sought after by the January 6 Senate Committee, and testified before the committee in June this year.

The former President has long contended that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation over claims Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election was a hoax made up by the FBI. After a nearly two-year investigation, Attorney General William Barr announced that Mueller did not uncover any evidence that the Trump campaign conspired with Russians to influence the 2016 election.

Though Mueller did not exonerate Trump on the question of whether or not he obstructed justice in the case, he didn't find enough evidence to recommend any such charges. Mueller deferred the decision to Barr who said he didn't see grounds for an obstruction case against the President. Barr said Mueller did refer some aspects of his investigation to other offices - likely including federal prosecutors for the Southern District of New York - but the Attorney General said that they had seen the last of the indictments from the special counsel.

Mueller's investigation did result in indictments for 34 individuals - seven of whom have been convicted so far - including some senior members of the Trump campaign (although none of the charges involved a conspiracy between the campaign and Russians).

However, in 2019, Mueller concluded that Trump and his campaign did not collude with Russians in order to improve his chances of beating Democrat Hilary Clinton, who faced scrutiny over her email servers. She was also cleared as having made a serious mistake by FBI Director James Comey but having transferred no classified documents on her private emails.

Comey was subsequently fired by Trump for not halting the Russia investigations even as he said the President was not under investigation but he only cautioned against the Russians could leverage material against him. His deputy was also fired. The Deputy Attorney General resigned and Mueller also resigned after months of conflict with Trump over the issue.

After fellow Trump lawyer Eric Herschman warned the former President that he could face legal troubles if he kept the documents, Trump reportedly went through the files in December. Although officials from the National Archives retrieved the boxes at Mar-a-Lago, they believed Trump was still in possession of more, the Mail said.

Trump allegedly told Cannon to pass on a message to the officials that everything had been returned, but Cannon refused.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Hyderabad, Oct 9 : Hyderabad police have seized unaccounted cash of over Rs.2.49 crore and apprehended three persons, officials said on Sunday.

Acting on credible information, the Commissioner's Task Force, West Zone team, along with Jubilee Hills police, intercepted one two-wheeler, near Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Jubilee Hills around 11 p.m. on Saturday, and found the two riders moving with a bag containing Rs 2,49,79,000.

On enquiry, the duo disclosed that they are working under Lalith who is a hawala operator and as per his instructions, they came to Jubilee Hills and received a cash bag from Botchu Ramu.

Police also took Botchu Ramu in custody and on enquiry he disclosed that as per the instructions of one of his colleagues, Pola Satyanarayana (who is now in Delhi), he received the said cash from one unknown person at Road No. 75,A Film Nagar, Jubilee Hills by showing one Rs 10 note bearing number 49B 847015. On the instructions of Satyanarayana, he had delivered the same cash to Sudhir Kumar Ishwarlal Patel and Ashok Singh.

As the arrested men failed to give proper account for this huge amount of cash, Jubilee Hills police seized the same under section 102 of Criminal Procedure Code and took three into custody. Later, they were let off after issuing notice under section 41 (A) of Criminal Procedure Code.

Lalith and Satyanarayana are still at large.

Botchu Ramu, manager, Boyance Infrastructure Bangalore, is a resident of KPHB, Hyderabad, and a native of Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh. Sudhir Kumar Ishwarlal Patel hails from Gujarat and Ashok Singh from Rajasthan, and both are hawala amount transporters.

A total of 1,500 notes of Rs 2,000 denomination and 43,958 notes of Rs 500 denomination were seized from the duo. The Rs 10 note used for authentication in this Hawala transaction was also seized along with two cell phones and a Suzuki Access.
Amidst throes of enthusiastic people of Jammu and Kashmir, waiting with open arms and with expectations gleaming in their eyes, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, arrived in the Union Territory with elan, last week.

Undeniably this was one of the most triumphant visits by any Indian Minister to Jammu and Kashmir especially with regards to the security situation.

Surely we are aware of how 13 people were killed overnight, on the eve of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the valley circa 2013. Such killings were an indication of a discontent people, trying to give a statement to the world - that India's ministers are not welcome to their land.

But this time, other than the bizarre homicide of DG, Prisons in Jammu, in what looked like a domestic dispute between an employer and his house help, no other incidents of civilian or security personnel killings were reported during this particular visit of Amit Shah.

All in all, a solid combination of efficiency of security personnel and locals who did not care to rebel against this visit, much unlike their rebellious or oblivious attitude to visits by other Union Ministers in the past.

That said, let's take a practical look at how this visit was perceived in its entirety.

"ST status to Paharis a distant dream- an illusion- an empty promise like all other statements by BJP" - this is one claim by the opposition.

"ST status to Paharis an agenda based announcement to create communal rift between the peacefully co-existing Pahari and previous ST communities, a strategy to divide Muslims of the valley" - is another claim.

"ST status to Paharis just a trick to grab Pahari votes" - is the third assertion.

Now let's examine if there's any weight to any of these.

The "illusion" theory stems from the fact that despite promising 7 lakh jobs after the erstwhile state was converted to a Union Territory, not much has been perceived on ground in terms of job generation. Over-emphasis on security based tactics, led to a huge footfall of tourists, but consequent tourism revenue doesn't incur as much credit to the BJP as it does to the security forces and Kashmir's own natural beauty.

Most infrastructure projects are witnessing on-project professionals being hired from outside the UT.

In fact, many of the jobs that existed since before the abrogation of Article 370, still await regularisation of wages.

Corruption and existence of opinionated anti-India employees positioned since the days of Hurriyat, are still rampant in government departments, leading to most decisions by the Centre in an executional state of limbo.

Needless to mention, the impact of Covid-19 pandemic which the economy is still trying to bounce back from.

However the opposition, in its most natural tendency, will not stop to consider the constraints faced by the BJP, and will most definitely rub it in the eyes of the Kashmiri public that the BJP just came up with yet another futile promise which will never see the dawn.

Moving on to the next next big assertion -that this is a master strategy to divide the Muslims of the valley. Well, the overdose of Hindutva narrative being run internationally against India, which has even managed to reach frail, impressionable minds of some Muslims in India, is doing the job of a catalyst in this theory. Gujjars and Bakarwals of the valley, for whom the controversial ST status and its benefits were reserved, will now be at loggerheads with the Pahari community, because of undesired competition, this is the basic observation of the opposition, which is trying to support the underconfident community. Throughout history, India's unregularizsd democracy has never allowed competition to thrive and political vote bank has always been magnetised by using the ace card of reservation. Which is why, I, a simple Indian Kashmiri Nationalist, being in the 'bhakt" category myself, a fan of Amit Shah and his iron fist policies, am a bit sceptical of this decision by my favourite leader.

Why reservation for a community of people- who are highly educated and holding respectable positions in urban areas of the UT? If upliftment of the rural Paharis was the challenge - then why not develop the border areas where they dwell? Good roads will increase trade prospects for them, skill training centres will make them efficient and self sufficient, giving a GI tag to the only consumable produce in their terrain - the Guchi Mushrooms - will make them prosperous agro-based entrepreneurs just like their counterparts in south Kashmir-the apple traders. Developing malls, multiplexes, maybe even a dedicated Filmcity like the NT Rama Rao film studio in Hyderabad, would have been the ideal modus operandi to generate jobs and tourist footfall- all within environmental preservation standards.

But it was quite disappointing, that Amit Shah too, resorted to the outdated "reservation" technique to amass popular support, rather than choosing the more challenging path - his natural style of leadership.

And finally - the statement by the opposition, that this is all, not because Amit Shah and his party really cares for Pahari people, but to attract Pahari votes. Well, this one is a miss! The BJP has always been idealistically nationalist, never compromised on nationalism come what may. It's ideological support to empower Indian Nationalists - whether employees in armed dorces, or authors/ public speakers who vividly support Indian nationalism or communities who have sacrificed their lives and generations to remain loyal to India- whether it is Kashmiri Pandits or Paharis, is no hidden fact. Surely same minds strike a chord - and this is the chord that connected Amit Shah with the fiercely nationalist Pahari community. Many of them are now openly supporting the BJP on social media. Pahari leaders from opposition parties, like Tanveer Ahmed Tantray from Peoples Democratic Party led by Mehbooba Mufti, are publicly acknowledging the hard fact, that they won't be surprised if BJP grabs all Pahari votes in the upcoming J&K elections.

Conclusively, Amit Shah remains the hero, with an iron fist to traitors and a loving hand to all those who love India, albeit he missed a great opportunity to truly empower the India-loving Pahari community who have low expectations but deserve far better than they are getting.

Yana Mir is a Srinagar-based journalist and social activist. All views are personal.
New Delhi, Oct 9 : A four-year-old was killed and nine others injured after the roof of a house collapsed in central Delhi's Lahori Gate on Sunday evening, police said.

The deceased was identified as Khushi.

The fire department said that they received a call at around 7.30 p.m. that the roof of a house had collapsed in Farsh Khana area of Lahori Gate.

Initially, five fire enginees were rushed to the spot and later on more were sent.

"Five persons who were trapped in the debris were rescued and were taken to the hospital. The rescue operation is still going on," an official said.

The local police also reached the spot to assist the fire fighters.

Later on, four more persons were extricated and sent to the hospital.

"Total nine persons were admitted to LNJP Hospital. Some of the injured were identified as Amara, 45, Nilofar, 50, Mohd Imran, 40, Sukhbir, 34, Ankit, 28, Ashok, 40, and Syed Zishan, 30. All are undergoing treatment," said the official.
New Delhi, Oct 9 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from West Delhi constituency Pavresh Singh Verma on Sunday called for boycotting the Muslims during the 'Aakrosh Sabha' organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) here.

The programme was held to discuss the stabbing of a 25-year-old youth Manish last Saturday.

According to sources, several other leaders including VHP's International Joint General Secretary Surendra Jain have also made controversial remarks during the event.

Referring to the incident of murder, Verma said he was killed by the "Jihadi elements". Three Muslim men were allegedly involved in the killing.

Addressing the people who attended the event, he called for boycotting the Muslims. During his speech, he also spoke of the Rohingya Muslims.

"Boycott them completely... don't buy anything from their shop, and don't give them any wages," he said.

Reacting to the BJP parliamentarian's statements, Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed tweeted: "... maybe due to this mentality, we were slaves of foreigners." "Bhagwan Bharat ki raksha kare (May God save India)," Ahmed's tweet in Hindi read.
Kathmandu, Oct 10 : Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari, who had been undergoing treatment at a hospital in the capital of Kathmandu, tested positive for Covid-19, a hospital official has said.

The president, who was admitted to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital on Saturday, tested positive for Covid-19 in a PCR test, Dr. Dinesh Kafle, executive director of the hospital, was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

"She was admitted to the hospital following a high fever, cough, headache and body ache," Kafle told the news agency. "On Sunday afternoon, she didn't have a fever but a dry cough. However, she is feeling better." According to Kafle, the president may need medical attention for a few more days at the hospital. "As she has been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, we are hopeful that no serious complication will arise in her health." Tika Dhakal, a media expert at the Office of the President, told Xinhua that the president had also undergone tests for dengue and seasonal flu but the reports were negative.

"Her health has much improved on Sunday compared with Saturday," Dhakal said.

The total confirmed active Covid-19 cases in Nepal stood at 570 by Sunday, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Bhopal, Oct 10 : With just two days for inauguration of 'Mahakal Lok', an expanded part of Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain, the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government is busy for making the occasion a mega event.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state Urban Development Minister Bhupendra Singh monitering all preparations.

As per the state government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil newly developed corridor of Mahakaleshwar temple named - 'Mahakal Lok' at 6:30 pm on October 11.

Prime Minister Modi, on the occasion, will also address a large gathering of devotees, including BJP workers following the inauguration.

As the inauguration of 'Mahakal Lok' would be probably the biggest event ahead of assembly elections in 2023, the ruling BJP seems leaving no stone unturned to make the occasion kick start its campaign for the upcoming state assembly elections.

The opposition Congress also joined in race to take credit for the project, which is being developed under the 'Shri Mahakal Maharaj Vikas Yojana' of the Madhya Pradesh government. The state Congress claimed that the project was initiated during 15-month tenure of Kamal Nath led state government.

"We are making this claim with facts, which is in public domain. This is an auspicious occasion for all of us but the fact is that the project was first initiated during the Kamal Nath-led Congress government. He had visited to Ujjain in August 2019 and then he had announced to allocate Rs 300 crore for this mega project. As a result, the work was started with establishment of a facility centre for pilgrims in December 2019. Not only this, but Kamal Nath government had allocated Rs 156 crore for Omkareshwar temple. We are putting facts and not for taking credit out of it. Mahakal knows all facts, so there should be no hide and seek," said Sangeeta Sharma, vice-president of Madhya Congress media cell.

On the other hand, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has appealed people to change display picture of their social media accounts with 'Mahakal Lok' in show of faith. In fact, the display pictures and background of all government websites, social media accounts have already been changed with the same. Amid all these, controversy broke out when Ujjain Municipal Commissioner Ansul Gupta, who was supervising the entire preparation, was suddenly transferred and another official was assigned the task.

Notably, the 'Mahakal Lok' has been designed with a new aura, which gives a glimpse of the entire cultural heritage of Ujjain. "Due to this many possibilities of tourism in Ujjain and Madhya Pradesh will increase at the international level. The city of Ujjain is already recognised all over the world as a cultural heritage, but with the construction of the Mahakal Lok, it will become the centre of attraction round the globe and will give a new identity to the entire state, the state goverment said.

On September 30, the Chief Minister had said, "After Kedarnath and Kashi Vishwanath, it would be a special occasion for Lord Shiva's devotees to witness the extension of Ujjain's Mahakaleshwar temple. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate 'Sri Mahakal Lok' at 6 p.m. on October 11. People visiting here will find a glimpse of Shiva Leela."
New Delhi, Oct 10 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from West Delhi constituency Parvesh Singh Verma on Sunday called for boycotting the Muslims during the 'Aakrosh Sabha' organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) here.

The programme was held to discuss the stabbing of a 25-year-old youth Manish in Delhi's Sunder Nagri area on October 1.

Referring to the incident, Verma said he was killed by the "Jihadi elements". Three Muslim men were allegedly involved in the killing.

According to sources, several other leaders including VHP's International Joint General Secretary Surendra Jain have also made controversial remarks during the event.

Addressing the people who attended the event, Verma called for boycotting the Muslims. During his speech, he also spoke of the Rohingya Muslims.

"Boycott them (Muslims) completely... don't buy anything from their shop, and don't give them any wages," he said during his speech.

Reacting to the BJP parliamentarian's statements, Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed tweeted: "... maybe due to this mentality, we were slaves of foreigners." "Bhagwan Bharat ki raksha kare (May God save India)," Ahmed's tweet in Hindi read.

Several remarks and statements made by the leaders during the 'Aakrosh Sabha' have been condemned by others also.
Entrepreneurs Andrew Read and Alex Nahai have received a provisional patent and utility patent pending status for an important new technology aimed at improving the mental health of its users.

Known as TOGETHR, the technology is a complex algorithm that aims to match individuals on social media based on commonly shared mental health conditions, and that further provides the same individuals with additional insight regarding their own mental dispositions by analyzing their own potential comorbidities.

Our hope is that by matching individuals based on where they are in terms of mental health, we can allow users to form deeper and more meaningful connections with one another, said Nahai.

Read added: we have found that todays social media landscape is actually toxic to mental health, and so we developed this algorithm in order to change the existing paradigm.

Backed by years of clinical research and practical application, TOGETHR analyzes individuals behaviors on social media across over 150 separate conditions and then presents those individuals with content likely to be relevant to their diagnosed (or undiagnosed) conditions, along with any potential co-morbidities.

During the second quarter of 2022, the founders of TOGETHR ran an extremely successful product validation campaign using Facebook as a method of gauging the interest of potential users. Advertisements for the technology generated a cost per lead of $2.01 USD, approximately ten times better than the technology industry average of almost $20.00 USD per lead. Furthermore, click through rates for the campaign were just over 2%, again twice the technology industry average click through rate for similar advertisements.

With offices in Los Angeles and London, the executive team of TOGETHR plan to publicly launch the technology in 12 months time.
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The Good Asian by Pornsak Pichetshote and Alexandre Tefenkgi (Image), a page-turning Chinatown noir graphic novel set in 1936 and in the anti-Asian bigotry of the period, was awarded the Harvey Award for Book of the Year; Squire by Nadia Shammas & Sara Alfageeh (HarperAlley), the tale of a young girl determined to be a warrior in a fantasy Middle-East, took the Harvey award for Best Childrens/YA Book; and celebrated comics writer Neil Gaiman was among four distinguished comics creators inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame during a boisterous and entertaining Harvey Awards Ceremony, held at the Javits Center on Friday night during New York Comic Con.

Named after the legendary cartoonist and editor Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards honor the best graphic works of the year. The awards ceremony returned as an in-person award ceremony this year for the first time since the 2019 New York Comic Con. This years gala event attracted a large and lively audience that didnt hesitate to roar its approval of many of the evenings emotional acceptance speeches.

Indeed, Broadway producer and comics writer Vivek Tiwary, presenter for the category, also accepted the Harvey award for Best Adaptation from a Graphic Novel, for Ms. Marvela streaming TV series about a Pakistani-American teen superheroine. Holding the Harvey statue high above his head, Tiwary praised the shows depiction of Partition (the 1947 British separation of India and Pakistan), exclaiming, my jaw dropped seeing Partition, a deeply moving event for brown people like myself, and I accept this award on behalf of brown people everywhere, in a rousing moment that would be followed by others.

Pichetshote expressed surprise that The Good Asianan inventive crime yarn rich in the history of Chinese American San Franciscowon, noting that Asian American history usually only gets one month a year. Naddia Shammas and Sara Alfageeh, cocreators of Squire, delighted the audience with their enthusiasm and passion as they left the stage after a stirring acceptance speech.

The evening reached an emotional peak during the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame inductions of Sandman creator Neil Gaiman, introduced and presented by his former Vertigo editor Karen Berger; and the induction of Marjorie Henderson Buell (1904-1993), the groundbreaking woman that created the Little Lulu comics strip in 1935, who was presented by Columbia University librarian and curator for comics and cartoons Karen Green, and by her son Fred Buell.

In her introduction of Gaiman, Berger recalled her first meeting with him during a trip to Britain in 1987 in search of new writers, describing him as a shaggy-haired guy in a black leather jacket, and an innovative thinker and world builder, who convinced her to let him create DCs wildly popular Sandman comic (and now acclaimed TV series). Gaiman quickly had the crowd laughing, describing his experience walking through a Sandman-themed activation, an immersive installation at New York Comic Con, filled with smoke and corny versions of his myth-like characters: How the fuck did we end up here?

Green described Little Lulu, Buells classic girl comics character, as one of the most powerful, female characters in comics history. Lulu, she said, undercut masculine superiority, outwitted exclusionary boys, rebelled against empty authority, she got her way, and she did it by her wits. Fred Buell, a professor at Queens college, described his mother as a social critic of the human comedy, a wonderful artist, and a subversive wit.

The rest of the Hall of Fame inductees included Roy Thomas, the editor and comics writer who followed Stan Lee to become editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics; and Gilbert Shelton, a key member of the Underground Comix movement and creator of the beloved stoner-favorite The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers.

Other Harvey winners included Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe (Webtoon) for Digital Book of the Year; Sweet Paprika by Mirka Andolfo (Image) for Best International Book; and Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto (Viz) for Best Manga.
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Jesse Ausubels work changed the course of my life. About 14 years ago, a friend of mine passed along Ausubels landmark 2007 essay, Renewable and nuclear heresies, in which he boldly  and rightly -- declared, Renewables are not green. He continued, writing that To reach the scale at which they would contribute importantly to meeting global energy demand, renewable sources of energy, such as wind, water and biomass, cause serious environmental harm. Measuring renewables in watts per square meter that each source could produce smashes these environmental idols. Nuclear energy is green.

After reading that piece, I decided that I needed to meet Ausubel. As I recall, it was in the fall of 2008. I was going to be in New York City, so I emailed him ahead of time asking if he was amenable. He graciously agreed to meet at his office at Rockefeller University at about 8:30 in the morning. On the morning of the meeting, I overslept. I remember waking up and looking at the clock and seeing that it was already 8:30. Horrified, I called Jesses office to see if we could move the meeting back by an hour or so. Jesse picked up the phone and quickly agreed to delay the meeting, but he warned me that the traffic was terrible because the United Nations was in session. That meant getting across town from my hotel on 6th Avenue to his office was going to be hard. Making matters worse, it was raining.

Nevertheless, I was determined to meet him. So I told Jesse that I was on my way. Rather than try to find a taxi, I put on some shorts and a windbreaker and ran to his office at Rockefeller University which was about 15 blocks away from my hotel. I distinctly remember arriving at his office, dripping wet and chastened by my tardy arrival. But Jesse could not have been more gracious.

My recollection of that long-ago meeting comes to mind because last month, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego announced that Jesse has been awarded the Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest. Previous winners of the Nierenberg prize include biochemist and Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna, filmmaker David Attenborough, and primatologist Jane Goodall. According to an announcement on the Scripps website, the prize is awarded annually by the Neirenberg family to honor the memory of William A. Nierenberg, an esteemed physicist and national science leader who served Scripps Oceanography as director for two decades.

It also quoted Nierenbergs daughter, Vicki Tschinkel, who said Jesse is renowned for creating colossal collaborations to answer diverse mega questions ranging from climate change to the Census of Marine Life to investigating the source of Leonardo DaVincis talent. His strength, brilliance and good nature invite participation and debate from all. The announcement continues, saying that Ausubel helped found and foster several organizations, including the Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO) and the Andrew W. Marshall Foundation. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for his environmental research, including the Blue Frontier/Peter Benchley prize for ocean science; membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; and Japans International Cosmos Prize, which he shared with other leaders of the Census of Marine Life project. In the spring of 2021, the website Academic Influence ranked Ausubel as the worlds tenth most influential earth scientist.

All of Jesses work has been inspiring. But his 2007 essay on renewables and nuclear energy changed the course of my career because it made me see the world of energy and power through the metric of power density, which is a measure of energy flow from a given area, volume, or mass. I now talk about power density in nearly every lecture that I give. In fact, I used it on Monday during a presentation in Scottsdale.

In his 2007 essay, Jesse wrote: Lets consider the renewable idols: hydro, biomass, wind and solar. As a Green, I care intensely about land-sparing, about leaving land for Nature. He then went on to document the power density of each source. But it was his focus on the low power density of wind energy that really caught my attention. The idol of wind evokes much worship. The basic fact of wind is that it provides about 1.2 watts per square meter or 12,000 watts per hectare of year-round average electric power.

Ausubel went on to predict the current-day backlash against covering large parts of the desert Southwest with solar panels. Painting large areas with efficient, thus black, absorbers evokes dark 19th-century visions of the land. I prefer colorful desert to a 150,000 km2 area painted black. Some of the efficient PVs contain nasty elements, such as cadmium. Wind farms irritate with low-frequency noise and thumps, blight landscapes, interfere with TV reception, and chop birds and bats. At the Altamont wind farm in California, the mills kill 4060 golden eagles per year. Dams kill rivers... Lets stop sanctifying false and minor gods and heretically chant Renewables are not Green...How then can we meet more stringent consumer demands and stay on course for decarbonization? The inevitable reply is nuclear energy.

In the years since Ausubels essay, I have written many articles about the land-use conflicts that are limiting the growth of renewable energy. In the Renewable Rejection Database, I have documented more than 370 rejections of Big Wind and some 90 rejections of Big Solar. Those rejections reflect the surging opposition in states from Maine to Hawaii to the landscape-blighting, viewshed-destroying impact of large renewable projects. All of those rejections are a direct result of renewables low power density.

I will end by repeating a line from Ausubels 2007 essay. I care intensely about land-sparing, about leaving land for Nature. Throughout his long career, he has demonstrated enormous curiosity, intense caring about nature, and an inspiring work ethic. More than anyone I know in the science field today, Jesse Ausubel richly deserves the recognition that comes with the Nierenberg Prize. And today, some 13 years after our rather awkward first meeting, Im proud to call him a friend.

Robert Bryce is the host of the Power Hungry Podcast, executive producer of the documentary, Juice: How Electricity Explains the World, and the author of six books, including most recently, A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations. Follow him on Twitter: @pwrhungry.
Scorched Earth, a new documentary by filmmaker Mi Young Lee, examines the U.S. campaign of mass airstrikes during the 1950-53 Korean War, a devastating aerial bombardment that leveled much of North Korea.

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The film, which premiered at the Busan International Film Festival on Saturday, is based on declassified U.S. military reports from over a million aircraft sorties, archival footage and testimonies from Korean survivors.

It paints a damning picture of the scorched-earth policy that used overwhelming air superiority against not just military targets but cities, villages, industrial facilities and dams -- as well as civilians in both North and South Korea.

Lee, a South Korean director and teacher based in Halifax, Canada, told UPI that the inspiration for this project came during the "fire and fury" period of 2017, when nuclear tensions were sky-high between the United States and North Korea.

"Friends and acquaintances in Canada asked me a question: why does North Korea hate the U.S. so much?" Lee said in an interview at the Busan festival.

"I was able to only give them very simple answers but I knew I needed to learn more about this history," she said. "I started to read Korean War history books and wanted to research more, and I ended up at the National Archives in D.C."

There she found troves of declassified material, including previously unreleased pilot mission reports that document or correlate accounts of bombings and strafing runs -- such as attacks on North Korean refugees crossing the Imjin River on Jan. 1, 1951.

"I think the U.S. government didn't know what kind of evidence was in those documents," she said. "It wasn't even organized -- just tons of papers in boxes, like finding a needle in a haystack."

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The United States has never acknowledged a policy of targeting civilian populations during the Korean War. The Pentagon's 2001 investigation of a July 1950 wartime civilian massacre near the South Korean village of No Gun Ri concluded the killings were "not deliberate." (Scorched Earth starts with footage from a press conference by defense officials announcing the findings.)

In all, American planes dropped 635,000 tons of bombs on Korea -- including 32,557 tons of napalm -- more than was dropped in the entire Pacific theater of World War II. The majority of the war's victims were civilians, with as many as two million killed.

For the film, Lee pieced together the written records of the bombing campaigns with U.S. military film footage, some previously unseen, as well as newsreels and propaganda clips of the time.

She also turned to survivor accounts compiled by South Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which operated from 2005-10 and conducted investigations of civilian massacres during the Korean War.

Snippets of testimony are read in voiceover by South Korean students, with gruesome recollections of victims set ablaze by napalm, rolling in the dirt and crying out for water.

There are no Ken Burns-style reenactments, on-camera interviews or historians providing context in Scorched Earth. Instead, the film weaves an impressionistic tapestry of text, graphics and voices over grainy footage and an ominous, pulsating score -- an avalanche of information that at times overwhelms the emotional impact of the narrative.

The Korean conflict is often called the "forgotten war" in the United States but Lee argues that much about it has been systematically hidden, not just by Washington but Seoul as well.

For decades after the war, South Korea stifled public claims of civilian attacks under its draconian National Security Law -- creating a culture of silence that Lee said extended to her own grandmother, who lost three children to an airstrike.

"While I was researching all these records, I remembered my family's story, where my grandmother lost all three of her children during the war," Lee said. "My family never talked about it, I just vaguely heard it when I was a kid. It motivated me even more to complete this project."

Lee said she is currently working on a second film that focuses on specific airstrikes in South Korea and incorporates contemporary interviews with survivors, some of whom attended the Busan screening on Saturday.

"The immense sacrifice of these victims has almost been forgotten," Lee said. "This history should be spoken [about]. It's been 70 years, and while the Korean War survivors are still alive I think their stories should be made public. I think they want that, too."

Scorched Earth does not yet have a commercial release date. Lee said she plans to enter it on the festival circuit in North America.
As the temperature rose on Saturday afternoon, so did the voices of hundreds of people in the heart of downtown Athens. Following the June 24 Supreme Court decision, hundreds of people packed into College Square to show their dissatisfaction and disgust with the ruling.
The Georgia midterm elections take place on Tuesday, Nov. 8. All polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day. Early voting begins on Monday, Oct. 17 at 8 a.m and closes on Friday, Nov. 4 at 5 p.m., although times may vary depending on polling location.
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
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.
A view of the opening day of the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, June 13, 2022.

Vietnam is mounting an assertive campaign to win a seat on the United National Human Rights Council in an Oct. 11 vote, but critics say Hanoi's poor record at home and diplomatic support for major rights violators abroad disqualify the one-party state.

Fourteen seats on the 47-member Council will be filled by the U.N. General Assembly full-member vote. The highest human rights body has long faced criticism that countries seen as major rights abusers are members who team up to shield each other from scrutiny.

Critics say Hanois record of cracking down on journalists, activists and social media commentators makes it a poor choice for the Council. And they say Vietnam would join the bloc of countries that block Council action on major crises, as it did in its previous 2014-16 term.

There is little doubt that Vietnam will be a problematic, highly negative influence on the Human Rights Council if it is elected to the 2023-2025 term, said Phil Robertson, deputy director of the Asia division at Human Rights Watch (HRW).

In fact, at every opportunity, Vietnam does not hesitate to show its contempt for international human rights law, and if they get a seat, it's highly likely they will seek to undermine meaningful actions by the Council, he told RFA.

Tuesdays vote in New York comes days after China and its allies on the 47-member Council defeated a U.S. proposal that the Council hold a debate on a recent report by the bodys rights chief on abuses in Chinas Xinjiang region.

Vietnam has conducted an intense propaganda and lobbying drive to support its effort to be elected to the Council.

On Sept. 30, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh approved a huge public relations campaign intended to boost the countrys reputation in the human rights field. Under the project, all Vietnamese state agencies will regularly provide human rights information to the media by 2028, while state officials working in the field will receive communications training.

Over the past month, state media have touted what they say are Vietnams human rights achievements and criticized the international communitys accusations of rights violations in the Southeast Asian country.

Vietnamplus, an online newspaper, recently ran two stories titled Vietnam attaches importance to international cooperation in human rights protection and Vietnam ready to contribute further to UN affairs.

The Voice of Vietnam online newspaper, meanwhile, ran a story titled Vietnam pledges to make active contributions when becoming member of the UN Human Rights Council.

'Unworthy' candidate

Human rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai, a former political prisoner who now lives in Germany, said Vietnam was seeking Council membership for the 2023-25 term to boost its standing.

Authoritarian governments often try their best to join the United Nations agencies, including the Human Rights Council, so that they can use it to tell people inside their country that accusations of their human rights violations are inaccurate, he told RFA.

The fact that the Vietnamese Communist government has made every effort to become a member of the Human Rights Council is for political purposes only, he told RFA. They will not make any contributions to protect the human rights of their own people as well as of other peoples in the world.

In April, a coalition of eight organizations from inside and outside Vietnam, including the Vietnam Human Rights Network, Human Rights Defenders, Dai Viet Quoc Dang and the Vietnam Independent Journalists Association, sent an open letter to the U.N. calling on it to reject Vietnam as a Council member for the next term. They said the country was unworthy because of its poor human rights record and support for Russias invasion of Ukraine.

On Oct. 3, three NGOs  UN Watch, Human Rights Foundation and the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights  jointly issued a report on rights abuses by the 14 candidate countries, including Vietnam, to circulate to U.N. diplomats.

The report says that the rights situation inside Vietnam has not improved.

It noted that when Vietnam served on Council from 2014-16, it opposed resolutions supporting rights victims in Belarus and Iran and failed to support resolutions on behalf of rights victims in Burundi and Syria.

Another coalition of rights NGOs groups from Europe, the U.S. and Canada has called on U.N. member states to oppose the election of Vietnam, Afghanistan, Algeria, Sudan and Venezuela, countries deemed unqualified because of their grim human rights records and voting records on U.N. resolutions concerning human rights.

London-based Amnesty International said Vietnams efforts to be elected to the Council flew in the face of the facts on the ground.

Vietnamese authorities should show that they are willing to uphold international human rights standards, but nothing could be further from the reality on the ground, where the government continues to pass laws that restrict freedom of expression and association while promoting a climate of fear among people who dare to speak out, an Amnesty spokesperson told RFA.

Getting worse in Vietnam

Nguyen Dinh Thang said human rights in Vietnam had worsened since the countrys nomination as a Council member in April 2021.

A further stain on the countrys human rights record was its vote against a resolution to dismiss Russia from the Council for invading Ukraine, he said.

Vietnam does not deserve membership after years of rounding up its critics, said attorney Nguyen Van Dai.

Over the past four years, Vietnam has arrested many political dissidents who only had exercised their freedom of expression and press freedom, he said.

There are more than 100 political dissidents in jail, most of whom openly criticized the government for wrongdoings, including corruption and rights violations, though none of them opposed the state, Dai said.

They only raised social issues which were completely true, he said. Almost all of them only commented on and analyzed the issues raised by state media. They did not collect the information from somewhere or provide inaccurate information about the Communist government of Vietnam.

Vietnam is currently detaining 253 prisoners of conscience, according to the rights group Defend the Defenders, though the organization said it believes that the actual number is higher. Prisoners charged with sabotaging the national solidarity policy and religious prisoners comprise the largest number of detainees, while about 100 belong to ethnic minority groups, the organization said.

The U.S. State Departments 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Vietnam, issued on April 12, says Vietnam is an authoritarian and one-party ruled country whose National Assembly elections are neither free nor fair, with limited competition among candidates nominated by the CPV.

Vietnams chances of getting a Council seat are low, because there are six candidate countries from the Asia-Pacific region vying for a place, and Malaysia will hold its current Council seat until late 2024, said Nguyen Dinh Thang.

Countries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are usually elected to only one of the Councils 47 seats, he said.

I think this year, Vietnam has less chance of winning than during the previous time as it was the only candidate then, he said.

But Attorney Nguyen Van Dai said simple math made it very likely to win a seat representing Asia-Pacific countries on the Council.

The Asian region only nominated a sufficient number of nominees, and not more than the allocated slots, he said.

Council membership would be a helpful propaganda victory for Hanoi, said Nguyen Dinh Thang, director of Boat People SOS, a Vietnamese human rights advocacy organization.

People would think that you must have been good enough to be selected, he told RFA That's the image they want to show, especially to people in the country.

Translated by Anna Vu for RFA Vietnamese. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that a massive explosion which damaged a crucial bridge linking Russian-occupied Crimea and the Russian mainland was a "terrorist" act organized by Ukrainian special services.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, Russian protests, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

"There is no doubt. This is an act of terrorism aimed at destroying critically important civilian infrastructure," Putin said in a video on the Kremlin Telegram channel on October 9 without providing details or evidence.

"This was devised, carried out, and ordered by the Ukrainian special services," he said.

Putin's comments came after he met with Aleksandr Bastrykin, the head of Russia's Investigative Committee, to discuss the findings of an inquiry into the October 8 explosion and fire on the 19-kilometer, $3.6 billion Crimea Bridge.

Bastrykin claimed that Ukrainian special services were aided by citizens of Russia and other countries in the attack, saying a truck suspected in the bombing had been to Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, and Russia's North Ossetia region and Krasnodar, among other places.



Earlier in the day, Russian divers began examining the bridge to determine the cause of the blast.

Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the explosion that sent one span of the bridge's highway section tumbling into the Kerch Strait and damaged the rail section.

But the blast has become a major morale boost for Ukrainian soldiers and civilians and a humiliating blow to Putin's prestige.

The bridge, constructed by Russia after its seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, is seen as a key route for supplies to the territory and for supporting Russian forces fighting in southern Ukraine. The bridge has also been used by the Kremlin as a symbol of its control over Crimea.

Russian news agencies reported that divers would begin work in the morning of October 9 before an inspection above the waterline is conducted later in the day.

The Russia-installed governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said on Telegram on October 8 that cars were being allowed to travel on one lane of the highway after a full inspection, but truck traffic was not being allowed. He said that the situation was "under control" and urged people in Crimea to remain calm and said those who wish to travel to Russia could travel for free by ferry.

"The situation is manageable -- it's unpleasant, but not fatal," Aksyonov told reporters. "Of course, emotions have been triggered and there is a healthy desire to seek revenge."

Aksyonov also said that Crimea has a month's worth of fuel and more than two months' worth of food, while the Defense Ministry has said that its forces fighting in occupied areas of southern Ukraine will be "fully supplied" by way of existing land and sea routes.

Kyiv, which has made significant military gains in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories in recent weeks, has demanded that Russian forces leave the Crimean Peninsula.

Russia last month annexed the partially occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson in Ukraine's south and east and has since pulled back its forces in multiple regions in the face of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

On October 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Federal Security Service to take charge of security measures for the Crimea Bridge and other infrastructure on the peninsula.

It remains unclear who was behind the bridge explosion or if it did involve a truck. Russian authorities have alleged that the truck they say carried the bomb was traveling from Russia's Krasnodar region to Crimea.

With reporting by Reuters, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, RFE/RL's Russian Service, and Current Time.
Germanys foreign minister has called on the European Union to slap new sanctions on Iran for what she described as Tehrans brutal repression against anti-government protesters in several Iranian cities.

Annalena Baerbock was quoted on October 9 as telling the Bild Am Sonntag newspaper that those who beat up women and girls on the street, carry off people who want nothing other than to live freely, arrest them arbitrarily, and sentence them to death stand on the wrong side of history.

Baerbock said, without citing specific individuals, that we will ensure that the EU imposes entry bans on those responsible for this brutal repression and freezes their assets in the EU."

"We say to people in Iran: We stand and remain by your side.

Protests and crackdown violence have struck Iran in recent weeks as demonstrators angry over the death of a young woman detained over the Islamic dress code continued to defy officials' warnings of tough punishments to stem the unrest.

Mahsa Amini died on September 16, three days after being detained by morality police because of "improperly" wearing the hijab, a head scarf that is mandatory for women in Iran to wear while in public.

It remains unclear as to what caused Amini's death. Critics blame police brutality, while the authorities say she died of heart failure.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Tehran authorities of employing excessive repressive measures, including lethal force, against participants in the nationwide protests. Rights groups say that up to 185 people have been killed in the crackdown.

EU lawmakers have approved a resolution calling for sanctions against those responsible for the death of Amini and the violent crackdown.

Based on reporting by Reuters, dpa, and AP
Activists in Iran have disrupted a live state television broadcast by airing images and messages in support of continuing protests against the government and the country's strict hijab law requiring women to wear head scarves.

Islamic Republic TV footage of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meeting state officials was interrupted briefly on October 8 and replaced with images of slain protesters and 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, whose death in police custody last month after being arrested for not wearing a head scarf sparked protests across the country.

An image showing Khamenei in crosshairs and in flames was also aired during the interruption, for which the hacktivist group Edalat-e Ali took credit. The images were accompanied by the words "join us and rise up."

The semiofficial Tasnim news agency confirmed that the state TV news broadcast "was hacked for a few moments by anti-revolutionary agents."

Hassanein Haddad, a spokesman for Iran State Radio and Television, said that the incident was not a hack, but an act of "vandalism and infiltration" from within the channel itself.

The protests, which erupted around the country after Amini's death on September 16, continued in Tehran and other cities on the night of the broadcast.

Labor strikes were also reported in Kurdish-majority regions on October 8, including in the city of Sanandaj, where two protesters were reportedly shot dead. Security forces were also accused of opening fire in Saqez.

The Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights says at least 185 protesters have been killed by the security forces, including at least 19 children, as the protests enter their fourth week.

Amid the growing unrest, Iranian political leaders held a crisis meeting on October 9 to discuss the situation, the presidential office said.

The meeting included President Ebrahim Raisi, the parliamentary speaker, and the judiciary head, the office said.
REZINA-RABNITA CHECKPOINT, Moldova -- Early on a recent Monday morning, a column of trucks loaded with tons of scrap metal crowded the road to a checkpoint denoting the start of separatist-held territory in eastern Moldova.

Beyond it lay a bridge to the city of Rabnita and its Moldova Steel Works (MMZ).

Squat on a mostly flat horizon, the plant is near the east bank of the Dniester River that serves as a de facto boundary between the breakaway region of Transdniester and the rest of the country.

Access from the west is limited to a lone concrete bridge that vibrates perceptibly as each of the trucks is allowed to cross, one at a time.

From there, the drivers navigate through the city of around 50,000 residents to the steel works on its northeastern edge.

The stream of weekday traffic is a nuisance to locals on both sides of the river here, about 100 kilometers north of the Moldovan capital of Chisinau and just 10 kilometers west of the Ukrainian border.

But it's not nearly as concerning to them as the smoke that belches out of the plant's half-dozen or so candy-striped chimneys and contributes to a haze that sometimes blankets low-lying areas.

"All evening long, we see what's going on there, what's smoking and what the factory consumes," a woman in Rezina, a village on the Chisinau-controlled side of the bridge, told RFE/RL's Moldovan Service.

Patience is running out, particularly as locals' fears mount that authorities are trading away their health in exchange for cheaper energy and to avoid further irritants in relations with the breakaway territory, one of several "frozen conflicts" in the post-Soviet region.

"I don't know how people live there," the woman, who did not want to be identified, said. "I think our state has to take measures to make people healthy, both from their side and from our side."

It's another on a long list of grievances crisscrossing an unrecognized border that separates a mostly Russian-speaking sliver of Moldova from the rest of Europe's poorest aspiring EU member.

Nearly half a million of Moldova's 3 million-plus people live in the separatist area, according to breakaway authorities' figures that are difficult to independently verify.

Making An Exception

The country's Commission for Exceptional Situations recently granted MMZ its fifth derogation, or exemption, from environmental legislation on waste management and emissions that might otherwise shut down the plant.

Inspectors have reported irregularities that appear to confirm locals' complaints, including violations spotted in March and again in August. The director of the Environmental Protection Inspectorate, Ion Bulmaga, told RFE/RL that the metal works should eliminate the problems and reapply for environmental permits.

Environment Minister Iuliana Cantaragiu last month called the latest exemption a cost of "broader negotiations to benefit" all Moldovans. She implied it was a trade-off for electricity produced at a thermal power plant, at Cuciurgan, on the separatist side of the Dniester.

"It's our choice, as a society, whether we want to pay twice as much for electricity or not," Cantaragiu said. "If we're ready to do that, then we refuse the authorization."

Political tensions underlying the breakaway efforts make reporting in separatist-held areas difficult, including for RFE/RL's Moldovan Service.

The outgoing head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation In Europe's (OSCE) mission to Moldova, Claus Neukirch, told RFE/RL before the end of his mandate in September that the MMZ's leadership recognizes that it needs investments to improve its outdated equipment and meet environmental standards, particularly if it wants to import scrap metal from the European Union.

"But it's a long-term process," Keukirch said. "I hope that this process will take place, because it is in the interest of the people who live in Rabnita and those who work there that the metallurgical plant operates in accordance with ecological regulations."

Moldova is heavily dependent on electricity and fossil fuel imports, including natural gas that comes almost exclusively from Russia, which has better relations with separatists in Transdniester than with Chisinau.

Moldova's efforts to diversify have gained momentum since Russian troops began their full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February, accelerating Chisinau's EU bid and feeding concerns that Moscow might also have military designs on Moldova.

'Many Diseases Have Multiplied'

In addition to the metal works, Rezina and Rabnita each host large cement mills.

The head of a local health-care facility in the village of Mateuti, a few kilometers west of the Dniester, said illnesses there have multiplied, although she did not provide accompanying data.

"Obviously they produce emissions, including smoke, that spread throughout the region. Obviously this also affects people's health," the health director, Aliona Peru, said. "We can say clearly and for certain that many diseases -- both oncological and of the respiratory system [or] the gastroenterological system -- have multiplied. Also, in the last year, the number of allergic conditions has increased a lot."

Mateuti's air-quality monitoring station has been out of operation since 2018.

Alecu Renita, the president of the Ecological Movement of Moldova, an NGO, said a lack of access to basic information about the steel mill's operations is a big problem.

He said its technology appears to be from the Soviet-era and "in the Soviet Union, environmental issues were not in the foreground." Renita argued that the mill should be rebuilt from the ground up with modern, nonpolluting technology.

"I'm convinced that both the Rabnita metal works and the Cuciurgan Thermal Power Plant are two huge sources of pollution for the Republic of Moldova," Renita said. "Unfortunately, the state institutions haven't done a complex monitoring of this area."

The leadership of MMZ failed to respond to a request for comment by RFE/RL's Moldovan Service before this article was published.

On its website, the company says it does all it can to prevent the discharge of pollutants and to minimize, disinfect, and dispose of its industrial waste.

The steel works is among the top three contributors to separatist Transdniester's budget.

Breakaway authorities in Tiraspol, the unrecognized capital of Transdniester, reported the plant's sales at around $432 million at the end of last year, representing nearly half of Transdniester's total exports.

None of those revenues, or the taxes on them, find their way to the Moldovan budget.

Written by Andy Heil based on reporting by RFE/RL Moldovan Service correspondent Virginia Nica
Russian air strikes have destroyed almost one-third of Ukraine's power stations since October 10, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on October 18 as Moscow launched a fresh wave of air attacks that hit Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, targeting residential areas and energy infrastructure.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, Russian protests, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

Zelenskiy tweeted that the attacks had caused massive blackouts across Ukraine and that there was "no space left for negotiations" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Another kind of Russian terrorist attacks: targeting (Ukraine's) energy & critical infrastructure. Since Oct 10, 30 [percent] of Ukraines power stations have been destroyed, causing massive blackouts across the country. No space left for negotiations with Putin's regime," Zelenskiy wrote.

The Kyiv prosecutor's office said two people were killed in the October 18 strikes in the Ukrainian capital after five others lost their lives in drone attacks the previous day.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance will deliver air-defense systems to Ukraine in the coming days.

Speaking at a security conference in Berlin, Stoltenberg said the systems would help Ukraine defend itself against attacks, including by drones made in Iran that have been used in a new wave of lethal kamikaze drone strikes across the country.

"The most important thing we can do is deliver on what allies have promised, to step up and deliver even more air-defense systems," Stoltenberg said.

Earlier on October 18, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office, said there had been three Russian strikes on an unspecified energy facility in northern Kyiv.

"The situation is critical now across the country. It's necessary for the whole country to prepare for electricity, water, and heating outages," Tymoshenko told Ukrainian television.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the attack was on "critical infrastructure."

The northern Ukrainian city of Zhytomyr was left without water and electricity supply after Russian air strikes, but its mayor told RFE/RL that the services had been largely restored.

"Around noon, we connected the main sewage plant, and the water supply was more or less operational. Currently, approximately 80 percent of the city has electricity, but the central part of the city remains without it," he said.

Russian troops also shelled energy facilities in Dnipro and blasts were reported in Kharkiv.



Explosions also shook the cities of Kriviy Rih and Mykolayiv, local officials said, a day after Russia launched waves of kamikaze drone strikes that killed at least seven people, four of them in Kyiv, and damaged infrastructure in the Ukrainian capital and several other cities across the country.

"Kriviy Rih. Explosions in the northern part of the city. We are in shelters," Oleksandr Vilkul the head of the central Ukrainian city's military administration said on social media, adding that so far there were no reports of casualties or damage.

In the southern port of Mykolayiv overnight shelling killed at least one person, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkovych said early on October 18.

The same day, British intelligence identified the drones used by Russia in the attacks as being Iranian-made.

In its daily intelligence bulletin on October 18, the British Ministry of Defense said that Russia's heightened tempo of long-range strikes over the past week against targets across Ukraine included so-called kamikaze drones provided by Iran.

"[Strikes] have been conducted by cruise missiles, air defense missiles in a surface-to-surface role, and Iranian-provided Shahed-136 one way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles," British intelligence said.

U.S. President Joe Biden's spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, told reporters that the White House strongly condemns Russias missile strikes and said the attacks continue "to demonstrate [Russian President Vladimir] Putins brutality.

She said the United States "will continue to impose costs on Russia, hold them accountable for its war crimes."

The United States, Britain, and France agreed that Iran supplying drones to Russia would violate a UN Security Council resolution that endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six powers.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on October 17 that more than 100 such drones had struck Ukraine in the past week, hitting power stations, sewage treatment plants, bridges, and playgrounds.

"A third of Ukraine's energy infrastructure was affected," a ministry statement said.

Both Russia and Iran have repeatedly denied that Iranian drones are being supplied to Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on October 18 that Moscow had no information about whether or not Iranian drones were used in attacks against Ukraine earlier this week.

On October 17, Iran also stuck to its denial that it is supplying the drones to Russia, while the Kremlin has not commented.

Asked for comment, the Iranian mission to the United Nations repeated a statement issued by the government on October 14 that said it supports upholding the UN Charter and the UN attempts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine.

The United States warned on October 17 that it would "not hesitate to use sanctions or take actions" against companies and countries working with Iran's drone program.

"Anyone doing business with Iran that could have any link to UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) or ballistic missile developments or the flow of arms from Iran to Russia should be very careful and do their due diligence -- the U.S. will not hesitate to use sanctions or take actions against perpetrators," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

"Russia deepening an alliance with Iran is something the whole world -- especially those in the region and across the world, frankly -- should be seeing as a profound threat," Patel said.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa, and AFP
Four days after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the order to mobilize hundreds of thousands of men to fight in Ukraine, Aleksandr Koltun, a 35-year-old father of six, showed up at the local draft board office in the Siberian city of Bratsk and presented himself for service.

He, and a batch of other conscripts, were sent later that day to Novosibirsk for further preparations for deployment.

Nine days later, his relatives said, he was dead.

"My daughter-in-lawtold me, she called me in tears in the middle of the night and said that Sasha had died," Koltun's mother, Yelena Gudo, said, using Aleksandr's familiar, affectionate name.

Russia is continuing to ramp up its mobilization efforts, a massive campaign aimed at shoring up the faltering, seven-month war in Ukraine and, by extension, the credibility of the Kremlin. Tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of Russians are being called up under the process.

By all accounts, the process has been chaotic and haphazard.

Newly mobilized soldiers -- known colloquially in Russian as mobiki -- have reported being left without food and water while awaiting orders; videos have shown logistics officers telling new conscripts to buy their own equipment, or take first-aid supplies from their own home medicine cabinets -- or even their wives' personal sanitary supplies. Soldiers have taken to posting videos on Russian social networks complaining about the conditions and disorganization.

The process has also seen a small, but growing number of fatalities. At least 16 people have died, according to news reports and activists, since Putin made the announcement on September 21.

Many of the deaths have been reported as suicides. Others, like Koltun's, are unexplained, and his relatives fear they will never find out how he died.

"What really happened there, we still don't know," she told RFE/RL's Siberia Realities.

'All Mothers Need To Think Before Sending Their Sons There'

Koltun and his wife, Galina, his relatives told RFE/RL, were raising six children together in a one-room apartment that Galina has been given free-of-charge by the government due to her being an orphan.

Four of their children were from Galina's first marriage; the youngest was a 16-month-old girl.

Koltun first worked as a security guard and later he and his mother pooled resources to invest in a shoe shop in Bratsk, an industrial city of 224,000 located on the banks of the Angara River.

He had also served previously in the military -- in the Airborne Forces -- which made him a prime candidate to be mobilized under the Putin order, an order that prioritized men in the reserves or those simply with prior military service. He showed up at the local recruitment office on September 25 to present his papers.

"I didn't want to let him go," Gudo, Koltun's mother, told RFE/RL. "I said: 'Son, you have such a large family, with whom will they be?' And he said that the sooner he leaves, the sooner he will return.

"All mothers need to think before sending their sons there," she said.

Anastasia Pestova, who said she was a friend of the family, told RFE/RL that all Koltun's relatives and friends were against Aleksandr's decision to volunteer.

"You can't say that he joined the army because of the money," she told RFE/RL "They didn't need it; they had a good, big car. Both mother and wife, of course, tried to dissuade him. They were afraid for him."

Koltun called his relatives from Novosibirsk, where he and the other men from Bratsk had been sent for further preparations and training.

Gudo said her son brought 7,000 rubles (about $112) with him to Novosibirsk, but when he called on October 2, he no longer had any money. He said that at the staging grounds, unidentified people were selling "bad" vodka, that the conscripts were drinking heavily. She said Koltun told her he wasn't.

"But what the hell is going on there?" she asked.

When he called "he said that it was a complete mess," Gudo said. "He said, 'We walk and wander back and forth, everyone's drunk, they didn't give us any uniforms, there's no food.'"

"He said that he was only eating what he brought from home. How is this possible in the army?" Gudo said.

She said on October 3 that they were sent a photograph of Koltun from Novosibirsk, via WhatsApp, by a friend who had been mobilized with him. In the photograph, Koltun was seen sitting on concrete, huddled in pain, waiting for an ambulance.

"He had recently been diagnosed with a hernia, but he believed that it would not prevent him from serving. He didn't care about such things. But I cannot believe that there was no medical commission during the mobilization! They were not even given basic medical exams," she said.

Gudo said neither she nor her daughter-in-law -- Koltun's wife -- heard any official notice, condolence, or explanation from the draft board or military recruiters about the death.

Gudo said they were told by officials that her son's body would be returned from Novosibirsk to Bratsk on October 10, and they were presented with a 180,000-ruble (US$2,900) bill for the cost of transporting it.

City officials have offered to compensate them for the transportation, she said.

"We still don't have a death certificate. It looks like he had a heart attack, but he didn't have any heart problems," she said.

"How is this possible?" she said. "This is mobilization."

'He Couldn't Walk On His Own'

The reports of deaths -- accidental or otherwise -- make up a tiny proportion of all the men who have been mobilized. Still, the cases have reverberated for families and helped to erode confidence in the system, and add to doubts about the goals of the Ukraine war.

Denis Kozlov, 44, was among the first group of men mobilized from the Argayshsky district, in the central region of Chelyabinsk, on September 27.

"We didn't resist this plan, because Denis dreamed of being a military man since childhood. He graduated from the Chelyabinsk Tank School, served in Ulan-Ude for quite a bit," his mother, Zoya, told RFE/RL.

Kozlov had torn cartilage in one of his knees, but he did not want to be seen as dodging the new draft, so, his mother said, he went to the draft board and presented his medical records.

"But there was no medical commission here, so he was put on a bus along with his medical documents," she said. "We figured that the medical board on the draft commission, if anything, will wrap up his case" and send him home.

Three days later, Kozlov was returned home, she said -- in an ambulance, on a stretcher.

"I ran around to the neighbors, asking for help to take Denis out of the ambulance," she said. "He couldn't walk on his own. He was conscious, but even my father and I did not immediately recognize him."

Kozlov died not long afterward and his mother suspects it was not of natural causes.

"His nose was broken when he was brought" home, she said. "All the neighbors saw it, and his stomach was all blue. I'm sure he was beaten there, and very badly. But now I can't prove anything! I have lived my life here and I know how they will 'investigate.'"

"I don't have any piece of paper to prove that my son was beaten and didn't die of an illness," she said.

Kozlov was laid to rest on October 3, three days after coming home.

'Mistakes Must Be Corrected'

On September 26, just five days after the mobilization announcement, amid the growing reports of disorganized procedures as well as public protests, Putin publicly acknowledged problems with the process.

"In the course of this mobilization, many questions are coming up, and all mistakes must be corrected and prevented from happening in the future," Putin said during a meeting of his Security Council.

"For example, I'm thinking of fathers of many children, or people suffering from chronic diseases, or who those who are already past conscription age," he said.
Ukrainian officials in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhya said that nine rockets fired by Russian forces overnight killed at least 14 people in two apartment buildings and dozens of private homes.

The attack comes as Ukraines military on October 9 said its troops had recaptured nearly 1,200 square kilometers of territory in the southern Kherson region from Russian forces since beginning their counteroffensive in late August.

It also comes a day after a massive explosion damaged part of Russias 19-kilometer, $3.6 billion bridge over the Kerch Strait, an attack President Vladimir Putin and the head of Russias Investigative Committee have blamed, without evidence, on Ukrainian special forces.

The death toll from the October 8-9 attack on the city of Zaporizhzhya was revised downward from an earlier estimate of 17 killed. However, officials said 87 people were injured, including 10 children, and the casualty figures could rise.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, Russian protests, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

Zaporizhzhya city council secretary Anatoliy Kurtev said that five homes were destroyed and around 40 were damaged in the attack on the city in the Ukrainian-held part of the region, which was annexed by Russia in violation of international law last week.

Images posted on social media by Ukrainian military authorities in the Zaporizhzhya region showed significant damage to residential buildings in the regional capital.

Zaporizhzhya was also hit by major shelling on October 6, killing 11 people. The nearby Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant is located southwest of the city in territory Moscow seized early in the war.

The fresh attack came after a key bridge to the Crimean Peninsula that was constructed by Russia following its seizure of the Ukrainian territory in 2014 and was a symbol of Russia's control of the southern region, was heavily damaged on October 8.

After what Russian officials termed a truck bombing took out one lane of the highway section of the Crimea Bridge and damaged the rail section, Moscow made changes to the command of its war effort in Ukraine and the security of key infrastructure in Crimea, with Putin putting the FSB -- the successor to the Soviet-era KGB -- in charge of the effort.

Ukrainian forces have continued to make gains in a weeks-long counteroffensive in the south and east of the country that has led Russian forces to retreat in many areas.

Natalya Humenyuk, Ukraines southern military command spokeswoman, said on October 9 that "as of today, from the beginning of the counteroffensive, over 1,170 square kilometers have been liberated in the Kherson direction."

"Work is continuing on consolidation of territory, clearing it, and conducting stabilizing operations, as the settlements we enter contain many surprises left by the occupiers," she told Ukrainian TV.

On October 8, Russia's Defense Ministry named General Sergei Surovikin as the new commander of Russian forces in Ukraine who have suffered territorial losses in areas of the east and south of the country that were occupied shortly after the Russian invasion in February. Surovikin had led Russia's Aerospace Forces since 2017.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin will chair a meeting with his Security Council in Moscow on October 10.

"Tomorrow the president has a planned meeting with the permanent members of the Security Council," Peskov said.

Russian losses have continued after Moscow announced last month that it was annexing the Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Donetsk, and Luhansk partially held by Russian forces.

On October 8, Russia-imposed authorities in the Kherson region said they were facing a difficult period and authorized a partial evacuation in the face of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

With reporting by dpa, AP, and Reuters
Now, even Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has affirmed that digital transformation is vital in creating a strong driving force for new innovation and laying the foundation for a modern economy. In the years before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, there were only around 20% of businesses that were truly interested in digitalizing their operations. However, the post pandemic scenario is compelling most businesses to switch to the latest technology and innovate their working methods.

Lack of human resource

At the first industrial innovation forum held in Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Mai Huu Tin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of U&I Investment JSC, acknowledged that in order to bring enterprises into the global supply chain it is necessary to innovate the entire industry. In order to do this, it is necessary to determine that the trade union creates the right conditions for smart production.

Mr. Tin also said that the quality of human resource in Vietnam is still very low at the college level. Therefore, an innovative culture in enterprises and the quality of human resource must be made an important issue. Mr. Tin shared that even in consulting enterprises, in theory everyone can read and understand, but in practice this is very difficult to put into operation, hence small changes are necessary that will bring about growth in businesses.

Several difficulties plaguing the business community were also acknowledged and discussed at the recent forum. Mr. o Phuoc Tong, Chairman of Board of Directors of the Duy Khanh Mechanical Company, said that his company moved towards digital transformation seven years back but so far, they are still not satisfied with its status and need to do more to strengthen digital transformation within the work environment.

Currently one of the main challenges facing small medium enterprises (SMEs) in their endeavor to switch to digital transformation and putting the right technology into production operations is the serious shortage of human resource. As some mechanical industries run on a low-profit margin, and have insufficient investment flow, they cannot completely move towards the digital transformation stage because of lack of funds for qualified human resource.

A representative of one enterprise said that they had invested USD 10,000 in a digital system in the company, but the maintenance cost of it was more than 10% per year. Since good data collection requires qualified operating personnel, it has now become hard to operate this system, with the company representative and his partner working night and day to maintain and keep the digital system running.

It is clear that digital transformation is not an easy move for businesses, even for businesses operating in big cities like Ho Chi Minh City. The difficulties do not just lie within the enterprises alone but there are problems in finding a suitable consulting unit and providing appropriate solutions also, especially for manufacturing enterprises.

The common problem pointed out by many enterprises under the Ho Chi Minh City Business Association is the process of looking for a suitable consulting unit and providing the right digital solutions. Consultants often do not understand the operating methods of a business, so they tend to provide the same solution for each industry group, even when the problems vary. There are too many difficulties which lead to many failures in the process of digital transformation. Several reports show that upto 70% of businesses that adopted digital transformation have so far failed in their efforts.

Challenges and failures in digital transformation make it difficult to promote innovative ideas and bring technology into the production process for Vietnamese enterprises. However, according to Asso. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Anh Thi, Head of the Management Board of Ho Chi Minh City Hi-Tech Park, this process is also proving to be a big challenge for several businesses around the globe. As per a report by Innosight, about 75% of businesses in the 500 stock Index (S&P 500) of Standard & Poor in the US will be replaced by 2027 due to lack of innovation in technology.

Challenges in digitalization

Businesses are fast learning that digital transformation is rather a very difficult and complicated process. Hence it is now essential to find ways to simplify digital transformation so that more businesses can adopt it without feeling the strains of change. Ms. Pham Thi Ngoc Thuy, Executive Director of the Office of the Private Economic Development Research Board (Board IV) narrated two instances of digital transformation in companies that illustrate this point well.

The first instance is of Quang Ninh province, which has become a leading province in setting up a successful digital government. Ms. Thuy narrates that when she and her colleagues interviewed the leaders of Quang Ninh province about the challenges in the journey of digital transformation and building of a digital government, her team received an answer that the most difficult factor was technology. Hence, the level of readiness of the staff in the system itself was the first difficulty that needed to be resolved. It finally took three years for Quang Ninh province to overcome several problems and resolve issues.

The second instance is about one industry that seems to be unrelated to technology and digital transformation but is considered a business that has made great effort in digital transformation, namely the wood manufacturing and wood processing industry. During the two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses could not hold meetings and could not even exhibit, and had difficulty selling their goods to foreign buyers. The wood industry then turned to using the zoom platform to meet and introduce new goods and also sell their goods to foreign buyers.

The Ho Chi Minh City Woodworking Association (HAWA) formed the HOPE online exhibition platform. Now, businesses want to develop a team of directors for information technology with the same role as production directors to maintain their sales. Ms. Thuy shared that in their efforts, they realized that instead of supporting solutions such as digital management and digital marketing, they should focus on developing key people for the community in the wood industry. She believes that the wood industry is gradually developing a network of directors of information technology and are encouraged by the fact that many business owners are becoming more interested in digital transformation.

The above instances show that the right trained personnel plays a very important role in digital transformation. Hence resolving the serious issue of shortage of human resource is the first and most important step. Along with this, financial resources also cannot be underestimated when implementing digital transformation. The fact that the resources of enterprises, especially groups of small enterprises, are very limited causing many people to suggest that businesses in the same industry should connect because they have similar problems in digital transformation. Once businesses connect, they can find a suitable supplier to work with to offer products that can be shared, which will reduce overhead costs. In order to do this, the role of associations will become very important in the future.

Thanh Lam
By Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, Deputy Director General of the Information Office of the Ministry of National Defense (MND) and Spokesperson for the MND

Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the People's Republic of China (PRC), answers reporters' questions at a regular press conference on September 29, 2022.(Photo/mod.gov.cn)

(The following English text of the press conference is for reference. In case of any divergence of interpretation, the Chinese text shall prevail.)

I have two pieces of news at the top.

First, Admiral Yuan Huazhi, political commissar of the PLA Navy, had a video meeting with Vice Admiral Nguyen Van Bong, political commissar of the Vietnam Peoples Navy, on September 26. The two sides discussed naval exchanges and cooperation.

China and Vietnam are socialist neighbors connected by the same mountains and rivers. Under the strategic guidance of General Secretary Xi Jinping and General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the mil-to-mil relations between the two countries have developed in a solid and steady way and achieved fruitful outcomes. The two sides will keep in close touch, build better mechanisms, enhance communications at all levels, and advance practical cooperation to jointly safeguard regional security and stability.

Second, the PLA Army Engineering University held the 9th International Army Cadets Week (IACW) in Nanjing via video link from September 28 to 29. Officer cadets from 34 military academies of 23 foreign countries including Pakistan, Singapore, the ROK, France, Romania, Egypt and Brazil participated in the event. Under the theme of Capability and Quality of Military Personnel in the New Era, this years IACW had discussions on three topics  the core competence of new-type military personnel, the command and control in multi-national military operations, and the reporting procedures and steps in military operations. The event serves as a platform for Chinese and foreign officer cadets to communicate and learn from each other, to share useful experience in military education, and to jointly improve the quality of military education and talent cultivation.

Question: It is reported that a seminar on the reform of national defense and the armed forces was recently held in Beijing, at which President Xi Jinping gave important instructions. The seminar summarized the major achievements and experience in the reform and made plans for the next steps. Would you please give more details on the reform?

Answer: Since the 18th CPC National Congress, under the firm leadership of the CPC Central Committee, the Central Military Commission and President Xi Jinping, the peoples military has implemented the strategy of strengthening the military through reform in an all-round way, launched the most extensive and profound reform of national defense and the armed forces since the founding of the PRC. It has gone through an overall revolutionary restructuring and has taken on an entirely new look in its institution, structure, pattern, and image. Recently, President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the CMC, gave important instructions to the seminar on the reform of national defense and the armed forces, emphasizing that the military should review and utilize successful experience of the reform, and strive to open up new prospects in strengthening the military through reform, so as to provide a strong driving force for achieving the militarys centenary goal.

This round of defense and military reform follows the principles of building systems as a whole project. It started with the reform of the leadership and command system by establishing 15 functional organs of the CMC to advise, execute and serve. The systems of discipline inspection and supervision, inspection tour, audit-based supervision, and military justice have been reformed. We have established five theater commands and the leading organs of the PLA Army, renamed the Second Artillery Force the Rocket Force, established the Strategic Support Force and Joint Logistic Support Force and re-assigned the Armed Police Force and the Reserve Force to be under the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee and the CMC. As a result, a new military structure has been established with the CMC exercising the overall leadership, the theater commands responsible for military operations, and the services focusing on developing capabilities.

The reforms of the armed forces size, structure and force composition have been carried out one after another in a timely and orderly manner. We have restructured the composition, scale and proportion of military personnel, reduced personnel in leading organs and non-combat units and downsized the number of active-service members by 300,000. We have reshaped the structure and composition of troops, adjusted the proportion of different services and arms by compressing traditional arms and troops with outdated weapons while increasing the ratio of strategic forces and new-type combat forces. The corps brigade  battalion system is adopted for combat troops. We have overhauled the military talent cultivation system and the military scientific research system by reorganizing the Academy of Military Sciences, the National Defense University, and the National University of Defense Technology, and establishing new research institutes of various services through integration. Historical progress has been made in building a modern military force structure with Chinese characteristics.

The reform of policies and institutions has been carried out in different areas. We have enacted the Regulations on Party Building in the Military, developed and improved policies and institutions concerning Party building in the military, the use and development of military forces, and military management. We have promulgated military laws and major regulations including the National Defense Law, Military Service Law, and Peoples Armed Police Force Law, and rolled out major policies and institutions such as the Regulations on Party Building in the Military, the Political Work Regulations, the Guidelines on Joint Operations, and the provisional regulations on the management of officers, as well as specific policies and major reform measures including the regulations on the work of Party committees (branches) in the military, the guidelines for joint operations command, the system on the positions and ranks of military officers, and the list of duties. We have given priority to policies and institutions urgently needed for the reform and military preparedness and anticipated by the service members, and made a series of policies and regulations to provide a strong legal guarantee for the modernization of national defense and the armed forces.

The profound reform of national defense and the armed forces in the past ten years has brought about historical changes in the military and amassed a solid theoretical, practical, institutional and public basis. The effectiveness of reform is being fully unleashed. In the new era, the peoples military will continue on the path of building a strong military with Chinese characteristics, strive for further progress in strengthening the military through reform and new victories in deepening the reform. We will provide steadfast strategic support for realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation, and make new and greater contributions to preserving world peace and stability and serving the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Question: Chinese President Xi Jinping recently delivered an important speech at the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in which he welcomed all parties to jointly participate in the Global Security Initiative proposed by China. In late August, Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe attended the SCO Defense Ministers Meeting via video link. Please tell us more about Chinas participation in SCOs defense cooperation in recent years.

Answer: This year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the SCO Charter and the 15th anniversary of the Treaty on Long-term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation between the SCO Member States. Since its founding, the SCO, guided by the purposes and principles of the SCO Charter and the Treaty, has practiced the Shanghai Spirit, stayed true to its original aspirations, with its member states promoting peace and common development. The SCO has become an important and constructive force in regional and international affairs.

In recent years, under the strategic leadership of their heads of state, SCO members have made fruitful achievements in defense cooperation. First, the communication mechanisms operate smoothly. Despite the impact of the pandemic, the member states have maintained close communications through the defense ministers meeting, the chiefs of general staff meeting (chiefs of the Joint Staff), regular video meetings of departments of international military cooperation, and meetings of expert working groups. Second, practical cooperation proceeds steadily. The SCO members have carried out extensive exchanges and cooperation in such areas as education and training, border defense cooperation, and military justice. The Fanfare for Peace military tattoo and Peace Mission joint counter-terrorism exercise have made greater success in promoting exchanges and mutual learning among militaries of SCO members and winning recognition in the world. Third, solidarity and coordination have grown stronger. Through timely coordinating their stances on major international security issues and uttering a unified SCO voice, the SCO members have collectively played a positive role in safeguarding regional and global security and stability.

When your heart knows its direction, the distance to destination will never be long The Chinese side stands ready to work with the defense departments and militaries of SCO members to promote the Shanghai Spirit, practice the Global Security Initiative, and continue to deepen defense cooperation. The SCO members will make joint efforts to promote common and universal security, build a closer SCO community of shared future and advance peaceful development in the region and the world.

Question: It is reported that during a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Samarkand, Chinese President Xi Jinping noted that China and Russia have maintained effective strategic communication and made steady progress in bilateral cooperation in various fields. In addition, according to foreign media reports, China and Russia discussed military exchanges and cooperation during the recent 17th round of China-Russia strategic security consultation. Please tell us more about the exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese and Russian militaries.

Answer: China and Russia are both committed to opposing hegemonism and power politics, and preserving international fairness and justice. Both countries have played a key role in building a new type of international relations and the community with a shared future for mankind. In recent years, exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese and Russian militaries have grown stronger. The two sides have elevated strategic communication to new levels, made new breakthroughs in practical cooperation, and achieved new progress in institution building. This year, the two countries organized the fourth joint strategic air patrol. The Chinese military participated in the Vostok (East)-2022 exercise in Russia, and hosted some events of and took part in the International Army Games 2022. Going forward, the Chinese side will make joint efforts with the Russian side to comprehensively implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, reinforce mil-to-mil strategic communication, and continue to carry out practical cooperation in different fields, so as to add new strategic significance to bilateral relations and maintain global and regional peace and stability.

Question: After a 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Luding County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, on September 5, the PLA and the Peoples Armed Police Force (PAP) immediately sent troops to the disaster-hit area for rescue and relief. Please tell us more about that.

Answer: At 12:52 pm, September 5, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Luding County in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Chinas Sichuan Province, affecting 12 counties and covering 15,000 square kilometers. President Xi Jinping paid close attention to the rescue and relief efforts. He gave important instructions and required competent authorities to prioritize rescuing local people. The Joint Command Center of the CMC and the PLA Western Theater Command acted on his order and activated the emergency response mechanism. The PLA and the PAP immediately sent troops to participate in rescue and relief. To date, they have relocated more than 15,000 people, provided medical treatment to 882 people, set up 3,156 tents, transported over 1,600 tons of supplies, and cleared 89km of roads. Normal order in the quake-hit areas has been basically restored.

The peoples military always puts people first and stands up to its missions. Bearing in mind the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, the peoples military will always prioritize peoples safety and resolutely accomplish the missions and tasks entrusted by the Party and the people.

Question: We noticed that the Chinese military has recently released a promotional video titled the PLA. Please tell us more.

Answer: The promotional video, the PLA, highlights the theme of our time for peace and development. It echoes the wish for peace and resentment for war of people all over the world in a time of great changes and the once-in-a-century pandemic. The video shows the efforts of the Chinese military in international peacekeeping operations, maritime vessel protection missions, international cooperation in fighting the pandemic, and humanitarian aid. It demonstrates from different perspectives that the PLA has always been a staunch force for world peace. By advocating peace, the common value of all mankind, the video presents peoples aspiration for and commitment to peace with real scenes and portraits of everyday people, striking a chord in the hearts of people of different countries and ethnic groups.

The world is not free of conflicts, and peace needs to be defended. No matter what happens in the world, Chinas resolve to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests will not change, nor will its confidence in preserving world peace and promoting common development. Committed to the principle of win-win cooperation, the Chinese military will take concrete actions to fulfill its responsibility as the military of a major country, and provide more public security goods to the international community within its capacity, so as to contribute to world peace and serve the building of the community with a shared future for mankind.

Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the People's Republic of China (PRC), answers reporters' questions at a regular press conference on September 29, 2022.(Photo/mod.gov.cn)

Question: Recently, there have been some reports in the media on the development of Chinas aircraft carriers in the past ten years since the PLANS Liaoning, the navys first aircraft carrier, was commissioned. Please share with us more details.

Answer: Since the PLANS Liaoning was commissioned ten years ago, the PLA Navy has realized leapfrog progress in developing aircraft carriers, completed transformation from refitting to indigenous development, and entered the era of three aircraft carriers. In the past decade, the Navy has closely focused on its missions and tasks, actively explored ways to use aircraft carrier task forces, regularly organized training for the cultivation of combat capabilities, and deepened the research of operational deployment in far seas. It will resolutely defend national sovereignty, security and development interests, and firmly safeguard world peace and development.

Ten years on, Chinas aircraft carriers have sailed through wind and waves, and will continue to facilitate the PLA Navys pursuit for its dream.

Question: Days ago, the ninth batch of remains of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs were carried home for burial from the Republic of Korea (ROK) by Y-20 transport aircraft of the PLA Air Force (PLAAF). This news attracted great public attention. Please share with us more details.

Answer: The country has been safe and prosperous, and it is high time for the heroic souls to return to hometown. On September 16, escorted by two J-20 fighter jets, the ninth batch of remains of the CPV martyrs were carried back to China from the ROK by the PLAAFs Y-20 transport aircraft, which was part of the solemn tributes paid to these fallen heroes. On September 17, the remains of 88 martyrs were buried and would thereafter rest in peace in Shenyang CPV Martyrs Cemetery. People from all walks of life expressed their condolences and admiration by diverse means in memory of history and in honor of the heroes.

September 30th is China's Martyr's Day. Countless heroes sacrificed their lives for national independence, freedom and happiness of the people, and prosperity of the country. Their merits will always shine in the annals of history, and their spirit will surely be immortal. Bearing the martyrs achievements and spirit in mind, Chinese service members will resolutely fulfill the missions and tasks entrusted by the Party and the people, and work hard on realizing the Party's goal of building a strong military in the new era.

Question: Recently, Chinese troops participated in the Vostok (East)-2022 exercise in Russia, which has attracted great attention from domestic and foreign media. Please give us more details on the features and highlights of the Chinese militarys participation in this event.

Answer: According to the annual cooperation plan between the Chinese and Russian militaries, the PLA sent troops to Russia to participate in the Vostok(East)-2022 exercise at the Sergeevsky training ground in Ussuriysk and in waters of the Sea of Japan from August 31 to September 7. A total of 14 countries, including China and Russia, participated in the event. In an unfamiliar and complex environment, the Chinese side carefully organized competent command, combat and support forces, in accordance with the requirements of all-round coverage, multi-level participation, system support and all-element coordination. We conducted cross-border force projection, operation planning, force maneuver and field support. This exercise comprehensively improved the PLAs ability to carry out military operations abroad. During the exercise, staff members in joint operational command of multinational forces worked together to study and discuss tactics and methods. Participating forces from various countries conducted joint live exercise with close contacts and deep integration. All these have greatly contributed to sharing experience and improving friendship.

To improve strategic mutual trust and jointly maintain world peace and stability, China will continue to take an open and friendly attitude and have wide military cooperation and exchanges with more countries.

Question: It is reported that State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe recently met with Pakistani Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javid Bajwa in China. General Wei expressed his sympathies over the severe floods hitting Pakistan and spoke highly of the bilateral military relations. Please share with us more details.

Answer: On September 19, State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe met with General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army in Xi'an. China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and iron friends. Under the guidance of the leaders of the two countries, China and Pakistan have always stood with each other through thick and thin and respected and supported each other on issues concerning security and core interests. Relations between the two militaries have maintained a sound momentum in recent years, with fruitful achievements made in high-level exchanges, institution building, joint exercises and training, and equipment and technical cooperation. The ever-growing strategic coordination and practical cooperation of the two militaries are conducive to improving both sides capabilities to jointly cope with various risks and challenges, thereby safeguarding regional peace and stability.

China and Pakistan have always shared weal and woe and looked out for each other. As Pakistan making every effort to fight the severe floods, the Chinese military will maintain close communication with its Pakistani counterpart and fully support the Pakistani military in disaster relief. We believe that the Pakistani people will surely prevail over the floods and rebuild their homes at an early date.

Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the People's Republic of China (PRC), answers reporters' questions at a regular press conference on September 29, 2022.(Photo/mod.gov.cn)

Question: It is reported that the PLA National Defense University recently held a webinar for higher military academies from China and Arab countries. Please share with us relevant situation.

Answer: On September 28, the seminar for higher military academies from China and Arab countries was successfully held in Beijing via video link. The webinar was hosted by the National Defense University of the PLA with the theme of "Strengthening Cooperation in Higher Military Education and Promoting a China-Arab Community of Shared Future". Leaders of higher military academies from16 Arab countries attended the event and exchanged views on the theme.

This webinar mainly has three characteristics. First, it has built consensus. The participants agreed that in the face of the current complex and sensitive international situation, China and Arab countries should jointly implement the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and promote the building of a China-Arab Community of Shared Future. Second, it has deepened military mutual trust. All parties signified the need to further strengthen China-Arab military and security cooperation and the willingness to make positive contributions to maintaining international and regional peace and stability. Third, it has promoted exchanges and cooperation. All parties emphasized that they would continue to promote exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Arab military academies, and jointly discuss new ideas and measures for military talent cultivation, in an effort to push forward the modernization of their national defense and armed forces.

Question: The PLAAF transport aircraft Y-20 recently attended the Airpower22 air show in Austria, which has attracted great attention. Could you please brief us on more details about Y-20s overseas missions in recent years?

Answer: In early September, a PLAAF Y-20 transport aircraft went to participate in an international air show in Europe for the first time. This has drawn great attention and people from many countries went to airshow to see the plane. On the new journey of strengthening and revitalizing the Chinese armed forces, the Y-20 has made its tracks throughout Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania. In the fight against COVID-19, Y-20 aircraft flew to Asia and Africa to deliver medical supplies and COVID-19 vaccines to many countries, faithfully implementing the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind. In international humanitarian relief, Y-20 went to Tonga, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to deliver hope and friendship which demonstrated China's commitment as a major country. For three consecutive years,Y-20 transported the remains of the CPV martyrs back to China. In particular, this year, it formed a three-aircraft formation with two escorting J-20 fighter jets at a low altitude of 200m, paying the martyrs a great national tribute. The eagle of peace is spreading its wings toward the sky. The Y-20 has flown over oceans to build bonds with the people across the world. It has become an important symbol of the PLAAF's efforts to get stronger, a name-card representing the Chinese military and a window for the outside world to understand the Chinese military.

Question: It is reported that the Chinese military recently sent a delegation to the 44th World Congress on Military Medicine in Belgium. Please brief us on that.

Answer: In early September, the Chinese military sent a military medical delegation to attend the 44th World Congress on Military Medicine in Brussels, Belgium. During the meeting, the delegation had discussions and exchanges with the International Committee of Military Medical (ICMM), listened to work reports of the six regional working groups (RWG) of the ICMM, including Pan Asia Pacific RWG and Pan European RWG, as well as reports from five technical commissions (TCs) including TC for administration and logistics, and TC for pharmacy. They reviewed suggestions on management rules and regulations as well as future work plans. An expert from the PLA Academy of Military Sciences was unanimously elected as the chairman of the Commission on Administration and Medico-Military Logistics of the ICCM; two experts made reports on-site on topics of anti-infection and phage therapy on the battlefield, and front-line combat wound treatment.

Medicine knows no borders, and doctors share a benevolent heart. The Chinese military will continue to make positive efforts to promote regional and world military medical exchanges, join hands with all parties to address global public health challenges, and further promote the building of a community of health for mankind.

Question: It is reported that the frontline troops of the Chinese and Indian militaries in the area of Jianan Daban have disengaged. Some analysts believed that this is conducive to easing tensions between the two countries. Whats your comment on this?

Answer: According to the consensus reached in the 16th Round of China-India Corps Commander Level Meeting, the frontline troops of the two militaries in the area of Jianan Daban recently staged disengagement simultaneously. This is an outcome achieved by the two sides in resolving border issues through diplomatic and military consultations and negotiations at different levels, which is conducive to promoting peace and tranquility in the border areas. China hopes both sides will continue to work together in the same direction, bearing in mind the overall interest of the relations between the two countries and two militaries, strictly abide by the agreements and consensus reached by the two sides, maintain communication and dialogue, effectively manage differences, and jointly safeguard security and stability in border areas.

Question: According to media reports, in order to strengthen support" for Taiwan, the US State Department has approved new arms sales to Taiwan. US and Canadian warships recently sailed through the Taiwan Strait. The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee reviewed and passed the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022, which includes provisions such as providing military financing to Taiwan and expediting the processing of requests for arms purchases from Taiwan. Whats your comment, please?

Answer: The relevant actions of the US side have seriously violated China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and severely harmed the relationship between the two countries and the two militaries. China is deeply concerned and firmly opposed to these actions and has lodged solemn representations with the US. In recent years, some people in the US have violated international law and basic norms governing international relations, violated the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, and betrayed their serious political commitment to China on the Taiwan question. They have stubbornly adhered to the strategy of containing China with Taiwan, hollowed out the one-China principle, strengthened military collusion with Taiwan, and instigated the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities to intensify cross-Strait confrontation. These provocative actions are very dangerous and extremely harmful. The Taiwan question is an internal affair that matters on China's core interests. China will resolutely take countermeasures against the erroneous actions of the US. We urge the US side to stop its military collusion with the DPP authorities. Otherwise, the US side shall be responsible for the serious consequences.

Question: It is reported that Taiwans defense authority recently submitted an annual report on mainlands military power to Taiwans legislature. It claimed in the report that the mainland had seriously threatened Taiwan's defense security and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait by conducting exercises to simulate preventing foreign troops from assisting Taiwan in case of war. In addition, according to Taiwan media reports, Taiwans defense budget for the year 2023 will increase significantly, with an increase of 13.9%. What's your comment, please?

Answer: The relevant report deliberately exaggerated the so-called mainland's military threat to Taiwan, confused the right and wrong, and intensified the tension and confrontation across the Taiwan Strait, which are extremely irresponsible. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and their activities composite the biggest obstacle to national reunification and a severe risk to national rejuvenation. The PLA's military exercises in the waters and airspace near Chinas Taiwan Island are a legitimate and necessary response to the continuous provocations by the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, and a just move to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. No one has the right to make irresponsible remarks in this regard.

The DPP authorities have distorted and denied the 1992 Consensus, colluded with external forces and made continued provocations to seek "Taiwan independence". This is the root cause of the current tensions and instability across the Taiwan Strait. There will always be trouble until he who stirs it up is removed. And there will be no peace across the Taiwan Strait unless the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces are eradicated. The PLAs determination to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity is rock-solid. As long as the DPP authorities and the "Taiwan independence" separatists continue to seek so-called independence by military means, the PLA's military countermeasures will surely not stop.

In the golden autumn of October, our great country is going to celebrate its 73rd birthday, and the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is about to be convened. On such an important occasion, I would like to extend holiday wishes to you all! At the same time, the Party and the people may rest assured that all Chinese service members will always bear in mind their missions and tasks, and fulfill their duty for the prosperity of the country and the well-being of the Chinese people.
Iddrisu Mohammed Kambala, a Ph.D. student in economics in the Darla Moore School of Business, writes for The Conversation about the economic history of Ghana, specifically its colonial roots.

Ghanas most important development problem is arguably the disparity between the north and south of the country. The north is acutely underdeveloped, trailing the south in practically all metrics of development.

Several inequality reports have consistently labelled the northern region as one of concern. Its rate of poverty level decline has remained very slow: from a poverty rate of 55.7% in 2006 to 50.4% in 2012. Southern Ghana enjoys a lower poverty incidence at 45%.

Explanations for the underdevelopment of the north often underscore its geography and climate. The north is dry, unsuited to growing cash crops, and lacking mineral resources. Another school of thought considers the impact of the colonial experience from 1897 till independence. The north was sidelined by the British colonial administration.

I have been looking into this to see which kind of explanation is most satisfactory. My study of the economic history of Ghana specifically examines the colonial roots of the north-south development divide.

I estimated the current development disparity between the two regions and examined the contribution of colonial public investments in education, health and infrastructure. The south received almost all the colonial public investments.

I found that the effects of past colonial investments persist now  even in the few northern locations where they were made. They still strongly determine current development outcomes in Ghana.

The findings suggest that colonial investments were equally productive in the north and the south. The current status of the north would be different had it received a fairer share of colonial investments. The findings also suggest how development could be achieved in future.

Ghanas north and south contrasted

I found that an average location in the north is at least 51% less developed than one in the south. The level of development was based on satellite images of light density at night  a precise and objective measure.

More than 70% of the northern population live in disadvantaged rural areas. The region scores lower than the south in most development terms. For example, in the Greater Accra Region, 22.5% of the population is poor in several ways, according to the UNDPs 2020 Inequality Report.

The arid north is primarily savannah woodland with no significant potential for cash crop cultivation. The mineral-rich and wetter south, covering about 56% of the country, produces and exports cash crops. The population of the south (24.5 million) is four times that of the north.

Other arguments about the regional differences concern their history. Its said that prior to colonial conquests, the north was more prosperous and developed, having built a fortune on trade and industry. That changed through colonial practices. The colonial state administered the north as a periphery and the south as a core. Colonial investments and expenditures in the north were kept at a bare minimum.

I explored the spatial distribution of colonial public investments in education, health and infrastructure. For example, northern Ghana had no class one road as at 1931 and no railway throughout the colonial period. Average distances to a colonial railroad were 324km and 59km for northern and southern areas respectively. The average distance to a class one road in 1931 was about 196km in the north and 32km in the south.

Colonial investments, railways in particular, stimulated local economic activities and development in the south.

In 1901 the north had no school or hospital. The south had 125 schools and eight places with at least one hospital. By 1931 the number of schools in the south had risen to 325 and places with hospitals to 24. But the number of schools in the north had only doubled to eight, and only six places had at least one hospital.

Colonial effects persist

I found that past colonial investments still strongly determine contemporary development in Ghana. Places closer to locations of past colonial investments are still relatively more developed today.

Even though the north received far fewer colonial investments, areas closer to the locations of colonial investments in the north are more developed today than other areas in the north. So colonial investments were equally productive in the north.

Current development outcomes in Ghana are also more heavily driven by colonial-era factors than by post-independence factors.

There are several reasons why the effects of past colonial investments persist.

First, once an investment had been made in a location, subsequent investments followed in the same location. It would be more cost-effective or more convenient to extend an existing railway line, for example, than to survey unexplored terrain for new railway lines.

Second, colonial investments brought associated benefits, prolonging their effects. If railway lines stimulated population growth in an area, more health facilities and schools would be provided.

Third, colonial investments like railway lines, schools and hospitals had a long physical duration.

Fourth, colonial investments had high returns because they were made in places that had not previously received such investments.

My study leads me to conclude that if more investments had been made in the north, the region could today be more like the south in terms of development.

Diagnosis of the problem

There have been numerous programmes to develop the north since Ghana gained political independence in 1957. Unfortunately, most either underperformed or failed. This is because the potential of the north has not been properly diagnosed.

The norths historical fortune was oriented towards trade and industry. At the onset of colonial rule, the modernisation of its trade system depended on the extension of railway lines to the region. But the north still has no railways connecting it to the south. Roads to the south are also in a deplorable condition.

Development policies in the north have targeted food production instead of infrastructural developments. But food production cant transform the north without better transport links.

The construction of the Ghana Railway Masterplan, designed in 2013 to connect the north and the south, has not started. The mooted Eastern Corridor Road project has never seen concrete progress either. These two projects would arguably be the most important routes to transform the north.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Banner image: Northern Ghana was treated as a periphery outpost by colonial administrators. Flickr, Iddrisu Mohammed Kambala, University of South Carolina
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What are daily news media habits?

I try and limit the amount of news I consume. I used to hop straight online as soon as I woke up but I feel its a really negative way to start the day. Now I find the important news I need to know will find me at some point throughout the day.



Which living person do you most admire?

Larry David. So bloody funny. Id love to work with him one dayIm sure everyone would.



Your guilty streaming pleasure?

Below Deck. Couldnt get enough of that during COVID. Was dreaming of all the wonderful places I could go when the world opened up again.



Which phrase do you overuse?

Probably living the dream its my go to response whenever anyone says how are you but perception is reality right? The more I started saying it the more I started to believe it.



What did you want to do when you grew up?

An astronaut. I was obsessed with space. Then my teacher told me I had no chance because I had to be good at maths. So I became an actor instead. So maybe I can still live out my fantasy and play an astronaut one day.



What was your first job?

Selling hot pies at the football when I first moved to Australia. Nobody could understand what the hell I was saying straight off the plane. Hot Pies sounds rather bizarre with a heavy Scottish accent.



Facebook or Instagram?

Instagram. Although Id give it all up if it wasnt for work. I hate social media.



Recommend a podcast... SmartLess is absolutely brilliant. Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes interviewing some of the biggest names in showbiz and theyre bloody hilarious.



Whats one vice you wish you could give up?

My phone. Its become such an integral part of our lives and would like to spend more time being present and smelling the roses so to speak.



The song thats always on high rotation?

Juicy by Biggie. Always gets me in a good vibe.



What are you reading?

Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel. Shes phenomenal.



Favourite movie of the past decade?

Interstellar by Christopher Nolan. Absolute belter, like everything by Nolan.



Top of your sporting bucket list?

World Cup Final would be amazing. Even better if the Aussies were in it but dont think Ill see that in my lifetime.



Whats the best piece of advice youve ever received?

Be a first rate version of yourself not a second rate version of someone else.



What are the three things you couldnt live without?

I believe food and water would be tough to live without. The third thing would be dogs. They make the world a better place.
One of News Corporations minority shareholders is requesting the Rupert Murdoch-controlled media company disclose more information on government lobbying efforts in the US and other key markets, claiming it is critical to the long-term value of the business.

Kenneth Steiner, who owns about 500 shares of Class B common stock, has issued a proposal ahead the global media companys annual general meeting, asking it to create an annual report which would detail policy procedures and payments related to lobbying, as well as membership of tax-exempt organisations.

The Rupert Murdoch-led board does has rejected the shareholder proposal. Credit:AP

The board News Corp, which locally runs The Australian and internationally owns The Wall Street Journal and The Times, is urging proxy voters and other shareholders to reject the proposal, which would be presented to the audit committee and posted on News Corps website.

News Corps lack of lobbying and trade association disclosure presents reputational risks that could harm long-term value creation, Steiner said in his proposal. I urge News Corp to expand its lobbying disclosure.
London: The head of one of Australias largest liquefied natural gas producers says demands to shut down the fossil fuel industry are only adding to Europes energy crisis and delaying efforts to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century.

Kevin Gallagher, the chief executive officer of Santos, said the issue now gripping Britain, where the nation potentially faces energy rationing and three-hour rolling blackouts this winter, was a direct result of underinvestment in the industry.

Santos is developing an onshore carbon capture storage project at the Moomba gas fields in South Australia. Credit:

Countries across Europe are drawing up winter contingency plans against the disruption of flows of gas from Russia because of the war in Ukraine, which could lead to rationing and a curb in exports of energy to other countries.

A shortage of gas in Europe, as well as maintenance issues with several French nuclear power plants and low water levels at Norways hydropower plants, have raised the risk Britain could be unable to secure the gas it needs or the imports of electricity it typically receives from the continent.
Legend has it that just three years after media baron Kerry Packer sold Channel Nine for a record $1 billion to colourful business tycoon Alan Bond in 1987, Packer bought back the entire business for a quarter of the price.

While the events of the buyback were more complicated (and slightly less impressive) than that, the tale cemented in Australian business folklore that buying back your company for a profit was a thing of glory.

Melbourne couple Delia Timms and Jeff Bonnes have a Kerry Packer-inspired moment in their business story. The couple started their own babysitting website, later selling the business to media company Fairfax for a seven-figure sum. But after a little over a decade, they would buy the business back for a profit when Fairfax merged with Nine Entertainment (Nine is the owner of this masthead).

Delia Timms and Jeff Bonnes had a lets start and see approach to starting their babysitting website. Credit:Eddie Jim

Their tale began in 2005 when the couple, who had two young children, were struggling to find a babysitter. Timms was a speech pathologist and Bonnes worked in IT consulting.
Over to some NSW news, and motorists will be alerted to all mobile speed cameras across NSW from January next year after the state government backflipped on the key road safety measure in a major policy backdown.

Roads Minister Natalie Ward on Monday announced the government would reintroduce signage before and after mobile speed cameras just two years after it removed them in a bid to drive down the states road toll.

This is an opportunity for us as a government to demonstrate that we are listening to the community, taking that feedback on board, Ward said.

The NSW government will reintroduce speed camera signage by January 1. Credit:Rhett Wyman

So from January 1 you will see all mobile speed camera vehicles having those signs before and after the cars on every road.

The November 2020 decision to remove signage resulted in a major jump in speeding fines across the state, which saw the government come under intense pressure to reinstate them.

Read the full breaking story here.
In 1941, the squadron deployed to the Orkney Islands on anti-aircraft and convoy escort duties, and in June, 828 NAS embarked in the aircraft carrier Victorious. On the afternoon of July 30, in bright Arctic sunshine, the squadron attacked German shipping at Kirkenes, close to the Norwegian border with Russia.

Captain Vyvyan Howard, who has died aged 102, was a Fleet Air Arm pilot, probably the last to fly a wartime Fairey Swordfish, and the last remaining British survivor of the infamous Stalag Luft III prisoner of war camp.

The enemy was alerted and had strong air and flak defences. Howard recalled: We launched our torpedo at a German ship in the harbour. As we turned to make our escape, I heard a roar of cannon fire from below us; we were hit, and the aircraft broke up around us. The next thing I knew we were in the fjord and swimming to the shore and captivity.

Sixteen aircraft were lost in this raid and on another on nearby Petsamo, a dozen Fleet Air Arm aircrew were killed, and a score, including Howard, were captured. Over the next three and a half years, he was held in two small PoW camps, and then in June 1942 was transferred to Stalag Luft III.

There, Howard was a keen participant in events which were dramatised in the films The Wooden Horse (1950) and The Great Escape (1963). He spent many an hour vaulting over a gymnastic wooden vaulting horse the prisoners had built to disguise their tunnelling or talking in his fluent German to the guards to distract them.

The entrance to the tunnel called Tom, which the Germans discovered, as depicted in The Great Escape, was in Howards hut, and the tunnel called Dick, which they missed, ran directly under his hut. Howards fluency in German led to him attending meetings as an interpreter between senior Allied prisoners and the camp commandant, Friedrich von Lindeiner. (He also learned to speak Polish and qualified as a Polish interpreter after the war.)

Howard thought himself unlucky not to have his name drawn as one of the actual escapers, and in January 1945 he was forced to join the Long March, when the prisoners were marched away on foot from the advancing Russians. He recalled that he owed his life to a Polish fellow prisoner who advised him: Dont ever take your boots off, only loosen them, or you will never get them on again because your feet will swell.
Sydney CBDs main artery, George Street, will soon be pedestrianised all the way from Chinatown to near Circular Quay, after the state government and City of Sydney council announced plans to shut the road to cars north of Wynyard.

George Street will be closed to traffic between Hunter Street and Grosvenor/Bridge streets from January 9, technically on a trial basis, though the council has released a formal planning proposal to make the change permanent.

Cars turning left into Essex Street. The pedestrian boulevard currently ends at Hunter Street, near Wynyard Station, but will be extended north to Essex Street. Credit:Oscar Colman

Under the plans, the boulevard will extend from its current end at Hunter Street to Essex Street, outside the EY building. That is still a block south of Circular Quay, where George Street meets Alfred Street and the light rail terminates, that is slated for pedestrianisation at a later stage.

At present, cars can turn right into George Street from Hunter Street and head north to Bridge Street, and the road has one lane each way for vehicles between Bridge Street and Circular Quay.
The company monitoring accused drug importer Mostafa Baluch rang him and his parents before informing police he had allegedly cut off his ankle bracelet, a court has heard, raising serious questions about the systems in place for electronic surveillance of accused criminals.

A restaurateur from the quiet, affluent suburb of Bayview on Sydneys northern beaches, Baluch shot to infamy when he was charged over allegedly removing the monitoring device administered by global security firm Attenti. He was wearing it as a condition of being granted bail on charges of importing 900 kilograms of cocaine from Ecuador.

Mostafa Baluch is brought back to Sydney in November 2021 by police after allegedly cutting off his ankle bracelet and fleeing. Credit:Brook Mitchell

To cut a bracelet off your ankle which has been imposed by the court shows a very serious intent to flee, Detective Superintendent Robert Critchlow said last year.

Baluchs escape, just four days after he was granted bail, came to a spectacular end when police captured him in the back of a truck travelling to Queensland after two weeks on the run.
The fourth film in Disneys rebooted Planet of the Apes series will be filmed in Sydney after the state and federal governments kicked in tens of millions to secure the blockbuster Hollywood production.

Directed by Wes Ball, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, a sequel to 2017s War for the Planet of the Apes, is already in production at Sydneys Fox Studios and slated for release in 2024.

The film is the fourth instalment in the reboot of the Planet of the Apes series.

The federal government estimated the film would create 400 local jobs and inject $128 million into the Australian economy, and federal Arts Minister Tony Burke said having a small part of the Disney universe in the country was a boon for the local film industry.

Burke said the presence and investment of major international production companies helped train Australias film industry professionals, facilitated research and development and encouraged the construction of more film studios.
Two men have been charged after a Queensland police officer was allegedly struck over the head with a glass bottle while taking men into custody on the Sunshine Coast.

The 52-year-old and another police officer approached three men about 2.15pm at a Horton Parade shopping complex in Maroochydore on Friday after allegedly identifying one as being wanted for outstanding matters.

Two men were charged after a police officer was injured while arresting them.

It is alleged the officers were taking two of the men into custody when a 19-year-old Morayfield man struck the male officer over the head with a bottle.

The officer fell to the ground with a deep cut to his forehead.
But when it came to income tax, Australia was number two. So, income tax is, clearly, the mainstay of government revenue. Were also a far cry from many European countries as well as Japan and Korea when it comes to total tax collection. This is a problem when you look at the current state of the budget books and what the government wants to get done. The country doesnt have a trillion dollars of debt, as the government likes to say, but it is close, with gross debt set to reach $977 billion this financial year. As anyone with a mortgage knows, a large amount of debt comes with a hefty interest bill. In a speech at the Australia Institutes revenue summit last week, Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones said that by next year the size of the interest bill will outstrip the cost of subsidising all the medications on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme. The government also needs more money to spend. If it only includes election promises in its first budget in two weeks, it will need to find an extra $2.4 billion just for this financial year to pay for programs like expanded free TAFE spots and mental health support for children. And thats before we get to Labors signature subsidised childcare promise, which will cost the government $1.5 billion alone in 2023-2024.

So, what can the treasurer and the finance minister do about it? Well, you would be hard-pressed to find an economist who doesnt believe the country needs tax reform in some way. Just last month, Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe said the government has three options: cut spending, undertake structural reform, or raise more revenue. But former governor Bernie Fraser pointed out Australians expect high-quality services, which makes spending cuts difficult, and any savings from axing Coalition programs would be minimal. The government  has to have access to revenues to be able to follow through and develop those reforms that its proposing to make, he said at the Australia Institutes revenue summit last week.

We dont want the package of measures to end up being another aspiration thats gone awry because of a lack of funding. Handily, the government wouldnt have to look far for tax ideas if it wants to expand revenue, as theres one Labor prepared (much) earlier: the Henry tax review. Published by then-Treasury secretary Ken Henry in 2010, it recommended a swathe of reforms to Australias tax system. Despite the fact it has been largely gathering dust in the bowels of Parliament House since then, the review contains plenty of ideas that are still relevant today. As well as making the personal and company income tax systems more simple, the Henry review recommended new taxes including a resources super profits tax, which would see large mining companies hand more of their profits back to Australia, changes to road transport taxes, replacing stamp duty with land taxes, and the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, more familiarly known as the carbon tax. The governments problem is that it went to the election promising no new taxes.

And its interesting that among the flurry of summits and round tables and combined state and federal meetings hosted by various ministers in the governments first few months in office - on child care, housing, jobs and skills - there has been no mention of a similar summit on tax. Loading Perhaps Labor is burnt from its previous attempts to shake up the way Australia gathers revenue  attempts that finished off two prime ministers and ultimately helped send the party into opposition wilderness for nearly a decade. Broken promises are anathema in politics, and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton would be sure to use it to his advantage. But as Bernie Fraser said last week, the mood might have changed just enough to allow the government some scope for tax reform, thanks in part to the entry of a large number of independents and minor party politicians following the May election. There is a greater acceptance of the need for governments to be involved, and for the taxpayers to put up more to achieve these kinds of improvements, he said.
With six months to go until the NSW state election, political advertising on TV, social media, and billboards will ramp up as political parties compete for our votes in March 2023. But election eve is also prime time for government advertising  and thats costing all of us.

A Grattan Institute report released today confirms what we all suspected: that government spending on taxpayer-funded advertising consistently spikes in the lead-up to elections.

The NSW government of Dominic Perrottet has been the nations fourth-highest spending advertiser for the first half of 2022. Credit:Rhett Wyman

Weaponising taxpayer-funded advertising for political advantage wastes public money, undermines trust in politicians and democracy, and creates an uneven playing field in election campaigns. Something has to change.

Governments run many legitimate advertising campaigns that communicate important information to the public or ask them to take action, such as encouraging people to get a COVID-19 booster shot.
The Perrottet government will introduce its long-touted stamp duty overhaul to parliament this week, as it races to have the property taxation reform in place by mid-January.

Legislation for the reform giving first home buyers the option of an annual tax instead of stamp duty will refocus the governments policy agenda after months plagued by industrial warfare, the New York trade job scandal and a conga line of Coalition MPs bowing out before the March state election.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has long championed property tax reform. Credit:Rhett Wyman

If the reform passes both houses in the 15 remaining sitting days of the year, eligible buyers who purchase on or after January 16 will be able to pay an annual levy of $400 plus 0.3 per cent of the land value instead of stamp duty on properties worth up to $1.5 million.

Premier Dominic Perrottet has said he is confident of passing the reform ahead of the election, but the legislation could be stymied in the upper house.
Russian Ground Forces General Alexander Dvornikov, who over a 44-year military career was best-known for scorched-earth tactics in campaigns he led in Syria and Chechnya, was named overall operational commander of the war in Ukraine in April. He lasted about seven weeks before being dismissed as part of a wider shake-up in response to heavy losses and strategic failures.

Around the same time, Colonel General Andrey Serdyukov, another four-decade serviceman, the commander in chief of the elite airborne troops, was stripped of his post after nearly all divisions of the airborne forces suffered major losses.

Col. Gen. Alexander Dvornikov, pictured with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2016, was in charge of Russias war in Ukraine for seven weeks before being dumped. Credit:AP

And just last week Colonel general Alexander Zhuravlev, the head of the Western Military District responsible for Kharkiv, where Russian forces lost huge swaths of territory in early September, was removed after four years on the job, according to Russian business daily RBC.

Far from bestowing glory on Russias military brass, the war in Ukraine is proving toxic for top commanders, with at least eight generals fired, reassigned or otherwise sidelined since the start of the invasion on February 24. Western governments have said that at least 10 others were killed in battle, a remarkably high number that military analysts say is evidence of grievous strategic errors.
London: Conor Burns, the UK trade minister fired by Liz Truss following a complaint of serious misconduct at this weeks Conservative Party conference, is set to be awarded a knighthood by her predecessor Boris Johnson as part of his resignation honours list, according to the Times.

As outgoing prime minister, Johnson has the right to ask the monarch, King Charles III, to grant peerages, knighthoods and other awards to any person he thinks worthy of the title. According to the Telegraph, Johnson is set to name at least 15 new Conservative peers to the House of Lords, while Labour will get eight.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss Credit:AP

But putting forward Burnss name for a knighthood is likely to revive accusations of cronyism, renew focus on the behaviour of Conservative MPs and heap more pressure on the current prime minister. After a miserable party conference punctuated by policy U-turns and political infighting, Truss returns to a new session of parliament and a live debate on Wednesday with Labour Party leader Keir Starmer.

Burns, 50, has also been suspended from the parliamentary party pending an investigation. He has said he looked forward to clearing his name.
Jerusalem: The severed head and decapitated torso of a 25-year-old Palestinian were discovered on the side of a road in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, police said, confirming gruesome details of a killing that shocked Palestinian society.

But accounts that the victim, Ahmad Abu Murkhiyeh, was a gay man who feared persecution for his sexuality and had sought asylum in Israel two years ago turned the terrible crime into a socially and politically explosive case.

A candlelit vigil for Ahmad Abu Murkhiyeh, a 25-year-old Palestinian man who was found decapitated in the West Bank city of Hebron, at an LGBTQ shelter in Tel Aviv, Israel. Credit:AP

It was unclear how Abu Murkhiyeh wound up in Hebron, the conservative West Bank city that he had reportedly fled. Palestinian police officials told The Associated Press that Abu Murkhiyehs head and torso were found near his familys house.

Colonel Loay Irzekat, a Palestinian police spokesman, said authorities arrested an acquaintance of Abu Murkhiyeh as a suspect in the killing, but declined to ascribe a motive or elaborate on their relationship pending the investigation.
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PHILIPSBURG:--- (DCOMM)  On Thursday evening October 6th at an official farewell reception for outgoing, His Excellency Governor drs. Eugene B. Holiday, all members of the Council of Ministers (COM) signed a proclamation for the Decoration of Excellence to be awarded annually.



The proclamation reads as follows:

The Council of Ministers acknowledges the tenure of His Excellency, Governor drs. Eugene B. Holiday, as Sint Maartens first Governor from October 10, 2010, to October 10, 2022, was one of the important figures in laying the foundation on which we stand.



The Council of Ministers has observed His Excellencys tenacity for an attitude of excellence and the importance to instill it in our youth, and the community at large.



The Council of Ministers believes that being a great example of leadership and integrity, encouraging resilience in the community enables us to resist, absorb, accommodate, and recover from the effects of any challenge in a timely and effective manner.



WHEREAS, in his capacity as Governor of Sint Maarten, His Excellency ensured that Excellence formed part and parcel of his tenure.



WHEREAS, in his capacity as Governor of Sint Maarten, he instituted the Governor Symposium with the objective to promote good governance as a pillar for national development and further strengthening of our Country.



WHEREAS, the Governors Youth Award for Excellence encourages young people to develop the qualities required to take an active and constructive role in Sint Maarten.



WHEREAS, the Council of Ministers would like to thank His Excellency for his tireless support to the people of Sint Maarten and his service as our first Governor.



WHEREAS, His Excellency has firmly set his vision and sight on Sint Maarten as a Center of Excellence in our region.



WHEREAS, based on the exemplary tenure of His Excellency, the Council of Ministers envisages the establishment of The Governor E.B. Holiday Decoration of Excellence to be awarded annually.



The Honor is hereby bestowed on drs. E.B. Holiday to establish the Rules on The Governor E.B Holiday Decoration of Excellence and to create the symbolization thereof with support from the Government of Sint Maarten and/or any third party to achieve said goal.



Declared on October 6, 2022, Sint Maarten by the Council of Ministers, Cabinet Jacobs II



After the signing of the Proclamation, the Youth Brigade saluted with trumpets and the Prime Minister concluded this segment with closing remarks while the Ministers joined the Governor on stage.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Several roads in the Philipsburg area will be closed on Monday, October 10, 2022.

Frontstreet, the Wilhelminastraat in front of the House of Parliament, Gevangenisstraat, and parts of Backstreet will be closed on Monday, from 6.30 AM to 2.00 PM.

The closure is in connection with activities surrounding the acceptance of the Office of Governor of Sint Maarten by Mr. Ajamu G. Baly which is scheduled to take place at the St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, at the House of Parliament and in front of the Courthouse.

The public is advised not to move or temporarily relocate any barricades placed by the Police Force or the Ministry of VROMI.
The Scoop: This week's previews

Two Scoops: This week's commentary

Brooke fights for her marriage, while Katie is less enthusiastic about hers

A sneak peek at some of the action that will take place on B&B during the week of October 10, 2022. Be sure to tune in to B&B every weekday to see how everything plays out.

Determined to save her marriage, Brooke heads to Aspen

Brooke is unprepared for what she sees when she arrives

Steffy worries what Brooke's arrival will do to Taylor

The drama surrounding the CPS call continues to swirl

Thomas continues to blame the Logans for the drama surrounding his family

While the focus of relationship turmoil is on Ridge, Taylor, and Brooke, several other couples experience some road bumps of their own

Sheila makes a surprising move to solidify her living arrangement with Deacon

Brooke faces a crushing blow after she finds Ridge and Taylor together in Aspen

Ridge calls Brooke out for lying about the CPS call, which Brooke continues to deny

Taylor has an epiphany

Thomas is fed up with the Logan drama and creates a showdown

Eric takes on the role of referee as he pushes for peace at the Forrester mansion

Donna will stand by Brooke in the Brooke/Ridge/Taylor triangle

Katie gives Bill a healthy dose of honesty

Carter shares some private news about Quinn

Sheila tries to impress Deacon romantically with a bold move

Ridge discovers new information about the CPS call

Katie makes an unexpected move

Casting scoops

Rena Sofer has exited her role as Quinn. For more information, continue reading here.

Django Ferri has taken over the role of Douglas on a permanent basis.

Down the Road Preview: Fall Preview

Emboldened, Sheila formulates her own plans, with nothing to lose and everything to gain -- and Finn and Steffy are once again in danger

In a remote location, the unexpected happens, and circumstances cause Ridge to make a choice

The fight for what is best for Douglas begins, and loyalties and alliances shift unexpectedly

In her disguise, Sheila will venture to Steffy and Finn's beach house and possibly reveal herself to the wrong person

Deacon's freedom might be in jeopardy if he gets caught harboring a felon

Bill will side with Liam regarding Douglas while navigating his own romantic relationships

Eric and Donna will settle in as a couple and become involved in their family's dramas

Zende will continue to design for Forrester Creations and Hope for the Future, with Paris as his muse

Carter's life is turned upside down

More scoops, spoilers, and commentary

The Scoop: This week's previews
Brussels (Belgium), 9 October 2022 (SPS) - Member of the National Secretariat of the Polisario Front in charge of Europe and the European Union, Mr. Abbi Bushraya Bashir, commenting on the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs' abandonment of a map that annexed Western Sahara to Morocco, has affirmed that the Polisario Front took note of this change with regard to the issue of borders on the Foreign Ministry's website as well as Sanchez's address to the General Assembly, which remained a small and symbolic step but was in the right direction.



In an interview on Algiers International Channel, the Maghreb Scene program, the Sahrawi official stressed, "the Spanish Government has caused considerable harm through its position expressed in the Prime Minister's letter to the Moroccan King, underlining that its repair should be in proportion to the damage, i.e. by publicly reversing the change in a position that constituted a blatant interference in the path led by the United Nations between the two parties to the conflict, the Polisario Front and the Kingdom of Morocco.



Spain, as the former colonial and administering Power in Western Sahara, according to international law, has direct historical, legal and moral responsibilities to the Sahrawi people and their right to self-determination, as well as to the settlement of the conflict that poisoned the region's relations as a whole because of Madrid's abandonment of those obligations, which are not subject to statute of limitations, he said.



Spains assumption of these responsibilities should be the only background that guides Spains position towards the conflict, noting that Pedro Sanchezs decision was rejected by various forces including those had never counted on supporters of the Sahrawi people and the Polisario Front, Mr. Abbi Bushraya Bashir added.



062/T
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs pays tribute on Sunday to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust during the World War II and expresses its solidarity with its survivors, a message sent on the occasion of the National Day of Commemoration of the Victims of the Holocaust in Romania.

"The promotion of diversity, of respect for the other, the equality of each human being in relation to others in terms of respect for fundamental rights and freedoms are essential principles for the development of a democratic society. The importance of combating and condemning as strongly as possible the narratives of Holocaust denial and distortion is more obvious than ever, and the adoption, in May 2021, of the National Strategy for preventing and combating anti-Semitism, xenophobia, radicalization and hate speech represents the latest expression of Romania's constant efforts to preserve the memory of the past, protect survivors and combat intolerance and discrimination," a press release of the MAE sent to AGERPRES, reads.In this context, the Ministry reaffirms its determination to actively contribute to these efforts, by supporting it in the process of implementing the Strategy.In Romania, by Government Decision 672 of May 5, 2004 was approved the date of October 9 for the official national commemoration of Holocaust Day. This date marks the beginning of the deportations of Jews to Transnistria in 1941. Based on this decision, every year, on October 9, the Romanian authorities organize events dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust, including conferences, seminars, book launches, performances, school competitions.
Romania is better prepared to receive refugees from Ukraine, but there are currently no signals that there would be an increase in their number, secretary of state in the Interior Ministry Raed Arafat said on Sunday in northeastern Suceava.

On the other hand, he said that there are no security risks in the case of the European hubs for humanitarian aid to Ukraine, because they are civilian materials.Raed Arafat was at the Suceava hub on Sunday on the occasion of the ceremony of handing over some donations to the Ukrainian side, which was also attended by the Ambassador of France in Romania, Laurence Auer, and the Ambassador of Ukraine to Romania, Ihor Prokopchuk.It is about 15 fire and rescue vehicles brought by about 40 soldiers of the French civil security.In cooperation with the French Embassies in Romania and Ukraine, donations are distributed to Ukrainian beneficiaries, including the Ukrainian Emergency Service, Ukrainian Ministry of Health, as well as the cities of Chernihiv and Kharkiv, Odessa and Stryi municipalities.
DENVER  The Colorado baker who won a partial Supreme Court victory after refusing on religious grounds to make a gay couple's wedding cake a decade ago is challenging a separate ruling he violated the state's anti-discrimination law by refusing to make a cake celebrating a gender transition.

A lawyer for Jack Phillips on Wednesday urged Colorado's appeals court  largely on procedural grounds  to overturn last year's ruling in a lawsuit brought by a transgender woman.

The woman, Autumn Scardina, called Phillips' suburban Denver cake shop in 2017 requesting a birthday cake that had blue frosting on the outside and was pink inside to celebrate her gender transition. At trial last year, Phillips, a Christian, testified he did not think someone could change genders and he would not celebrate "somebody who thinks that they can."

Jake Warner, an attorney representing Phillips from the conservative Christian legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom, said the ruling was wrong. He said requiring Phillips to create a cake with a message contrary to his religious beliefs amounts to forcing him to say something he does not believe, violating his right to free speech.

Judge Timothy Schutz noted Phillips' wife initially told Scardina the bakery could make the cake before Scardina volunteered that the design was meant to celebrate her gender transition.

One of Scardina's lawyers, John McHugh, said Scardina did not ask the shop to endorse her idea, just sell her a cake that they would sell anyone else. He said whether or not Phillips sells a cake to someone cannot depend on what the client tells him when he is making the cake.

Both Scardina and Phillips spoke outside the court of larger issues involved. Scardina said the case was about the "dignity of LGBTQ Americans and Coloradans and the rule of law." Phillips said he was fighting for the rights of all Americans to live according to their consciences "without fear of punishment" by government.

In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission had acted with antireligious bias in enforcing the anti-discrimination law against Phillips after he refused to bake a cake celebrating the wedding of Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins in 2012. The justices called the commission unfairly dismissive of Phillips' religious beliefs.

The high court did not rule then on the larger issue of whether a business can invoke religious objections to refuse service to LGBTQ people. But it will get another chance when it hears a different case in coming months challenging Colorado's anti-discrimination law.

The case involves Denverarea designer Lorie Smith, who wants to offer wedding website services but says her Christian beliefs would lead her to decline any request from a same-sex couple to design a wedding website. She also wants to post a statement on her website about her beliefs but says Colorado's law violates her free speech and religious rights.

In agreeing to take the case, the Supreme Court said it would only examine the free speech issue.

Smith is also defended by Alliance Defending Freedom. Phillips' lawyers unsuccessfully asked Colorado's appeals court to delay hearing arguments in his challenge until after the Supreme Court rules in Smith's case.

Scardina, an attorney, attempted to order her cake on the same day in 2017 that the Supreme Court announced it would hear Phillips' appeal in the wedding cake case. Scardina testified she wanted to "challenge the veracity" of Phillips statements that he would serve LGBT customers.

Before filing suit, Scardina first filed a complaint against Phillips with the state and the civil rights commission, which found probable cause that Phillips had discriminated against her. Phillips then filed a federal lawsuit against Colorado, accusing it of a "crusade to crush" him by pursuing the complaint.
PAPHOS, Cyprus  Several Mediterranean nations said Saturday the European Union's border agency Frontex needs to work inside third countries to stop smugglers from endangering the lives of migrants by sending them off to Europe on risky boat trips.

Top officials from Spain, Greece, Italy, Malta and Cyprus  who receive most migrant arrivals from the bloc's southern and southeastern borders  said they'll float the idea to EU leaders later this month to set up asylum application centers in neighboring countries from which successful applicants can safely reach Europe. Such centers would help diminish the allure of smugglers.

The discussions come after shipwrecks off Greek islands this past week left at least 23 people dead.

BRIEFLY

MISSILE LAUNCHES: North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters on Sunday, the latest in its recent barrage of weapons tests, a day after it warned against the U.S. redeployment of an aircraft carrier for a new round of drills with South Korean warships.

GERMANY: A train communications system in Germany was targeted by sabotage Saturday, forcing both passenger and cargo trains to halt for nearly three hours across the northwest of the country, authorities said.

INDIA: A bus caught fire after hitting a truck on a highway in western India early Saturday, killing at least 12 passengers. Another 43 people with serious burns were taken to a hospital, police said.

SERIAL RAPIST: Richard Gillmore, who admitted to raping nine girls in the Portland, Oregon, area in the 1970s and '80s, is set to be released from prison in mid-December after serving nearly 36 years behind bars. He was arrested in 1986 and called the "jogger rapist" because he staked out victims as he ran by their homes, but was convicted in only one case because of the statute of limitations.

IRELAND: The death toll from a gas station explosion in a small village in northwest Ireland rose to 10 Saturday. Irish police said no one remained missing after Friday's explosion in Creeslough, County Donegal. Police say the blast appears accidental.

ISRAEL-PALESTINE: A Palestinian assailant opened fire at an Israeli military checkpoint in east Jerusalem on Saturday night, wounding four people, two of them seriously, Israeli authorities said, hours after a pair of Palestinian teenagers were killed during an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank.

 Associated Press
ST. LOUIS  August "Gus" Winkeler grew up in Lemay and went bad in a hurry. He ran with the hoods known as Egan's Rats, sometimes as wheelman for the gang's last boss, William "Dinty" Colbeck.

Winkeler turned 19 while doing time in the city Workhouse. He met Georgette Bence at her family's boarding house, a Rats hangout, and married her. Police scorned him as a "punk," or lesser figure, when Colbeck went to prison in 1925. Newspapers even misspelled his name, referring to him as Winkler.

He and Fred "Killer" Burke, another dispossessed Rat, drifted to Chicago, where they made the big time.

They became lieutenants to Al Capone and probably took part in the machine-gun executions of seven rival gangsters in a garage on St. Valentine's Day in 1929, with Winkeler as getaway driver. He showed his steam by easily making $100,000 bond in a major bank holdup in Nebraska. "The Big Boy is back of me," he boasted to cellmates.

But Capone went to prison for income-tax evasion. Burke got life for murdering a police officer. Rivalries emerged.

At midday on Oct. 9, 1933, Winkeler stood outside a tavern on Chicago's North Side. A passing green panel truck slowed. Three men blasted away with shotguns, raking Winkeler with 72 buckshot pellets.

At the hospital, he said nothing to detectives but managed a last prayer with a Catholic priest. He died wearing a jeweled belt buckle.

From their spacious apartment on Lake Shore Drive, Georgette Winkeler promised to adorn her man in jewelry before burying him in St. Louis. "The best is none too good for Gussie," she said.

Chicago newspapers described his silver casket as worth $10,000, the equivalent of more than $171,000 today. Almost 2,000 people dropped by visitation for a look.

The Oct. 12 St. Louis newspapers reported the casket heading here on a Wabash day train. But when the chapel was opened at Donnelly Funeral Home, 3840 Lindell Boulevard, Winkeler's body was in a plain black tuxedo inside a bronze casket. Disappointed local reporters dismissed the casket's worth at $1,000, no more than $3,000.

Long lines filed by just to be sure. A floral display next to his casket carried the inscription, "Last Chapter."

Winkeler received a funeral Mass at St. George Catholic Church, 4980 Heege Road, a rite often denied to gangsters. The Rev. Joseph Siebert, pastor, cited Winkeler's dying prayer to justify the exception.

He was buried next to his parents in Park Lawn Cemetery in Lemay as his widow sobbed, "Oh, daddy, daddy." On Oct. 22, she tried to commit suicide by turning on the gas in her Chicago apartment.

Killer Burke's wife, Bonnie, reached her in time. Mrs. Winkeler died in 1962.
MADRID (AP)  Former U.S. President Donald Trump threw his weight behind Spains far-right Sunday in a video shown at a rally in Madrid that also featured messages by the leading stars of Europe's populist right like Italys Giorgia Meloni and Hungarys Viktor Orban.

In a recording that lasted under 40 seconds made while Trump was on a plane, Trump thanked Spains far-right Vox party and its leader Santiago Abascal for what he called the great job they do.

We have to make sure that we protect our borders and do lots of very good conservative things, Trump said. Spain is a great country and we want to keep it a great country. So congratulations to Vox for so many great messages you get out to the people of Spain and the people of the world.

Vox captured national attention on Spain's political landscape in 2019 when it became the third-largest force in Spains Parliament after an election that led to a national left-wing coalition that still holds power. Vox's messages include zero tolerance for Catalan separatism, disdain for gender equality, diatribes against unauthorized immigration from Africa and embracing both the Reconquista of medieval Spain from Islam as well as the legacy of Gen. Francisco Francos 20th-century dictatorship.

Abascal returned the flattery when he took to the stage at the outdoor venue after more video messages by European and South American right-wing politicians and an in-person speech by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

My thanks for President Donald Trump, a visionary in the fight for sovereign nations, a visionary in the fight for secure borders, who has had to suffer (attacks) from the most powerful establishment in the world and the largest media attack that any world leader has had to face in recent memory, Abascal told the crowd of several thousand, many waving red-and-yellow Spanish flags.

Despite its spectacular rise, the party led by Abascal failed to meet the expectations it set for itself in regional contests this year and had suffered its first serious bout of in-fighting among its leaders. Vox is now eyeing regional and municipal elections next year as it battles to surpass Spains traditional conservatives.

The annual rally came just weeks after Abascal and the rest of Europes far-right celebrated the victory of Melonis neo-fascist Brothers of Italy Party.

Melonis recorded message lasted several minutes and was focused on her priorities as she prepares to become Italian premier: pushing for a price cap on energy in the European Union and recovering economic self-reliance.

We are not monsters, the people understand that. Long live Vox, long live Spain, long live Italy, long live Europe patriots, Meloni said. Only by winning in our countries can Europe become a political giant that we want, and not a bureaucratic giant.

Vox and its supporters are hoping that Melonis surge in Italy can spill over to Spain.

Melonis victory has given us reasons to believe that this is possible and that our side is not as demonized in Europe as some want to make us believe, said Francisco Hermida, a 25-year-old entrepreneur attending the rally.

Trump and others leading figures of the world's popular right have been trying for years to weave together networks of support in what they describe as a winner-take-all struggle against the political left. Orban was in the U.S. recently to speak to leading conservatives there and met with Trump.

The Vox rally also featured video appearances by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Chilean right-wing politician Jose Antonio Kast, the daughter of former Bolivian interim President Jeanine Anez, and U.S. Republican Senator Ted Cruz.

On the one side, there is the global elites and the global left, that is growing evermore thuggish and violent, on the other side are conservative populist, who share the values of God, and country and family and freedom, Cruz said. Sometimes the left scores dangerous victories, as we saw in Colombia. Sometimes the good guys win, like we saw in Italy."

Cruz said he is looking forward to a landslide Republican win in the U.S. congressional midterm election next month. Trump has been campaigning for right-wing candidates in the Nov. 8 election and is pondering another presidential run for the 2024 vote.

Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain. AP writer Colleen Barry contributed to this report from Milan, Italy.
FENTON  The GOP nominee for U.S. Senate in Missouri spoke to a group of St. Louis County Republicans on Sunday and talked about concerns of radical ideology in schools.

Eric Schmitt, currently the states attorney general, gave a campaign speech at the private event but stopped to talk with reporters for less than two minutes afterward. A Belgian television crew reporting on culture wars in the United States asked the nominee if children were under threat in schools.

I think whats happened in a lot of our school districts is crazy, Schmitt said. Weve exposed a lot of them with this radical ideology, critical race theory, and people who tell you its not happening in our schools, thats not truthful. Thats not truthful at all.

Schmitt became known during the COVID-19 pandemic for filing lawsuits to stop mask mandates in schools, and he has sought records from school districts he suspected of pushing critical race theory, an academic framework that centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nations institutions.

Some educators and other critics of Schmitt say the push to ban certain curriculum and library books amounts to state censorship aimed at chilling discussions of race and equity in schools.

Schmitt faces Democratic candidate Trudy Busch Valentine in the Nov. 8 election.

The St. Louis Young Republicans hosted the Freedom Fest BBQ luncheon at the county GOPs headquarters. Other speakers included U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, whos running for reelection in Missouris 2nd Congressional District.
Regarding "R-K needs to stay! Supporters rally to keep Rosati-Kain school open" (Oct. 3): What does a "pro-life" agenda look like? Among other things, it should include supporting a quality education that would support a quality life, and thus be a huge priority for those who oppose abortion rights. However, by closing Rosati-Kahn and St. Mary's high school in neighborhoods that desperately need quality education, the archdiocese sends the message loud and clear: The church hierarchy talks the talk of pro-life, but don't really walk the walk.

Enrollment at both schools could be increased by recruiting from a greater range of economically distressed neighborhoods, offering free tuition and transportation, providing needed support services, etc. All of which would be celebrated as supporting quality life with financing to back it up.

Will the archdiocese use its resources, money and influence to advance the cause or shore up its bottom line and consider only those who can afford to drop money in the collection coffers and pay their schools' tuitions? Will it leave the poor and marginalized once again shut out?

Sue Nauert  St. Louis
St. Louis County Library will bring artsbased programming and cultural enrichment to county library branches this fall made possible by a $200,000 endowment from the Kranzberg Arts Foundation to the St. Louis County Library Foundation.

The endowment will develop library spaces for use as artistic venues and provide an artsbased approach to community development. The library will host annual group exhibits featuring Kranzberg Arts Foundation visual artists-in-residence at the new Clark Family Branch, scheduled to open in late 2023.

"We couldn't be more thrilled to partner with the St. Louis County Library to bring free arts programming to communities throughout St. Louis County and highlight our incredible local artists, musicians and thought leaders," said Chris Hansen, executive director of the Kranzberg Arts Foundation.

The programs will begin in October at two branches. Musician and educator Harvey Lockhart will host the monthly Kranzberg Jazz Jam every first Thursday of the month at the Lewis and Clark Branch, 9909 Lewis-Clark Boulevard. This weekly gathering celebrates St. Louis' jazz legacy and future and aims to make the music accessible for all ages and backgrounds.

A new speakers series will take place at the Florissant Valley Branch, 195 New Florissant Road South, on the second Monday of each month beginning at noon Oct. 10. It will feature speakers from across the arts, culture and leadership landscape. Attendees are invited to bring their lunch.

St. Louis County Library was also named the 2022 Missouri Library of the Year for distinguished and outstanding work for the community by the Missouri Library Association. The award was presented last week during the association's annual conference in Springfield, Missouri.

The library was recognized for work in the areas of digital equity, community partnerships, improved facilities, service to the justice involved and COVID-19 relief efforts. Aisha Sultan  314-340-8300 Home and family editor, @aishas on Twitter asultan@post-dispatch.com
The U.S. military is under assault from MAGA extremists who seek to harness it to carry out their malign agenda. Anyone who stands in their way is denounced as a "woke loser." This is arguably the most dangerous civil-military challenge since the heyday of McCarthyism in the 1950s. The military is rightly eager to stay out of politics, but this laudable instinct can lead it to run away from controversy even at the cost of ceding the information battlefi eld to the far-right forces trying to subvert American democracy.

The treatment of Maj. Gen. Patrick J. Donahoe is a case in point. Until recently, this combat veteran was commander of the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning in Georgia, home of the Army's infantry and armor schools. Now, his retirement is being held up while Army leadership considers how to respond to an inspector general's investigation that concluded that he had "failed to display Army values and core leader competencies."

What did Donahoe do wrong? Ironically, his only offense was to champion on social media the very values the Army claims to stand for. Having a senior officer defend the Army's policies should not be seen as improper involvement in politics, but that is how it is being portrayed, not just by the Army's right-wing critics but also by the Army's own inspector general.

It all began in March 2021 when Fox News host Tucker Carlson expressed outrage over Air Force plans to develop a maternity fl ight suit. "It's a mockery of the U.S. military," huffed Carlson at the time, arguing that while "China's military becomes more masculine," ours becomes "more feminine." In reply, Donahoe posted on Twitter a video of himself conducting a reenlistment ceremony for a female soldier. "Just a reminder," he wrote, "that @ TuckerCarlson couldn't be more wrong."

Donahoe's retort earned the ire of the MAGA right. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who had compared the "emasculated" U.S. military unfavorably with the supposedly more macho Russian army, sent a letter of complaint to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, accusing Donahoe and other officers who defended the role of women in the military of expressing partisan political views.

A few months later, in July 2021, Donahoe clashed again with the MAGA right after he posted a message encouraging all soldiers, as per Defense Department policy, to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. That prompted a challenge from Josiah Lippincott, a Marine veteran turned graduate student at conservative Hillsdale College.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham, a notorious anti-vaxxer, claimed that Donahoe's tweet was an example of "high-level intimidation campaigns being used at the top of our military." Far from being intimidated, however, Lippincott appeared on Ingraham's show to accuse Donahoe of "spouting MSNBC talking points" and being one of the "woke losers who love cancel culture and can't see reality."

Rather than defend Donahoe, the Army might censure him. In the judgment of the Army inspector general, Donahoe's criticism of Carlson "exhibited poor judgment" and "drew national attention for [Major General] Donahoe and did not refl ect an Army culture of dignity and respect."

Donahoe's third offense, in the eyes of the inspector general, was to offer encouragement to a junior female officer under his command who had been subject to vile, misogynistic attacks on Twitter. One user even wrote, after a picture of her was posted, that she needed to "get raped." Donahoe came to her defense on Twitter. He then had a brief, innocuous exchange with her on Twitter for all to see. The inspector general claimed that his tweets, in reaching out directly to a junior subordinate, "violated the cadre-student relationship" and "refl ected poor judgment."

Some infractions. You can argue that Donahoe shouldn't have engaged in a back and forth with a random MAGA troll about vaccines, and that he shouldn't have been so snarky. (In fact, he told the inspector general he regretted it.) But he did not write anything remotely offensive or improper. He was simply defending Army policies on inclusivity and vaccines  policies that are anathema to the MAGA right.

Retired Army Col. Yegveny Vindman complained on Twitter that the Army and the Defense Department "are lost," "fear the right" and "are losing their moral compass" because they want to punish "the 'Woke' general" for standing up to Fox News.

I understand where the Army is coming from: It desperately wants to avoid being dragged into the political muck. But the military cannot afford to ignore dishonest and cynical attacks against its professionalism. If Donahoe is now disciplined for his tweets, it will send a chilling message to the entire Army not to call out MAGA lies. And that, in turn, will enable the real threat to "Army values"  the one posed by Trump and his followers  to metastasize.

Max Boot is the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a columnist for The Washington Post. Copyright The Washington Post
Rep. Cori Bush knew her memoir could be brutal. Brutal to write, brutal to read.

While working on it, she says, she "cried and cried and cried."

Yet she didn't want her troubled years  which, she writes, were marked by rape, abuse and lack of money  to be more than readers could bear.

She had borne them, as many voters knew. They elected the Democrat, the first Black Congresswoman from Missouri, to represent the state's 1st District. But too many details of assault, abortions, even bullets, might come off as sensational or overwhelming.

"Not everything made it into the book," she said recently, talking from Washington. "I wanted to tell my story, but I wanted to relate it to policy and why I push as hard as I do in the areas I do."

Bush's "The Forerunner," on sale Oct. 4, is markedly different from most political memoirs. Others may also recount struggles, but they often center on war service, a way to show heroism and toughness. Bush's memoir is also a tale of toughness, but it involves domestic trauma, lack of health care, minimum wage and police violence. Her battles are closer to home, and more prevalent, than distant military theaters.

Critics may think Bush brought some problems on herself by her choice of men. She admits to a period when she had a bit of a "gold digger mentality" and was a drinker. Later, after turning to God, the registered nurse may raise eyebrows when divulging that she believes in faith healing.

But she understands how difficult it can be for people to extricate themselves from abusive relationships. In her book, she affirms readers who have struggled, whether with money, abuse or housing. She repeats an affirmation like a mantra: "I love you."

'My story'

Bush, 46, says by phone that "people don't often disclose to their own friends or family about the trauma they endure." They are taught to "put their best foot forward." She's fine with those who don't want to disclose problems, but Bush says that hearing about others' troubles has helped her.

She opens "The Forerunner," with her account of how a local faith leader raped Bush, then 40 and a mother of two, while showing her a house he had for rent. She doesn't include his name and uses a pseudonym for many men, including her ex-husband and an ex-partner who shot at Bush as she ran from him. Some of the places Bush has worked are also referred to by pseudonyms, which may confuse St. Louis readers ("Holy Cross Hospital"?).

Of her ex-husband, Bush says: "I don't want people going after him. I'm telling my story. He has his own life to live." Even the man who threatened her life is not identified by his real name. "He has gone to prison and served his time," Bush says. "He lives a quiet life now, his family told me."

Like many women have, she confirms how hard it was to get out of an abusive relationship: "You don't know that's what you are walking into until you are too deep in," she says. She was never strong enough to overpower a male attacker, but says: "There was never a time when I didn't fight back." One boyfriend vowed to kill Bush's father if she wouldn't return to him.

Cherished family members like her father are identified by their names, and Bush's childhood sounds happy and secure. Her father, Errol, was a meat cutter and an alderman in Northwoods, where he and his wife, Barbara, bought a house with a yard. "All of the parents on the street knew us kids, and it was easy to be in trouble with any one of them," she writes. "Northwoods was a village."

She liked going to Velvet Freeze, riding a Big Wheel and playing teacher with her dolls. Although she wanted a Strawberry Shortcake poster, her father preferred images of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other Black leaders and filled the house with books on African-American heroes.

Because Errol Bush was an alderman, and later mayor, young Cori went to board meetings with him and knocked on doors campaigning. "I grew up around politics and public service," she writes.

She attended a Catholic grade school, Ascension, although Sunday services were spent at the First Free Will Baptist Church.

Bush writes that her first semester of high school was in a primarily white, Catholic all-girls school. But she found students and teachers unfriendly, even racist, and Bush transferred to Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School.

Bush then writes about an early boyfriend and how on a church trip, a different boy forced himself on her when she was 17 and just out of high school. She was "ashamed" and feared she had "miscommunicated" with the rapist. She chose to have an abortion after the attack resulted in pregnancy, and instead of attending college, she stayed at home, feeling emotionally numb and going to work at a hardware store and a Dollar General. Another abortion takes place a year or so later, and Bush describes how she had second thoughts about the procedure at the clinic. She writes that she told the nurse, "I don't want to do this," but the doctor went ahead with the procedure. Her concerns were ignored, she writes, and although furious, "I couldn't find my voice."

Transformation

In "Part Two" of Bush's memoir, she is a divorced mom of two children. She has a low-paying job but has moved on from a series of abusive men and a husband who hadn't "pulled his weight."

In 2005, Bush is accepted into nursing school and becomes a registered nurse. She also becomes active in a spiritual community, finding a faith leader who treats her with respect.

At a revival service, she writes, she's touched by the Holy Spirit and lies on the floor for three hours as if "a cleansing were taking place inside me."

As Bush's life is transformed again, she quits a nursing job and takes to St. Louis streets to pray for healing others. One time, she writes, she sees a woman with visible tumors on her body. Bush puts her hands on one and prays, and "the tumor shrank along with the others on her body."

This is a part of her life, Bush says, that she has mostly discussed in religious venues. "I haven't talked about it in political circles."

By 2014, Bush has created her own ministry when she learns of a police shooting in Ferguson. With the death of Michael Brown, she joins protesters and becomes active in the civil rights movement.

Part Three of the memoir follows more than a year of protests as Bush gains experience speaking out in crowds and for social justice issues. At a civil rights convention in Louisiana, she becomes energized when she hears Sen. Bernie Sanders from Vermont affirming that "Black lives matter."

Political success

Bush aims big when her first political candidacy is for the Senate in 2016. She loses the Democratic primary to Jason Kander, but by 2020 she is vigorously challenging the longtime U.S. Rep. William "Lacy" Clay in a primary for the 1st District.

Clay's campaign sends out a flier mentioning that Bush had been evicted from homes three times and once had her nursing license suspended. Bush writes: "These were true but to be used this way illustrated to me just how out of touch Clay's team was. They had no idea what it meant to be low income and resource poor."

Clay's strategy backfired, she writes. It triggered more support for her from people who understood Bush's travails.

In the prologue to her memoir, she writes that she's sharing her "truth because I feel an urgency to put my mind, my body, and my reputation on the line to make sure our communities get what we need. I hope that by being open about my own journey, I can help ease others' pain."

Her story is not an anomaly, she says, and as a legislator she feels responsible to "dismantle the systems of violence that too often cause that hurt."

Although the memoir ends before she takes office, Bush says in an interview that she's found being a member of Congress surprising in several ways.

She "expected there to be chaos," along with long days and very hard votes.

"What I didn't expect was the welcome I received at Congress."

She was told nobody wanted an activist in Congress, but she felt very welcome and says that "there have been disagreements, but it's no different from any other job I've worked. It doesn't mean we can't talk again. You move on."

Still, Bush doesn't necessarily expect to stay in the House for 20 years. She just says she'll see. She has already won this year's Democratic primary, so re-election to the House in November is expected. Her book is unlikely to affect the election one way or another.

But she knows the memoir is for a just purpose: "If it helps save one life, it will be worth it."

Jane Henderson  314-340-8107 Book editor @STLbooks on Twitter jhenderson@post-dispatch.com
I tried not to look, really I did, but couldnt stop peering over the edge of the road to the bottom of the canyon far, oh so far, below. Thats messed up, said guide Justin Joseph spotting a muddy tire track perilously close to oblivion. No, thats crazy.

Hearing him, I offered a silent prayer of thanks for being in Josephs steady hands and felt glad it was him, not me, driving the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park.

Last year visitors swarmed Moab, Utah, for day trips to Canyonlands and Arches, two of The Mighty Five national parks in the state. Drivers waited in long lines at their entrances and competed for spots in their parking lots.

Not me. On an off-road tour with NAVTEC Expeditions last August, five of us piled into a four-wheel drive vehicle, bypassed entry gates and entered both parks through the back door. We jostled over rutted dirt paths and had access to red rock backcountry only a small percentage of visitors see.

To curb overcrowding, Arches required reserved timed tickets to enter the park this past summer, but those who booked tours with official park service concessionaires, such as NAVTEC, can skip the tickets.

Backcountry adventure

Soon after leaving the main road, Joseph skidded to a stop. Want to see some dinosaur tracks? he asked. Sure enough, three-toed footprints formed depressions in the sandstone. This part of Utah has the worlds highest concentration of dinosaur tracks, including these going back 165 million years when the beasts lumbered along the tidelands of an inland sea. Some 100 million years later, the area had become a dry seabed of sandstone. Geologic forces caused it to warp, crack and rise, then erode into the shapes we came to see.

Balanced Rock looked like it might topple at any time, but the 128-foot-tall boulder is attached to its pedestal, not balanced atop it. Still, erosion eventually will take a toll as it did nearby when a smaller formation, Chip-Off-the-Old-Block, collapsed in the winter of 1975-76.

The parks namesake arches get the most attention from red-rock lovers. At popular ones, such as Delicate Arch  the one on Utah license plates  hikers may wait in a long line to take selfies. Rangers have had to break up fistfights, Joseph told us. We saw Delicate from a distance but went four-wheeling right up to Eye of the Whale Arch. A short hike led us inside the 12-foot-high opening. We had the place to ourselves for about 15 minutes until a Jeep pulled up and its passengers clambered up beside us. No worries; the park has plenty of arches to go around, more than 2,000, the largest concentration of natural sandstone arches in the world.

But theres more to see than these graceful curves. We detoured back to the main road for a stop at Park Avenue viewpoint and a hike into a canyon with sheer walls reminding early visitors of a big-city skyline. The massive monoliths of Courthouse Towers rise another mile farther down the trail.

En route to Canyonlands

Leaving Arches on Utah Route 279, we pulled over for a look at ancient rock art made by prehistoric Native Americans on a red-rock wall. Painted pictographs and etched petroglyphs depicted animals, human forms and abstract designs. What did they mean? Hunting grounds, astrological symbols, religious rituals? No one knows for sure.

At a lunch stop along the Colorado River, Joseph pulled chicken wraps and lemonade from coolers and we got to know one another. I should have guessed he majored in science in college because he had peppered us with facts about the natural world wed traveled through, interspersing our education with corny jokes. When not teaching high school, he leads tours such as ours as well as canyoneering, rafting and multi-day combo trips.

We passed weathered buttes and a small flock of bighorn sheep  protective ewes and skittish lambs  on our way back to the meandering Colorado. We got out to stretch our legs at Thelma and Louise Point where a 1966 Ford Thunderbird went airborne in the final scene of the 1991 film by the same name. Actually, it was two Thunderbirds, said Joseph. They needed two takes.

If that cliff wasnt enough to give me a touch of acrophobia, our next stop did the trick. My stomach flipped when I tiptoed to the brink of a chasm at Gooseneck Bend where the river nearly doubles back on itself. Peering down, the Colorado looked like a muddy snake slithering around a flat-topped mountain.

National park No. 2

A few minutes later, Joseph drove through an open metal gate where a rustic wooden sign announced: Entering Canyonlands National Park. Once again, we had the place to ourselves.

Canyonlands is vast, 337,590 acres divided into four districts. Driving among them takes several hours, so our tour stuck to the Island in the Sky district, a high plateau incised by canyons. We skirted one on the White Rim Trail, a narrow dirt road suitable only for high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicles and a driver whos not afraid of heights. I was glad to get out to walk to Musselman Arch. Unimpressive from a distance  more flat bridge than arch its appeal became more apparent when I got close enough to see it span a seemingly bottomless abyss. For safety, Joseph told us the national park no longer allows anyone to walk across the arch. No need to tell me twice.

Back on the White Rim, we joined the Shafer Trail at the bottom of a canyon and Joseph accelerated up a series of steep switchbacks sending us almost vertical. He told us the road closes in winter conditionsno kidding, I thoughtand about the time the driver of a long truck ignored warnings and got stuck on a curve. Fool. Even our five-passenger vehicle barely seemed to clear these hairpin turns.

Suddenly we popped over the rim onto a flat mesa, and I realized I had been holding my breath. Back on a paved road, broad pastures stretched to the horizon giving no hint of the adventures in the red-rock canyons below.
SULIMANIYAH, Iraq  Antigovernment demonstrations erupted Saturday in several locations across Iran as the most sustained protests in years against a deeply entrenched theocracy entered their fourth week. At least two people were killed. Marchers chanted antigovernment slogans and twirled headscarves in repudiation of coercive religious dress codes. In some areas, merchants shuttered shops in response to a call by activists for a commercial strike or to protect their wares from damage.

The protests erupted Sept. 17, after the burial of 22-yearold Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman who died in the custody of Iran's feared morality police. She had been detained for an alleged violation of strict Islamic dress codes for women. Since then, protests spread across the country and were met by a fierce crackdown, in which dozens are estimated to have been killed and hundreds arrested.

Meanwhile, thousands of people in The Hague, Netherlands chanted and sang in a solidarity demonstration in support of the protesters in Iran.
Former President Donald Trump's strained attempt to pull the U.S. Supreme Court into his fight over classified documents has highlighted, once again, something even more outrageous: Justice Clarence Thomas' continuing refusal to recuse himself from cases involving Trump despite the justice's marriage to one of Trump's most vocal, prominent and extremist followers.

At issue is the bizarre tug-of-war between Trump and the Justice Department over classified U.S. government documents that Trump took to his Florida home and refused to give back until a court-ordered search seized them. Trump has offered shifting rationales for his claim to them, including the novel argument that he declassified them without actually going through any kind of declassification process. Many of the documents are now under review by a lowercourt-appointed special master to determine if Trump has any legitimate claim to them.

But an appellate court has ruled that review can't include some of the most sensitive classified documents. Trump is asking the Supreme Court for an emergency stay to reverse that part of the appellate opinion  to rule, essentially, that even highly classified government secrets should be reviewed to determine if Trump can keep storing them in his basement even though he apparently has no legal right to possess them at all.

It's a procedural coincidence that Trump's request is directed specifically at Thomas, his staunchest ally on the bench. Requests to the court are divided among the justices by geographical area, and Trump's case happens to fall within Thomas' jurisdiction. But it should provide a useful test of whether Thomas is still concerned with even the appearance of even-handedness regarding Trump.

The signs aren't good.

In January, Thomas cast the sole vote in support of Trump's attempt to block Congress from seeing records regarding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. It later came out that Thomas' wife, Ginni Thomas, a prominent conservative activist, had inundated the administration with texts encouraging Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

That and other examples of Ginni Thomas' MAGA fanaticism led to calls for Justice Thomas to recuse himself from future cases involving Trump, but he has declined to. Under current rules, no one can make him; no previous court apparently envisioned a sitting justice who was both married to an outspoken ideologue and unwilling to responsibly take himself off cases in which a clear conflict of interest was evident.

Thomas will now have the power to decide what happens next with Trump's request. Experts say the likeliest course in such cases is that he will refer it to the full court. But in theory, he could simply grant the requested emergency order. Whatever he does, only Thomas and his wife will know how much of it was based on jurisprudence, and how much of it was rightwing pillow talk.
Patrick E.T. Godbey, MD, FCAP, FACOG, Named Pathologist of the Year

NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The College of American Pathologists (CAP), the worlds largest organization for the medical doctors who diagnose and study disease, recognized several of its members for their contributions to pathology and laboratory medicine during its annual meeting, in New Orleans, Louisiana October 8-11, 2022.

In recognition of his long and distinguished career in pathology, the CAP named Patrick E.T. Godbey, MD, FCAP, Pathologist of the Year. During his 30 years as a CAP member, Dr. Godbey served two full terms as a member of the CAP Board of Governors. He was the chair of the Council on Government and Professional Affairs, overseeing the direction of the organizations legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts on behalf of patients, pathologists, and medical laboratories, and he has led numerous CAP councils and committees.

I am humbled to be named the Pathologist of the Year. So many pathologists immediately took up the fight against COVID-19 and we much more than answered the call, Dr. Godbey comments. It was my privilege to lead the CAP during this most challenging of times. I am certainly honored to be the recipient of this prestigious award, but I know that there are a large, large number of Fellows in this College who are also truly Pathologists of the Year.

From 2019 to 2021 Dr. Godbey served as CAP president. He skillfully led the CAP through the COVID-19 pandemic by positioning and promoting pathologists as indispensable. He also increased the flexibility and visibility of the laboratory throughout the pandemic. In addition, he led the CAP during the social justice movement of 2020, during which he condemned racism, inequity, and discrimination in any form. Dr. Godbey directed the formation of the CAPs Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Committee. Further, Dr. Godbey conceived and helped direct the pathologists pipeline initiative, working to introduce the pathology specialty to more medical students.

Dr. Godbey joined the Southeast Georgia Health System medical staff in 1983 as an obstetrician and gynecologist before transitioning to the practice of anatomic and clinical pathology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a board member of the Georgia Association of Pathology, and a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, Phi Beta Kappa, the Chinese American Pathologists Association, and the Florida Society of Pathologists.

Dr. Godbey founded Southeastern Pathology Associates where he serves as CEO and laboratory director. He is also the chief of the Department of Pathology at Southeast Georgia Health System in Brunswick, Georgia and chair of the board of the Camden Healthcare Network.

In addition to the Pathologist of the Year award, the CAP recognized 21 other members/residents for their contributions, achievements, and service in a multitude of areas, including but not limited to advocacy, patient care, education, quality improvement programs, and communications.

The CAP annually honors members for their commitment to the specialty and quality patient care. This years honorees are:

CAP Advocate of the Year Award

Eric Y. Loo, MD, FCAP

CAP Distinguished Patient Care Award

Bradley M. Linzie, MD, FCAP

CAP Distinguished Service Award

Mary E. Edgerton, MD, PhD, FCAP

Sophia L. Yohe, MD, FCAP

CAP Foundation Gene and Jean Herbek Humanitarian Award

Rebecca Osgood, MD, FCAP

CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program Service Award

Desiree A. Carlson, MD, FCAP

CAP Laboratory Improvement Programs Service Award

Andrew M. Bellizzi, MD, FCAP

CAP Lifetime Achievement Award

Edward R. Ashwood, MD, FCAP

Wayne Lee Garrett, DO, FCAP

Amira F. Gohara, MD, FCAP

Michael A. Linden, MD, PhD, FCAP

Rajendra S. Singh, MD, FCAP

Bruce R. Smoller, MD, FCAP

CAP Outstanding Communicator Award

Ronald W. McLawhon, MD, PhD, FCAP

CAP Outstanding Educator Award

David K. W. Lieu, MD, MBA, RDMS, FCAP

CAP Outstanding Service Award

Raouf E. Nakhleh MD, FCAP

CAP Pathology Advancement Award

Gaurav Sharma, MD, FCAP

CAP Public Service Award

Gregary Bocsi, DO, FCAP

CAP Resident Advocate Award

Tristan Rutland, MBBS

CAP Resident of the Year Award

Samreen Fathima, MBBS, MD

CAP Staff Outstanding Achievement Award

Kathy Mortell

About the College of American Pathologists

As the worlds largest organization of board-certified pathologists and leading provider of laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing programs, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide. For more information, visit: newsroom.cap.org and yourpathologist.org to watch pathologists at work and see the stories of the patients who trust them with their care. Read the CAP Annual Report.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221009005040/en/

Catherine Dolf, Sr. Manager, Media Relations CAP, 847-832-7472, [email protected]

Abby Watson, Manager, Communications CAP, 847-832-7513, [email protected]

Source: College of American Pathologists
Los Angeles, CA, Oct. 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- California-based E-wallet app GPoint Wallet (gpointwallet.com) is developing a new function through which people send and receive money on their mobile devices by offering Cashback on digital transactions. In recent progress, the company has launched a new E-Wallet App for Mobile phone users with Cashback and secure digital payments in seconds.

A subsidiary of Master & S, Inc., GPoint Wallet awards users GPoints every time they use the app to pay for goods or services at affiliated merchants. GPoint Wallet rewards its most loyal customers with relatively high cashback percentages of between 2.5% and 50%. The purchases, payments, and receipts processed by the newly launched E-wallet app are safe and secure. With a simple search function or a QR code, it enables users to pay for goods and services with GPoint Wallet or send money directly to other users.

Furthermore, GPoint Wallet is helping businesses grow by offering their customers Cashback; hence participating businesses are developing brand loyalty and inspiring word of mouth. Richard Pyo, the CEO of GPoint Wallet, expressed his views about the new development of his company:

We wanted to give both consumers and businesses an added incentive to use our E-wallet for payments and sending money directly to recipients. When consumers use GPoint Wallet to pay for goods and services at affiliated merchants, they get up to 50% cashback. And businesses give their customers a strong incentive to return and make repeat purchases.

He further added,

Every GPoint earned is worth a buck. Users can either spend their points on purchases from affiliated businesses, transfer their points to their bank accounts, or send them to other GPoint Wallet users. Were confident that we have created the most intuitive, secure, and generous cashback program in the E-wallet sector. We have teamed up with Fortress Blockchain Technologies to deliver integrated crypto wallet functionality that makes depositing and spending cryptocurrencies seamless."

GPoint Wallet can download from the Apple App Store and Google Play. The developers plan to introduce crypto wallet technology to the GPoint Wallet app in late 2022.

About GPoint Wallet

GPoint Wallet is an intuitive, user-friendly E-wallet that allows users to pay for goods and send money privately from their iPhone or Android device. A subsidiary of Master & S Inc., this growing E-wallet brand has developed one of the industrys most generous cashback programs and a powerful mobile interface that makes digital payments quick, safe, and exceptionally easy.

Recently, it has collaborated with Fortress Blockchain Technologies. With the help of Fortresss services, GPoint Wallet can provide custodial accounts for wallet users and a secure crypto wallet. The two companies are working together on plans for a global debit card function  expected to launch in 2023. Before the worldwide debit card gets found, users can apply for the Fortress card, an international card.

The involvement of Fortress Blockchain Technologies is a sign of this new E-wallets potential. The emerging company has developed a reputation for its various blockchain technologies, minting engine, and financial infrastructure for Web3 and crypto innovators.

Source: GPoint Wallet
President Joe Biden praises the Italian American community in Columbus Day Proclamation.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Basil M. Russo, the national leader of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, recently sat down with senior White House staff to offer guidance on the significant and often overlooked history that binds the Italian American community to Columbus Day.

The final product was this year's Columbus Day Proclamation, a historically accurate document that traces the struggles and rise of the Italian American culture, and reflects the winding path to assimilation that many of America's immigrants know all too well.

"This breakthrough comes at a critical time as America's 'culture wars' grind on, but as the White House demonstrated, there's a great deal that can be achieved through meaningful dialogue," said Russo. "My fellow Italian American leaders were instrumental in this effort, and it's time to continue the conversation on local and national levels with other groups and cultures who wish to sit down and listen to one another."

President Joe Biden's inclusive piece, released Friday night, was a welcome departure from past proclamations that drew criticism from the Italian American community for conflating the Columbus Day holiday with prevailing social issues.

"Dear Mr. Russo, thank you again for all of your guidance on this year's Columbus Day proclamation. We really appreciate it, and look forward to working with you," said Will McIntee, Senior Advisor, Office of Public Engagement, The White House.

We offer our thanks to President Biden and Mr. McIntee and look forward to working closely with the White House to secure separate holidays for Italian Americans and Indigenous Peoples.

Russo, along with dozens of delegates from the Conference of Presidents, has spent the past year traveling to Rome's parliament and the Vatican to establish diplomatic and cultural ties; they have also mobilized hundreds of Italian American organizations to pursue initiatives that range from public policy and advocacy to education, language and developing cultural institutions.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS OF MAJOR ITALIAN AMERICAN ORGANIZATIONS

Formed in 1975 and based in NYC, the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations is comprised of 58 of the most influential, cultural, educational, fraternal and anti-defamation groups in the nation. The Conference of Presidents is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/white-house-and-italian-american-leaders-achieve-breakthrough-over-columbus-days-meaning-and-history-301644222.html

SOURCE The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations
45 voting and women's rights orgs outline plan to double-down in final weeks before midterm elections

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As the United States marks 30 days until Election Day 2022, Women Are Voting, a coalition of organizations focused on mobilizing women to vote led by Supermajority, announces that they have made contact with more than 11 million voters so far this year. This mobilization effort has been made possible through the activation of 45 organizational partners, more than a dozen influencers, and digital content that has already reached more than 9.8 million people.

The coalition launched in May  two months earlier than planned  in the days following the leaked Supreme Court decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion. It has already exceeded the original goal of contacting 10 million voters total, so the coalition is now doubling down on efforts in the remaining weeks before Nov. 8. The groups, many of which are led by women of color, are demonstrating their collective power by planning multiple touchpoints with voters in this final stretch via volunteer-driven calls, letters, texts and door-knocks as well as influencer, advertising and brand partnerships.

In order to mobilize and tell the story of the largest voting bloc in the United Stateswomen the Women Are Voting coalition has been working throughout the year to encourage women who are fired up about the 2022 midterm elections to talk to other women about their plans to vote. With 3 million new young women eligible to vote this November and women registering to vote in record numbers after the Supreme Court's decision to gut the legal right to abortion, women are rallying to elect leaders who will champion policies that restore and expand women's freedoms. These include affordable healthcare and childcare, practical gun safety legislation, student loan debt forgiveness, paid leave for all, and the freedom to make decisions about our bodies. It also includes explicitly adding equality for women in the U.S. Constitution.

"Women will vote like our lives and our bodies and our families depend on it, because they do. Women refuse to stand by as extremist attacks on our reproductive freedoms escalate. We made our voices heard in the streets this summer and turned out in never-before-seen numbers in Kansas, where abortion was already on the ballot," said Amanda Brown Lierman, executive director of Supermajority. "We hold the power to vote leaders in  and vote those who don't work for us out. Women voters, and in particular women of color voters, were the margin of victory in 2020, and we are working to make sure women turn out again this year in an election that is even more consequential."

As of today, Supermajority has 31 full-time organizers who, along with volunteers, have reached 1.7 million voters in target states, including more than 300,000 in one day of action on Sept. 24. This effort has been supported by 1,300 Women Are Voting volunteer captains who have pledged to contact 1,500 voters each (with a specific focus on sporadic or infrequent young women voters). Supermajority has also collaborated with women's workwear brand Argent to launch Voting Suits You, the campaign featuring the iconic pink suit from 2020, to get women across America ready and excited to vote in the midterms.

Other Women Are Voting coalition members weigh in on this group's important work and share why their organizations view the 2022 midterms as critical:

Laphonza Butler, president of EMILY's List: "With the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the extreme bans being proposed and passed around the country, it is more clear than ever that our rights are on the ballot everywhere. EMILY's List is proud to work with our partners in the Women Are Voting coalition to turn out women voters because we know that there's a very real impact when they do. Women voters are critical to electing state legislatures and governors who will codify our rights at the state level, to protecting Congressional majorities that will prevent a national abortion ban, and electing officials at all levels who will work to protect and expand rights rather than roll them back."

Maria Teresa Kumar, president and CEO of Voto Latino: "Women's lives are on the line in this election. And that's doubly true of Latinas and other women of color who suffer the most when our rights are attacked. Whether it's access to abortion or the right to fair pay on the job, we're organizing to demand that our government give our needs the support and attention they deserve. Change won't happen on its own. That means we're going to raise our voices at the polls. Women, especially young women and women of color, will decide the future of this country. We hold the power, and we're going to use it."

Jody Rabhan, chief policy officer at National Council of Jewish Women: "This week marks both 30 days out from the election and 100 days after the fall of Roe. National Council of Jewish Women's advocates are working tirelessly to register, educate, and mobilize voters this fall because we know that these two things are intimately connected. Our vote is our voice, and to support policies that improve the lives of women, children, and families  including access to abortion, paid leave, and lifting children from poverty  it is imperative we show up in November."

Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Women's Law Center Action Fund: "Since our last midterm election, we have seen our democracy pushed to the brink by extremist politicians who have weaponized every institution to exert control and remove power from the people of this country. From a Supreme Court majority going against settled law and stealing our right to abortion, to radical state politicians restricting voting rights and silencing communities by unfairly redrawing district lines, to schools that are banning books and endangering LGBTQ+ students, we are at a tipping point where women voters need to say enough is enough. The 2022 midterm elections will be some of the most consequential in history for gender justice. It is time that our country and our elected officials show up for us, and we  women and gender justice activists  need to show up for one another. The National Women's Law Center Action Fund is proud to join with our peers to ensure that women everywhere hold our elected officials accountable during this election."

Zakiya Thomas, president and CEO of the ERA Coalition/Fund for Women's Equality: "With recent rollbacks on nearly 50 years of established law, the Supreme Court has changed everything; all of our rights and freedoms are currently under attack, making the ERA even more important now than it ever was. Women are going to make the difference in this midterm election. Women, men, and gender non-binary people are going to vote like our equality depends on it. Because it does!"

Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez, president of NextGen America: "Today we are celebrating the incredible work NextGen America, Supermajority and our partner organizations have done to register, educate and mobilize millions of young women ahead of this year's midterms. And now, with just 30 days left before Election Day, we are more determined than ever. We are not taking our foot off the pedal. If extremist MAGA Republicans gain control of Congress, they will enact a national abortion ban and empower wealthy corporations over everday working-class people. We cannot let a patriarchal and archaic collection of white men define our future. Young women can protect the issues we care about, but only if we come together and use our collective voice."

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, executive director and CEO of MomsRising: "This will be a midterm election like no other. America's moms are fired up to vote, motivated by the crushing blows of the U.S. Supreme Court denying us access to abortion care; as well as by Republicans in Congress denying us paid family and medical leave, affordable child and elder care, and the care infrastructure every society needs; and by lawmakers who bow to the gun lobby, forcing us to worry about keeping our kids safe in the midst of unprecedented gun violence. Women and moms have been registering to vote in record numbers, and we're doing a massive amount of work to turn them out. Moms will exercise our power at the polls this year."

Danielle Atkinson, national and founding director of Mothering Justice and Mothering Justice Action Fund: "Women of color are a powerful voting bloc in our country. We are not a monolith; our intersecting identities are made up of diverse cultures and values that have strong connections at our roots. Women Are Voting because our vote is powerful. The midterm elections are a prime opportunity for women, mamas and caregivers to use our power to vote to change the future of politics and policy. We are excited to have joined forces with Supermajority and partners to educate and mobilize women of color to vote during this election and every election moving forward. We believe at our core that when women across intersecting identities work together, we will win policies for a better future together!"

Christian F. Nunes, national president of National Organization for Women (NOW): "NOW is proud to join with Supermajority and this dynamic coalition to energize our grassroots in this election. Women Are Voting because we know that this fall, we must vote for women's lives. From abortion care and reproductive freedom to marriage equality and from voting rights to basic human rights, it's all on the line this November. We know that women will show up and turn out, making sure we vote for equity and justice for all."

Danielle Butterfield, executive director for Priorities USA: "Priorities is proud to support this historic effort to engage women voters and ensure that their voices are heard at the ballot box this November. So much is on the line this election, from the right to an abortion to the right to vote, and voters are tuning in to make their voices heard on these critical issues. We will continue to work in coalition with our allies to ensure that voters are getting the critical information they need, on the online platforms where they are spending their time, to successfully cast their ballot in this election."

Aimee Allison, founder and president of She the People: "For generations, women of color have been organizing on the frontlines in the fight for reproductive justice, safety, and dignity for our families and communities. The Supreme Court's Roe overturn was a major setback for the progress of our nation, but it will be women of color voters and electeds who will right that wrong. As the most powerful Democratic voting bloc, Black, Latina, Native, Asian and Pacific Islander women will turn out to vote this November at every levellocal, state and federalto not only protect our freedoms but our collective future."

Nick Knudsen, executive director of DemCast USA: "In 2020, nearly 10 million more women voted than men. In 2022, many more women have registered, and they have the power to ensure their freedoms are enshrined in law. DemCast USA has seen that enthusiasm translate into social media energy: Our digital volunteers have generated over 3 billion social media impressions for pro-choice candidates, overwhelmingly powered by women."

Katie Paris, founder of Red Wine & Blue: "Roe's overturn has ignited a fire burning deep within America. In swing suburbs across the country, women are voting and talking to their family and friends about voting for candidates that respect their rights and freedoms. The suburban woman backlash is underway."

Amanda Pohl, executive director of Deliver My Vote: "Women know the future of our democracy is on the line and are more engaged this election than ever before  we can't afford not to be. Deliver My Vote is working hard to ensure that women, especially young women and women of color who are most affected by voter suppression, are confidently able to cast a ballot at home or at the polls. Vote-by-mail increases turnout, allows voters more time to make decisions, and is convenient and accessible for voters. This access is critical in a pivotal year for women's rights and every year for inclusive, intersectional women's representation."

Kenda Sutton-EL, executive director of Birth in Color: "Women, especially women of color, have always had to do the work to speak up for ourselves, to protect ourselves and to ensure that our voices are heard. We stand on the shoulders of the women who did this work before us, and our efforts ensure that the women who come after us are both protected and empowered. At Birth in Color, our fight for reproductive justice and maternal justice is one that we will continue to persevere in. We believe that race, class, gender, voting rights and climate change intersect with reproductive justice. We know that our votes impact each of these topics, which is why we stand alongside those doing the work to mobilize women voters and do our part to elevate the voices of women."

Emily May, president, co-founder and lead executive officer of Right To Be (formerly Hollaback!): "A world where women and gender-expansive people have the right to fully be who we are, no matter where we are, doesn't exist yet. Our dignity, equality, and bodily autonomy face new threats daily. But we can fix this. We've got to turn the care we have for each other into action. One of the easiest ways to do that is to vote. That's why we at Right To Be are honored to partner with Supermajority and this historic coalition to engage women voters and make sure our voices areheard at the election box this November."

In addition to the Women Are Voting coalition's focus on federal races, member organizations are also building power in state legislatures across the country to create local governments that work for women.

Hillary Holley, executive director of Care in Action: "Women have everything to win this year. What's at stake can't be understated: This year, Republicans and the Supreme Court focused on disempowering women economically and politically with their anti-abortion decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. That was a political miscalculation on their part. We know that women of color, who will be disproportionately affected by these decisions, win elections. It's why Care in Action has committed to endorsing women of color candidates across seven key states and investing in women of color voters because we make the difference at the ballot box. In 2020, we mobilized voters and we won real relief for all Americans. This year, we're at the doors, on the phones, and reaching voters in their communities by demonstrating the care we expect of our elected leaders. We're honored to be in this fight with our Women Are Voting partners to continue protecting democracy, and we're going to continue this fight to Nov. 8 and beyond."

Kia Guarino, executive director of Pro-Choice Washington: "Pro-Choice Washington is thrilled to join Supermajority and this remarkable coalition to channel our collective outrage into action. Women Are Voting because we must raise our voices to protect our fundamental freedoms. People of all genders recognize that this is a defining moment in our history, and that we can only win by firmly standing in our power. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we have seen a significant increase in engaged voters and passionate activists. This is the moment to harness our ability to drive change. We cannot be complacent."

Elisheva Johnson, director of Emergent Justice: "We are working to be the storytellers of the movement! So that means we're trying to innovate and transform. We're trying to dismantle. We are trying to reimagine. We're working to educate and empower under-represented voters and to create lasting political change by encouraging all people, but specifically BIPOC women, to raise their voices at the polls."

National and state-based Women Are Voting partner organizations include:

Abortion Access Front

All* Above All Action Fund

American Federation of Teachers

Birth in Color RVA

Black Voters Matter

Care in Action

Deliver My Vote

DemCast

Emergent Justice

EMILY's List

ERA Coalition

Higher Heights

Ladies Entrepreneur Empowerment Corporation

Latino Victory Project

League of Women Voters (LWV) of the United States

LGBT Detroit

Mississippi in Action

MomsRising

Mothering Justice

Mothering Justice Action Fund

NARAL Pro-Choice America

National Congress of Black Women

National Council on Jewish Women

National Council on Jewish Women Dallas

National Organization for Women (NOW)

Florida NOW

National Women's Law Center Action Fund

NextGen America

OnePA

The Outrage

Paid Leave for All Action

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona

Pro-Choice Washington

Priorities USA

Red Wine & Blue

Rideshare2Vote

Right To Be

Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

She the People

Sister District

UltraViolet Action

Vote Forward

Vote Mama Action

Vote ProChoice

Voto Latino

Women's March

Women Are Voting is a coalition of organizations that focus on the issues women care about. We're coming together using our shared values to demonstrate how strong women are when we vote together. Women are the largest voting bloc, and it's time we're seen that way!

Supermajority is a women's equality organization made up of women of all backgrounds, races, and ages who are coming together to create a future where we are truly equal. Supermajority is connecting women with each other and building on our collective power by providing the information, training, and resources to take action in our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and in the voting booth.

CONTACT: [email protected][email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/women-are-voting-coalition-marks-11-million-voters-contacted-one-month-out-from-election-day-301644220.html

SOURCE Women Are Voting
HONOLULU (Tribune News Service)  In a move to get out in front of the Red Hill water crisis, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply has launched a study to determine whether it will be feasible to treat water tainted by various petroleum chemicals and turn it into something clean and safe to drink.

Treating such contaminants promises to be a complicated process that will likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars and might yet prove too costly to undertake, according to BWS officials.

But the study, they said, is worth the effort as they wait to find out exactly how much of an impact the leaks from the Navys 79-year-old Red Hill Bulk Fuel Facility will have on the aquifer below it.

Its so incredibly critical that we take this on, Board member Na alehu Anthony said at a recent BWS meeting. Its important that we have a firm understanding of what the water is doing in the aquifer, because if we dont, were just going to struggle that much harder when it comes time to make decisions about where were putting millions of dollars of equipment down to make sure we can provide safe and clean drinking water to the island of Oahu.

Its been nearly a year since hundreds of military families were sickened by polluted tap water linked to the Red Hill fuel tanks. Since then, several Red Hill spills have drawn a spotlight, including a May 2021 release of 19, 000 gallons of jet fuel and a January 2014 release of up to 27, 000 gallons of jet fuel.

Navy studies have indicated that groundwater underneath and near the underground Red Hill tanks is contaminated with petroleum chemicals. Documents also show leaks dating back to 1947, plus ongoing corrosion of the tank liners.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply shut down three of its wells in response to the Red Hill crisis as a precaution, and monitoring wells have been installed in the area in an effort to track the movement of contaminants in the groundwater.

In August the BWS announced that it had detected trace amounts of petroleum-related chemicals in a monitoring well in Moanalua Valley, elevating concern about the threat to municipal water sources.

Its important to know whats happening to the aquiferwhats in it, hows it moving and when it could reach our wells, said Ernie Lau, the boards manager and chief engineer.

BWS Water Quality Program Administrator Erwin Kawata said testing of BWS water sources closest to the Red Hill facility continues to show no petroleum contamination present.

That includes at Halawa shaft, Oahus largest and most productive well, which produces 20 % of the water10 million to 20 million gallons a dayfor more than 400, 000 residents and other customers from metropolitan Honolulu to Waikiki and all the way to Hawaii Kai. Halawa shaft is less than a mile from Red Hill.

But Kawata said that condition could very well change as contaminants migrate in the groundwater or if there are additional spills.

In the meantime, Halawa Shaft, Aiea Wells and Halawa Wells continue to be shut down, and the Board of Water Supply continues to lobby for installation and testing of additional monitoring wells and the draining of the Red Hill fuel tanks as soon as possible. The board is also pursuing the development of replacement water sources.

Kawata said the water treatment study presents a great challenge because of the many types of fuels that have been stored at Red Hill.

According to Navy reports, some 180, 000 gallons of various types of fuel have leaked from the Red Hill facility over the decades.

Since 1943, the tanks have been used to store a variety of petroleum-based fuels and chemicals, including heavier fuel oil that powers ships, automotive gasoline, aviation fuel, diesel, jet fuel, kerosene, heating oil, lubricating oils and solvents.

We also dont know what kind of additives were added to the fuel, Lau said. It points to the complexity of our challenge here.

Kawata said there are a lot of treatment technologies to evaluate, including gravity separation, biologically active filtration, membrane filtration, ozonation, ultraviolet advanced oxidation, granular activated carbon, dissolved air flotation, and coagulation and flocculation.

He said its important to evaluate all of them because, for example, one treatment method more efficient at removing a certain contaminant might have no effect on another.

Also being considered is how each technology performs to treat varying levels of pollutants, from very high to very low concentrations.

You see this in the data being collected by the Navy in the groundwater, he said, adding that, Its really going to end up being a combination of different kinds of techniques. Each has to be evaluated individually and in concert with each other to examine the feasibility and removal of a wide range of concentrations.

Because of the multitude of variables, its likely that more than one treatment will have to be employed in the field to make the water clean and drinkable. And that will require the BWS to consider space requirements needed for treatment, a fact that may render water treatment infeasible at some sites.

Few utilities apparently treat their water for petroleum chemicals. Kawata said there are case studies in the literature, but they are extremely limited.

Some of what were going to be doing will be groundbreaking, he said.

The estimated timeline for completing the treatment study is June 2023, he said, but a number of technical challenges so far suggest the timeline may have to be extended.

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(Tribune News Service)  Suited up in an olive green pilot jumpsuit, 9-year-old Emma Wood could hardly contain her excitement as she waited to tour the USS Princeton, docked at Pier 30 in San Francisco.

Shes seen the action film Top Gun: Maverick six times since it was released earlier this year. And its inspired her to become a fighter pilot someday.

I kind of like all of the action, she said.

Wood, from Benicia, was one of an estimated 5,000 people who toured the 567-foot guided-missile cruiser Saturday during San Franciscos Fleet Week. Since 1981, the annual event has brought visiting military ships as well as air shows featuring the Blue Angels flight demonstration team, whose supersonic roar envelops the city each October.

Thousands of visitors from around the Bay Area and beyond flock to the Embarcadero and Marina Green at the edge of the San Francisco Bay to take in the festivities. The event, which also hosts community workshops and humanitarian assistance training sessions for service members and civilians, has become a model for Fleet Weeks across the country.

Aboard the USS Princeton, Chief Petty Officer Brian Pelham, the anti-ship missile defense coordinator for the vessel, said his crew trained local firefighters on watercraft rescue techniques during the visit. The ship, based out of San Diego, may take part in other Fleet Week events in Long Beach or Los Angeles later this year.

We get to bring people on board and show them really what the taxpayer money really buys and what it means for us to have everybody onboard, Pelham said. And then it even has the other part of it, too, of us being able to visit some of these beautiful cities.

Amanda Mavenyengwa, whose sister is currently serving in the Navy in Washington D.C., said she hoped touring the Princeton, armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles and two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters, would give her a better idea of her sisters life in the military.

Ever since she joined the military, thats a major part of her life, said Mavenyengwa, whos from Mountain View. Its going to be interesting. Its going to be fun.

Vijayakumar Thangamariappan said he and his family came to Fleet Week six years ago when they first traveled to San Francisco. They now live in Campbell and have it made a tradition to attend the event every October.

Thangamariappans son, Aadhavan, was excited to look out at the bay from the deck of the Princeton and watch the Blue Angels airshow. The family planned to enjoy the autumn San Francisco weather walking along the Embarcadero and then maybe do some shopping.

We want to make sure that every year well be here, Thangamariappan said.

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We cant know what was said in those secret deliberations, but the Nobel Committee must have thought about giving Volodymyr Zelenskyy its Peace Prize. That would have been a popular choice  he easily topped the 2022 Time magazine reader poll for the most influential person of the year.

They were right instead to honor Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian civil and human rights activists. The prize is not against anyone, said Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chairwoman of the Nobel committee. And yet, on Vladimir Putins 70th birthday, it is clearly a repudiation of everything he stands for and an eloquent defense of the importance of both civil society and memory in building peace.

Its not that Zelenskyy isnt a strong or deserving candidate. The Ukrainian presidents uncommon courage and leadership has inspired a number of people under extreme duress, and he has made the democratic world think about freedoms we often take for granted and what it means to defend them. Hes fighting a war he didnt choose, a war of necessity. But there were reasons to pause. As President Joe Biden noted grimly, the world is as close as its come to nuclear war since the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. What if awarding the prize to Zelenskyy prompted the ultimate act of defiance from Putin in his bid to win the war at any cost?

Last years prize, given to Filipino journalist and rights activist Maria Ressa and Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, highlighted the importance of safeguarding freedom of expression. This years committee extends that to acknowledge the critical importance of collective memory and accountability too. Enlightened leadership is essential, but building peaceful, long-lasting democracies requires the bottom-up work of restoring trust and facilitating healing  work that this years recipients do.

Ales Bialiatski, the jailed Belarussian human rights activist who was awarded the peace prize, has led a nearly 30-year campaign to promote freedom and democracy and provide support for political prisoners. Like many human rights campaigners in authoritarian countries, he has endured extreme hardship in the service of cause. His award will hopefully embolden those working to end rule by dictatorship in Belarus and prevent Belarus from being dragged further into Putins war.

The other two prize recipients point to the importance of historical memory, something Putin has tried hard to wipe out. The Russian human rights organization Memorial emerged during the glasnost period to document crimes of the Soviet era. Its first chairman was the late Andrei Sakharov, who himself won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975. His late widow, Elena Bonner, fought tirelessly for the same cause. In citing Memorial, the Nobel committee is, perhaps belatedly, acknowledging that there is no hope for long-term peace without historical record and accountability.

The Ukrainian human rights organization the Center for Civil Liberties, recognized for their outstanding effort to document war crimes, human rights abuses and the abuse of power, is also an important part of this triad. Each week brings new evidence of war crimes in Ukraine that need to be painstakingly documented, investigated and ultimately prosecuted. That is a mammoth task, as justice for all victims is too tall an order. But any bulwark against future aggression must include the process of prosecuting war crimes. It will be important to have institutions that also hold Ukrainian authorities to account, too.

Its easy to be cynical about the Peace (or any other) prize. Heaven knows, the committee has made choices over the years that were tin-eared or even downright regrettable. It has often seemed self-important and too trend-conscious. And yet, there is merit in remembering that in places of oppression and war, it is the daily acts of defiance by those on the ground, the efforts to bring justice and accountability and restore the bonds of civil society that give peace its greatest long-term chance.

As for Zelenskyy, the prize he needs is not a Nobel.

Therese Raphael is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion covering health care and British politics. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.
WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service)  The U.S. remains ready for talks with North Korea on denuclearizing the Korean peninsula, while ensuring that we have also the capabilities in the region and ready to go in case we need them, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

After a week in which a North Korean ballistic missile launch prompted an alert in Japan, Kirby told ABCs This Week the U.S. is working on increased military cooperation with South Korea and Japan to counter threats from Kim Jong Un.

Kim has decided not to take us up on that offer, Kirby said Sunday. Quite the opposite: now he has improved his ballistic missile program. He has clearly not abandoned his nuclear weapons ambitions.

South Korea said its military will strengthen security cooperation with the U.S. and Japan, including the deployment of U.S. strategic assets, after North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles Sunday.

The missile tests add to 10 launched by North Korea over the past two weeks. The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier group made a U-turn after one of the missiles flew over Japan. The group returned to waters off the Korean peninsula and held missile-defense exercises with naval forces from Japan and South Korea on Thursday.

We want to see the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, verifiable and complete, and we have communicated to the North Koreans, said Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council.

So what we have to do as we have that offer on the table is make sure that we have also the capabilities in the region and ready to go in case we need them, he said.

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PARIS  Nicolas Toulliou had just proposed marriage to his girlfriend. Nelson Marinho Jr. was heading off on a new oil exploration job. Eric Lamy was about to celebrate his 38th birthday.

They were among 228 people killed in 2009 when their storm-tossed Air France flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris slammed into the Atlantic. After more than a decade of legal battles, their families have a chance at justice in a courtroom.

Aviation industry heavyweights Airbus and Air France are charged with manslaughter in a trial that opens Monday over the crash of Flight 447 on June 1, 2009. The worst plane crash in Air France history killed people of 33 nationalities and had lasting impact, leading to changes in air safety regulations, how pilots are trained and the use of airspeed sensors.

But it almost didn't come to trial. The companies insist they are not criminally responsible, and Air France has already compensated families. Investigators argued for dropping the case, but unusually, judges overruled them and sent the case to court.

"We made a promise to our loved ones to have the truth for them and to ensure that they didn't die for nothing," Ophelie Toulliou, whose 27-year-old brother Nicolas was killed, told The Associated Press. "But we are also fighting for collective security, in fact, for all those who board an Airbus every day, or Air France, every day."

She said the companies present themselves as "untouchable," and that Airbus made no effort to address families' concerns. "For them, we are nothing. They did not lose 228 people. They lost a plane."

Few families in Brazil, which lost 59 citizens in the crash, can afford to travel to France for the trial. Some feel the French justice system has been too soft on Airbus and Air France  two industrial giants in which the French government has an ownership stake.

The trial is expected to focus on two key factors: the icing over of external sensors called pitot tubes, and pilot error.

The Airbus A330-200 disappeared from radars over the Atlantic Ocean between Brazil and Senegal with 216 passengers and 12 crew members aboard. The first debris was only spotted at sea five days later. And it wasn't until 2011 that the plane  and its black box recorders  were located on the ocean floor, in an unprecedented search effort at depths of more than 13,000 feet.

France's air accident investigation agency BEA found that the accident involved a cascading series of events, with no single cause.

As a storm buffeted the plane, ice crystals present at high altitudes disabled the pitot tubes, blocking speed and altitude information. The autopilot disconnected.

The crew resumed manual piloting, but with erroneous navigation data. The plane went into an aerodynamic stall, its nose pitched upward. And then it plunged.

The pilots "did not understand what was happening to them. A difficulty of interpretation, in an all-digital aircraft like all the aircraft in the world today  well, it's easy to be wrong," said Gerard Feldzer, a former pilot and pilot trainer for Air France.

He said he and pilots around the world asked themselves afterward "if it had been me, would I have acted in the same way? It has been a very difficult question to answer."

No one risks prison in this case; only the companies are on trial. Each faces potential fines of up to 225,000 euros  a fraction of their annual revenues  but they could suffer reputational damage if found criminally responsible.

Nelson Marinho, whose son Nelson Jr was killed, is angry that no company executives will be tried.

"They have changed various directors, both at Airbus and Air France, so who will they arrest? No one. There won't be justice. That's sadly the truth," Marinho, a retired mechanic who leads a support group for victims' families, told The AP.

Air France is accused of not having implemented training in the event of icing of the pitot probes despite the risks.

In a statement, the company said it would demonstrate in court "that it has not committed a criminal fault at the origin of the accident" and plead for acquittal.

Air France has since changed its training manuals and simulations. It also provided compensation to families, who had to agree not to disclose the sums.

Airbus is accused of having known that the model of pitot tubes on Flight 447 was faulty, and not doing enough to urgently inform airlines and their crews about it and to ensure training to mitigate the resulting risk.

An AP investigation at the time found that Airbus had known since at least 2002 about problems with pitots, but failed to replace them until after the crash. The model in question  a Thales AA pitot  was subsequently banned and replaced.

Airbus blames pilot error, and told investigators that icing over is a problem inherent to all such sensors.

"They knew and they did nothing," said Daniele Lamy, president of an association of victims' families that pushed for a trial. "The pilots should never have found themselves in such a situation, they never understood the cause of the breakdown and the plane had become unpilotable."

Lamy lost her son Eric a few days before his 38th birthday. She has struggled ever since to find out the truth.

"The plane had sent messages to the ground about the problem but had not warned the pilots. It's as if you were driving a car at 130 (kph, about 80 mph), your brakes were no longer working but the car sent the alert to the mechanic and not to the driver," Lamy told the AP.

She is among 489 civil parties to the trial, which is scheduled to last through December.

The crash forced Airbus and Air France to be more transparent and reactive, Feldzer said, noting that the trial will be important for the aviation industry as well as for families.

"The history of aviation security is made from this, from accidents," Feldzer said.

Vaux-Montagny reported from Lyon, France. David Biller in Rio de Janeiro and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed.
IZIUM, Ukraine  Soon after Russian forces took her prisoner, the 52-year-old woman picked up a nail and carved her name into a brick wall.

A-L-L-A, she wrote.

Below, she scratched how many days she had been held in the shed outside a medical clinic in her hometown. Above, she wrote in simple words what she had endured in captivity: ELECTRICAL SHOCK. UNDRESS. PAINFUL.

She hoped the markings would one day serve as clues for her son about what she expected to be the final days of her life.

I thought if my son would look for me, he could find these writings and understand that I was there and died there, she later recalled.

Some of Allas writing is still visible in the small shed in Izium, the city in northeast Ukraine, where she said occupying Russian forces tortured, raped and beat her while she was held captive for 10 days in July.

The men who detained her, Alla said, were seeking information about her son, who works for Ukraines internal security service, the SBU, and about her own work at the regions gas company. Her husband, who worked at the same company, was also detained and tortured on the clinics property.

Allas account of her treatment at the hands of Russian forces adds to a growing body of evidence of alleged war crimes committed by Russian troops and officials in the parts of Ukraine they occupied this year, after President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion and launched a full-scale war.

Russian forces have left a trail of destruction and cruelty across Ukraine, including in Bucha, where they were accused of atrocities. New reports of barbarity are emerging as Ukraines military liberates more towns following months of occupation, and as authorities and rights groups try to document these acts of inhumanity in hopes of one day bringing perpetrators to justice, perhaps before an international tribunal.

Russia controlled Izium, a small city in the northeast Kharkiv region, from March through September, when a surprise Ukrainian counteroffensive forced Russian troops and local collaborators to rapidly retreat. In the weeks since Ukraine retook its territory, horrific details have emerged about some of the most grievous offenses Russian forces allegedly committed during their violent occupation.

Civilians who survived the occupation have recounted other instances of rape and torture at the hands of Russian and Russia-backed troops. Some of the hundreds of civilian bodies retrieved from a mass burial site in Izium showed signs of torture, Ukrainian officials said.

Alla shared her account with The Washington Post on the condition only her first name be used. The Post is also not naming her husband, or son, to protect her identity.

Washington Post journalists twice visited the site where she was imprisoned, once independently and once with Alla and her husband. Her account was consistent with what Post journalists found inside, including her name and other details still scrawled on the wall.

It was impossible to independently verify every detail of Allas case. But in an investigation into torture in Izium, Human Rights Watch spoke to eight other men and one other woman who were detained at the clinic during the Russian occupation, said Belkis Wille, senior researcher in the groups conflict and crisis division. The woman told the group she was threatened with rape but not sexually assaulted. A man who was held in a garage at the clinic during the same time as Alla reported that he heard womens screams, and soldiers talking about denying food to a prisoner because she had not performed a sex act, Wille said.

Alla also showed The Post journalists a video of herself after she returned home, in which she appeared gaunt and disheveled.

The harassment started in mid-March.

After surviving heavy shelling, Alla braved a pedestrian bridge across the river that runs through Izium to check on her sons empty apartment near the city center. On her way, she found a scene of ruin: Corpses lay on the sides of the road, and there were destroyed buildings everywhere she looked.

Her sons neighbors told her that Russians had visited the building, asked about her son, who was working elsewhere in the Kharkiv region, and searched his apartment. The men started taking out everything, she recalled, including his coffee machine, CD player, television and washing machine. Fearing all his belongings would be looted, she moved what valuables were left to a friends house nearby.

That same month, Russian forces began visiting her and her husband at their home. First they said they were looking for weapons or wanted photos of her son, who was deployed for work outside of Izium. Later they started searching her phone, interrogating her and her husband about whether their son was hiding in Izium and insisting he should collaborate with Russia.

Soldiers also told them that her sons neighbors had provided intelligence to them about their family. They were threatening us all the time, telling me that if my son collaborated with them, they wont touch us, everything will be good, Alla said. We lived in constant fear, but they didnt touch us, didnt torture us.

Like many other civilians, Alla and her husband knew they might be safer elsewhere but they feared leaving behind her elderly parents.

Then the Russians demands escalated.

The Russian-appointed mayor of Izium and men who identified themselves as FSB agents repeatedly asked Alla to return to her job at the Kharkiv gas company. The gas supply was cut to the much of the city and Russian officials wanted to turn it back on. Alla insisted she would not return to work and that as a manager, she did not have the technical expertise they needed. When she finally visited her office, she found the door kicked in and her belongings turned upside down.

The next day, on July 1 at 11 a.m., two cars pulled up outside their house  both emblazoned with the Russian Z. About 10 men jumped out of the vehicles, including those who had visited them before.  You were saying you wouldnt go to work?  Alla recalled them shouting.  You went to the gas bureau and bossed around there? Now, get ready. 

The men placed bags over Alla and her husbands heads, tied their hands with duct tape and shoved them into the trunks of each car.

With her eyes covered, Alla did not know where she was being taken. Then the cars stopped and the soldiers jumped out.  Well beat the Ukrainian out of you here, you wont come out of here alive,  they told her.  Either you accept our rules and acknowledge that you live in Russia or youll go missing. No one will find you, ever. 

Then they pushed Alla through a door, untied her hands and took off the bag covering her eyes. She was inside a small, dark shed with a cement floor. The men locked the door and said they would be back soon.

An hour later, six men returned to the shed, placed the bag back over her head and brought her to another building nearby, where they demanded she undress. When she refused, they forcefully undressed me, laid me on [the] table and started touching me, everywhere, she said.

They laughed as they groped her. Then they were throwing me on my knees, screaming, Oh, you are Ukrainian. Do you know what we do with Ukrainian women and mothers of Ukraines Security Service officers?  Alla said.  We tie them up naked on the main square and send pictures of them to their sons so they would see what we can do to their parents. 

The commander made rules about how Alla should behave, threatening to beat her if she disobeyed: When the men entered the shed, she should be naked from the waist down and keep her back turned to them.

She initially refused.  What do you mean you would not take your clothes off? Do you think you can argue with us?  she recalled the commander saying. I started crying and screaming, but he took my clothes off and asked his soldiers who would be the first to rape me.

The assaults  carried out by the commander  usually began after 4 p.m., when the men returned to the clinic.

For three days, the commander forcibly touched her and forced her to perform oral sex on him while holding her husband hostage in a garage nearby. Alla said she could hear her husband cry out as the troops beat him, and overheard the commander tell my husband that he raped me, and that we both enjoyed it.

The shed was so stuffy that she found it difficult to breathe and had to remove a loose brick from the wall to try to get fresh air. She begged the soldiers for anti-anxiety medication, which they provided. They also gave her two buckets  one to use as a toilet and the other for porridge and stale bread. Through a hole in the wall, she once saw the men escorting her husband back to the garage, beaten so badly he could barely stand.

I was determined to commit suicide. There were some spikes inside the barn, and I had a bra so I thought of hanging myself, she said. It did not work out. I started crying. I was crying all the time. They heard me crying and came back, and started harassing me again.

As the days passed, the men continued to demand information from her about the gas supply in Izium  at one point shocking her feet with electricity and laughing as she screamed. I cannot express what kind of pain it was, she said. The commander also asked about money on her bank card and in her house, which she later realized they stole, she said.

For days as they questioned her, the men accused her of lying about even basic information. In the end, after demanding details from her about how to extract and distribute natural gas in Izium, the Russians said they were satisfied with her answers and that she and her husband would both be released  a decision the couple still does not fully understand.

On July 10, they were blindfolded and dumped at a gas station on the side of the road. After taking some time to heal, they fled through Russia, Belarus and Poland until they reached a part of Ukraine not occupied by Russia, where Alla received gynecological treatment due to her repeated assaults.

In September, days after Ukraine liberated Izium, Alla and her husband returned to their hometown for the first time. With the Russians gone, their son has also been able to return. Leaning up against the wall outside their home, Alla turned to her husband.

Did you believe them when they said they were raping me? she asked him.

He paused. I didnt know what to believe, he responded. He said he could only hope it wasnt true and was some form of psychological torture the soldiers were using against him instead.

Two days later, they returned to the abandoned clinic where they were tortured just two months before.

Inside the main clinic building, where Alla and other detainees were tortured, the German words Truth Sets You Free were scrawled on the wall in what appeared to be a nod to the Nazis use of Work Sets You Free  the slogan on the gate to Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps.

Alla stepped into the shed where she was held, her eyes scanning the wall to look for the markings she left  some now scratched over in what she thinks was an effort to erase the truth of what the Russian forces did to her. She pulled back the covering on the boarded up window. She found the sedative packets on the floor. She pointed to the corner where she moved a brick to get light and fresh air  then the metal rods where she tried to hang herself.

In the garage where her husband was held, Alla found the filthy yellow foam mattress she had slept on, and the dirty clothes she used as a pillow.

Her ordeal was over but the trauma was not.

We are Ukrainians. We were always for Ukraine, she said. For that, we were punished.

Sergii Mukaieliants contributed to this report.
MADRID  Former U.S. President Donald Trump threw his weight behind Spain's far-right Sunday in a video shown at a rally in Madrid that also featured messages by the leading stars of Europe's populist right like Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Hungary's Viktor Orban.

In a recording that lasted under 40 seconds made while Trump was on a plane, Trump thanked Spain's far-right Vox party and its leader Santiago Abascal for what he called the "great job" they do.

"We have to make sure that we protect our borders and do lots of very good conservative things," Trump said. "Spain is a great country and we want to keep it a great country. So congratulations to Vox for so many great messages you get out to the people of Spain and the people of the world."

Vox captured national attention on Spain's political landscape in 2019 when it became the third-largest force in Spain's Parliament after an election that led to a national left-wing coalition that still holds power. Vox's messages include zero tolerance for Catalan separatism, disdain for gender equality, diatribes against unauthorized immigration from Africa and embracing both the "Reconquista" of medieval Spain from Islam as well as the legacy of Gen. Francisco Franco's 20th-century dictatorship.

Abascal returned the flattery when he took to the stage at the outdoor venue after more video messages by European and South American right-wing politicians and an in-person speech by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

"My thanks for President Donald Trump, a visionary in the fight for sovereign nations, a visionary in the fight for secure borders, who has had to suffer (attacks) from the most powerful establishment in the world and the largest media attack that any world leader has had to face in recent memory," Abascal told the crowd of several thousand, many waving red-and-yellow Spanish flags.

Despite its spectacular rise, the party led by Abascal failed to meet the expectations it set for itself in regional contests this year and had suffered its first serious bout of in-fighting among its leaders. Vox is now eyeing regional and municipal elections next year as it battles to surpass Spain's traditional conservatives.

The annual rally came just weeks after Abascal and the rest of Europe's far-right celebrated the victory of Meloni's neo-fascist Brothers of Italy Party.

Meloni's recorded message lasted several minutes and was focused on her priorities as she prepares to become Italian premier: pushing for a price cap on energy in the European Union and recovering economic self-reliance.

The win by Meloni has worried European Union leaders that Italy, the bloc's third-largest economy, could put national interests first, like Hungary and Poland are doing.

"We are not monsters, the people understand that. Long live Vox, long live Spain, long live Italy, long live Europe patriots," Meloni said. "Only by winning in our countries can Europe become a political giant that we want, and not a bureaucratic giant."

Vox and its supporters are hoping that Meloni's surge in Italy can spill over to Spain.

"Meloni's victory has given us reasons to believe that this is possible and that our side is not as demonized in Europe as some want to make us believe," said Francisco Hermida, a 25-year-old entrepreneur attending the rally.

Trump and others leading figures of the world's popular right have been trying for years to weave together networks of support in what they describe as a winner-take-all struggle against the political left. Orban was in the U.S. recently to speak to leading conservatives there and met with Trump.

The Vox rally also featured video appearances by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Chilean right-wing politician Jose Antonio Kast, the daughter of former Bolivian interim President Jeanine Anez, and U.S. Republican Senator Ted Cruz.

"On the one side, there is the global elites and the global left, that is growing evermore thuggish and violent, on the other side are conservative populist, who share the values of God, and country and family and freedom," Cruz said. "Sometimes the left scores dangerous victories, as we saw in Colombia. Sometimes the good guys win, like we saw in Italy."

Cruz said he is looking forward to a landslide Republican win in the U.S. congressional midterm election next month. Trump has been campaigning for right-wing candidates in the Nov. 8 election and is pondering another presidential run for the 2024 vote.

Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain. AP writer Colleen Barry contributed to this report from Milan, Italy.
When Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered unmarked troops to Ukraine in 2014, first in Crimea and then the eastern borderlands of Donbas, they were better equipped, trained and organized  and they crushed their opponents.

Eight years on, the roles are reversed. Thats due to a multitude of factors: The modern weapons and training provided to Ukraine by its allies, the vastly better morale of its military, the caliber of its commanders, intelligence and planning aid from the US, plus catastrophic tactical errors by the Kremlin and its generals.

One cause, however, stands out: The very different ways in which two armies both with Soviet roots have learned to fight.

The impact on and off the battlefield has been profound, with Ukrainian forces able to conduct rapid, combined force operations in a September drive from Kharkiv in the northeast to the Donbas region that, just months earlier, had proved beyond the capabilities of their Russian adversaries.

In the southern Kherson region, Ukraine has added a third major front where is forcing Russian troops into retreat, following Kharkiv and, back in April, the capital, Kyiv. On Saturday, a huge explosion hit the bridge Putin built to connect Crimea with the mainland.

He is not joking, U.S. President Biden said Thursday, of Putins threats to deploy tactical nuclear weapons. Because his military is, you might say, significantly underperforming.

The poor Russian performance has sparked a backlash at home, with hawkish figures from Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov to reputed mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin lashing out at the failures of military commanders. On Saturday, Putin for the first time publicly put a single general  Sergei Surovikin  in command of the entire Ukraine operation. Surovikin heads Russias air force and had been in charge of the invasions southern theater.

People close to the Russian defense ministry said they recognized the efficiency of Ukraines more devolved command structure from the early stages of the war. Russian military bloggers, meanwhile, have described the disorienting effect of attacks from the rear by small, mobile Ukrainian units, because its difficult to know in real time how big the threat of encirclement is.

After its 2015 defeat, Ukraines regular army had to be rebuilt almost from scratch. Hollowed out by decades of underfunding, corruption and later deliberate degradation under the pro-Russian former president Viktor Yanukovych, it could field just 6,000 combat ready troops against Russias hybrid forces.

A clutch of defense ministers Yanukovych appointed before being forced from office in 2014 have since been prosecuted; in one case the charge was treason in the interests of the Russian Federation. By the time Andriy Zagorodnyuk, a civilian entrepreneur, was parachuted into the ministry to drive reform in 2015, it was clear to him that a Russian plan to demilitarize Ukraine had been underway for years.

It was never just about the Donbas, said Zagorodnyuk, interviewed in Kyiv. It was from the start about controlling all of Ukraine.

When Putin launched his invasion earlier this year, it was with a military that for eight years had been lavished with extra spending and equipment. If the U.S. agreed with the Kremlin on anything, it was that Ukraines defense force was outclassed and that Kyiv could fall in a matter of days.

That didnt happen in part because at the core of Ukraines military reform, according to Zagorodnyuk, was the principle of mission task command, in which decision-making is handed to the lowest possible level.

It is exactly the opposite of what happened in the post-Soviet and Russian armed forces, said Zagorodnyuk, who served as defense minister from 2019 to 2020. He traced a 30-year post-independence trajectory in which both nations  including their militaries  were learning from very different pasts: One authoritarian and imperial, the other rebellious and individualistic. Its the same reason why the war is being fought.

The military was among the last institutions in Ukraine to change. Still, according to Zagorodnyuk, the reforms were transformational. Add NATO training, the development of a new U.S.-style corps of noncommissioned officers with decision-making powers and accorded greater respect, plus eight years of experience fighting in Donbas, and the profile of Ukraines military has become dramatically different from Russias.

On Sunday, the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported the European Union has agreed to train a further 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers in EU countries, starting with Germany and Poland.

According to Zagorodnyuk, as many as 500,000 Ukrainian men and women cycled through the trenches along the 2015 Donbas cease-fire line, where fighting continued daily despite the truce, right up to Putins Feb. 24 invasion.

After intervening directly, if covertly, to decide the 2014-2015 Donbas conflict, Russia mostly sent officers to coordinate the fight in the trenches. As a result, it never had that training ground for its troops. Whereas the vast majority of Russian soldiers who came to Ukraine in February had never been to war, Ukraine had both a serving military and deep bench of reserves that had.

At least as important are the young officers who served in Donbas from 2014, trained with NATO and rose to become generals  including the 49-year-old commander in chief of Ukraines armed forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.

That difference has significant implications as Putin orders a mobilization of fighting age men that have at some point served in the armed forces, months after Ukraine ordered its own draft. Russias mobilization aims to raise about 300,000 recruits, but there are few qualified officers available to train them into a fighting force, and no empowered NCOs to mentor them within units.

Nor can the rigid, top down nature of the Russian military command structure be easily altered in the political system Putin has created since coming to power more than 20 years ago.

While the wars outcome is far from decided and Russias armed forces retain advantages in key areas such as sheer quantities of artillery, long range missiles and aircraft, they have for now lost the initiative to Ukraine.

I think our experience since 1991 contributed a lot, says Mykola Bielieskov, research fellow at the National Institute for Strategic Studies, a Ukraine government think tank. That includes the 2004 Orange and 2014 Maidan popular revolts, as well as the Donbas conflict that followed, when Ukrainians instantly self-organized to feed protesters, form militias or crowdfund basic medical and military supplies.

By February, when Ukraine came under attack from a vastly larger and better equipped Russian force, it was only the instinct to self-organize that saved cities like Kharkiv, Mykolayiv and Kryvyi Rih from being overwhelmed, because in many cases there was little or no regular army to defend them.

We needed to improvise to survive, Bielieskov said. If people had waited for orders from Kyiv, or wed fought the way the Russians do, wed have been quickly overwhelmed.

As Ukraine has moved onto the offensive, those advantages have been on display again. Like Russia, it has faced the challenge of having to break through defensive lines without the air superiority needed to protect its forces from ambush or counterattack.

Reliant on slow moving artillery, Russia could only pound Ukraines defenses and then edge slowly forward in Donbas. In its drive east from Kharkiv, by contrast, Ukraine, could bring its heavy guns forward in real time to perform the role of air cover, according to Bielieskov.

That was partly down to having some mobile systems like the French Caesar and Polish Krab self-propelled howitzers to deploy. But it was also because Ukraines gunners had learned to rapidly dismantle and reassemble the much more plentiful, static, U.S. M777 howitzers.

I think the Russians made a big mistake giving us eight years to prepare, Bielieskov said.
JERUSALEM  A Palestinian opened fire on an Israeli military checkpoint in east Jerusalem on Saturday night, killing a female Israeli soldier and wounding three other people, Israeli authorities said.

The attack came hours after a pair of Palestinian teenagers were killed during an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank.

It was the latest bloodshed in the deadliest round of fighting in the area in seven years. It also came less than 24 hours before Israel was to begin celebrating the weeklong Sukkot holiday, a time when tens of thousands of Jews visit the holy city.

Saturday night's shooting occurred at a checkpoint near the Shuafat refugee camp in east Jerusalem. Police said the assailant got out of a car and opened fire, seriously wounding the female soldier and a security guard before running into the camp. The army announced early Sunday that the woman, who was 19, had died.

Police said two members of the paramilitary border police unit were lightly wounded by shrapnel.

Police said they were searching for the attacker, with special forces and a helicopter involved in the search. Police said early Sunday that they arrested one person on suspicion of involvement in the attack, but were continuing the manhunt.

Our hearts tonight are with the wounded and their families, said Prime Minister Yair Lapid. Terrorism will not defeat us. We are also strong on this difficult evening.

Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed the area in a move that is not recognized internationally. It considers the entire city, including east Jerusalem, home to the city's most important holy sites, to be its capital. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.

Israel already has been carrying out daily arrest raids in the occupied West Bank since a series of deadly Palestinian attacks inside Israel. Most of the military activity has been focused in the Palestinian cities of Jenin and Nablus in the northern West Bank.

Earlier Saturday, the Israeli military shot and killed two Palestinian teens during an arrest raid in the Jenin refugee camp, the site of repeated clashes between Israeli forces and local gunmen and residents. The camp is known as a stronghold of Palestinian militants.

Palestinian officials said soldiers entered the camp early Saturday and surrounded a house. In videos circulated on social media, exchanges of fire could be heard. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported two dead and 11 wounded, three of them critically.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the dead as Mahmoud al-Sous, 18, and Ahmad Daraghmeh, 16.

The Israeli military said it had arrested a 25-year-old operative from the Islamic Jihad militant group who has previously been imprisoned by Israel. It said the man had recently been involved in shooting attacks on Israeli soldiers.

It said soldiers opened fire during the raid when dozens of Palestinians hurled explosives and shot at them.

Just before noontime, the Israeli forces withdrew from the area.

The killing occurred a day after two Palestinian teenagers, ages 14 and 17, were killed by Israeli fire in separate incidents elsewhere in the occupied West Bank. Rights groups accuse Israeli forces of using excessive force in their dealings with the Palestinians, without being held accountable. The Israeli military says it opens fire only in life-threatening situations.

Israel says it is forced to take action because Palestinian security forces, who coordinate with the military in a tense alliance against Islamic militants, is unable or unwilling to crack down. Palestinian security forces say the military raids have undermined their credibility and public support, especially in the absence of any political process. The last round of substantive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks ended in 2009.

Most of those killed are said by Israel to have been militants. But local youths protesting the incursions as well as some civilians have also been killed in the violence. Hundreds have been rounded up, with many placed in so-called administrative detention, which allows Israel to hold them without trial or charge. Over 100 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting this year.

The violence is also fueled by deepening disillusionment and anger among young Palestinians over the tight security coordination between Israel and the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, which work together to apprehend militants.

U.N. Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland said he was alarmed by the rising bloodshed. The mounting violence in the occupied West Bank is fueling a climate of fear, hatred and anger, he said in a statement, calling on the sides to reduce tensions and take steps toward reviving a political process.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and 500,000 Jewish settlers now live in some 130 settlements and other outposts among nearly 3 million Palestinians. The Palestinians want that territory, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, for their future state.
(Tribune News Service)  First lady Jill Biden will visit with members of the military and their families at Fort Benning this week, the White House has announced.

Bidens visit on Thursday and Friday will also include a stop at the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, a consolidated military training school also located on the base.

The trip is part of the Joining Forces initiative first launched in 2011 by first lady Michelle Obama and Biden, who was then second lady. The mission is to support active-duty personnel and veterans, as well as their families and caregivers, through employment support, educational resources and health and wellness programs.

Jill Biden has made several visits to Georgia since her husband, President Joe Biden, was sworn into office. The couple flew into Fort Benning in April 2021 for a trip marking his first 100 days in office. That itinerary also included a visit with former President Jimmy Carter in Plains and a rally in Duluth.

Her most recent trip to Georgia was in July when she visited a summer program for children in Athens.

2022 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Visit at ajc.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(Tribune News Service)  Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc. and SpaceX, sees himself as a man trying to do the right thing, which is not always clear.

But in recent days his remarks about Russias invasion of Ukraine and the tensions between China and Taiwan have demonstrated the risks of public diplomacy by a billionaire with complex business interests around the globe.

The Financial Times published a profile on Friday in which Musk proposed his own solution for the tensions between China and Taiwan  handing some control to Beijing. Taiwan is governed independently, but China considers the island part of its territory. He also said Beijing has sought assurances that he wont offer SpaceXs Starlink internet service in China.

My recommendation...would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, probably wont make everyone happy, Musk told the newspaper. And its possible, and I think probably, in fact, that they could have an arrangement thats more lenient than Hong Kong.

The comments matter because Tesla operates an auto plant in Shanghai. At the same time, SpaceX is developing Starlink, a satellite-based internet service thats proved to be a military asset in Ukraines defense against Russias invasion.

The remarks are also out of step with U.S. policy: President Joe Biden has said the U.S. would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. The president has also said the U.S. stands by its One China policy, in which it has avoided formal recognition of the government in Taipei or providing it a binding security guarantee.

Taiwans Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said in a text message on Saturday that the island wouldnt accept the proposal put forward by Musk based on investment interests to turn a democratic country into a special administration. The crucial role Taiwan plays in regional democratic politics and global technology and economy is not a product of commercial transactions, he said.

Taiwan has an advantage in the chip and tech supply chain and has long worked with Tesla, Chiu said. We welcome Mr. Musk and other global business leaders to visit Taiwan to see Taiwans democracy, freedom and innovation for themselves.

Chao Tien-lin, a ruling Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker, proposed on his Facebook page that Taiwanese boycott Tesla indefinitely if Musk does not change his tune.

China said it continues to adhere to the basic policy of peaceful reunification and one country, two systems on Taiwan, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing on Saturday. China will resolutely smash any separatist attempts for Taiwan independence, or external interference, she said.

Earlier this week, Musk angered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by tweeting out a peace plan urging Ukraine to seek a negotiated settlement with Russia that includes ceding Crimea for good. Zelenskiy responded on Twitter.

Though Starlink has been a key asset to Ukraine, the service has failed Ukrainian troops at times on the frontlines.

___

2022 Bloomberg L.P.

Visit bloomberg.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Early last year, amid mounting criticism that social media was spreading disinformation about COVID-19, Facebook expanded an unprecedented campaign to police falsehoods by banning what it called debunked claims about the virus. Among them: The claim that COVID was man-made and had leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China.

To the Biden administration and the scientific establishment, Facebooks efforts to rein in misinformation were too little, too late, given how its network had helped false and damaging claims to go viral in the first place. But others complained that the crackdowns squelched legitimate debate about the frustrating performance of public health authorities  a view that was partly vindicated when Chinas lack of transparency prompted prominent scientists to declare the lab-leak theory viable and demand further investigation.

In May 2021, barely three months after it imposed the ban, Facebook backtracked: In light of ongoing investigations into the origin of COVID-19 and in consultation with public health experts, the company said, we will no longer remove the claim that COVID-19 is man-made from our apps.

What people can and cant say online  and the role of Big Tech in making those calls  has emerged as a critical fault line in American politics. The left cries for content moderation to tamp down disinformation, racism and misogyny. The right calls that censorship and demands the right to free speech.

In recent months, several flash points have brought this battle to the fore. Last week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case that accuses YouTube of abetting terrorism by recommending content from the Islamic State. Last month, a federal court upheld a Texas law that would prevent social media platforms from removing or limiting posts on the basis of political viewpoint.

Meanwhile, the worlds richest man, Elon Musk, is pushing to close a deal that would give him sole control of Twitter, whose decision to ban President Donald Trump after the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has reverberated as perhaps the single most divisive act of content moderation in internet history. Musk has said he would reinstate Trump.

Were approaching a pivotal moment for online speech, said Daphne Keller, who directs the Program on Platform Regulation at Stanford Universitys Cyber Policy Center. The political pressures on content moderation have increased tremendously.

How online forums set and enforce rules for what users can post wasnt always so divisive. When the consumer internet was born in the mid-1990s, lawmakers in both parties shared a desire to see American tech firms thrive. That consensus survived early battles over pornography, copyright infringement, breastfeeding photos and terrorist propaganda.

But as in so many realms of American society, the 2016 election marked the beginning of the end of that bipartisan comity.

Christopher Cox, a former Republican congressman from California, now serves on the board of Netchoice, a tech industry lobbying group that is fighting the Texas law. Cox said he can understand conservatives frustration with some of the platforms decisions, which he called an abuse of power.

But the remedy is not to give more power over speech to the state, he argued, Politicians exercising control over the political speech of others is a very dangerous recipe.

In 1995, Cox helped craft the provision that paved the legal path for todays internet giants to moderate online speech. At the time, the political stakes seemed so low that the national media barely noticed.

The consumer internet was just blossoming, with millions of Americans beginning to log on to services such as CompuServe, Prodigy and AOL. To the extent most lawmakers considered online speech at all, their chief concern was limiting the availability of pornography to minors.

Cox and Rep. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) had a different concern. Earlier that year, a libel judgment against Prodigy held that its attempt to police its forums made it responsible for users content. Cox and Wyden worried the judgment would stifle the fledgling internet.

So they hashed out a statute that gave online service providers broad latitude to host, distribute and moderate content posted by users without being held liable when they posted something illegal. Part of a broader bill called the Communications Decency Act, it came to be known simply by its location: Section 230.

In a recent interview with The Washington Post, Wyden, now a senator, recalled that he saw the internet companies as the little guy, and wanted to give them leeway to develop their innovative technologies without being squashed by heavy-handed regulations. He thought empowering them to moderate their own sites would lead to a cleaner, safer internet without the need for government censorship of online speech.

Cox, in a separate interview, added: The question is whos in charge. There are going to be decisions made about what content is on these websites. Should the government be in charge of it? There are all sorts of reasons that would be a bad idea. Its subject to all sorts of abuse.

Early court decisions went on to interpret Section 230 even more broadly than Cox and Wyden had anticipated, establishing sweeping immunity for user-posted content. That set the stage for the rise of sites like Yahoo, Google, MSN. Later came YouTube, which is owned by Google, and Facebook. They could host, aggregate, and organize vast pools of user content without having to worry too much, from a legal standpoint, about whether it might be false, hurtful, or even dangerous.

The result was a potent business model that, compared with traditional media, dispensed with paid content creators in favor of unpaid ordinary users, and replaced paid editors with software algorithms designed to surface the most relevant, engaging or tantalizing content.

Yet the consumer internet was never an unfettered free-speech zone. The most successful online platforms discovered early that they had to make and enforce basic rules or theyd be overrun by pornography, spam, scams, harassment and hate speech  and that would be bad for business.

Even when an internet forum starts with a goal of allowing freewheeling discourse, they quickly run into the inevitable fact that you have to moderate in order to have a commercially viable and user-friendly product, said Evelyn Douek, a Stanford law professor who researches online speech regulations.

The need to screen and review millions of posts per day on sites like YouTube and Facebook gave rise to a shadow industry of commercial content moderation involving huge teams of workers spending their days making rapid-fire calls about whether to take down posts that users have flagged as offensive or obscene. To preserve the illusion of a free-speech zone, tech companies tend to distance themselves from that work, often outsourcing it to poorly compensated contractors in far-flung locales, said Sarah T. Roberts, author of Behind the Screen: Content Moderation in the Shadows of Social Media.

Even so, some decisions proved too thorny or consequential for tech companies to sweep under the rug.

In 2006, a shocking video appeared on the then-new YouTube: Grainy and shaky, the amateur footage showed deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein being hanged by members of the new Iraqi government, some of whom shouted insults in his final moments. The hanging had been closed to the media; the video exposed a vengeful and undignified execution at odds with official reports.

The decision of whether to leave the video up or take it down fell to Googles deputy general counsel, a young lawyer named Nicole Wong. What we ended up deciding was that the video of the execution was actually a historic moment, and it was actually important that it be shared and seen, Wong said in a 2018 conference.

Two years later, an angry group of moms protested outside the Palo Alto offices of the 3-year-old social media site Facebook, which had been taking down breastfeeding photos for violating its rule against nudity. The furor spurred Facebook to develop its first internal rule book for what users could and couldnt post, drawing fine-grained, if somewhat arbitrary, distinctions to delineate between wholesome and prurient images, among other things.

Previous content policies had amounted to, If it makes you feel bad, take it down, former safety lead Charlotte Willner said. She recalled that one of the guiding motivations amid the lack of regulation of online content was executives desire not to run afoul of powerful people, especially public officials who might try to sue or regulate them.

Despite the occasional flare-ups, the big platforms cultivated an image as guardians of free speech abroad - one Twitter official boasted in 2012 that his firm was the free-speech wing of the free-speech party  while maintaining a studied political neutrality at home.

But as social medias influence on politics and social mores has grown, it has become clearer that free speech for some users could mean real harm for others.

In 2014, large subcultures of angry, mostly male, gamers targeted a handful of women in the video-game industry and media with vicious, coordinated online threats, which at times spilled into real-world attacks. That movement, known as GamerGate, challenged tech companies claims to neutrality, because it pitted the free-speech claims of one group of users against the privacy and safety of others, said Tarleton Gillespie, a principal researcher at Microsoft and author of the book Custodians of the Internet. Neutrality, in this case, meant allowing the harassment to continue.

The illusion of social medias neutrality with respect to partisan politics began to crumble two years later, with effects that are still reverberating.

In May 2016, the tech blog Gizmodo ran a story alleging that liberal Facebook employees were secretly suppressing news stories from right-leaning outlets in the social networks influential Trending news section. While prioritizing mainstream news sources over overtly partisan outlets might seem reasonable to some, conservatives saw it as a gotcha moment that proved Silicon Valley tech giants were imposing their liberal values on their users.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg embarked on a high-profile apology tour, meeting personally with top conservative politicians and pundits, ordering bias training for his employees, and laying off the journalists in charge of the Trending section.

While the companys leader was busy doing damage control, however, his platform was being exploited in troubling new ways in the run-up to the November 2016 U.S. presidential election.

A cottage industry of fake news sites, some run by teenagers in Macedonia, was booming on Facebook as its fabricated articles  which often had a pro-Trump bent  sometimes received more likes and clicks than factual news reports.

It emerged after Trumps election that profit wasnt the only motive for the flood of manipulative political content on Facebook. Russian operatives had also been using fake accounts, groups and pages on the social network to spread polarizing content aimed at turning Americans against one another.

Attempts by Facebook employees to address both the fake news problem and Russian information operations were undermined, The Post later reported, by its leaders fear of further angering conservatives.

By 2017, many on the left had come to blame Facebook and social media for helping to elect Trump, pressuring tech companies to take tougher stands against not only fake news but the presidents own frequent falsehoods and racial provocations.

In response, tech companies that once prided themselves on their lean workforces, tacitly accepting some ugliness as the cost of doing business, began spending heavily on human content moderators. They developed software to help automate the process of flagging posts that might violate their increasingly complex rule books.

While their efforts swept up inflammatory posts by Trumps more fervent supporters, Facebook and Twitter were loath to take action against Trump himself. Instead, they concocted various ad hoc exemptions to allow him to remain on the platform.

Social media also shared blame for the rise of a more vocal and visible white supremacist movement, which used online forums to radicalize, recruit and organize events such as the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017. To liberals, that reinforced the link between online speech and real-world violence, making content moderation literally a matter of life and death. That link would be driven home in 2018 as hate speech and lies about Muslims that spread on Facebook helped fuel a genocide in Myanmar against the countrys Rohingya minority.

At the same time, the right became increasingly suspicious of tech companies efforts to tackle those problems domestically, viewing them as censorial and politically motivated. The platforms actions against right-wing accounts and groups involved in the Charlottesville violence galvanized the far right to begin setting up its own free speech social networks, such as Andrew Torbas Gab.

In what has since become a common rallying cry on the right, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) criticized large tech companies putting their thumb on the scales and skewing political and public discourse.

By the end of 2017, an industry that had previously enjoyed widespread trust and popularity among Americans  the same industry Wyden had seen as the little guy in need of protection two decades earlier  had come to be known by left and right alike as Big Tech. The epithet, an echo of past crusades against Big Business, Big Banks, Big Tobacco and Big Pharma, conjured not only power but corruption, a force that needed to be reined in.

The first blow to Section 230 came in 2018, when Congress passed and Trump signed a bipartisan bill to fight online sex trafficking by removing the liability shield for sites that facilitated it, whether knowingly or not. Sites that hosted adult personals ads shut down altogether rather than face lawsuits, a change that many sex workers said made them less safe. No longer able to advertise and screen clients online, they returned to streetwalking to drum up business.

Since then, Congress has struggled to find a path forward. In 2018, Republicans held hearings investigating Facebooks alleged suppression of pro-Trump influencers Diamond and Silk, while the left railed at social medias role in the rise of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. A month after Facebook said that banning Jones would run contrary to the basic principles of free speech, it did just that, responding to mounting pressure that also led Apple, Spotify, YouTube and, eventually, Twitter to ban him over his false statements that the Newtown, Conn., school shooting in 2012 was a hoax.

By that point, nobody believed that tech company policies were being enforced consistently  or objectively. So Facebook came up with a novel solution: a semi-independent, nonprofit review panel, called the Oversight Board, staffed with experts on freedom of expression and human rights from around the world.

By 2019, Trump allies such as Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) were calling for changes to Section 230 that would require platforms to be politically neutral to receive legal protections. Google and Facebook should not be a law unto themselves, Hawley said. They should not be able to discriminate against conservatives.

The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 brought new tests for the platforms. Large swaths of the right, including Trump, rejected scientific guidance on how to stop the spread.

Again, the companies managed to infuriate both left and right. Their algorithms rewarded enticing yet unsubstantiated conspiracy theories, such as a viral video titled Plandemic that advanced a slew of conspiratorial claims about the viruss origins, how it spreads, and the safety of masks and vaccines. At the same time, their moderation systems  by now partly automated, with human moderators sent home because of COVID restrictions  scrambled to remove such content under new policies prohibiting misinformation about the virus.

Meanwhile, the platforms were slowly getting tougher on Trump as he began to predict a rigged election and deride mail-in ballots as fraudulent, laying the groundwork for his attempt to dispute the results of the coming presidential election. The tech companies reluctance to penalize a sitting president was colliding with their policies against election misinformation  one of the few, narrow categories of falsehoods, along with COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation, that they had vowed to police.

In May 2020, Twitter hid a Trump tweet behind a fact-checking label for the first time. The White House retaliated with an executive order directing the Federal Trade Commission to reinterpret Section 230 to weaken or remove tech platforms liability shield. (It didnt.) Seven months later, Trump threatened to veto a bipartisan defense spending bill unless Congress first repealed Section 230. (It didnt, and Congress later overrode his veto.)

A galvanizing moment for the right came in October 2020, just weeks before the election in which Democrat Joe Biden unseated Trump.

The New York Post, a right-leaning tabloid, published a story about illicit materials found on a laptop that had reportedly belonged to Bidens son Hunter. Facebook and Twitter later said they had been warned just days earlier by federal authorities to be on the alert for foreign influence operations related to the election, including possible hack-and-leak maneuvers. Both reacted swiftly and aggressively, with Facebook using its algorithms to limit sharing of the Posts story on its network. Twitter banned all links to the article and suspended the Posts account.

The moves drew outrage from the right, whose leaders saw Silicon Valley tech companies wielding their power to bury a journalistic report from a major newspaper in what smelled like an attempt to help the Democratic candidate in the upcoming election. Even some critics from the left wondered if the platforms had overstepped by substituting their judgment for the editorial judgment of an established news organization  albeit a tabloid with some infamous missteps on its record.

While questions remain about the laptop story, a later investigation by The Washington Post appeared to validate at least part of the New York Posts reporting. Twitters then-CEO, Jack Dorsey, eventually apologized for what he described as an honest mistake, while Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg recently acknowledged his company got it wrong as well.

The platforms finally suspended Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, on the grounds that his continued posts disputing the election risked inciting further violence. Twitter banned him permanently, and Facebook and YouTube issued indefinite suspensions.

The moves, which came only after Trump had lost his grip on power, reinforced the sense among critics on both sides that the tech companies were making up the rules as they went, with one finger held to the political winds and one eye on their rivals as each jostled to avoid sticking its neck out alone.

Between the Hunter Biden story and the Trump ban, some conservative leaders had seen enough. They were ready for the government to take back some of the power it had previously entrusted to internet companies.

In May 2021, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), signed a state law banning large social media platforms from censoring posts by elected officials, candidates for office, or major news organizations. Texas followed with a law that went even further, preventing platforms from limiting the online speech of any Texan  not just politicians or news outlets  on the basis of political viewpoint. Both laws also required online platforms to be more transparent about their rules and the justification behind their moderation decisions.

Numerous other states have drawn up similar bills, which could take effect if the Texas and Florida laws survive their ongoing legal challenges.

In a ruling that swept aside decades of precedent, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in September upheld Texass social media law, setting the stage for courts to reinterpret the First Amendment for the digital age.
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Telemedicine exploded in popularity after COVID-19 hit, but limits are returning for care delivered across state lines.

That complicates follow-up treatments for some cancer patients. It also can affect other types of care, including mental health therapy and routine doctor check-ins.

Over the past year, nearly 40 states and Washington, D.C., have ended emergency declarations that made it easier for doctors to use video visits to see patients in another state, according to the Alliance for Connected Care, which advocates for telemedicine use.

Some, like Virginia, have created exceptions for people who have an existing relationship with a physician. A few, like Arizona and Florida, have made it easier for out-of-state doctors to practice telemedicine.

Doctors say the resulting patchwork of regulations creates confusion and has led some practices to shut down out-of-state telemedicine entirely. That leaves follow-up visits, consultations or other care only to patients who have the means to travel for in-person meetings.

Susie Rinehart is planning two upcoming trips to her cancer doctor in Boston. She needs regular scans and doctor visits to monitor a rare bone cancer that has spread from her skull to her spine.

Rinehart doesn't have a specialist near her home outside Denver who can treat her. These visits were done virtually during the pandemic.

She will travel without her husband to save money, but that presents another problem: If she gets bad news, she'll handle it alone.

"It's stressful enough to have a rare cancer, and this just adds to the stress," the 51-year-old said.

Rinehart's oncologist, Dr. Shannon MacDonald, said telemedicine regulation enforcement seems to be more aggressive now than it was before the pandemic, when video visits were still emerging.

"It just seems so dated," said MacDonald, who recently co-wrote a piece about the issue in The New England Journal of Medicine.

To state medical boards, the patient's location during a telemedicine visit is where the appointment takes place. One of MacDonald's hospitals, Massachusetts General, requires doctors to be licensed in the patient's state for virtual visits.

It also wants those visits restricted to New England and Florida, where many patients spend the winter, said Dr. Lee Schwamm, a vice president for the Mass General Brigham health system.

That doesn't help doctors like MacDonald who see patients from around the country.

Cleveland Clinic also draws a lot of patients from out of state. Neurosurgeon Dr. Peter Rasmussen worries about how some will handle upcoming travel, especially because winter can bring icy weather.

A fall "literally could be life ending" for someone with a condition like Parkinson's disease who has trouble walking, he said.

Psychiatrists have a different concern: Finding doctors for patients who move out of state. This is especially difficult for college students who temporarily leave home.

Most U.S. counties have no child and adolescent psychiatrists, noted Dr. Shabana Khan, chair of the American Psychiatric Association's telepsychiatry committee.

"If we do try to transition patients, often there is no one there," Khan said.

Helen Khuri's mother found a specialist to help her when the 19-year-old's post-traumatic stress disorder flared up last spring. But the Emory University student had to temporarily move from Atlanta to Boston for treatment, even though she never set foot inside the hospital offering it.

She rented an apartment with her father so she could be in the same state for telemedicine visits, a situation she deemed "ridiculous."

"It didn't necessarily make sense to  kind of uproot my life, just to receive this three-week treatment program," Khuri said.

Even people seeing doctors close to home can be affected.

Dr. Ed Sepe's Washington, D.C., pediatric practice has patients in Maryland who have started driving a few miles across the border into the city to connect by video. That saves them a 45-minute trip downtown for an in-person visit.

"It's silly," he said. "If you are under a doctor's care, and you are in the U.S., it doesn't make any sense to have geographic restrictions for telemedicine."

Sepe noted that low-income families tend to be in jobs that don't allow time off for in-person visits. Some also have a hard time getting transportation. Video visits were helping with these obstacles.

"It's bigger than just telemedicine," he said. "There's a missed opportunity there to level the playing field."

States can play an important role in telemedicine's growth by guarding against fraud and protecting patient safety, according to Lisa Robin, an executive with the Federation of State Medical Boards.

But the federation also recommends that states loosen some telemedicine restrictions.

That includes permitting virtual follow-ups for someone who has traveled out of state to seek care or for people who temporarily move but want to stay with a doctor.

States could also form regional compacts with their neighbors to ease cross-border care, noted Dr. Ateev Mehrotra, a Harvard health policy professor who studies telemedicine.

"There's so many ways that these issues can be addressed," he said

In the meantime, patients who need care now are trying to figure out how to manage it.

Lucas Rounds isn't sure how many visits he will make to see MacDonald in Boston to monitor his rare bone cancer. The 35-year-old Logan, Utah, resident already spent months away from home earlier this year, undergoing radiation and surgery.

Plus he has a wife and three young girls and expenses like a mortgage to consider.

Rounds says he has to think about taking care of his family "if the worst happens."

"If I die from cancer, then all these expenses we've accrued  those are dollars that my family wouldn't have," he said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
CHICAGO  The secret to a more secure and powerful internet  one potentially impossible to hack  might be residing in a basement closet seemingly suited for brooms and mops.

The 3-foot-wide cubby, in the bowels of a University of Chicago laboratory, contains a slim rack of hardware discreetly firing quantum particles into a fiber-optic network. The goal: to use natures smallest objects to share information under encryption that cannot be broken  and eventually to connect a network of quantum computers capable of herculean calculations.

The modest trappings of Equipment Closet LL211A belie the importance of a project at the forefront of one of the worlds hottest technology competitions. The United States, China and others are vying to harness the bizarre properties of quantum particles to process information in powerful new ways  technology that could confer major economic and national-security benefits to the countries that dominate it.

Quantum research is so important to the future of the internet that it is drawing new federal funding, including from the recently adopted Chips and Science Act. Thats because, if it pans out, the quantum internet could safeguard financial transactions and health care data, prevent identity theft and stop hostile state hackers in their tracks.

Just this past week, three physicists shared the Nobel Prize for quantum research that helped pave the way for this future internet.

Quantum research still has plenty of obstacles to overcome before it reaches widespread use. But banks, health-care companies and others are starting to run experiments on the quantum internet. Some industries are also tinkering with early stage quantum computers to see whether they might eventually crack problems that current computers cant, such as discovering new pharmaceuticals to treat intractable disease.

Grant Smith, a graduate student on the University of Chicagos quantum research team, said its too soon to imagine all of the potential applications.

When people first made the rudimentary internets connecting research-level computers and universities and national labs, they couldnt have predicted e-commerce, he said during a recent tour of the universitys labs.

The study of quantum physics began in the early 20th century, when scientists discovered that the universes tiniest objects - atoms and subatomic particles  behave in ways unlike matter in the large-scale world, such as appearing to be in multiple places at the same time.

Those discoveries, called the first quantum revolution, led to new technologies such as lasers and the atomic clock. But research now is bringing scientists closer to harnessing more of the quantum worlds peculiar powers. David Awschalom, a professor at University of Chicagos Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and leader of the quantum team, calls this the second quantum revolution.

The field is trying to engineer the way nature behaves at its most fundamental level to our world, and to exploit these behaviors for new technologies and applications, he said.

Existing computers and communication networks store, process and transmit information by breaking it down into long streams of bits, which are typically electrical or optical pulses representing a zero or one.

Quantum particles, also known as quantum bits, or qubits, can exist as zeros and ones at the same time, or in any position between, a flexibility known as superposition that allows them to process information in new ways. Some physicists compare them to a spinning coin that is simultaneously in a heads and tails state.

Quantum bits can also exhibit entanglement, where two or more particles are inextricably linked and mirror each other exactly, even when separated by great physical distance. Albert Einstein called this spooky action at a distance.

The closet hardware connects to a 124-mile fiber-optic network running from the universitys campus on Chicagos South Side to two federally funded labs in the western suburbs that are collaborating on the research  Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

The team is using photons  which are quantum particles of light  to dispatch encryption keys through the network to see how well they travel through fibers that pass under highways, bridges and toll booths. Quantum particles are extremely delicate and have the propensity to malfunction at the slightest disturbance such as a vibration or temperature change, so sending them over long, real-world distances is tricky.

In the universitys basement closet, a piece of hardware built by the Japanese company Toshiba emits pairs of entangled photons and sends one from each pair through the network to Argonne, which is 30 miles away, in Lemont, Ill. One encryption key is encoded on a string of photon pairs.

Because the pairs are entangled, they are fully in sync with each other. In a sense, you can view them as a single piece of information, Awschalom said.

When the traveling photons reach Argonne, scientists there measure them and extract the key.

Anyone attempting to hack into the network to intercept the key will fail, Awschalom said, because the laws of quantum mechanics say that any attempt to observe particles in a quantum state automatically alters the particles and destroys the information being transmitted. It also alerts the sender and receiver about the attempted eavesdropping.

This is one reason scientists believe the technology holds such promise.

There are huge technical difficulties to overcome, but you could argue this could become as important as the tech revolution of the 20th century that gave us the laser and the transistor and atomic clock and, therefore, GPS and the internet, Steven Girvin, a physics professor at Yale, said about recent discoveries in quantum technology.

In a lab next to the closet, Awschalom and his colleagues are attempting to develop new devices that will help the photons carry information across greater distances. The room is a cramped tangle of millions of dollars of laboratory equipment, lasers and a photo of Thomas the Tank Engine, because one of the instruments makes a constant chugging noise. Its for, I guess, like, comedic value, graduate student Cyrus Zeledon said.

One problem theyre trying to fix: As the tiny particles of light travel through the networks glass fibers, imperfections in the glass cause the light to attenuate after a certain distance. So the researchers are attempting to develop devices that could catch and store information from the light particles as they travel and then send the information onward again with a fresh particle  like a photonic Pony Express.

Wearing purple latex gloves to avoid damaging the surface, Zeledon held up a tiny circuit board containing two chips of silicon carbide that he and his colleagues are testing as a device to store and control information from quantum bits. Later that day, Zeledon was planning to cool the chips to super low temperatures and examine them under a microscope, to look for quantum bits that he had implanted in the chips that he could then manipulate with microwaves into exchanging information with photons.

On the other end of the network on a recent morning, Argonne scientist Joe Heremans, who was previously Awschaloms student, apologized for the loud chugging sound also reverberating around his lab. Where was his picture of Thomas the Tank Engine? We attempt to be slightly more professional here, he joked.

Heremans and his colleagues are also trying to develop new devices and materials to help photons carry quantum information across greater distances. Synthetic diamonds are one material that holds promise, he said, nodding toward a reactor that was growing diamonds at the glacial pace of nanometers per hour.

Federal funding from the National Quantum Initiative Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in 2018, recently helped the lab buy a second reactor that will grow diamonds faster. The Chips and Science Act, signed by President Biden in August, is providing additional support for research and development that will bolster quantum efforts.

In a corner of his lab, Heremans pointed to a Toshiba machine identical to the one at the University of Chicago. From there, a jumble of colorful wires carries signals to and from the network, which, after leaving the lab, runs in a short loop under a nearby Ikea and Buffalo Wild Wings before shooting out in either direction to the university and Fermilab.

Scientists are experimenting with similar testbeds in Boston, New York, Maryland and Arizona. Experimental networks also exist in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and China.

The goal is to someday connect all of these testbeds, via fiber and satellite links, into a fledgling quantum internet spanning the United States and eventually, the globe. As the network grows, it could ideally be used not only for sending encrypted information, but for connecting quantum computers to raise their processing power, the way the cloud does for current computers.

The idea of a quantum internet is something that is very much in the process of being born, Smith said.
Gerry McLean was speaking at the Scottish Crime Campus in Gartcosh, Lanarkshire, after the publication of the Scottish Multi-Agency Strategic Threat Assessment.

A senior crimebuster has claimed that dismantling the Kinahan cartel from the top would help reduce gangland activity in Scotland.

Gerry McLean, Regional Head of Investigations at the National Crime Agency, said that focusing on the Irish mobs leading figures would have a much greater impact than targeting smaller groups associated with the Kinahans.

Were trying to disrupt that at a very high end so it limits the ability of organised crime groups on the ground to criminally benefit, he said.

There are some things that we are doing here in Scotland.

But if we pitch it at that higher end, it can have a much greater impact than trying to deal with every crime group that benefits from the Kinahan cartel and its distribution networks.

He was speaking at the Scottish Crime Campus in Gartcosh, Lanarkshire, after the publication of the Scottish Multi-Agency Strategic Threat Assessment.

Mr McClean added that the arrest of alleged Kinahan fixer and key member of the cartel Johnny Morrissey (62) in Marbella, Spain last month shows the importance of dismantling the group.

Detectives from six different police forces, including the Spanish Civil Guard, Garda and powerful US DEA law enforcement agency, took part in the operation to snare Morrissey in September after US authorities identified him as a Kinahan enforcer and money launderer.

His wife Nicola, CEO of a Scotland-based vodka firm linked by police to organised crime, was also arrested and raised her middle finger as she was walked out by armed Spanish cops behind him.

In a sanctioning notice April 11, the US Treasury Department described Johnny Morrissey as an enforcer for the Kinahan cartel, the most powerful organised crime gang in Ireland.

Morrissey, who has been remanded in custody in Spain, facilitates international drug shipments for the organization from South America and is involved in money laundering, the US notice said.
Jevgenijs Lapkovskis family visited a Garda Station where Gardai alerted police in Essex

A man who rang his family in Ireland to ask for advice after he violently assaulted another man has been handed down a sentence of life in prison.

A court heard how in April, Jevgenijs Lapkovskis (36), rang his family and said I think I killed someone.

His family urged him to contact emergency services but he feared he would ruin his career and his life.

After receiving the frantic phone call, his family reported the incident to An Garda Siochana, who notified Essex Police.

Police then rushed to an address in Brentwood where they discovered the body of Lee Murrell (29).

Lee Murrell

Despite attempts to treat him for his serious injuries, Murrell was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

Lapkovskis, of Warley Hill, Brentwood, was arrested at the scene and later charged with murder.

He initially claimed it was self-defence and pleaded not guilty to murder.

Proseccutors described the attack on Lee as severe and sustained assault as various objects including a vacuum hose and a bottle were used.

Toxicology tests showed that both men had consumed alcohol and cocaine.

However, at the beginning of his trial at Basildon Crown Court, Lapkovskis entered a guilty plea.

On Friday October 7 he was sentenced to life behind bars with a minimum of 14 years.

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Antony Alcock said that Lapkovskis had no choice but to admit what he had done.

My thoughts are with Lees family. No conviction will ever bring him back but I hope todays result will help them move forward.

Jevgenijs Lapkovskis had denied Lees murder but such was the weight of evidence against that we had compiled during our thorough investigation, hes had no choice but to admit what he has done.

He now faces a life-sentence and a significant amount of time in prison.

In a statement, Lees family said: Today we finally have justice for Lee.

After six gruelling months of waiting to see if we would have to endure an emotional and exhausting trial and waiting to find out why Lees life was taken needlessly and tragically, we didnt get all the answers we wanted and perhaps we never will.

We would like to thank Essex Police, the justice system and the support services who all worked so hard for Lee with sheer determination and dedication, they continued.

Without their efforts, I fear that an extremely dangerous individual would be free to walk the streets.

Thank you for giving us time to grieve while we try and rebuild our lives.
By Zhou Xin

According to recent reports by Japanese media, the estimated amount of Japan's defense budget in 2023 is to grow to as much as 5.59 trillion yen, a record high. Japan is considering commissioning more than 1000 long-range cruise missiles whose range is reported to "reach China". Aso Taro, Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), said that if something happens to Taiwan, war is likely to break out in Okinawa, Kagoshima and other places in Japan. In addition, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada emphasized that in case there is something happens to Taiwan, it is necessary to get fully prepared in terms of equipment and ammunition. The above-mentioned remarks and deeds from the Japanese side are to bring three risks as follows.

First, these words and deeds may leave the Japan's Peace Constitution hanging in the air. The living Peace Constitution of Japan has served as the cornerstone of Japan's peaceful development after WWII. Article 9, the famous peace clause, clearly stipulates that the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes, and further pledges that land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potentials, will never be maintained. Japan has always claimed to retain only a necessary minimum defense force for self-defense. Japan ranked fifth in the 2022 Global Firepower Ranking. Together with the large-scale US troops stationed in Japan, Japan's self-defense strength has been fully sufficient. However, the Japanese government has still intended to commission 1000 long-range cruise missiles and tried to build its offensive capability in the name of counterattack capability construction, which has made all parties concerned about its accelerated constitutional amendment process while giving up the path of peaceful development. According to the poll by Kyodo News Agency in July, 58.4% of Japanese people interviewed believed that the constitutional amendment was "not urgent" to address. Public rallies against the increase of defense costs and the amendment of the Peace Constitution have kept emerging in various parts of Japan.

Second, these words and deeds are to undermine the foundation of mutual trust between China and Japan. In recent years, Japan has repeatedly advocated that if Taiwan is in danger, Japan will not stand by. In August, China countered the US Speaker of the House Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, serious interference in China's internal affairs, and the action of the Chinese side has gained the understanding and support of most countries and international organizations across the world. However, the Japanese government has publicly accused China of conducting exercise and training activities in the waters around Taiwan Island. In view of the historical crimes committed by Japan on the Taiwan question and the inextricable links between the Japanese authorities, the right-wing forces and the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces on the island, the words and deeds from the Japanese governmentare flagrant provocation against China and gross interference in China's internal affairs, while disregarding the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan and the commitments Japan has made so far. Its purpose lies in making China an imaginary enemy, an excuse by which to continuously expand armaments and amend the Peace Constitution. China and Japan, as East Asian countries, are neighbors, neither of which can move away. The Japanese government's actions that undermine China's core interests and major concerns are constantly undermining the foundation of mutual trust in China-Japan relations, and run counter to the historical trend of the bilateral relationship development.

Third, these words and deeds are to deliver negative effects on the overall peace and stability of the region. The atrocities of Japanese militarism during WWII have brought about serious disasters in many Asian countries. The Japanese government should take history as a mirror and reflect deeply. It should face the future with a responsible attitude towards history, itself and Asia, instead of blindly expanding Japans military role and revising the Peace Constitution, provoking confrontation in the region and undermining the hard-won peace and stability of Asia. These deeds will only cause Asian countries to worry about Japan's attempt to return to militarism. In addition, the Japanese government has followed in the US footsteps in formulating policies to suppress China in recent years, growing to be the main accomplice of the US in building a "small circle" in the Asia Pacific region, which will only render itself more passive.

On September 29 of 1972, the then leaders of China and Japan realized the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations while overcoming many difficulties with outstanding strategic wisdom and political courage, and opened a new era of China-Japan relations. Since then, the two countries have signed four political documents, reached a series of important consensus, and achieved fruitful results in exchanges and cooperation in various fields. History is a mirror and also the best teacher. It can clearly remind the Japanese government that it must have a correct understanding of China's development, adopt along-term vision and a sincere attitude to look at China-Japan relations, and effectively benefit the two countries and their peoples.

Editor's note: Originally published on huanqiu.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
Readers can discover who said what about whose tiara  if it wasnt recent history, it would be a Barbara Cartland novel

Dominic West (left) will play Prince Charles in season five of The Crown on Netflix

The royals havent been this interesting since What the Corgis Saw: Feuds, Factions and Fleas.

Theyre not so much getting their dirty laundry washed in public as putting the washing machine on the front lawn and making bunting from Meghan Markles smalls, but enough about her trailer trash siblings.

An avalanche of British royal gossip is landing in a cascade of books, just weeks after the Queens funeral confirmed that pomp and circumstance should be a major UK export, along with regal in-fighting.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall from Angela Levin claims Andrew hated his future sister-in-law and pressured his mum to sidestep Charles as king. Schemer Andy is currently discovering the meaning of karma, while adjusting to his new role as Keeper of the Dog Biscuits.

Over at The New Royals by Katie Nicholl, which is swiftly followed by Courtiers from Valentine Low, readers can discover who said what about whose tiara and whether the Duchess of Sussex unkindly berated her staff. If it wasnt the retelling of very recent history, it would be a Barbara Cartland novel.

Theyre both coming hot on the court shoes of Revenge by Tom Bower, which is about the warring brothers (if frosty silence counts as war), and Tina Browns The Palace Papers, which divides the family into heroes and villains and cant quite decide about Charles.

And who can forget Meghan and Harry by Lady Colin Campbell, the Im a Celebrity harridan who split from Lord Colin after nine months in 1974 and dares to berate anyone else for trading on their royal connections?

Or the seminal Finding Freedom of 2020, telling the true story from the Sussexes themselves, through an authorised third party, of their dash to America to escape the constraints of royalty. It surely made the hearts bleed of low earners who dash to Lidl to escape the constraints of poverty. Any title similarity with Nelson Mandelas Long Walk to Freedomwas entirely deliberate, and part two is coming next year.

But the big one, which is hovering over a million Amazon baskets, is Harrys own story  slightly different from his own story he told in Finding Freedom because this time its sadder, more bitter, with extra tiaras.

Or that was the plan until his grandmother died and hes now furiously begging his publishers to let him get his red crayon out for the nastier bits.

His daddy issues, that the money tap had turned off and he felt very let down, have already been aired with Oprah, so hes been paid $20m for Jeremy Kyle levels of family dirt.

Proving hes not the sharpest tool in the box, it hadnt occurred to the budding author  I assume someone else did the heavy lifting  that his grandmother was of advanced years and his fathers elevation to the throne was imminent.

Now his kids inheritance of a royal title depends on just how much manure he shovels in his familys direction. Dish the dirt, get the cash, your kids are common as muck. Keep your mouth shut, your kids are prince and princess, but you might have to get, like, a job.

A royal source complained recently the new Netflix series of The Crown, launching on November 9 and featuring the nuclear fallout of Charles and Dianas divorce should come with a warning that its a drama, not a documentary.

When the royal son is debating how much mud to sling at the royal father, drama doesnt even come close.
Organisers brought out a 4ft weed cannon  a leaf blower that was turned into a giant bong

Martin Condon said there will be two more events planned for Dublin and Cork

Cannabis dealers and users turned a Dublin venue into what they described as Irelands first indoor cannabis market and social lounge where drugs were openly sold.

Ten suppliers set up stalls at the event and openly sold a host of illegal products including weed and hash, edible cannabis products such as jellies and chocolates, oils and cannabis- infused lemonade.

There was also a tea and coffee stand but attendees said that was just normal tea and coffee.

The venue was divided into two sections. Downstairs there was a market where various suppliers had their own stands along with menus showing what different strains of the drug they had and price lists accompanying them.

Upstairs was a lounge area where smokers sat around getting stoned and listening to music.

Around 200 people attended the invite-only event at a secret location in Dublin at the end of last month.

The leaf blower

Cannabis campaigner Martin Condon, who helped promote the event which was organised by the Major Group for Cannabis Reform, told the Sunday World there was probably around 100,000 worth of the drug at the event.

Despite the strong smell of the drug alerting a nearby restaurant and Martin livestreaming from the event, gardai were unaware it was taking place and didnt raid the venue.

It would have been quite a significant haul to be fair. The lads downstairs [the sellers] had a nice bit on offer but upstairs, while a lot of people came to buy stuff, they came with stuff already with them.

Between the almost 200 people who were there Id say you had over 100,000 worth, maybe more.

The Dublin-based Major Group for Cannabis Reform is planning another event around November time, while Martin, who is from Cork, is planning to organise a similar event in Cork before Christmas.

During the event, organisers brought out a 4ft weed cannon  a leaf blower that was turned into a giant bong  and filled the entire room with cannabis smoke.

The weed canon was a little finisher for the end of the day as we were winding down to finish off with that, Martin said.

I think it was a Black and Decker leaf blower and they have an attachment on the back where something else is supposed to go and theres a metal cone and it effectively acts like a big bong.

In a live recording he made of the weed cannon being used, a person can be seen running for the emergency exit to get away from all the smoke.

Its more novelty than anything. It was a bit over the top, to be fair, Martin said.

Drugs

While gardai were unaware the event was taking place, staff at a restaurant near the venue became aware what was happening after smelling so much weed wafting through the air.

They could smell our presence. For the first few hours we had the windows open before the leaf blower came out.

Once we got word there was a bit of a smell drifting down to a nearby restaurant, we closed the window and there was no more complaints from that place.

Most of the drugs on offer at the event, which lasted around six hours, were imported.

The only criticism I had was that a lot of the stuff on offer would have been imported. Even the distillate would have been all brought in from overseas and they use that to make the edibles.

Martin said the event was not linked to large organised crime groups.

A lot of the cannabis coming in was imported but we gave people the opportunity not to be buying from some of the larger organised crime groups out there and buying from smaller people who might have just been buying stuff for themselves and just selling a little bit extra to cover the cost of their own stuff.

There was no large organised crime groups associated with our events and we intend to keep it that way because were not really supportive of them.

He said he will encourage people who grow their own to sell it and host a competition to decide the best product similar at the event in Cork in December.

Martin has been behind several high profile incidents of what he describes as civil disobedience as part of his campaign to decriminalise cannabis.

He is currently appealing a two-month custodial sentence handed down at Waterford District Court in July after he walked into a garda station with a joint in protest over gardai targeting the ReLeaf CBD cafe in Dungarvan.

Martin also planted cannabis plants in various public locations, including outside garda stations and TDs offices, last year as part of his campaign.

He is due before Cork District Court in relation to an incident last year where he walked into Anglesea Street Garda Station with a cannabis seedling and 10 wraps of CBD cannabis flower and handed them to a garda, telling him he was in possession of the items.

I was trying to push the envelope a bit and see if theyd do me for sale or supply. I was saying theres 10 there for all of the guards.

I didnt get done for supply.

They did me for possession of cannabis and possession of a cannabis plant.

He said he doesnt want to go to jail and if he does he is considering going on hunger strike.

Martin said the criminalisation of cannabis users is a waste of garda resources and of the entire justice system.

He has previously spent five days in prison after being convicted of cannabis possession and refusing to pay a fine.

Martin said his only conviction relates to cannabis possession.
all i want is u(k) | Bono says we really need the UK to go back to leading the world
The deceased have been named as: James O Flaherty, 48; Jessica Gallagher, 24; Martin McGill, 49; Catherine O Donnell, 39 and her son James Monaghan, 13; Hugh Kelly, 59; Martina Martin, 49; Robert Garwe, 50 and his daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe, five, and Leona Harper, 14.

The ten victims of explosion at Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday. Picture date: Sunday October 9, 2022.   PA

Gardai have named the ten victims of the explosion which devastated the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday.

The deceased have been named as: James O Flaherty, 48; Jessica Gallagher, 24; Martin McGill, 49; Catherine O Donnell, 39 and her son James Monaghan, 13; Hugh Kelly, 59; Martina Martin, 49; Robert Garwe, 50 and his daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe, five, and Leona Harper, 14.

Jessica Gallagher (24)

Martin McGill (49)

Gardai said the investigation is being coordinated from an incident room at Milford Garda Station.

The Garda Technical Bureau, with assistance from other agencies, will continue to examine the scene, which remains cordoned off. These examinations are likely to continue over the coming days. Traffic diversions on the N56 at the scene of the incident remain in place.

Shauna Flanagan Garwe (5)

A spokesperson said: A total of 10 fatalities were confirmed arising from this fatal explosion. The remains of the deceased are at Letterkenny University Hospital where State Post Mortems have commenced under the direction of Dr. Heidi Okkers, Assistant State Pathologist.

These post mortems will continue over the next few days. Results will not be released for operational reasons.

Catherine O Donnell (39) and her son James Monaghan (13)

James O Flaherty (48)

One male in his 20s remains in a critical condition in St. Jamess Hospital, Dublin.

"The seven other surviving casualties continue to receive treatment in Letterkenny University Hospital and remain in stable condition.

The 10 fatalities included four men, three women, two teenagers (one male and one female) and one younger female child. Garda Family Liaison Officers have been appointed to the families and are continuing to provide support and information.
From today onwards, Creeslough will be known as the village in Co. Donegal where 10 people lost their lives in a tragic gas explosion

A garda comforts a local woman as the villages residents try to come to terms with the devastation

Early yesterday morning, the skies above Donegal were filled with bright sunshine as I took the road from Letterkenny to Dunfanaghy.

But bang on cue, they darkened considerably as I passed the turn-off to Carrigart and headed round the bend to the tiny village of Creeslough.

It was as if the rain gods knew the extent of the grief which had consumed this delightful spot with stunning views over beautiful Sheephaven Bay.

Until last Friday, Creeslough was famous for two very positive things. Percy Frenchs song The Emmigrants Letter  better known as Cutting the Corn in Creeslough  which is still sung in Irish bars around the world.

And, of course, Eamon Lafferty  the Irishman butler who inherited the fortune of American billionaire tobacco heiress Doris Duke  came from Creeslough.

Locals comfort each other in Creeslough

From today onwards, Creeslough will be known as the village in Co. Donegal where 10 people lost their lives in a tragic gas explosion.

For as long as I can remember, the service station in the centre of the village was a stopping post to replenish supplies before heading westwards to the green glens of the Rosses and Gweedore.

You were virtually guaranteed to meet someone you knew and, of course, it was one of the last places in the country to stock healthy supplies of newspapers.

But yesterday, as I walked along the main street in the direction of the filling station, the first thing I noticed was the large gaping hole in a building which  until last Friday  had been home to several families.

It was an eerie feeling, because I could see pictures and wallpaper and furniture which had previously been part of family homes.

Paraphernalia of family life was on display, but the families were gone.

I wondered how this could happen. How could such a beautiful place be made look like this in a matter of seconds?

I contented myself in the knowledge that the answers to those questions were perhaps for someone else to ask in another place on another day.

Locals meet at St Michaels church in Creeslough

Minutes later, I bumped into a familiar face. Bishop Alan McGuckian SJ  Bishop of Raphoe  was visiting the village to offer words of comfort to those left devastated by tragedy and loss.

Like me, Bishop Alan knew Creeslough would never be the same again. But he was determined to offer the villagers kind words and comfort in their time of need.

Some of those I met on Creeslough main street yesterday described Friday nights tragedy as an Act of God. Im not so sure about that.

People from this part of Donegal are well used to tragedy. It was near here  at Owencarrow Viaduct on January 30, 1925  that a railway tragedy happened which claimed four lives. Of the surviving passengers, only one was uninjured.

In those far-off times, the people of this area rallied round and did what they could for the families affected.

And Im certain that in the days, weeks and months to come, the people of Creeslough will do the same.
They were named locally tonight as Kate Donohoe who was aged in her 40s and her baby son Vincent

Gardai at the scene where the bodies of a woman and a baby were found at Beechfield Court in west Dublin. Photo: Damien Storan.

A tragic mother and her seven-month-old baby boy may have been dead in their home since Thursday before their bodies were discovered on Saturday afternoon it has emerged.

They were named locally tonight as Kate Donohoe who was aged in her 40s and her baby son Vincent.

Gardai are working on the theory that the shocking incident is a murder-suicide after a note was discovered at the scene in a house in Clonee on the border of west Dublin and Co Meath.

The property remained sealed off yesterday as gardai carried out a technical examination of the house.

Toxicology tests are being carried out to help determine the cause of the deaths.

The woman had been uncontactable for at least 24 hours before her body was discovered by emergency services in an upstairs room of her home, a source told the Irish Independent.

Their bodies were discovered by concerned neighbours who had been contacted by people close to Ms Donohoe who had become worried about her welfare.

An emergency call was made and ambulance personnel rushed to the scene before gardai were called to the house at Beechfield Court, Clonee, which was immediately declared a crime scene.

Officers are not looking for anyone else in relation to the deaths and a post-mortem on the bodies was conducted yesterday afternoon.

Initial indications were that Ms Donohoe died from an apparent heart attack.

After analysing the note discovered at the scene, investigating gardai are working on the theory that the tragedy was pre-planned.

This incident was not a spontaneous matter, a senior source said.

Ms Donohoe has been described as a dog lover, a champion of animal welfare and a well-respected woman who had never before come to the attention of gardai.

Tributes were paid to her on social media.

One woman said: So sad I'm still shocked. This world was a better place with Kate in it, while a friend separately pointed out that she was always generous with her time and had an infectious laugh.

Another posted: I knew her to be so kind and generous with her knowledge and time. A huge loss to this world.

A beautiful kind compassionate person has left us. Many dog people will know Kate, she gave her time and love to dogs in particular sight hounds, she shared her joy and love with everyone, an absolute wonderful person. I will miss our chats and laughs, beyond sad.

I can't believe she has gone, the world will be a far empty place without her, one woman wrote.

The local Coroner and office of the State Pathologist have been notified. A garda family liaison officer has been appointed to the case.

A garda spokesperson said: "Shortly after 3pm on Saturday, gardai and emergency services attended at a house in the Beechfield area. A female adult and a baby boy were discovered inside the house deceased."
I go to take a holiday and suddenly Im not feeling the best and I go and get myself checked out and they told me Ive got cancer

Comedian Jon Kenny has speculated that overwork and stress probably resulted in him being stuck down with cancer over 20 years ago.

At the height of his fame with DUnbelievables the Limerick funnyman had to take time out as he battled against Hodgkins lymphoma.

The 64-year-old was diagnosed with the killer disease in 2000.

I go to take a holiday and suddenly Im not feeling the best and I go and get myself checked out and they told me Ive got cancer, he tells presenter Brendan Courtney on RTEs Keys To My Life.

Jon Kenny and Brendan Courtney

Kenny realised he had to call a halt to his manic career with Pat Shortt as one half of the dynamic comedy duo DUnbelievables.

So, thats time to stop, when something is going you just keep going, keep going, going, youre on a treadmill, he recollects.

Sometimes youre thinking, God Id love to get off this for a little while and take a break.

Youre forced to then. Everything stopped, I had to stop.

Jon admits endless touring of the country with countless shows may have contributed to his condition.

Jon on stage

It probably had a part to play in it because sometimes you dont realise you are going at whatever speed youre going at and its so frantic, you just keep doing it, he confirms.

Then when youre crazy and youre working and everyone is saying youre doing great because youre busy, probably you are but youre killing yourself at the same time. Definitely, my body was suffering because of it.

He then decided to pack in his comedy job with Shortt and concentrate on plays after his cancer scare, having medically been given the all clear in 2003.

Pretty much. I wasnt going to go back to it anyway, he replies, when asked was that the reason the pair did not tour again.

I think it was done and I think having the break from it. We had a lot of good years out of it, so leave it well enough alone and move on.

It was then I suddenly kind of realised the thing I missed was being here (in a theatre) like, doing shows in theatres, just doing plays as opposed to the comedy stuff.

Kenny's home

Kenny now lives in a mansion on a 20-acre forest retreat in Lough Gur, Co Limerick, with his wife of over 35 years Margie.

The couple, who have two grown up children, imported the house in parts from Nova Scotia in Canada.

Its kind of a flatpack, he explains, but to our design.

Keys To My Life, tonight, RTE One, 8.30pm
Two lucky Tauranga Lotto players will be celebrating after each winning $32,633 with Lotto Second Division in Saturday night's live Lotto draw.

The winning tickets were sold at Pak n Save Papamoa and Countdown Tauranga.

One lucky player from Opunake will be celebrating today after winning $200,000 with Strike Four in Saturday's live Lotto draw.

The winning ticket was sold at Four Square, Highway 45 in Opunake.

Powerball was not struck on Saturday evening and has rolled over to Wednesday night where the jackpot will be $10 million.

Lotto First Division will be $1 million on Wednesday night.

Anyone who bought their ticket from Four Square, Highway 45 should check their ticket as soon as possible in-store, on mylotto.co.nz, or through the Lotto NZ App.

Eight Lotto players win Second Division

As well as the two Tauranga players six other lucky Lotto players will also be enjoying a boost to their bank account after each winning $32,633 with Lotto Second Division in Saturday night's live Lotto draw.

The winning Second Division tickets were sold at the following stores:

Store Location MyLotto x 3 Auckland Countdown Tauranga Tauranga Pak n Save Papamoa Papamoa MyLotto Whanganui Pak N Save Kilbirnie Wellington Caltex Upper Hutt Upper Hutt

Anyone who bought their ticket from any of the above stores should check their ticket as soon as possible in-store, on MyLotto, or through the Lotto NZ App.

With 100 per cent of Lotto NZs profits supporting thousands of great causes each year, every time you play one of Lotto NZs games, youre a Kiwi helping other Kiwis.
Walking arm-in-arm with the community is the driving force behind a new social supermarket set to open in Otumoetai.

Foodstuffs North Island and Linkt Community Trust are partnering to bring a social supermarket to the region, providing a neighbourhood thats connected through kai/food.

Set to open next month, Linkt Community Trust Founders John and Jackie Paine are excited by the prospect of the social supermarket in partnership with the 100 per cent owned and operated co-operative Foodstuffs North Island.

Foodstuffs is committed to backing locally led projects that make a difference, and this will be the 100 per cent NZ owned co-operatives fifth social supermarket location.

The Wellington City Mission Social Supermarket opened in March 2021, Te Hiku Pataka in Kaitaia opened in June 2022 in partnership with Te Kahu Oranga Whanau, the Tokoroa Social Supermarket opened in August in partnership with BBM and Whare Kai opened in September in partnership with Whare Awhina.

We believe that by strengthening and connecting the existing community support networks through the addition of a social supermarket will make for a place where our community has access to affordable, safe, nutritious kai. says Jackie.

The Linkt Trust founders have spent the last 14 months surveying and collecting data from dozens of local community organisations throughout Otumoetai and surrounding suburbs.

We believe everyone has something to bring to the table, so that we all have the ability to get through the times of hardship together.

When its fully operational, the social supermarket will provide wraparound support for shoppers  with specially trained staff who can refer shoppers on to social workers, financial mentors, and onto other forms of support.

The aim is to support and enable shoppers so that one day, they wont need to rely on the social supermarket anymore.

Foodstuffs North Island head of membership experience, Willa Hand says this initiative is an important part of the co-operatives promise to be 'Here for NZ', making a commitment to ensure everyone in New Zealand has access to healthy food and supporting communities to thrive.

"When people need a helping hand, they come to food services and more often than not just get given what they get given. That's helpful, but it doesn't take into consideration cultural needs, allergies, food likes and dislikes," says Willa.

"The intention is to have a range of products on the shelves in our social supermarket that enables them to come in, have the dignity of choosing the products they need themselves, so they can make the kind of meals they want to cook, shopping in an environment that looks and feels like a normal supermarket."

Partnering with Foodstuffs provides local organisations with the knowledge, skills and support to successfully run a social supermarket for whanau in need in their community, with the overall goal of reducing food poverty in New Zealand.

Linkt Trust are determined the new Social Supermarket set to open in Tauranga in November will enable local Otumoetai shoppers to make their own mana enhancing choices and provide opportunities for whanau to thrive.

We want to say a special thanks to the Foodstuffs community of stores and our buddy stores New World Brookfield and PAKnSAVE Cameron Road for backing this," says John.

Otumoetai Social Supermarket is set to open on Tuesday November 1.
Low voter turnout in the council elections has fuelled calls for an overhaul of the entire local government voting process, including postal ballots.

Just 36 per cent of eligible New Zealanders cast their vote in the elections compared with 42 per cent in 2019, although this year's figure should increase slightly once the special ballots are counted, according to a preliminary analysis from Local Government NZ.

The association has called for an independent review of the voting system to improve participation across the country, although Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta is yet to commit to one distinct from two local government and electoral law reviews already underway.

National Party leader Christopher Luxon says the low turnout is "a real concern" and backed calls to make voting easier.

"It's really disappointing to see such low voter turnout across the country. I think it's time we actually go back and ask some questions about what we can do to improve voter engagement.

"I think postal votes, for example, are something that we've got to ask some serious questions about."

Local Government NZ chief executive Susan Freeman-Greene says there's a massive gap to bridge between turnout for local and general elections, despite publicity campaigns.

"Four out of 10 people voting in local elections just isn't enough. That really should be a bit of a wake-up call for us," she says.

"We've heard anecdotally that a huge number of voters are not even sure where their local post box is."

Freeman-Greene hopes a review will canvas options such as online voting, a national polling day and a more centralised administration system, in pursuit of a coordinated, national approach.

"We're looking for a short, sharp, independent review to focus on how we can make voting in local elections more accessible and easier to navigate."

In a Saturday social media post congratulating the successful candidates, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she's "keen to work with local government on how we make voting more accessible. Greater participation in elections is good for democracy!"

Voter turnout at the 2020 general election was 82 per cent.

Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta says central and local government will review the processes around the election, as they did every three years, to make voting more accessible and encourage people to participate.

"Prior to the close of voting, I also noted that there will be a lot to learn after this election about how processes can be improved, for example the use of the postal system," she says in a statement.

"I will be talking further to Local Government NZ about that."

Mahuta says there's potential for the existing Future for Local Government and parliamentary electoral law reviews to address some of the concerns.

She says greater diversity among mayors and councillors is a bright spot in the elections, including 66 new Maori councillors and a slight increase in the number of women elected as mayors, to 23.

Electoral officer Dale Ofsoske from Election Services, one of two independent companies running the elections, says postal voting is cumbersome.

"A lot of people now no longer post letters or use paper, so I think that's a bit of a stumbling block."

Ofsoske says the last-minute rush to cast special votes in Auckland was unprecedented, although it was difficult to estimate how many people did not receive voting papers.

"We had people snaking up the stairs - two flights - and then out the door and onto the street. I've never seen that before.

"A large number of people simply had not updated their details with the Electoral Commission on the electoral roll so in many, many cases, their voting packs went to their old address so they simply did not get them."

Ofsoske says it's time to modernise the country's 20-year-old electoral legislation to encourage younger voters to take part in the democratic process.

"We've been agitating for a number of years for an electronic option, government has rejected that in the past so we'd really like to submit that again."

National's local government spokesman Simon Watts says electronic voting carries security risks and the benefits are unclear.

Other options could include introducing polling places, a designated election day, or more collection options for postal voting, he says.

"We're fully supportive of a review, I think it needs to be wide-ranging," Watts says.

"We've got to make it as easy as possible for people to have their voice heard while not compromising the integrity or the accessibility of the electoral system."

Local Government NZ figures showed rural turnout fell 7.5 per cent to 45 per cent this year, and by 6.5 per cent to 40 per cent in provincial areas.

In the major cities, voting was down 1.4 per cent.

-RNZ.
The military aircraft carrying the Head of State landed at Alfredo Mendivil Duarte Airport. At the site, Mr. Castillo was received by regional and police authorities.

A large number of community members and residents of this area, as well as Peru Libre (Free Peru) party supporters, welcomed him at the site.

In brief remarks before leaving the air terminal, the top official offered the population to listen to its demands. Thus he said officials from the Presidency of the Republic are accompanying him on the occasion.

"We want to talk with you, because the people must be listened to," he expressed.

Cangallo

The President also announced that he will visit Cangallo on Sunday, which he said is a province that has rarely been visited by high-ranking authorities.

Mr. Castillo is expected to arrive in that area tomorrow morning.

El presidente de la Republica @PedroCastilloTe llego a #Ayacucho, y recibio los honores del Ejercito y la @PoliciaPeru. Manana realizara diversas actividades, entre ellas, la ceremonia de conmemoracion por el 208 aniversario de la Primera Jura de la Independencia de Cangallo. pic.twitter.com/VMFl4Y0aCD




Following a brief ceremony led by Monsignor Guillermo Elias at the Sanctuary and Monastery of Las Nazarenas in Downtown Lima, the temple doors on Tacna Avenue opened at noon to start the long-awaited procession of the holy image.



Crowded with worshipers , Emancipacion Avenue wore a dim purple color due to a large number of faithful with the traditional outfit of that color, which identifies devotion to the Christ of Pachacamilla.



Surrounded by the singing of incense burners, the image moves to the applause of those who follow it on foot, as well as those who watch it from balconies and rooftops, where they had prepared small tributes for the Lord.

The platform is carried with great devotion by 36 members of the Lord of Miracles Brotherhood.

"Thank you, Lord" and "Long live Lord of Miracles" are the most heard phrases during this first procession of the Christ of Pachacamilla, whose image was kept in storage for at least two years due to the public health measures implemented with the hope of avoiding the increase in COVID-19 cases.

During this time, many worshipers visited the facade of the Monastery, where the sacred image is kept, in search of a miracle especially of a medical nature because of the large number people who had become sick from SARS-CoV-2.

Hand-in-hand with a detailed care plan for the faithful who join the latest procession, believers have turned to the streets to welcome the Lord of Miracles and thank him for the health and lives of their loved ones, as well as to honor the memory of those who had left them early due to the pandemic.



Today, the image goes through Emancipacion Avenue, as well as Chancay and Conde de Superunda Streets.

Lastly, it will return to the Sanctuary of the Nazarenas at around 7:00 p.m. (local time).





The remaining processions are scheduled for October 18th, 19th, and 28th. The last event is planned for November 1st.





About Lord of Miracles

Known as the Christ of Pachacamilla, Lord of Miracles constitutes Peru's most heavily attended religious festivity and is celebrated by all strata of society in homage to the Crucified Christ.

This image is a replica of a centuries-old mural of the crucifixion painted by a slave in the 17th century.

The Lord of Miracles became a motive for worship after the wall on which it was painted miraculously survived a destructive earthquake unscathed.





(END) KGR/MVB

With great devotion and amid heartfelt musical notes, a human sea enthusiastically accompanies the image of Senor de los Milagros (Lord of Miracles) in his first procession on Saturday after two years of confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Published: 10/8/2022
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Desde la Plaza Mayor de Cangallo, el presidente @PedroCastilloTe se dirigio a cientos de ciudadanos en el marco de la ceremonia de conmemoracion por el 208 Aniversario de la Primera Jura de la Independencia de Cangallo. pic.twitter.com/RaDiJEIC4c
GTO Team-BHP Support



Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 65,568 Thanked: 254,230 Times

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Re: Honda City celebrates its 25th anniversary in India you-cant-go-wrong allrounder sedan in the C2 segment. Only the VAG twins come close, but they will never match the long-term reliability & dependability of the Honda City.



Congrats to Honda on the silver jubilee . What's especially noteworthy is, each generation of the City has been the best in segment when on sale. That's not easy to do consecutively with 5 generations!



I still remember the wild nature of my 1st-gen City Vtec:





















Crank your speaker volume up & just listen to her sing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdsCul-rtmE



106 BHP at the wheels @ 70,000 km:





Quote: Rehaan Originally Posted by



Look at the linear climb of horsepower, and the relatively FLAT torque curve all the way up to 6,700rpm, with a peak of 91 lb-ft @ 5,400rpm.

Karan mentioned that a FPR would put up the power by another 2-3bhp and also increase throttle response.



If you notice, the graph isn't drawn past 6.7k even though the engine revs till 7.1k! I checked with KS and he said this was due to tyre slippage (and clutch slippage too). Remember that the "RPM" reading is coming from the rollers and not the engine - so even though the engine might have been at 7.1k, due to the slippage the rollers think it is at 6.7k.



Keeping the above in mind, its best to use RPM as a relative reference between many runs on the same car. For eg, to see how your powerband shifts up or down the RPM range after certain mods.



But wait. 106bhp ?!?! Isn't that what a bone stock OHC Vtec is supposed to put out?



Well yes, but the difference here is that this HP is being measured at the wheels instead of at the engine's crankshaft (which is the standard procedure for all manufacturer horsepower claims).



Whats the difference? Well, horsepower at the wheels is always less, due to frictional losses in the drivetrain, inertia of drivetrain parts and a dose of clutch slippage. Typically an average guesstimate of around 15% is added to wheel horsepower (whp) to get a decent guess of the hp at the crank.



So, even if we take a reasonable window for drivetrain losses, (say 10% to 20%), this Vtec would be putting out 116 - 127 bhp!



As i said earlier, I'm pleasantly surprised!! 106 bhp!! Definitely an impressive figure for the relatively minor mods that were carried out. To be honest, i was pleasantly suprised!Look at the linear climb of horsepower, and the relatively FLAT torque curve all the way up to 6,700rpm, with a peak of 91 lb-ft @ 5,400rpm.Karan mentioned that a FPR would put up the power by another 2-3bhp and also increase throttle response.If you notice, the graph isn't drawn past 6.7k even though the engine revs till 7.1k! I checked with KS and he said this was due to tyre slippage (and clutch slippage too). Remember that the "RPM" reading is coming from the rollers and not the engine - so even though the engine might have been at 7.1k, due to the slippage the rollers think it is at 6.7k.Keeping the above in mind, its best to use RPM as a relative reference between many runs on the same car. For eg, to see how your powerband shifts up or down the RPM range after certain mods.Well yes, but the difference here is that this HP is being measured at theinstead of at the(which is the standard procedure for all manufacturer horsepower claims).Whats the difference? Well, horsepower at the wheels is always less, due to frictional losses in the drivetrain, inertia of drivetrain parts and a dose of clutch slippage. Typically an averageof around 15% isto wheel horsepower (whp) to get a decent guess of the hp at the crank.So, even if we take a reasonable window for drivetrain losses, (say 10% to 20%), this Vtec would be putting outAs i said earlier, I'm pleasantly surprised!! Still the benchmarkallrounder sedan in the C2 segment. Only the VAG twins come close, but they will never match the long-term reliability & dependability of the Honda City.Congrats to Honda on the silver jubilee. What's especially noteworthy is, each generation of the City has been thewhen on sale. That's not easy to do consecutively with 5 generations!I still remember the wild nature of my 1st-gen City Vtec:Crank your speaker volume up & just listen to her sing:106 BHP at the wheels @ 70,000 km:
V.Narayan Distinguished - BHPian

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Re: Indian car manufacturers propose cutting import tax of British-made cars to 30%



All,



A trade agreement between two major economies cannot be examined item by item because all the concessions India grants to the UK and all the concessions UK grants to India have to be viewed in their entirety and not piecemeal. We might have granted them a concessional import duty on cars made in the UK in return for them granting us concessions on {just an example} on the almost $1.0 bn iron & steel we export to the UK which in turn is given in return for XYZ concession from UK to us on PQR and so on it goes. This has nothing to do with cars per se but is a part of a much wider agreement covering about 90 to 100 odd industry/product groupings, visa rights, immigration status, investment rights both ways, transfer of technology policies and with UK, defence procurement too.



All in all I think it is a good thing to bolster our trade with the UK. They need countries like us right now. And now both sides can talk as equals which makes for a healthy trade arrangement. While we are celebrating rightfully our new position as the 5th largest economy {in nominal GDP} fact is UK & France will trade position numbers 6 & 7 between them for years if not decades. So it makes sense to have a special trade deal with the UK {and Japan}, easier to negotiate than with the EU. UK & Japan are the two big economies outside USA, China and EU with whom we can have a more balanced discussion and trade offs. God only knows Liz Truss needs a good news trade deal right now. The fly in the ointment is her Home Minister Suvella Braverman. All in all a right step at the right time.



Interestingly main Indian exports to the UK are heavy machinery, heavy electricals, iron & steel, textiles & garments, gems & jewelry, electronic equipment, pharmaceuticals with total exports at $11.0 bn. Which is quite small compared to total Indian exports of ~$660bn ie less than 2%. UK exports to India are only ~$600 million. So a lot of scope to improve.



In my main career, now ended, I have set up and run industrial units in UK, France, Ireland, Slovak Republic, Hungary. Ireland was a darling of a place to do business in - the best white country for brownies to do business in, in my opinion. UK came next. Hungary was a mixed bag - they wanted the jobs but hated working for brownies like me. France was a challenge - EU bureaucracy and its million rules married to third world side bar deals, conversations and winking. Slovak republic brings in the tail end here with attitudes to business, trade and industry that makes us look good. These are only my observations over many years, others might have different views.



The British, as Napoleon said, are a nation of shopkeepers {much like us!!} and doing a trade deal when they need it makes sound economics and politics.



Quote: StarrySky Originally Posted by I'm not sure what is the import tax in the UK for vehicle imports from India, but I guess there will be some reciprocal tax cuts by the UK in the agreement as well. If that is the case, is this more about making Indian exports to UK cheaper? The home-grown players (Tata, Mahindra) may be interested in exporting EVs, while Maruti would also appreciate import tax cuts in the UK. Well said @StarrySky. +1 . This is about Indian cars to the UK than the other way around. Though some imports too will happen.All,A trade agreement between two major economies cannot be examined item by item because all the concessions India grants to the UK and all the concessions UK grants to India have to be viewed in their entirety and not piecemeal. We might have granted them a concessional import duty on cars made in the UK in return for them granting us concessions on {just an example} on the almost $1.0 bn iron & steel we export to the UK which in turn is given in return for XYZ concession from UK to us on PQR and so on it goes. This has nothing to do with cars per se but is a part of a much wider agreement covering about 90 to 100 odd industry/product groupings, visa rights, immigration status, investment rights both ways, transfer of technology policies and with UK, defence procurement too.All in all I think it is a good thing to bolster our trade with the UK. They need countries like us right now. And now both sides can talk as equals which makes for a healthy trade arrangement. While we are celebrating rightfully our new position as the 5th largest economy {in nominal GDP} fact is UK & France will trade position numbers 6 & 7 between them for years if not decades. So it makes sense to have a special trade deal with the UK {and Japan}, easier to negotiate than with the EU. UK & Japan are the two big economies outside USA, China and EU with whom we can have a more balanced discussion and trade offs. God only knows Liz Truss needs a good news trade deal right now. The fly in the ointment is her Home Minister Suvella Braverman. All in all a right step at the right time.Interestingly main Indian exports to the UK are heavy machinery, heavy electricals, iron & steel, textiles & garments, gems & jewelry, electronic equipment, pharmaceuticals with total exports at $11.0 bn. Which is quite small compared to total Indian exports of ~$660bn ie less than 2%. UK exports to India are only ~$600 million. So a lot of scope to improve.In my main career, now ended, I have set up and run industrial units in UK, France, Ireland, Slovak Republic, Hungary. Ireland was a darling of a place to do business in - the best white country for brownies to do business in, in my opinion. UK came next. Hungary was a mixed bag - they wanted the jobs but hated working for brownies like me. France was a challenge - EU bureaucracy and its million rules married to third world side bar deals, conversations and winking. Slovak republic brings in the tail end here with attitudes to business, trade and industry that makes us look good. These are only my observations over many years, others might have different views.The British, as Napoleon said, are a nation of shopkeepers {much like us!!} and doing a trade deal when they need it makes sound economics and politics. Last edited by V.Narayan : 8th October 2022 at 08:15 .
China is poised to launch its first specially designed solar observatory into space this Sunday to aid in unraveling the secrets of the Sun, according to a recent story in Nature magazine.

The Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S) will feature three sensors that provide data on how the Sun's magnetic field affects coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and other eruptions.

Solving the Mysteries of CMEs

The energetic emissions of the Sun are caused by its magnetic field. However, it is still unclear how they are connected. ASO-S will simultaneously examine many wavelengths to link the eruptions to their underlying causes and pinpoint those sources.

Chinese researchers have dubbed ASO-S Kuafu-1 in honor of a giant from Chinese mythology who attempted to capture and tame the Sun. The tool's four-year mission will involve observing the Sun from an orbit 720 kilometers above the planet's surface.

ASO-S will concentrate on the basic physics of solar flares, CMEs, and their origins, which are high-energy bursts of radiation.

Some of the equipment utilized by the tool include a magnetograph to evaluate the magnetic field of the Sun, an X-ray imager to examine the high-energy radiation created by electrons accelerated in solar flares, and a coronagraph to observe the plasma produced by flares and CMEs.

As a result, ASO-S will look into the middle corona, where solar storms develop in the ultraviolet, for the first time. This groundbreaking project will provide fresh insights into the CME's origins.

Read also: A Sunspot With the Size of Four Earths Ejects 10 Million Degree Solar Flare, Causes Radio Blackout over the Pacific

"World's Largest Array of Telescopes"

The ASOS-S project is not the first to give substantial attention to CMEs. In August, China was reportedly constructing the largest array of telescopes in the world to study Sun explosions.

The Daocheng Solar Radio Telescope (DSRT) will also aid researchers in understanding coronal mass ejections. It is being built on a plateau in the southwest Chinese province of Sichuan.

Once the project is complete, the enormous array of solar radio telescopes will have a circumference of 1.95 miles (3.14 kilometers). It is also equipped with 313 dishes with a diameter of 19.7 (6 meters).

Large CMEs are more likely to develop now since the Sun is presently in the active phase of its 11-year solar cycle.

The large solar storm Carrington Event raged the space back in September 1859, a few months before the solar maximum took place in 1860.

In March of 2021, we went through a G3 storm, which is a fairly typical storm. However, even a G2 can do a lot of harm. SpaceX proved this in February when it lost 40 satellites after a solar storm.

According to a study, there is an annual average 4% probability of a major solar storm and a 0.7 percent chance of another Carrington event.

However, according to the experts, a super-storm could occur more frequently than we believed, indicating that it could occur at any time.

Related Article: 'Portrait of the Sun:' World's Most Powerful Solar Telescope Snaps The Face of the Sun in Crisp Detail

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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
New Chinese satellite technology has been used to calculate the Nord Stream pipeline damage.

(Photo : Photo by Swedish Coast Guard via Getty Images)

In this Handout Photo provided by Swedish Coast Guard, the release of gas emanating from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea on September 28, 2022 in At Sea. A fourth leak has been detected in the undersea gas pipelines linking Russia to Europe, after explosions were reported earlier this week in suspected sabotage.

This sea-based pipeline was built by Russia. The Russian government uses it to supply Europe with natural gas.

However, on Sept. 26, the pipeline experienced a series of explosions, causing the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines to leak.

Aftermath, the Chinese government wants to check how much methane has escaped into the atmosphere. This is a serious matter since methane is a major greenhouse gas that can greatly affect the environment.

New Chinese Satellite Tech Calculates Nord Stream Pipeline Damage

According to the South China Morning Post's latest report, the Chinese government used its so-called Gaofen-5 02 satellite.

(Photo : Photo by Swedish Coast Guard via Getty Images)

In this Handout Photo provided by Swedish Coast Guard, the release of gas emanating from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea on September 27, 2022 in At Sea. A fourth leak has been detected in the undersea gas pipelines linking Russia to Europe, after explosions were reported earlier this week in suspected sabotage.

Also Read: World's Largest Compressed Air Energy Storage Plant is Now Up and Running in China

Based on their findings, the leak could have reached around 70 tonnes per hour.

This is quite the difference compared to the estimation made by the Canadia satellite operator GHGSat since their data shows only 20 tonnes per hour.

Both the data of Gaofen-5 02 and the GHGSat observed the location of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

"The hyperspectral cameras on Gaofen-5 and other satellite platforms have been proven successful in precise monitoring of methane emissions many times before," said the Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics.

What Caused the Nord Stream Pipeline Damage?

When the Nord Stream pipeline explosions happened, many rumors claimed that the sea-based pipelines were sabotaged.

On the other hand, Denmark and Sweden told the UN that hundreds of pounds of TNT explosives were used to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines.

The two countries explained that the explosions were measured at 2.3 and 2.1 on the Richter Scale. This means that they are comparable to an explosive, as reported by Business Insider.

You can click here to see more details about what Denmark and Sweden shared.

In other stories, a small german town is believed to be unaffected by the energy crisis because of wind turbines.

Previously, solar power helped Babcock Ranch to avoid power loss during Hurricane Ian.

For more news updates about the Nord Stream pipeline and other related environmental topics, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: The Mediterranean Sea Rising Temperatures Trigger the Formation of CO2-emitting Crystals

This article is owned by TechTimes

Written by Griffin Davis

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
UK Government accused of dragging its heels over forced labour allegations in China

The British Government is being sued over claims it is dragging its heels over trade linked to forced labour in China.

Chinese labour camp survivor Erbakit Otarbay has accused the UKs Trade Secretary for allowing cotton imports from the western Chinese province of Xinjiang, where it has been alleged local minority groups such as the Uyghurs have been subjected to human rights violations.

Erbakit Otarbay has spoken out despite receiving warnings that it could put his family in danger.

He told Sky News: Im lucky Im in a free country now. But I cant not think about people who I left behind. I dont know what happened to them, what kind of horrors they have been subjected to.

Mr Otarbay, who is Chinese but ethnically Kazakh, was forced to work in a clothing factory after being arrested in Xinjiang in 2017.

He has written a pre-action letter to Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch. In the document he demands she address the ongoing failure of the UK to impose any restrictions on cotton imports from the region.

Mr Otarbay was detained at a centre in Xinjiang after being accused of watching illegal videos on Islam and installing WhatsApp on his phone.

He said he wished he died quickly and was tortured on a number of occasions until he passed out.

His lawyer, Paul Conrathe, said it is outrageous that the UK government is hiding behind manifestly inadequate legislation.

The former leader of the Conservatives, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, says the UK is lagging behind other countries.

Over 280 organisations, including the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), are also calling for all products from Xinjiang to be removed from supply chains.

They said virtually the entire UK apparel industry is at risk of being linked to forced labour.

Earlier this year the United Nations human rights office said Chinas treatment of its Uyghur population may constitute crimes against humanity. Meanwhile last December a tribunal in the UK found China guilty of genocide against the Uyghur people in Xinjiang.

Story continues

China has always denied human rights violations and that the camps are vocational training centres and part of a programme to fight extremism. They had initially denied their existence.

A UK Government spokesperson said: The evidence of the scale and severity of human rights violations being perpetrated in Xinjiang against Uyghur Muslims paints a truly harrowing picture which we absolutely condemn. Businesses should not be profiting from forced labour.

The UK is absolutely committed to tackling the issue of Uyghur forced labour in supply chains and we have taken decisive action. Over the last year we have introduced new guidance on the risks of doing business in Xinjiang, enhanced export controls, and have committed to introduce financial penalties for organisations that do not comply with modern slavery reporting requirements.
CHICAGO, Sept. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- EV Battery Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 19.0% from USD 56.4 billion in 2022 to USD 134.6 billion by 2027, according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets.

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The growth of the EV Battery Market can be attributed to the increasing demand of electric vehicles, improvement in battery technology, supporting government policies and regulations, and launch of new plug-in EV models.

Asia pacific is expected to be the largest EV Battery Market in the forecast

China, Japan, India, South Korea, and Thailand are included in the Asia Pacific region when analysing markets. With a share of more than 95%, China is the biggest contributor to the global market. Chinese businesses including Panasonic, LG, Chem, Samsung, CATL, and BYD are in charge of the domestic and international EV battery markets, respectively. Due to their access to more affordable parts and materials, Chinese EV producers are able to provide their products at lower costs.

With intentions for exports, China is likewise making large investments in the manufacturing of both commercial and passenger electric vehicles. To accommodate local demand, OEMs like BYD intend to establish factories in other continents to produce electric trucks and buses. The nation encourages the use of EVs by providing a subsidy for EV purchases. The nation is also enticing businesses to create better EV technologies, which will aid in EV batteries overall growth.

In May 2021, the Indian Government announced the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme National Program on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage' for achieving a manufacturing capacity of 50 GWh of ACC with an infrastructure funding of USD 35-40 million. 10 companies submitted their bid proposals under the "Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage Program in India. Specifically, Hyundai, Ola, Lucas-TVS, M&M, Amara Raja, Exide, Rajesh Exports, L&T, India Power Corporation, and Reliance New Energy Solar Limited have submitted their proposals.

Story continues

With the advent of hybrid automobiles in recent years, South Korea and Japan began embracing electric vehicles. Toyota and Panasonic established a joint venture in October 2020 to start making hybrid vehicle batteries at a site in Japan. Mitsubishi, a Japanese producer, has declared that it will invest USD 9.6 million to increase electrolyte solution production for lithium-ion batteries in 2021. The corporation will utilise this money to modernise the machinery at its U.S., U.K., and Chinese manufacturing facilities.

The adoption of EVs in these nations has significantly increased because to developments in battery technology and targeted research.

Europe is expected to be the second largest market during the forecast

The governments of the European region are providing significant incentives to promote electric vehicles. As a result, the demand for electric vehicles has increased significantly. The region is home to manufacturers such as Renault, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and others. Europe has set a very ambitious goal of reducing 80% CO2 emissions by 2030-2035 and has created a roadmap for the same. The governments of various countries in Europe are subsidizing electric vehicle infrastructure, and the focus is expected to continue to be on electric vehicles in the long run. In 2021, Europe witnessed high growth in the market with over 2.27 million EV sales, with a year-on-year growth of approximately 66% over 2020. In addition, the use of electric vans in the logistics sector of Europe is expected to bring opportunity for the EV battery market. Many leading logistics companies in Europe have started using electric vans for shipping and delivery purposes. For example, DHL, one of the leading logistics companies in the world, is using electric vans in some parts of the European region.

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The lithium-ion battery segment is expected to be the during the forecast period

The lithium-ion battery dominates the EV Battery Market due to its high energy density, fast recharging capability, and high discharge power. As a result, lithium-ion batteries are the only available technology that is capable of fulfilling OEM requirements for developing electric vehicles with adequate drive range and fast charging. The cost of lithium-ion batteries is also a major factor driving its high demand since the decreasing cost of these battery types reached USD 130-140 /kWh in 2021 from around USD 800-900/kWh in the past years (Source: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute). Battery manufacturers are focusing on lithium-ion batteries and have invested in greenfield as well as capacity expansion projects to ramp-up production. For instance, CATL (China) plans to expand its production in Europe. the company plans to expand the production capacity of its Erfurt manufacturing site to 14GWh by the end of 2022 and 60GWh in 2026.

Key Market Players

The EV Battery Market comprises major companies such as players CATL (China), Panasonic Holdings Corporation (Japan), LG Chem (South Korea), BYD (China), and Samsung SDI (South Korea).

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Electric Vehicle Charging Station Market by Application (Public, Private), Level of Charging, Charging Point Type, Infrastructure, Service Type, Installation, Electric Bus Charging, DC Fast Charging, IOT Connectivity and Region - Global Forecast to 2027

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Before that, I only saw this in the movies: a resident of Yeysk told RT how he saved the survivors when the Su-34 fell into the courtyard of the house
The Cayuga County Health Department will be hosting a COVID-19 vaccine clinic offering the new bivalent boosters of Pfizer and Moderna as well as first and second doses of Novavax.

The next public clinic, from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, will offer the following:

 Bivalent booster dose of Pfizer  approved for individuals 12 and older

 Bivalent booster dose of Moderna  approved for those 18 and older

 First dose of Novavax  approved for 12 years and older

 Second dose of Novavax  for 12 and older

The new bivalent booster doses of Pfizer and Moderna are currently recommended for individuals at least 2 months after completing a COVID-19 primary series and/or any previous booster doses.

Novavax is a new primary series vaccine recommended for people who have not yet received their COVID-19 vaccine. It is a 2-dose vaccine series with the 2nd dose being administered 3-8 weeks after the first dose.

Appointments are required and can be made by clicking the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics button at cayugacounty.us/health.

The clinic willbe at the Fingerlakes Mall, 1579 Clark St. Road, Aurelius, in the Event Center at the former Spirit Halloween store on the backside of the mall near the movie theaters. Entrance to this clinic is from the outside of the mall. There will not be admittance to the clinic from the inside of the mall. Visitors should park in the back of the mall and enter through the Event Center doors.

Anyone entering the clinic must be wearing a mask and should bring an insurance card and vaccine card if they have one.

The health department also reminds the public that the availability of the vaccine is not limited to just the health department, and people are encouraged to work with local pharmacies, federally qualified health centers, and health care providers to get an appointment. Parents looking for the COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5 years of age should contact their childs pediatrician or local pharmacy.

The Cayuga Community Health Network is available to assist with finding clinics and making appointments at (315) 252-4212, and more information about the COVID-19 vaccine can be found at cayugacounty.us/health.
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The Schoeffer bible, circa 1472 Credit:Kay Craddock Antiquariun Bookseller. Segaert makes a case for understanding the influence of religion but no case for those not choosing to be affected by religious beliefs. Acceptance is needed on both sides. Thousands of years of history do not determine relevancy in an evolutionary world. Keep religion out of politics and politics out of religion, so the path forward is unencumbered. Robert Caraian, Crows Nest If, as Segaert acknowledges, the expression of certain beliefs by some religious groups is bigoted and hurtful to others, he cant reasonably expect others to be more understanding and tolerant of those who subscribe to those beliefs. His inner-city Anglican church may welcome all-comers, but that is not the case with all other brands of religions, even biblical ones predicated on loving thy neighbour. Ross Duncan, Potts Point The something of a biblical view that Segaert presents is a very Christian one, not including those whose bible is the Torah, and whose religious tradition articulates a radically different notion of human perfectibility. Just this week, we observed the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), where Jews are required to ask forgiveness from those they have wronged before resolving to lead better lives. They see themselves as being co-workers with God in responsibility for perfecting the world and are not free to desist from this task, however unattainable the Messianic Age and ideals appear to be.

It would be nice if the dominant religious institutions showed a little more humility in the face of the plurality of our diverse society, and a little more respect for the sensitivities of adherents of other religions. Miriam Frommer, Darlinghurst Christmas Island for IS families

Discussion of the likely rescue of previous Islamic State Australian families from Syria (Political chasm opens over repatriations, October 8) raises the issue of where they may live when and if rescued. Perhaps the now vacant and very expensive Christmas Island detention centre could be utilised. That would be a halfway house for the families, to allow for Border Force to question the wives and assess the likelihood of any problems with radicalisation. Once all assessments have been carried out and the families found to be ready to return to mainland Australia, then let them return. Eira Battaglia, Seaforth Most of these women were tricked into going into Syria and then found themselves trapped in unwanted marriages. And what of the children, who are innocent? Do objectors expect them to languish and die in these camps in Syria? All the women concerned have said they will gladly subject themselves to all the security checks by the Australian government and are prepared to spend time in prison if it is deemed appropriate. We should show compassion in this case as the risk to Australia in reuniting these women and children with their Australian families has been exaggerated. Leo Sorbello, West Ryde These families are just as much the victims of Islamic State as those who have suffered from the terrorist activities of the group. People who have practical experience in this area have recommended that the repatriations go ahead. Allowing those children to grow up in a safe society, with appropriate monitoring, will be a far better outcome than having them sucked into the mindless violence from which they wish to escape. The repatriations will allow our government, and the Australian people, to discharge their duty under international law, while providing a practical solution. Derrick Mason, Boorowa Most likely no one other than their families wants women and children back from Syria, but guess what, theyre Australian and that makes them our responsibility, whether we like it or not. Phil Bradshaw, Naremburn Hope for heritage

Planning Minister Anthony Roberts and the planned 20-storey residential tower in Barangaroo. Credit:Rhett Wyman, Department of Planning portal There is a glimmer of hope for Sydneys heritage (Minister topples towering proposal, October 8) following weeks of disturbing news stories about development proposals and government decisions that will result in further loss and destruction of historic sites and buildings, including compromising one of our oldest museums.Oh , that Barangaroo could remain as the low rise, green space I thought was promised. An easily overlooked line, He moved from a city rich in history  Cleopatra, Caesar, Alexander the Great  to suburban Melbourne (Rock star, Marxist and religious revolutionary, October 8), reveals perhaps the commonly held view that Australia has no history to value. The difficult adjustment spoken of in that article might be that we need yet to open our eyes to see, learn about and appreciate our unique Australian history, Indigenous, built and natural. We should not give in to those who tell us we need to offset the costs of preserving heritage by, for example, stabbing the foundations of a high rise through the middle of a heritage-listed building. Sue Frost, Newport The missing links Roads Minister Natalie Ward mentions the Metro, the Rozelle Interchange and slashed travel times, all in one breath (Letters, October 8). Therell be no time savings for transit users without pedestrian links between the Metro and buses through the interchange, which are 150 metres apart. Kevin Eadie, Drummoyne Artists impression of the finished smoke stacks at Rozelle, where the WestConnex motorway meets the Anzac Bridge. Credit:Chris Fox Studio

So, first the government builds a tollway and operates it for a period of time. Then it sells it to a toll road operator for a significant amount based on projected earnings. The operator increases the tolls charged annually to satisfy its shareholders. Over time, the increases become unaffordable for many road users, so the government effectively returns the profit it made by rebating many users a portion of the tolls incurred. Seems like a good business plan to me. Peter Wilkosz, Byron Bay Five-dam solution Raise the walls of the five southern dams near Appin instead of Warragamba dam (Letters, October 8). A significant volume of the water downstream of Warragamba dam comes direct from these tiny dams in overflow and is dumped straight into the Nepean River, which bypasses Warragamba dam.

This measure would greatly ameliorate flooding downstream of Warragamba dam and in Camden. Raising Warragamba dam is not the solution. Phillip Powell, Bringelly The best solution for Warragamba dam is to raise the dam wall. Floods and droughts are a cyclical inevitability for Australia and our infrastructure must be capable of handling these extremes. Raising the dam wall will provide a buffer for water shortages during drought and will also increase water capacity to mitigate floods during periods of heavy rainfall. Riley Brown, Bondi Beach Crowning glory

With Britain jumping the queue and securing the next Eurovision, Australia and NSW should get in and claim the next big event of 2023, the coronation, to show the world that Charles is not just King of the UK. As it is to be a scaled-down event, offer the Sydney Opera House or the new football stadium as the venue, followed by the worlds biggest sausage sizzle in the Royal Botanic Gardens. John Woodward, Ashfield High and dry The word grounded (Manly ferries could be grounded for weeks, October 8) for the three Manly ferries is not the right term for a berthed or moored vessel. On reflection, though, perhaps they should be grounded  on the continental shelf 20kms off the NSW coast. Hugh Darling, Castle Hill The three new Manly ferries tied up for repairs at the Balmain Shipyards. Credit:Oscar Colman Good thing we got them cheap. Alan Hicks, Stanmore

Pot luck Be kind to your plants Credit:Helen Nezdropa Gee, I feel kind of guilty now for putting my indoor plants out on the balcony overnight when it was cold and raining (Are plants aware? I worry more about robots, October 8). Lisa Clarke, Watsons Bay Lightweight Bikeshedding (Correct to get restless about sleep, October 8) is surely what happens when people have ridden those for-hire bikes and then dumped them under bridges or in canals? Ann Thomas, Balmain
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Read more of our population pressure coverage See all 7 stories . Victoria has changed in the two decades since Premier Daniel Andrews was first elected to parliament, but perhaps the most profound change is in its population. The state has swelled by 1.74 million since 2002. Today, 6.6 million people call Victoria home. Adding the equivalent of South Australias entire population over the past 20 years has underpinned a strong economy by creating demand for housing construction and services. But it has inflicted growing pains, too, as essential services and infrastructure havent been delivered at the same pace. How to deal with this pressure is a key question voters want answered before the state election. Loading Ahead of Victorias November poll, The Age is focusing on what you want to discuss, rather than where political parties and candidates try to lead us. For the Victorias Agenda project, weve spent months asking Victorians what they want the election to be about: Our journalists travelled the state talking to people, and 5439 readers responded online, and then our polling company asked another 551 in September. A clear theme that emerged was that voters want politicians to talk about building transport and infrastructure that meets the needs of the states growing population. Wijdan Osman told us this was at the front of her mind when we met in Melbournes outer north: I would like more services for transport, especially in Craigieburn  more transport, more buses more trains. Jenny Gardner wrote to tell us she was concerned that in the rush to accommodate more people, our cities and regions were being sold to developers who gave little attention to creating liveable, connected communities  something that impacts on us for generations. While Ahmed Hilowle, who we bumped into in Macleod, said he was worried politics distorted where money was spent, with places such as Broadmeadows and Heidelberg missing out. Because these areas tend to vote for Labor, no one really pays attention to them, Hilowle said.

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Credit: What are the population pressures in Victoria? Motorists sit in traffic jams while new suburbs pop up without public transport, cutting off residents from work and education opportunities. Regional Victorians say their roads are full of potholes and their internet is unreliable. Healthcare, education and other essential services become even more difficult to deliver as Melbournes outer edge expands. What voters told us about depended on where they lived. Almost all of Victorias recent population growth has been in Melbourne, which has swelled by 20 per cent over the past decade to reach just under five million people. Access to jobs, leading universities and relatively affordable housing made it a destination of choice for people moving from interstate or overseas. Would denser suburbs halt Melbournes outward expansion and make it easier to provide services and infrastructure to everyone? Two years of COVID-19 lockdowns appear to have only temporarily slowed the citys growth, which before the pandemic was projected to hit 9 million people by the middle of the century  the same size as London today.

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Malcolm McCaskill told us he was worried families were being forced to rely on cars to get around Melbourne. None of the new rail stations built in the last 50 years have led to the walkable mixed-use communities, he said. So, would denser suburbs halt Melbournes outward expansion and make it easier to provide services and infrastructure to everyone? Or would this mean overdevelopment and high-rise buildings in existing suburbs? Meanwhile, a wave of tree-changers and sea-changers have left Melbourne since the pandemic, and the advent of flexible working is also stretching regional infrastructure, and even threatening a housing shortage, in some parts of the state. Regional population growth might take pressure off Melbourne but people living outside the capital are concerned theyre not equipped to handle it. Ken Lethborg, a retiree in Gisborne, told us he was worried infrastructure wasnt being maintained. The road system is pretty poorly made  it breaks down, they fix it; it breaks down, they fix it. I dont think its keeping up with the demand for the traffic, he said. The government has a huge transport infrastructure pipeline. Isnt that enough? The Andrews government certainly isnt afraid of building things. Transport mega projects are a hallmark of its time in power: the West Gate Tunnel, North East Link road project, Melbourne Airport Rail, the Metro Tunnel, Level Crossing Removal Project and the Regional Rail Revival are just some of the projects underway. Theyre part of a $184-billion pipeline of infrastructure work that will stretch on for decades.

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But battle lines are drawn over whether its the right infrastructure, what should be built first and whether we can afford to build it at all. The biggest fight now is over the governments flagship Suburban Rail Loop. Matthew Guys opposition says we cant afford to build the first $34.5 billion leg of the project, running between Cheltenham and Box Hill, and wants to redirect funds to repairing the health system. The government says the Loop is an essential public transport project and will also reshape Melbournes growth by creating new population and employment hubs along the 90-kilometre line. The first leg in the eastern suburbs would open by 2035. But the northern and western suburbs would have to wait for at least another 30 years for it to continue to Melbourne Airport and then down to Werribee, while residents are crying out for more public transport now. Loading Its not all roads and trains, either. In Macedon, retail worker Anna Campbell said she wanted candidates to talk about other resources to regional Victoria. How can we be only 50 minutes from the city and not have secure internet? she asked. In Gisborne, Lethborg said: Were having a lot of power outages recently, so I would really think it needs to be addressed.

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Meanwhile, labour and skill shortages are hurting the regions and a housing crisis will make it even harder for farms and other businesses to find the workers they need. And while Victorias dams are close to full in the middle of a wet La Nina season, just a few years ago Western Water was warning it might not be able to keep up with demand as it projected the number of homes it serviced to almost quadruple over the next 50 years. How do we choose what to build? Do we have the right priorities? Infrastructure Victoria, the government advisory body, has a long list of projects it says we need to keep the state moving, but which the government hasnt acted on. That includes building a third tunnel under the city (Melbourne Metro 2) and upgrading the City Loop so trains can run more frequently across the whole train network. Melbournes booming outer-western suburbs are also still waiting for Metro trains services. Loading The split over the Suburban Rail Loop makes this the second election in less than a decade fought over the merits of a mega project, after Andrews swept to power in 2014 promising to axe the Coalitions East West Link tollway. So, well ask the politicians from both sides: is this the best way to decide which projects Victoria builds? Is there a long-term plan to meet Victorias needs? And are politicians favouring headline-grabbing mega projects over upgrades that deliver greater benefits for less money?

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Nearly a decade after starting a registry to track assault weapons, New York officials are no closer to knowing how many of those guns are circulating in the state.

More than 40% of owners of assault weapons who registered their firearms with New York State Police under a new state law failed to recertify the guns five years later as the law requires.

The 2013 New York Safe Act banned the sale of assault weapons and required anyone who owned such guns to register them with state police  an effort aimed at helping law enforcement solve crimes and prosecute criminals. The provisions were among the most controversial of a slew of new measures to reduce gun violence in the wake of a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

The Safe Act defined assault weapons as semi-automatics capable of accepting detachable magazines and with a military-style feature that could include protruding pistol grips, folding stocks, thumb hole stocks, a second hand grip, bayonet mount or flash suppressor.

Federal judge halts key parts of New York's new gun law ALBANY  New York's latest attempt to restrict who can carry a handgun in public and where firearms can be brought was picked apart Thursday b

By 2015, 23,847 people applied to register 44,485 assault weapons  believed to be a small fraction of the total number of assault weapons in the state.

Many gun owners scoffed at the law, and some county sheriffs, including in Erie County, said they would not enforce it.

Compliance appears to have gotten worse. While the Safe Act also required assault weapon owners to re-register their guns every five years, just 14,056 residents have submitted applications for recertification, according to a state police spokesman.

Police agencies across the state have lodged 435 felony charges against individuals for failing to register an assault weapon since the law went into effect in 2013, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services.

The Safe Act, nearing its 10th anniversary, illustrates how difficult it is to implement new gun control measures, even in a state that already has plenty of them.

Among the measures: a new permit process for the purchase of semi-automatic rifles, which remain legal if they do not have the military-style features specified by the Safe Act.

Gun rights advocates decried the new laws as knee-jerk bureaucracy that will do little to keep criminals from getting guns or make people safer. The new concealed carry law already is being challenged in court, and last week a federal district court judge struck down several key parts of the law. Hochul and state Attorney General Letitia James have said they will appeal the ruling.

Anyone that wants to get a gun is going to get a gun anyways. And its not going to be legal and theyre going to be able to do whatever they want to do, said Nick Brzezniak, chairman of the Erie County Chapter of Shooters Committee on Political Education, or SCOPE.

Research: Laws make NY safer

But data from the Centers for Disease Control suggests New Yorks tight firearms laws make the state safer, relative to most other states, when it comes to gun-related violence.

In 2020, New York had fewer gun deaths per 100,000 residents than all but four other states, and its gun death rate was 61% lower than the national average, according to Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Even before adopting its latest gun laws, New York was rated sixth-best state in the country in gun safety strength by the Giffords Center, which supports stronger gun control laws.

At the other end of the spectrum was Mississippi, which had 28.6 gun deaths per 100,000, a rate that was 110% higher than the national average. Giffords Law rated Mississippi among the five worst in the country for gun safety strength and noted that the state loosened restrictions further in 2021 by allowing people to carry concealed firearms using a drivers license that never expires.

New Yorks strong gun regulations clearly have an impact on deterring gun crimes and violence, said Robert J. Spitzer, author of five books on gun control and gun policy, including The Gun Dilemma: How History is Against Expanded Gun Rights, published this month.

Its difficult to measure the precise impact of a specific law on the wrongful uses of guns, but laws are in place to prosecute those who break them and deter people who fear being caught and prosecuted, said Spitzer, distinguished service professor emeritus at State University of New York College at Cortland.

Between 75% and 90% of guns seized by police in New York investigating crimes come from outside the state  another good indicator that New Yorks laws make a difference, said Spitzer.

If it was just as easy to get a gun in New York as outside the state, people would just get those guns in New York State, because you dont have to travel or travel as far, he said.

In addition to the registration system, the Safe Act banned the sale of high-capacity magazines and semi-automatic guns with military features.

But gun manufacturers introduced new models of guns in New York that functioned the same as the banned weapons, except with enough cosmetic changes to fall outside the ban.

Ban didn't prevent Buffalo mass shooting

The Safe Act's ban on the sale of assault weapons did not stop a Broome County man from legally buying a Bushmaster XM-15 semi-automatic rifle from an Endicott gun store and then allegedly using the weapon in a racist attack at a Tops in Buffalo on May 14. Payton Gendron, 19, of Conklin was charged with killing 10 people in Buffalo's deadliest mass shooting.

The gun he is accused of using complied with the Safe Act requirements at the time of purchase, according to the stores owner.

A previous owner of the gun had modified the rifle to limit the magazine to 10 rounds so that it adhered to the state law, according to a racist diatribe that Gendron wrote prior to the attack. Gendron used his fathers power drill to undo that modification and return the weapon to being what he described as a military grade assault rifle  the same type of gun a 20-year-old man used to kill 26 people a decade ago at Sandy Hook.

Gun registries have the potential to help police identify violent criminals and to protect officers responding at a scene where guns might be present. Advocates for registration systems also say they make firearm owners more accountable and discourage illegal sales of guns.

But few states have registries, and some states have banned them as an infringement on gun owners freedoms.

How many assault weapons are in NY?

In New York, even with a registry in place for nearly a decade, its still not clear how many assault weapons are circulating statewide.

A gun trade group estimated in 2015 that a million guns in New York fell into the state's definition of assault weapons, but Spitzer said he believes that number is wildly inflated, given the low gun ownership rates of New Yorkers compared to Americans in other states.

Its just not a number that anybody tracks, he said.

Gov. Hochul's office declined to comment on questions from The News about the Safe Act, the number of assault weapons in the state, and levels of compliance with the assault weapon registration requirement. Hochul was in U.S. Congress at the time the Safe Act was adopted and didn't start as lieutenant governor for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo until 2015.

Governor Hochul's top priority is to keep New Yorkers safe, and she worked with the legislature and national experts to enact landmark gun legislation that expanded red flag laws, raised the age for purchasing semi-automatic rifles, and carefully regulates concealed carry permits to protect New Yorkers and respect responsible, legal gun ownership," spokeswoman Janine Kava said in an emailed statement.

Nationwide, the number of firearms has continued to proliferate and is now estimated at more than 400 million, and gun violence shot up dramatically during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gun violence prevention experts said more stringent efforts at the state level to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people can help.

Theres plenty of work in firearm policy to be done, said Dr. Garen J. Wintemute, an emergency room physician and director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California Davis.

Most of the country, for example, still allows people with a history of violent crimes to purchase firearms, even though research shows that people with misdemeanor records of crimes such as assault, battery and brandishing firearms are at hugely increased risk of committing violent crime, relative to other gun owners, said Wintemute.

And when California began prohibiting people with violent pasts from buying guns, the risk went way down" in that state.

In most of the country, its a myth that you cant buy a gun if youve been convicted of a violent crime. That only actually applies if the crime is a felony or if it invokes domestic violence, he said.

Extreme risk protection orders, also known as red flag laws, have shown to be effective, especially in preventing suicide deaths, said Wintemute. And in California, in 59 cases where an extreme risk protection order was used for a potential mass shooter, none of the cases so far has resulted in a mass shooting, he said.

When a tip is given and acted on, the best evidence we have is that theyre very effective, said Wintemute.

Research out of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions also shows that permitting and licensing laws are among the most effective policies at reducing multiple forms of gun violence, and yet just nine states have permit-to-purchase laws, said Cassandra Crifasi, associate professor at Johns Hopkins who studies gun policy and gun violence prevention.

The centers research found lower rates of firearm homicides, fewer guns diverted for use in crimes, lower rates of firearm suicide, lower incidences of mass shootings and fewer law enforcement officers shot in the line of duty in states that have permit policies.

In 2007, Missouri repealed a handgun purchaser licensing law that had dated back to the 1920s. Researchers at Johns Hopkins estimate the change led to an additional 49 to 68 firearm homicides per year in the state from 2008 to 2012 and a 23% increase in the states firearm suicide rate.

NY's new gun laws

New York has gone in the opposite direction, adding a new permit-to-purchase requirement for semi-automatic rifles that took effect in September and reworking its concealed-carry permit process to comply with a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down parts of its old concealed-carry law.

Brzezniak worries the changes, which prohibit even people with concealed-carry permits from having their guns within safe zones such as schools, churches and public buildings, will make New Yorkers less safe.

Listen, if I was a criminal, Id want to go into a gun-free zone, knowing that theres a lot of people that arent going to be carrying anymore, he said.

Brzezniak, who has had a concealed-carry permit for many years, said he already has avoided going to some places, either because he had a gun with him or didnt feel comfortable being in a gun-free zone without his firearm.

I have friends that say, You know what, Im going to protect myself or my family, no matter what and Im still carrying my gun and Ill deal with it later, he said. Thats not really the answer either. I do believe in following the laws.

Still, he added, the new laws are totally wrong and we have to keep fighting to make them right, for the safety of everybody.

Wintemute, the California emergency room physician, acknowledged that gun regulations can only go so far in helping curb violence and crime.

Particularly in a place like California and in New York, where there are lots of policies in place already, we need to recognize that there are limits to the inroads we will make preventing gun violence if all we do is work on guns. We need also to work on the social factors that make violence seem necessary or useful, he said.
Isaah Yeo, co-captain of the 2022 rugby league premiers the Penrith Panthers, has October 12, 2002 tattooed on his left arm. It is inked along with the name of his uncle Gerard, one of the six Coogee Dolphins rugby league team who died that day in the Bali bomb blasts that killed 202 people, 88 of them Australian.

The Dally M Captain of the Year, along with other male members of the Yeo family, including his father Justin, have body art honouring Gerard, who was 20 and on an end-of-season footy trip when he was killed in the Sari Club explosion.

The memorial to victims of the Bali bombings. Credit:AP

Twenty years on, many Australians also have an indelible yet invisible tattoo of the date of this tragedy marked on their hearts. Many of us will be returning to Bali this week in our minds, and at memorial services across the region, from Coogee to Kuta. Im encouraging us all to go back to Bali in real life too, now that international travel is possible. Our nearest, largest neighbour needs us as it comes to terms with the toll taken by COVID-19.

Im just back from Bali and can attest that, while the school holiday and post-footy season crowds are slowly starting to return to the isle of the Gods, businesses and people there are still hurting.
The Albanese government will seek to rein in endemic cost blowouts and delays in the Defence portfolio by establishing a new early warning system for key military projects that are running late and over budget.

With its first federal budget to be unveiled in a fortnight, the government has singled out defence as a major fiscal burden, but one that cannot be avoided given the increased volatility in the region.

Construction of a fleet of frigates for the Royal Australian Navy has been plagued by cost blowouts and delays.

Defence spending is set to hit $80 billion a year by the end of the decade, up significantly from the current annual figure of $50 billion.

That figure will grow even larger when the cost of nuclear-powered submarines acquired under the AUKUS agreement is included, as well as an increase in military personnel.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Read more of our Victorias Agenda coverage on the health system. See all 5 stories . A trip to the family doctor is often the first step for people who are sick or need a check-up, but this is also where the problems begin. Victorians have told us they can wait days for the next available GP appointment. Getting to see their regular doctor, if they have one, can prove near impossible, especially in the regions. I had cancer three years ago, and I cant even get an appointment with a GP  no one is taking new patients, said Bendigo retail manager Denise Martin. I cant even get a phone appointment  its three to four weeks down the track. As part of our Victorias Agenda project, weve asked you about what you want the politicians to be talking about at this election. Weve had dozens of conversations with people from across the state, conducted a major survey of Age readers and done some Resolve polling, all of which have shown that growing problems in accessing healthcare are top of mind for people of all ages. Health, along with integrity in politics and governance, was named by about half of Age readers surveyed as an issue that would influence their vote in the November poll. That includes Victorians aged 18 to 44 years old, 48 per cent of whom named health as their key concern. This sentiment hasnt escaped the notice of Victorias two major parties, which have already promised more than $20 billion combined to build new hospitals and staff them. But the crisis wont be solved just by new facilities and cant be fixed by Victoria alone. Credit:

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Dont we already have access to healthcare when we need it? Its difficult to find an area of the health system thats not struggling to provide timely care. After delays seeing a GP, many people mentioned long waits to see a specialist for serious concerns. Maha Khatun, from Bendigo, said it took her three months to get a specialist appointment for neck pain. In Wangaratta, George Mayer said, My wife has cataracts and needs surgery, but will have to wait months for it. Lockdowns and staff illness caused by COVID and other respiratory illnesses have stretched Victorias surgical capacity over the past few years. The number of patients waiting for a procedure has jumped by more than 75 per cent since before the pandemic, to about 87,000. The state chair of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Patrick Lo, told us the public sector didnt have the same capacity as the private sector to ramp things up to catch up with delayed surgery, making him worry Victoria was heading to a US system where only the rich can get the right care. Many Victorians are also worried about the accessibility of mental health services, particularly for young people, some suffering more social anxiety since the pandemic.

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One young woman, Bianca Bliss, said: When you find a psychiatrist or psychologist that works well and they actually start to help, they get moved and you have to start all over with a new one. For at least a year now, hospital workers have been warning that they are understaffed and exhausted and their ability to provide care has been slipping to the point that sometimes even critically ill patients are having to wait to be admitted to emergency departments. Has the pandemic caused these problems? Theres no doubt the pandemic has been the catalyst for issues in response times and performance in some areas of the Victorian health system. For example, before COVID-19, Ambulance Victoria was close to meeting its benchmark to respond to 85 per cent of code-one incidents within 15 minutes. (That means the ambulance getting there in that time.) Those response times slipped almost 20 per cent in 2.5 years, from 82.5 per cent in December 2019 to 64 per cent in June this year. In other words, only two-thirds of ambulances were on the scene in the desired time. However, health workers argue that much of the health system, including emergency departments and GP services, was already at capacity before the pandemic.

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The system was full before the pandemic, so now theres nowhere else for those patients to go, said the Australian Medical Associations emergency representative, Dr Sarah Whitelaw. Whitelaw said the number of junior doctors choosing general practice was around 50 to 60 per cent when she graduated from medical school 20 years ago, but over time that has slipped to around 15 per cent. Thats not happened over two years of the pandemic. Loading Are new hospitals the solution? New and upgraded hospitals are required to meet the growing demand on Victorias hospital system. In the lead-up to the election, these new facilities have been promised. Premier Daniel Andrews has announced his government if returned would build the largest hospital project in Australias history in North Melbourne and Parkville, including two new hospital towers worth up to $6 billion. The Coalition has pledged more than $12 billion in health spending, including a new childrens hospital in Werribee, which they say theyll pay for by scrapping the governments signature Suburban Rail Loop scheme.

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For this election, The Age is shifting our approach to focus on what Victorians want to discuss  what matters most to you  rather than what the political parties and candidates want the election to be about.

October 10, 2022

by Gay Alcorn
Read more of our Victorias Agenda coverage on the health system. See all 5 stories .

For this election, The Age is shifting its approach to focus on what Victorians want to discuss  what matters most to you  rather than what the political parties and candidates want the election to be about.

This isnt a new idea, but it is a shift in emphasis from traditional insider horse race journalism.

The citizens agenda has been championed by American academic Professor Jay Rosen, who says: A demonstrable public service, the citizens agenda approach puts the campaign press on the side of the voters and their right to have their major concerns addressed by the people bidding for power.

We aimed to consult widely with voters and settle on six questions that would guide our election coverage. As far as we know, this approach has not been attempted in Australia before.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Read more of our climate change coverage. See all 3 stories . Its unequivocal: Victorians are concerned about the escalating climate crisis and the state of the environment, and want more coverage of these issues. As part of our Victorias Agenda project, our reporters sounded you out across the state over the past few weeks. In Bendigo, we spoke with walnut farmer Mark Jankelson, a Redesdale resident, at the local farmers market. His most pressing concern was climate change and its effects on his business. His walnut farm has seen long periods of rain in spring, which causes blight, but also blistering heat. Sustained high temperatures over 40 degrees burns the walnut crop. Im starting to lose hope. As a farmer, we are seeing the impact, Jankelson said. I want to know that these issues are recognised by the parties coming in. Long term, I worry about my kids. Short term, its all about mitigation. Resolve polling commissioned by The Age showed that among 18- to 24-year-old voters, almost half said they wanted more coverage of the environment, and the number was even higher for the over-45s. Your specific concerns varied, although there were common themes. You told us you wanted to know how politicians would handle the transition away from polluting fossil fuels. One woman over 45 told us she wanted A detailed and costed plan to roll out electric vehicle charging in Victoria. You said you were concerned the environment had dropped off the radar during the pandemic, and wanted it back on centre stage. Some subscribers said they wanted the government to stop logging native forests, or protect endangered species or have quotas for retaining trees in new suburbs. None of this should come as a surprise. The 2022 federal climate election showed a tectonic shift in voting as Greens swept into the lower house and Senate, and high-profile Liberal MPs lost their long-held seats to teal independents. The question now in Victoria is, which side is credibly prepared to do enough to satisfy the wishes of the electorate for more action?

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Credit: So, what are Victorias targets? The Andrews government has pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 28 to 33 per cent for 2025, on 2005 levels, and 45 to 50 per cent by 2030. Like many jurisdictions, the state has a long-term target of net-zero emissions by 2050. Loading It now looks likely that Victoria will reach and overshoot its 2030 target. The governments most recent figures, released in September, reveal the state cut emissions by almost 30 per cent by 2020  almost doubling its target of a 15 to 20 per cent reduction. The largest decreases were in the electricity sector, with a reduction of 2.2 million tonnes of emissions. Now environment groups are urging the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily DAmbrosio, to ramp up Victorias ambition. The energy sector remains our largest source of emissions, but a 15 per cent boost in renewable energy generation between 2019 and 2020 has helped reduce that. How will the government and major parties get there?

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So far, programs such as Solar Homes, which provides eligible householders with rebates for items like solar panels, have been highly effective. There has also been a surge in renewable energy generation, driven by targets designed to act as a siren song to investors. Victoria has Australias most ambitious renewable energy battery storage target; the countrys first offshore wind target; and renewable energy zones across the state, where clean energy from large-scale wind and solar projects will be sent to populous areas. The states renewable electricity generation is at 30 per cent. In March, the Liberal opposition shifted its stance on climate change, saying it would now support a net-zero emissions target by 2050. More recently, it announced it would go a step further than the Andrews government and legislate the 50 per cent by 2030 target. Loading The Liberal Party has also promised to establish a $1 billion hydrogen strategy, establish a taskforce to fix the states ageing power grid, and upgrade transmission infrastructure in western Victoria. The Victorian Greens have a higher target for reducing emissions  80 per cent by 2030 and net zero by 2035, or sooner. They have also a policy to get 1 million Victorian homes off gas. Over the next six weeks, we will be exploring whether these pledges are credible. What could Victoria do to reach its target?

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Victorian environment groups want a faster transition from fossil fuels and bolder, deeper cuts to emissions. Theyre calling for even greater investment in clean-energy technologies. At a conversation between environment and climate experts, organised by The Age for its Agenda, there was a strong sense of urgency about emissions reduction. They reminded us that the UN has warned humanity needs to take drastic action within the next eight years to have any chance of keeping global average temperature rise at, or close to 1.5 degrees. This means decisive action taken within this decade by the next Victorian government  and all governments  is critically important. This election cycle will determine if our energy transition and emissions reductions happen fast enough, says Environment Victoria chief executive Jono La Nauze. Emissions from burning coal are on a downwards trajectory  the next big issues are oil and gas. Loading The Australian Energy Market Operators planning scenarios now anticipate Victorias electricity grid will be powered by at least 90 per cent renewable energy and no coal by 2032 because renewables with storage are more reliable and cheaper. To reduce greenhouse gas pollution, Victoria needs to reduce transport emissions. Transport remains the second most polluting sector in the state. Infrastructure Victoria, the states key infrastructure adviser, recently said the state should stop the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035. And there will be an increasing focus on gas. About 20 per cent of Australias emissions come from gas, according to the Grattan Institute, and almost half of the nations total residential gas consumption is used solely to heat Victorian homes.

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Perths new $1.86 billion Metronet Airport Line is officially open, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visiting Western Australia to unveil the railway with Premier Mark McGowan and Transport Minister Rita Saffioti on Sunday.

The first new train line to be introduced to Perth since the Mandurah line in 2007, it adds 8.5 kilometres to the citys rail network.

Premier Mark McGowan (centre), PM Anthony Albanese and WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti cut the ribbon at the opening of Perths Metronet Airport Link on Sunday.

It travels under the Swan River and Perth Airport and is the only train service in Australia that will transport commuters to and from the airport at the regular passenger fare.

The first weekday service will leave Perth Station at 5.12am on Monday, arriving at Airport Central at 5.30am.
The Axis Theatre, where a new adaptation of Henry James's 1880 novella Washington Square is now running, is only a short walk from Washington Square Park. Once a potter's field, the area was transformed by the 1830s into one of the most fashionable neighborhoods in New York City, and with the money came all the restrictive societal customs that kept women tethered to husbands and locked in a state financial dependence and obedience. In his novel, James tells the story of a woman, Catherine Sloper, who refuses to yield to Washington Square's pressures of wealth and male-dominated privilege, and manages, just barely, to slip out from under the thumbs of the two men who want to control her.

Director Randy Sharp has done an exquisite job of adapting this tale of repression and quiet rebellion for the Axis stage in a lean 85-minute play that stays true to the book, and even, I dare say, makes an improvement or two along the way. The production's four-member cast bring their A-game to the material with humor and fine-tuned performances, and though it takes place on a small stage with an almost empty set, by the end it feels as though we have seen something larger than the theater's modest trappings would suggest.

Those who have seen the 1947 stage play The Heiress or its subsequent film adaptation (both based on James's novel) will recognize the plot. Catherine (Britt Genelin) does not have much to recommend her to a prospective husband. Just "passable" in looks according to her proud, dismissive doctor-father (George Demas), she is neither very clever nor accomplished, with only a moderate talent for needlework. She does, however, have ten thousand a year left to her by her deceased mother (that small fortune is hers to do with as she likes) and another twenty thousand a year awaiting her upon her father's demise.

Britt Genelin and Jon McCormick in Washington Square at the Axis Theatre.

( Regina Betancourt)

The prospect of a wealthy wife is enough to attract the attention of the profligate gold digger Morris Townsend (Jon McCormick), who woos the naive Catherine with sweet nothings and promises of undying love. But papa is on to Townsend's scheme and forbids the match, unlike Catherine's romantic-minded aunt, Mrs. Penniman (Dee Pelletier), who is simply over the moon for handsome Morris. As the men do battle and Penniman does all she can to get the two lovebirds hitched, Catherine must figure out how to assert herself and direct the course of her own life.

Genelin shows us how Catherine does this by adroitly transforming from doe-eyed dupe to worldly realist as we watch her gaze narrow and her smile fade while the invisible years pass. Demas dominates the stage with his blustering performance as the doctor, cutting the air with ironic gestures as the father attempts to whittle down his daughter's resolve with his cruel words. Pelletier gets many of the show's best laughs as the busybody matchmaker, who could have stepped right out of a Jane Austen novel with her exaggerated sighs and faraway looks at love in the distance. And McCormick nails his performance as the unctuous Townsend, every smile hiding a different meaning, every whisper a secret conspiracy.

Sharp keeps things simple in this production, with only two upholstered chairs serving as set, but we know that we are in the late 19th century from Karl Ruckdeschel's costumes, featuring surprisingly rich-looking dresses for Catherine and Mrs. Penniman. David Zeffren's lighting design bathes the stage in the shadows of the past but also functions to highlight important moments in Catherine's evolution, as when she stands illuminated looking into an unseen mirror and we gather from her expression what she sees  and what she doesn't. It's a moment that Sharp returns to at the end, with a subtle and effective tweak to James's ending. The play's action is at times accentuated by music composed by former Blondie guitarist Paul Carbonara, though the ethereal sounds have a Twin Peaks-ish vibe that temporarily pulls us out of the Jamesian setting. That quibble aside, Sharp has fashioned a gem of a play that may seem to some more present than past.
The head of the New York State Police submitted his resignation Friday, three days after news emerged that he was under investigation by Gov. Kathy Hochul's counsel's office.

The Albany Times-Union first reported the probe, citing sources saying it involved allegations that State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen shielded the agency's top human resources official from complaints. Hochul was eager to point out to the newspaper that she "inherited" Bruen, who had been appointed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but that she needed an investigation into allegations before she would take any action.

But in both the state police press release announcing Bruen's resignation, and Hochul's statement saying she accepted it, there was no mention of the allegations or the status of the counsel's office probe.

In other words, the governor would like this entire to matter to be over and forgotten.

That cannot happen. Clearly there was serious concern about the handling of internal complaints against a high-ranking administration official over the past year, and as of today, New Yorkers have no clear information about what happened.

NY state police superintendent resigns amid investigation Kevin Bruen, who has served as state police superintendent for more than a year, announced his resignation on Friday.

Such a probe also needs to be independent. While the governor's counsel office was the place to start an inquiry while Bruen was on the payroll, his resignation should put this matter into the state inspector general's hands. And an IG investigation should examine when the governor's office knew of these allegations and how long it took for a probe to begin.

We also believe Bruen should not be allowed back to work for the next two weeks (he stated his resignation would be effective on Oct. 19). An agency leader who quits under the cloud of investigation is a serious risk to that agency if he stays on the job as a lame duck.

New Yorkers and state police employees deserve some answers, as well as information about what will be done to ensure the state police human resources office is managed with integrity going forward.

The Citizen Editorial board includes president and director of local sales and marketing Michelle Bowers, executive editor Jeremy Boyer and managing editor Mike Dowd.
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Rain. High near 45F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

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Rain showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 36F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
5 Hong Kong Teenagers Sentenced in 1st National Security Case Involving Minors

HONG KONGFive Hong Kong teenagers involved in a national security case were ordered by a judge on Oct. 8 to serve up to three years in detention at a correctional facility for urging an armed revolution.

The teenagers, some of whom were between 15 and 18 years old at the time of the alleged offense, had pleaded guilty to inciting others to subvert state power through a group named Returning Valiant.

Sentences for two other individuals, aged 21 and 26, will be delivered at a later date.

Justice Kwok Wai-kin said the defendants had advocated for a revolution to overthrow Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rule at street booths, on Instagram, and on Facebook after the adoption of a sweeping CCP-imposed national security law.

Kwok sentenced them to a training center, or a detention facility for young people, rather than jail.

The length of their stay, capped at three years, is left to correctional authorities to decide.

Theres no evidence to directly prove that anyone was incited by the defendants to subvert state power, but this real risk exists, Kwok said.

Four of the five teenagers have already been remanded in custody for more than a year, with only being one granted bail.

At least 22 people linked to the group were arrested last year. Several face a separate charge of conspiring to commit terrorism under the security law.

The CCP imposed the draconian national security law in Hong Kong after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Human rights experts on the U.N. Human Rights Committee called for the law to be repealed in a July report amid concerns that its being used to suppress fundamental freedoms.
Abortion Notification Rules for Minors Dispute Arrives at Supreme Court

Missouri court clerk says she didn't violate the girl's rights by refusing to accept her parental bypass petition

A county court clerk in Missouri is asking the Supreme Court to throw out an appeals court decision holding that a minor has a clearly established right to skip parental notification before asking a court to rule on whether she can have an abortion.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion rights think tank, the laws of 35 states prescribe a judicial bypass procedure in which a minor may obtain permission from a court for an abortion, but the rules from state to state vary widely.

The case is one of many now surfacing after the Supreme Court ruled this summer that there is no constitutional right to abortion.

The Supreme Court overturned the 49-year-old Roe v. Wade ruling and returned the regulation of abortion to the states in its June 24 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. In the Dobbs decision, the high court also reversed a related 1992 precedent, Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, which affirmed Roe and declared that a woman had a right to obtain an abortion before fetal viability without undue interference from the state.

The case is Chapman v. Doe, court file 22-312.

The petitioner, Michelle Chapman, is appealing in her official capacity as the Circuit Clerk for Randolph County, Missouri. The respondent, identified as Jane Doe, is a minor.

Chapman asked the court to extend the deadline for filing the petition to Sept. 30 and on Aug. 18, Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed to do so. The petition was filed on Sept. 30.

Doe sought dispensation from a Missouri court so she could have an abortion without parental consent. She didnt receive authorization from that court but then received the abortion in Illinois after a state court there approved it. Doe sued the Missouri court clerk.

According to the petition (pdf) Chapman filed with the Supreme Court, Doe visited her local courthouse but was told the clerks office was unfamiliar with Missouris bypass procedure. She went a second time and was told she couldnt file a petition without notifying a parent.

Chapman later followed up with Doe, telling her that she had the paperwork for [Doe] to fill out but that our Judge requires that the parents will be notified of the hearing on this. On a third visit, Doe tried again to file for a bypass but ultimately declined to do so because the clerks office informed her that filing the petition would require notifying a parent.

Doe received an abortion in Illinois after a court there authorized it, absent parental notification.

Chapman testified that, with new filings, I will always get the advice of my judge that handles this type of case, what hes going to require for it, how he wants us to handle [it] and then I will work from there. She said she consulted with James M. Cooksey, a juvenile court judge who told her that he would require Doe to send notice to her parents if she filed a bypass application, and that he would refuse to hear the case without parental notification.

But when asked, Cooksey testified he didnt remember what he had said or if he had said anything at all.

Doe filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal district court for damages, claiming that Chapman violated her 14th Amendment rights. Chapman took the position that she was immune to suit because she followed a Missouri statute and the judges directions. Chapman also argued that Does right to a bypass hearing wasnt clearly established and that she therefore couldnt have violated Does rights.

The district court ruled against Chapman, finding the statute didnt require prehearing notification of the minors parents to obtain judicial authorization for an abortion.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit determined Does claim must be allowed to proceed, finding that the right to bypass the parents was clearly established under the 14th Amendment.

But that reasoning is now faulty because, in the interim, the Dobbs decision changed the law of the land on abortion, Chapman argued.

Does claims rely on the proposition that requiring parental notification of a judicial bypass proceeding must satisfy the undue burden test announced in Casey, Chapman said.

That precedent is now null and void, she added, arguing the Supreme Court should vacate the 8th Circuit ruling and remand the case to that court.

Does attorneys must respond to the petition by Nov. 3.

The office of Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican, is representing Chapman. Schmitt is currently running for a U.S. Senate seat in Missouri in the Nov. 8 election.
With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.

NIO applies for NIO CAFE trademark

Chinas new energy vehicle startup NIO filed for four trademarks named NIO CAFE under the category of catering, accommodations, beer, and beverages, according to Chinas corporate database, Tianyancha.

Photo credit: NIO

HOZON Auto's registered capital raised to 2.415 billion yuan

HOZON Auto, the new energy vehicle startup owning the brand NETA, saw its registered capital raised to roughly 2.415 billion yuan from the original 2.265 billion yuan, according to Chinas corporate database, Tianyancha. The company also saw adjustments made to its list of shareholders.

Aiways U6 to hit market on October 13

The Aiways U6 will officially be on the market on October 13. Positioned as a mid-size battery-electric SUV, the U6 offers three range options, 503km, 580km, and 650km.

SERES Group sells 28,922 vehicles in September

SERES Group, previously known as Chongqing Sokon Industry Group, celebrated another outstanding sales performance of new energy vehicles in September.

Tesla Shanghai Gigafactorys Sept. delivery surpasses 830,000 vehicles

Teslas Shanghai Gigafactory delivered over 83,000 vehicles in September 2022, setting a new monthly delivery record, according to an interview by Cui Dongshu, the secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

Great Wall Motor puts HAVAL H6 PHEV onto Thai market

Great Wall Motor saw its HAVAL H6 PHEV officially go on sale in Thailand on October 7, according to the automakers announcement.

NIUTRONs Ziyoujia NV hits market, starting at 278,800 yuan

Chinas new energy vehicle startup, NIUTRON, officially put its first production model, the Ziyoujia NV, onto the market on October 8, starting at 278,800 yuan ($39,180).

Huawei, CICV cooperate on Intelligent Automotive OptiX solution

China Intelligent and Connected Vehicles (Beijing) Research Institute Co., Ltd. (CICV) recently inked a cooperation agreement with ICT giant Huawei for the Intelligent Automotive OptiX industry development.

CALB sees batteries roll off line at Hefei manufacturing base

Chinese power battery maker CALB Co., Ltd. (CALB) has seen batteries roll off the production lines at its manufacturing base in Changfeng county, Hefei city, indicating the commencement of production for its Hefei project's first phase, the company announced on Oct. 8 via its WeChat account.

Huawei-backed AITO delivers 10,142 vehicles in September

AITO, the new energy vehicle brand jointly developed by Huawei and SERES, saw its monthly deliveries reach new high in September.
Pro-Life Activist Says Armed FBI Agents Arrested Him in Front of Children

A Tennessee pro-life activist said FBI agents arrested him for so-called Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) violations with guns pointed at him.

Paul Vaughn recently told The Daily Signal that agents came to his home with guns pointed at the door, banging on the house, yelling and screaming, Open up. FBI, that kind of thing.

When I opened the door and saw the guns pointed at me, I asked them what they wanted, who they were looking for, and they said they wanted me, he said.

Vaughn said some of his children were in the yard and were getting ready to go to school.

I had kids in the yard walking out to get in the car to go to school. I was about to take them to school, and other kids in the house, he said. So seeing that the easiest path to de-escalation was me in handcuffs, I stepped outside and put an end to the ranting and the banging and the yelling.

FBI officials didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.

His wife recorded footage of the incident, showing several agentsincluding one holding a rifleas they were getting into a vehicle. When she asked for one of the agents names, he refused to speak to her before the unmarked vehicle they were in drove away.

I want to know why you were banging on my door with a gun, she says in the clip. Youre not going to tell me anything?

The agent replies, I tried.

Video of the FBIs arrest of Paul Vaughn of Centerville, Tennessee. DOJ charged him with conspiracy against rights secured by the FACE Act, and committing FACE Act violations for blocking the entrance to an abortion clinic. Paul tells me the footage was taken by his wife. pic.twitter.com/KSDvLRSrlF  Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) October 7, 2022

Arrest

Vaughn and about a dozen other pro-life activists were charged with alleged FACE Act violations stemming from a 2021 protest at a Tennessee abortion clinic. Some of the activists have told the media that the protest, or blockade, was peaceful.

The FACE Act bars obstructing people from obtaining reproductive health services, including abortions.

Prosecutors said Chester Gallagher and others conspired to blockade a clinic in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, utilizing Facebook to coordinate travel and logistics. The group blocked a woman and an employee from entering an abortion clinic, officials said, citing livestream footage.

Gallagher also said he and those with him were willing to be incarcerated to rescue families from this place of destruction.

On March 4, 2021, Coleman Boyd and Chester Gallager advertised the blockade of the Carafem Health Center Clinic, in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, which was planned for the following day, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement referencing the Tennessee incident. In his social media post, Gallagher referred to the blockade as a rescue. Boyd also began a Facebook livestream broadcast of the clinic blockade at 7:45 a.m. on March 5, 2021.

But, according to Vaughn, the DOJs actions against him and the other activists is nothing more than suppressing free speech.

Its the same thing going on nationwide, he told The Daily Signal. If youre right-of-center, conservative American-loving patriot, the Department of Justice is looking to silence that kind of thought.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
The fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE 6) and the Royal Navy Duke-class frigate HMS Kent (F78) conduct a replenishment-at-sea in the Barents Sea while training in the Arctic Circle on May 5, 2020. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Lauren Spaziano/Released)

Biden Administration Releases National Arctic Strategy to Counter China, Russia

The Biden administration unveiled its national strategy for the Arctic on Oct. 7, underscoring a growing competition with China and Russia in the region.

Its the first national strategy for the region to be published since 2013, although several departments across the U.S. government, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Army, have published their own strategies more recently.

The Arctic is home to more than 50,000 Americans, and the new strategy subsequently frames strategic competition in the region as an issue of protecting the U.S. homeland and maintaining regional stability with international partners.

Because we share the region with seven other nations, the Arctic is crucial to Americas foreign policy and national security, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an associated statement.

We have no higher priority than defending our country and our people, and security in the Arctic is key to that.

The Arctic has increasingly been the focus of strategic attention in recent years because of its vast reserves of natural resources. Oil, natural gas, rare earth metals, diamonds, and pristine fishing grounds are all found in abundance in the region. Additionally, the melting of the polar ice caps has resulted in trade routes remaining open for weeks or even months longer during the year before freezing and closing again.

As such, the formerly uncontested region will play an important role in global geopolitics in the coming years.

Bruce Jones, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said that China and the United States are entering a protracted period of naval competition for which the Arctic would be a focal point.

Its become one of the hottest zones of competition there is, Jones previously said in an interview with NTD, a sister media outlet of The Epoch Times. The biggest issue is that climate change is rapidly changing the ability to sail across the Arctic Sea year-round.

There are huge commercial stakes. There are huge energy stakes. There are huge fishing stakes. And, of course, there are strategic stakes.

The new National Strategy for the Arctic Region (pdf) focuses on four key priorities to that end: security, climate change, economic development, and international cooperation.

The Arctics growing strategic importance has intensified competition to shape its future as countries pursue new economic interests and prepare for increased activity, the document states.

China  seeks to increase its influence in the Arctic through an expanded slate of economic, diplomatic, scientific, and military activities. It has also emphasized its intention to play a larger role in shaping regional governance.

The strategy also outlines the steps that Chinas ruling Communist Party has taken to insert itself into the Arctic, despite having no actual claims to the region.

Among these, the strategy notes that China has doubled its investment into Arctic projects in recent years, and is focusing on mineral extraction and scientific engagements which it can use to conduct dual-use research to benefit its military.

To counter the threat, the new strategy will include appointing an ambassador-at-large for the Arctic to help coordinate beneficial policies for the region with Arctic nations such as Finland and Sweden, both of which applied for NATO membership this year.

Well continue to collaborate closely with Arctic allies and partners to uphold international law, rules, and standards in the region, Blinken said.
A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta, Ga., on April 23, 2020. (Tami Chappell/AFP via Getty Images)

CDC Announces Major Shift, Will Stop Reporting Daily COVID Cases

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that it will publish COVID-19 cases and deaths on a weekly basis, marking a major shift in its reporting since the start of the pandemic.

To allow for additional reporting flexibility, reduce the reporting burden on states and jurisdictions, and maximize surveillance resources, CDC is moving to a weekly reporting cadence, the federal agency said in a statement last week.

Local and state health departments, under the new guidance, will have to report new COVID-19 deaths and cases to the CDC every week on Wednesdays. The new change will go into effect starting Oct. 20, according to the agency.

Data processing cutoffs for jurisdictions will be every Wednesday at 10 A.M. ET for line level case and death data, and Wednesday at 5 P.M. ET for aggregate case and death data, the CDC said.

Daily data on COVID-19 hospitalizations will still be provided, according to the CDC, and it will use information from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said on Oct. 7 that a number of states have shifted away from daily reporting to a weekly reporting system. Jha said that daily reporting has become unreliable.

What I think CDC is doing is moving to a weekly cadence that reflects where states are across the country, Jha said during a briefing. That said, the COVID team at the White House, the work of the CDC on looking at data and analysisthat continues at seven days a week where we have daily data available.

A similar move was made several months ago when the CDC shifted from daily to weekly reporting of COVID-19 vaccinations. New data is published only on Thursdays now.

Other Changes

And earlier this month, the CDC announced it will no longer be reporting country-by-country COVID-19 travel advisories until there is a significant development, such as the emergence of a new variant, officials said. And in June, the federal government ended its requirement for international travelers coming to the United States to provide a COVID-19 test.

As recently as March, the CDC recommended against travel to about 120 countries and territories worldwide or more than half of all destinations.

A cruise ship is seen in a 2022 file photo in Sydney, Australia. (Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

In early April, the CDC dropped a do not travel warning for about 90 separate countries and other locations due to COVID-19. That label will only be used for special circumstances, the agency said.

Months later, the CDC in July ended its COVID-19 reporting program for cruise ships, prompting several operators to drop mask, vaccine, and testing requirements. Since the start of the pandemic, COVID-19-related lockdowns, mandates, and other restrictions have battered the cruise industry.

While cruising poses some risk of COVID-19 transmission, the CDC had said, CDC will continue to publish guidance to help cruise ships continue to provide a safer and healthier environment for crew, passengers, and communities going forward.

Overhaul

But one of the most significant changes to the CDCs guidance came two months ago when officials moved to revise the agencys longstanding COVID-19 mitigation rules. That included a change to how the CDC makes determinations on vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.

The guidelines from the federal agency no longer recommend staying at least six feet away from other people to reduce exposure. The six-foot social distancing recommendation had been intact since early 2020, although some public health officials have addressed questions about the effectiveness of the measure.

CDCs COVID-19 prevention recommendations no longer differentiate based on a persons vaccination status because breakthrough infections occur, though they are generally mild, and persons who have had COVID-19 but are not vaccinated have some degree of protection against severe illness from their previous infection, the CDC said.

Amid the shift in guidance, President Joe Biden told 60 Minutes during a rare sit-down interview that the pandemic is over.
David Azerrad, assistant professor and research fellow at Hillsdale Colleges Van Andel Graduate School of Government in Washington, on Dec. 17, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Conservatives Should Be More Brave, Proactive, and Leverage Weaknesses of the Left: Professor

In the face of extreme policies peddled by the radical left, conservatives need to respond more boldly by using the power of institutions and leverage the weaknesses shown by the left to stop its destructive policies, according to a professor and researcher at a school of government.

Extreme politics that brought about pushing transgender ideology on children, the southern border crisis, and crime surges in big cities requires strong, real, self-confident men and women to say absolutely no to this, said David Azerrad, an assistant professor and research fellow at Hillsdale Colleges Van Andel Graduate School of Government.

Many young people at colleges and universities who advocate for woke principles do not truly believe in them, Azerrad told EpochTVs Crossroads program in an interview on Sept. 12.

The kids who are at these elite universities are careerists. Theyre ambitious  So they do the woke posturing because they feel pressure to their left, Azerrad said, but they never pay a price.

If you started putting pressure [on them], a lot of them would fold in line and collapse like a deck of cards, the professor said.

For example, if a prestigious university institutes a policy that any student who disrupts a speaker is immediately expelled from the university with no diploma, the students behavior would change as they will not be willing to sacrifice a diploma for their woke principles, Azerrad explained.

Not True Believers

Some say that wokeness is a religion, Azerrad continued, but religions produce people who sacrifice their lives for the cause.

I dont see a lot of that with our wokeness. I see a lot of signaling. I see a lot of performative wokeness, Azerrad noted, and this gives me hope because it means they could be crushed more readily because theyre not genuine fanatics.

There are, however, young people who are true believers, Azerrad said, making it clear that he could not provide the percentage of them.

Supporting the woke stuff is for young people the way to get into good universities to climb the corporate ranks. Azerrad said, but ultimately the ruling passion in their soul is not a passion for social justiceits comfortable living.

Azerrad said he believes that if they are forced through the power of the institutions to make a choice, many of them would fall in line. But this approach has not been tried on them all that much, he added. This is another thing that gives me hope.

The pollings do not indicate that Millennials and Generation Z, also known as Zoomers, have turned conservative, but there is a mounting backlash of millennials and Zoomers who are much more right-wing than the Boomers or Generation X, Azerrad noted.

Right now, its not a large number, but polling is static and can change, Azerrad said. Dont discount the power of statesmanship and effective governance and powerful rhetoric to move hearts and minds.  Theres more and more appetite and energy, and more dissent amongst them that I think could be harnessed, channeled, deepened, and broadened.

Putting Pressure on Ruling Class

Azerrad thinks that the ruling class is much weaker than perceived because they hire and promote government servants based on diversity criteria instead of competence level.

Therefore, they are not capable of running these major institutions as efficiently and ruthlessly as they could, Azerrad pointed out.

The right needs to just learn from the left, said Azerrad, who teaches students his thoughts on the new left, including its theorists from Herbert Marcuse and the Frankfurt School.

Herbert Marcuse was a prominent Marxist scholar of the Frankfurt School, a group of Marxist theorists first associated with the University of Frankfurt in Germany and later with Columbia University in New York upon relocating to the United States in 1935.

[The new left] view themselves as a minority, which they were at the time, who want to take over institutions that are hostile to their beliefs, Azerrad said.

It would be helpful for the right to think in terms of defunding adversary institutions, having them bear the consequences of their woke actions, and rewarding and honoring friendly institutions, Azerrad said. Know who your political enemies and friends are, and send money and honor only to your friends.

For example, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis revoked a tax break for a multi-billion corporation over its woke actions, Azerrad said.

In April, DeSantis signed a legislature-passed bill to dissolve Walt Disney Worlds self-governing status in central Florida. The revocation could have significant tax implications for Disney.

The move came after Disney issued a critical statement about a DeSantis-backed bill, the Parental Rights in Education bill, that prohibits teachers from instructing about sexual orientation and gender identity topics to children under the third grade.

There should be more governors taking similar actions. Azerrad said. [This is] using the power of institutions we control to put the corporations back in their place.

However, the right should not copy the left in their actions aimed at attacking their political opponents, Azerrad said.

You should not attack a Democratic elected official whos dining with their family at a restaurant. Thats unacceptable Azerrad warned. You shouldnt issue death threats to sitting Justices of the Supreme Court, who are appointed by a Democratic president.

Republicans Need to Play Active Role

The right usually focuses in its policies on tax cuts, school choice, and bolstering the military with money, Azerrad said. It also did some occupational licensing reform, but it has not dealt some devastating blows to the left that would be equivalent to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Azerrad pointed out.

The Civil Rights Act ended segregation in public places and prohibited employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

We still have a base, Azerrad said, referring to millions voting for then-President Donald Trump in 2020, theres such a significant segment of the American population that still loves this country and is attached to the American way of life. And I think we could grow that number.

According to the Federal Election commission, 74 million people voted for Trump in the 2020 presidential election. (pdf).

The base is consistently to the right of those that claim to represent it in the conservative movement in the Republican Party.

This is where we need more pressure to create more DeSantises, more JD Vances, more Blake Masters, and then in the conservative movementmore intellectuals that are willing to be confrontational with the elites.

J.D. Vance, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Ohio endorsed by Trump, criticized the Washington establishment for moralistic instead of strategic foreign policy, especially for funding gender ideology around the world.

U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters for Arizona blamed the Biden administration for the crisis on the southern border, especially fentanyl smuggling, which causes thousands of death yearly from its overdoses. Masters called for the impeachment of President Joe Biden for his role in the illegal immigration crisis.

Jack Phillip, Nathan Worcester, and Allan Stein contributed to this report.

Ella Kietlinska Reporter Follow Ella Kietlinska is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on U.S. and world politics.
Illegal immigrants from Venezuela stand outside St. Andrew's Church in Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard, Mass., on Sept. 14, 2022. (Ray Ewing/Vineyard Gazette/Handout via Reuters)

Contract Suggests Florida to Continue Relocating Illegal Immigrants for Months

A Florida Department of Transportation purchase order shows that the Sunshine State will continue relocating illegal immigrants for at least eight more months.

The purchase order signed at the beginning of September by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) with Vertol Systems Co., a comprehensive transportation service provider, states that the contract will be executed until June 30, 2023.

However, its stated in the contract that FDOT could cancel the order if the department finds the companys performance to be unsatisfactory.

Vertol was retained to provide transportation-related and humanitarian relocation service to implement a program to facilitate the transport of unauthorized aliens, according to FDOT.

The proposed Services include, but are not limited to, Project management, aircraft, crew, maintenance logistics, fuel, coordination and planning, route preparation, route services, landing fees, ground handling and logistics, and other Project-related expenses, the contract reads.

The document was first obtained by Sun Sentinel through a public records request.

It shows three tiers in the price schedule: $325,000 per flight for up to eight passengers, $485,000 per flight for up to 25 passengers, and $625,000 per flight for up to 65 passengers.

The total budget for the illegal immigrant relocation program is $12 million.

Vertol completed flights of up to 50 passengers each for Florida on Sept. 7 and Sept. 15 and requested payment of $615,000.

NYC Declares Emergency

President Joe Biden has been employing a de facto open border policy since he took office.

It has caused huge numbers of illegal immigrants to enter the United States without many difficulties.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported that their agents made more than 2 million apprehensions at the southern border this fiscal year until Augustup by 24 percent from the previous fiscal year.

Texas and Florida, two states governed by Republicans, have begun to relocate illegal immigrants to high-profile Democratic cities or places.

Destinations that Texas chose include New York and Vice President Kamala Harriss neighborhood in Washington. Florida has sent 48 illegal immigrants to Marthas Vineyard, where former President Barack Obama bought a mansion in 2019.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott bused illegal immigrants to a location near Harriss Washington residence after the vice president said the border is secure.

New York Mayor Eric Adams speaks at a Brooklyn police facility in New York on June 6, 2022. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

New York Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, declared an asylum seeker state of emergency on Oct. 7, citing the surge in the inflow of bused illegal immigrants from other states.

Adams called for the federal and state government to grant emergency aid to handle the continued influx of asylum-seekers, which may cost the city $1 billion in the current fiscal year.

With more than 17,000 asylum seekers bussed to the city since the spring, the Adams administration estimates that once the asylum seekers from todays buses are provided shelter, the city will surpass the highest number of people in recorded history in its shelter system, New York City Hall said in a statement. If the pace continues, the citys shelter census will surpass 100,000 in the coming year.
Cosmetic medicine symposium attendees conversed with each other outside Northern Medical Center in Middletown, N.Y., on Oct. 7, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Doctors Envision New Paradigm for Cosmetic Medicine at Northern Medical Center Symposium

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.A group of renowned plastic surgeons and medical professionals are looking beyond patients surface into their hearts and minds to help them achieve long-lasting beauty.

This holistic approach to beauty, which departs from conventional cosmetic medicine thinking, was discussed at length at a global health symposium hosted by Northern Medical Center in Middletown, New York on Oct. 7.

Jeffrey Yager, the symposiums keynote speaker, said his end goal as a plastic surgeon is to make his patients happy. To do that, he looks at the whole person, including physical, nutritional, emotional, and spiritual aspects.

Dr. Jeffrey Yager speaks at the cosmetic medicine symposium at Northern Medical Center in Middletown, N.Y., on Oct. 7, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Yager owns a plastic surgery center in Manhattan and specializes in medical procedures such as body contouring, breast surgery, facial rejuvenation, and injectable treatments.

The physical partthe traditional plastic surgeryis the easiest part of my job. But it is more than just the physical, and sometimes the physical isnt the real problem, Yager said at the symposium.

If a patient has a very black, dark energy, plastic surgery is not going to fix it. Whatever you put on the outside is not going to extend to the spirit on the inside. You have to get to the root of the spiritual problem that patient has, and it can be treated in many different ways, he explained.

Yager attended medical school at Columbia University and completed his residency at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Centerone of 10 positions in the country at the time for a combined residency in plastic and reconstructive surgerybefore he opened his own practice.

A Paradigm Shift

While treating patients, he grew more confident that spirit or energy plays a vital role in beauty.

Dr. Jeffrey Yager at the cosmetic medicine symposium at Northern Medical Center in Middletown, N.Y., on Oct. 7, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

But whenever he brought up the spiritual aspect of the work with other doctors in his field, most just rolled their eyes and said this had nothing to do with their jobs, he said.

In the hospitals, people become institutionalized, which means you work in an institution for a certain period of time, you put yourself in so deep that its not worth trying to back out and going to different tracks, he said.

Later, when Yanger found like-minded medical professionals at Northern Medical Center, where an integrative cosmetic medicine center is in planning, he quickly signed on.

This is the opportunity that I was looking for to change the paradigm globally for what cosmetic plastic surgery is. I feel like Im starting my whole practice over again, after 25 years, more excited than ever with the chance to affect so many more lives not just using surgery, but training others to have a more complete care, he said.

SY Aesthetics

Damon Noto, a back and joint pain specialist at Northern Medical Center, unveiled at the symposium the centers plan for a world-class destination for integrative cosmetic treatment.

Northern Medical Center in Middletown, N.Y., on Oct. 7, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

The soon-to-be-built cosmetic medicine center, SY Aesthetics, will help patients achieve beauty by addressing four dimensions of health altogether: physical, biochemical, energetic, and spiritual, Noto said.

Everybody has on the outside surface of youa structural surface. But underneath that, you also have what we call a biochemical level: hormones, nutrients, neurotransmitters.

And if you look at the older, more classical traditional healing methods, such as traditional Chinese medicine, they knew energy is the driving factor in ones health. The fourth dimension we talked about is your thoughts. Are they positive thoughts? Are they negative thoughts?

When you address all these four layers of a person, you are looking at long-lasting, powerful results, he said.

Jingduan Yang, CEO of Northern Medical Center and a practitioner of integrative medicine for many years, envisions SY Aesthetics as a unique cosmetic medicine center that will change the entire healthcare industry.

Dr. Jingduan Yang at the cosmetic medicine symposium at Northern Medical Center in Middletown, N.Y., on Oct. 7, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Yang, a fifth-generation Chinese medicine practitioner and neurologist, said he decided to enter the cosmetic medicine field following a deeper understanding of the relationship between beauty and health.

I never thought my career would evolve into the industry of beauty. But as I learn more, I began to realize that beauty is not superficial, or vain. To help people to be beautiful, you really have to help them to have healthy body, mind, and spirit, he said.

Joseph DeStefano, mayor of Middletown, welcomed the global symposium and the future SY Aesthetics.

The symposium brings medical professionals from all over the country and world here. The level of professionalism of the people who are going to be working here is something you probably have to go to Manhattan for. The Northern Medical Center has been very rewarding for our community, DeStefano told The Epoch Times.

(L-R) Jonathan Li, Middletown Mayor Joseph DeStefano, Jingduan Yang, and Middletown Community Development Agency Director Maria Bruni at Northern Medical Center in Middletown, N.Y., on Oct. 7, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

History, Techniques, and Humanity

Other speakers at the symposium also shared their knowledge and experiences in cosmetic medicine.

Utpal Bit, dean of the plastic surgery department at Calcutta Medical College in India, shared remotely the Indian root of plastic surgery, tracing it back to Sushruta Samhita in 600 B.C., and how the Indian nose reconstruction technique using forehead flaps was brought into Rome.

Francesco Gargano, a renowned plastic surgeon who worked in Europe and now owns a private plastic surgery center in Manhattan, talked about human golden ratios discovered during the European Renaissance.

He shared how he helped people gain good body shapes, including his acclaimed yin-yang breast technique.

Speakers at the cosmetic medicine symposium sit down for a panel discussion session at Northern Medical Center in Middletown, N.Y., on Oct. 7, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Gargano said he grew more interested in the holistic approach to medicine during the pandemic shutdown.

This was the first time I am obliged to be home. I wanted to do something that I had never done before to improve myself. So, I said lets do meditation. I was fascinated by it, he told The Epoch Times.

Paul Dreschneck, a plastic surgeon and a four-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, shared how he helped children born with deformities through his humanitarian work in India.

We, plastic surgeons, have the greatest job on the earth. You look at people, see beauty, and bring it forward so that people can see and feel good about it, Drescheneck said.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) logo is pictured on a wall in New York on Dec. 5, 2013. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

DOJ Will Come After You If It Disagrees With Your Position, Says Subpoenaed Nonprofit

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a subpoena to Alabama-based conservative non-profit Eagle Forum for exercising its constitutionally protected free speech rights in a case involving transgender treatments for children.

Eagle Forum had lobbied the Alabama legislature to pass a law that blocks children from treatments that alter their gender. Earlier this year, the legislature passed the Alabama Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act, which bans hormone therapies, puberty blockers, and surgeries aimed at changing the biological sex of a minor. Left-wing organizations sued the state and the DOJ intervened in the lawsuit claiming that the new law violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

The DOJ then issued a subpoena to Eagle Forum, which is not even a party in the lawsuit. The subpoena is asking for five years of records of Eagle Forum on anything having to do with the issue of gender dysphoria.



In an interview on NTDs Capitol Report, Kris Ullman, president of Eagle Forum, said that the DOJ is coming after them because of their differing opinion on the issue of gender-altering treatments for kids. The department wants to make an example out of the small nonprofit, she stated.

Ullman points out that the issue of puberty blockers is not really key to the case. The issue at heart is that the DOJ is attempting to harass a nonprofit group into silence because the federal government does not like their stance on a specific issue.

Whether youre on the right or the left, you should be concerned that the DOJ will come after you if they disagree with your free speech rights, the position youve taken. The right to petition, the right to free speech, the right to assemblyall these rights are at issue in the case.

Pressuring Nonprofits

Eagle Forum has filed a motion to quash the DOJ subpoena. According to Ullman, a hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 14 when a judge will decide whether or not to throw out the subpoena.

If the judge decides that the subpoena is valid, Eagle Forum will either have to hand over five years of documents or face contempt of court.

Ullman points out the chilling effect this has already had on other nonprofit groups that now fear getting involved in contentious issues due to the risk of being subpoenaed. And if all necessary documents are not turned over, the government can hit you with criminal contempt.

Were urging everyone and we have over 60 groups that have spoken out in favor of our petition to quash the subpoena. Please speak up and say the DOJ does not have this right to harass nonprofit groups in this manner.

In an interview with Mobile radios FM Talk 106.5, Republican state Sen. Chris Elliott criticized Bidens DOJ for issuing the subpoena to Eagle Forum and insisted that the nonprofit refuse to comply with it.

Its important, I think, for the Department of Justice to realize, and the entire federal governmenttheir power and authority is derived from the consent of the governed. And if they continue to act in the way that they are, I think youre going to see a whole lot less consent, he said.

Steve Lance Follow Steve Lance is the host of Capitol Report, a political news show based in Washington aimed at providing a direct channel to the voices and people who shape policy in America. Capitol Report features all of the political news of the day with expert interviews and analysis.
U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron arrive to attend a North Atlantic Council meeting during a NATO summit at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on March 24, 2022. (Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images)

French President Fires Back at Biden for Warning of Nuclear Armageddon

French President Emmanuel Macron said that President Joe Bidens statement that the world is inching closer to nuclear armageddon isnt responsible.

We must speak with prudence when commenting on such matters, the French leader said, adding, I have always refused to engage in political fiction, and especially  when speaking of nuclear weapons.

On this issue, we must be very careful, Macron said at a conference in Prague over the weekend, according to reports.

Biden last week stated at a Democrat fundraiser that Kremlin leaders recent warnings about the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine had brought the world closer to armageddon than at any time since the Cold-War Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 1960s.

In an attempt to clarify Bidens remarks, White House spokesman John Kirby told ABC News on Sunday that his comments were not based on new or fresh intelligence or new indications [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has made a decision to use nuclear weapons and, quite frankly, we dont have any indication that he has made that kind of decision.

Nor have we seen anything that would give us pause to reconsider our own strategic nuclear posture in our efforts to defend our own national security interests and those of our allies and partners, Kirby said.

Meanwhile, European Council President Charles Michel told reporters last week that EU leaders take every escalation very seriously.

Threats will not intimidate us, Michel said. Instead, we are going to remain calm. We are going to keep cool heads and we will, each time, denounce the irresponsible character of these threats.

Comment

According to reporters who were at the fundraiser, Biden said Putin was not joking when he talks about potential use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons and added that we have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis.

Following his comment, the White House has been repeatedly pressed over whether Bidens statement was a reflection of an update to the United States nuclear posture.

When questioned about Bidens statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre instead focused on blaming Kremlin officials for making comments about nuclear weapons.

Russias talk of using nuclear weapons is irresponsible and theres no way to use them without unintended consequences. It cannot happen, Jean-Pierre said last week.

Putin said in an address last month that Russia would use all available means to defend its territory, although he did not specifically make reference to nuclear weapons. Other Russian officials, however, did specifically float the idea of using nukes in the RussiaUkraine conflict.
Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) speaks at a news conference on House Speaker Nancy Pelosis decision to reject two of Leader McCarthys selected members from serving on the committee investigating the Jan. 6 breach in Washington on July 21, 2021. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

GOP Lawmakers Question Blinken, Garland Over CCP Police Station in New York

A group of U.S. House Republicans on Oct. 7 sent a letter questioning Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of State Antony Blinken over the presence of a Chinese police service station in New York City.

We are writing to express our grave concern over reports of the law enforcement presence of the Peoples Republic of China in New York City, the 21 lawmakers wrote, referring to Chinas full name.

The Chinese overseas police service station established in New York City earlier this year appears to be a further step of Chinas illicit long arm policing on U.S. soil that violates our sovereignty, Republican Study Committee chairman Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Reps. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), and 18 other GOP House members wrote in the letter.

The letter came after a September report from NGO Safeguard Defenders revealed the Chinese authorities have set up at least 54 police service stations across five continents, including the United States, as part of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) global transnational repression.

An outpost in New York City was among the first batch of 30 overseas police service stations in 21 countries set up by the Public Security Bureau in Fuzhou city, the capital of the southern coastal province of Fujian.

The Chinese police authorities division in New York, called Fuzhou Police Oversea Service Station, is located at 107 East Broadway, inside the headquarters of the American Changle Association, a non-profit that was founded in 1998, according to its website.

Such Chinese hometown associations hosting the overseas police service stations are often linked to the Chinese regimes United Front system, according to Safeguard Defenders. The network of thousands of overseas groups is loosely overseen by the United Front Work Department (UFWD), a powerful Party agency that works to advance the regimes interests abroad, including by carrying out foreign influence operations, suppressing dissident movements, gathering intelligence, and facilitating the transfer of technology to China.

The lawmakers noted that the Trump administration imposed visa restrictions on CCP officials in the UFWD in 2020. Then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said those officials have engaged in malign activities to co-opt and coerce those who oppose Beijings policies in December 2020.

The America ChangLe Association in New York City on Oct. 6, 2022. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Long Arm Policing

The CCP claimed such stations were to help Chinese nationals overseas renew their drivers licenses. But the NGO warned the stations have sinister purposes, such as assisting the CCP in targeting the Chinese diaspora.

They coerce purported Chinese fugitives abroad to return to China to face legal proceedings, which is euphemistically dubbed as persuading to return in Chinese parlance, the GOP lawmakers wrote in the letter.

By doing so, China avoids scrutiny on its human rights record in relation to repatriating alleged fugitives overseas by eschewing formal international cooperation mechanisms.

It is deeply troubling that the Chinese government could use these service stations as its long arm policing abroad, read the letter.

The lawmakers noted the Chinese regimes campaign to target overseas nationals had prompted the FBI to issue a warning in 2020.

In July 2020, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned the CCP had targeted hundreds of Chinese nationals living in the United States to force them to return, which was part of the CCPs global campaign known as Operation Fox Hunt.

China describes Fox Hunt as some kind of international anti-corruption campaign. It is not. Instead, Fox Hunt is a sweeping bid by Xi to target Chinese nationals whom he sees as threats and who live outside China, across the world, Wray told the Hudson Institute in Washington at that time. Were talking about political rivals, dissidents, and critics seeking to expose Chinas extensive human rights violations.

He gave an example that one Fox Hunt target was given a choice of either returning to China or committing suicide.

Questions Asked

The lawmakers stated, there should be no room for the Chinese government to exercise extraterrestrial law enforcement unilaterally on U.S. soil.

Considering the importance to safeguard the liberty of U.S. persons and the sovereignty of the United States from foreign encroachment, the group of lawmakers requested Blinken and Garland answer six questions before Oct. 21.

Did the Department of State, Department of Justice, or any other agency of the federal government invite or approve Chinas Fuzhou police to establish a presence in New York City?

Is there any other Chinese law enforcement presence in the United States besides Fuzhou polices overseas services station in New York City?

Has the Biden administration rescinded the visa restrictions imposed by the previous administration on Chinese nationals engaged in United Front work activities?

Has the Department of State issued any visas to Chinese nationals to perform law enforcement or other related government duties at the Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Station in New York City?

Have the Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Station in New York City and any of its employees registered with the federal government in accordance with Foreign Missions Act and Foreign Agents Registration Act?

Has the Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Station in New York City engaged in any activities to monitor, harass U.S. residents or has it coerced any purported fugitive to go to China without due process under U.S. law?

The Department of State and the Department of Justice declined to comment.
Then-Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden at the reviewing stand to watch President Barack Obama's Inaugural Parade from in front of the White House in Washington on Jan. 20, 2009. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Hunter Bidens Lawyer Responds to Reports Hell Be Indicted Soon

An attorney for Hunter Biden responded to reports claiming the presidents son may be charged soon over alleged tax crimes.

As is proper and legally required, we believe the prosecutors in this case are diligently and thoroughly weighing not just evidence provided by agents, but also all the other witnesses in this case, including witnesses for the defense, Chris Clark, Hunter Bidens lawyer, said in a statement to the Washington Times on Friday in response to the reports.

Reports suggested that U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss is nearing a decision on whether to charge Hunter Biden and is in discussions with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on how to proceed. Namely, the Washington Post, citing unnamed law enforcement officials, alleged that federal agents have found enough evidence to charge Hunter Biden with tax crimes and making a false statement relating to the purchase of a firearm.

Clark did not say whether he believes his client will be charged, stating: That is the job for prosecutors. They should not be pressured, rushed, or criticized for doing this job.

Responding to the Washington Post, Clark noted that it is a federal felony for a federal agent to leak information about a Grand Jury investigation such as this one.

Any agent you cite as a source in [the Posts] article apparently has committed such a felony, he said. We expect the Department of Justice will diligently investigate and prosecute such bad actors.

The Epoch Times has contacted the DOJ and Hunter Bidens lawyer for comment.

More Details

For months, there have been rumors and reports suggesting that the younger Biden could face indictment.

Neither the DOJ nor FBI have gone on record to publicly issue a comment about the progress investigation or what it even entails. Instead, alleged anonymous sources have provided purported information about the probe to the Washington Post, New York Times, and other corporate media outlets.

About a month after the 2020 election, Hunter Biden and Joe Biden both confirmed Hunter is being investigated due to his tax affairs.

I learned  for the first time that the U.S. Attorneys Office in Delaware advised my legal counsel, also yesterday, that they are investigating my tax affairs, Hunter Biden said in a statement in December 2020. I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors.

U.S. President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden depart from Holy Spirit Catholic Church after attending Mass on St. Johns Island, S.C., on Aug. 13, 2022. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

Its not clear if the investigation is linked to business deals in China or Ukraine. Several years ago, Hunter Biden sat on the board of a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma Holdings, while his father was the vice president and a key individual handling the Obama administrations Ukraine affairs.

While the younger Biden has asserted that he did nothing wrong, during a 2019 interview, he told ABC News in October 2019 that those business arrangements were poor judgment on my part.

I gave a hook to some very unethical people to act in illegal ways to try to do some harm to my father. Thats where I made the mistake. So I take full responsibility for that. Did I do anything improper? No, not in any way. Not in any way whatsoever, he insisted.

Those business deals became the subject of intense interest in late 2020 after the New York Post published messages obtained from a laptop he allegedly left at a computer repair shop in Delaware. Contents of the laptop showed that he had overseas business ties, including with individuals that had links to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Whistleblower

A former associate of Bidens, Tony Bobulinski, then came forward to the media and confirmed that the emails disclosed in the NY Posts report were authentic. In emails about a Biden-linked Chinese energy firm CEFC, the H was referring to Hunter Biden, and Joe Biden was the big guy, according to Bobulinski. Joe Biden, or the big guy, was slated to receive 10 percent of a CEFC deal, he said.

During an interview on Oct. 4, Bobulinski told Fox Newss Tucker Carlson argued that Joe Biden was highly involved in his sons overseas business, refuting a claim from the president that he had no knowledge of his sons deals or finances.

There are hundreds of data points that Joe Biden was acting inin a capitalistic term, I would say the chairman, Bobulinski told Carlson.

Bobulinski said that while Joe Biden was adamant to the American people that he had no knowledge of his familys business deals, he asked: How, if he had zero knowledge of that, could he be telling his son that hes in the clear following an article from the New York Times on Hunter Bidens work with the Chinese company.
By Zhao Xuelinand Wang Ying

The recent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors Meeting decided through consultation for the fourth time to set a separate, formal topic on the transfer of nuclear materials in the context of AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation and its safeguards in all aspects under the Treaty on the NonProliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). IAEA members expressed their serious concerns over relevant issues regarding trilateral cooperation.

The nuclear submarine cooperation among US, UK and Australia created a dangerous precedent of nuclear weapon countries illegally transferring huge amounts of weapon-grade nuclear materials to non-nuclear weapon countries, which is a serious violation of NPTs purposes and goals and is a form of direct nuclear proliferation. Thats the original sin of the trilateral deal. No matter how the three countries try to disguise it and whatever approaches they promise to deal with the weapon-grade nuclear materials, they cannot cover up the fact that the materials will be transferred from nuclear weapon states to non-nuclear weapon states. Yet the three countries are still arguing on the grounds that any nuclear material transferred would be in the form of naval reactor fuel and provided in complete, welded power units and will not be directly used for nuclear weapons. They also refused to report to the IAEA the substantial progress on their nuclear submarine cooperation.

Whats more, the US, the UK and Australia tried, through political manipulation, to force IAEA Secretariat to propose a safeguards scheme to whitewash or even exempt the trilateral cooperation. Then, with their majority seats in the IAEA Board of Governors, they tried to ram through the scheme to legalize their behavior of nuclear proliferation. Lately, the Director General of the IAEA submitted the first written report to the Board of Governors on the announcement of the Australia, United Kingdom and United States (AUKUS) nuclear deal. The report, in disregard of the international communitys grave concerns over the nuclear proliferation risks of the trilateral deal, cited only the UK, the UK and Australias self-defending arguments, and jumped to misleading conclusions on matters that should have been discussed and decided by all IAEA members. That has seriously undermined the IAEAs duty of preventing proliferation and its international authority.

IAEA is an intergovernmental international organization. Its Statute expressly stipulates that it shall ensure that assistance provided by it or at its request or under its supervision or control is not used in such a way as to further any military purpose. It also states that any substantive matters concerning the safeguards must be decided through consultation and studies by the members according to procedures and that the Director General is subject to the leadership and instructions of the Board of Directors.

After four rounds of discussions at the Board of Directors, IAEA members have more deeply realized the negative impacts of the AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation, especially the risk and hazard of nuclear proliferation. Countries like Indonesia and Brazil handed out documents at the 10th review meeting of NPT to express their concerns. The IAEA, tasked with the important mission of preventing the transfer of nuclear materials and the proliferation of nuclear weapons, has no reason to endorse the three countries. Doing that will only hurt its discharge of the duty of preventing proliferation and eroding its international authority.

The nuclear submarine cooperation among the US, the UK and Australia relates to the integrity, validity and authority of NPT, and the related safeguards concern the interests of all IAEA members. This is a matter that must be discussed by all members through intergovernmental arrangements in search of a solution. The international community, including the IAEA, should keep urging the three countries to immediately stop the nuclear proliferation actions caused by their cooperation, and all members should continue to push at the Board of Directors and the General Conference the intergovernmental discussions that have been agreed through four rounds of consultations. They must focus on the nature and truth of the trilateral cooperation and take concrete actions to preserve the international nuclear non-proliferation system and safeguard global peace and security.

(The authors are from CNNC Strategic Planning Research Institute)
Beijing (Gasgoo)- SERES Group, previously known as Chongqing Sokon Industry Group, celebrated another outstanding sales performance of new energy vehicles in September.

SF5; photo credit: SERES

In the past month, SERES Group sold 28,922 vehicles, which jumped 39.92% year over year. From January to September, the cumulative sales volume of the group amounted to 197,254 vehicles, edging up 3.55% from a year ago.

With 17,596 vehicles sold, the groups new energy vehicle (NEV) sector scored a 341.33% year-over-year hike in September sales. In the first nine months of the year, the group sold a total of 91,153 NEVs, representing a soar of 254.36% compared to the previous year.

A total of 10,142 NEVs sold in the past month were from SERES Auto, which owns two brands (SERES and AITO), shooting up 598% year over year.

During the past nine months, the cumulative sales volume of SERES Auto's vehicles summed up to 49,575 units, skyrocketing 1011.55% from that of 2021.
A screenshot taken from the video of Kelli Ward speaking of appealing the election integrity case after Arizonas Supreme Court rejected their lawsuit, to the U.S. Supreme Court, on Nov. 11, 2020. (Screenshot/NTD Television)

Judge Denies Temporary Block to Jan. 6 Subpoena During Appeal

A Phoenix federal judge on Friday refused Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Wards request to put on hold her own previously issued court order that allowed the Jan. 6 Committee to access the Republican leaders phone records.

Last month, U.S. District Court Judge Diane J. Humetewa, an Obama appointee, dismissed Wards lawsuit which argued that handing over her phone records to the House Jan. 6 Committee would violate medical privacy laws and infringe on her constitutional rights.

In her ruling, Humetewa concluded that the phone records may aid the committees investigation. Ward decided to appeal the decision and her attorney requested the court to temporarily block the subpoena issued by the Jan. 6 Committee while the appeal is pending.

On Oct. 7, Humetewa refused the request, noting that the appeals court will only get to the case after the Jan. 6 committee is scheduled to dissolve on Jan. 3, 2023. Humetewa said that she found Wards alleged concerns speculative and dubious, according to the Associated Press.

During a hearing, Wards lawyers stated that their client had written a book about sending an alternate slate of presidential electors to Congress and also filmed several videos of her actions, uploading them on YouTube.

These actions belie Ms. Wards concern that her communications with her constituents or colleagues will be chilled by [the phone companys] possible disclosure of who she spoke with during that time, the Judge wrote.

The Jan. 6 committee is seeking phone records of Ward and her husband for the three months leading up to January 2021. On Jan. 25, 2022, T-Mobile informed Wards medical practice that the committee had sent a subpoena for the phone records.

The committee is seeking details including all calls, IP, messages, and data-related records of Wards phone number as well as numbers that communicated with her phone.

Committee Meeting, Trump Action

The Jan. 6 committee is due to meet on Oct. 13, which is expected to be its last hearing. The meeting was originally scheduled for Sept. 28 but was postponed due to complications arising from Hurricane Ian.

Speaking to Axios, members of the committee said that the rescheduling was done to ensure all members would be physically present at the meeting.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump has indicated that he might bring appropriate action against the Jan. 6 committee. The statement came as part of an announcement of a lawsuit against CNN alleging defamation.

In the statement, Trump said, notwithstanding overwhelming evidence, they REFUSED to investigate the massive Presidential Election Fraud which took place, but only investigate and harass the people and Patriots who complained and asked questions about it.

The committee also refused to acknowledge that he had recommended and authorized thousands of troops to be deployed to ensure that there was peace, safety, and security at the Capitol and throughout the Country, Trump said.

The only two Republicans in the Jan. 6 panel are Reps. Liz Cheney (Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), both of whom are known to be strong opponents of Trump.
Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy is seen at St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne, Australia, on Nov. 20, 2018. (Daniel Pockett - Pool/Getty Images)

Liberal Polls Show Election Tighter than first thought in Victoria: State Opposition Leader

Internal polling by the Victorian conservative opposition party is showing the coalition can vie for power at the next Victorian state election on Nov. 26, despite publicly released surveys pointing to another Danslide for Labor, Opposition Leader Matthew Guy says.

A Reserve Political Monitor poll for The Age last month gave Labor a lead of 42-28 percent on first preference votes, indicating the government would enjoy a crushing victory at next months election.

However, Victorian Liberal party leader Guy told Sevens Sunrise program polling for the Liberal and National parties showed he was trailing closely behind Premier Daniel Andrews.

We do proper polls, and they had a pretty close and competitive situation, he said on Monday.

So were going to plough forward to make sure we fix our hospital system, ease the cost of living and give our state the fresh start we need.

Internal polling by the Victorian conservative opposition party is showing the coalition can vie for power at the next Victorian state election on Nov. 26, despite publicly released surveys pointing to another Danslide for Labor, Opposition Leader Matthew Guy says. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media during a press conference in Melbourne, Australia, on July 20, 2022. (AAP Image/Diego Fedele)

The Reserve Political Monitor Poll also found Premier Andrews maintained a comfortable lead over Guy as the preferred premier, by 46 percent to 28 percent.

When asked about the potential for the election to be a Danslide 2.0, Guy said he believed that wouldnt be the case.

It comes after the opposition announced Victorians could pay just $2 (US$1.47) for all-day public transport if the Liberal Party won the state election.

The $2 flat fare would apply to travel on the metropolitan train, tram and bus network and on non-V/Line regional city and town services.

The program would cost $1.3 billion and last for four years.
BERLINCables vital for the rail network were intentionally cut in two places causing a near three-hour halt to all rail traffic in northern Germany on Saturday morning, in what authorities called an act of sabotage without identifying who might be responsible.

The federal police are investigating the incident, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said, adding the motive for it was unclear.

The disruption raised alarm bells after NATO and the European Union last month stressed the need to protect critical infrastructure after what they called acts of sabotage on the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

It is clear that this was a targeted and malicious action, Transport Minister Volker Wissing told a news conference.

A security source said there were a variety of possible causes, ranging from cable theftwhich is frequentto a targeted attack.

Omid Nouripour, leader of the Greens party, which is part of Chancellor Olaf Scholzs federal coalition, said anyone who attacked the countrys critical infrastructure would receive a decisive response.

We will not be intimidated, he wrote on Twitter.

Chaos Before Election Day

Due to sabotage on cables that are indispensable for rail traffic, Deutsche Bahn had to stop rail traffic in the north this morning for nearly three hours, the state rail operator said in a statement.

Deutsche Bahn (DB) had earlier blamed the network disruption on a technical problem with radio communications. Spiegel magazine said the communications system was down at around 6:40 a.m. (0440 GMT). At 11:06 a.m, DB wrote in a tweet that traffic had been restored, but warned of continued train cancellations and delays.

The disruption affected rail services through the states of Lower Saxony and Schlewsig-Holstein as well as the city states of Bremen and Hamburg, with a knock-on effect to international rail journeys to Denmark and the Netherlands.

They came the day before a state election in Lower Saxony where Scholzs Social Democrats are on track to retain power and the Greens are seen doubling their share of the vote, according to polls.

Queues rapidly built up at mainline stations including Berlin and Hanover as departure boards showed many services being delayed or canceled.

By Sarah Marsh and Andreas Rinke
Danielle Smith celebrates after being chosen as the new leader of the United Conservative Party and next Alberta premier in Calgary on Oct. 6, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh)

Michael Taube: Smiths New Political Adventure Has Just Begun

On Oct. 6, Danielle Smith defeated Travis Toews on the sixth ballot to win the United Conservative Party leadership. Shell be sworn in as Albertas 19th Premier on Oct. 11.

Its an exciting moment for Smith, a longtime friend and colleague. Once the pomp and circumstance concludes, she knows that the hard work begins.

Smith has to not only look ahead to the next Alberta election, which is provincially mandated to be held on or before May 29, 2023, but also find ways to work with Ottawa. Its a difficult balancing act most premiers have had to face. Itll be especially tricky in her case.

Alberta was Canadas most consistently conservative province for 80 years. The Social Credit Party led the province from 1935 to 1971, and the Progressive Conservatives held power from 1971 to 2015. The premiers during this period of time, from William Aberhart to Jim Prentice, differed in terms of political ideology, policy, and vision. Right-leaning support for small government, low taxes, economic liberty, and greater individual rights and freedoms was shared by many Alberta politicians and voters.

This changed when Prentice lost in 2015 to Rachel Notley and the NDP. It wasnt caused by a sudden fascination with socialism and left-wing policies in the Heartland. Several reasons behind this unexpected upheaval included frustration with the PC government, a slow-burning sentiment to throw the bums out in politics, changing demographics in urban areas, and a short-lived disconnect with Prentice and other right-leaning entities.

Smith was among them. She was Wildrose Party leader at the time, and leader of the official Opposition in Alberta. She had become frustrated with the antics of some of her caucus. There had also been a difficult annual general meeting where an anti-discrimination resolution she supported was voted down.

On Dec. 17, 2014, she and eight Wildrose MLAs crossed the floor and joined the PCs. It was done to try to unite the right in Alberta, and keep Prentice afloat as premier. The strategy wasnt well received, and she lost her 2015 bid for the PC nomination in her riding of Highwood. She left politics to become a successful talk radio host on CHQR, which helped rebuild her image in the public eye.

During this time, the respected Conservative MP Jason Kenney would leave Ottawa and become Alberta PC leader on Mar. 18, 2017. He merged the party with Wildrose and then-leader Brian Jean on May 18, and defeated Jean and Doug Schweitzer to become UCP leader on Oct. 28. On April 16, 2019, Kenney would defeat Notley and become premier.

In a strange twist of irony, Smith helped lay the groundwork (with Prentice) for the UCPs founding and electoral success with Kenney. Few would have predicted this. Then again, few would have predicted Kenneys shocking rise and fall in Alberta largely due to his governments poor performance during COVID-19.

Smith has earned the trust of UCP members. She still needs to build bridges with disillusioned Alberta conservatives and independents to create a decent-sized cushion of support.

A Sept. 19-22 online Angus Reid poll showed the UCP ahead of the NDP 47-41 percent, with 52 percent of respondents believing Notley would be bad or terrible as premier. Smith earned 54 percent in that poll, which was higher than her two main leadership rivals, Toews and Jean. While thats not the end of the world, its something she needs to address and adjust.

There are also people concerned about Smiths ability to lead the province. They perceive her as being some sort of dangerous, far-right zealotwhich the libertarian-leaning premier-designate most certainly isnt. Theyre also fearful that her support of an Alberta Sovereignty Act could create icy relations between Alberta and Ottawa. Not only is this entirely unfounded, its not grounded in reality because she hasnt even started yet.

Smiths job performance will therefore be under a microscope. Thats to her advantage.

Shes an intelligent, capable, and affable individual who enjoys everything from studying policy to building bridges with political opponents. Shell never see eye to eye with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on most issues, including the federal carbon tax, developing Albertas oilsands, and equalization payments. Still, shell likely find common ground with Ottawa on aspects of social policy, job creation, and promoting Canada to the world.

Smith is, and has always been, sensible and practical. She knows what she needs to do to succeed with voters and negotiate with Ottawa. Shell studiously avoid pitfalls that shes previously encountered. Shell remain a true champion of Albertas political and economic rights, and a strong supporter of conservatism, liberty, and freedom.

Smiths new political adventure has just begun, and her path to political victory is in clear view. Ill be watching with great interest.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
National Guard Lost 7,500 Troops in Past Year, Could Lose More Amid COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate: Service Officials

The National Guard has lost about 7,500 members over the past year, and the ranks could dwindle even more because of potential future discharges of as many as 14,000 more troops amid the U.S. militarys COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to reports.

The troop loss is due to more soldiers retiring or leaving the National Guard than are being added, officials told The Associated Press. They have cited challenges in recruiting, as well as how more soldiers are deciding against reenlisting when their tours of duty end.

Army National Guard chief of staff Maj. Gen. Rich Baldwin told the AP that the current staffing challenges are the worst he has seen in the past 20 years.

Both the Army National Guard and Air National Guard have fallen short of their targets for the total number of service members in the fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30, with the former missing its goal of 336,000 by about 2 percent, and the latter missing its goal of 108,300 by nearly 3 percent, Baldwin said.

While the current effect on the National Guards readiness is minimal and manageable, if recruiting and retention challenges cant be solved, [they] will see readiness issues related to strength begin to emerge within [their] units within the next year or two, he told the news agency.

Unprecedented Challenges

Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, told reporters during a call on Sept. 20 (pdf) that many recruiters have told him they are facing unprecedented challenges in their roles.

If you look at last year and the years prior to that, we have always met our authorized end strength and its probably due to a myriad of factors that affect all services, he said of the challenges in recruitment and retention.

Hokanson noted that the military could be losing potential recruits due to a strong civilian job market. He also said that recent statistics show that only 23 percent of what [they] consider primary military, age 18 to 24, even meet the requirements to join the U.S. military.

A Texas National Guardsman fixes the razor wire fencing on the bank of the Rio Grande with Mexico on the far side, in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Jan. 25, 2022. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

In addition to pressure with recruitment and retention, the Army National Guard is projecting a loss of as many as 14,000 soldiers across the country over the next two years because of refusals to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Specifically, Anson D. Smith, the deputy chief of the Army National Guard Strength Maintenance Division, told reporters on Sept. 20 that a loss of about 9,000 soldiers is projected in fiscal year 2023 and another 5,000 soldiers in fiscal 2024.

So far, no National Guard members have been discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, because the Guard is awaiting instructions from the Army on how to proceed. Officials have said it isnt clear when they will get that guidance.

Right now, we havent had any discharges because of COVID, because we still, again, are waiting on the phase two memorandum from the secretary of the Army before we get into who will be discharged based off refusals to take the COVID vaccine, Smith told reporters.

Smith said the 9,000 figure is based on the numbers that [they] have of refusals. Recent data from the U.S. Army published in mid-September showed that 9,835 Army National Guard members have refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The losses in the Army National Guard reflect a broader situation across the U.S. military. While the U.S. Army was the only active service branch not to meet its recruiting target this year, all the other active armed services have struggled to meet their targets and have needed to seek recruits from their delayed entry program pools, which will put them behind next years recruiting goals.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Guns on display in Burbank, Calif., on June 23, 2022. (Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)

New Rule Requires Firearms Dealers to Disclose Buyer Information to Government

The FBIs National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) has implemented a new policy that seeks to collect the addresses of gun purchasers in a bid to comply with a new federal law.

Federal firearms licensed (FFL) dealers now will be required to provide the FBI with the personal addresses of individuals who attempt to make a purchase but are rejected or have a delayed transaction. The FBI will also provide local law enforcement with details of failed or delayed transactions, as well as the personal information of those individuals.

Prior to the change, firearm dealers only had to provide a purchasers state of residence rather than their full address in cases of a denial or delay.

Last months change in policy is a result of President Joe Biden signing the appropriations package for fiscal 2022 in March. The package contained the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act, which includes the NICS Denial Notification Act.

In an FBI email dated Sept. 22, obtained by Gun Owners of America, the agency details how the new policy will be implemented:

The NICS Denial Notification Act of 2022 requires the FBIs NICS Section to notify state, local, or tribal law enforcement of all FBI NICS denied transactions within 24 hours. The FBI must provide notification to law enforcement based upon the location of the FFL and if different, the purchasers address.

The FFLs must provide a buyers complete address to the NICS as recorded on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Form 4473 when transactions are denied or delayed, the email reads.

The address information will be required before the status can be provided or retrieved either by the NICS contracted call center or via the NICS E-Check, the email states.

The FBI didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

Overreach by the FBI?

Central Texas Gun Works has slammed the new move as unconstitutional.

In a Sept. 26 statement, Michael Cargill, owner of the company, questioned the mandate requiring FFLs to record addresses of customers whose transactions are merely delayed, despite being ultimately approved for a firearm transaction.

Such a mandate wasnt set forth in the law passed by Congress, he noted.

Neither the ATF nor the FBI can act beyond the authority of Congress and violate the Constitution by furthering the ultimate goal of creating an illegal firearms owner database, he said in the statement.

The FBI decision is the latest in a series of moves that gun owners say will curtail their rights. Last month, Visa announced its willing to join other credit card firms to tag firearm-related purchases. The National Rifle Association said Visas move is eroding the rights of law-abiding Americans.

According to a National Firearms Survey conducted last year by research firm Centiment, Americans own more than 415 million firearms. Given that the U.S. population is estimated to be about 333 million, that would mean there are 1.25 firearms for every U.S. citizen.
The U.S. carrier USS Ronald Reagan is escorted as it arrives in Busan, South Korea, on Sept. 23, 2022. (Lee Jin-man/AP Photo)

North Korea Launches 2 Missiles Toward Sea After USSouth Korea Drills

SEOUL, South KoreaNorth Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters on Sunday, the latest of a recent barrage of weapons tests, a day after it warned the redeployment of a U.S. aircraft carrier near the Korean Peninsula was inflaming regional tensions.

South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it detected two missile launches Sunday between 1:48 a.m. and 1:58 a.m. from the Norths eastern coastal city of Munchon. It added that South Koreas military has boosted its surveillance posture and maintains a readiness in close coordination with the United States.

Japanese Vice Defense Minister Toshiro Ino also confirmed the launches, saying Pyongyangs testing activities are absolutely unacceptable as they threaten regional and international peace and security.

Ino said the weapons could be submarine-launched ballistic missiles. We are continuing to analyze details of the missiles, including a possibility that they might have been launched from the sea, Ino said.

North Koreas pursuit of an ability to fire missiles from a submarine would constitute an alarming development for its rivals because its harder to detect such launches in advance. North Korea was believed to have last tested a missile launch from a submarine in May.

The South Korean and Japanese militaries assessed that the missiles flew about 350 kilometers (217 miles) and reached maximum altitudes of 90 to 100 kilometers (56 to 60 miles) before falling into the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida separately instructed officials to gather and analyze all information they could and expedite any updates about the tests to the public. His office said it also was seeking to ensure the safety of all aircraft and ships in waters around Japan while preparing for any contingencies.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that the launches didnt pose any immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to its allies. But it said the launches highlight the destabilizing impact of North Koreas unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. It said U.S. commitments to the defense of South Korea and Japan remain ironclad.

The launch, the Norths seventh round of weapons tests in two weeks, came hours after the United States and South Korea wrapped up two days of naval drills off the Korean Peninsulas east coast.

The drills involved the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its battle group, which returned to the area after North Korea fired a powerful missile over Japan last week to protest the carrier groups previous training with South Korea.

On Saturday, North Koreas Defense Ministry warned that the Reagans redeployment was causing a considerably huge negative splash in regional security. The ministry called its recent missile tests a righteous reaction to intimidating military drills between South Korea and the United States.

North Korea regards U.S.-South Korean military exercises as an invasion rehearsal and is especially sensitive if such drills involve U.S. strategic assets such as an aircraft carrier. North Korea has argued it was forced to pursue a nuclear weapons program to cope with U.S. nuclear threats. U.S. and South Korean officials have repeatedly said they have no intentions of attacking the North.

North Korea has launched more than 40 ballistic and cruise missiles in over 20 different events this year, exploiting a division in the U.N. Security Council deepened over Russias war on Ukraine as a window to speed up arms development.

The record number of tests included last weeks launch of a nuclear-capable missile that flew over Japan for the first time in five years. It was estimated to have traveled about 4,500-4,600 kilometers (2,800-2,860 miles), a distance sufficient to reach the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam and beyond.

South Korean officials say Pyongyang may up the ante soon by conducting an intercontinental ballistic missile or a nuclear test explosion, following a traditional pattern of manufacturing diplomatic crises with weapons tests and threats before offering negotiations aimed at extracting concessions. There are also concerns about provocations along the Koreas land and sea borders.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton addresses the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia on Nov. 26, 2021. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

Opposition Leader Stands by VP of Right-Leaning Party for Controversial Lefties Comments

Peter Dutton, the leader of Australias right-leaning opposition party, has stood by embattled Liberal Party vice-president Teena McQueen, saying she shouldnt resign in the wake of controversial comments she made.

McQueen discussed the future of what is historically considered one of Australias biggest conservative parties at CPAC Australia last weekend.

She put a positive spin on the Liberal Partys federal election loss in May, saying it meant some of the partys lefties could be replaced by good conservative candidates.

The good thing about the last federal election is a lot of those lefties are gonewe should rejoice in that, McQueen said.

People Ive been trying to get rid of for a decade have gone, so we need to renew with good conservative candidates.

Minister for Finance Simon Birmingham at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on May 13, 2021. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

South Australian senator Simon Birmingham, who served as a cabinet minister in the last government and is considered a moderate, branded her comments as offensive and disloyal and called for her resignation.

Dutton said he didnt agree with McQueens comments and had spoken to her about them but wouldnt call for her to go.

She has expressed a view, she has made a mistake. Ive made it clear it wont happen again, he said.

There is a desire here to win the next election. We will only do that with discipline. We want people from diverse backgrounds, we want seats across the country.

Dutton wouldnt comment on whether McQueen offered an apology for the comments.

Im not going into internal matters beyond that, he said when asked. It wont be said again.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said the party didnt need to engage in a civil war between conservatives and progressives.

What we need to do is get back to our core liberal values, he told Sky News.

By Dominic Giannini. Caden Pearson contributed to this report.
A person looks at a Canada Revenue Agency homepage, in Montreal on Aug. 16, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes)

Raising Taxes on the Rich Results in Adverse Effects and Doesnt Pay in the Long Run, Study Shows

Policies to increase taxes on the rich are often proposed, but penalizing those who create wealth doesnt pay in the long term and could threaten Canadian prosperity, according to a recent study by an independent public policy think tank.

Choking Hazard: The Adverse Effects of Eat the Rich Policies, the study conducted by the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI), looks at four fiscal measures that are regularly recommended for raising taxes on the rich and how they can result in the opposite of their intended effect.

The point here is not to defend the rich, but it must be understood that by increasing the tax burden, the government would push economic actors to invest less, to work less, to move, and to export their capital and wealth, Valentin Petkantchin, economist and VP of research at MEI, said in a press release.

Whatever the definition of the term rich, the study said, such selective taxation targets the best-performing economic actors on the market, and therefore those who create wealth.

Instead of seeking to increase the tax burden on the rich just because they are rich, the government of Canada should favour initiatives that will improve Canadas international competitive positioning, notably with regard to the United States, and make it more attractive for foreign investment and wealth creation, it said.

The four popular fiscal measures examined in the study are a 1 percent wealth tax levied on fortunes over $10 million, an increase in the capital gains inclusion rate (from 50 percent to 75 percent), an increase in the federal income tax rate (from 33 percent to 35 percent) for incomes over $216,000, and an increase in the federal corporate income tax rate (from 15 percent to 18 percent).

Wealth Tax

In its 2021 federal election platform, the NDP proposed an annual 1 percent tax on those with a net worth of over $10 millionpart of the partys pledge to tax the wealthy to pay for welfare programs like a national pharmacare.

The MEI, however, said such fiscal policies, albeit alluring, are difficult to implement.

Defining what constitutes taxable wealth, calculating the value of the assets of which it is composed at the precise moment when the tax is calculated, and curbing the problems of tax avoidance and capital migration are all obstacles to its implementation and administration, according to the press release, adding that this measure also discourages saving and investment, as it reduces returns.

Nathalie Elgrably-Levy, senior economist at the MEI and co-author of the study, pointed to the European countries that eliminated their wealth taxes because of the economic harm they caused, including Austria, Germany, Sweden, and France.

These negative effects are often missing from the public debate, yet they deserve to make up an integral part of it, she said in the release.

Capital Gains Inclusion Rate

In its 2021 platform, the NDP also pledged to increase the capital gains inclusion rate from 50 percent to 75 percent, which is used to determine an individuals taxable capital gains and allowable capital losses.

According to MEIs study, this measure has several unwanted and harmful repercussions for the economy as a whole, affecting taxpayers of modest means as well as those with the highest incomes.

It would also increase the cost of venture capital, reduce the capacity of SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises] to attract qualified labour, slow the fluidity of capital in the economy, and ultimately compromise productivity growth, the study said.

In contrast, eliminating this kind of tax is beneficial, it added, pointing to the example of Switzerland, where the non-taxability of capital gains allowed for increased real incomes, all while maintaining the overall level of tax revenues.

Indeed, asked to decide in a referendum in 2021, the Swiss rejectedby a large majority of 65%an initiative aiming to raise the inclusion rate up to 150%, much like what is proposed these days in Canada, the study said.

Taxing Large Corporations

As for increasing the federal corporate income tax rate from 15 percent to 18 percent, while in theory it aims to bump up the taxes of company owners, the study found that this measure proves to be disappointing, as it would undermine the international competitiveness and attractiveness of Canada, the press release said.

The authors cited a 2010 study that looked at corporate income taxes in 85 countries, and showed that [higher] corporate income taxes have substantial unintended consequences on investment and entrepreneurship, and thus on economic growth.

Federal Income Tax Rate

MEI noted that a policy to increase the federal income tax rate from 33 percent to 35 percent for incomes over $216,000 would be particularly harmful in the Canadian context, for several reasons.

As income from labour represents 3/4 of the total taxable income of high earners, increasing the income tax rate directly targets those taxpayers who create wealth as employees, the study said.

It risks having a negligible, or even a negative, effect on total tax revenues in Canada, since it would incentivize individuals to modify their behaviour in the labour market. Certain taxpayers could even be tempted to emigrate to a country with a more attractive tax regime, which would affect the future performance of Canadian companies, and thus economic growth and the standard of living of the population.

Pointing to an income tax increase that took effect in 2016, the authors said hiking the federal income tax rate from 33 percent to 35 percent would have a negative impact on total tax revenues when considering combined federal and provincial revenues.

In 2015, the newly elected Liberal government introduced changes to Canadas personal income tax system for the 2016 tax year, adding a new income tax bracket that raised the top tax rate from 29 percent to 33 percent on incomes over $200,000.

That policy had significant consequences for the Canadian economy, according to a 2020 study by the Fraser Institute.

The federal change to the top rate in 2016 has markedly worsened Canadas competitive position, said the think tank.

In particular, high and increasing marginal tax ratesthat is, the tax rate on the next dollar earneddiscourage people from engaging in productive economic activity, ultimately hindering economic growth and prosperity. This occurs because marginal tax rates reduce the reward of earning more income and, in the case of personal income taxes, more labour income.
A Rivian R1T electric truck outside Munro and Associates headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., on June 3, 2022. (Rebecca Cook/Reuters)

Rivian Electric Vehicle Maker Backed by Amazon Recalls 12,000 Cars

An electric vehicle maker backed by Amazon is recalling around 12,000 of its vehicles over an improperly fastened bolt that could increase the risk of a crash.

The company, Rivian which makes upscale electric SUVs and trucks, reported a defect in three models in which a fastener in the steering system may have been inadequately tightened, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

According to an NHTSA letter (pdf) acknowledging Rivians report of the recall, a loose steering knuckle fastener could separate, causing a loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.

The affected vehicles are Rivians 2022 R1T, R1S, and EDV.

The subject population is comprised of model year 2022 R1T and R1S vehicles built during a 13-month period, and a subset of EDVs produced between December 10, 2021, and September 27, 2022, in which records cannot confirm that the front upper control arm and the steering knuckle retention fastener for each front wheel was sufficiently torqued, the company said in a statement.

Rivian said that the issue could mean that steering knuckles are insufficiently torqued which could cause excessive wheel camber, or, in rare instances, a separation, affecting the drivers ability to control the vehicle, and increasing the risk of a crash.

Owners will be notified of the recall by mail on Nov. 24 and dealers will inspect and tighten the steering knuckle fastener as needed for free.

Third Recall This Year

The company said notified owners can visit Rivian Service Centers or pop-up service locations without an appointment. Further, impacted vehicles will receive prioritized appointments to inspect and fix the problem if needed.

For the very small percentage where parts replacements are required, loaner vehicles will be made available while the vehicle is brought into a Rivian Service Center, the company said. The recall service and as needed, trip interruption, and towing services will be available at no cost to you.

This is the third recall for Rivians R1T and R1S 2022 models this year.

In September, Rivian announced that some of the vehicles may have been built with suspect seat belt assembly anchorage installations.

The issue affected the front seat belt anchors on some vehicles, which the company said might not have been properly attached to the B-pillar. This could increase the risk of injury during a crash.

Earlier this year, the company reported an issue in which there was a risk that the front passenger airbag might not be deactivated as required if a child seat is in place. In the event of a crash, the air bag might deploy, which the company said increased the risk of injury.

Rivian reported in October that it had produced 7,363 vehicles at its Illinois manufacturing facility and delivered 6,584 vehicles in the quarter ending Sept. 30. This was an increase from the preceding quarter.

The company is aiming to produce 25,000 vehicles in its first full year of production.

The Epoch Times asked Rivian for further comments.
Cocktails have made a comeback in all the best ways, not serving merely as an aperatif or digestif. Today, there is no need to order wine with a meal when a classy cocktail pairs perfectly.

Cocktails are complementary to cuisine, agrees Ardi Dulaku, assistant director of food and beverage at SaltRock Southwest Kitchen. Cultivating locally inspired fresh ingredients, he adds, Cocktails are a really good dance partner.

Harmonizing flavor profiles is key with the choice to match or compliment qualities in a dish. Acidity in a drink can slice through fattiness while a beverages floral or herbaceous aspects can emphasize the savory or vegetal elements of food.

Also, consider crafting a cocktail around a base spirit the way a smoky mezcal embraces chocolate.

In the Oaxacan Negroni, the mezcal is infused with cocoa nibs, which releases fat for a silky mouth feel, like mole, Dulaku said.

Or focus on reinforcing an ingredient, such as apple. SaltRock juices a green apple over a guests selection of spirit with lemon oil on ice as a cool concept. A green apple has the perfect structure of acid, sweet and fruitiness to balance any spirit, Dulaku suggests.

Finally, stacking cuisine and cocktails ethnically also heightens the senses as a margarita echoes the generous squeeze of lime on tacos.

SaltRock Southwest Kitchen is the signature restaurant for Amara Resort and Spa in Sedona. Tucked along the banks of Oak Creek Canyon, the resort offers Southwest sophistication instilled within a modern interpretation of Sedonas Native American heritage, embodied in its services, amenities and aesthetics. Consistently named one of the U.S. News & World Reports Best Hotels, Amara offers 100 spacious guestrooms and suites that blend unique design elements with the landscape.

The restaurant acts as the hub of the resort in both its location as an indoor-outdoor venue extending poolside as well as its healthy, flavorful focus on feeding guests. Outfit with pumpkin and beige textures, ruddy stone, a slate bar and illuminated marble tiling, the setting resonates with its Red Rock backdrop.

Likewise, its Sedona-themed, agave cocktail program presents approachable mixology honoring Mexican cultures and spirits, Arizona botanicals and seasons with a nod to California. Dulaku began as head bartender, and has since, laid a foundation, which flatters the menu.

Executive Chef David Duncan is a 40-year resident of the area with training from Northern Arizona Universitys hotel and rest management program. The menu is patterned after SaltRocks light, playful atmosphere, bent on delivering the unexpected.

Sourcing is as regional as possible. We use what is here in the state for dishes, like trout Veracruz, and support local growers, Duncan said.

Dishes have shifted from heavy proteins to lighter fare, like the Squash Relleno. The roasted poblano is filled with butternut squash, grilled button onions, golden raisins, cranberries and pepitas, tossed with queso fresco and served with inky forbidden ricenutty and rich in fiber and antioxidants. The plateful is hearty with contrasts.

It has heat, richness and sweet undertones, Duncan said, and noting the health-conscious, guests can eat a beautiful meal like this in the evening and get up to hike in the morning.

But what to sip alongside? Botanical Bee boasts Tucson gin produced from Northern Arizona juniper berries, ginger-thyme-infused honey and lemon to elegantly enhance the plant-centric dish.

Agua Chile Verde showcases fresh Mexican wild blue shrimp. Spinach, kale, jalapenos and lime are blitzed and served a green juice smoothie for morning guests, but later, reduced to Hugo Verde marinade for the shrimp. This affords a salty, spicy and sweet kick when mixed with kiwi, mango, avocado and broken corn chips.

Cocktail, anyone? The West Fork Margaritanamed for the lush Sedona trailalso teases the recent fire. Jalapeno-infused blanco tequila, mezcal and fresh lime heat up below a chipotle-guajillo, smoky salt rim. The acidity sparks the seafood, explaining the drinks top seller standing.

Shrimp Tamal deconstructs a tamale as an open-faced, charred polenta base, piled with Mexican tiger shrimp in garlic-lime butter, crispy kale and chimichurri. Light and lively, it yearns for a negronimezcal with Campari, stomach-soothing cynar and vermouth, topped with a torched orange slice. An Earl Gray cube releases floral undertones as it melts.

Sweet corn flan with blueberry compote and flirtatious caramel corn scatter is an airy, smooth finish. Pair it with the Cactus Birda seasonal clarified milk punch. Its roots date to the 1600s, when lack of refrigeration made brewed beverages safer. The work is in the six-day batch processing. Served over ice with a twist of lemon, the tart tipple offsets the honeyed corn.

Duncan said, Weve worked with the bar teams fantastic cocktail program to cohesively complement one another. The result: Spirited fare to match the mood of Sedona.
San Juan Capistranos Camino Real Playhouse to Be Rezoned for New Shops and Offices

San Juan Capistrano city councilors recently approved whats known as the El Camino Specific Planwhich will rezone the land on which a community playhouse sits to pave the way for a four-story parking garage and two two-story buildings for retail and office spaces.

As a result, the Camino Real Playhouse, which has staged community theater at the location for 34 years, will be demolished.

The vote at the Oct. 4 council meeting was the culmination of numerous discussions among residents, councilors, and Dan Almquist, a resident and owner of Frontier Real Estate Investments that is overseeing the propertys reconstruction.

The property in question is located near Mission San Juan Capistrano in the citys downtownon El Camino Realan area bustling with cars and foot traffic, but with limited parking.

The Camino Real Playhouse in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., on Oct. 7, 2022. (Julianne Foster/The Epoch Times)

I am not in love with all aspects of this proposal. However, it does offer a bonus of 128 excess parking spaces in a parking-starved downtown area, Mayor Pro Tem Howard Hart wrote in a Facebook post.

Hart told The Epoch Times he voted yes on the plan because he considered it the least of all evils. The city, he said, is mandated by state law to sell the property under an agreement from 10 years ago.

If the council didnt agree to the project, a short window of opportunity would have opened to make the property available for low-income housing, as mandated by Californias Surplus Land Act.

Hart said that would be a horrible thing because the property is in an area that has little parking, and such developers can build denser units and are not required to supply additional parking.

The Camino Real Playhouse in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., on Oct. 7, 2022. (Julianne Foster/The Epoch Times)

Mayor Derek Reeve, Hart and Councilman Sergio Farias voted yes on the issue, with Councilman Troy Bourne absent. Councilman John Taylor abstained, he said, because he lives near the property and has a conflict of interest.

Residents have raised concerns about construction worsening traffic congestion, overdevelopment, and the loss of the playhouse.

Little by little our city landmarks are being taken down and replaced by modern conveniences, Rich Paddock, resident of San Juan Capistrano for the past 40 years, wrote to the city council.

The playhouses website shows that its programs are running until at least June 2023.

Almquist, whose company specializes in such development, did not respond to The Epoch Times for comment. But he has previously made promises to relocate the playhouse by building a new center for the arts in the citys downtown.

Hart also said is raising funds for this relocation project through a nonprofit but has not officially introduced it to the city council for approval.

A light post representing the El Camino Real sits displayed on a corner in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., on Aug. 5, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) speaks at a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs/Rules and Administration Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on March 3, 2021. (Shawn Thew/Pool via Getty Images)

Sen. Hassan Backs Out of New Hampshire Debate With Republican Challenger

U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) has backed out of a scheduled debate with her Republican challenger and political newcomer Don Bolduc.

Wendy Hunt, president of the Nashua Chamber of Commerce, told The Epoch Times that Hassan has asked to appear separately on stage for the Oct. 12 event.

Hunt declined to comment further, saying only in an email to The Epoch Times about the change that Hassan would appear first, followed by Bolduc.

Hunt was cited by the NH Journal as saying that the Hassan campaign contacted her on Oct. 6, indicating that the incumbent would participate only if it were a stand-alone forum, not a debate.

Hassan has also insisted that Bolduc not be present when she speaks, Kate Constantini, a com strategist for Bolduc, told The Epoch Times.

He cant even be in the audience, said Constantini, he has to stay in the green room.

The Hassan campaign didnt respond to inquiries by The Epoch Times about the cancellation, and Hassan has released no statement about it.

The debate is billed as a luncheon event and has been listed for weeks on the chambers calendar. Its part of its candidate series, which includes a scheduled debate on Oct. 18 between New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and Democratic challenger Tom Sherman, and an Oct. 25 debate between U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas and Republican challenger Karoline Leavitt.

Retired Army Brig. Gen. Don Bolduc is the Republican nominee for the New Hampshire U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Maggie Hassan. (Courtesy of Bolducs campaign)

The Nashua Chamber of Commerce represents businesses in the second-biggest city north of Boston. Nashua is also the seat of New Hampshires most populated county.

Constantini pointed out that so far Hassan hasnt accepted any of Bolducs repeated invitations to debate him. She also pointed out that Hassan hasnt appeared in any public forum to discuss her candidacy, while Bolduc has appeared, according to Constantini, at 34 town hall meetings and other public appearances.

Its pretty clear she doesnt want to be held accountable to voters, she said.

Out of the Public Eye

While three recent polls have Hassan with a 3 to 8 percent lead over Bolduc, Hassans campaign manager, Aaron Jacobs, acknowledged in a recent internal memo that polls are sugar-coated in favor of Democrats.

Hassan has remained largely out of the public eye, focusing her campaign mostly on legislation she has sponsored or supported, including a bill she introduced on Oct. 5 that would provide government-funded legal services to families with a disabled child.

Hassan has a son with cerebral palsy. In her 2016 bid, Hassan said her son Ben, who is also nonverbal and wheelchair confined, was the entire reason she decided to become involved in politics.

Hassan has also introduced a number of pro-veteran billsespecially lately. She has landed support from veterans, including a Bronze Star Army veteran who appears in a new campaign ad for Hassan, whose father was also a Bronze Star recipient. That might serve to offset Bolducs highly touted platform as a retired Army brigadier general with a lengthy military career.

Meanwhile, Bolduc continues to score major support from major Republicans, including Mitch McConnell whose super PAC pledged $23 million for advertising.

However, hes ruffled some feathers among his staunchly conservative base in New Hampshire when he backed off his once-firm position that the 2020 presidential election was stolen by Democrats.

After winning the Republican primary, Bolduc appeared on Fox News and pivoted on the issue, calling Biden a legitimate president and saying he wanted to be definitive on this and that he had come to the conclusion that the election was not stolen.

Prior to the primaries, Bolduc had touted a letter he signed with some 120 other generals and admirals, declaring that Trump won the election.

I stand by my oath, Im not switching horses, baby, Bolduc said in August to a cheering crowd at a public debate hosted by the Government Integrity Project.
A voter casts her ballot with her child at a polling station at Rose Hill Elementary School during the midterm primary election in Alexandria, Va., on June 21, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Virginia Lawmaker Questions Delay of 100,000 Voter Registrations

A Virginia state lawmaker is questioning why the states Department of Elections hasnt been more forthcoming about whats causing delays in processing about 100,000 voter registrations ahead of the midterm elections.

Sen. Lionell Spruill, a Democrat who represents District 5 and holds a key state elections oversight role, sent a letter to Elections Commissioner Susan Beals on Oct. 6 seeking an explanation.

Beals, who blamed intermittent network issues for the issue, said in a statement that around 107,000 voter registrations were sent to local registrars for processing to ensure voters can be appropriately registered to vote.

The issue is now resolved and all impacted registrations have been identified, she said.

No voter registration data was lost, but the issue will cause an increase in processing voter registration applications at the local level, she added.

In his letter, Spruill said he was disappointed to learn about the issue in a newspaper.

In the future, when difficulties like these arise, the chairpersons of the Senate and House privileges and elections committees should receive notification so that we are fully informed as part of our responsibility to oversee the operations of your department, he wrote.

Further, Spruill said hes very concerned that the department hasnt been forthcoming to the public on the details of the network issues causing the backlog.

Virginia Elections

Virginias elections have at times been very close, Spruill said, citing a 2018 House of Delegates election that was determined by a tie-breaking drawing of names from a bowl.

He emphasized the need for safe and reliable elections in Virginia, saying that its important that we are as transparent as possible with the public regarding these kinds of essential government functions to ensure continued integrity.

It is absolutely essential that every person who wants to vote is able to cast their vote, he said.

State Sen. Scott Surovell (D-District 36) shared Spruills letter on social media, noting that it went some ways to bringing transparency to what he said was a failure to get 107,000 voter registration applications processed.

We need some answers, he added.

The delay in processing voter registrations comes as a county in northern Virginia stopped using election software by Konnech Corp. after the Michigan-based companys chief executive was arrested last week.

This year, Virginia will allow same-day voter registration on the Nov. 8 Election Day. Virginia began early in-person voting on Sept. 23.

Virginias Department of Elections didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
Former President Donald Trump greets supporters during a campaign rally at Minden-Tahoe Airport in Minden, Nev., on Oct. 8, 2022. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Trump Says Biden DOJ Rounding Up Pro-Life Activists All Over the Country

Former President Donald Trump has said the Biden administration is targeting pro-life activistsfollowing a recent spate of FBI arrests.

During a Saturday night rally in Nevada, Trump said President Joe Biden and federal officials are turning America into a police state after several arrests of high-profile pro-life activities.

Before our very eyes, Biden and his left-wing handlers are turning America into a police state, said Trump, who then accused the White House of ignoring vandalism and arson attacks against pregnancy centers and pro-life organizations following the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade earlier this year.

Look at whats going on. After ignoring violent attacks on pro-life clinics, the Biden administration is rounding up pro-life activists all over the country, Trump explained. First, they arrested the minister that you all read about, then this week they arrested grandparents with guns drawn, many agents storming into their little houses, putting them in jail.

Last month, the bureau arrested pro-life activist Mark Houck in Pennsylvania. His wife, Ryan-Marie, alleged that dozens of FBI agents had their guns drawn while their children were inside screaming. The FBI told The Epoch Times that many reported details about Houcks arrest were inaccurate.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) charged 11 pro-life advocates with federal charges related to a 2021 protest at an abortion clinic in Tennessee. Some of the defendants could get 11 years in prison, according to the DOJ.

These people went out and beautifully, silently protested, and theyre in jail now, Trump said in reference to those who were arrested several days ago. They were protesting outside of abortion clinics and [the government] are charging them with crimes punishable with up to 11 years in prison. In many cases, theyre grandparents and elderly people.

Trump stated that during the upcoming midterm elections, we dont have the luxury of waiting. The only way evil will triumph is for good men and women to do nothing.

The DOJ said the 11 individuals violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act during the 2021 protest in Tennessee.

His coconspirators and others blocked the clinics entry doors and prevented a patient and an employee from entering, said the DOJ in a news release last week about their arrests. The 11 individuals, aided and abetted by one another, used force and physical obstruction to injure, intimidate and interfere with employees of the clinic and a patient who was seeking reproductive health services.

The Epoch Times has contacted the DOJ for comment.
Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers her keynote speech at the Conservative Party annual conference at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, on Oct. 5, 2022. (Jacob King/PA Media)

UK Cabinet Ministers Urge Conservative MPs to Rally Behind Prime Minister Liz Truss

Four Cabinet members have penned newspaper articles urging Conservative MPs to end their infighting and back Prime Minister Liz Truss.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Nadhim Zahawi., Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, and Environment Secretary Ranil Jayawardena warned colleagues on Oct. 9 that the Tory party would risk ending up in opposition if they fail to do so.

At the partys annual conference held in Birmingham last week, senior Tory MPs openly expressed opposition to Trusss plan to scrap the top rate of tax for higher earners, resulting in a humiliating U-turn.

Nadhim Zahawi (C) visits the Broughton Airbus plant in Chester, England, on Aug. 12, 2022. (Oli Scarff  WPA Pool/Getty Images)

In his article for the Mail On Sunday, Zahawi admitted the government didnt get the whole package right when it comes to its new economic policy, but emphasised that the prime minister listened and decided to focus on what matters most: the bulk of our plan to get Britain moving.

He insisted that now is the time for the Tories to rally behind Truss, warning that the alternativea Labour government propped up by the Scottish National Party (SNP), which wants Scotland to separate from the UKis beyond concerning.

We cannot allow the keys of the Kingdom to be allowed to fall into their hands, he said. That is why my fellow Conservatives need to hold our nerve.

Zahawi said Tory MPs should be supporting their leader, not working against her, as he cautioned that division will only result in drift, delay, and defeat.

Splits and Fallout

Mordaunt also warned against a divide within party ranks. Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, she said Truss had acknowledged mistakes were made with the mini-budget and acted accordingly.

All my colleagues have a part to play in delivering for the British people. We need all talents helping our nation now. Division will only play into the hands of those who would take our country in the wrong direction, she wrote.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman speaking during the Conservative Party annual conference at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham on Oct. 4, 2022. (Jacob King/PA Media)

Writing in The Sun On Sunday, Braverman also said splits and fallout would lead to the Conservative Party losing the next general election to a coalition of Labour and the SNP.

She wrote: Those working with Labour to undermine our prime minister are putting the Conservatives chance of victory at the next election in real danger.

So the choice for my colleagues and for us is as a party is simple: Back Liz or get [Labour leader] Keir Starmer, hand-in-hand with [SNP leader] Nicola Sturgeon.

Jayawardena peddled a similar message in his own piece for The Sunday Express, saying colleagues must get behind the prime minister and deliver, deliver, deliver.

A failure to do so will result in a coalition of chaosa Labour government, propped up by the SNP and the Lib Dems, he said. We need to back Liz Trussor get Keir Starmer in Nicola Sturgeons pocket.

Nonsense

The Labour Party dismissed the claim that a Labour government would be propped up by the SNP.

Jonathan Ashworth, Labours shadow work and pensions secretary, called the claim complete and utter nonsense and desperate.

He told Times Radio, We are campaigning hard to win the trust of the British people, to form a majority Labour government.

PA Media contributed to this report.
Users Reject PayPals Attempt to Limit Speech. They Should.

The payments company says a revised notice recently went out in error. But users are skeptical.

Commentary

An update to the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) of PayPal, the multinational payments platform, was interpreted to say the company will withhold up to $2,500 of account holders funds as liquidated damages if users provide false, inaccurate, or misleading information. The new policy was first highlighted by the Daily Wire on Oct. 7.

Even former PayPal president David Marcus took issue with the policy:

Its hard for me to openly criticize a company I used to love and gave so much to. But @PayPals new AUP goes against everything I believe in. A private company now gets to decide to take your money if you say something they disagree with. Insanity. https://t.co/Gzf8faChUb  David Marcus (@davidmarcus) October 8, 2022

Tech auteur Elon Musk, who had been an early developer of the PayPal payment platform, reportedly tweeted he Agreed with Marcus.

Several hundred users on Twitter said they were dropping their accounts.

After the backlash, National Review reported last evening that PayPal had written to its editors saying:

An AUP notice recently went out in error that included incorrect information. PayPal is not fining people for misinformation and this language was never intended to be inserted in our policy. Our teams are working to correct our policy pages. Were sorry for the confusion this has caused

However, as of Sunday morning, the terms remain on PayPals website and the @PayPal Twitter account had not addressed the issue. By the wee hours of Sunday morning, #BankruptPayPal was trending on the social media site. And users were understandably skeptical of the walk-back.

The policies drawing public ire, unchanged as of Sunday afternoon at 1:00PM EDT, include the following:

Restricted Activities

In connection with your use of our websites, your PayPal account, the PayPal services, or in the course of your interactions with PayPal, other PayPal customers, or third parties, you must not

Violate any law, statute, ordinance, or regulation (for example, those governing financial services, consumer protections, unfair competition, anti-discrimination or false advertising);

Act in a manner that is defamatory, trade libelous, threatening or harassing;

Provide false, inaccurate or misleading information. Screen grab of the relevant portion of the PayPal User Agreement as of 10/09/2022 2:00PM EDT

Restricted Activities, Holds, and Liquidated Damages

If you are a seller and receive funds for transactions that violate the Acceptable Use Policy, then in addition to being subject to the above actions you will be liable to PayPal for the amount of PayPals damages caused by your violation of the Acceptable Use Policy. You acknowledge and agree that $2,500.00 U.S. dollars per violation of the Acceptable Use Policy is presently a reasonable minimum estimate of PayPals actual damages

Screen grab of relevant section of PayPal User Agreement as of 10/09/2022 2:00PM EDT

PayPals Selective Servicing

PayPals actions would reasonably lead one to believe it aligns itself with what are called progressive policies. Consider these examples:

Sellers of ammunition, firearms, and component parts of firearms are not permitted to use the site to transact business.

Last month, PayPal froze the account of UsForThem, a British parents group that campaigned to keep schools open during the pandemic. Another British group, Free Speech Union, was also shut down. The Times of London reported that PayPal had been accused of blatant political discrimination.

In a particularly interesting shut-down, a website called The Daily Sceptic was shut down with no real reason stated, aside from a nebulous assertion that PayPals policy is not to allow our services to be used for activities that promote hate, violence or racial intolerance, an allegation the publications editor-in-chief denies. But he questioned whether the ban might be related to a number of controversial positions the site has taken, including challenging the medias largely pro-Ukraine narrative on the Russia-Ukraine War and being critical of trans rights.

PayPal also appears to be an obsequious subordinate to the sometimes mercurial policies of hyper-local authorities, like county and city authorities. Note that PayPal tells its users, You must not  violate any ordinance, or regulation  (for example  anti-discrimination.)[Emphasis is mine.]

That should be troubling, as it will tend to legitimize the mores that many hyper-local lawmakers have adopted without much notice and remain, for most, unsettled as standard civil behavior. Some of these restrict free speech or even impose required speech or actions by individuals or businesses.

Here in New York City, for example, a regulation implementing a local anti-discrimination ordinance requires employers and covered entities to use the name, pronouns, and title (e.g., Ms./Mrs./Mx.) with which a person self-identifies, regardless of the persons sex assigned at birth, anatomy, gender, medical history, appearance, or the sex indicated on the persons identification.

Fines up to $125,000 can be imposed for violations, and they can be doubled if the violation is willful, wanton, or malicious. Notwithstanding that the regulation may be unconstitutional on its face, it is on the books, so PayPal might suspend an account for failing to use the preferred pronoun of a transgender celebrity. Imagine how that would work for some of the orthodox Jewish or Muslim newspapers or websites.

Conclusion

PayPal is a lifeline for tens of thousands of small business owners, as well as millions of people with limited access to credit. Seemingly arbitrary suspension of accountssometimes for as much as six monthsis a significant and substantial interference with Congresss prerogative to regulate commerce. As a private company, thats likely legal, but it should not stand any more than a private company denying, say, a bus or flight service to someone based on their political views.

When the new Congress convenes in January, the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee need to propose and pass regulations that would treat financial services websites the same as public utilities or common carriers. Those people selling items that are illegal, or conspiring to engage in criminal activity, can be pursued by criminal investigators (who may, in fact, be aided by the digital roadmap they provide when using sites like PayPal).

But its inappropriateindeed, dangerousfor private corporations to impose their standards based on the views of users, even when those views are patently offensive; even if they are hateful. We can hate the vile speech of racists, anti-Semites, Nazis, Klansmen, and the rest of the putrid panoply of congenital haters, left and right, religious and secular, Democrat, Republican, and unaligned. They seem everywhere of late. But their speech is protected unless and until it rises to become what the courts have defined as a clear and present danger.

Part of the price of living in a free society is having to endure the vile, odious speech of others whose hateful views we find contemptible. But, in the words of Justice Louis Brandeis, to avert  evil  the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence.

And PayPal should not be the arbiter of what can be permitted.

NOTE: Our commentaries most often tend to be event-driven. They are mostly written from a public policy, economic, or political/geopolitical perspective. Some are written from a management consulting perspective for companies that we believe to be under-performing and include strategies that we would recommend were the companies our clients. Others discuss new management strategies we believe will fail. This approach lends special value to contrarian investors to uncover potential opportunities in companies that are otherwise in a downturn. (Opinions with respect to such companies here, however, assume the company will not change). DISCLOSURE I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from The Epoch Times). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. ADDITIONAL DISCLOSURE: The views expressed, including the outcome of future events, are the opinions of the firm and its management only as of October 9, 2022, at 1:30PM, and will not be revised for events after this document was submitted to The Epoch Times editors for publication. Statements herein do not represent, and should not be considered to be, investment advice. You should not use this article for that purpose. This article includes forward looking statements as to future events that may or may not develop as the writer opines. Before making any investment decision you should consult your own investment, business, legal, tax, and financial advisers. We associate with principals of TechnoMetrica on survey work in some elements of our business. This article does not rely on any TechnoMetrica data.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Army admits officer threatened Israelis life

BANGKOK: The army has admitted that a soldier threatened the life of an Israeli man by firing a gun at his coffee shop after the case was disclosed by a lawyer.

violencemilitarycrime

By Bangkok Post

Sunday 9 October 2022, 10:54AM

Lawyer Sittra Biebangkerd (2nd from right at table) briefs reporters on the case of an Israeli man whose life was threatened by a Thai army officer, at his law firm on Thursday. Photo: Sittra Biebangkerd / Facebook

Maj Gen Worachet Chawananoraseth, the spokesman for the Second Army Region, said on Saturday (Oct 8) that Lt Preecha Chaimat, 51, of the Third Engineering Battalion based in Nakhon Ratchasima, had fired bullets to threaten the Israeli man, reports the Bangkok Post.

The incident took place two months ago but was first disclosed on Thursday by Sittra Biebangkerd, a high-profile lawyer who has developed a reputation for taking on cases against powerful individuals and institutions.

The lawyer said on his Facebook page that an army officer, whose name was not revealed, raided the coffee shop of the Israeli man in Sawang Daen Din district of Sakon Nakhon province where he lived with his children on Aug 6. The officer fired a number of bullets at the scene, according to the lawyer.

The Israeli, identified as Rudy Bahar, 53, later sought help from Mr Sittras law firm after receiving threats and after police in the northeastern province refused to take the case.

At a media briefing at Mr Sittras office on Thursday, Mr Bahars daughter, who was not named, provided additional background on the case.

Mr Bahar, a longtime resident of Thailand, has three sons and two daughters with his Thai wife. The family had a motorcycle shop in Pattaya, but about four years ago Mr Bahars wife wanted to run a coffee shop in her hometown in Sakon Nakhon.

The couple invested about B2 million in the business. At the time, a new road was being built in the area. A military officer with the rank of lieutenant was supervising the project and he came to know Mr Bahars wife.

The confrontation between the officer and Mr Bahar occurred as the coffee shop was opening on Aug 6, his daughter said.

When Mr Bahar saw the soldier arriving, he asked him to leave. The officer got upset and pulled out his gun, firing four shots at the ground and five more in the direction of Mr Bahar.

Fortunately, the bullets did not hit anyone, said his daughter.

After the shooting, the Israeli man took his children to stay at their house in Pattaya out of fear for their safety, Thai media reported.

Mr Sittra said his client went to the Sawang Daen Din police station but officers refused to accept his complaint because, according to the post, soldiers were more powerful in the area than the police.

He was later conned by an interpreter to sign a document on Aug 7 to declare that he would not pursue legal action against the soldier, according to the lawyer.

The motive for the shooting was unclear but the lawyer said in his Facebook post that the woman had had an affair with the officer.

Maj Gen Worachet said soldiers from the Second Army Region took the officer to the Sawang Daen Din police station on Thursday  the same day that Mr Sittra revealed the incident  to be informed about charges of possessing a firearm in public and firing it in public. The weapon was seized.

Although Lt Preecha was released as police are still compiling evidence, the army has set up a committee to consider disciplinary punishment against him, the spokesman said.
Phuket Opinion: Preventing the nightmare

PHUKET: While families who lost loved ones in the massacre in Nong Bua Lam Phu on Thursday reel with grief, some focus is finally being put on the issues that allowed the horrific incident, the worst mass murder perpetrated by a single person in Thailands recorded history, happen in the first place

opinionviolencecrimepolice

By The Phuket News

Sunday 9 October 2022, 09:00AM

Ground Zero: The day care centre in Nong Bua Lam Phu. Photo: AFP

Real gun control is finally in the spotlight, even among active members of the police. However, how much actual action will be taken remains to be seen. Old habits die hard. Only when a uniformed person commits a truly heinous crime do police or other armed services even admit that one of their own committed the act, nevermind take action to prevent the next similar incident.

For examples in Phuket, people need look no further than the long, drawn-out saga of the shooting of a noodle vendor on Bangla Rd last year, and what it took to report on that shooting, and compare it with the shooting of 7-year-old girl shot with a policemans gun left loaded and unattended in a drawer at a housewarming party while the children roamed free just two months ago.

The Bangla shooting highlighted how much police like to treat every such incident involving police officer, and Phuket has had a few, as a bad apple among the ranks  again not understanding just how many bad apples it takes to spoil a barrel. The second incident, with no action against the officer who left his loaded handgun within easy access in a house with unattended children roaming freely, highlighted just how much police in Phuket  before Nong Bua Lam Phu  couldnt care less about enforcement of gun safety laws.

Meanwhile, police are happy to regularly report how many illegal firearms are seized in seasonal campaigns, but not understanding that what is being highlighted is how many illegal guns are floating around in Thailand in the first place.

Western countries over the past few decades have sadly grown more accustomed to mass killings by single persons, but mostly carried out by guns. The nature of the attack in Nong Bua Lam Phu and the specific targeting of children  24 children no more than 5 years old were killed in the attack  sets this latest abomination apart.

If people in Phuket are worried about how many guns are out there, they should stop and think just how far away they are from the nearest knife. Thais often carry knives with them, mostly for convenience in dealing with fruit, also often for other genuine functional purposes. As anyone who has driven along enough Thai rural highways already knows, the standard sign that a vehicle is broken down is to place a broken tree branch behind the vehicle, most often cut down with a bladed instrument of some kind.

As such, police in Phuket so far have been interested in charging people with carrying a weapon in a public area only if the weapon is actually used. But by that time it is a too late. Worse, even when the likes of a passenger van driver involved in a brawl strikes another driver with an axe that he was carrying in his van, the only punishment made public is his drivers licence being suspended for six months. Notably, that was the same punishment handed down to the other two van drivers involved in the brawl, neither of whom brandished any weapon.

Police in Phuket love covering up any selected misdeeds by never reporting what punishment is handed down to the perpetrators, again not recognising what damage they are doing to Phukets tourism image, especially when the incident involves an armed officer or a public transport driver. While the selective treatment of such cases may not openly evidence corruption, it does show local police to be capricious at best.

But most importantly in the aftermath of Nong Bua Lam Phu much focus is being put on curtailing mentally unstable people roaming free, especially with a plethora of weapons within easy access as the norm within the country.

With Nong Bua Lam Phu, many red flags were raised long before the attack happened that should have alerted those tasked with protecting society from such individuals of the potential danger. Thanks to a lax attitude, nothing was done. With such people, as deputy national police chief Pol Gen Torsak Sukwimol pointed out, anything could have triggered the horrific attack. The main danger was the person. Access to the weapons was ancillary.

The meeting led by the Phuket Governor on Friday, calling for stricter enforcement of weapons and drugs laws, and the bolstering of security at schools, is only a first step, one that was long overdue. What is needed is more action in placing people of obvious potential danger under greater scrutiny, for their welfare as well as the publics safety.

A mother on Koh Maphrao understood that about her own son and alerted authorities yesterday. She understood the potential danger. Lets hope Phuket officials do too, so we can take at least some steps towards preventing the next nightmare.
100 years ago

1922: Early Monday morning, Frank Leslie shot one of his toes off while trying to find a buck killed the night before. In the party were Mrs. Leslie and her son, George Dent. They went Sunday to the country north of the peaks. Frank killed a fine buck in the afternoon. In the late evening Mrs. Leslie shot a buck but it was so dark they were unable to find it since his ran quite a distance before falling. The party returned to town about 11:00 o'clock. Next morning, they returned to the scene. They had haunted two hours for the deer, when frank, carrying the gun under his arm muscle down, accidentally shot, severing the second toe from his right foot. They came in immediately to Dr. G. F. Manning. Mr. Leslie will probably be away from his barbershop for a week. If the circulation remains good, there is hope of keeping the toe fastened to the rest of Frank.

What we would like to know is whether there is any other city in the United states with only 4,000 population that can boast of 3.85 miles of street paving. We doubt it. And from present indications, there will be still more paving done next year. North Leroux Street and North Humphrey Street residents, after speeding along Agassiz newly paved street, are getting ambitious for some of the same along their properties. The present paving schedule is being carried out with speed. Agassiz is finished, two blocks on East Birch are finished, three blocks on North Beaver have been surfaced this week, and there's a likelihood that the rest of that street will be pretty well-done next week. There remains a couple more blocks on the end of Birch, a block on East Cherry and a block on East Dale to complete the present project now. If only there were one or two streets paved from downtown Flagstaff to the campgrounds. But that likely will come soon. The advantages of the paving to business, to comfort, two good looks, to sanitation and to property values, both on the streets paved and throughout the rest of the town, are too great to be overlooked. Flagstaff is growing in livability, and it will keep on growing fast.

75 years ago

1947: Coconino County jail rates only 42% in the survey of Arizona county jails conducted by the Federal Bureau of Prisons at the request of Gov. Osborne. The survey was made about a year ago without cost to the state or counties. It revealed that most of Arizona's jails are old, obsolete and poorly equipped, and in some cases, poorly administered. Copies of the jail report that were sent to Flagstaff by Osborne revealed that Coconino County jail, while listed as bad, is far from the worst in Arizona. Highlights of the report indicate that the jail record system is very poor. It seems that most of the inmates belong to the city and are boarded under an arrangement between the city and the county. For females, the jail has a room for them that affords fairly good segregation, but its facilities are poor, and they have no bathing equipment. There are no regular quarters for girls. Boys have to be kept in the mens section and girls kept with women. Officials claim that every possible effort is made to keep juveniles, especially younger ones, out of jail. The Sheriff's Office and jail occupy an old but fairly substantial fireproof building on the courthouse grounds. While the building itself is fairly good, the jail equipment is old, obsolete and in badly rundown condition. Living conditions are poor, dirty and inadequate, and there is no jail laundry, also no kitchen. Towels are supplied by the jail, and at present no soap. There is sufficient hot water, but the jail has no facilities for delousing prisoners; consequently it becomes infested frequently and it is a very hard job to eradicate them on dirty prisoners as well as from the dirty bedding. There is no rehabilitation and no religious instruction. It would appear that a new, modernly designed and equipped jail is urgently needed.

The most modern sawmill in the entire Southwest, the construction of which indicates the continuing importance of the lumber industry to this area, will be completed and ready for use here in Flagstaff by Southwest Lumber Mills incorporated before logging is resumed in the spring. The mill replaces an old one destroyed by fire early this year. It will be completely fireproof and is being equipped with the most modern and efficient sawmill machinery obtainable. The company is also constructing a 3,000-kilowatt power plant that will provide power for the new mill and will also provide additional power -- which will be distributed to Arizona Power Company customers in the area. Lumbering has been a vital factor in the life of Flagstaff for nearly 70 years. The sawmills have provided the community with practically it's only industrial payroll since the City of Flagstaff was founded in the early 80s.

50 years ago

1972: Flagstaff police recovered an estimated $225 worth of stolen service station tools and sent two transients down the road after the operator of the victimized station declined to sign complaints against them. Dave Maurer of Ron's American station on East Santa Fe Avenue said an air impact wrench and a soldering iron plus several other items were stolen from the station. Maurer called Flagstaff police and told them the only two suspects in the case he knew of were a father and son who had been arrested near the station on Sunday for vagrancy and released after a hearing in city magistrate court. Flagstaff police said they found the pair again and they led them to everything but the soldering iron. With his stools recovered, Mauer declined to sign complaints against the pair, and they were sent on their way.

Building permit valuation for September 1972 in Flagstaff dropped by almost $3.7 million compared to the value of permits issued in September 1971. The monthly report, released today by the city building inspector, showed the total valuation of permits for last month to be $853,623 as compared to $4,531,604 during September 1971. The major reason for the high figure last year was the $3,686,000 permit issued for construction of Little America near the Butler Avenue interchange of I-40. Residential permits were down in valuation from $773,204 in September 1971 compared to $656,650 last month. Nonresidential permits also dropped. The largest nonresidential permit issued in September was to McAllister for construction of six stores in a new shopping center in east Flagstaff. That permit was valued at $332,000. The largest residential permit was issued to Steves & Steves, Inc. for construction of a 10-unit apartment complex at 2600 E. 7th Avenue. That permit was valued at $250,000.

25 years ago

1997: A quadriplegic student at Northern Arizona University is protesting too much care from the university, saying that it infringes on his rights to privacy. Ben Sutcliffe, a freshman with cerebral palsy who started at NAU this summer, said that his rights as a citizen are being denied because the university requires that he has 24-hour attendant care. NAU officials said they have to safeguard the lives of every student. They told Sutcliffe that he must have around-the-clock care to remain a NAU student. Sutcliffe wants freedom to be alone. Sutcliffe says, This policy denies my civil rights as a citizen of the United states who has reached the age of maturity and as such has the legal right to choose the level and to agree of care and supervision that I may need or desire. Sutcliffe, who graduated from a high school in Fort Defiance and who lived previously in Milwaukee, sat in an electric wheelchair Monday, using a computer hooked up to an electronic device to speak. His fists were clenched, and his arms flailed sporadically. Sitting in his wheelchair in his dorm room, he typed his answers by placing his chin on a small scanner that located the correct letters. The university has offered Sutcliffe a compromise that does not please him. They have told him he could sign a waiver. It says that if anything happens to him, the university would not be liable.

They came to Arizona from the smallest continent in the world hoping to open more doors between their hometown and their sister city of Flagstaff. Sixteen citizens of the city of Blue Mountains, Australia, are visiting Flagstaff this week, comparing the two communities and taking in lots of northern Arizona. Friendship, culture, world peace This is basically what we see a sister city as, said Colleen Kaim, Blue Mountains city councilor. She and others had just finished taking a walking tour of downtown Flagstaff and we're sitting in the Flagstaff Visitor Center Thursday afternoon. They are staying with host families and will visit the Grand Canyon today. The relationship between the two cities dates back to the 1940s when military personnel from Flagstaff visited the Blue Mountains during war years. For several years, Australians from Blue Mountains and surrounding areas who visited Flagstaff noted the similarities between the two areas. They include geographic and geological conditions, population, tourism, major railroads and highways, and proximity to a major national park.
Phuket teens arrested for stealing temple donations

PHUKET: Police have tracked down and arrested two local youngsters after they stole a donation box from Wat Ladthi Wanaram (Wat Tai) in Chalong yesterday (Oct 8).

crimepolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Sunday 9 October 2022, 01:45PM

Two teenagers stole a donation box from Wat Tai yesterday (Oct 8). The culprits were arrested in less than an hour and a half. Image: Eakkapop Thongtub

Two teenagers stole a donation box from Wat Tai yesterday (Oct 8). The culprits were arrested in less than an hour and a half. Image: Eakkapop Thongtub

Two teenagers stole a donation box from Wat Tai yesterday (Oct 8). The culprits were arrested in less than an hour and a half. Image: Eakkapop Thongtub

Two teenagers stole a donation box from Wat Tai yesterday (Oct 8). The culprits were arrested in less than an hour and a half. Image: Eakkapop Thongtub

Two teenagers stole a donation box from Wat Tai yesterday (Oct 8). The culprits were arrested in less than an hour and a half. Image: Eakkapop Thongtub

Two teenagers stole a donation box from Wat Tai yesterday (Oct 8). The culprits were arrested in less than an hour and a half. Image: Eakkapop Thongtub

Two teenagers stole a donation box from Wat Tai yesterday (Oct 8). The culprits were arrested in less than an hour and a half. Image: Eakkapop Thongtub

Two teenagers stole a donation box from Wat Tai yesterday (Oct 8). The culprits were arrested in less than an hour and a half. Image: Eakkapop Thongtub

Two teenagers stole a donation box from Wat Tai yesterday (Oct 8). The culprits were arrested in less than an hour and a half. Image: Eakkapop Thongtub

According to a police report, Chalong Police Deputy Chief Lt Col Kanaen Somrak was notified of the theft from the temple, on Chao Fa East Rd, at 2:50pm yesterday (Oct 8).

Through CCTV footage from the area, police identified the culprits leaving the scene on a red Honda Wave motorcycle with Nakhon Si Thammarat license plates.

The two young men were sitting on the motorcycle with the donation cloth placed between. The box, covered with white cloth, was clearly visible on the footage.

The suspects were tracked to Soi Yodsanae, where officers placed them under arrest at 3:40pm.

The suspects were named in the report as Mr Tong (17 years old) and Mr Folk (16 years old). Real names of the duo were withheld due to their age. Both confessed to the theft, police said.

Mr Tong and Mr Folk were taken to Chalong Police Station for legal processing, the report added.

Officers also contacted their parents and invited them to the station as both suspects are considered juveniles by law.

The stolen donation box contained B560 in cash, police added.


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Older people with limited mobility and those with chronic health conditions requiring the use of electrically powered medical devices were especially vulnerable when Hurricane Ian slammed into Southwest Florida
The first US-Pacific Island Country Summit was held in Washington on September 28 and 29 with leaders and representatives from 14 Pacific Island countries taking part in it. This is the first time that Pacific Island countries have received an invitation from Washington collectively. The US has carried out high-profile propaganda, repeatedly hyping the summit as a "milestone." However, public opinion generally believes that this is an "unprecedented diplomatic effort" made by the US to counter China, while at the same time, some island countries are already worried about being forced to take sides.

Washington exaggerated the significance of this summit. This is a new move of a series of actions taken by the US to win over the region since last year after Washington began to take the friendly exchanges between China and the Pacific Island countries as a thorn. According to Kurt Campbell, coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs of the National Security Council, "the purpose [of the summit] is not just to listen to Pacific leaders, but to put tremendous resources on the table." At the summit, US President Joe Biden announced $810 million in new funding for Pacific Island countries to "meet priorities."

It's a good thing if Washington can really deliver on its promises. But based on past experiences, the US has too low international reputation for honoring commitments. What's more worthy of vigilance is that various political conditions have always been attached to the US aid commitments. It's known to all that the US' sudden attention paid to the Pacific Island countries is not out of conscience. The US has its own strategic purpose. In recent years, the rapid development of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Pacific Island countries has become a thorn in the side of the US and it's eager to remove it.

In other words, getting assistance from the US is always at the expense of a country's dignity and part of its sovereignty. On the eve of the summit, a think tank funded by the US Congress released a report. It said the Pacific Islands "are an important strategic buffer between US defense assets in Guam and Hawaii and East Asian littoral waters." According to the report, if Beijing were to "succeed in bringing one of these states into its sphere, it would imperil US military capabilities in a strategically vital geographic command area." The US wants to make Pacific Island countries be deeply grateful for its "kindness," bow to it and serve as pawns in its Indo-Pacific Strategy by offering them petty favors, which is the greatest disrespect for the Pacific Island countries.

Perhaps, in Washington's view, the "privilege" of "getting invited to the White House for the first time," the reception involving the red carpet and limelight, and "big dollar" aid are enough to make the Pacific Island countries feel extremely flattered and be obedient to the US. But Pacific Island nations enjoy independence and sovereignty, so they want genuine respect from the US, not letting it use a symbolic one with high-profile ceremonies that practice interventionism or use flamboyant new concepts to revive the model of hegemony based on the subordination of small states.

Similar examples can be found everywhere during the summit. For example, some media revealed that the Pacific Island states deleted a reference to the need for them to "consult with one another closely on security decisions with regional impacts" from a draft of the joint declaration, which was seen as a response to the security agreement signed by China and the Solomon Islands. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday that the US will provide $4.8 million in funding to support activities like sustainable fisheries. He also said Pacific Island leaders were invited to US Coast Guard headquarters to discuss how to improve maritime domain awareness and combat illegal fishing activities. All of these are said to be for the livelihood of the Pacific Island people, but these moves label China as "a threat to fishery" at the same time. In reality, they are used as a grip to monitor and "smear" China, attempting to undermine normal and legitimate fishery cooperation of Pacific Island countries with other countries. This, in turn, harms the interests of people from Pacific Island countries.

For the Pacific Island countries, their core demand is regional prosperity and stability, as they hope that the US will accept their 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent to address climate change and promote sustainable development in the region. At the summit, although Washington claimed to take "urgent action" on issues, including the climate crisis, Pacific Island people have serious concerns, since the US is well-known as a straight F student in terms of addressing climate change. What's more, Washington's motives are not pure. The Western media does not hide the fact that the US has made an "unprecedented" effort to rope in Pacific Island countries to "counterbalance China's influence."

The US' attitude toward Pacific Island countries has changed from the long-time neglect for nearly 80 years after World War II to the sudden attention aimed at containing China's influence. What hasn't changed is the mindset of treating the region as its "backyard," and what has continued is its hegemonic logic. Such "pride and prejudice" cannot be covered up by a few new missions, visits by senior officials, and declarations of big dollar aid. It is hoped that the US can truly change the way it views the world and other countries and treat Pacific Island countries with sincere respect and equality. This is not only the proper demeanor that a major power should have, but also the minimum responsibility it should assume for regional peace and stability.
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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There is an old joke that people become actuaries, devoting their careers to calculating pension risks, because they find the idea of accountancy too exciting.

After the past couple of weeks of high drama in the torpid world of final salary pension schemes, most people would prefer the normal state of tedium.

The letter sent by the Bank of England deputy governor Sir Jon Cunliffe explaining how he and his colleagues saved the financial system reads like the script of a slightly nerdy disaster movie.

Scandal: The Liability Driven Investments debacle raises some very serious questions for the pension watchdogs

The first misgivings were heard over leveraged Liability Driven Investments or LDIs immediately after the Budget. On the Sunday evening, instead of Antiques Roadshow and Countryfile, Bank staff were hunched over their screens, stomachs churning as sterling fell on Asian markets.

LDI managers warned they would possibly have to sell up to 50billion of gilts into an illiquid market. By the Tuesday, some LDI funds said they would have to start winding up the next day, which would have presented a big risk to the financial system. Bank staff stayed up all night to produce a lifeboat, which has averted a collapse.

It is a temporary fix, due to end this week, and while it is inconceivable that it would not be extended if another doom loop were to emerge, questions remain.

There are uncomfortable echoes of the global crisis a dozen years ago, when trouble blowing up in obscure corners of the financial world heralded a wider disaster. The woes of Credit Suisse, which has bought back three billion francs worth of its own debt to shore up confidence, have added to the foreboding. Complacent, light-touch regulation epitomised the financial crisis.

Banks are in general now far better capitalised, but risk has migrated to other parts of the system including pensions and open-ended investment funds.

The LDI debacle raises some very serious questions for the pension watchdogs. The Bank of England has tried to wriggle out of blame by saying it does not regulate pensions or LDIs, which are mostly overseas. That is no reason to ignore them as the Bank seems to imply; indeed the opposite.

The Old Lady is responsible for the stability of the financial system overall, and therefore should have noticed the enormous build-up of risk from offshore LDI funds across final salary schemes.

The Budget was the trigger, but attempts to blame it all on the Government should be treated with scepticism. Pension funds addicted to LDIs were susceptible to a major gilt yield shock from any cause.

Yet the Bank seemed oblivious and indeed its own staff pension filled its boots.

The Pensions Regulator looks like a weak and captured watchdog, with senior staff who have been heavily involved in LDI.

It was heavily criticised for its feebleness over the pension fund at Carillion, whose 27,000 members were left with a 2.6billion net liability when the firm went under in 2018.

The Regulator promised that lessons would be learned and its powers in regard to reckless employers have been strengthened. The UK is no stranger to pension scandals, from Robert Maxwell to Equitable Life. But LDIs dwarf the lot combined and the Regulator is out of its depth.

This will lead to even more sponsor companies seeking to offload their final salary funds to insurance companies.
Abrdn is facing allegations of anti-money laundering failures while its boss has been accused of intimidation and aggression.

The funds giant, which just weeks ago tumbled out of the FTSE 100 for the first time, was missing documentation for some clients in its Luxembourg arm.

This led to the company having to freeze the accounts of more than 20 institutional clients, The Sunday Times reported.

Trouble at the top: Several current and former employees have accused Stephen Bird, Abrdn's chief executive, of aggressive and intimidating behaviour

The mishap comes as several current and former employees have accused Stephen Bird, Abrdn's chief executive, of aggressive and intimidating behaviour.

He has been tasked with improving the group's performance, as Abrdn has failed to impress since it was formed in 2017.

A spokesman said Bird had been forced to make 'difficult decisions... not all of [which] are popular, nor can they be'.

The spokesman said Luxembourg was 'a historic issue relating to documentation'.
A Russian missile attack early on Sunday struck an apartment block and other residential buildings in Ukraines southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, killing at least 13 people and wounding 87 others, including 10 children, Ukrainian officials said.

Rail services and partial road traffic meanwhile resumed a day after a powerful blast damaged a bridge linking Russia to Crimea that is a key supply route to Moscows forces battling in southern Ukraine and an imposing symbol of its annexation of the peninsula.

Saturdays explosion on the bridge over the Kerch Strait prompted gleeful messages from Ukrainian officials but no claim of responsibility. Russia did not immediately assign blame for the blast, which images showed blew away half of a section of the bridges roadway, with the other half still attached.

The pre-dawn fusillade in Zaporizhzhia on Sunday was the second of its kind against the city in three days.

Russian aircraft launched at least 12 missiles, partially destroying a nine-storey apartment block, levelling five other residential buildings and damaging many more, Oleksandr Starukh, governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, said on state-run television.

At least 13 people died and 87 others were wounded, 60 of whom were hospitalized, regional officials said. The wounded included 10 children.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the attack as absolute evil by people he called savages and terrorists, vowing those responsible would be brought to justice.

Zaporizhzhia city, about 52 km (30 miles) from a Russian-held nuclear power plant, has been under frequent shelling in recent weeks, with 19 people killed on Thursday.

Emergency workers and firefighters cordoned off the nine-storey building and dug for survivors and casualties in the smouldering rubble of a massive central section that had collapsed.

The blast wrecked cars and left torn metal window frames, balconies and air conditioners dangling from the buildings shrapnel-pitted facade.

Most of the Zaporizhzhia region, including the nuclear plant, have been under Russian control since the early days of Russias invasion in February. The capital of the region, Zaporizhzhia city, remains under Ukrainian control.

KERCH STRAIT

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said divers would start work on Sunday examining damage to the Crimea Bridge, with a more detailed survey above the waterline expected to be complete by days end, domestic news agencies reported.

The situation is manageable  its unpleasant, but not fatal, Crimeas Russian governor, Sergei Aksyonov, told reporters. Of course, emotions have been triggered and there is a healthy desire to seek revenge.

Russias transport ministry said freight trains and long-distance passenger trains across the bridge were running according to schedule on Sunday. Limited road traffic resumed on Saturday around 10 hours after the blast.

Only passenger cars will use the road section of the Crimean bridge until a special order is issued. The railway line will operate as normal. Buses of all types and heavy vehicles will be transported by ferry, Aksyonov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

It was not yet clear if Saturdays blast was a deliberate attack, but the damage to such a high-profile structure came amid battlefield defeats for Russia, and could further cloud Kremlin reassurances that the conflict is going to plan.

Aksyonov has said the peninsula had a months worth of fuel and more than two months worth of food. Russias defence ministry said on Saturday its forces in southern Ukraine could be fully supplied through existing land and sea routes.

Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and the 19-km (12-mile) bridge linking the region to its transport network was opened with great fanfare four years later by President Vladimir Putin.

Kyiv demands that Russian forces leave the Black Sea peninsula, as well as Ukrainian territory they have seized in the invasion Putin launched in February.

The bridge is a major artery for Russian forces in southern Ukraine and for the port of Sevastopol, where the Russian Black Sea fleet is based.

Russian officials said three people were killed in the blast early on Saturday morning. On the bridges upper level, seven fuel tanker wagons of a 59-wagon train heading for the peninsula also caught fire.

Russias federal anti-terrorism agency said on Saturday that a freight truck blew up on the bridges roadway. It said two spans of road bridge had partially collapsed, but that the arch spanning the channel through which ships travel between the Black Sea and Azov Sea was not damaged.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Russian divers were to examine on Sunday the damage from a powerful blast on a road-and-rail bridge to Crimea that is an imposing symbol of Moscows annexation of the peninsula and a key supply route to its forces battling in southern Ukraine.

Saturdays explosion on the bridge over the Kerch Strait prompted gleeful messages from Ukrainian officials but no claim of responsibility. Russia did not immediately assign blame.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said the divers would start work in the morning, with a more detailed survey above the waterline expected to be complete by days end, domestic news agencies reported.

The situation is manageable  its unpleasant, but not fatal, Crimeas Russian governor, Sergei Aksyonov, told reporters. Of course, emotions have been triggered and there is a healthy desire to seek revenge.

The peninsula had a months worth of fuel and more than two months worth of food, he said. Russias defence ministry said its forces in southern Ukraine could be fully supplied through existing land and sea routes.

Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and the 19-km (12-mile) bridge linking the region to its transport network was opened with great fanfare four years later by President Vladimir Putin.

Kyiv demands that Russian forces leave the Black Sea peninsula, as well as Ukrainian territory they have seized in the invasion Putin launched in February.

It was not yet clear if Saturdays blast was a deliberate attack, but the damage to such a high-profile structure came amid battlefield defeats for Russia, and could further cloud Kremlin reassurances that the conflict is going to plan.

Elsewhere, at least 12 people were killed as a result of shelling in Ukraines southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia in the early hours of Sunday, and 49 people were hospitalised, including six children, Ukrainian officials said.

A nine-storey building was partially destroyed overnight, five other residential buildings were levelled and many more damaged in 12 Russian missile attacks, said Oleksandr Starukh, the governor of the Zaporizhzhia region.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

Zaporizhzhia city, about 52 km (30 miles) from a Russian-held nuclear power plant that is Europes largest, has been under frequent shelling in recent weeks.

MAJOR ARTERY

The bridge over the Kerch Strait is a major artery for Russian forces in southern Ukraine, where they control most of the Kherson region and large parts of Zaporizhzhia region, and for the port of Sevastopol where the Russian Black Sea fleet is based.

Russian officials said three people were killed in the blast early on Saturday morning. On the bridges upper level, seven fuel tanker wagons of a 59-wagon train heading for the peninsula also caught fire.

Limited road traffic resumed about 10 hours after the explosion, and Russias transport ministry also cleared rail traffic to restart.

The Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee said a freight truck blew up on the bridges roadway. It said two spans of road bridge had partially collapsed, but that the arch spanning the channel through which ships travel between the Black Sea and Azov Sea was not damaged.

Images showed half of the roadway blown away, with the other half still attached.

While the blast would not affect army supply very much, there would be problems with logistics for Crimea, Kirill Stremousov, the Russian-installed deputy administrator of the Kherson region, said in a social media post.

The blast came a day after Putins 70th birthday and also coincided with Russias third senior military appointment in a week. Moscow designated Air Force General Sergei Surovikin to take charge of the invasion effort.

SOURCE: REUTERS


Forget-me-not petals are elegant and dignified (by TJKCB)

Forget-me-not? Knock, knock, knock

out of waiting Silence, talk, talk, talk

eye-in-eye, lock, lock, lock

so, so, so, what, what, what

All on thought, thought, thought

Put up on work, work, work

Hand-in-hand, heads held high After Ever Happy (*), walk, walk, walk

the above two images were from Google images.

*******************************

(Note: I did not know this flower until reading those poems below, which impressed me so tremendously, that those five lines manifested by dancing my fingers on the keyboard growing on my screen). Google it:

What do forget-me-nots symbolize?

Forget-me-nots represent true love; giving someone this flower means you truly love and respect this person. It is a testament to your relationships and promises the other person that you will never forget them in your thoughts. A symbol of fidelity and being truthful to someone you love.

* After Ever Happy is a 2022 American romantic drama film directed by Castille Landon, from a screenplay by Sharon Soboil. Based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Anna Todd, it is a sequel to After We Fell, and the fourth overall installment in the After film series. The film stars Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin, reprising their roles as Tessa Young and Hardin Scott, respectively.[2] The plot continues the premise of the three previous films.

After Ever Happy had its world premiere in London on August 10, 2022 and was released theatrically on September 7, 2022.[3] A sequel titled After Everything is currently in post-production, while a prequel and an additional sequel centered around the children of the series' main characters are also in development. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Ever_Happy

&&&&& Sources of my inspiration:

** 2) 

: jianchi9090  2022-10-07 07:34:

: E,Forget-Me-Not,     2022-10-06 19:43:37

little, little likes a star,

forgotten in a bar.

embellished in the dark,

was who's mark.

forget-me-not so blue,

missing so true.

** 3) ! , 

:   2022-10-07 08:43:23

: E,Forget-Me-Not,     2022-10-06 19:43:37

Yesterday is gone

Today carries on

Blue flowers nod

Forget-me-not

** 4)  Forget-Me-Not

https://bbs.wenxuecity.com/bbs/mysj/275462.html
This morning , we kick off the show today with someone who is no stranger to the Morning Edi
Do you miss home? This is a question I get asked often whenever I tell people I recently moved to Canada. And the answer is that although I enjoyed being in a new country, I miss my culture and people.

As someone who moved away from home to study at university, it is important for me to acknowledge and practice my heritage, to feel connected to home. Even when I am away from home, keeping my identity and culture alive allows me to express myself as I am, and reminds me that each of us is connected to a broader community and brings a unique perspective.

In my daily activities, I engage in cultural practices that help me feel connected to home. Dancing and singing are fun ways to connect with my culture. I enjoy playing my favourite songs and dancing some salsa, bachata, and reggaeton. Singing the lyrics of mariachi songs out loud makes me feel like I am fifteen again, dancing at a family reunion in Mexico.

Cooking is one of the main ways in which I practice my heritage. Many of the main dishes in Latin America are influenced by Indigenous traditions and have corn as one of their primary ingredients. For example, Mexicos tacos and tostadas are prepared with corn tortillas, Colombia and Venezuelas arepas are prepared with corn, and Perus tamales too. When I am not too busy finishing assignments, I like to prepare my favourite Mexican dishes. Washing the green tomatoes and serrano peppers to prepare the salsa verde (green sauce) to make enchiladas reminds me of the times when I helped my mom cook on the weekends; I feel close to home. Sharing the traditional Mexican food that I prepare with my friends at university is a nice way to share the diversity of my culture, while I broaden others perspectives on international dishes.

Reading is a great resource to connect with the stories from home. I enjoy reading novels by Latin American authors, especially those that have their setting in a historical event; there is always something to learn from the stories of those who came before us. One of my favourite books that I have read to connect with home is One Hundred Years of Solitude, by the Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I enjoyed reading this book because the plot of this novel is situated in Macondo, a fictional village that resembles the town I used to visit on vacations growing up.

One way I connect with home is by celebrating Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Death). Dia de los Muertos is a traditional Mexican celebration, but it is also observed in other parts of Latin America. It is celebrated from October 31 to November 2; this tradition combines Indigenous Aztec customs with the catholic tradition. Dia de los Muertos is a colourful festivity to celebrate and honour family members and friends who passed away. Each family sets an ofrenda (altar) which includes pictures, personal belongings, and the favourite foods and drinks of those deceased, along with decorations such as candles and papel picado (sheets of thin paper from different colors cut in creative designs). One of the main foods that are set in the ofrenda is pan de muerto, which is a rounded sweet bread covered with white sugar, with small stripes on top to resemble the bones of a skeleton. Families get together to prepare and eat this bread during the months of October and November.

For Dia de los Muertos, gravesites and paths in cemeteries are decorated with cempasuchil flowers, to prepare and guide the path for the deceased to awaken from their sleep, to reunite and celebrate with their loved ones. Some of the symbols and artifacts present in this festivity are colourful handcrafted calacas (skeletons) and calaveras (skulls), made of materials such as clay and porcelain, and even edible ingredients like chocolate or amaranto (a cereal). Dia de los Muertos is a celebration to connect with those who left, but also to connect with one another in the community; we get together with family and friends to decorate and set the ofrenda, and pick up the cempasuchil flowers.

One of my memories of Dia de los Muertos is setting the ofrenda at elementary school during the month October. Each of us would make and decorate a calavera to put it in the altar, it was special to see everyones unique art forming part of the group altar; similar to how the tradition is celebrated together with the community.

During the month of October, there are events organized by the Latin American Students Association to celebrate Latin Heritage Month. The event of Dia de los Muertos Celebration is happening on October 29 and combines food, music, and dance from different regions of Latin America with the Dia de los Muertos tradition. Everyone is welcome to participate. Similarly, the Spanish Conversation Club meets weekly on Fridays at Deweys, from 3:30 to 5:00 PM. Attending the conversation club is a great resource to stay connected with our culture by practicing our first language, while learning different accents of Spanish!

Participating in activities that celebrate the heritage of different cultures is a way to practice multiculturalism and diversity on campus, celebrate our unique backgrounds together and learn from different cultures. This Latin Heritage Month, I wish to learn more about the traditions from other parts of Latin america. You are also invited to this learning journey!
First Interstate Bank employees recently raised more than $25,000 for the Montana Food Bank Network in support of its Feed Montana Annual Event, a month-long campaign to raise 400,000 meals.

The Montana Food Bank Network is Montanas only statewide food bank, partnering with more than 340 network partners, including other food banks, food pantries, schools, senior citizen centers, and shelters, to help end hunger in Montana.

First Interstate Bank challenged its Montana employees to contribute, and gifts were triple matched by the First Interstate BancSystem Foundation, explained Jocelyn Lane, Montana Regional President. To add some fun  and a little competition  we framed the effort as Montana State University Bobcats versus University of Montana Grizzlies.

The campaign launched on September 1, and the claws were out.

After 30 days of spirited competition, the Cats took home the win with $4,607.33 donated to combat hunger. The Grizzlies put up a good fight raising $4,004.00. With the Foundations multiplier, a total of $25,833.99 was raised.

Among Montana branches, Hardin emerged victorious with 100% participation by its employees, earning a distinguished Bobcat-inspired traveling trophy.

Commitment to community is a guiding principle at First Interstate. Im grateful to our employees who put that value into action to benefit the places we call home, said Lane. We are proud to continue our long history of supporting the Montana Food Bank Network as they work to make a difference.
A total of 421 children deaths have been confirmed across Ukraine as a result of Russias full-scale invasion.

Thats according to the Prosecutor General's Office, Ukrinform reports.

"As of the morning of October 9, 2022, more than 1,219 children casualties were recorded in Ukraine as a result of the full-scale armed aggression by the Russian Federation. According to the official report by juvenile prosecutors, 421 children were killed and 798  injured," the statement reads.

The report is yet to be updated as further work is underway to confirm casualties in active hostility zones, temporarily captured and recently liberated territories.

The largest numbers of children casualties were reported in Donetsk region (405), as well as in the regions of Kharkiv (252), Kyiv (116), Mykolaiv (75), Chernihiv (68), Luhansk (64), Zaporizhia (62), Kherson (57), and Dnipropetrovsk (30).

On October 6-7, as a result of a Russian shelling, two children aged 4 and 9 were injured in Zaporizhia.

Last night, the enemy again carried out a massive missile attack on the citys residential infrastructure, leaving six children injured.

Also a total of 2,608 educational facilities were damaged by Russian bombing and shelling. Of them, 313 were completely destroyed.
Canada has renewed a training mission for Ukrainian military servicemen in Britain.

Thats according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

On August 12, a detachment of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel, predominantly from 3rd Canadian Division and 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group based out of Edmonton, arrived in the United Kingdom (U.K.) to resume the training of the Security Forces of Ukraine (SFU) under Operation UNIFIERUK.

On June 30, the British Ministry of Defence requested international support in their largescale initiative to provide training for SFU recruits in the U.K. In response, Canada sent a sizeable detachment of skilled soldiers to England in support of this undertaking. Alongside our U.K. allies, CAF soldiers are currently delivering targeted training on imminently required individual and collective military skills to Ukrainian recruits to empower them to defend their country from Russian aggression.

We are incredibly honoured to resume training of the Security Forces of Ukraine. Our training teams consist of highly skilled, highly motivated and professional soldiers who are committed to this mission. We are providing vital training that serves to bolster the capabilities, strength and combat readiness of the already proven and determined SFU, said Warrant Officer Kory Ozerkevich, Op UNIFIERUK SergeantMajor.

As the war in Ukraine drags on, western allies have made concrete efforts to assist Ukraine through providing a safe location, as well as skilled military personnel, to train the SFU.

According to Corporal Justin Cole, an infantry soldier from 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI), the mission has been enlightening.

This is an eyeopening experience and really makes you understand the gravity of the situation in Ukraine, he said. The recruits constantly want to learn and perfect the skills were teaching them. The days are long but rewarding and I am proud to be a part of this mission.
Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian defenders have eliminated 62,500 Russian servicemen, including 440 in the past day.

Thats according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

"The enemys total combat losses from Feb 24 to Oct 09 amounted to approximately 62,500 (+440)," the statement says.

Also, since the full-scale invasion, the enemy lost 2,486 (+14) tanks, 5,133 (+22) armored combat vehicles, 1,477 (+18) artillery systems, 348 (+3) MLR systems, 180 air defense systems, 266 warplanes, 235 helicopters, 1,086 (+7) UAVs, 247 (+1) cruise missiles, 15 warships/cutters, 3,890 (+15) trucks and tankers, and 136 units of specialized equipment.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Ukraines Army repelled more than 30 enemy attacks in the Avdiivka and Bakhmut directions in the past 24 hours.

Photo credit: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Slovakia has delivered to Ukraine two more Zuzana-2 self-propelled artillery units.

Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad broke the news on Twitter Sunday, Ukrinform reports.

"To mark his 70th birthday, we delivered yet another gift to aggressor Putin. Another two new Zuzana2 howitzers are now in Ukraine (and much more to come)" the minister wrote.

As reported, early June, Minister of Defense of the Slovak Republic, Jaroslav Nad, said Slovakia had signed a contract with the Ukrainian side for the supply of eight Zuzana-2 self-propelled howitzers to counter Russian aggression.

In October, it became known that Germany, Denmark, and Norway would purchase for Ukraine 16 Slovak-made Zuzana-2 howitzers worth a total of EUR 92 million. The guns will be supplied next year.

Zuzana-2 howitzers are capable of firing six shells per minute at a range of up to 40 kilometers.

Photo: @JaroNad
Last night Russian troops fired dozens of Kh-22, Kh-59 and S-300 missiles at the city of Zaporizhzhia. Over the past day, Ukraines Air Force has shot down one enemy missile, as well as a Russian aircraft and three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The relevant statement was made by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

On the night of October 9, 2022, [Russian] occupation troops launched a massive missile attack on Zaporizhzhia. Civilians were killed, houses destroyed Starting from 00:30 a.m., six Tu-22M3 bombers were detected operating from the Ryazan air base and seven Su-35 fighters  from the Marinovka air base in the Rostov region, the report states.

According to Ukraines Air Force, enemy missiles were fired at Zaporizhzhia from the temporarily occupied areas, namely the Melitopol district and the Berdiansk district. The enemy launched four Kh-22 cruise missiles (from Tu-22M3) and two Kh-59 guided air-to-surface missiles (from Su-35).

In addition, Russian invaders used the S-300 air defense missile systems, having fired about 16 missiles at civil infrastructure and residential areas in the city.

Meanwhile, Ukraines Air Force shot down a Russian aircraft (presumably Su-25, its type is yet to be checked), two UAVs, one Shahed-136 suicide drone and one Kh-59 guided air-launched missile in southern Ukraine.

A reminder that, as of October 9, 2022, a total of 12 civilians were reported killed and 49 injured, including six children, in Russias missile attack on Zaporizhzhia.

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In the south, the Armed Forces of Ukraine performed 170 fire missions hitting enemy positions last night and downed a Russian attack aircraft in Mykolaiv region.

According to operational information, the situation in Southern Buh direction as of 13:00, October 9, remains tense but controlled by the Defense Forces, the Operational Command "South" posted on Facebook.

The Ukrainian troops carry out active military operations to disrupt the enemy's control and logistics system and eliminate manpower and equipment. Since the beginning of active operations, the area of the territories liberated from the Russians has increased to 1,170 square kilometers.

Enemy units focus their main efforts on holding the captured territories and restraining the offensive actions of the Ukrainian army.

The Operational Command "South" notes that the Ukrainian missile and artillery units performed 170 fire missions hitting enemy positions and areas of manpower and equipment build-up last night.

At noon today, the Ukrainian air defense units destroyed a Shahed-136 kamikaze drone over the sea with which the enemy tried to attack Odesa.

In Mykolayiv region, a Russian attack aircraft was downed during an attempt to launch an airstrike.

In the Black Sea, the enemy keeps 14 ships that continue maneuvers along the southwestern coast of the temporarily occupied Crimea. There are four cruise missile carriers, including two submarines, with a total of 24 Kalibr missiles among them. One enemy landing ship is also on alert.

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If the occupiers flee while they have a chance, this will be the best option for them. If they are forced to stay, any occupier can find a way to surrender to Ukrainian captivity.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said this in the evening address.

Dear Ukrainians!

Today was a good and mostly sunny day on the territory of our state. It was about 20 degrees and sunny in large parts of the country.

Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea. Although it is also warm. But no matter what the clouds are, Ukrainians know what to do. And they know that our future is sunny.

This is a future without occupiers. Throughout our territory, in particular in Crimea.

We guarantee the preservation of lives to all Russian military servicemen who voluntarily lay down their arms and surrender.

Ukraine always adheres to all international norms and conventions.

We will not leave any other options for the occupiers to rely on.

And again and again I want to thank all our citizens who are fighting and working for peace for Ukraine, for the liberation of our entire land.

This day, the movement of our military, the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Guard and all those who take part in active actions  actions in the east, actions in the south of our country  continued.

We are holding positions in Donbas, in particular in the Bakhmut direction, where now it is very, very hard, very tough fighting. Today, I would like to once again mention our soldiers from the Kholodny Yar 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade for their courage and sustained power in this direction.

Thanks to all our anti-aircraft gunners and everyone involved in the air defense of Ukraine.

We are doing everything we can to defend Ukrainian skies, and it is one of the highest priorities for our diplomats to speed up the decision of our partners to provide Ukraine with modern and effective anti-aircraft systems in sufficient quantity.

We will definitely come to that.

In the de-occupied territories, we do not slow down the pace of reconstruction work for a single day. It's transport, it's electricity, it's gas supply, it's postal services, social benefits  wherever there is a real possibility to provide it, we provide it.

I must ask all Ukrainians in the territory where the occupiers were to be especially attentive to the mine threat.

Our explosive ordnance disposal teams, our bomb disposal engineers are working at their maximum, but after the occupiers, a very large area is contaminated with mines. Please do not ignore mine warnings, do not visit areas closed due to danger, please report any mines or unexploded ordnance found to the police, emergency services or local authorities.

And I want to add one more thing.

Lawyer's Day is celebrated in Ukraine today. Not everyone who has a law degree works in law. But among those who still work in this field, there are people whose contribution is truly historic. Very important.

Those who investigate into the crimes of the occupiers. Those who help to restore justice, in particular by working in the field of human rights. Those who do everything so that every Russian murderer and the aggressor state itself are inevitably punished for this war. I thank all of you for this very important work!

I'm thankful to investigators, prosecutors, human rights defenders, lawyers, civil servants, and employees of public organizations.

I'm thankful to everyone who teaches law, fights for the rule of law and helps people defend their rights, freedoms and legitimate interests.

Justice for Ukraine, for Europe, for the world must and will be restored. Thanks to our indomitable, strong, conscientious and educated people.

Eternal glory to all who defend Ukraine!

Glory to Ukraine!
Ukraine has rejected another insinuation by the Belarusian regime claiming that Ukraine is allegedly planning an attack on Belarusian territory.

Oleg Nikolenko, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, said this in a Facebook post, Ukrinform reports.

"On the evening of October 8, Ukraine's Ambassador to Minsk, Ihor Kyzym, was invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, where he was handed a diplomatic note. In the note, the Belarusian side claims that Ukraine is allegedly planning an attack on Belarusian territory," he said.

Nikolenko said this information was not true. "We categorically reject another insinuation by the Belarusian regime. We do not rule out that the handing over of the diplomatic note may be part of the Russian Federation's plan to stage a provocation and then accuse Ukraine," he wrote.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry urged the Belarusian people not to succumb to provocations. "Ukraine has never encroached on foreign territories. We strictly adhere to the fundamental norms and principles of international law and the UN Charter," Nikolenko said.

According to him, the authorities in Belarus should stop fulfilling the wishes of the Kremlin and immediately stop providing support to Russia in carrying out its aggression against Ukraine.

Earlier, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, admitted that his country was participating in Russia's "special operation."
Kyrgyzstan has decided to call off a military drill of the Collective Security Treaty Organization forces, initially scheduled to be held on its territory in October.

This was reported by the press service of the countrys defense ministry, Ukrinform wrote, citing Radio Azattyk.

It is emphasized that the command and staff exercises with the CSTO peacekeeping forces, "Indestructible Brotherhood-2022," were to take place on the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic in October 2022.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on September 14, hostilities broke out on Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan border. On the morning of September 16, the situation aggravated as the parties traded blame for the escalation. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan also accused each other of employing heavy weapons in the conflict area.

Under the pressure of the international community, the parties to the conflict agreed on a ceasefire, which came into effect at 16:00 local time on September 16.

The Kyrgyzstan authorities called on the CSTO to actively participate in the resolution of tensions on the country's border with Tajikistan. Kyrgyzstan also called on the CSTO to amend its statutory documents to prevent armed incursions and resolve all differences between states by peaceful means.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.
The Austrian Foreign Ministry has called on Russia to stop attacks on civilian infrastructure, as it did during strikes on Zaporizhzhia, and emphasized the need to bring those responsible for these crimes to justice.

According to Ukrinform, the ministry said this in a statement posted on its Twitter account.

"Russian attacks against civilian infrastructure like in Zaporizhzhia are utterly unacceptable and must stop. The protection of civilians is not a choice, but a duty under international law. Those responsible must be held to account," the Austrian Foreign Ministry said.

In the early hours of October 9, the invaders fired nine S-300 and Kh-22 missiles at the residential quarters of Zaporizhzhia. Dozens of private houses, two apartment blocks and other civilian infrastructure in the city came under fire.

Thirteen people, including a child, were killed in the shelling, and 89 others, including 11 children, were injured.
A small, ramshackle cabin tucked into the timber above Cooke City became a sentimental link for Fred Woody decades ago, eventually sending him on a prospecting journey to mine local history.

Im not a historian, but I love a good story, he told a gathering at the Montana Historical Societys 49th annual history conference, at Rock Creek Lodge.

Woodys story, which he hopes to turn into a true life novel, centers around a Bavarian-born emigrant to America named Adam Horn Miller. During his lifetime, Miller worked as a trapper, bullwhacker, prospector, guide for Gen. Howard during his pursuit of the Nez Perce and was a renowned bare-knuckle fighter. Because of this, Woody has dubbed Miller Montanas toughest citizen.

Prospecting

In one of his many adventures that proved to be life changing, in 1870 Miller set out with four other men to prospect for gold in the Beartooth Mountains of southwestern Montana near what is now Cooke City. The group believed that fellow prospectors, Jack Crandall and Fin Dougherty, had discovered gold somewhere along the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River the previous year. They couldnt be certain, however, because both men were killed and beheaded by Native Americans.

After weeks of working their way south through the Paradise Valley, into what would become Yellowstone National Park, and then back northeast, the travelers were getting on each others nerves.

So now they kept having more and more issues, with buffalo charges, mosquitoes, flies, ants, Woody said. The journal (kept by prospector A.B. Henderson) is full of things about why this is such a miserable trip. Weather, deep snow, all those things.

Abundance

Luck finally smiled on the men when Miller and his compatriots struck gold near Lake Abundance and the headwaters of the Stillwater River.

Here we found the first gold on the trip  gold in every gulch and sag, Henderson wrote on July 2, 1870. His journal would later be published as: Narrative of a prospecting expedition to the East Fork & Clark Fork of Yellowstone.

Finally, Miller was at the leading edge of a gold strike rather than following on the heels of gold camps in other places he had wandered  including Colorado, California and Montana.

At the time of the discovery, the mining district was still part of the Crow Indian Reservation. Mining was banned until 1882, when the reservations size was substantially reduced. Yet even before then, Miller and his partners staked claims and small-scale mining began.

Attacked

Despite discovering gold near Lake Abundance on the 1870 trip, Miller and his compatriots continued to explore the region, traveling down and naming Soda Butte Creek, and then moving up the Lamar River and over the mountains to an area near the headwaters of the Little Lamar, Sunlight Creek and the North Fork Shoshone River, which back then was called the Stinkingwater River. The trip went sour when the party was attacked by Native Americans who stole all of their horses.

Rather than leave any of their gear behind that could benefit the warriors, the men destroyed most of the equipment and provisions like coffee, sugar and flour.

So they spent the night sharpening their knives and slicing everything into shreds, Woody said. Any meat they had they poisoned. They destroyed their saddles, all of their equipment.

Among the items left behind on Aug. 1, 1870, were 25 pounds of ammunition, 21 traps and 27 bear skins, according to Hendersons journal.

The area must have been thick with bears for them to acquire so many pelts. Earlier in the trip, Henderson wrote of killing an old she bear and three cubs after a severe fight near Lake Abundance. Later the same day, he and his partner killed another bear that proved to be the largest ever shot in the mountains, weight of 960 pounds. In the next two days, the party killed seven more bears.

Trek

After destroying what gear they could, the men attempted to pack out the rest of their provisions, hiking the many miles back to Fort Parker, which was located along the Yellowstone River, east of present-day Livingston. This adventure may rank as the first Caucasian backpacking trip in Yellowstone and the Beartooth Mountains. Henderson wrote that initially, their packs were so heavy they had to stop every few hundred yards to catch their breath and rest. One section was so steep they used knives to cut foot holds.

They started dropping stuff as they went, because it was just too heavy, the going was too hard, it was too steep. They had ropes. They had to mountaineer. Woody said. It was rough going.

The men trekked down the Lamar River, turning up Slough Creek and then crossing over to Buffalo Creek in their hike across the Beartooth Mountains.

One night they were attacked by wolves, Woody said. Another night, their camp was invaded by Indians who had been trying to follow them, figure out where theyd gone. So they had to crawl up into the wild and hide. But Miller noticed that one of the invaders was wearing a hat that he was absolutely sure was Crandalls hat, and he wanted to fight him. Henderson interceded, avoiding further conflict and the possible decapitation of more miners.

Covering 10 to 15 miles a day, they eventually dropped into the head of the Boulder River drainage where, even on Aug. 9, there was deep snow.

Return

Twelve days after setting out on foot, the men finally reached Fort Parker, a journey estimated at 200 miles across mountainous terrain with 9,000 feet of elevation gain.

Arrived at the Agency at night  completely wore out, Henderson wrote.

In that final day he estimated they had walked 25 miles.

Miller, meanwhile, started recruiting guys to immediately go back, Woody said. He got five more guys to agree to go with him. Just a couple of weeks later, eight men with horses and supplies and new Springfield rifles went back the exit path the way theyd come.

Miller staked out his first paying claim that September, digging a 30-foot adit into the mountain mostly by himself, Woody said. Out of all the people who had anything to do with the creation of the New World Mining District, Miller was the only one who stuck around, living and working in the region for 47 years. In 1888, the Bozeman Weekly Chronicle announced his recent visit, calling him one of the oldest of the old timers.

Amazingly, the story about Millers prospecting and backpacking trip is just one of many wild adventures he took part in. To honor that pioneer heritage, his name is attached to a barren 10,000-foot peak overlooking his cabin and Cooke City. Also, sinuous Miller Creek in Yellowstone National Park flows for roughly 12 miles before joining the upper Lamar River, not far from where the prospectors began their long hike.

Miller died on Feb. 10, 1917. His age was variously reported in newspaper obituaries ranging from 77 to 90. According to the Butte Miner he died after a lingering illness. A news story a few days later in the Miner said he collapsed while chopping wood before succumbing to pneumonia. The deceased was recognized as one of the finest type of pioneer citizens that Montana boasts of and his demise is generally regretted in this section, where he was known to everybody.

Just four months before his death, Miller started a new placer claim and moved tons of rock, Woody said.

So Horn Miller, toughest man? Maybe, he said. Stubborn, for damn sure.
More than 1,000 tonnes of aid from France is already in the Romanian city of Suceava, the cargo is transferred to Ukraine.

"We received fire rescue vehicles, ambulances that allow us to carry out examinations in the field, medical equipment, equipment for rescuers, and food products," Deputy Head of the Presidents Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko posted on Telegram.

In addition, Ukraine received pontoon bridges over 200 meters long. "This will allow us to restore civilian infrastructure, establish links and transportation, in particular in the de-occupied territories," Tymoshenko added.

The Deputy Head of the Presidents Office thanked the French and Romanian friends for their help and support.

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I have been a Montana lawyer for 45 years. James Brown, who is running for the Montana Supreme Court, recently asked me for a contribution. I responded that his record disqualifies him for the Court. The substance of my letter follows.

I could not find any objective evidence Brown has established himself as either a reputable attorney or a legal scholar. I had never heard of him, although we practice in the same city. I checked the leading legal peer-review service  Martindale-Hubbell. It rates the skills and ethics of attorneys based upon the honest opinions of both judges and lawyers. The most qualified receive "AV" ratings and the less qualified receive B ratings or less. Stunningly, Brown had no peer review rating at all  despite practicing for over a decade.

I then searched for Brown in the databases of reported court cases. They showed he had appeared only a few times before the Montana Supreme Court. None of his cases in the lower courts were significant enough to be reported.

Based upon reputation, research and ratings, I concluded Mr. Brown hasnt established himself as a significant advocate or legal scholar. This doesnt disqualify him from serving as a judge, but certainly is a major point against him.

More concerning is what I dug up on Brown in the political arena. Hes been a registered corporate lobbyist and partisan political operative for many years. While there is a place for such partisanship in the political legislative and executive branches, there is no room for partisan political operatives on our Montana Supreme Court.

Our Court, obviously, must be independent from politics. It actually referees the political battles in the other two branches of government, calling foul when laws and regulations are passed which violate our Constitution or favor corporations over the rights and interests of actual people  individual Montanans. A corporate lobbyist and political operative cannot possibly be a fair referee. Electing Brown would be like putting a fox in the hen house.

But my greatest concern arose when I learned Brown was the lawyer for Western Traditions Partnership, Inc., the most notorious corrupter of Montana politics in modern times. In the case of Western Traditions Partnership, Inc. v. Bullock, 2011 MT 328, the Court determined this foreign corporation was created to solicit and anonymously spend the funds of other corporations, individuals and entities to influence the outcome of Montana elections. Browns client informed its anonymous wealthy donors they were not required to report [their] names or the amount of any contributions.... [They could] just sit back on election night and see what a difference [they had] made. Now, everyones entitled to an attorney, but I cannot believe an attorney who voluntarily chooses to represent a corporation, whose expressed purpose is to corrupt Montanas government through dark money, is qualified to sit on our Supreme Court.

Brown also was spokesperson for Western Traditions in the PBS Frontline documentary, Big Sky, Big Money, which can be viewed at pbs.org/video/frontline-big-sky-big-money/. Like our Court, Frontline exposed Browns client as an out-of-state corporation that had corrupted Montanas government through millions of dollars of dark money. Both Republicans and Democrats testified Western had undermined their campaigns through slanderous campaign ads and mailers. Montanas Commissioner of Political Practices (COPP) discussed how its investigation revealed Western was basically a corrupt organization of liars. It was nothing more than a Colorado post office address, which served as a front and cover for anonymous big money out-of-state corporations and wealthy individuals who wanted to control our government so they could carve up Montana. Western received the largest fine ever assessed by COPP, over $880,000.

Brown was evasive when Frontline questioned him about Westerns wealthy anonymous donors and why they were so intent on corrupting Montanas politics. This is not the honesty and integrity expected from a person asking Montanans to put him on our highest court, which is charged with protecting Montana  not exploiting it.

For these reasons and as a life-long Montana attorney, I must steadfastly oppose Browns candidacy. It would be a very sad day for Montana if he were to gain a seat on our Supreme Court.
Citizens 4 Our Veterans holds their annual truck pull at Project Veterans Park on Sunday. The event raises money for veterans in Yellowstone County and is the last pulling contest in Montana this season.
LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Oct, 2022 ) :Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has congratulated the Muslim Ummah on the auspicious occasion of Eid Miladun-Nabi Peace Be Upon Him.

In his message on Eid Miladun-Nabi, the CM said that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is the chieftain of all Prophets, adding that Allah Almighty had sent him as a mercy to the entire universe.

Parvez Elahi said that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had made the Arabs, immersed in the darkness of ignorance, a civilised nation. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) gave an ideal social and economic system in a short period of time which is a beacon for the whole world, he said and asserted that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) presented a complete code of human rights on the occasion of his farewell sermon (Hijjatul Wida), and he had established a great tradition by forgiving his enemies on the conquest of Makkah.

The CM said that Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) was the first in the world, who gave rights to women and minorities.

The life of the Holy Prophet is a complete code of life for the entire mankind and he is the Messenger of Peace. Today, the world is suffering from insecurity, immorality, moral and social decay and the cause of all these evils is distance from the teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), he said and cited that world can become a cradle of peace and harmony only by following in the footprint of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The practical requirement of love for Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) is to follow his life and orders, he remarked.

Parvez Elahi said, "Today, we have to reiterate our commitment that we will try our best to live our lives according to the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH).

On the occasion of this blessed day, we pray that Allah Almighty forgives all our shortcomings and blesses us with the intercession of the benefactor of humanity, Holy Prophet (PBUH).
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Oct, 2022 ) :A fire broke out on Sunday in Centaurs Mall, the Capital's popular shopping center, nestled at Blue area crossroads junction.

The fire abruptly started at the lower storeys in the afternoon and according to eyewitnesses, people gathered inside different shopping outlets had to spree for their lives.

Fire brigade engines and local fire extinguishing machinery were being utilized for the fire dousing process, however, fortunately, no loss of life was reported.

Police has cordoned off the entire access points to ensure safety of the public.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th October, 2022) Around a hundred protesters gathered outside the US Department of Justice in downtown Washington on Saturday, urging the authorities to drop charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and stop his extradition from the United Kingdom.

On June 17, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the extradition of the 51-year-old Australian journalist to the US, where he is facing a possible sentence of up to 175 years in prison. WikiLeaks called Patel's decision a dark day for press freedom and for British democracy and promised to challenge the order.

The protesters marched around the building, holding a banner saying "Free Assange," and staged a protest in front of the entrance.

One activist, a former analyst and case officer for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Kiriakou, stressed that the information released by Assange belongs to the American people, who have the right to know what the government does on their behalf.

Another participant, Jeremy "Spike" Cohen, who was the Libertarian party's nominee for the US vice president in 2020, noted that both current and previous US administrations had common views on Assange, as the government is controlled by the military-industrial sector.

Leader of the Doctors for Assange group, Dr Jill Stein, stressed that his possible extradition to the US poses major risks to his life and "the life of our democracy."

Assange is wanted by the US on espionage charges after WikiLeaks published thousands of classified documents that shed light on war crimes committed by American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th October, 2022) Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Stanislav Zas is paying a working visit to Kazakhstan, the CSTO Secretariat said on Sunday.

"On October 9, the Secretary General of theCollective Security Treaty Organization, Stanislav Zas, is heading to Kazakhstan on a working visit.

Meetings with senior political and military leadership of the country are scheduled during the trip," the secretariat told journalists.

Earlier in the week, Kazakhstan hosted joint command-staff exercises of the Collective Rapid Reaction Force "Interaction-2022."

The CSTO, established in 1992, unites Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. Russia currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the alliance.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th October, 2022) Zimbabwe will continue to support Russia following referendums held in several Ukrainian regions on becoming part of Russia, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Zimbabwe Jacob Mudenda told Sputnik.

"Zimbabwe, even before the referendum(s), was on the side of Russia in terms of understanding the root cause of the conflict. ...

Zimbabwe and Russia are victims of sanctions, so they are comrades in the sanctions battle," Mudenda said.

On September 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics, as well as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, signed agreements on the accession of these territories to Russia, following referendums that showed that an overwhelming majority of the local population supported becoming part of Russia.
At least 10 people have died and another 60 are missing after a boat capsized in Nigeria's southeastern Anambra state, officials said Saturday.

The vessel, with 85 people on board, capsized amid heavy flooding, trapping the passengers, Thickman Tanimu, zonal coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency, told Reuters.

Anambra state Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo said in a statement that 10 people had drowned. The head of Anambra State Emergency Management Agency said 15 people had been rescued as of Saturday evening. Anambra state is about a 6 hour drive south of Kogi state in Nigeria.

The incident happened between 11 a.m. (1000 GMT) and noon local time Friday, the agency said.

Area resident and former local government leader Afam Ogene said the boat's engine failed and it was overpowered by waves shortly after it launched.

"It is a locally made boat that can take more than 100 people, unfortunately its engine failed and there was a stampede," Ogene said.

Tanimu said a military disaster response unit from the Nigerian army was assisting the search effort.

Anambra is among the 29 of Nigeria's 36 states to have experienced heavy flooding this year. The floodwaters have washed away homes, crops, roads and impacted at least half a million people.

Ogene said flooding had destroyed the major road linking the eight communities to the rest of the Ogbaru local government area, forcing residents to travel by boat.

Farmers say the rising waters will push food bills higher in a nation where millions have fallen into food poverty in the past two years.
Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen secured a second six-year term in office by winning more than 50% of the vote in an election on Sunday to avoid a runoff, according to initial projections issued soon after voting closed.

Neither of the main centrist parties fielded candidates in the election, and senior figures from both backed Van der Bellen, a 78-year-old former leader of the Greens. The far-right Freedom Party was the only party in parliament to put forward a candidate against the president.R

A projection by pollster SORA for national broadcaster ORF, based on a partial count of 64.8% of votes, put Van der Bellen on 55.4% with a margin of error of 1.9 percentage points. His nearest rival was the Freedom Party's Walter Rosenkranz on 18.4%.

Initial projections in Austria, based on the count from the polling stations that closed earlier in the day, have proved reliable in the past. The last polling stations to close include those in the cities of Vienna and Innsbruck.

A separate projection by ARGE Wahlen for national news agency APA put Van der Bellen on 55.9% and Rosenkranz on 17.9%, based on 62% of votes counted.

The Austrian president largely performs a ceremonial role, but also has sweeping powers that mean overseeing periods of transition and turbulence. Van der Bellen has built up a reputation for having a steady hand and calm manner, particularly in times of crisis.
Julie Hirsch, a Florida resident, has lived in the U.S. since 1987.

I came with a student visa, she said of her time studying in New York. Her family moved to the United States from China a decade after the Cultural Revolution, a period of violent upheaval in which an estimated 2 million people died.

[We] are survivors, you know, she said.

Hirsch said her father, Joseph Ying Cheng, worked with the U.S. Navy during the early 1940s and through his military connections later brought his family to the United States.

Basically, [one of his Navy friends] convinced him to come to the United States.  My father came in 1980. After that, he brought us here, she said.

Hirsch told VOA that after her father became a U.S. citizen, he sponsored his two unmarried adult children. But a third child, the oldest, was married and decided to stay in Shanghai, China.

My older brother was a businessman. He did not want to come here. He only wanted to visit, she said.

But in 2005, Hirsch said her father applied to sponsor her older brother, Dejian Cheng, anyway, through the family-based immigration avenues available under U.S. immigration law.

You have to be with your brother and sister, my father told him, Hirsch said.

That began a nearly 20-year immigration journey.

Family-based process

Through the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1965, Congress established the family immigration procedures we know today. With the law, Congress created a preference system that allows U.S. citizens to sponsor immediate relatives, including spouses, unmarried minor children and parents, to immigrate immediately to the U.S. without any numerical limits.

Family sponsorship U.S. citizens and green card holders can apply to sponsor certain family members living abroad: A U.S. citizen can sponsor through the first preference (F1) any unmarried sons and daughters who are 21 years or older.

A lawful permanent resident, also known as a green card holder, can sponsor through the second preference (F2A) spouses and unmarried children under 21 years old. Those over 21, but unmarried, fall under the F2B category.

Then a third preference (F3) for married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens.

Followed by the last category, or fourth preference (F4), which is limited to brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens.

The U.S. citizen, or green card holder, must be older than 21 to petition a qualifying family member.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, family-based immigration accounts for more than 65% of the countrys annual legal immigration.

But Congress also created categories and caps, meaning that family members of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who are not immediate relatives are sponsored through a system known as family preference. There are five categories, each with a cap.

The process begins when a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident files a petition to sponsor a family member, limited to adult children and siblings.

After the case is filed, approved, and the visa becomes available, it goes to the National Visa Center.  They contact the petitioner and the beneficiary telling them [what] they need to move forward with the consular process, Bruno D'Britto, an immigration lawyer in New Hampshire, told VOA.

David Bier, associate director of immigration policy at the libertarian Cato Institute, explained that though Congress makes 226,000 immigrant visas available annually, they are not only capped into categories, theyre further broken down into different types of families, family members, and then within that, you have the country caps."

The 226,000 is an overall cap for all the categories  and then you have the country caps on top of it, Bier said.

The annual cap for family sponsorship has not increased since 1992. According to Biers latest research, as a result of the numerical limits and the backlogs those limits have created, nearly 1.6 million family-sponsored immigrants will die before they have the chance to immigrate to the United States legally.

Applicants from countries subject to per-country limits such as China, India and Mexico have some of the worst backlogs. For example, first-preference immigrants  unmarried adult children of U.S. citizens  from Mexico who started the process more than 22 years ago are just now able to get green cards, according to an FWD.us analysis of data from the U.S. State Department.

Overall, the backlog in the family sponsorship program has grown from 3.3 million in 1992 to about 7 million in 2022, Bier said. Of that number, he said, 3 million are trying to get a petition approved for a family member and about 4 million have a petition approved but can't get a green card because of the caps.

U.S. lawmakers have not allowed a visa cap adjustment since 1992, he said.

The situation is so extreme that it really would take a pretty major overhaul. It's not [just] a matter of minor tweaks to make the family-sponsored system workable. Again, it's going to take some pretty ambitious legislators to change the status quo, he said.

Hirschs family

For Hirschs family, the process has been ongoing for almost 20 years.

In 2005, her brothers petition was approved. In 2013, Hirschs father died and Hirsch took over her brothers immigration case. In 2016, her brothers immigrant visa became available, according to the National Visa Center, but the process didnt move forward because of legal missteps.

Tsui H. Yee, a New York-based immigration lawyer, said that generally speaking, if the person being sponsored has other family members that can kind of step in the shoes of the sponsor who passed away, then they can request immigration to continue the case and issue the green card.

In 2018, the family requested that the case be reinstated on humanitarian grounds, according to documents Hirsch sent to VOA. Its unclear where the case stands today.

VOA contacted U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the State Department, but officials said they did not comment on individual cases.

Hirsch has not seen her brother for almost a decade. If she were to file a new petition, it would take at least another 12 years.

My brother will then be almost 90 years old, she said.
When voters in Jefferson County, Colorado, cast their ballots in the Nov. 8 midterm election, they will see security guards stationed outside the busiest polling centers.

At an election office in Flagstaff, Arizona, voters will encounter bulletproof glass and need to press a buzzer to enter.

In Tallahassee, Florida, election workers will count ballots in a building that has been newly toughened with walls made of the super-strong fiber Kevlar.

Spurred by a deluge of threats and intimidating behavior by conspiracy theorists and others upset over former President Donald Trump's 2020 election defeat, some election officials across the United States are fortifying their operations as they ramp up for another divisive election.

A Reuters survey of 30 election offices found that 15 have enhanced security in various ways, from installing panic buttons to hiring extra security guards to holding active-shooter and de-escalation training.

Reuters focused on offices in battleground states and offices that had openly expressed a need for security improvements, for example in congressional testimony. While the survey does not speak to how widespread such moves are, it does show how election officials are responding to threats in parts of the country where the election will likely be decided.

Election officials around the country said they were coordinating more closely with local law enforcement to respond quickly to disturbances. Many have also trained workers in de-escalating conflicts and evading active shooters.

Until recently, such threats to safety were seen as hypothetical in a country that has seen few instances of election-related violence since the civil rights battles of the 1960s, when the presence of armed officers sometimes intimidated rather than reassured Black voters.

Now those risks are seen as real, said Tammy Patrick, a senior adviser at the Democracy Fund, a nonpartisan public-interest group founded by entrepreneur and Democratic donor Pierre Omidyar.

"The likelihood that they could occur has definitely increased, so everyone is taking that to heart," she said.

Election officials in 12 states, including some who have paid for moderate security improvements, said they have not received enough money to make their desired upgrades due to bureaucratic hurdles.

In Champaign County, Illinois, clerk Aaron Ammons would like to install metal detectors at his office, where visitors have filmed staff and the layout of the space in what he described as a threatening manner.

"It makes us feel like we're targets, or we're not a priority in the same way our men and women in uniform are. And we're on the front lines of democracy just like they are," said Ammons.

Ammons gave testimony to Congress in August that he and his wife received anonymous messages threatening their daughter's life ahead of the 2020 election, and he told Reuters he recently saw someone filming his house.

The Justice Department says it has investigated more than 1,000 messages to election workers since the 2020 election, including more than 100 that could warrant prosecution. Reuters documented the campaign of fear being waged against election workers in a series of investigative reports.

Seven cases have been charged so far. The first sentence came Thursday, when a Nebraska man received 18 months in prison for threatening an election official.

Spooked workers

One in five U.S. election officials said that they were unlikely to stay in their job through 2024, when Americans will go to the polls again to elect a president, according to a survey by the Brennan Center for Justice that was released in March. They cited stress, attacks by politicians and impending retirement as reasons.

The lingering bitterness from the 2020 election has also spooked many of the temporary workers who check in voters, count ballots and perform other tasks that make elections possible, officials say.

Philadelphia has boosted pay for election day workers from $120 to $250 to help recruiting efforts that have been complicated by fears of harassment, as well as a tight labor market, said Omar Sabir, one of the city's three election commissioners. After receiving death threats in 2020, he himself changed his travel patterns.

"You've got to keep your head on a swivel," Sabir said.

"Sometimes I have nightmares thinking about that, somebody walking up and causing me harm."

Protective measures

Many election officials blame disinformation, such as Trump's baseless claims about election fraud in the 2020 election, for the surge in threats.

Justin Roebuck, the Republican clerk of Michigan's rural, conservative Ottawa County, said Trump's rhetoric had "really poisoned the well," inspiring other candidates to sow doubts about elections. In Michigan, Republican candidates for governor, attorney general and other positions have questioned the outcome of the 2020 election.

Roebuck's office held a three-hour role-playing exercise with local emergency management officials this year to plan how to respond to violent incidents. They also printed a brochure explaining balloting procedures that workers can hand to people to de-escalate confrontations with anyone aggressively questioning their work.

In addition to adding Kevlar walls, the Leon County, Florida, elections office has held active shooter training for its workers, installed bullet- and bomb-resistant glass, and invested in security cameras and video file storage, according to elections supervisor Mark Earley, who says he gets frequent hostile and profane calls from strangers.

"I've got to worry about my workers leaving the building and walking up to their cars after dark," he said.

Earley paid to stiffen his facility's security with a 2020 grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a non-profit group funded by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. But Florida and 25 other states have since banned such outside funding.

Funding Woes

Election officials say they have struggled to get federal aid for safety measures.

The departments of Justice and Homeland Security said this year that funds would be available for election office security, but that money was claimed by local police departments and others more familiar with those programs, said Amy Cohen, the head of the National Association of State Election Directors.

A spokesman for the Justice Department said the agency's Election Threats Task Force had worked since its launch in 2021 to steer federal aid to local election offices for security enhancements and had urged Congress to provide more such funding.

Some offices have paid for security enhancements by cutting back elsewhere. Jefferson County, Colorado, has scaled back mailings to voters to pay for four security guards who will monitor the busiest four voting locations in the weeks surrounding the election.

"It's worth it for us, having the ability to be proactive rather than reactive," said George Stern, the Jefferson County clerk.
Abu Dhabi, UAECNN 

The United Arab Emirates surprised its Western allies last week when it abstained on a US-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The move amounted to a declaration of neutrality from one of Americas closest Middle East allies in a war that has polarized the international community.

Anwar Gargash, adviser to the UAE president, said taking sides would only lead to more violence. The UAEs priority is to encourage all parties to resort to diplomatic action and to negotiate to find a political solution, he said.

The war in Ukraine, which began less than two months after the UAE took a seat at the Security Council, has thrust the countrys changing foreign policy onto the world stage, showing how the Gulf state tries to juggle its ties between traditional allies and burgeoning partnerships. It also demonstrates the struggle faced by the West in getting unequivocal condemnation of Russias invasion from its allies.

The UAE called for a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis in a way that guarantees the interests and national security of all parties, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi said in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. They also discussed energy cooperation.

Other Arab states have also refrained from condemning Russias invasion. Saudi Arabia, which counts Russia as its main partner in the OPEC+ alliance to coordinate oil output, said Tuesday it supports international de-escalation efforts in Ukraine. The Arab League on Monday also called for de-escalation and restraint in a joint communique. Neither has condemned Russias aggression in Ukraine.

The UAE [shouldnt] be projected as a puppet of the United States anymore, said Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a political science professor in the UAE. Just because we have such great relations with America, we do not take orders from Washington, and we have to do things consistent with our own strategy and priority.

The UAEs apparent paving of an independent foreign policy comes amid Abu Dhabis frustration with the Biden administrations treatment of issues of significance to the Gulf nation. Soon after Biden came to office, he removed the Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen from the US list of terrorist organizations. Less than a year later, the Houthis have begun a campaign of fatal strikes on Abu Dhabi. The US has pledged to bolster UAE defenses, but Abu Dhabi wants a redesignation of the Houthis as terrorists.

In December, the UAE suspended talks for a $23 billion deal with the US to acquire F-35 fighter jets after the talks were stalled by the administration. Then, last month, it announced that it was buying fighter jets from China for the first time ever.

The UAE has yet to figure out how to navigate the new multipolar world, Cinzia Bianco, a research fellow on Europe and the Gulf at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said on Twitter. The UAE and other Gulf monarchies are re-evaluating relations with the US who, in their strong view, reneged on its end of the bargain: providing security.

Meanwhile, ties with Moscow have only grown stronger.

Two years ago, the UAEs de facto ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to the capital in a grand ceremony, during which the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince described Russia as his second home as Putin cemented $1.3 billion worth of energy and technology deals.

Local newspapers called it the beginning of a special relationship and ran live updates of the visit. It was clear the two leaders share a strong personal bond, said Abu Dhabis The National newspaper.

Ultimately, however, it is a bit of a risk to elevate the position of Russia as an equal of the US, said Karen Young, senior fellow at Washingtons Middle East Institute. [Staying neutral in the Ukraine conflict] is a calculation that Russia and Russian leadership will be useful to Emirati leadership.

The last time a US president visited the UAE was 14 years ago, when George W. Bush occupied the Oval Office. It was the only US presidential visit to the country.

You have long heard people in the Gulf, policymakers, say that when you shake Putins hand, you know he will keep his word, said Young. [Putin] does what he wants, so I think there is a certain attraction in the Gulf to having that kind of certainty, she added. The frustration with the US is that when administrations change, policy changes, and that doesnt happen in Russia  at least not yet.

Trade between the UAE and Russia has been modest, but it has grown ten-fold since 1997, the Russian state news agency TASS reported.

As the third and seventh top oil producers respectively, Russia and the UAE coordinate crude output policies under the OPEC+ alliance. The UAE also depends heavily on Russian tourists. Russia grew to become the second-largest source market for Dubais tourism sector in 2021, climbing from eighth place in the previous years rankings, according state-run Wam news agency.

The relationship goes beyond energy and trade. Russia was the biggest wheat supplier to the UAE last year with about 50% market share, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

The UAE and other Gulf states will find themselves faced with situations like Ukraine many times again, wrote Bianco. Hedging will be possible but limited.

Dubais former finance chief Nasser al-Shaikh said that neutrality may not be sustainable if the conflict drags on.

It might be possible to maintain neutrality now but not in the near future as things unfold/escalate. Very small window of opportunity, he tweeted.

Other top Middle East news

UN imposes arms embargo on Yemens Houthis, calls them terrorist group

The UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Yemens Iran-aligned Houthis on Monday, agreeing to expand a targeted arms embargo on several Houthi leaders to the whole group. The resolution referred to them as a terrorist group.

Background: A Saudi-led coalition has been battling the Houthis for seven years in a conflict largely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The coalition, the US and UN sanctions monitors have accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with arms, which both Tehran and the group deny.

Why it matters: The move was pushed by the UAE after the Houthis claimed several drone and missile assaults on the UAE and Saudi Arabia this year.

Turkey says Russia canceled Black Sea passage bid upon its request

Russia canceled a bid to send four of its warships through Turkish waters into the Black Sea at Turkeys request, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday, adding the decision was made before Ankara moved to restrict access to the straits over Moscows invasion of Ukraine.

Background: On Monday, Ankara said it had closed its Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits under a 1936 pact that gives Turkey certain control over the passage of warships, especially at times of war. Turkey had warned both Black Sea and non-Black Sea countries not to pass warships through the straits.

Why it matters: Turkey has good ties with Russia and Ukraine. Even as NATO members have hit Moscow with sanctions, any step too far by Ankara could harm its heavy Russian energy imports, trade and tourism sectors at a time of domestic economic turmoil.

Israels top court blocks Jerusalem eviction until final decision on ownership

The Israeli Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a group of Palestinian families facing eviction in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem can stay in their homes until a final decision on ownership is made.

Background: The families have been living in Sheikh Jarrah since the 1950s after fleeing homes in Haifa, Jaffa and other towns that became part of Israel. When Israel gained control of East Jerusalem after the 1967 war, a law was passed allowing Israelis to claim land they said was theirs prior to 1948.

Why it matters: Tensions in the neighborhood rose last year when it appeared the case was coming to a conclusion, and which Hamas used in part as a pretext for firing rockets at Jerusalem, triggering an 11-day war between Gaza militants and the Israeli army.

What to watch

Russian demands from Ukraine are maximalist and unreasonable and will not help ceasefire talks, Turkish Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told CNNs Becky Anderson in an interview on Tuesday.

The second round of talks between the delegations from Ukraine and Russia is planned for Wednesday, Russian state media reported. The first round this week yielded scant progress.

Watch the interview here:

Around the region

Museum of the Future opens its doors to the world

Living in giant space stations soaring through the cosmos. Overcoming disability with cutting-edge bionic limbs. Scientists in labs preserving species at risk of extinction. These are just a few possibilities envisioned by Dubais recently unveiled Museum of the Future.

The latest addition to the citys famed skyline was inaugurated at a glitzy opening ceremony, accompanied by a light show, an orchestra and attended by the ruler of the emirate Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on February 22.

The enormous, elliptical structure is engraved with Arabic calligraphy, showing quotes from the ruler.

Inside, the exhibits show what life in the United Arab Emirates could be like in the next half-century.

We know the next 50 years [will be] amazing years for humanity, Mohammad al-Gergawi, Chairman of the Dubai Future Foundation, told CNNs Becky Anderson.

The building itself bursts with symbolism. Its designers say the stainless-steel circular structure represents humanity, the green mound within the circle represents earth, and the void at the center represents the unknown future.

Last year, the National Geographic listed the building as one of the 14 most beautiful museums in the world because of its unique architecture and high-end technology.

More than 200 feet tall and occupying an overall area capacity of 30,548 square meters, the museum aims to show not only what humans can achieve, but also what obstacles they can overcome.

The station [is] called Amal, Hope, which is thats part of our DNA as a nation, said Gergawi. We are in the business of creating hope.

The museum officially opened its doors to visitors last week.
Older people with limited mobility and those with chronic health conditions requiring the use of electrically powered medical devices were especially vulnerable when Hurricane Ian slammed into Southwest Florida, and experts warn such risks to society's oldest are growing as disasters increase with the impact of climate change.

Almost all of the dozens of people killed by Ian in hardest hit Lee County were 50 or older, with many in their 70s, 80s and even 90s. That's highlighted the rising dangers for those least likely to be able to flee such disasters and those most likely to be impacted by the aftermath.

Climate change makes hurricanes wetter and more powerful, but it also increases the frequency of heat waves like ones that scorched the Pacific Northwest the last two summers, killing scores of mostly aged people. It's also intensified drought-fueled wildfires like the inferno that incinerated the California town of Paradise in 2018, killing 85 people, again mostly older.

"It's not terribly surprising that physically frail, socially isolated people are the most likely to die in these events. But it is politically significant," said New York University sociology professor Eric Klinenberg. "If we know people are at risk, why aren't we doing more to help them?"

Klinenberg, who wrote the book "Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago" about extreme heat that killed more than 700 mostly older and Black people in July 1995, called Ian a mere preview.

"We saw this happen in Chicago, in (Hurricane) Katrina, in (Superstorm) Sandy, and we are going to see more and more as the globe becomes increasingly hotter," he said.

Florida in particular will feel the increased impact of climate-fueled disasters, sitting in the path of many Atlantic storms and with a large share of retirees drawn by warm weather, a vast coastline and relatively cheap housing. About 29% of Lee County's population are 65 and older.

One of the more dramatic stories of Ian demonstrates the risks. Johnny Lauder's 86-year-old mother Karen Lauder, who uses a wheelchair, initially refused to evacuate. But as the water inside her home began to rise nearly above her head, she was unable to flee and her son had to come rescue her in an ordeal he documented.

The extreme dangers some face when they lose power was especially clear in Lee County, where an 89-year-old man died after the electricity he needed for his oxygen went out and then his backup generator failed.

Florida has attempted to address some of these issues by setting up shelters where people with health conditions that require electricity for oxygen, dialysis and devices like ventilators can preregister to stay.

AARP Florida Director Jeff Johnson praised the special shelters, saying the state's county emergency management agencies had modernized and improved evacuation operations the past two decades.

"There is room for improvement, but it would be wrong to say they aren't doing anything," he said.

Home-based networks that deliver care and services to older people, as well as neighborhood associations and faith communities can also help by checking on socially isolated older people, Johnson said.

Several hurricane survivors sat in wheelchairs Thursday outside one special shelter set up at an elementary school in Fort Myers.

Merrill Bauchert, 60, was staying there because Ian destroyed his home and he needs electricity for the CPAP machine he uses for severe sleep apnea.

Bauchert said dozens of residents from a senior living facility were staying there, many of them with mobility problems or dependent on electrical medical devices to stay alive.

Large oxygen tanks were used at first for people with breathing problems, he said, but those were later replaced with mechanical oxygen generators for individual use. Conditions have improved with restored water service, but the early days were tough, Bauchert said.

With many people too frail to go outside and no sewer service inside, using the restroom involved putting a plastic bag in a toilet and sitting down, sometimes with help.

"You were actually doing your business in a trash bag. Take the trash bag, tie it in a knot, throw it in the trash can and put another bag in for the next person," he said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has recognized the disproportionate effect Ian had on the state's older residents, and the need for local groups to help their recovery.

"It hit in areas that have a lot of elderly residents, and I've met a lot of the folks," DeSantis said at a news conference Thursday. "So you're somebody who's maybe 85 years old. You may not be able to do the same home repair that you used to be able to do when you were younger."

While the death toll of over 100 and property damage from Ian was catastrophic, Hurricane Katrina caused far more deaths and destruction in August 2005.

Researchers have concluded that nearly half of those killed by Katrina in Louisiana were 75 or older. A 2006 Senate Committee report noted a failure by all levels of government to effectively evacuate thousands of older, sick and disabled people from New Orleans as neighbors with cars fled the city.

Older people are also at risk from heat in the days and weeks after major storms.

After Hurricane Ida slammed Louisiana in 2021, of nine New Orleans residents killed by heat and 10 for whom heat was a contributing cause of death, only four  two in each group  were under the age of 60, according to information provided by the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office.

The aftereffects of Hurricane Irma in 2017 took an especially large toll. The direct impacts of the storm killed more than 90 people in the U.S., but researchers at the University of South Florida and Brown University found 433 additional residents at Florida nursing homes died within 90 days of the storm, compared to the same period in 2015, when there were no hurricanes.

The study was prompted by the heat-related deaths of 12 residents at a Broward County nursing home that occurred when the storm knocked out air conditioning and staff didn't move them to another facility. An administrator and three nurses were later charged.

Klinenberg, the sociologist who wrote about the Chicago heat deaths, said the fault lies in how society cares for its elders not only during disasters, but daily.

"We live in an aging society and in a way we are victims of our own success," he said. "Europe has the same problem. Also, Japan and Korea. People are living decades longer because of medical science, but we don't know how to care for them."
Families offered flowers and dolls, popcorn and juice boxes to children massacred at a day care center in Thailand, part of a Buddhist ceremony held Sunday just paces from where the slaughter began that was meant to guide the young souls back to their bodies.

Come back home and come back with us, the relatives called into the empty day care center, many with tears in their eyes.

The gun and knife attack on the Young Childrens Development Center in Uthai Sawan was Thailands deadliest mass killing, and it robbed the small farming community of much of its youngest generation. The former police officer who stormed the building killed two dozen people at the day care before taking more lives as he fled, including his wife and child, police said. He then killed himself.

Ceremonies were held Sunday at three temples, where the 36 victims  mostly preschoolers  were taken ahead of funeral rites and cremation on Tuesday.

Maneerat Tanonethong  whose 3-year-old Chaiyot Kijareon was killed at the day care center  said the rituals were helping her with her grief.

I am trying not think about horrible images and focus on how lovely he was. ... But I dont know what I will do with myself once this is all over, she said. I am determined that I will try let go of this, that I wont hold any grudge against the perpetrator and understand that all of these will end in this life.

At Rat Samakee temple, family members sat in front of the tiny coffins while Buddhist monks chanted prayers. They placed trays of food, toys and milk along the outside of the temple walls as offerings to the spirits of their slain children.

Later, they headed to the day care center and gathered in front of a makeshift memorial there to receive the slain childrens belongings. They made offerings of their kids favorite foods and lit incense and candles as they implored the childrens souls to return to their bodies.

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is expected to attend evening prayers at the three temples where bodies were brought later Sunday.

Police identified the attacker as Panya Kamrap, 34, a police sergeant fired earlier this year after being charged with a drug offense.

An employee at the day care told Thai media that Panyas son had attended the center but hadnt been there for about a month. Police have said they believe Panya was under stress from tensions between him and his wife, and money problems.

The attack has left no one in the small community untouched, and brought international media attention to the remote, rural area. Thai police are investigating a report that a CNN crew inappropriately entered the day care center while reporting.

CNN tweeted that the crew had entered the premises at a moment when the police cordon had been removed from the center and were told by three public health officials that they could film inside.

Mass killings in Thailand are rare but not unheard of.

In 2020, a disgruntled soldier opened fire in and around a mall in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima, killing 29 people and holding off security forces for some 16 hours before being killed by them.

Prior to that, a 2015 bombing at a shrine in Bangkok left 20 people dead. It was allegedly carried out by human traffickers in retaliation for a crackdown on their network.
Nicolas Touillou had just proposed marriage to his girlfriend. Nelson Marinho Jr. was heading off on a new oil exploration job. Eric Lamy was about to celebrate his 38th birthday.

They were among 228 people killed in 2009 when their storm-tossed Air France flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris slammed into the Atlantic. After more than a decade of legal battles, their families at last have a chance at justice.

Aviation industry heavyweights Airbus and Air France are charged with manslaughter in a trial that opens Monday over the crash of Flight 447 on June 1, 2009. The worst plane crash in Air France history killed people of 33 nationalities and had lasting impact, leading to changes in air safety regulations, how pilots are trained and the use of airspeed sensors.

But it almost didnt come to trial. The companies insist they are not criminally responsible, and Air France has already compensated families. Investigators argued for dropping the case, but unusually, judges overruled them and sent the case to court.

We made a promise to our loved ones to have the truth for them and to ensure that they didnt die for nothing, Ophelie Touillou, whose 27-year-old brother Nicolas was killed, told The Associated Press. But we are also fighting for collective security, in fact, for all those who board an Airbus every day, or Air France, every day.

She said the companies present themselves as untouchable, and that Airbus made no effort to address families concerns. For them, we are nothing. They did not lose 228 people. They lost a plane.

Few families in Brazil, which lost 59 citizens in the crash, can afford to travel to France for the trial. Some feel the French justice system has been too soft on Airbus and Air France  two industrial giants in which the French government has an ownership stake.

The trial is expected to focus on two key factors: the icing over of external sensors called pitot tubes, and pilot error.

The Airbus A300-200 disappeared from radars over the Atlantic Ocean between Brazil and Senegal with 216 passengers and 12 crew members aboard. The first debris was only spotted at sea five days later. And it wasnt until 2011 that the plane  and its black box recorders  were located on the ocean floor, in an unprecedented search effort at depths of more than 4,000 meters.

Frances air accident investigation agency BEA found that the accident involved a cascading series of events, with no single cause.

As a storm buffeted the plane, ice crystals present at high altitudes disabled the pitot tubes, blocking speed and altitude information. The autopilot disconnected.

The crew resumed manual piloting, but with erroneous navigation data. The plane went into an aerodynamic stall, its nose pitched upward. And then it plunged.

The pilots did not understand what was happening to them. A difficulty of interpretation, in an all-digital aircraft like all the aircraft in the world today  well, its easy to be wrong, said Gerard Feldzer, a former pilot and pilot trainer for Air France.

He said he and pilots around the world asked themselves afterward if it had been me, would I have acted in the same way? It has been a very difficult question to answer.

No one risks prison in this case; only the companies are on trial. Each faces potential fines of up to 225,000 euros  a fraction of their annual revenues  but they could suffer reputational damage if found criminally responsible.

Nelson Marinho, whose son Nelson Jr. was killed, is angry that no company executives will be tried.

They have changed various directors, both at Airbus and Air France, so who will they arrest? No one. There wont be justice. Thats sadly the truth, Marinho, a retired mechanic who leads a support group for victims families, told the AP.

Air France is accused of not having implemented training in the event of icing of the pitot probes despite the risks.

In a statement, the company said it would demonstrate in court that it has not committed a criminal fault at the origin of the accident and plead for acquittal.

Air France has since changed its training manuals and simulations. It also provided compensation to families, who had to agree not to disclose the sums.

Airbus is accused of having known that the model of pitot tubes on Flight 447 was faulty, and not doing enough to urgently inform airlines and their crews about it and to ensure training to mitigate the resulting risk.

An AP investigation at the time found that Airbus had known since at least 2002 about problems with pitots, but failed to replace them until after the crash. The model in question  a Thales AA pitot  was subsequently banned and replaced.

Airbus blames pilot error, and told investigators that icing over is a problem inherent to all such sensors.

They knew and they did nothing, said Daniele Lamy, president of an association of victims families that pushed for a trial. The pilots should never have found themselves in such a situation, they never understood the cause of the breakdown and the plane had become unpilotable.

Lamy lost her son Eric a few days before his 38th birthday. She has struggled ever since to find out the truth.

The plane had sent messages to the ground about the problem but had not warned the pilots. Its as if you were driving a car at 130 kph, your brakes were no longer working but the car sent the alert to the mechanic and not to the driver, Lamy told the AP.

She is among 489 civil parties to the trial, which is scheduled to last through December.

The crash forced Airbus and Air France to be more transparent and reactive, Feldzer said, noting that the trial will be important for the aviation industry as well as for families.

The history of aviation security is made from this, from accidents, Feldzer said.
Germans in the coastal state of Lower Saxony vote in a closely watched regional election Sunday, seen as a key test for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats amid an acute energy crisis.

Polls open at 8 a.m. (0600 GMT), with the latest surveys putting Scholz's center-left SPD slightly ahead of the conservative CDU party of former chancellor Angela Merkel.

Anxiety about soaring energy bills has dominated the race in the northwestern region on the North Sea, providing a snapshot of the national mood as Europe's top economy grapples with the fallout from Russia's war in Ukraine.

Lower Saxony's popular premier Stephan Weil from the SPD, eyeing a third term, said the election contest had been "the most difficult of my life.

"Never have I seen so many question marks and worries on citizens' faces," he told WirtschaftsWoche magazine.

Weil, 63, has cast himself as a safe pair of hands in uncertain times and wants Lower Saxony, home to auto giant Volkswagen as well as most of Germany's wind turbines, to play a leading role in the green energy transition.

He has also welcomed the $198 billion energy fund newly unveiled by Scholz to shield German consumers from price shocks.

Weil's main rival, state economy minister Bernd Althusmann from the CDU, says the massive support package lacks clarity. He accuses the federal government of being slow to act as recession fears mount.

The 55-year-old challenger has billed Sunday's vote as a verdict on Scholz's coalition government in Berlin of the SPD, the Greens and the liberal FDP.

"If the CDU becomes the strongest party in Lower Saxony, which is realistic, it will be a serious blow to the already divided federal government," he told the Rheinische Post.

Nuclear plant row

Opinion polls put the SPD at 31-33% in Lower Saxony, followed by the CDU at 27-28%. The gap has widened in recent days.

A win would be a boost for Scholz's SPD after it lost the last two state polls to the CDU, in North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein.

The Greens are tipped to win some 16% of the vote, which would be their best showing yet in the state of 6.1 million voters.

The far-right AfD is polling at around 11%, nearly double what it scored in 2017.

The FDP meanwhile is hovering at 5%, the threshold needed to enter the regional parliament.

One major bone of contention between the leading candidates has been the fate of Lower Saxony's Emsland nuclear power plant, one of only three still operational in Germany.

Althusmann has responded angrily to Berlin's decision to proceed with Emsland's planned shutdown this year, despite the need for energy diversification as the country weans itself off Russian gas and oil.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, from the traditionally anti-nuclear Greens, recently announced that the other two plants will be kept on standby until April 2023, in a landmark U-turn.

Weil has backed Berlin's stance, saying Emsland was not needed to secure Lower Saxony's energy supply -- though he conceded that other regions may struggle when the colder winter weather hits.

Weil and Althusmann have each touted their state's central role in reducing reliance on Russian energy, pointing to the construction of import terminals for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the ports of Stade and Wilhelmshaven.

Although the SPD and CDU currently govern together in Lower Saxony, Weil has ruled out a repeat of the left-right coalition.
Hurricane Julia touched down on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast early Sunday morning, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, carrying with it the threat of flash flooding and mudslides across Central America.

Maximum sustained winds were estimated at 140 kph when the storm made landfall near the Laguna de Perlas area at 0715 GMT, the weather agency said.

Hours earlier in Bluefields, one of the main coastal towns expected to be buffeted by the storm, fishermen were busy safeguarding their boats as people rushed to buy groceries and withdraw money from ATMs.

Hurricane-force winds and heavy rains began to be felt by around midnight, according to AFP photographers in the city, while state media reported detached roofs, fallen trees and power outages.

Before reaching Nicaragua, Julia passed over a trio of Colombian islands, an environment ministry official told AFP, causing rain and lightning in the country's north.

While authorities reported no significant damage or casualties on the islands, home to about 48,000 people, Colombian President Gustavo Petro put the area on "maximum alert" and ordered hotels to open space for use as shelters.

Julia is classified as a Category One storm, on the low side of the five-tier Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

It is expected to move across Nicaragua on Sunday before traveling near or along the Pacific coasts of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala through Monday, the NHC said.

Nicaragua has evacuated some 6,000 people in Laguna de Perlas, in the Miskito keys located off the coast, and in other zones.

"We have to prepare with food, plastic, a little bit of everything, because we don't know what's going to happen," Javier Duarte, a cabinetmaker in Bluefields, told AFP.

The municipality of some 60,000 inhabitants has many flimsy structures.

The NHC said that "life-threatening flash floods and mudslides" were possible due to heavy rain "over Central America and Southern Mexico through early next week."

The storm's center was about 50 kilometers northeast of Bluefields as of 0715 GMT Sunday, the NHC said.

Julia's arrival in Central America comes less than two weeks after deadly Hurricane Ian crashed into the southwest of the U.S. state of Florida, in one of the deadliest US hurricanes on record.

The Category 4 storm flattened whole neighborhoods on the Sunshine State's west coast. More than 100 people were killed according to U.S. media.
India has sharply criticized the United States and Germany for recent, but rare, back-to-back moves related to a long-running territorial dispute with neighbor and archrival Pakistan.

The controversy erupted when Donald Blome, Washingtons ambassador to Islamabad, made a three-day visit to the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir, in the divided Himalayan region. Pakistan refers to the area under its control as Azad (meaning free) Jammu and Kashmir, or AJK.

Im honored to visit during my first trip to AJK, the U.S. embassy quoted Blome as saying on Twitter after touring historic sites there.

The U.S. diplomat held meetings with senior AJK officials, as well as academic, business, cultural, and civil society representatives. The U.S. embassy noted later in a formal statement that Blomes visit was designed to promote the U.S.-Pakistan partnership and highlight the two countries deep economic, cultural and people-to-people ties.

It is rare for a U.S. ambassador to travel to what New Delhi considers an integral part of India and refers to it as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.



Islamabad rejects Indian claims and calls Kashmir an internationally recognized disputed territory in line with a decades-old United Nations resolution. Pakistan also refers to the other side of the divided region as Indian occupied Kashmir. Both countries claim the region in its entirety and have fought two of their three wars over it since they gained independence from Britain in 1947. The dispute remains at the center of bilateral tensions.

"Our objection to the visit and meetings in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir by the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan has been conveyed to the U.S. side," Indian foreign ministry representative Arindam Bagchi told a news conference Friday.

Later that Friday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, in a rare backing for Islamabads stance on the territorial rivalry, said that Berlin had a role and responsibility with regard to the tension over Kashmir.

Speaking at a joint news conference with visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the chief German diplomat hailed a February 2021 Kashmir cease-fire agreement between the nuclear-armed rival nations, urging both sides to build on it. She stressed that Germany supports intensively the engagement of the United Nations to find a peaceful solution to the dispute.

So, we encourage Pakistan, and we encourage India to follow the track of the cease-fire, to follow the track of the United Nations, and to intensify the political dialogue, and also the political and practical cooperations in the region, Baerbock added.

The cease-fire has since effectively halted deadly military skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani troops in Kashmir.

On Saturday, the Indian government strongly objected to Baerbocks Kashmir-related remarks because it vehemently opposes any third-party intervention in what India considers a bilateral issue with Pakistan.

"All serious and conscientious members of the global community have a role and responsibility to call out international terrorism, especially of a cross-border nature, Bagchi said in a statement.

New Delhi has long accused Islamabad of supporting and funding Muslim militants waging cross-border attacks against Indian security forces in Kashmir, charges Pakistan rejects.

The Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has borne the brunt of such a terrorist campaign for decades. This continues until now, Bagchi said. When states do not recognize such dangers, either because of self-interest or indifference, they undermine the cause of peace, not promote it. They also do grave injustice to the victims of terrorism, he added.

The Pakistani foreign ministry Sunday rejected the Indian criticism of the remarks made by Zardari and his German counterpart as preposterous. It again accused Indian authorities of inflicting massive human rights abuses on Kashmiri Muslims on their side of the divided region.

"Hollow denials and evasion of responsibility will no longer cover up Indias mischievous strategy of posing as a victim of terrorism while shifting blame elsewhere, a ministry statement quoted its representative in Islamabad as saying.

India would do well, the representative added to the statement, to address the international communitys valid concerns and mend its conduct in Kashmir.

Pakistan has welcomed the U.S. diplomats visit and the German foreign ministers statement.

Senator Mushahid Hussain of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which heads the coalition government in Islamabad, says a settlement to the Kashmir dispute can only ensure enduring stability, peace and security in South Asia.

The West has finally realized that putting all their eggs in South Asia in Indias basket was a strategic mistake as it ended up alienating Pakistan and its people; moreover, they now feel that the road to stability in the region lies through Islamabad, while Delhi continues to hunt with the hound and run with the hare, Hussain, the chair of the Senate Defense Committee, told VOA.

Some critics in Pakistan have speculated that diplomatic tensions between India and the U.S. over New Delhis imports of oil products from Russia might have prompted the West to put political pressure on India. Washington has imposed sanctions on Moscow for invading Ukraine in February and been critical of Indias continued oil purchases from Russia. New Delhi defends its actions, saying Russian prices are the cheapest compared to other sources.

Michael Kugelman is the director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, a non-partisan policy forum. He cautions against linking Blomes visit to the Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the German foreign ministers comments or reading too much into them in the wake of reported diplomatic tensions. He said New Delhi would not make a major policy shift under external pressure, especially in the case of Kashmir.

If the U.S. were to try to work with its Western allies to get India to change its position on Russia/Ukraine by pressuring New Delhi on the Kashmir issue, then that would be a fools errand, Kugelman said.

The U.S. wants to signal its willingness to partner more with Pakistan, and a trip to Pakistan-administered Kashmir sends a strong signal to that effect. It can be a big confidence building measure for the two sides when Washington knows Islamabad is looking for signs that the U.S. is ready to reframe the relationship around non-security cooperation, he said.

Baerbocks comment is tough to assess. Very rarely do senior Western officials publicly express a desire for the Kashmir issue to be internationalized, Kugelman stated.

India controls two-thirds of the Muslim-majority Kashmir and Pakistan the rest. New Delhi ended the decades-old semi-autonomous status of its part of the Himalayan region in 2019 and divided it into two union territories to be directly controlled by the federal government.

Pakistan strongly condemned the unilateral moves by India and has demanded their unconditional reversal  increasing mutual tension and the deterioration in ties.

We believe, and absolutely, that international law should apply everywhere, U.N. resolutions should be respected everywhere, the sovereignty of territory, or even internationally disputed territory, should be respected, Zardari said while speaking alongside Baerbock Friday.

India disregards a 1948 U.N. resolution on the world bodys role in Kashmir and wants a settlement in line with a bilateral pact the two countries signed in 1972. Known as the Simla agreement, it calls on the two countries to resolve their disputes bilaterally.

Pakistan maintains that bilateral attempts to find a solution have failed for decades and seeks U.N. intervention.

Among other steps, the U.N. resolution asks India to allow for a free and impartial vote to enable Kashmiris to determine the fate of the region.
Iran has extended the temporary release from prison of a U.S. citizen freed earlier this week, his brother said Saturday, voicing hopes the liberation would become permanent.

Siamak Namazi, a 51-year-old Iranian American, has been held in Iran for years along with his elderly father, former UNICEF official Baquer Namazi, under convictions for espionage, allegations they both deny.

The younger Namazi was granted release from prison after his father, who was serving his sentence under house arrest, was allowed to travel to Abu Dhabi for medical treatment.

Siamak's brother, Babak Namazi, said in a statement Saturday that Iranian authorities had granted his sibling a further three-day furlough and that he hoped a longer extension would follow.

"We hope and pray that he will be granted his full freedom soon so that our family can finally be made whole again," Babak Namazi wrote.

He added that his father, counter to the recommendations of his Iranian physicians, would not undergo surgery to clear a life-threatening blockage in his left carotid artery.

For now, Baquer Namazi will instead attempt alternative treatments recommended by the Abu Dhabi medical team.

At least two other U.S. citizens are held in Iran.
Jailed Philippine human rights campaigner Leila de Lima was briefly taken hostage Sunday during an attempted breakout by three inmates who were shot dead by police, authorities said.

The incident happened at the national police headquarters, where de Lima, a former senator, has been held for more than five years with other high-profile detainees.

One police officer was stabbed with an improvised knife before another officer shot dead two of the inmates, police said in a statement.

The third prisoner ran to de Lima's cell and briefly held the 63-year-old hostage before he was also shot dead.

Police said de Lima was not hurt and that the situation inside the detention facility had "returned to normal. An investigation was under way.

Police chief General Rodolfo Azurin told local radio station DZBB that de Lima did not appear to have been the target.

"They saw her as an ideal cover. Their intention really was to escape," he said.

The three inmates were reportedly members of the militant group Abu Sayyaf, which has been accused of kidnapping and beheading several foreigners.

De Lima was unhurt, Boni Tacardon, her lawyer, confirmed to AFP.

"She was brought to the hospital for the standard medical checkup," Tacardon said.

"But based on the information given to us by our staff who's with the senator now, she appears OK."

De Lima, an outspoken critic of former president Rodrigo Duterte and his deadly drug war, is due to reappear in court Monday.

She has been behind bars since 2017 on drug trafficking charges that she and human rights groups have called a mockery of justice and payback for going after Duterte.

Since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr took power in June, there have been renewed calls from diplomats and rights defenders for de Lima to be released.

The latest incident underscored the need for her to be "freed immediately," said Carlos Conde of Human Rights Watch.

Marcos tweeted that he would speak to de Lima "to check on her condition and to ask if she wishes to be transferred to another detention center.

Before her arrest on Feb. 24, 2017, de Lima had spent a decade investigating "death squad" killings allegedly orchestrated by Duterte during his time as Davao City mayor and in the early days of his presidency.

She conducted the probes while serving as the nation's human rights commissioner, then from 2010-15 as justice secretary in the Benigno Aquino administration that preceded Duterte's rule.

De Lima won a Senate seat in 2016, becoming one of the few opposition voices as the populist Duterte enjoyed a landslide win.

But Duterte then accused her of running a drug trafficking ring with criminals inside the nation's biggest prison while she was justice secretary.

De Lima lost her bid for re-election to the Senate in May and Duterte stepped down in June.

The lawyer and mother of two has been held in a compound for high-profile detainees, rather than one of the Philippines' notoriously overcrowded jails.
A Palestinian opened fire on an Israeli military checkpoint in east Jerusalem on Saturday night, killing a female Israeli soldier and wounding three other people, Israeli authorities said.

The attack came hours after a pair of Palestinian teenagers were killed during an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank.

It was the latest bloodshed in the deadliest round of fighting in the area in seven years. It also came less than 24 hours before Israel was to begin celebrating the weeklong Sukkot holiday, a time when tens of thousands of Jews visit the holy city.

Saturday night's shooting occurred at a checkpoint near the Shuafat refugee camp in east Jerusalem. Police said the assailant got out of a car and opened fire, seriously wounding the female soldier and a security guard before running into the camp. The army announced early Sunday that the soldier, who was 19, had died.

Police said two members of the paramilitary border police unit were lightly wounded by shrapnel.

Police said they were searching for the attacker, with special forces and a helicopter involved in the search. Police said early Sunday that they had arrested one person on suspicion of involvement in the attack but were continuing the manhunt.

"Our hearts tonight are with the wounded and their families," said Prime Minister Yair Lapid. "Terrorism will not defeat us. We are also strong on this difficult evening."

Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed the area in a move that is not recognized internationally. It considers the entire city, including east Jerusalem, home to the city's most important holy sites, to be its capital. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.

Israel already has been carrying out daily arrest raids in the occupied West Bank since a series of deadly Palestinian attacks inside Israel. Most of the military activity has been focused on the Palestinian cities of Jenin and Nablus in the northern West Bank.

Earlier Saturday, the Israeli military shot and killed two Palestinian teens during an arrest raid in the Jenin refugee camp, the site of repeated clashes between Israeli forces and local gunmen and residents. The camp is known as a stronghold of Palestinian militants.

Palestinian officials said soldiers entered the camp early Saturday and surrounded a house. In videos circulated on social media, exchanges of fire could be heard. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported two dead and 11 wounded, three of them critically.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the dead as Mahmoud al-Sous, 18, and Ahmad Daraghmeh, 16.

The Israeli military said it had arrested a 25-year-old operative from the Islamic Jihad militant group who has previously been imprisoned by Israel. It said the man had recently been involved in shooting attacks on Israeli soldiers.

It said soldiers opened fire during the raid when dozens of Palestinians hurled explosives and shot at them.

Just before noon, the Israeli forces withdrew from the area.

The killings occurred a day after two Palestinian teenagers, ages 14 and 17, were killed by Israeli fire in separate incidents elsewhere in the occupied West Bank.

Deepening disillusionment and anger

Rights groups accuse Israeli forces of using excessive force in their dealings with the Palestinians, without being held accountable. The Israeli military says it opens fire only in life-threatening situations.

Israel says it is forced to act because Palestinian security forces, who coordinate with the military in a tense alliance against Islamic militants, are unable or unwilling to crack down. Palestinian security forces say the military raids have undermined their credibility and public support, especially in the absence of any political process. The last round of substantive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks ended in 2009.

Most of those killed are said by Israel to have been militants. But local youths protesting the incursions as well as some civilians have also been killed in the violence. Hundreds have been rounded up, with many placed in so-called administrative detention, which allows Israel to hold them without trial or charge. More than 100 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting this year.

The violence is also fueled by deepening disillusionment and anger among young Palestinians over the tight security coordination between Israel and the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, which work together to apprehend militants.

U.N. Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland said he was alarmed by the rising bloodshed.

"The mounting violence in the occupied West Bank is fueling a climate of fear, hatred and anger," he said in a statement, calling on the sides to reduce tensions and take steps toward reviving the political process.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, and 500,000 Jewish settlers now live in about 130 settlements and other outposts among nearly 3 million Palestinians. The Palestinians want that territory, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, for their future state.
At least 17 people were reported killed in shelling attacks on civilian targets overnight in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia.

Dozens more were reported wounded.

The European Unions top diplomat Saturday condemned in the strongest possible terms Russias attempt to annex the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and said Russias forces must fully withdraw from the plant and return control of it to Ukraine.

High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell called the seizure of the nuclear power plant illegal, and legally null and void, and said a reinforced International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) presence at the site and its unhindered access to the plant are urgently needed in the interest of the security of Europe as a whole.

Earlier Saturday, the IAEA reported that the Zaporizhzhia plant, the biggest in Europe, had lost its only external power source as a result of renewed Russian shelling and was forced to rely on emergency diesel generators.

All six reactors at the plant are shut down, but they still require electricity for cooling and other safety functions. The IAEA said plant engineers have begun work to repair the damaged power line.

The nuclear watchdog agency said the plants link to a 750-kilovolt line was cut about 1 a.m. Saturday local time. It cited official information from Ukraine, as well as reports from IAEA experts at the site, which is held by Russian forces.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi is traveling to Moscow to hold talks in the coming days about establishing a protection zone around the nuclear plant. He was in Ukraine on Friday and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding the situation. Transferring the plant to Russian ownership, Grossi said, is a violation of international law.

Russian shake-up?

Russia's defense ministry named General Sergei Surovikin on Saturday as the new overall commander of Kremlin forces engaged in Ukraine. It was the first official announcement of a single overall commander for all Russian forces fighting in Ukraine since its Feb. 24 invasion began.

"By the decision of the defense minister of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Sergei Surovikin has been appointed commander of the joint group of troops in the area of the special military operation," the statement said, using the Kremlin's term for the invasion of Ukraine.

Surovikin had since 2017 led Russia's Aerospace Forces. In June, he was placed in charge of Russian forces in southern Ukraine.

Bridge partly opens

Saturday dawned with an explosion that partially collapsed a bridge over the Kerch Strait, an important road and rail link between Russia and Crimea and a vital supply line for Russias war effort against Ukraine.

No one has claimed responsibility for the blast that killed three people and shut down the bridge. Russian transportation authorities said limited road and rail traffic had resumed about 10 hours after the attack.

Britains defense ministry said Sunday about the damage to the bridge that any serious disruption to its capacity will highly likely have a significant impact on Russia's already strained ability to sustain its forces in southern Ukraine.

Russian divers are set to examine the extent of the damage Sunday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a video address, indirectly acknowledged the bridge attack but not its cause.

Today was not a bad day and mostly sunny on our state's territory, he said. Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea. Although it was also warm.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly threatened to strike the bridge.

Moscow stopped short of assigning blame, but the speaker of Crimeas Kremlin-backed regional parliament accused Ukraine, while downplaying the severity of the damage.

Now they have something to be proud of: over 23 years of their management, they didnt manage to build anything worthy of attention in Crimea, but theyve managed to damage the surface of the Russian bridge, Vladimir Konstantinov, chairperson of the State Council of the Republic, wrote on Telegram.

The official Twitter account of the Ukraine government tweeted, Sick burn.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a Zelenskyy adviser, lauded the attack, tweeting, "Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled."

Russian Foreign Ministry representative Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram, The Kiev regimes reaction to the destruction of civilian infrastructure highlights its terrorist nature.

The Ukrainian postal service announced it would issue stamps commemorating the blast, saying in a statement that the images would draw on classic film posters to highlight the bridge's sacred significance to Moscow. The postal service previously released a set of stamps commemorating the sinking of the Moskva, a Russian flagship cruiser, by a Ukrainian strike in late May.

The blast, reportedly a truck bomb, occurred even though all vehicles driving across it undergo automatic checks for explosives by state-of-the-art control systems. That has drawn a stream of critical comments from Russian war bloggers.

The truck was owned by a resident of the Krasnodar region in southern Russia, Russias Investigative Committee said. It noted that investigators arrived at his home as part of the inquiry and are looking at the trucks route and other details.

The 19-kilometer bridge across the Kerch Strait linking the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov opened in 2018 and is the longest in Europe. The $3.6 billion project is a tangible symbol of Moscows claims on Crimea, and it has provided an essential link to the peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

While Russia seized areas north of Crimea early in the current the invasion and built a land corridor to it along the Sea of Azov, Ukraine is pressing a counteroffensive to reclaim the territories.

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
By Liu Junyi and Zhang Yiwei

WAU, South Sudan, Oct. 9 -- Recently, the 12th Chinese peacekeeping engineering contingent to South Sudan (Wau) completed engineering tasks including the construction of security and defense facilities at Aweil Base and returned to the main camp in Wau, South Sudan.

Aweil, the capital of the Northern Bahr el Ghazal in South Sudan, has seen an increasingly tense security situation since the rainy season began, accompanied by frequent tribal conflicts. In order to reinforce the security and defense facilities at the Aweil base, the Chinese peacekeeping engineering contingent, at the request of the Aweil base of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan(UNMISS), set up a special construction detachment for engineering missions in Aweil to carry out diversified engineering construction tasks.

Over the past three months, the Chinese peacekeepers have overcome the difficulties of bad environment, seriously damaged roads, and high-intensity operations, and successfully completed the construction of the airport emergency parking apron and the leveling and maintenance of roads around the base. They have used various kinds of engineering machinery and vehicles to transport more than 6,000 cubic meters of earth and stone, set up multi-layer razor barbed wire mesh, and planted 400 pole piles.

In addition, the contingent also assisted foreign military units in renovating the base's security and defense facilities and delivered two material donations and condolences to local schools.

Ataklti Hailu, head of the UNMISS Aweil Base, said: "The Chinese peacekeeping engineers successfully completed many tasks in a short time. We would like to applaud their professional skills and work efficiency. We have also established precious friendship with them through diversified cooperation, with happy memories in mind forever.
US purchases $290 million of drug for use in radiological and nuclear emergencies

by Julia Mueller - 10/06/22 1:38 PM ET

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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says it has spent $290 million on a drug to treat radiation sickness in the event of a nuclear emergency. The HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response announced in a Tuesday release that it bought the drug Nplate from Amgen USA Inc. as part of long-standing, ongoing efforts to be better prepared to save lives following radiological and nuclear emergencies.

Acute Radiation Syndrome, caused by exposure to a high dose of radiation, can cause a range of symptoms. Severe cases can wreak devastating effects on the body, including destruction of bone marrow and internal bleeding, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nplate, which can be used for both adults and children, is aimed at reducing the uncontrolled bleeding often caused by radiation.

The Food and Drug Administration first approved the drug in 2008 to combat an autoimmune disorder that caused serious bleeding and extended another approval in January of last year for use of the drug as a radiation sickness treatment.

The new purchase follows growing international concern over the potential use of nuclear weapons in Russias war on Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently threatened that his country would take every necessary action to claim victory and would not hesitate to deploy nuclear weapons.

Ukraines capital of Kyiv is readying evacuation centers with potassium iodine pills, which can help against radiation absorption, prepping for a potential nuclear attack on the city.

U.S. officials have asserted that Washington would take decisive action if Russia moves to use nuclear weapons and warned of heavy consequences for Putin.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last month called for the era of nuclear blackmail and the global elimination of nuclear weapons in order to prevent humanitarian Armageddon.
A barrage of Russian missiles overnight killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 60 others in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian officials reported Sunday, as Moscow attempted to enforce its claim to the illegally annexed territory that Ukraine still controls.

The attack on apartment buildings and houses came hours after a truck bomb explosion Saturday caused the partial collapse of the Kerch Bridge linking mainland Russia with the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014. The bridge has been a major munitions and troop supply route for Russian attacks in southern Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials strongly suggested they had carried out the attack without directly claiming responsibility.

In a video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indirectly acknowledged the attack but did not address its cause.

"Today was not a bad day and mostly sunny on our state's territory," he said. "Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea. Although it was also warm."

Mykhailo Podolyak, a Zelenskyy adviser, lauded the attack, tweeting, "Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled."

Russian Foreign Ministry representative Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram, The Kyiv regimes reaction to the destruction of civilian infrastructure highlights its terrorist nature.

The Ukrainian postal service announced it would issue stamps commemorating the blast, saying in a statement that the images would draw on classic film posters to highlight the bridge's sacred significance to Moscow. The postal service previously released a set of stamps commemorating the sinking of the Moskva, a Russian flagship cruiser, by a Ukrainian strike in late May.

Russian divers are set to examine the extent of the bridge damage Sunday.

The blasts in Zaporizhzhia, triggered by six missiles, collapsed at least one high-rise residential building and blew out the windows of others, the Ukrainian air force said. The region is one of four Russia claimed as its own this month after illegal referendums not sanctioned by international law, but the regional capital remains under Ukrainian control.

Despite the attack on the Zaporizhzhia apartment building, battlefield losses have mounted for Russia, including across some lands Moscow claims it has annexed. Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine in an invasion that now is in its eighth month.

U.S. President Joe Biden said days ago that a Russian nuclear attack would amount to Armageddon, a biblical reference to the last fight between good and evil.

U.S. national security spokesman John Kirby told ABCs This Week show Sunday that Bidens comment was an accurate reflection of Bidens assessment that the stakes are high in Ukraine, but was not based on any new U.S. intelligence that Putin is about to launch a nuclear attack.

Still, Kirby said Putin has shown every indication that he wants to continue the war in Ukraine.

The national security spokesman said he had no new information on the bridge explosion, but added, "What I can tell you is that Mr. Putin started this war and Mr. Putin could end it today, simply by moving his troops out of the country."

The European Unions top diplomat Saturday condemned in the strongest possible terms Russias attempt to annex the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, and said Russias forces must fully withdraw from the plant and return control of it to Ukraine.

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell called Russias seizure of the nuclear power plant illegal, and legally null and void, and said a reinforced International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) presence at the site and its unhindered access to the plant are urgently needed in the interest of the security of Europe as a whole.

Earlier Saturday, the IAEA reported that the Zaporizhzhia plant had lost its only external power source as a result of renewed Russian shelling and was forced to rely on emergency diesel generators.

All six reactors at the plant are shut down, but they still require electricity for cooling and other safety functions. The IAEA said plant engineers have begun work to repair the damaged power line.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi is traveling to Moscow to hold talks in the coming days about establishing a protection zone around the plant. He was in Ukraine Friday and met with Zelenskyy regarding the situation. Transferring the plant to Russian ownership, Grossi said, is a violation of international law.

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine.

The latest developments in Russias war on Ukraine. All times EDT.

11 p.m.: French President Emmanuel Macron voiced his support for imprisoned Belarusian human rights activist and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Beliatski during a phone call on Sunday with Beliatskis wife, Natalia Pinchuk, Agence France-Presse reported.

"He wanted to show his support for the (activist) and his relatives" while Ales Beliatski has been imprisoned again since July 2021, said the Elysee.

The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded on Friday to Ales Beliatski, the Russian NGO Memorial  hit by a dissolution order  and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties, which works to document "war crimes Russians" in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Macron then welcomed the awarding of the prize to "unwavering defenders of human rights in Europe."

10 p.m.: People trying to leave Crimea are spending hours in kilometers-long (miles) traffic jams in the hope of reaching the Kerch bridge, linking the Russia-annexed peninsula with the mainland, The Associated Press reported.

"They say that you can spend almost twenty-four hours in this traffic jam," one driver waiting his turn told the AP on Sunday.

Car traffic has resumed along both road sections of the Kerch Bridge, Russia's deputy prime minister said on Sunday.

Marat Khusnullin, who also heads a government commission investigating the blast which tore through the bridge on Saturday, said in a Telegram post that previously, only one section was open to alternating traffic.

Khusnullin added that authorities continued their investigation of the damage.

9:27 p.m.: Germanys foreign minister has called on the European Union to slap new sanctions on Iran for what she described as Tehrans brutal repression against anti-government protesters in several Iranian cities, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on Sunday.

Annalena Baerbock was quoted on October 9 as telling the Bild Am Sonntag newspaper that those who beat up women and girls on the street, carry off people who want nothing other than to live freely, arrest them arbitrarily, and sentence them to death stand on the wrong side of history.

Baerbock said, without citing specific individuals, that we will ensure that the EU imposes entry bans on those responsible for this brutal repression and freezes their assets in the EU."

8:44 p.m.: Ukrainian Teams Clear Mines Around Liberated City of Lyman: Ukrainian authorities are working quickly to find, identify, and, when possible, remove mines and unexploded ordnance from the newly liberated area of Lyman as the town's residents struggle to get back to normal after being occupied by Russian forces. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has a photo gallery.

7:55 p.m.:

7:10 p.m.: A Ukrainian mortar battery provides cover for their infantry on the front line in eastern Ukraine. They fire dozens of shells per day, including some captured from Russian forces. They aim at targets up to 7 kilometers away, the maximum range, as longer-range Russian artillery hits back at them. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has the story.

6:18 p.m.: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke by phone on Sunday and agreed the Kremlin's latest nuclear threats were "irresponsible" and its partial mobilization "a serious mistake," according to a German government statement, which Reuters reported.

The nearly one-hour telephone call was focused on preparations for the upcoming Group of Seven and Group of 20 meetings that will address Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the consequences, the statement said.

The two leaders agreed never to accept Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory, calling it a further escalation, the statement said.

They agreed Russia's partial mobilization showed the "bitter price" Russians were having to pay for the miscalculations of President Vladimir Putin.

"They criticized the latest nuclear threats of Moscow as irresponsible and agreed such a step would have exceptionally serious consequences for Russia," the statement said.

On the topic of the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines, the two leaders agreed the sabotage of critical infrastructure would be dealt with decisively, it said.

5:43 p.m.:

5:02 p.m.: An external power line to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant  the biggest in Europe  was repaired on Sunday after shelling disconnected the facility from the grid and forced it to resort to emergency diesel generators, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said, according to The Associated Press.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said the 750-kilovolt line was reconnected to the plant on Sunday evening following repair work by Ukrainian engineers. That enabled the plant to start switching off the generators that had kicked in to provide it with power after the line  its last connection to the grid  was cut early Saturday.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi tweeted that the reconnection was a temporary relief in a still-untenable situation.

4:15 p.m.: In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, "Terrorism is a crime that must be punished. Terrorism at the state level is one of the most heinous international crimes, which threatens not just someone in the world, but the entire international community.

"If terror goes unpunished, if the terrorist succeeds in intimidation so much that someone in the world is willing to simply turn a blind eye to terror, then that will be a loss - a loss of freedom, a loss of humanity and a loss of democracy. This is exactly what Russia longs for. This is why it needs all this terror - from missile strikes to global crises provoked by a terrorist state," Zelenskyy said.

3:30 p.m. A regional election in Lower Saxony delivered a mixed message for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's national ruling coalition on Sunday, with his Social Democrats scoring a clear win but the Free Democrats barely making it into parliament.

While the result signaled support for Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD), some experts said the drubbing of its federal coalition partner risked destabilizing Scholz's administration at a critical time as Berlin strives to avert energy shortages and further escalation of the war in Ukraine.

The other clear winner in Lower Saxony was the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), reflecting a broader upsurge in support for the party across the country amid frustrations over the cost-of-living crisis in Europe's largest economy, Reuters reported.

2:55 p.m.: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke by phone on Sunday and agreed the Kremlin's latest nuclear threats were "irresponsible" and its partial mobilization "a serious mistake," according to a German government statement.

According to Reuters, the nearly one-hour telephone call was focused on preparations for the upcoming Group of Seven and Group of 20 meetings that will address Russias invasion of Ukraine and the consequences, the statement said.

The two leaders agreed never to accept Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory, calling it a further escalation, the statement said.

They agreed Russia's partial mobilization showed the "bitter price" Russians were having to pay for the miscalculations of President Vladimir Putin.

"They criticized the latest nuclear threats of Moscow as irresponsible and agreed such a step would have exceptionally serious consequences for Russia," the statement said.

On the topic of the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines, the statement said the two leaders agreed the sabotage of critical infrastructure would be dealt with decisively.

2:25 p.m.: Bill Richardson, the former New Mexico governor and ambassador to the United Nations, said on Sunday that he is cautiously optimistic that a deal will be reached to release Brittney Grinerand Paul Whelan, two Americans imprisoned in Russia.



Mr. Richardson  who has been unofficially negotiating with Russian officials as a private citizen  told CNNs State of the Union that a deal could be feasible by the end of the year, saying that Russia appeared to be willing to move forward on an agreement to exchange Ms. Griner, a W.N.B.A. all-star, and Mr. Whelan, a former Marine, for two Russian prisoners held by the United States.

I got the sense that the Russian officials that I met with, that Ive known over the years, are ready to talk, Mr. Richardson said.

Ms. Griner, who was arrested just before Russia invaded Ukraine in February, was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony after pleading guilty to a drug possession charge. Mr. Whelan was sentenced to 16 years on espionage charges in 2020.

2:10 p.m.: According to Reuters, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin said, Sunday, that the explosion on a key bridge linking Crimea and the Russian mainland was a terrorist act planned by the Ukrainian special services.

"There is no doubt. This is an act of terrorism aimed at destroying critically important civilian infrastructure," Putin said in a video on the Kremlin's Telegram channel. "This was devised, carried out and ordered by the Ukrainian special services."

Putin was meeting Alexander Bastrykin, the head of Russia's Investigative Committee, who was presenting findings of an inquiry into Saturday's explosion and fire on the bridge.

2 p.m.: At NBCs US show Today, Sunday, Retired Admiral James Stavridis discussed the threat of Vladimir Putin using nuclear weapons. Stavridis said that though we are closer to the use of a nuclear weapon, it is far more likely that in such a scenario, there will be a smaller nuclear device by Putin. Stavridis said, the West is prepared for this. We [the US] have many options we can respond if he [Putin] uses a small tactical weapon. Stavridis added that he thinks there is essentially zero percent chance of big strategic exchange," and he added Putin is not reaching for the lever to the Apocalypse. He knows thats the end of Russia along with the end of the world.

1:35 p.m.: A Ukrainian rock singer who fled from Kyiv to the Czech Republic at the start of Russias invasion is using music to spread awareness of Ukraines

need for humanitarian aid, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports.

1:30 p.m.: The Kyiv Independent tweeted that Ukraine exhumed the first 20 bodies  including children, civilians, and soldiers  from makeshift graves in Lyman, Donetsk Oblast.

12:50 p.m.: Ukrainian engineers restored the external power supply to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant on Sunday, Ukraine's state nuclear company Energoatom said on Sunday.

The plant, which is in cold shutdown, lost its last remaining power line early on Saturday due to shelling, and had to use backup diesel generators for its own needs, such as cooling the reactor blocks, Reuters reported.

"After almost two days of operating the emergency cooling pumps of the active zones of the reactors with power from diesel generators, the operational staff are restoring the normal regimen of powering the plant's own needs from the energy system of Ukraine," Energoatom wrote on Telegram.

12:45 p.m.: The Ukrainian Running Club in New York is petitioning for a ban of Russians and Belarusian from running the New York City Marathon. The clubs founder Anna Shpook told CBS news "It's painful for Ukrainians to even participate in events while running shoulder-by-shoulder with people who actually support that violence."

In response to the petition, the New York Road Runners, the official organization behind the New York Marathon released a statement saying, NYRR  continues to strongly condemn Russia's devastating and unjust invasion of Ukraine. NYRR has not, and will not, allow or recognize any official representation or country affiliation of Russia or Belarus at any NYRR races, events or programs  However, NYRR will not discriminate against individual runners based on their nationality or country of birth."

The organization also shared that runners impacted by the war have received a full refund of their entry fee or their entry was deferred to the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon.

11:40 a.m.: In an intensifying energy crisis, Europeans are storing wood, cleaning chimneys and mulling horse dung as winter approaches. According to Fortune, prices for wood pellets have nearly doubled to 600 euros a ton in France, and there are signs of panic buying of the worlds most basic fuel. Hungary even went so far as to ban exports of pellets, and Romania capped firewood prices for six months. Meanwhile, wood stoves can now take months to deliver.

Its back to the old days when people wouldnt have the whole house heated, said Nic Snell, managing director at British wholesale firewood retailer Certainly Wood. Theyd sit around the fire and use the heat from the stove or open fire and go off to bed. There will be a lot more of that this winter, he said.

The desperation for heat is a cause of worry for environmental pollution said Roger Sedin, head of the air quality unit at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, warning against poor ventilation and trying to burn wet firewood. We can see very high pollution levels when you have people burning wood who dont know how to do it correctly.

11:10 a.m.: Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, calls emergency meeting with his Security Council on Monday, two days after a huge explosion partially destroyed Russia's Crimea bridge, Telegraph reports.

"Tomorrow the president has a planned meeting with the permanent members of the Security Council," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday.

Top Russian officials have previously identified the Kerch bridge, which links Crimea with Russia, as a red line, warning of a response if it was attacked.

11 a.m.: Ukraine has recaptured over 1,170 square kilometers (450 square miles) of land in its southern Kherson region since launching the start of its counterassault against Russia in late August, a military spokesperson said on Sunday, Reuters reported.

Ukraine has been successful with its offensive in the northeast, but its drive in the south to wipe out a Russian foothold on the west bank of the vast Dnipro River has been a longer, more labored affair.

According to Reuters, southern military command spokesperson Natalia Humeniuk said that Ukraine was making progress on the Kherson front, but that lots needed to be done to secure newly recaptured territories.

"Work is continuing on consolidation of territory, clearing it and conducting stabilizing operations, as the settlements we enter contain many surprises left by the (Russian) occupiers," she said on Ukrainian national television.

Ukrainian officials have long talked up the priority of recapturing Kherson, a flat, agricultural region which Moscow captured in its near entirety in the early days of its invasion.

Any major territorial losses in Kherson would threaten Russia's supply lines to the strategically significant Crimean Peninsula further south, the return of which Kyiv has coveted since its occupation by Russia in 2014.

10:30 a.m.: After military setbacks and growing discontent in Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has appointed General Sergey Surovikin to lead the war effort in Ukraine. Surovikin was appointed Saturday, after the sacking of two Russian senior military commanders as Kyiv has won back territories in the northeast and south of Ukraine. It also comes as Moscow has suffered a blow after the partial destruction of the Kerch Bridge  a key link between Russia and Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

Surovikin is known for being totally ruthless in the Russian military, according to a report (PDF) by the Jamestown Foundation, a U.S. defense policy think-tank. The report says, Surovikin made a stellar career in the top echelons of the General Staff and defense ministry after 2008, during the radical military reform that required ruthlessness, adding that his readiness to vigorously execute any orders trounced any potential questions about his checkered curriculum vitae.

9:45 a.m.: The White House on Sunday said it will continue to supply Ukraine with arms and that Russian President Vladimir Putin had started the war and could end it if he chose to do so.

"We don't really have anything more to add to the reports about the explosion on the bridge. I just don't have anything to contribute to that this morning," White House national security spokesman John Kirby told ABC's "This Week" program. "What I can tell you is that Mr. Putin started this war, and Mr. Putin could end it today, simply by moving his troops out of the country."

9:10 a.m.: The Hun diadem, a rare golden tiara, inlaid with precious stones by master craftsmen some 1,500 years ago, has vanished from a museum in Melitopol, Ukraine, that housed it  perhaps, historians fear, forever. Russian troops carted away the priceless crown and a hoard of other treasures after capturing the Ukrainian city in February, museum authorities say.

According to the Associated Press, the tiara is considered one of the most valuable artifacts from the reign of Attila the Hun.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, now in its eighth month, is being accompanied by the destruction and pillaging of historical sites and treasures on an industrial scale, Ukrainian authorities say.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Ukraine's culture minister alleged that Russian soldiers helped themselves to artifacts in almost 40 Ukrainian museums. The looting and destruction of cultural sites has caused losses estimated in the hundreds of millions of euros (dollars), the minister, Oleksandr Tkachenko, added.

The attitude of Russians toward Ukrainian culture heritage is a war crime, he said.

8:30 a.m.: The Kremlin on Sunday praised OPEC+ for oil production cuts that had successfully countered the "mayhem" sown by the United States in global energy markets.

The OPEC + decision despite stiff U.S. opposition has further strained already tense relations between President Joe Biden's White House and Saudi Arabia's royal family, Reuters reported on Saturday.

The White House pushed hard to prevent the output cut. Biden hopes to keep U.S. gasoline prices from spiking again ahead of midterm elections.

According to The Washington Post, European economists have expressed concerns about a heightened risk of recession and a bolstered Russia after OPEC +, the coalition of oil-producing nations led by Russia and Saudi Arabia, announced that it will slash oil production by 2 million barrels per day.

8:15: a.m.: A Russian missile attack early on Sunday, struck an apartment block and other residential buildings in Ukraines southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, killing at least 17 people and injuring 87 others, including 10 children, Ukrainian officials said on Telegraph.

The pre-dawn fusillade was the second of its kind against the city in three days. It came a day after a blast hit Russias road-and-rail bridge to Crimea, the key supply line for Russian forces battling to hold territory around the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson.

Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko said Russia had launched 10 missiles in the city overnight.

"Russia launched 10 missiles, taking out whole blocks of buildings. People went to bed and didnt wake up. Not a good morning today in Ukraine," she said in a post on Twitter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack as "absolute evil" by people he called "savages and terrorists," vowing those responsible would be brought to justice.

8 a.m.: Russian divers examine Sunday, the damage from a powerful blast on a road-and-rail bridge to Crimea, a symbol of Moscow's annexation of the peninsula and a key supply route to its forces battling in southern Ukraine, Reuters reported.

The explosion on the bridge over the Kerch Strait Saturday, prompted gleeful messages from Ukrainian officials but no claim of responsibility. Russia did not immediately assign blame for the blast, which images showed blew away half of a section of the bridge's roadway, with the other half still attached.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said the divers would start work in the morning, with a more detailed survey above the waterline expected to be complete by day's end, domestic news agencies reported.

"The situation is manageable - it's unpleasant, but not fatal," Crimea's Russian governor, Sergei Aksyonov, told reporters. "Of course, emotions have been triggered and there is a healthy desire to seek revenge."

Russia's transport ministry said freight trains and long-distance passenger trains across the Crimea Bridge were running according to schedule on Sunday. Limited road traffic resumed on Saturday around 10 hours after the blast, Reuters reported.

5:34 a.m.: The latest intelligence update from the U.K. defense ministry said the explosion that damaged the Kerch Strait bridge which links Russia and Crimea will likely touch will likely touch Russian President Vladimir Putin closely; it came hours after his 70th birthday, he personally sponsored and opened the bridge, and its construction contractor was his childhood friend, Arkady Rotenberg.

In recent months, the update continues, Putins former bodyguard, now commander of the Russian National Guard, Viktor Zolatov, has provided public assurances about the security of the bridge.

4:45 a.m.: Railcars loaded with grain from Ukraine have arrived in Spain, the government said Saturday, part of a pilot project to explore the viability of using trains while war blocks maritime routes, Agence France Press reported.

As part of a pilot project to explore the viability of importing grain from Ukraine by rail, a freight train of Spanish state-owned operator Renfe left Madrid on Aug. 9 for the Polish town of Chelm near the Ukrainian border.

The train consisting of 25 containers each measuring 12 meters was loaded with 600 metric tons of Ukrainian grain for the 2,400-kilometer return trip to Barcelona.

It arrived in the Catalan capital on Thursday night after stops in Lodz, central Poland and Duisburg, western Germany, Spain's transport ministry said in a statement.

3:35 a.m.: In its latest Ukraine assessment, the Institute for the Study of War, a U.S. think tank, said Russian forces continued establishing defensive positions in northern Kherson Oblast and continued to attack settlements around Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and west of Donetsk City.

Ukrainian forces reportedly continued to shoot down Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones.

2:34 a.m.:

1:08 a.m.: Ukraine's economy shrank by an estimated 30% in the first three quarters of 2022 compared with the same period in 2021, largely because of Russia's invasion, the economy ministry said Saturday, according to Reuters.

Bad weather in September that slowed the pace of harvesting also played a role, as did interruptions in the supply of electricity from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the ministry said in a statement. Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of shelling the facility.

Exports in September jumped by 23% from August to their highest level since the war started in February, helped by an internationally brokered deal allowing the shipment of grain from Black Sea ports.

In July, Ukraine's central bank said the economy could shrink by a third in 2022 and was expected to grow between 5% and 6% in 2023 and 2024.

12:02 a.m.: Hong Kong could damage its reputation as a financial hub if it gives haven to sanctions dodgers, the United States cautioned Saturday, after the city said it would not act against a superyacht reportedly owned by a Kremlin ally, Agence France-Presse reported.

The Nord  a $500 million, 142-meter luxury vessel linked to Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov  arrived in the Chinese territory's waters this week.

Mordashov is among the oligarchs who are close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and have been targeted by Western sanctions following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Some of them have seen their luxury yachts seized in places such as Spain and Fiji, but Hong Kong said Friday that while it implements U.N. sanctions, it cannot enforce those imposed "unilaterally" by countries or blocs.

Some information in this report came from Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press and Reuters.
Workers at Wyatt Bassett's furniture factory in Virginia use powerful tools to churn out the company's trademark dressers and headboards, so screening new hires for drugs is a no-brainer.

Or it used to be.

Virginia last year fully legalized marijuana  the first state in the South to do so. The upshot is that "being positive for cannabis does not necessarily disqualify you for employment," said Bassett, CEO of Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Co., which has 575 employees.

Faced with a shortfall in applicants, employers across the U.S. are balancing pressure to ease up on testing for a legal drug with concerns that this could impact safety and raise issues of liability.

"With the war for talent and the labor shortage, especially in some lower paying jobs, it's tough to find and retain folks  so many are deciding to not test, except for safety sensitive jobs," said Julie Schweber, a senior knowledge adviser at the Society for Human Resource Management. Companies with multiple operations in different parts of the country face an added challenge, she said, because laws differ from state to state.

The challenge of balancing workplace safety and the growing prevalence  and legalization  of some types of drugs is especially acute for manufacturers and others who use dangerous equipment.

Last June, Amazon.com Inc. said positive tests for marijuana use would no longer disqualify people from jobs that are not regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, such as truck drivers.

The e-commerce giant  like many other employers  said it will treat cannabis like alcohol, even though traces of its use linger in the human body far longer and can show up on some types of tests after a worker is no longer impaired by its use. "We will continue to do impairment checks on the job and will test for all drugs and alcohol after any incident," wrote former-CEO Dave Clark, in a blog post at the time of the announcement.

Data from Quest Diagnostics, which handles testing for companies, shows a steady increase in positivity rates for marijuana tests over the past decade  coinciding with the wave of legalization. In 2012, only 1.9% of workers not subject to federally mandated drug testing requirements failed a pre-employment screening. Last year, that had grown to 4.1%. The jump in positive tests after accidents grew even more during that period, up from 2.4% to 6.7%.

The majority of Fortune 1000 companies have some type of screening in place, but many companies are dropping cannabis tests from the list, said Barry Sample, a senior science consultant who compiles Quest's data. Still, Quest estimates between 30 to 35 million employment-related drug tests are conducted in the U.S. annually.

Most of the tests Quest conducts use urine samples. Other tests rely on swabbing saliva or hair samples. "None of this testing can say whether someone is impaired," said Sample. Rather, the tests will simply indicate the presence of the drug based on a pre-set threshold.

Cannabis use for medical reasons is now legal in 37 states, while recreational use is legal in 19. Quest's data also shows that states that allow recreational use of cannabis have higher positivity rates.

Sample said many employers are shifting screening efforts to focus on drugs that remain illegal and where use in some industries also appears on the upswing. In manufacturing, for instance, Quest found the positivity rate clicked up last year for both methamphetamine and cocaine.

Insurance experts say it is too early to see if the changes will drive up insurance rates for companies that drop testing. "Nobody is going to come out and say, 'We're increasing premiums because you have more stoned workers on the job,'" said Mark Pew, a consultant who specializes in workers' compensation insurance in Georgia. But if, over time, companies that have looser drug screening policies have higher accident rates than those who stick to tougher rules, that could change, he said.

Matt Zender, a senior vice president for workers' compensation strategy with AmTrust Financial Services Inc., said one factor that may obscure or offset the impact of more drug use on the job is the general move toward safer workplaces.

"If you just look at claims per 100 hours of work, overall people are getting injured less often than they were in the past," he said.

Meanwhile, companies continue to fine tune their approaches on the issue. A California manufacturer of plastic bags, contacted by Reuters about their drug screening policies, was surprised to learn that his human resources department was automatically rejecting applicants who test positive for cannabis.

"My nephew would never get a job if I enforced that on him," Kevin Kelly, CEO of Emerald Packaging Inc. in Union City, Calif., said in an email. He said he had now directed his hiring managers to drop the requirement, adding that workers at the factory are not allowed to be impaired on the job. Cannabis use is fully legal in California.
More than 360 migrants were rescued Sunday while attempting the perilous crossing between the north coast of France and the south coast of England, in small boats, French officials said.

Regional maritime boats and a French Navy patrol ship made multiple trips to rescue groups of people in difficulty in the Channel, the French coastal authority Premar said.

In all, they rescued 367 people, taking them to the French ports of Calais, Boulogne and Dunkirk.

Increasing numbers of migrants seeking to reach England are trying to cross the Channel in makeshift boats now that officials have increased security at Calais and the cross-Channel tunnel.

The waterway is one of the busiest sea routes in the world, with more than 400 vessels crossing it every day and the weather conditions are often difficult.

Since the beginning of the year, a record 33,500 people have crossed the Channel in small boats.

According to figures from Britain's interior ministry, 94% of the migrants who reached the U.K. in the past four years went on to apply for asylum. Of those who had received a response, most had been successful.

As the law currently stands, a migrant must be physically in the U.K. to start the asylum process.
North Korea has conducted an uncommon late-night missile test on the eve of an anniversary marking the founding of its Workers Party.

The test came hours after a U.S. aircraft carrier task force wrapped up a second week of naval exercises with South Korea. The carriers return to waters off the Korean peninsula  prompted by North Koreas launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan - was characterized by Pyongyang as of considerably huge negative splash to the regional situation.

Two short-range ballistic missiles were fired between 1:48 and 1:58 a.m. Sunday, South Koreas military said, from the Munchon area into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. They flew 350 kilometers and reached a top altitude of 90 kilometers, it added.

Japans Senior Vice Defense Minister Toshiro Ino announced similar figures. He said the missiles, after being launched at around 1:47 a.m. and 1:53 a.m., landed outside Japans exclusive economic zone after gliding some 350 kilometers at an apogee of 100 kilometers. The possibility they were submarine-launched ballistic missiles was being studied, he said.

Munchon, located along North Koreas eastern coast, hosts a naval base that in 2016 was seen undergoing renovation.

Analysts in Seoul, however, noted similarities in Sundays launches to a tactical ballistic missile, known to U.S. authorities as the KN-25, or what North Korean media have in the past called the super-large multiple rocket launch system. It was thought to be one of two missiles tested last Thursday, hours after the USS Ronald Reagan had been rerouted for a second round of naval exercises with South Korea and Japan.

In an emergency meeting, South Koreas National Security Council strongly condemned the continuing launch of short- and intermediate-range missiles as destabilizing acts that violate United Nations Security Council resolutions. Sundays ballistic missile launching is the seventh in 15 days, extending a record run of weapons testing this year.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, in its assessment, said the latest launch did not pose an immediate threat to the U.S. or its allies, while affirming the U.S.s ironclad commitments to the defense of South Korea and Japan.

Sundays test precedes the 77th anniversary of the founding of North Koreas only political party, the Workers Party, on Monday. South Korean officials have said North Korea could be preparing a weapons showcase, though a weapons parade like those that occur every five years is viewed as unlikely.

North Korea signals more tests

North Korea has not published a state media report on its missile tests the day after they are conducted since May 2022.

Instead, its official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) over the weekend issued two statements from spokespeople from its Defense Ministry and its National Aviation Administration, both suggesting that launches would continue.

The redeployment of the nuclear-powered carrier task force [was an] extremely worrisome development of the present situation, a spokesperson of North Koreas Ministry of Defense said via KCNA on Saturday, calling it military bluffing to Pyongyangs righteous reaction to military drills between South Korea and the U.S.

In a more substantial KCNA article, also Saturday, North Koreas National Aviation Administration spokesperson defended Tuesdays alarming missile flight over Japan, claiming civil aircraft safety was fully considered in advance and that the launch was part of a regular and planned self-defensive step [against] U.S. direct military threats.

The two comments came in reaction to condemnation by the U.N.-affiliated International Civil Aviation Organization Friday, which North Korea dismissed as political provocation of the U.S. and its vassal forces.

Pressure raised as nuclear test anticipated

Pressure continues to mount on parties assisting the nuclear-armed state. The United States Treasury Department on Friday issued additional sanctions against two individuals and three entities based in Singapore and the Marshall Islands with suspected ties to North Koreas arms program.

Additionally, in a phone call last week, special envoys for North Korea from the U.S., Japan and South Korea committed to bolstering efforts to disrupt North Koreas cryptocurrency theft, according to Seouls foreign ministry.

Despite crippling economic sanctions weighing on state coffers, Pyongyang has managed to amass a cash pile worth hundreds of millions of dollars just in the first half of the year, the United Nations Security Council sanctions committee said in a midterm report Friday. The committee noted multimillion-dollar heists of the cryptocurrency ether and North Koreas exploitation of non-fungible token (NFT) technology.

No meaningful talks anticipated soon

Although Washington has maintained that the line to dialogue without preconditions with Pyongyang remains open, experts do not anticipate North Korea will show up for meaningful negotiations until it has achieved some ambitious military goals.

North Koreas leadership has no other strategic card other than playing the same game that it played in 2017 and 2018, said Bong Youngshik, research fellow at Yonsei Universitys Institute for North Korean Studies.

But knowing that U.S. President Joe Bidens approach is vastly different from that of former President Donald Trump, North Korea now has its focus squarely on building a strategic upper hand  that is, by realizing key goals to upgrade its arsenal as previously announced in a key party congress, Bong said.

Only after the successful completion of its military modernization program will it play the same game again, when it is armed with strategic assets, which will take another two to three years, Bong predicted.

Among the five major weapons systems outlined at North Koreas Eighth Party Congress in January of last year are multiple rocket launchers, tactical nuclear weapons, nuclear-powered submarines, supersonic missiles and maneuverable reentry vehicles. Also known by the acronym MaRV, these ballistic missiles are designed to hit ground targets autonomously.
Pope Francis on Sunday made an impassioned defense of migrants, calling their exclusion "scandalous, disgusting and sinful," putting him on a collision course with Italy's upcoming right-wing government.

Francis made his comments as he canonized a 19th century bishop known as the "father of migrants" and a 20th century man who ministered to the sick in Argentina.

Francis, who has made support of migrants a major theme of his pontificate, presided over the ceremony before 50,000 people in St. Peter's Square.

"The exclusion of migrants is scandalous. Indeed, the exclusion of migrants is criminal. It makes them die in front of us," he said.

"And so today the Mediterranean is the world's largest cemetery," he said, referring to thousands who have drowned trying to reach Europe.

"The exclusion of migrants is disgusting, it is sinful. It is criminal not to open doors to those who are needy," he said.

Giorgia Meloni is expected to become prime minister later this month at the head of a right-wing coalition that has vowed to crack down on immigration and tighten Italy's borders.

She has promised accelerated repatriations and tighter asylum rules. Meloni has also called for a naval blockade of North Africa to prevent migrants from sailing and for renewed curbs on charity rescue ships.

Francis, who did not mention Italy, said some migrants sent back are put in "concentration camps where they are exploited and treated as slaves." In the past he has said this has happened in Libya.

The pope went off script about migrants at the point in his prepared comments when he mentioned the most well-known of the two new saints - Bishop Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, who lived between 1839 and 1905.

Scalabrini founded two religious orders  one of priests and one of nuns  to help Italian immigrants in the United States and South America.

The other new saint is Artemides Zatti, who lived between 1880 and 1951. His family fled poverty in Italy and settled in Argentina.

A lay member of the Salesian religious order, he worked as a nurse, bringing healthcare to the poor on his bicycle.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen will pledge to bolster the island's combat power and determination to improve its defenses in a major speech on Monday, at a time when tensions with China have risen dramatically.

Democratic Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory, has come under increasing military and political pressure from Beijing, especially after Chinese war games in early August following a Taipei visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

According to an outline of her national day speech on Monday, as described to Reuters by a source briefed on its contents, Tsai will talk about "enhancing national defense combat power and uniting the morale of the people."

"In addition to reaffirming Taiwan's determination to augment its self-defense and its position on maintaining regional peace and stability, the president will also elaborate on efforts to strengthen national defense combat power and resilience," the source said.

Tsai is overseeing a military modernization program and boosting defense spending as China presses its sovereignty claims against Taiwan.

In her speech, outside the presidential office in central Taipei, where there will also be a military parade, Tsai will emphasize that "democratic resilience" is the key to protecting Taiwan, the source said.

That includes continuing to deepen international cooperation and "closely connecting" democratic allies, the president will say.

Tsai's speech will come less than a week before China's ruling Communist Party's congress opens in Beijing, where President Xi Jinping is widely expected to win a precedent-breaking third five-year term.

China has pledged to work for peaceful "reunification" with Taiwan under a "one country, two systems" model.

All mainstream Taiwan political parties have rejected that proposal and it has almost no public support, according to opinion polls. China has also never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

China refuses to speak to Tsai, re-elected by a landslide in 2020 on a promise to stand up to Beijing, believing she is a separatist. Tsai has repeatedly offered talks based on equality and mutual respect.

She has made strengthening Taiwan's defenses a cornerstone of her administration to enable it to mount a more credible deterrence to China, which is ramping up an ambitious modernization program of its own military.
The United Nations mission in Libya condemned Sunday the "heinous killing" of 15 migrants near the Mediterranean coastal city of Sabratha, accusing smugglers and demanding justice.

The bodies were found on a beach on Friday morning, most of them burned inside a charred boat, according to the U.N. and the Libyan Red Crescent.

"While the exact circumstances remain to be determined, the killings reportedly resulted from clashes between rival traffickers," the U.N. mission UNSMIL said in a statement.

It urged authorities in the North African nation "to ensure a swift, independent and transparent investigation to bring all perpetrators to justice."

Libya was a key route for clandestine migration even before the 2011 uprising that overthrew dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

The lawlessness that ensued bolstered its position on the world's deadliest migration route across the Mediterranean to Europe.

People smugglers from the western city of Sabratha  just 300 kilometers (185 miles) from the Italian island of Lampedusa  continue to play a key role.

Migrants often face horrific treatment at the hands of smuggling gangs.

Rights groups have repeatedly accused authorities and armed groups operating under state auspices of torture and other abuses.

The latest killings are "a stark reminder of the lack of protection migrants and asylum seekers face in Libya, and the widespread human rights violations undertaken by powerful trafficking and criminal networks who need to be swiftly stopped and prosecuted," UNSMIL said.

Libyan media reported that the killings resulted from a "dispute between people smugglers" that led to them opening fire on the migrants, mostly from African countries further south.

One of the groups involved set fire to the boat, according to the reports.

Since the start of the year, more than 14,000 migrants have been intercepted and returned to Libya, the International Organization for Migration said Monday.

At least 216 people have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea and 724 are missing and presumed dead.
The U.N. General Assembly will convene Monday in a special session to discuss Russia's recent attempt to annex four regions of Ukraine. The session could reveal whether Russia's international isolation is growing as its war grinds on.

"The U.N. Charter is clear: Any annexation of a state's territory by another state resulting from the threat or use of force is a violation of the principles of the U.N. Charter and international law," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said September 29, a day ahead of a theatrical Kremlin ceremony to incorporate the territories into Russia.

Guterres said any attempt to annex Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia would have "no legal value" and would be a "dangerous escalation."

The following day, Russia exercised its veto in the U.N. Security Council to block a resolution condemning its actions.

That has spurred a move to the General Assembly, where no state has a veto.

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia circulated a letter to member states October 4, calling the move to the General Assembly "clearly politicized and provocative."

Taking a stand

In addition to the debate, countries will be asked to state their stance on the issue by voting on a European-drafted resolution condemning Russia's move to annex Ukrainian territory.

"It is clinically focused on the legality or illegality of what Russia is doing," European Union Ambassador Olof Skoog told reporters of the draft text.

The final draft, seen by VOA on Friday, reiterates the secretary-general's pronouncement and reaffirms states' commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. It also clearly condemns Russia's "illegal so-called referenda" and "attempted illegal annexation" and says they are invalid under international law.

"We're going to continue to make the case that there are fundamental principles at stake here, and that's something that every country has a stake in," a senior U.S. administration official told reporters Thursday, discussing the negotiations.

The final text also includes language supporting the de-escalation of the conflict and adds new language promoting resolution through "political dialogue, negotiation, mediation and other peaceful means," with respect to Ukraine's internationally recognized borders and in accordance with the principles of the U.N. Charter.

Richard Gowan, the International Crisis Group's U.N. director, said including this language is a smart move.

"I think the EU and Ukrainians made some smart moves in negotiations on this text  for example, taking on ideas from non-Western diplomats to include language, absent from early drafts, on the need for a negotiated solution to the war," he told VOA. "I am not sure Ukraine actually believes that real dialogue is possible, but they need to show that they don't reject diplomacy completely."

Diplomats expect the debate to go beyond Monday, and a vote is not expected before Wednesday.

To pass the resolution, the sponsors will need a two-thirds majority of countries present and voting "yes." Abstentions do not count toward the two-thirds requirement.

Typically, the General Assembly would hold a public vote and record it so the world can see where each nation stands. But Russia has taken the unusual step of requesting a secret ballot  a format that is usually reserved for assembly actions such as elections to U.N. bodies.

In his letter, Nebenzia urged states to vote against the proposed resolution. He said that because there is "huge pressure" on countries to pick a side, Russia is proposing a secret ballot to give them "flexibility and breathing space."

"It doesn't suggest a high degree of confidence in the outcome if Russia is seeking to obscure the vote count or the results," the U.S. official said.

A procedural vote could be called in the assembly to decide whether to use a recorded ballot or secret ballot.

Measuring support

On March 2, the General Assembly voted 141-5 to condemn Russia's February 24 invasion of Ukraine. Only four countries  Belarus, Eritrea, North Korea and Syria  voted with Russia against the resolution. Thirty-five countries abstained.

The upcoming vote could indicate whether there is Ukraine "fatigue" among U.N. members and whether the impact of the war, particularly on fuel, food and fertilizer prices, has shifted some countries' positions.

"In March, even countries like Cuba and Iran abstained," a senior Western diplomat noted. "It's important to show that the support to Russia hasn't increased, and, at the same time, to limit as much as possible the number of abstentions."

Many of the 35 abstentions in March came from African nations.

"All eyes will be on the African group, which are generally seen as the most ambivalent bloc of U.N. members over the war," Gowan said. "I suspect that most African members will abstain, but the U.S. will be encouraging its partners to back the resolution, arguing that it is a vote against colonialism."

Gowan said the more Ukraine and its allies can frame the vote as a "simple up-or-down test" of loyalty to the U.N. Charter, the stronger their argument would be.

The Western diplomat put it more colorfully:

"You cannot be half pregnant. Either you are pregnant or you're not. So, the same  either it is legal, or it isn't illegal, so exactly the same."

Diplomats and analysts will also be looking to see how traditional Russian allies such as China and India vote. On March 2, both abstained from the assembly vote. They have also withheld their support from Russia in the Security Council.

Brazil, which voted to condemn Moscow in March, abstained in the September 30 Security Council vote condemning the so-called referenda and attempted annexation.

Lobbying continues from both the Western and Russian sides. Moscow wants to dispel the Western narrative that it is diplomatically isolated, while Western nations are eager to show that the moral weight of the international community is on the side of Ukraine and international law.
At least 17 people were reported killed in shelling attacks on civilian targets overnight in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia.

Dozens more were reported wounded.

The European Unions top diplomat Saturday condemned in the strongest possible terms Russias attempt to annex the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and said Russias forces must fully withdraw from the plant and return control of it to Ukraine.

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High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell called the seizure of the nuclear power plant illegal, and legally null and void, and said a reinforced International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) presence at the site and its unhindered access to the plant are urgently needed in the interest of the security of Europe as a whole.

Earlier Saturday, the IAEA reported that the Zaporizhzhia plant, the biggest in Europe, had lost its only external power source as a result of renewed Russian shelling and was forced to rely on emergency diesel generators.

All six reactors at the plant are shut down, but they still require electricity for cooling and other safety functions. The IAEA said plant engineers have begun work to repair the damaged power line.

The nuclear watchdog agency said the plants link to a 750-kilovolt line was cut about 1 a.m. Saturday local time. It cited official information from Ukraine, as well as reports from IAEA experts at the site, which is held by Russian forces.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi is traveling to Moscow to hold talks in the coming days about establishing a protection zone around the nuclear plant. He was in Ukraine on Friday and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding the situation. Transferring the plant to Russian ownership, Grossi said, is a violation of international law.

Russian shake-up?

Russia's defense ministry named General Sergei Surovikin on Saturday as the new overall commander of Kremlin forces engaged in Ukraine. It was the first official announcement of a single overall commander for all Russian forces fighting in Ukraine since its Feb. 24 invasion began.

"By the decision of the defense minister of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Sergei Surovikin has been appointed commander of the joint group of troops in the area of the special military operation," the statement said, using the Kremlin's term for the invasion of Ukraine.

Surovikin had since 2017 led Russia's Aerospace Forces. In June, he was placed in charge of Russian forces in southern Ukraine.

Bridge partly opens

Saturday dawned with an explosion that partially collapsed a bridge over the Kerch Strait, an important road and rail link between Russia and Crimea and a vital supply line for Russias war effort against Ukraine.

No one has claimed responsibility for the blast that killed three people and shut down the bridge. Russian transportation authorities said limited road and rail traffic had resumed about 10 hours after the attack.

Britains defense ministry said Sunday about the damage to the bridge that any serious disruption to its capacity will highly likely have a significant impact on Russia's already strained ability to sustain its forces in southern Ukraine.

Russian divers are set to examine the extent of the damage Sunday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a video address, indirectly acknowledged the bridge attack but not its cause.

Today was not a bad day and mostly sunny on our state's territory, he said. Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea. Although it was also warm.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly threatened to strike the bridge.

Moscow stopped short of assigning blame, but the speaker of Crimeas Kremlin-backed regional parliament accused Ukraine, while downplaying the severity of the damage.

Now they have something to be proud of: over 23 years of their management, they didnt manage to build anything worthy of attention in Crimea, but theyve managed to damage the surface of the Russian bridge, Vladimir Konstantinov, chairperson of the State Council of the Republic, wrote on Telegram.

The official Twitter account of the Ukraine government tweeted, Sick burn.

Russian Foreign Ministry representative Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram, The Kiev regimes reaction to the destruction of civilian infrastructure highlights its terrorist nature.

The Ukrainian postal service announced it would issue stamps commemorating the blast, saying in a statement that the images would draw on classic film posters to highlight the bridge's sacred significance to Moscow. The postal service previously released a set of stamps commemorating the sinking of the Moskva, a Russian flagship cruiser, by a Ukrainian strike in late May.

The blast, reportedly a truck bomb, occurred even though all vehicles driving across it undergo automatic checks for explosives by state-of-the-art control systems. That has drawn a stream of critical comments from Russian war bloggers.

The truck was owned by a resident of the Krasnodar region in southern Russia, Russias Investigative Committee said. It noted that investigators arrived at his home as part of the inquiry and are looking at the trucks route and other details.

The 19-kilometer bridge across the Kerch Strait linking the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov opened in 2018 and is the longest in Europe. The $3.6 billion project is a tangible symbol of Moscows claims on Crimea, and it has provided an essential link to the peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

While Russia seized areas north of Crimea early in the current the invasion and built a land corridor to it along the Sea of Azov, Ukraine is pressing a counteroffensive to reclaim the territories.

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
A Clarence church has set up a fund for the four children orphaned after their father killed their mother, grandparents and then himself on Thursday.

Eastern Hills Church, a Wesleyan Methodist church on Greiner Road, established the fund to "assist with any immediate and long term financial needs of the children of Marybeth and Erik Bergum," according to the church's website.

To make a donation online, visit ehwc.org/bergum. Checks with "Bergum" marked in the memo line also can be mailed to the church at 8445 Greiner Road, Williamsville, NY 14221.

All money donated to the children goes into a separate account at a local credit union and will not be mixed with church funds, Eastern Hills Church lead pastor Pat Jones said.

The fund was opened on Friday. As of Sunday afternoon, it had collected $24,000, Jones said.

Jones said he is "amazed" by the generosity of Western New Yorkers.

The four children the community is rallying around were at school Thursday morning when their father, Erik Bergum, first shot and killed his wife and the children's mother, Mary Beth, 37, at their home on Shimerville Road in Clarence, authorities said.

He then traveled to his parents' home on Ransom Road in Clarence, where he shot to death his mother, Nancy, 64. Finally, Erik Bergum drove to a private shooting range in Newstead where he fatally shot his father, Mark, 66, before killing himself after both men spent some time target shooting, according to authorities. A note found in Erik Bergum's vehicle laid out a schedule of the shootings but did not indicate a motive, authorities have said.

The Bergums' extended family members have traveled to Western New York to be with the children in the wake of the shootings. Jones said his church worked with The Chapel at Crosspoint church to find a house where the family could stay with the children and coordinated meal donations.

The Bergum family has attended many Western New York churches throughout the years, Jones said, but over the past few years, Mary Beth Bergum became very close with the church's youth pastor and his family. The children regularly attended youth programming at Eastern Hills Church, Jones said.

'Why?': Motive elusive in murder-suicide that left 4 family members dead in Clarence, Newstead Authorities say they still don't know why a Clarence man shot to death his wife, mother and father at three locations over the course of an hour Thursday morning before turning his gun on himself.

In a post on his blog, Jones said he believes Erik Bergum "allowed his darkness to grow" amid life's challenges.

"My appeal to us all, because this can happen to us all, is that we dont allow our darkness to grow," Jones wrote. "The moment the light begins to dim, pause. Ask for help in understanding what God has to say about the issue, shining light on the darkness. Dont isolate with your thoughts, your fears, your doubts. That is how darkness grows."

Jones said he and his church are open to talk to anyone affected by this tragedy, as are many other local churches.

In addition to the church's fund, a community member set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the children. As of Sunday afternoon, that fund had collected more than $13,500 toward a $15,000 goal.

The GoFundMe can be found at gofundme.com/f/4-children-without-parents.
The ruling Zanu PF party has retained two local authority seats after its candidates beat Citizens Coalition for Change opponents in by-elections held on Saturday.

In a tweet, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said Simon Nyazenga of Zanu PF beat CCCs Taurai Artwell Tichiwangani to land the seat of councilor for Ward 27 in Nyanga.

Nyazenga amassed 376 votes while Tichiwangani got 123 in a by-election in which there was a high number of assisted voters. According to ZEC, the bye-election recorded a 53.2% turnout.

In Mberengwas Ward 15, Nkonzo Albenias of Zanu PF, who got 756 votes beat CCCs Conias Dhongijena. The latter got 165 votes.

The by-elections were held in accordance with Section 121 A of the Electoral Act (Chapter 2:13) following the death of the incumbent councillors for Mberengwa Ward 15, Ravasingadi Zhou, of Zanu PF and Collins Matongo of the same party in Nyangas Ward 27.

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), which deployed six static observers in Mberengwa Ward 15 and Nyanga Ward 27 as well as observers at the Ward Collation Centres and a roving team to the local authority by-elections, said high numbers of assisted voters on account of illiteracy and visual impairment induced by old age were observed at some polling stations.

In a statement, ZESN said, For instance, in Mberengwa Ward 15 by 11:00 hours, 24 voters had been assisted at Ruzengwe polling station; 19 at Chegato Secondary School polling station; nine (9) at Magavakava Primary School polling station and 14 at Rubweruchena Tent polling station due to illiteracy. In Nyanga Ward 27 at Raudzi Primary School polling station, 1 voter was assisted and 5 voters were assisted at Nyanzou Primary School polling station.

ZESN further noted that some people were turned away because their names were not on the voters roll or they could not produce valid identification documents in both by-elections.
Zimbabwean journalist Godwin Mangudya was yesterday allegedly assaulted by members of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) and ruling Zanu PF activists in the Harares Kuwadzana suburb, while covering the partys Central Committee elections.

Mangudya alerted MISA Zimbabwe that he was assaulted by members of the ruling party and CIO despite formally identifying himself and producing his duly constitutionally-accredited Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) press card.

In a statement, The Zimbabwe chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa said he was detained for more than an hour, while the Zanu PF activists continuously agitated to further assault him.

MISA Zimbabwe said CIO agents and Zanu PF security personnel confiscated his mobile phones and reset the gadgets leading to the journalist losing both his personal and work-related information.

The previous day, Mangudya, was among the journalists who attended a press briefing at the Zanu PF headquarters in Harare, addressed by both the partys spokesperson, Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa, and political commissar, Mike Bimha.

ZANU PF invited members of the media to cover its activities country-wide.

Meanwhile, during the entire ordeal, Mangudya requested the CIO and party activists to reach out to the partys spokesperson and commissar for them to confirm that journalists had indeed been invited to cover the activities of the party, but that was all in vain.

MISA Zimbabwe notes with very great concern the continued perpetration of violence against journalists by political party activists, security personnel, and members of the national security. This violence against journalists undertaking their constitutional mandate is an assault on the supreme law of the land as provided for under Section 61 of the Constitution which protects media freedom. Sadly, these unpunished crimes against journalists, come at a time when the entire world is commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists.

We, therefore, call the on the police to conduct thorough investigations and hold the perpetrators accountable. As MISA Zimbabwe, we are now very worried by this upsurge in the number of criminal attacks against journalists as Zimbabwe moves towards its elections next year. The role of journalists in covering political parties activities is to allow the public to access reliable information and make informed decisions and choices.

MISA Zimbabwe urged all stakeholders to unite and speak with one voice in calling for an end to these criminal acts against journalists and ensure that media workers are protected to perform their constitutionally guaranteed duties without fear and risk to their personal security. Journalism is Not a Crime!
HARARE (Reuters) - Anglo American Platinum's AMSJ.J Zimbabwe unit recently took the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) to court over a $24 million royalty dispute, court documents seen by Reuters show.

Unki Platinum mine filed an urgent application in Zimbabwe's high court on Sept. 9 to stop the revenue authority from seizing the money from the miner's bank account, which ZIMRA claims is the value of royalties it is owed by the wholly owned Amplats subsidiary.

In its court application, Unki said it had paid the disputed outstanding royalties in Zimbabwe dollars on July 29, but ZIMRA has insisted the payment should be in foreign currency.

A ZIMRA spokesperson said they were not able to provide an immediate comment.

Zimbabwe currently allows foreign currencies to circulate in the economy alongside the local dollar.

In 2020, the government ordered miners to pay royalties in foreign currency. Although that rule was relaxed in February 2022 to allow mining companies to pay 50% of their royalties in local currency, Unki argues the Zimbabwe dollar should be able to be used to pay all taxes and royalties.

The Amplats unit said ZIMRA's move was "unlawful" and threatened its business as it is unable to trade, pay suppliers and purchase raw materials.

"The consequence is that the applicant has been locked out of its bank accounts with devastating consequences," Unki said in its application.

Unki and ZIMRA have been embroiled in a dispute over royalties since 2018, when a special mining agreement with the government allowed it to calculate its royalties after deducting expenses.

The two parties have sparred over the calculation of royalties, with ZIMRA insisting that Unki should pay royalties on the gross value of refined minerals. Unki, however, says it only produces concentrates, not refined metals, and sells these to refiners in South Africa.

The $24 million which ZIMRA claims as underpaid royalties by Unki arises from the two parties' different interpretations of the tax regulations, leading to different calculations.

(Reporting by Nelson Banya;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
Last Monday, we had the EU-Israel Association Council meeting - for the first time in ten years. It was important to relaunch this top-level channel for dialogue between the EU and Israel. We are close in many ways and cooperate in many fields. At the same time, this meeting was also an opportunity to talk about issues on which we dont agree such as the peace process and the situation in the Palestinian territories. Doing both is the point of diplomacy and a good partnership.

After so many years, there was a lot to talk about many issues on our common agenda. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Lapid, who currently is also Foreign Minister, was unable to join the Council in person, but we exchanged with him via VTC beforehand and with the Israeli delegation led by Elazar Stern, the Minister for Intelligence who had come to Brussels for our meeting.

In many ways, the EU and Israel are very close. The EU is Israels biggest trade partner. We cooperate with Israel in a wide range of areas, indeed more so than with any other country in the region. Israel has an impressive track record as part of our Horizon research programme. Israel is for instance a pioneer in water technology and in agriculture in warm climates, something that is very interesting for us. On the energy field we recently signed a trilateral agreement with Egypt which will allow for Israeli gas to reach the EU.

Moreover, people-to-people contacts between the EU and Israel are intensive. Many Israelis live in Europe and many European citizens live in Israel. The EU has adopted a broad strategy to fight antisemitism, which is a key priority for Israel. We also discussed and share deep concerns about terrorism as well as about regional stability across the Middle East. The bilateral EU-Israel relationship overall is a solid and very constructive one. And we are ready to restart the full range of meetings with Israel, including on political issues and human rights.

Naturally, the Association Council meeting was also an opportunity to talk about issues on which we do not agree. In a joint position paper prior to the meeting, all 27 EU member states set out their priorities for the relationship as well as the issues on which we have differences with Israel. The biggest one on that list is the persistent lack of progress towards a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

During the last 30 years, thousands of people have died unnecessarily due to this conflict. Millions of Palestinians continue to live under occupation, on less and less land and with the two-state solution becoming less and less viable. Millions more are still refugees. Meanwhile, millions of Israelis, and millions of Jews across the world, live in fear of a conflict-inspired terror attack, which have killed numerous victims in the past decades.

There are many reasons why this conflict continues, including terrorism and regional instability. We must have an honest analysis of the root causes and we call on everyone to do their part to address these. Certainly, the continuing conflict is harmful to all. It means prolonging the suffering and the insecurity for people on both sides. And that in turn threatens the long-term stability of Israel, and for many its international standing. As friends and partners of Israel, we need to address this and for me that was a key reason to organise this official meeting after so many years.

The EU used the Association Council to express its views and hear those of Israel on a number of difficult issues such as the closure of Gaza and the suffering of its estimated 2.3 million inhabitants; the continued construction of new settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem; continued settler violence without accountability; the evictions of numerous Palestinians from an Israeli firing zone; the number of casualties, especially children; the demolitions of EU-funded humanitarian structures; administrative detentions; the erosion of the status quo on the Holy Sites and the designation of respected NGOs as terrorist organisations. These are all things happening today without any improvement. As I said in New York during the UNGA week, these things are difficult to understand, for us and other close friends of Israel. And we need to discuss these issues openly  and that is what we try to do on this occasion.

While we discuss the crises of today, we must also address the fundamental issues of tomorrow. We want to hear from Israel what peace it needs and wants, how we can contribute to its security, and what it is willing to do to address the legitimate demands of Palestinians to have their own state. We need of course also to ask the Palestinian authorities how they want to achieve peace, and assure Israel of its security. To that end, we will reach out to them to have an exchange at the highest possible level. The Palestinian side also has homework to do, on reforms, on governance and on the delivery of basic services to its population. We will offer our support, but we also have expectations and questions for the Palestinians.

As EU, we need to develop a practical perspective on how to help building a future peace. This is why, two weeks ago at the United Nations high-level week in New York, I hosted a meeting with Arab leaders, at the initiative of Saudi Arabia and the Arab League, to revive and build on the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. Inspired by the recent normalisation agreements with four Arab States, is it possible to make progress towards a comprehensive regional peace that ends the Israeli Palestinian conflict and brings substantial security, trade, and other cooperation for the region at the same time? There is for sure a long and difficult road to walk, but we must explore all we can to bring peace and prosperity not just to Israel and Palestine, but to the entire region.

To this end, I have asked EU Special Representative Koopmans to explore with all parties and international partners the opportunities for security, trade, water, energy, innovation and other areas of cooperation that peace would bring, and to work within the EU to identify our own potential contributions to these efforts.

I felt in New York that there is a growing interest to pursue these thoughts. We would like to engage with all parties to have a fresh look at regional peace and make our contribution to that peaceful future. The Association Council meeting with Israel was a first step along that path.
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Ministers from the OPEC+ group of oil-producing countries agreed to cut their collective output target by 2 million barrels a day from November when they met on Wednesday. How much their actual production falls could be as little as one-tenth of the headline figure. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Although the group comprises 23 countries, the burden of the latest cut will be shared by just three  Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. Most of the others are already pumping so far below their quota levels that their output will still fall short of their new allocations.

Estimates of OPEC+s September production suggest that, collectively, its lagging the planned level by about 3.6 million barrels a day.

When the new targets come into effect on Nov. 1, only eight countries will be required to pump less crude. In addition to the three Gulf Arab neighbors, small reductions should also come from South Sudan, Algeria, Gabon, Iraq and Oman.

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The total reduction required of them is just 890,000 barrels a day. Thats still a significant cut, but a long way from the headline figure.

However, dont expect the cut to be even that much. You can forget about South Sudan, Gabon and probably even Iraq.

OPECs own data show that South Sudan not only exceeded its quota every month since the current deal came into effect in May 2020, but that it never cut a single barrel of production. It would be surprising if it began now.

Gabon has shown a similar lack of resolve. Its output has been below its cap in just one month out of the agreements 29-month history, OPECs data show.

As for Iraq, the nations oil minister wasted no time after Wednesdays deal was finalized to assure oil buyers that the agreement would not affect his countrys exports. With little room to tweak domestic use, that really means no cut in production either.

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That whittles the list down to five.

The reductions required from Algeria and Oman total 32,000 barrels a day; thats little more than a rounding error in the assessment of the groups overall production.

The cuts required of Saudi Arabia and its neighbors amount to 790,000 barrels a day, but even that could be offset by increasing output from some other members of the group.

Nigeria, Angola and Malaysia are all contending with dwindling production capacity and have been pumping below their targets for many months. Thats not likely to change. Russia, too, is struggling. It was already finding it difficult to keep pace with its rising allocation before President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine, and the situation has only gotten worse in the months since the invasion.

But Kazakhstan is different. Output is running more than 560,000 barrels a day below target on a combination of planned maintenance at one of its biggest fields and a gas leak at another. The completion of the maintenance this weekend should allow the return of about 260,000 barrels a day. The rest will take longer, but the countrys energy minister says it should be back before the end of the month  just in time to offset the planned cut.

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If hes right, the effective output cut, measured from current production, could be reduced to as little as 230,000 barrels a day  hardly worth getting worked up about.

But a month later, the situation may look very different. European Union sanctions on Russian crude exports come into effect on Dec. 5  the day after the producer group is due to hold its next meeting. The restrictions target most seaborne shipments to the blocs members, which have already dropped to about 660,000 barrels a day from 1.6 million barrels in January.

Russia has successfully diverted much of the crude shunned by European buyers to India, Turkey and China; but the sanctions, which also seek to limit shipments to non-European countries, could have a much bigger impact. Russias own fleet of tankers isnt large enough to move all the oil that would need to be diverted from Europe. That could force production cuts. A proposed price cap on Russian crude would provide the Kremlin a way out  exempting from sanctions those cargoes sold at or below a yet-to-be-agreed price  but Moscow seems determined not to take it.

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If the Kremlin decides to halt production instead of accepting a capped price, which seems likely, the OPEC+ cut of 2 million barrels a day could suddenly become very real.

One things sure, crudes on a roller coaster ride for the rest of 2022.

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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WILMINGTON, Del.  A Chinese immigrant and chemist who played a role in the 1960s developing noise reduction technology at the DuPont Experimental Station was honored at a recent ceremony at the DuPont site. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight A conference center was named for Theodore Ted P. Yin, who worked at the company in the 1960s with his wife, Fay Hoh Yin. DuPont officials recognized their achievements, along with those of all employees of Asian descent who have contributed to DuPont over the years.

Ted Yin was a physical chemist at DuPont in the Elastomers Department from 1960 to 1969 and is widely remembered for his role in developing Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) Reduction. This technology is still used today all around the world and can be found in things like dishwashers in homes, railroad car wheels or engines in cars.

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Ted died in 1970 at the age of 39, leaving behind his two children, Monona and Duncan, along with his wife and mother, Florence.

Fay was a DuPont biochemist who conducted research on the rhinoviruses from 1966 until her retirement in 1991. She outlived her husband by 50 years and died in 2020.

Few knew their moving story, which began in war-torn China, before it was featured in a series last year on Delaware Online/The News Journal.

Monona Yin published a book about her familys experience in 2017, titled Riding with the Wind: Three Generations of My Family in China, and worked with Delaware Online/The News Journal to create a four-part series on the life of her parents, their connection to DuPont and their life as a Chinese Americans.

Mobility & Materials President Randy Stone was inspired by their story and contributions to DuPont and wanted to do something special to honor the Yin family.

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The Theodore P. Yin Conference Center was formally unveiled recently, with Monona, Duncan and Stone formally cutting the ribbon to the building.

The door to the conference room features a large black and white image of Ted covering much of the glass. Upon entering, the red and gray walls hold a mounted plaque with a photo of the Yin family, multiple photos of Ted and a quote from him about DuPont.

Various photos of Teds work, as well as notes and diagrams from his research on NVH Reduction, decorate a clear plaque on a wall adjacent to the door.

As DuPont employees and visitors passed through the room, a monitor on the wall displayed photos and information about Theodores legacy and his family.

While being honored with plaques for their parents achievements, Monona and Duncan expressed their gratitude for the recognition of their parents and the dedication of a conference center in their fathers honor.

While standing in the conference center, Duncan began to tear up at the sight of his fathers work lining the walls of the room.

The entire event, and what it means to have the legacy of her parents recognized in this way, was very emotional, said Monona.

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SUFFOLK, Va.  Whenever historic homes get flooded, building contractors often feel compelled by government regulations to rip out the water-logged wood flooring, tear down the old plaster walls and install new, flood-resistant materials. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Its a hurried approach thats likely to occur across southwest Florida in the wake of Hurricane Ian. But restorers Paige Pollard and Kerry Shackelford say they know something that science is yet to prove: historic building materials can often withstand repeated soakings. Theres often no need, they say, to put in modern products such as box-store lumber that are both costly to homeowners and dilute a houses historic character.

Our forefathers chose materials that were naturally rot-resistant, like black locust and red cedar and cypress, said Shackelford, who owns a historic restoration business. And they actually survive better than many of the products we use today.

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Pollard and Shackelford are part of an emerging movement in the U.S. that aims to prove the resilience of older homes as more fall under the threat of rising seas and intensifying storms due to climate change. They hope their research near Virginias coast can convince more government officials and building contractors that historic building materials often need cleaning  not replacing  after a flood.

In Florida, historic preservationists already fear older homes damaged by Ian may be stripped of original materials because so few craftsmen are available who can properly perform repairs.

There are some companies that just roll through, and their job is just to come in and gut the place and move on, said Jenny Wolfe, board president of the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation.

Pollard and Shackelfords joint venture in Virginia, the retrofit design firm Building Resilient Solutions, opened a lab this year in which planks of old-growth pine, oak and cedar are submerged into a tank mimicking flood conditions. The tests are designed to demonstrate historic materials durability and were devised with help from Virginia Tech researchers.

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Meanwhile, the National Park Service has been working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on similar research at the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory in Champaign, Illinois.

Researchers there have read through construction manuals from the mid-19th and early 20th centuries to assemble everything from tongue-and-groove flooring to brick walls coated with plaster. The materials were lowered into water containing bacteria and mold to simulate tainted floodwater.

The research may seem glaringly redundant considering all of the older homes that stand intact along the nations coasts and rivers: many have withstood multiple floods and still boast their original floors and walls.

Pollard and Shackelford say lumber in older homes is resilient because it came from trees that grew slowly over decades, if not centuries. That means the trees growth rings were small and dense, thereby making it harder for water to seep in. Also, the timber was cut from the innermost part of the trunk, which produces the hardest wood.

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Plaster can also be water resistant, while common plaster coatings were made from lime, a substance with antiseptic qualities.

But heres the problem: U.S. flood insurance regulations often require structures in flood-prone areas to be repaired with products classified as flood-resistant. And many historic building materials havent been classified because they havent been tested.

U.S. regulations allow exceptions for homes on the National Register of Historic Places as well as some state and local registries. But not everyone fully understands or is aware of the exceptions, which can be limited.

The far bigger challenge is a lack of expertise among contractors and local officials, Pollard said. Interpretations of the regulations can vary, particularly in the chaos after a major flood.

Youve got a property owner whos in distress, said Pollard, who co-owns a historic preservation firm. Theyre dealing with a contractor whos being pulled in a million directions. And the contractors are trained to get all of that (wet) material into a dumpster as quickly as possible.

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In Norfolk, Virginia, Karen Speights said a contractor replaced her original first floor  made from old-growth pine  with laminate flooring after her home flooded.

Built in the 1920s, Speights two-story craftsman is in Chesterfield Heights, a predominantly Black neighborhood on the National Register of Historic Places. It sits along an estuary of the Chesapeake Bay in one of the most vulnerable cities to sea-level rise.

I still believe I had a good contractor, but flooding was not his expertise, Speights said. You dont know what you dont know.

Along Floridas Gulf Coast, there are thousands of historic structures, said Wolfe of the Florida Trust. A large number of them are wood-framed houses on piers with plaster-and-lath walls.

Many likely just need to be dried out after Ian, Wolfe said. But only so many local contractors know what to do in terms of drying them slowly and opening up the baseboards to get circular airflow.

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Andy Apter, president-elect of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, agreed that many contractors arent well-versed in older building materials.

Theres no course that I know of that teaches you directly how to work on historical homes, said Apter, a Maryland contractor. Its like an antique car. Youre going to be limited on where you can find parts and where you can find someone whos qualified to work on it.

But interest in the resilience of older homes has grown since Hurricane Katrina, which deluged hundreds of thousands of historic structures along the Gulf Coast in 2005, according to Jenifer Eggleston, the National Park Services chief of staff for cultural resources, partnerships and science.

Eggleston said the park service recognized the growing need to protect older structures and issued new guidelines last year for rehabilitating historic buildings in flood-prone areas.

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The guidelines recommend keeping historic materials in place when possible. But they dont list specific materials due to the lack of research on their flood resistance.

Thats where the studies come in.

A recent study by the park service and Army Corps found that some historic materials, such as old-growth heart pine and cypress flooring, performed considerably better than certain varieties of modern lumber, Eggleston said.

Those particular floor assemblies could be dried for reuse after so-called clean water damage, Eggleston said. But they would likely require refinishing to remove biological activity, such as mold and bacteria.

Pollard and Shackelford said theyre hoping for an eventual shift in practices that will save money for homeowners as well as taxpayers, who often foot the bill after a major disaster.

In the meantime, flooding in historic areas will only get worse from more frequent rain storms or more powerful hurricanes, said Chad Berginnis, executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers.

Think about our historic settlement patterns in the country, Berginnis said. On the coasts, we settled around water. Inland, we settled around water.

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At about 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 8, 1978, Howard Tschari walked out of his family's West Side home to the rear cottage where his sister lived.

Linda Tschari, 19, normally came to the main house every day to check her mail, but hadn't yet that day. Their mother was worried, Howard Tschari testified in Erie County Court last week.

Deliberations to start next week in 1978 cold case murder trial John M. Sauberan faces a second-degree murder charge in the February 1978 slaying of Linda Tschari, 19.

Howard Tschari said he found the cottage's side door unlocked. Then he saw blood on the floor in the hallway. The radio was blaring.

As he continued to move into the home, that's when he saw Linda  in her pajamas, lying motionless in a pool of blood on the living room floor, at the doorway to her bedroom. He knelt beside her. Her body was cold.

Until a few years ago, so was the case.

Jury gets glimpse of criminal past of man on trial for 1978 Buffalo homicide John Sauberan was indicted in March 2020 on a second-degree murder charge in the killing of Linda Tschari, 19, in a cottage on Pooley Place in February 1978. The charge came more than 40 years after the crime after prosecutors said he was linked to the crime scene by a DNA match.

But more than four decades after the slaying of Linda Tschari, John M. Sauberan is on trial for her murder. A jury will hear closing arguments in the case on Tuesday.

This is how police and prosecutors say they found their suspect.

Blood evidence

In the hours after Linda Tschari was found fatally stabbed, Buffalo police detectives gathered evidence collected from the crime scene on Pooley Place, off Grant Street near Forest Avenue.

In the days and weeks to follow, Buffalo police "worked through the usual suspects," according to prosecutors, including Linda's boyfriend, her stepfather and a handyman. Detectives followed up on leads that came in through a tip line.

DNA evidence leads to trial in 1978 cold case: 'He was banking he would get away with murder' John M. Sauberan, 63, also known as John Fullagar, was charged in March 2020 with second-degree murder in Linda Tschari's death after prosecutors say he was linked to the crime scene through a DNA match.

No arrests were made.

The evidence collected in the case, including swabs of blood from the scene, was eventually packaged in 39 envelopes and bags, which were then placed into boxes. All of it was put in storage on April 25, 1978, retired Detective James Maroney testified last week. After two items were taken out by homicide detectives later that year and returned in 1979, records show the evidence remained on the shelf for 27 years, Maroney said.

At the time the blood samples were collected, DNA analysis didn't exist.

But that original collection work is what led to the 2020 arrest of Sauberan, whose trial on a second-degree murder charge began Monday.

Homicide detectives in the Buffalo Police Department's cold case squad started looking into the case in 2006.

After 42 years, 'drifter' linked by DNA, charged in Buffalo murder A break in the case came last year, after scientific guidelines and methods regarding DNA changed, Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn

On Jan. 9, 2008, detectives submitted 39 pieces of evidence to the Erie County Central Police Services forensic laboratory for analysis.

Analysts developed "partial" DNA profiles from blood collected from the floor of the outer hallway and an upstairs room, blood the original investigators determined in 1978 was a different blood type from Linda Tschari's.

A partial DNA profile is one that is missing some genetic information, as compared to a "full" profile, said Amanda Finbar, supervisor of the DNA section at Erie County Central Police Services forensic lab, who testified at Sauberan's trial. A sample considered partial could result if there was not enough genetic material available to sample, or if the sample had degraded, or had broken down, over time, Finbar said.

But investigators had nothing to compare to the new profiles.

So cold case detectives obtained DNA from 11 men associated with the case, including Linda Tschari's boyfriend at the time she was killed. Those samples were analyzed and none were linked to the crime scene, prosecutors said.

Defense disputes DNA evidence in Buffalo cold case murder arrest The attorney for John M. Sauberan is asking a judge to dismiss a murder indictment accusing him of stabbing to death Linda Tschari in 1978.

In April 2016, a family member of Linda Tschari contacted Homicide Detective Mary Evans, who was on the cold case squad, asking for her help.

Evans tracked down 14 other men whose names were in the original case file, as well as others who may have known Linda Tschari around the time she was killed, the detective testified at Sauberan's trial.

Some of the men were friends and relatives of Linda Tschari's stepfather. One man had helped Linda Tschari's sister move. There was a prior boyfriend, as well as a couple of men who lived in the neighborhood at the time.

All but one of the men voluntarily submitted a DNA profile. Police had been unable to interview this man, so in order to get his DNA, another detective, Christopher Sterlace, went through the man's garbage, Evans testified.

All of the men whose DNA was tested were ruled out as the killer by detectives.

The big break

The big break in the case came about 3 years ago.

Until early 2019, the county forensic lab was precluded from uploading the DNA developed in 2008 from the two blood samples at the 1978 crime scene to the national DNA database because of the amount of detail in the sample. In January 2019, the standard for what could be uploaded to the database changed.

On May 22, 2019, lab staff uploaded the DNA data from the Tschari homicide.

The next day, the lab was notified about a hit, said Finbar, the forensic biologist at the county forensic lab.

After confirmation work in the county lab, as well as at the lab in Oregon that had uploaded the other sample, investigators here were given the name of the man who provided the sample in Oregon.

The name was John Sauberan, Finbar said.

That name did not appear anywhere in the original case file, so the police work continued.

Police determined Sauberan lived in the area at the time of the homicide. There were two arrest records Buffalo police had in department records.

Additionally, Linda Tschari's mother and brother told police the person they saw leaving the cottage the morning of Feb. 8, 1978, got into what they described as a green Chevrolet Nova.

So, Evans also reviewed Department of Motor Vehicles records pulled by the detectives who originally worked the case.

The original detectives got from the DMV a list of 1,069 vehicles registered in Erie County that were green Chevrolets, Evans said.

She went through the list to see if any of the vehicles were connected to Sauberan or someone associated with Sauberan. She found two.

The first was registered to a Kenmore address Sauberan provided to Buffalo police at the time of an arrest. The person who lived at that address was a woman with whom Sauberan had a child.

The other vehicle was registered to Sauberan's adoptive mother in Tonawanda, Evans said.

Finally, an arrest

Police arrested Sauberan, 63, on Clinton Street on March 6, 2020, according to court records.

While Evans was on the stand last week, Assistant District Attorney Ashley Morgan asked her if Sauberan had any emotional reaction to his arrest.

"There was no reaction," Evans testified. "He just stared at me."

Police brought Sauberan, who also was known as John Fullagar, to police headquarters, where he was taken to an interview room.

When Evans told Sauberan she wanted to talk with him about unsolved crimes from the 1970s, he asked for a lawyer, Evans said.

After the arrest, police continued to obtain DNA samples from other men, all of whom were cleared by the analysis.

The autopsy in 1978 found Tschari suffered 13 "sharp force" injuries, including significant wounds to the face, neck and back, said Dr. Tara Mahar, chief Erie County medical examiner, who reviewed the autopsy report and who testified at the trial. Ten of the wounds would be considered stab wounds, where the depth was greater than the length. The other three were incised wounds, where the length was greater than the depth.

Tschari also had bruises on her face, abdomen and arm that appeared to be sustained at the time she was killed, Mahar said. Tschari died of blood loss.

Jurors viewed autopsy photos during Mahar's testimony.

As each photo was shown to the jury on a monitor, Sauberan turned his head to look at the photos on the smaller monitor near the defense table. After viewing the photos, he turned his head away from the monitor.

He had no visible reaction when looking at the photos.

After Sauberan's arrest, another DNA sample was taken from him in August 2020. That sample was consistent with the DNA in the Oregon sample, prosecutors said.

Also after his arrest, the county forensic lab performed additional DNA analysis on the original crime scene evidence, including blood stains on the sleeve of a Grand Funk Railroad album.

The analysis determined those stains were consistent with Sauberan's DNA.

At the time of Sauberan's arrest, Dennis J. Richards, then the police department's chief of detectives, credited the work of detectives who played a role in the investigation through the years.

"Detectives in the late '70s could not have imagined what the future would hold in the world of forensics and DNA," Richards said at the time, "but with a great amount of persistence from an awful lot of people, an arrest has been made and the next chapter begins in the prosecution of the person we believe responsible for Linda Tschari's death."
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CAIRO  Egypts and Greeces foreign ministers met Sunday in Cairo following controversial maritime and gas deals that their shared rival Turkey signed with a Libyan leader, officials said. Cairo and Athens have strengthened ties in recent years, including cooperation in developing energy resources, combating terrorism, and signing new maritime border agreements with Cyprus.

At a joint news conference, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shukry, focused on the memorandums of understanding between Turkey and Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the leader of one of two competing governments in divided Libya. He said such agreements were a threat to regional stability.

The deals, signed last week in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, include the joint exploration of hydrocarbon reserves in Libyas offshore waters and national territory.

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Dendias slammed the deals as illegal, saying they infringed on Greek waters.

Turkey seeks to take advantage of the turbulent situation in Libya in order to further destabilize the Mediterranean region and establish regional hegemony, He said. No one can ignore geography. No one can create a virtual world.

The Egyptian foreign minister, meanwhile, said Dbeibahs government has no authority to conclude such deals, given that its mandate expired following Libyas failure to hold nationwide elections in December last year.

He called for the U.N. to take a clear position on the legitimacy of Dbeibahs government, saying the international body should not keep silent.

Dendias said the two ministers also discussed developments in the Aegean Sea, in reference to tensions with Turkey over the alleged deployment of dozens of U.S.-made armored vehicles by Greece to the Aegean islands of Samos and Lesbos.

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There were no immediate comments from Turkey or Dbeibahs government.

Libya has been mired in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The country has been ruled by rival governments for most of the past decade. There are now two administrations claiming legitimacy: Dbeibahs in Tripoli and another parliament-appointed government chaired by Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha.

Jalel Harchaoui, a Libya expert with the Royal United Services Institute, a defense and security think tank, said Turkeys deals with Dbeibahs government, which have little legal value, were meant to provoke Greece.

The agreements were part of the politics of hyper-nationalistic assertiveness that a weak, unpopular President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pursuing ahead of June 2023 elections, he said.

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Erdogans government exploited Dbeibahs weakened position after Turkey helped him defend his position in Tripoli during deadly clashes in August that were part of Bashaghas efforts to install his government in the capital, Harchaoui said. Turkey has troops and allied Syrian mercenaries on the ground in the Libyan capital.

The Libyan prime minister defended the deals, saying they would help the North African country pursue oil and gas exploration in our territorial waters with the help of neighboring countries.

Turkeys agreements with Dbeibahs government came three years after another controversial agreement between Ankara and a former Tripoli government. That 2019 deal granted Turkey access to a contested economic zone in the gas-rich eastern Mediterranean Sea, fueling Turkeys pre-existing tensions with Greece, Cyprus and Egypt over drilling rights in the region.

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UTHAI SAWAN, Thailand  Paweenuch Supholwong sits on her mothers lap and fidgets with her pigtails as her mother tells the remarkable story of how the 3-year-old wisp of a girl survived Thailands worst mass killing  the only child to emerge unscathed from a day care after a former police officer massacred preschoolers while they napped.

Two dozen children were among the 36 people shot and slashed to death in an attack that shattered the serenity of the rural township of Uthai Sawan, robbing the small farming community of much of its youngest generation in the blink of an eye.

Paweenuch was deeply asleep and covered by a blanket on the floor when the attacker burst through the front door and killed 22 of her classmates who lay around her  apparently missing her because he thought she was already dead, her mother Panomplai Srithong said. Another child survived with serious injuries and remains hospitalized.

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As the community has come together to share its grief at the scene of the attack and its Buddhist temples, people have also flocked to Paweenuch, tying dozens of white, yellow and red soul strings to her wrists in the hope it will help her also spiritually survive the horror, in the belief that when someone suffers such a tragedy, they lose part of their soul.

It is to bring the spirit back into her body, Panomplai explained, holding her daughter warmly. Its like the spirit had left the body and it is being called back.

Uthai Sawans 6,500 people are spread across a dozen villages, living in homes scattered among the sugar cane fields and rice paddies that many of them farm. The township in northeastern Thailand was named for two smaller communities merged together administratively, with Uthai meaning rising sun and Sawan meaning heaven or happiness in Sanskrit.

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Ninety-two of the townships preschool-aged children attended the public day care center, which is next to the governments administrative offices and across from a sugar cane field. But flooding from seasonal monsoon rains, a mechanical failure that kept the centers school bus from working and other factors kept many away on Thursday when the gunman attacked.

The township has about 100 more preschool-aged children who either go to private care centers or stay at home, said Nanticha Panchom, the teacher who runs the day care.

Nanticha, 43, was in the centers kitchen cooking the children lunch when she heard the first shot from outside  police say it was the attacker shooting a man and a child in front of the building. She heard someone else yell to lock the front door and she ran out to get help.

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I never thought he would go inside, she said as she looked across the driveway to the single-story building now adorned with flowers and other tributes to those killed.

She bleakly wondered whether any children would ever return to the day care, and what the killing of the others will mean for the township of about 1,900 households.

I cant even imagine what this lost generation will mean to this community, Nanticha said.

Police identified the shooter as Panya Kamrap, 34, a former police sergeant fired earlier this year because of a drug charge involving methamphetamine. After leaving the day care, he killed others along the way, and then his wife, child and himself at home, police said. An exact motive has not been determined, but he was due in court the following day to answer for the drug charge.

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Like many from the area, Tawatchi Wichaiwong came to the scene Saturday from a neighboring village with his wife, sister-in-law, and three young nephews to place flowers at the memorial outside the day care.

We felt it across all the villages. I cried when I heard the news, the 47-year-old sugar cane farmer said. We all have children of similar ages, we all know each other.

For a township where people are used to simple and peaceful daily lives, the attack came as a particular shock, said Chuanpit Geawthong, a senior local administrator who was born and raised in Uthai Sawan.

Weve never encountered anything like this. Even during the COVID crisis, we did not lose anybody, she said. This is something felt by all of us  theres no one not affected, were all connected families.

The 52-year-old works in the district office building next door to the day care center and said she frequently popped over to help out and see the children, who called her grandma.

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Chuanpit was in the outdoor restroom when she heard the shots fired, and ran out to see a man lying under a table suffering from a gunshot wound and rushed to his aid. He is recovering at a hospital, but a man who worked at the district office was killed, she said.

Its the loss of the children that she is having the hardest time coming to terms with.

Its almost impossible for someone here not to be affected by this  if the victim wasnt your child, your grandchild, your family member, its someone you know, she said.

Our community has been so happy, it is such a lovely place, and the perpetrator has damaged its future. These kids could have grown up to be anything, a member of parliament or even prime minister, Chuanpit said.

Thailands government is providing financial compensation to the families to help them with funeral costs and other expenses  at least 310,000 baht, which is about $8,300 and for many amounts to several months salary, if not more, in one of the countrys poorest provinces.

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The government also quickly dispatched a team of trauma experts from Bangkok who linked up with local mental health professionals on the day of the attack to help the victims.

Team leader Dutsadee Juengsiragulwit, a doctor with the governments department of mental health, said a small community like Uthai Sawan has the advantage in that its size gives it a social cohesion that can be a source of power in dealing with such a tragedy.

On the other hand, she said since almost everyone is affected in some way, there are no undamaged people who can support others, so it is important for professionals to provide help quickly.

If we do nothing, the psychological wounds or psychological trauma will be embedded in this generation, she said.

Panomplai Srithong and her husband were at work in a Bangkok electronics factory when they heard that their daughters day care had been attacked and that no one had survived.

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Like many from Uthai Sawan, they had moved to the capital for work and send home money to their family, leaving 3-year-old Paweenuch in her grandmothers care.

After an initial panic, they learned that their daughter had survived and they drove home to Uthai Sawan as quickly as possible.

Breathing was difficult, I cant describe it, but when I found out my child survived I was relieved, Panomplai said. But I also wanted to know if she had any injuries, if there was any collateral damage.

She said from what her daughter has told her, she had been asleep under her blanket turned toward a wall and she doesnt seem to have seen or heard the attack. Rescue workers carried her out of the building with her eyes covered so she didnt see the grisly scene.

She did ask her grandmother about where her best friend was, and she told her that her friend has passed.

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Thats when she found out that her friend died, Panomplai said. This was the person who was sleeping next to her.

Panomplais adult cousin was killed outside the day care, and she attended a temple service Saturday for him and other victims.

Theres both good luck hidden in bad luck  Im lucky that my child is okay but I lost my cousin, she said.

For other people, some lost an only child who was their hope, she said, shaking her head in disbelief.

___

Tassanee Vejpongsa contributed to this story.

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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 Its only been a few weeks since Kate Hudson dropped her son Ryder off at college in New York, and back in LA shes still feeling the pain of separation. That was a big moment, she says. Im still crying, I still have moments where I cant believe hes not here. I really feel his absence. But hes having so much fun. Hudson never went to college. She had enrolled in the Tisch school of arts at New York University but deferred for a year to act and to audition and to sing and it all worked out a lot better than shed expected. I just immediately got work and then I got Almost Famous at the end of that deferred year and so that was it, it took my college life away from me, she says. I was gratefully on my way, but now that I look back I didnt get to have that. So the fact he is doing this is such a dream of mine. Jokingly, she suggests she might even enroll in a history class just to see the look on her boys face as she takes the desk next to his. Hudson has three kids, and talking to her it quickly becomes clear they are a huge part of her life. As well as 18-year-old Ryder, her child with ex-husband Chris Robinson (frontman of the Black Crowes), she has 11-year-old Bingham Hawn Bellamy (with Muse frontman Matt Bellamy) and soon-to-turn-four Rani Rose Hudson Fujikawa with fiance Danny Fujikawa, yet another musician. Id say my heart is about 70-30 art versus commerce, says actress and businesswoman Kate Hudson. Credit:Laurent Koffel/Getty She co-founded the Fabletics activewear business in 2013 in large part, she says, because I wanted to spend more time at home, because its challenging to be gone from your kids daily life, and I really wanted to figure out a way I could balance my life up to feel like Im being creative. That business now has revenues of more than half a billion dollars a year (parent company Tech Style has just launched a spin-off label called Yitty in partnership with the musician Lizzo).

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When it took off the way it did and became such a big part of my life, it definitely took over more than my acting, says Hudson of the label, which works on a subscription model and claims to have more than 2 million members. And thank God, because it allowed me so much more time with my kids. Actually famous: Hudson with her stepfather Kurt Russell and mother Goldie Hawn in 2017. Credit:Nina Prommer Its also given me the great gift of being able to be more selective, to only do the things that I really love, she adds. For a while the business part took over, but lately its been balancing out and my creative life, the artist life, is taking over again. After almost a decade in which she mostly did only small movies, Hudson has begun to re-emerge on screen. She starred in the second season of the Apple series Truth Be Told last year, she received a Golden Globe nomination for her work in Sias much-maligned directing debut Music, and she took on a role originally destined for Toni Collette in A Little White Lie (aka Shriver), a comedy about a handyman (Michael Shannon) who is mistaken for a famous and reclusive writer. Next month, in the Netflix whodunnit Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Hudson will feature in an ensemble cast that also includes Edward Norton, Janelle Monae, Kathryn Hahn and wrestler-turned Galaxy Guardian Dave Bautista, while Daniel Craig reprises his Foghorn Leghorn accent as detective Benoit Blanc in the sequel to Rian Johnsons 2019 whodunnit comedy. Its just like a summer banger, she promises. Get ready to have fun. Right now, though, she can be seen in Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, a quirky arthouse tale with elements of supernatural, superhero and family drama.

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Hudson plays Bonnie, an exotic dancer in New Orleans who is bringing up a son on her own. Shes tough, sassy and in no way ashamed of or embarrassed about what she does for a living. Shes a stripper and she likes it, says Hudson. I think shes really happy there because it provides her the ability to put food on the table. Shes very clear that shes probably not a great mother, shes more self-centred, but survivals at the base of that. Im literally nothing like Bonnie, but I do feel connected to the single mother, the person paying the bills, really living to provide for your kids. That part of me and Bonnie connect. Kate Hudson as Bonnie and Jeon Jong-seo as Mona Lisa in Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon. When Mona Lisa (Korean actress Jeon Jong-seo, who made her screen debut in the arthouse hit Burning in 2018), stumbles into her life, Bonnie thinks shes found the golden goose. An escapee from a psychiatric hospital, Mona Lisa has the uncanny ability to force people to do what she wants simply by staring into their eyes and miming an action (withdrawing money from an ATM, say, or shooting themselves in the leg). As is her wont, Bonnie does her best to exploit her new friends unique talent  by conning the men at the club to hand over every bill theyve got. Son Charlie (Evan Whitten) can see how badly this will end. He may be only 10 or so, but hes the grown-up in the household. Hes also quick to form a genuine bond with Mona Lisa, the friend he so desperately craves. From English-born, American-raised writer-director Ana Lily Amirpour, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon is as easy to enjoy as it is difficult to categorise. And, says Hudson, working with Amirpour was much the same.

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She is a very specific kind of director, says Hudson. When you speak with Lily, you realise shes just wild and expressive and direct and really sees things through her own lens. And thats kind of what it feels like when youre working with her. There were moments, she says, when she simply had to take it on trust that Amirpours vision would make sense in the end. So when I got to see the movie, I really didnt know what to expect, but I loved it. It reminds me of a throwback 1980s John Carpenter movie, but modern, and I love movies like that. I mean, its just a cool movie. In some ways, working with her Korean co-star involved a similar leap of faith. She doesnt speak English, which was the first time Id ever had that with a scene partner. We communicated through our body language and our eye contact and it was really wonderful. With Patrick Fugit in Almost Famous, the film that made her a star. The way she can use her face is pretty extraordinary. I loved watching her act with no words. I love watching anybody do what theyre good at, and shes just really talented. Given that shes proved to be pretty good in two quite distinct fields, I wonder how Kate Hudson sees acting now. Is it the main game or just a bit on the side? I can see that its great to create a business and grow it, and its an interesting world, but we need more art, she says. Id say my heart is about 70-30 art versus commerce.

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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 Two men are on a road through nothingness, somewhere in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast. One is an undercover detective, pretending to be the point man for a shadowy but high-rolling gang of drug runners. The other is probably a child killer. Even if he isnt, he has plenty to hide  including his real name. Neither man can let his guard slip for a second. Thomas M. Wrights The Stranger is a fictionalised interpretation of the real-life hunt for the abductor of 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe, who was kidnapped  and later presumed to have been murdered  in 2003. Brett Peter Cowan was convicted in 2014, following an eight-year series of investigations, and is now serving life imprisonment. The bones of The Stranger are taken from this real case, but Wright has changed the names, invented characters and refers only briefly to the crime itself, which was committed many years before the story begins. It is the encounter between the hunter and the hunted that is the real meat of this story. The mechanics of an undercover investigation are fascinating, says Joel Edgerton, who plays the detective as well as serving as The Strangers producer. But what fascinated all of us more was the psychology of a relationship of two men who are trapped in a car and trapped in each others lives, but who are constantly lying to each other. And that there is so much at stake. Our show is kind of like The Truman Show, but malevolent. From the first moment we realise we are in the middle of an undercover operation it is obvious that the police think they have their culprit. This echoes the facts of the real investigation. What they did not have was conclusive evidence  including, most importantly, a body. Only one person knew where it was; they needed him to talk in a way that his interrogators in the initial investigation had not been able to persuade him to do. This is a Hail Mary, last resort, says Wright. There are very few operative strategies beyond the use of this undercover technique. Edgerton is the star and producer of The Stranger. Credit:Ian Routledge By the time this net begins to tighten in The Stranger, the fictional suspect Peter Morley has moved states, changed his name to Henry Teague and is drifting in search of easy work. He might reasonably think that theyre not going to get him now. As played by Sean Harris  who says he deliberately steered away from researching the real story and, in particular, from finding out anything about Cowan  Teague is an unsavoury figure, someone who makes your flesh crawl despite being pathetically hangdog, asking to be liked. He is also, quite clearly, none too bright. When he falls into conversation with a man on a bus who says he has some work going, he never suspects he is a mark.

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Next day, he meets his chief contact, known to him and to us only as Mark. Gruff but seemingly easy-going, Mark is charged with getting close to the murderer. Henry needs a mate; it doesnt take much to win his confidence. The toll that mateship takes on Mark himself, however, is probably beyond a civilians comprehension. Having to agree with the opinions and laugh at the jokes coming from this man, when what you want to do, every moment youre with him, is destroy everything about him, says Edgerton. Yet instead, youve got to go oh, thats so funny! More than that, an investigation involving the police forces in two states depends on his ability to keep laughing convincingly. A few clues  Marks anxiety when his son disappears during a game of hide and seek, a sudden burst of tears when he is alone in a forest, a nightmare in which Henry springs his real identity  suggest the tension behind his habitually stony expression. Imagine if we made this movie and the rule was that we would only get one take of everything, Edgerton adds. You still dont get anywhere close to the stakes involved. Of what it means if you get it wrong. It is ostensibly an acting job, but Harris says he sees no real comparison between working undercover and performing for a camera. Its like people saying to me oh it must be so dark for you playing Henry. Well, really, no. I get my food brought to me, I get to go home every night, I get driven to set, I get to hang out with everyone, he points out. There is no applause for the performers at the end of a successful undercover operation, no red carpets, no Oscars. Edgerton never met or saw the real Mark; nobody will ever do that. If someone in his line of work gets to celebrate at all, it will be at a gathering smaller, Edgerton says, than the number of people in the room where we do this interview. And then they go home, where they have to tell a new set of lies about what they did that day. Edgerton says with a smile that he did do some research behind the scenes, but he cant really talk about it. Because we were investigating the truth, taking that truth and telling a fictionalised version of it, which is about protecting everyone involved. Whether that protection has been enough is a matter of dispute. Last May, The Stranger screened  to great acclaim from the audience and critics  at the Cannes Film Festival. The following month, when it was announced that it would be a headline feature at the Melbourne International Film Festival, the Morcombe family protested in strong terms against what they saw as the exploitation of their sons terrible story. We think this is most distasteful, most hurtful, and has no community benefit whatsoever, Bruce Morcombe told the ABC. All it is, is blood money.

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Daniel Morcombes parents appeared regularly in media coverage of their sons disappearance, setting up a foundation to promote child safety while successfully maintaining public interest in the case. In 2017, it was covered in Casefile: True Crime Podcast. In 2018, Courier Mail crime reporter Kate Kyriacou published The Sting, a forensically detailed and much-admired account of the intricately plotted investigation. The Morcombe family declined to be involved in The Stranger, however, from the outset. The actor, the cameraman  theyve all made money out of the movie, but the hurtful thing is, they are using Daniels name to promote [it], Denise Morcombe said. Sean Harris and director Thomas M. Wright on the set of The Stranger. Credit:Ian Routledge/Netflix Speaking in Cannes after the films premiere, Wright said he deliberately avoided linking his story to the real case. When it comes to the politics of naming the perpetrator or the victim, it became clear very early on that this film was going to be fictionalised. [Naming the individuals] might appear to be a kind of thoughtful gesture, I think its really hollow. I thought I had no right to represent that child or any right to presume anything about that family or their grief or what they went through. I also had no interest in representing that real individual who committed the crime. What interested him  what would not, he says, let him go when he read the story of the police investigation  was the dark reality of human violence and how other people responded to it. Im not innately interested in the police, he says. I have a natural distrust of police. It was really the provocation of the material itself and what I saw there that I just could not turn away from. It was the scale of the investigation, the operation and the narrative challenge to find a form for that. It also had to do with the conflict for those central figures. And it had to do with questions it raises for me about darkness and human violence, trauma and mental health that have been part of my life and I think they were elements of parts of my own history that I wrestled with, in the making of this film.  Im not interested in making a public service announcement with this film, but there is a reality of mental health implications for the people in this sort of work. Thomas M. Wright says hes not innately interested in the police, but was drawn to the scale of the investigation. Credit:Scott McNaughton It was also a story told at one remove from the victim. These are people who dont know the victim or the family. As much as the film is defined by the human capacity for violence, all the connections in the film are through empathy. That included his own response; The Stranger is a personal story. What I could do is find my own relationship to the subject matter and enter into it as deeply as I could, which led to a seriousness in the way the subject is dealt with and the form of the film. Because there are films that could be made of this material that I have no interest whatsoever in seeing.

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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 This story is part of the October 9 Edition of Sunday Life. See all 13 stories . Nakkiah Lui was three months pregnant with her first child when she was offered a two-year television writing deal with HBO in the United States last October. Though best known for her ABC shows Black Comedy (2014) and Preppers (2021), it was a play she wrote that caught the attention of HBO and changed the course of her creative life. The First Nations actor, writer, comedian and publisher talks to Sunday Life about her inspiration, motherhood and how shes using her voice to pursue change. Tell us about the HBO deal. Its an exclusive two-year deal for television. I dont know if there has ever been a First Nations person from Australia who has done this and I am both proud and scared shitless. But I think thats a really good combination because it means you have to prove yourself and go in with some bravado. I was developing a project with them based on the New York Magazine podcast Tabloid: The Making of Ivanka Trump. They came back to me after I did that developmental work. I also wrote a play, Blackie Blackie Brown: The Traditional Owner of Death, in 2018. Its about a vigilante superhero on a mission to kill all the living descendants of those who massacred her great-great grandmothers people. The idea was to explore how you deal with colonisation through anti-violence. I think its the best play Ive written, and the hardest. It got a lot of negative press and made me anxious and scared. Funnily enough, that play got me representation at [talent agency] WME, with the script passed to producers and various networks; its the reason why I have the HBO deal. To know Im working for the network that gave us The Sopranos, Sex and the City and Curb Your Enthusiasm is pretty bloody cool. Will you relocate to the US? Ive been mostly able to work from home and pop over to LA for meetings. I love Sydney, but we will see what happens. With everything moving to Zoom over the past couple of years, it opened the door for me to work overseas without leaving home. I got to be in the [virtual] room of the miniseries The Great and it was incredible. That just couldnt possibly happen in person. Where do you find the inspiration for your writing? It comes from my lived experience and my familys lived experience. Sometimes I eavesdrop on the train and observe the world around me. I spend a lot of time reading, watching films and TV and listening to radio. I take in news and podcasts. I also like wandering around museums and seeing other people interacting with the art. I was recently behind a year 1 class on a Picasso tour and I tagged along because their interactions with Picasso were more interesting than the work itself.

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Common Hours dress. Credit:Bec Parsons Youre one of the countrys most in-demand writers, playwrights and screenwriters. When did you realise you had the gift of the gab? There was no illuminating moment when I realised it was something I was good at. I have written ever since I can remember. My maternal grandmother, Joan, was not only my best friend, but a huge inspiration. My new publishing imprint, Joan, which is about to release four books, is named after her. She always told me how lucky I was to be able to read and write; I always had a book in my hand as a kid. Mum tells a story of me having a shower and holding a book outside of it so I could keep reading. I wrote a short story in high school and Mum sat me down to give me a lecture about plagiarism. The story was so good she thought I had copied it. She feels terrible about that now. I wrote my first play at boarding school in Canada, aged 16. I left Sydney with three books in hand: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Box the Pony by Scott Rankin and Leah Purcell, and a photocopy of The 7 Stages of Grieving by Deborah Mailman and Wesley Enoch. Readings always been an escape and writing is an extension of that. I use it as a way of connecting to people and understanding myself and the world. How was it to be the first Indigenous woman to win a scholarship to attend an international school, Pearson College UWC, in Canada? It was pretty amazing. I remember thinking, How do I explain what its like to be a young Aboriginal person in this global community? I came from a tight Aboriginal community in western Sydney and hadnt been away from my parents for more than a few nights at school camps. I reverse-charged calls back home because I was homesick, but the boarding school experience is one of the best things I have done. Loading You will be releasing a book by Brooke Boney via the Joan publishing imprint. How did you meet? I dont remember where we met but we have known each other for a long time. We are both Gamilaroi women. Wed message one another and then started hanging out. We got really close after doing a Vogue shoot together two years ago. Brooke is an incredible writer, an accomplished journalist, and a huge inspiration to me. Her book will be a collection of essays and stories, an interrogation of love, race and politics. She is smart, warm, funny and cool.

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Tell us about meeting your husband and working with him. Gabriel Dowrick is a screen editor and writer and Im very proud of him; he won an Australian Screen Editors Guild Award for best editing in a drama for Wakefield. We met on Black Comedy when he edited our first season. I like to joke that he fell in love with me in the editing suite. I figured that if anyone can watch my bad takes and crass jokes and still want to go on a date with me, well  But he wanted to go on the ultimate date: get married. We married in 2019 and now have a child. He is my silver lining of colonisation. How are you finding motherhood? I still feel like I am in the washing machine of it all. Ive learnt that I can nurse the baby and write on my laptop when Lux, whos 11 weeks old now, isnt squirming. Thats a new discovery. Every day I learn something new. Ive realised that either my family really loves me or they love my daughter more! They come to do chores so I get to have a few minutes in the shower; its a thinking space and I come out and write down ideas. If anybody reading this has parenting tips, please send to me via Twitter. Bondi Born tunic. Bianca Spender Clarion pants. Bottega Veneta shoes. Credit:Bec Parsons Has motherhood shifted your perspective on what matters in life? I am a Type A personality: I like to tick boxes and am very achievement-focused. What has been surprising is how caring for a baby stops you in your tracks. It grounded me and made me think about myself as a person beyond being a creative. Instead of constantly trying to push forward, I am more aware of wanting to build her a foundation thats filled with values and love  and that comes from the bottom up. Being a mother has changed my focus a lot, but I also worked up until the Saturday before she was born. How has being in the public eye and speaking up as an Aboriginal woman impacted your work life? I would get a lot of messages on social media  some great, but also racial slurs for saying something on a panel that someone didnt like. These people would send mail to my parents house about a skit I had done, or something I had said. That type of violence is scary. I wouldnt have a career if people in this country didnt have a capacity to listen and to laugh and have empathy with you. I dont want to take that for granted. When I started doing comedy my mantra was, We want people to laugh with us and like us. Now I realise you dont need to be liked.

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The attack on it will have a further sapping effort on Russian morale, [and] will give an extra boost to Ukraines, said James Nixey of Chatham House, a think tank in London. Conceivably, the Russians can rebuild it, but they cant defend it while losing a war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a video address, indirectly acknowledged the bridge attack but did not address its cause. Today was not a bad day and mostly sunny on our states territory, he said. Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea. Although it was also warm. Zelensky said Ukraine wants a future without occupiers. Throughout our territory, in particular in Crimea.

Zelensky also said Ukrainian forces advanced or held the line in the east and south, but acknowledged very, very difficult, very tough fighting around the city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russian forces have claimed recent gains. Russias National Anti-Terrorism Committee said a truck bomb caused seven railway cars carrying fuel to catch fire, resulting in the partial collapse of two sections of the bridge. A couple riding in a vehicle on the bridge were killed, Russias Investigative Committee said. It didnt say who the third victim was. All vehicles crossing the bridge are supposed to undergo state-of-the-art checks for explosives. The truck that exploded was owned by a resident of the Krasnodar region in southern Russia, the Investigative Committee said, adding that the mans home was searched and experts were looking at the trucks route. Train and automobile traffic over the bridge was temporarily suspended. Automobile traffic resumed Saturday afternoon on one of the two links that remained intact, with the flow alternating in each direction, said Crimeas Russia-backed leader, Sergey Aksyonov. Rail traffic was resuming slowly. Two passenger trains left the Crimean cities of Sevastopol and Simferopol and headed toward the bridge Saturday evening. Passenger ferry links between Crimea and the Russian mainland were being relaunched Sunday.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said the divers would examine the damage to the bridge on Sunday, Europe time, with a more detailed survey above the waterline expected to be complete by days end. Loading The situation is manageable  its unpleasant, but not fatal, Aksyonov, told reporters. Of course, emotions have been triggered and there is a healthy desire to seek revenge. The peninsula had a months worth of fuel and more than two months worth of food, he said. Russias defence ministry said its forces in southern Ukraine could be fully supplied through existing land and sea routes. While Russia seized areas north of Crimea early in its invasion of Ukraine and built a land corridor to it along the Sea of Azov, Ukraine is pressing a counteroffensive to reclaim that territory.

Russian war bloggers responded to the bridge attack with fury, urging Moscow to retaliate by striking Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. Putin ordered the creation of a government panel to deal with the emergency. Gennady Zyuganov, head of the Russian Communist Party, said the terror attack should serve as a wake-up call. The special operation must be turned into a counterterrorist operation, he declared. Leonid Slutsky, head of the foreign affairs committee in the Russian parliaments lower house, said consequences will be imminent if Ukraine was responsible. And Sergei Mironov, leader of the Just Russia faction, said Russia should respond by attacking key Ukrainian infrastructure. Such statements may herald a decision by Putin to declare a counterterrorism operation. The parliamentary leader of Zelenskys party cast the explosion as a consequence of Moscows takeover of Crimea. Russian illegal construction is starting to fall apart and catch fire. The reason is simple: If you build something explosive, then sooner or later it will explode, said David Arakhamia of the Servant of the People party.

The Ukrainian postal service announced it would issue stamps commemorating the blast, as it did after the sinking of the Moskva, a Russian flagship cruiser, by a Ukrainian strike. Loading The secretary of Ukraines National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov, tweeted a video with the Kerch Bridge on fire and Marilyn Monroe singing her Happy Birthday Mr President song. Putin turned 70 on Friday. In Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the reaction of the Kyiv regime to the destruction of civilian infrastructure shows its terrorist nature. The Crimean Peninsula is a popular destination for Russian tourists and home to a Russian naval base. A Russian tourist association estimated that 50,000 tourists were in Crimea on Saturday.

Elsewhere, a Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia struck apartment buildings and killed at least 17 people, a top official in the Ukrainian city said on Sunday. City council Secretary Anatoliy Kurtev said the city was struck by rockets overnight, and that at least five private houses were destroyed and around 40 were damaged. The Ukrainian military also confirmed the attack, saying that there were dozens of casualties. The UN nuclear watchdog had earlier said Ukraines Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has lost its last remaining external power source as a result of renewed shelling and is now relying on emergency diesel generators. Ukrainian authorities were also just beginning to sift through the wreckage of the devastated city of Lyman in eastern Ukraine, assessing the humanitarian toll and possible war crimes after a months-long Russian occupation. Some people died in their houses, some people died in the streets, and the bodies are now being sent to experts for examination, said Mark Tkachenko of the Kramatorsk district police.
The Wednesday shooting of a mother in Buffalo has not only sparked an areawide hunt for her estranged husband accused of the killing, but an apparent statewide political firestorm too.

Top Republicans like gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin and state Republican Chairman Nicholas A. Langworthy are expressing outrage because the suspect wanted for killing Keaira Bennefield in front of her three children had been released from custody in Cheektowaga Town Court the previous night. They maintain that the victim would never have encountered the man police suspect may have shot her  Adam R. Bennefield  at Shawnee and Richlawn avenues around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

Police: Arrest warrant issued for man accused of shooting his estranged wife in SUV Anyone who sees Adam Bennefield is asked to call 911 but to not engage or confront him. Crime Stoppers Buffalo has offered a $7,500 reward for information on Bennefield's whereabouts.

Zeldin cited the incident during his Thursday remarks before the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, reiterating his opposition to laws approved in 2019 that allowed the suspect to be released on his own recognizance despite a Sept. 28 charge of domestic violence against the victim.

Under the 2019 law, judges are not able to set bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature revised the bail laws earlier this year to give judges some discretion, but "dangerousness" is still not a factor judges can use to set bail.

"You just had a mother of three kids shot yesterday ... where the day before he was arraigned and released on his own recognizance because he was not bail eligible," Zeldin said Thursday. "Then yesterday he murders his wife in front of their three kids."

On Friday, Langworthy intensified the criticism during a news conference at Republican Headquarters in downtown Buffalo. The chairman, also a candidate on Nov. 8 for the 23rd Congressional District, claimed to reporters that Keaira Bennefield was so terrified of her husband that she donned a bulletproof vest to bring her children to school.

"This really is a serious and horrific failure of bail reform laws," Langworthy said. "This is chilling to the bone. But for the changes to our criminal justice system in 2019, this would never have happened."

The Hochul campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But it is expected that the death gaining widespread attention for its brutality and exposure to three young children will figure prominently in a Republican campaign hinging on criticism of bail reform and other initiatives spurred by the 2019 start of Democratic dominance in Albany.

Langworthy revved up the effort Friday following Zeldin's initial comments the previous day. He said the suspect sought for questioning "had no business being free" after Keaira Bennefield told police he had displayed a knife and box cutter during the Sept. 28 incident. Adam Bennefield turned himself in and was released in light of the new rules, but Langworthy said previous regulations would have granted the judge discretion to deny release.

"The only thing that would have stopped him was being behind bars in a jail cell," Langworthy said.

Because the new bail reforms (later modified to an extent by the Legislature and governor) were adopted as part of the overall state budget, Langworthy claims hearings and full discussion of the concept never took place.

"That's what happens when you use the budget to achieve something like this," he said. "There should have been a major, bipartisan discussion in all 62 counties of New York."

Like Zeldin the previous day, he acknowledged that some reforms were necessary. While making the unlikely suggestion of a special session to address the bail laws, he noted that Hochul has sought more "data" before considering more changes.

"We could hand them a spreadsheet," he said. "Maybe that will make them feel better.

"They're just trying to buy time to get through this election," the chairman added.

Police on Saturday said they had obtained an arrested warrant for Adam Bennefield after he was charged with second-degree murder and that he remained at-large.
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A man who was part of a vast cocaine distribution ring has been sentenced to 12 years in prison, U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced.

U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra handed down the sentence to Adrian Grier, 47, of Jackson, Ga., who pleaded guilty in 2020 to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute, and distributing, 500 grams or more of cocaine.

Prosecutors said Grier, who conspired with 11 others to bring cocaine in bulk quantities to Buffalo and other parts of the country, coordinated trips to Kentucky to acquire the drug between October 2017 and Dec. 7, 2018, and was overheard discussing plans to increase the amount of cocaine he could get in Georgia.
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.
WIND GAP, Pa. -- Wounded military veterans are getting a chance to rebuild their lives, thanks to help from a nonprofit.

On Saturday, Homes For Our Troops kicked off the building of a home for Marine Corporal Dan Lasko in Wind Gap.

Corporal Lasko was injured while serving in Afghanistan.

The nonprofit builds and donates specially adapted custom homes for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans.

The home being built for Lasko will feature more than 40 major special adaptations, such as widened doorways for wheelchair access, a roll-in shower, and kitchen amenities that include pull-down shelving and lowered countertops.
Since the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., the One Orlando Collective Initiative has accumulated and preserved almost 5,000 artifacts and memorials from the attack that killed 49 people.

In New York City, there's the 9/11 Memorial Museum, a permanent collection of more than 70,000 artifacts, including material evidence, first-person testimony and historical records from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the United States.

Now the Buffalo History Museum and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library want to start a similar initiative. The organizations are asking for community input on a plan to collect and preserve experiences, mementos and oral histories related to the May 14 mass shooting at the Tops supermarket on Jefferson Avenue.

The purpose is to create a historical record, a repository of information from the racially motivated attack in Buffalo for generations to come, organizers said.

This community collaboration will help Buffalo forever honor the lives and stories of the 10 victims who lost their lives and of those who suffered injuries that day, and of Buffalos continued response to the tragedy, said Brian Hayden, museum director of communications and community engagement, in an email announcing the event.

A public information session will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Frank E. Merriweather Jr. Library, 1324 Jefferson Ave., to share details about the May 14 Community Collecting Initiative. A subsequent Zoom informational session will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at https://tinyurl.com/ZoomBfloMtg.

At the meetings, the museum and library hope to engage the community in a conversation about preserving and documenting mementos and stories related to the May 14 mass shooting in Buffalo, including memorials left in the front of the supermarket.

The initiative is contingent upon community feedback and approval, organizers said.

The shooting on Buffalos East Side killed 10 Blacks and injured three other individuals. Payton Gendron of Conklin in Broome County was arrested outside the market when he surrendered to Buffalo police moments after the slayings. Gendron, who turned 19 a month after the shooting, faces murder, weapons and domestic terrorism charges. He also faces federal hate crime charges that could result in the death penalty if he is convicted. He has pleaded not guilty.

The targeted grocery store is the main supermarket serving the predominantly Black Jefferson Avenue neighborhood.

There have been memorials and tributes since the massacre that killed Celestine Chaney, Roberta Drury, Andre Mackneil, Katherine Massey, Margus Morrison, Heyward Patterson, Aaron Salter, Geraldine Talley, Ruth Whitfield and Pearl Young.

At a memorial service one week after the murderous rampage, a spontaneously created lawn memorial outside the grocery store consisted of a small sea of flowers, pictures and cutout doves bearing the names of each of the 10 people killed.

The two-month anniversary of the mass shooting featured the dedication of the renovated store that included a water wall memorial to the left of the main entrance inside the building. And a poem by Buffalo Poet Laureate Jillian Hanesworth is displayed at the memorial water wall.

Mayor Byron W. Brown has said plans will be made for a large memorial that would pay tribute to the Buffalo 10.
MAHANOY CITY, Pa. -- Tom Tobin said he looked out the window Friday night and saw fire crews turning onto the 100 block of Mahanoy Street in Mahanoy City.

"I looked out the side window, the exit window and I see huge fire flames," said Tobin.

Glass could be seen on the sidewalk and some of the windows are charred.

The Mahanoy City Fire Department said the fire started in the rear of the row homes shortly before 8 p.m. He tells us a couple people living there had to be removed by police and EMS. According to fire officials, there were no injuries but up to a dozen people were displaced.

They said four buildings were damaged and that crews from across the county had to be called in. Among them was a tanker task force.

"The policemen around the area, they were, they were on the ball here. They were here directing traffic and doing their job," said Tobin.

Authorities said the American Red Cross is helping displaced residents find housing.

According to the Mahanoy City Fire Chief, a State Police Fire Marshal has been called in. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Austrian voters will head to the polls Sunday in the first round of the countrys presidential election. The race is widely expected to hand incumbent President Alexander Van der Bellen a second term. The main question is whether his victory will come when the country holds the first round of its presidential election on Sunday or if the election will go to a November runoff. Van der Bellen has held the Austrian presidency through a period of domestic political instability, a global pandemic and the war in Ukraine. He has pitched himself to voters as the stable option at a time of instability and has the implicit or explicit backing of most major parties.
UTHAI SAWAN, Thailand (AP)  Families offered flowers and dolls, popcorn and juice boxes to children massacred at a day care center in Thailand, part of a Buddhist ceremony held Sunday just paces from where the slaughter began that was meant to guide the young souls back to their bodies.

"Come back home and come back with us, the relatives called into the empty day care center, many with tears in their eyes.

The gun and knife attack on the Young Childrens Development Center in Uthai Sawan was Thailand's deadliest mass killing, and it robbed the small farming community of much of its youngest generation. The former police officer who stormed the building killed two dozen people at the day care before taking more lives as he fled, including his wife and child, police said. He then killed himself.

Ceremonies were held Sunday at three temples, where the bodies of the 36 victims  mostly preschoolers  were taken ahead of funeral rites and cremation on Tuesday.

Maneerat Tanonethong  whose 3-year-old Chaiyot Kijareon was killed at the day care center  said the rituals were helping her with her grief.

I am trying not think about horrible images and focus on how lovely he was. ... But I dont know what I will do with myself once this is all over, she said. "I am determined that I will try let go of this, that I wont hold any grudge against the perpetrator and understand that all of these will end in this life."

At Rat Samakee temple, family members sat in front of the tiny coffins while Buddhist monks chanted prayers. They placed trays of food, toys and milk along the outside of the temple walls as offerings to the spirits of their slain children.

Later, they headed to the day care center and gathered in front of a makeshift memorial there to receive the slain children's belongings. They made offerings of their kids' favorite foods and lit incense and candles as they implored the children's souls to return to their bodies.

Many Buddhists in Thailand believe that in cases of unnatural death, the soul becomes stranded in the place where the person perished and must be reunited with the body before eventual rebirth.

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and members of his Cabinet attended evening prayers at the three temples on Sunday. Prayuth divided the duty with two deputy prime ministers, Prawit Wongsuwan and Anutin Charnvirakul.

Police identified the attacker as Panya Kamrap, 34, a police sergeant fired earlier this year after being charged with a drug offense.

An employee at the day care told Thai media that Panyas son had attended the center but hadnt been there for about a month. Police have said they believe Panya was under stress from tensions between him and his wife, and money problems.

The attack has left no one in the small community untouched, and brought international media attention to the remote, rural area. Thai authorities on Sunday fined two CNN journalists for working in the country on tourist visas but cleared them of wrongdoing for entering the day care center, saying they had filmed inside believing they had obtained permission.

Deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn said the journalists were waved into the building by a volunteer or a health officer and did not know the person was not authorized to allow them inside.

The journalists involved apologized in a recorded video.

In a statement, Mike McCarthy, CNN Internationals executive vice president and general manager, said the team sought permission to enter the building but now understands that these officials were not authorized to grant this permission.

Mass killings in Thailand are rare but not unheard of.

In 2020, a disgruntled soldier opened fire in and around a mall in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima, killing 29 people and holding off security forces for some 16 hours before being killed by them.

Prior to that, a 2015 bombing at a shrine in Bangkok left 20 people dead. It was allegedly carried out by human traffickers in retaliation for a crackdown on their network.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Hurricane Julia closed in on Nicaragua's central Caribbean coast late Saturday after lashing Colombia's San Andres island in a near pass soon after strengthening from a tropical storm in the afternoon.

After gaining power throughout the day, Julia's maximum sustained winds had stabilized around 75 mph (120 kph) late Saturday, just over the threshold for a Category 1 hurricane, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

The storm was centered about 80 miles (130 kilometers) east-northeast of Bluefields, Nicaragua, and was moving west at 16 mph (26 kph), with landfall on the Nicaraguan coast forecast for overnight.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro had declared a maximum alert on San Andres as well as Providencia islands to the north and asked hotels to prepare space to shelter the vulnerable population. Officials on San Andres imposed a curfew for residents at 6 a.m. Saturday to limit people in the streets. Air operations to the islands were suspended.

There were no early reports on what effects the storm had in San Andres.

In Nicaragua, authorities issued an alert for all types of vessels to seek safe harbor as the hurricane followed a general path toward the area of Bluefields and Laguna de Perlas.

Guillermo Gonzalez, director of Nicaraguas Disaster Response System, told official media that people at high risk had been evacuated from coastal areas by noon Saturday. The army said it delivered humanitarian supplies to Bluefields and Laguna de Perlas for distribution to 118 temporary shelters.

In Bluefields, however, life appeared little changed Saturday night, and people expressed reluctance to leave their homes.

Forecasters said a greater threat than Julias winds were rains of 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters)  up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) in isolated areas  that the storm was expected to dump across Central America.

This rainfall may cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides through this weekend," the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

The storm's remnants were forecast to sweep across Nicaragua and then skirt by the Pacific coasts of El Salvador and Guatemala, a region already saturated by weeks of heavy rains.

In Guatemala, officials said Julia could drench 10 departments in the east, center and west of the country  an area that has been most affected by this rainy season and where the poorest people are concentrated.

From May to September, storms have caused 49 confirmed deaths and six people are missing. Roads and hundreds of homes have been damaged, Guatemalan officials say.

In El Salvador, where 19 people have died this rainy season, the worst rainfall is expected Monday and Tuesday, said Fernando Lopez, the minister of environmenta and natural resources. Officials said they had opened 61 shelters with the capacity to house more than 3,000 people.
After a viral "Stranger Things" Halloween display in the Chicago suburbs was shut down due to a neighbor's complaint, the family behind it has been given the OK to reopen it this weekend.

After the homeowners opened the display to crowds, a neighbor became upset with all the traffic, so the display was shut down.

The display featured a floating Max Mayfield from the Netflix show "Stranger Things." Sporting red locks, blue jeans and retro jacket, a girl is suspended high above a driveway, facing a houses garage. Its scarily similar to a scene when Max (Sadie Sink) levitates while in the grip of an otherworldly evildoer.

The family behind the spectacular decoration posted videos that went viral on TikTok.

On Wednesday, the homeowners visited Joliet City Hall to make sure they weren't breaking any rules. Although the house is in Plainfield, Illinois, the city of Joliet provides services. Joliet city leaders gave their approval.

Joliet police were weighing their options on how to best patrol and keep traffic flowing.
MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Philippine police killed three detained militants linked to the Islamic State group after they staged a jail rampage Sunday that saw a police officer stabbed and a former opposition senator briefly held hostage in a failed escape attempt from the maximum-security facility in the police headquarters in the capital, police said.

National police chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said former Sen. Leila de Lima was unhurt and taken to a hospital for a checkup following the brazen escape attempt and hostage-taking at the detention center for high-profile inmates at the main police camp in Metropolitan Manila.

One of the three inmates stabbed a police officer who was delivering breakfast after dawn in an open area, where inmates can exercise outdoors. A police officer in a sentry tower fired warning shots, and then shot and killed two of the prisoners, including Abu Sayyaf commander Idang Susukan, when they refused to yield, police said.

The third inmate ran to de Limas cell and briefly held her hostage, but he was also gunned down by police commandos, Azurin said.

Shes safe. We were able to quickly resolve the incident inside the custodial center, Azurin told reporters and justified police action to shoot the inmates. Sen. De Lima was already being held hostage so should we let that very critical situation drag on?

Susukan, who had been blamed for dozens of killings and beheadings of hostages, including foreign tourists, and other terrorist attacks was arrested two years ago in southern Davao city.

The other two inmates, Arnel Cabintoy and Feliciano Sulayao Jr., were suspected members of the Dawlah Islamiyah, a Muslim militant group that has been linked to bombings and other deadly attacks in the countrys south. They were arrested in 2019 in suburban Quezon city in the capital region, and were facing non-bailable charges like Susukan, police officials said.

Many militants belonging to Abu Sayyaf, which the United States and the Philippines have blacklisted as a terrorist organization, and the Dawlah Islamiyah have aligned themselves with the Islamic State group.

The police officer who was stabbed with an improvised knife was in serious condition at a hospital, Azurin said. Another inmate was injured in the rampage, police said.

Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said the three slain inmates staged the rampage in an attempt to escape and did not specifically target de Lima.

After the two militants were shot and killed, the third inmate ran to de Limas cell and took her hostage, blindfolding her and aiming a blunt object at her chest. The inmate demanded a helicopter for him to escape during a brief negotiation and later asked for water, giving a police officer a chance to shoot him while handing him water, Abalos said.

De Lima told opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who visited her, that she feared she would be killed during the incident. Why would I die now when I may get freed soon?" Hontiveros quoted de Lima as telling her. And something inside her told her to stay still.

De Lima has been detained since 2017 and has been facing a trial for drug charges she says were fabricated by former President Rodrigo Duterte and his officials in an attempt to muzzle her criticism of his deadly crackdown on illegal drugs, which has left thousands of mostly petty suspects dead and sparked an International Criminal Court investigation as a possible crime against humanity.

She has been cleared in one of three cases, and at least two witnesses have withdrawn their testimonies against her, her aides say.

Duterte, who has insisted on de Limas guilt, stepped down from office on June 30 at the end of his turbulent six-year term and was succeeded by Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of a former dictator who was ousted in a 1986 pro-democracy uprising.

Abalos visited de Lima and relayed an offer by the president for her to be transferred to another detention site but she rejected the offer, Abalos said, adding that steps would be taken to prevent such incidents from occurring again.

In 2005, detained Abu Sayyaf Muslim militants led a siege of a maximum-security jail in another Metro-Manila police camp where special forces were based in another botched escape attempt. Police launched a major assault with tear-gas canisters and assault rifles after the militants refused to surrender, killing 22 inmates, including top Abu Sayyaf commanders.

In a court-authorized interview with The Associated Press in the jail compound in March, de Lima appeared undaunted by her yearslong detention in the old facility, which is ringed by a maze of high concrete walls and topped by rusty barbed wire and sentry towers. Jail guards armed with assault rifles constantly roamed and kept watch.

Im a fighter, the bespectacled former human rights commission chief and justice secretary told an AP journalist then. Its tough, but I can manage.

I can never lose hope, said de Lima, 63.

De Limas yearslong detention has sparked calls for her immediate release from the European Union Parliament, some U.S. legislators and U.N. human rights experts and international watchdogs.
Qian Suyun (L) offers free diagnosis and treatment at Yulin Children's Hospital, in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, in January 2019. [Xinhua]

"It is the trust of the people that has elected me as a delegate to the upcoming 20th CPC National Congress. I will continue to earnestly fulfill my duties as a delegate," said Qian Suyun, honorary director of the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and the internal medicine department of Beijing Children's Hospital (National Center for Children's Health) Affiliated to Capital Medical University.

"As a Party member, I need to shoulder my responsibilities  The work at the PICU is a matter of life and death. Only if I make all-out efforts to treat children can I live up to the public's expectations," Qian continued.

As a veteran pediatrician, Qian has worked at the PICU for 26 years. She has saved hundreds of critically-ill children through her excellent medical skills.

Qian Suyun (L) offers free diagnosis and treatment at Yulin Children's Hospital, in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, in January 2019. [Xinhua]

As a leading pediatric-intensive-care specialist in China and a member of the national expert panel on influenza, Qian has always been prepared to support other areas as needed. She has participated in the treatment of critically-ill children in emergencies in disaster-stricken and pandemic-affected areas many times. She has also actively taken part in scientific research and teaching.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Qian has taken part in the revision of the 8th and 9th versions of the national diagnosis and treatment guidelines for COVID-19, and has conducted the online diagnosis and treatment of child patients.

Qian has been awarded lots of national and municipal-level titles, including the National March 8th Red-banner Holder, the recipient of the Capital May 1st Labor Medal, the Beijing March 8th Red-Banner Holder and the Good Doctor of China, in recognition of her hard work and contributions.

When talking about these awards and honors, Qian stressed that it is the mission of a grassroots-level Party member and the duty of a doctor to treat patients wholeheartedly, adding that she will continue to pay attention to the most urgent and pressing issues in the field of pediatrics and make all-out efforts to safeguard the health of children.

Qian Suyun checks her patient's condition at Beijing Children's Hospital in August 2021. [Xinhua]

(Source: Xinhua, Women Voice and China Women's News/Translated and edited by Women of China)
For about a quarter century, Erie County Republicans never appreciated reminders of their failure to field candidates in the City of Buffalo.

Since the 1990s, observers pointed out, the GOP only rarely challenged Buffalo Democrats in the Common Council, County Legislature or State Legislature. The city became just too Democratic. Republican candidates got consistently creamed. And The Buffalo News once portrayed former Buffalo Republican Chairman Ed Ryan as the political Maytag Repairman  nobody ever called.

The futility of any Republican effort in Buffalo was long established. The days of the 1950s when the GOP ruled had long vanished. And the Republican strategy seemed to be: Let Dems have the city, avoid motivating Buffalo Democrats to go to the polls, and lets count on the suburbs to elect our countywide candidates.

At various times, the strategy worked. But criticism continued.

Now Republicans under new Chairman Michael Kracker seem to be bouncing back. Republican Sandy Magnano is challenging Democratic Assemblyman Pat Burke in a district taking in South Buffalo; Ralph Hernandez carries the GOP banner against Democratic Assemblyman Jon Rivera on the West Side; and Republican Sen. Ed Rath goes head to head against Democratic Sen. Sean Ryan in a reapportioned district including North Buffalo.

The Republican Party even backs Christina Holdsworth for City Court in a major long shot.

Its in our best interest to compete and grow our party in the City of Buffalo, Kracker said a few days ago, explaining the GOPs new direction.

But the new chairman now confronts a lawsuit against the Holdsworth candidacy, and he is none too pleased. He blames the Democrats for challenging the first Republican City Court candidate in many years.

This is all after many years of complaining that we did not compete in the city, Kracker said.

Erie County Democratic Chairman Jeremy Zellner says his partys challenge ensures the paperwork is correct and the process is respected. His initial challenge failed in State Supreme Court, however, and now awaits review by the Appellate Division in Rochester.

But as Zellner emphasizes that his City Court ticket offers two Black men, he also notes his suit features a prominent Republican  Warren Galloway  as primary plaintiff. Galloway has long served as one of Western New Yorks top African American Republicans, even as senior adviser to former Republican County Executive Joel Giambra.

Galloway acknowledges Erie Dems sought his cooperation, maybe because they recognized his frustration. He says the party did not properly engage the process, and simply came up with the name of a person.

There needs to be a change of attitude in the city, he said. The Republicans need to reach out to see if there is a minority who could run. They didnt do that. They just came up with a name.

The Republican Party has a tendency to ignore the African American community and African American candidates, he added. This is a perfect way to show it can do something positive  and they didnt do it.

Galloway says he is now working with Democrats to send a message to the Republican Party.

The Appellate Division hears the case on Oct. 18.



 Changing of the Democratic guard in two major Erie County towns: West Seneca Democrats unanimously elected Town Clerk Amy Kobler as the committees first woman leader during Mondays reorganizational meeting, succeeding Tim Elling.

Amherst Dems, meanwhile, are expected this week to back former Legislator Michele Iannello to take over as chairwoman following retirement of Jerry Schad.

 Rob Ortt of North Tonawanda may have seemed odd man out when he lost his 2020 congressional bid to eventual Rep. Chris Jacobs. But Ortt has rebounded nicely. He leads the State Senates Republican minority, casting him as a major Albany player even with his GOP relegated to the bench. Now Kracker, one of his top Senate aides, runs the local GOP as part of a powerful, Erie-Niagara tandem.
Man missing from Llay area located by police

Update: Police say the missing person has now been located, thank you for your assistance.

Original information below

Local police have issued the above picture of Lian who they say is missing from the Llay area.

North Wales Police said they are asking for your help in search for Lian, He has gone missing this evening from the Llay area, although he is from Lancashire originally. Lian is 21 yrs of age and is approximately 5 foot 8 and has long black hair.

Any sightings or information is asked to be given to police via the 101 number or via the webchat facility on the NWP site quoting the reference number B153731.
Local MPs honoured to attend civic service to mark Wrexham being awarded city status

The Members of Parliament for Wrexham and Clwyd South have said they were honoured to attend a civic service to celebrate Wrexham being awarded city status.

On Saturday 1st October, Member of Parliament for Clwyd South, Simon Baynes MP and Sarah Atherton MP attended the ceremony at St. Giles Parish Church to see the Royal Charter presented by the Vice Lord Lieutenant of Clwyd, Lloyd Fitzhugh, from Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

They were joined by the Mayor of Wrexham, Cllr Brian Cameron and Deputy Mayor of Wrexham Cllr Paul Rogers.

During the service, the Leader of Wrexham County Borough Council, Cllr Mark Pritchard, made a speech in accepting the City Charter and the Rhos Orpheus Male Choir gave a special performance.

Sarah Atherton MP said: Last weekends service was a historic and memorable event, allowing us all to come together and celebrate this great achievement for Wrexham.

It is safe to say that the excitement surrounding city status has not diminished and I will always be grateful to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for recognising Wrexhams potential, ambition, and contribution to our Union.

Cllr Mark Pritchards powerful speech, in which he accepted the city charter, coupled with the beautiful voices of the Orpheus Male Choir is a special memory I will treasure for life.

I am excited to embrace all the opportunities that will come Wrexhams way.

Simon Baynes said: All in all, this was a very special and historic service of celebration of a great achievement for Wrexham.

Cllr Mark Pritchard made an impressive speech in accepting the City Charter and the Rhos Orpheus Male Choir sang beautifully.

The Rev. Dr Jason Bray gave a wonderful sermon which perfectly described the rich history, culture and communities of Wrexham Borough and County.

I was honoured to attend.
North Wales MS praises leading disability charity

A North Wales MS has thanked a leading charity for their work with the disabled, including a family member who was resident in a Leonard Cheshire Home.

Disabled people from across Wrexham and Flintshire were joined by politicians, friends and families for a celebratory My Voice, My Choice showcase event, run by leading disability charity Leonard Cheshire.

Politicians in attendance included Ken Skates MS who gave a keynote speech on social inclusion, with Sam Rowlands MS and Llyr Gruffydd MS also participating in a lively question-and-answer session on campaigning and advocacy.

Participants and politicians were joined by the Mayor of Wrexham along with Welsh organisations and charities, such as Young Carers, Hft and Sign-Sight-Sound.

Participants raised awareness of the day-to-day issues they face, discussing social inclusion, accessibility and mental health.

Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymrus North Wales MS, said: Ive seen at first hand the excellent work done by the Leonard Cheshire home in Dolywern, which cared for a family member for a number of years.

I know how hard the staff work to ensure the best possible care and inclusion for people and the My Voice, My Choice programme is a great example of that.

Lauren, a My Voice, My Choice participant, said: I was really pleased to get my certificate and talk to the Senedd Members about the programme and the issues which affect disabled people in the local community.

Some participants also gave presentations about what they had learnt throughout the My Voice, My Choice programme. Alicia Gough spoke about her book The Hand that tells the Story: Living with my Disability, while other attendees did a live art demonstration and poetry reading. Residents from Dolywern care home finished by engaging in a group performance.

Alicia Gough said: It has been great being part of the My Voice, My Choice programme, its so important that disabled voices are being heard in the corridors of power and Im really grateful that the Senedd Members and Mayor joined us to celebrate.

To finish the celebration event, Louisa Bottomley from The Flamingo Lounge put on an inclusive disco, where participants also had a go on the karaoke.

The showcase came as part of the National Lottery Community Fund My Voice, My Choice project, which has also seen Leonard Cheshire run a series of successful workshops in Wrexham, Flintshire, Bridgend, Neath Port Talbot and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Leonard Cheshire Director for Policy Gemma Hope said: Disabled peoples voice so often go unheard what the My Voice, My Choice programme does is enable groups of disabled people to drive community change, by providing them with campaigning and advocacy skills.

Its wonderful to work with the National Lottery Community Fund to deliver this project across Wales and look forward to continuing to do so in 10 more locations over the next two years.

The next step for Wrexham and Flintshire is for Leonard Cheshire to help set up a citizen panel, which will campaign on the important topics raised throughout the My Voice, My Choice programme.

An information session giving more information on the Citizen Panel and how you can get involved will be held on the evening of 20 October 2022 from 6pm to 7.30pm. For more detailed information on how you can join please contact Lorna Wilcox-Jones at lorna.wilcox-jones@leonardcheshire.org
A diverse group of community leaders  including a bishop, a priest and a city court judge  have seen the potential for an old brewery to be a catalyst for change in East Buffalo.

The group, T.O.P. Enterprises, has plans to convert the former Lion Brewery and add to it, creating 83 apartments, a museum, an art gallery, private studios, banquet space, retail units and more. Green space is also planned. This multipurpose activation of a key intersection at Jefferson Avenue and Best Street promises to be one of the most exciting developments the East Side has seen since the Northland complex. The fact that fine arts are in the mix elevates an important housing project to one that addresses another critical lack in this section of Buffalo.

The brewery is just one part of a four-structure development to be called TOP Gateway Village. The entire project encompasses 119,751 square feet of space and includes three additional new structures. The board of 13 members includes New Mt. Ararat Pastor Bishop Dwight E. Brown, Rev. James E. Giles of Buffalo Peacemakers and City Court Judge James A.W. McLeod. The board president is Paula McDonald.

Sited at the intersection of the Fruit Belt, Kingsley and Masten neighborhoods, this project injects new vibrancy into an area thats also home to MLK Park, Johnnie B. Wiley Pavilion, and the Buffalo Museum of Science.

Its also half a mile south of the Jefferson Avenue Tops, which lends even more significance and urgency to the community restoration that is needed here, as Buffalo continues to recover from the May 14 massacre.

Though affordable housing and more retail and restaurant options in themselves represent much-needed elements in this area of the city, it is heartening that community members from the neighborhoods surrounding the project also made the arts a priority.

The master plan for Gateway Village was based on surveys and discussions with community residents. The questions: What important elements were missing in their neighborhoods? What would they like to see in the proposed development?

Surprisingly  or not  a lack of fine arts amenities was high on that wish list, even higher than retail or security. Since the Langston Hughes Center for the Visual and Performing Arts closed in 2015  after its 33 High St. building was sold in 2010  the African American Cultural Center, Torn Space Theater and the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor have been the primary providers of fine arts activity on the East Side, aside from some music clubs and various pop-up events. Meanwhile, two large art museums, numerous galleries, abundant theaters and, well, simply too many venues to even list are thriving in other parts of the city.

Gateway Village makes a strong start toward correcting that imbalance. A proposed museum in the renovated brewery would interpret the fascinating and turbulent history of the building. A new community center would focus on fine arts and nurturing creativity. Another new structure would include health and wellness facilities.

Of course, affordable housing is at the core of the 3.5-acre project, with seven studio, 67 one-bedroom and nine two-bedroom units. But housing alone does not create a real community. In highlighting the arts and revitalizing an 1871 brewery building, TOP Gateway Village builds on Buffalos historic and continuing strengths. Its construction will bring jobs and its commercial elements will help keep jobs in place. Its art focus will provide creative outlets in an area that needs more.

Too often, this page needs to point out missed opportunities and regret mistakes that cant be rectified. Its refreshing to be able to send plaudits instead.

  

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.
I read with amusement the Oct. 7 letter in Everybodys Column regarding the Central Terminal. The writer listed at least 24 attractions that he wanted as part of the Terminals renewal. He wants everything from soup to nuts. An amphitheater? Really? Look, the function of the Central Terminal is to efficiently handle a modern, state-of-the-art railway. We need high-speed rail from Buffalo to New York City. It is embarrassing how far behind the other developed countries the United States is when it comes to railway travel. Just give me a decent cafe in Central Terminal, so my family can grab some quick snacks, and then we can take the high-speed rail to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and watch my beloved Yankees win again. Then we can return to Buffalo in time to have dinner at home. You can save your supermarket, hair salon and bandstand.
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.
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 13th day of the Second Karabakh war:

- President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev addressed the people. The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces announced that the Azerbaijani army liberated the village of Hadrut and several villages from occupation and destroyed a large number of military equipment of the Armenian armed forces.

- The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan announced the destruction of another headquarters of the Armenian army, the elimination of the chief of artillery of the regiment, and also presented a list of destroyed and captured equipment.

- The Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan has disseminated a video of the Jabrayil region liberated from occupation.

- The Armenian armed forces continued shelling the Goranboy, Tartar, Aghdam and Fuzuli regions of Azerbaijan. As a result of the Armenian shelling in Fuzuli, an employee of ANAMA (Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency) was seriously injured.

- The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan reported on the destruction and seizure of a large number of military equipment of the armed forces of Armenia.

- The Armenian armed forces subjected to intensive shelling the territory of Mingachevir, Agjabadi, Barda and Aghdam regions.

- The Azerbaijani army captured several more units of military equipment from Armenia. Military equipment abandoned by the Armenian armed forces is being repainted according to the standards of the Azerbaijani army.

- The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced the destruction of many Grad MLRS of the Armenian armed forces.

- The Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan has disseminated information about the destruction in the air of a missile launched from the territory of Armenia in the direction of Mingachevir.

- The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has distributed video footage from the liberated villages of Sugovushan and Talish, Terter region.

- The Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan reported that four civilians were injured as a result of rocket fire at Aghdam by the Armenian army.

- The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced the destruction of the enemy Prima MLRS and a military vehicle carrying 25 people.

- The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry again made a video report, this time dedicated to the destruction of the Armenian armored vehicles brought to firing positions.
Sodexo Canada

Photo:

(Left) Jonathan Kruger - Director of Indigenous Relations and Suzanne Bergeron (Right) Sodexo Canada - President accepting the PAR Gold Certification in Vancouver.

BURLINGTON, Ontario, Oct. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- October 7, 2022  Sodexo Canada  Energy and Resources was recognized last night in Vancouver by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) as a Gold Level certified Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) company. This is Sodexos 21st year as PAR certified and, this year, it is the only company to earn Gold Level, the highest level of certification.



Promoting, reinforcing and nurturing business relationships with Indigenous communities and Nations is paramount to our work, says Suzanne Bergeron, President, Sodexo Canada. Achieving CCAB PAR Gold certification is a clear demonstration of the commitment we have to build relationships that are true partnerships, designed to benefit communities where we operate over the long term.

PAR is a CCAB certification program that confirms corporate performance in Indigenous relations. The program supports participants efforts towards progressive improvement and commitment to prosperity in Indigenous communities and with Indigenous businesses. PAR is the premier corporate social responsibility program, providing a high level of assurance through an independent, third-party verification process of company reports on measurable outcomes and initiatives in four performance areas: Leadership Actions, Employment, Business Development, and Community Relationships. These verified reports are then reviewed by an independent jury of Indigenous business leaders who assign the final certification level.

We commend Sodexo on their journey to economic reconciliation by focusing on growth in Indigenous inclusion and representation within their corporation, says Tabatha Bull, President & CEO of, the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. Sodexos 21-year commitment to Progressive Aboriginal Relations in itself is to be commended, achieving Gold-Level PAR certification is a major accomplishment.

Sodexo Canada works with 84 Indigenous suppliers in 30 Indigenous communities to support local economic development and create mutually beneficial partnerships. Supporting the growth of communities through business partnerships includes hiring, training and developing Indigenous people. Sixty-three percent of the remote location workforce are Indigenous.

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More information about Sodexo Canadas commitment and focus on Indigenous prosperity can be found in the 2021 Indigenous Report .

About Sodexo Canada



Sodexo delivers a wide range of customized solutions, designed to optimize work and living environments. Sodexo has been providing food and facilities management services in Canada for over 40 years, with a focus on enhancing safety, work process and well-being. Sodexo is a market leader in Canada. Sodexo has been recognized as a top employer for the past seven consecutive years. Sodexo is proud to have created the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, an independent charitable organization that has raised over $3 million to fight hunger and donated more than one million meals to at-risk youth across Canada since 2007. Sodexo is included in the CAC Next 20, CAC 40 ESG, FTSE 4 Good and DJSI indices.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sodexocanada

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sodexo.ca/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sodexo/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sodexocanada/

Key Figures



10 000 employees

Recipient of Canada's Greenest Employer Awards 2021

Recipient of Canada's Diversity & Inclusion Employer Awards 2021

1 million consumers served daily

Contact:



Stephanie Aubin  stephanie.aubin@sodexo.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d4e6842b-7bb1-4164-9616-7a9483796c63








Imagine someone telling you that sunsets are passe. Out of fashion. No one watches sunsets anymore. And also out of fashion, since you asked, are hot showers, cheese and asking whos a good boy? to an excitable puppy.

What would you say to that person? How dismissive of their idiotic opinion are you preparing yourself to be? There are, plainly, some things that are susceptible to the whims of taste and fashion, and some that arent. And we submit that despite all evidence to the contrary, the Green Apple Sourbetter known by its stage name, the Appletiniis an example of the latter.

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The Appletini was born on July 4, 1997, at Lolas in West Hollywood. It was, as with so many cocktail origin stories, not a flash of divine inspiration as much as it was a bartender looking at the back bar, seeing a bottle they didnt know well and thinking to themselves, Hmmmm. The bottle in this case was the DeKuypers Pucker Sour Apple Schnapps, brand new at the time, the Pucker line unique among the then-ubiquitous neon spectrum of liqueurs in that it was sour as well as sweet. The bartender in question, Adam Karston, poured equal amounts of Apple Pucker and vodka and topped it with a splash of sweet & sour, making essentially a boozy Sour Patch Kid, no less appealing for being Ecto-Cooler green (this was the 90s, after all).

It was explosively popular. The oft-repeated story is that the cocktail was so successful that it had to be taken off the menu, which admittedly doesnt make much sense, but what everyone can agree upon was that it was a hit. Within six months, practically every bar in LA had an Appletini on their menu.

The long, sticky summer of the chocolate Martini is at last behind us, wrote the New York Times in October 2000, its replacement is a crisp new cocktail made from vodka and some variety of apple spirit. The Appletini was a transitional drink and not just of summer to fall. Its tempting to lump it in with the Chocotini and the Sex on the Beach and all the other boring and chemical and oversweet drinks that preceded it, but theres one important difference: The Appletini was sweet, yes, but it was also sour. It was the first mainstream cocktail in a generation to have a near-sufficient amount of acidity, one crucial step toward the sweet-sour balance of things like Margaritas and Daiquiris and Whiskey Sours we now not just enjoy, but expect.

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Whats interesting about the Times article is that already, in the year 2000, New York bartenders were using fresh ingredients instead of the neon-green liqueur. Diane Gordon was mixing vodka, cinnamon, apple juice and Calvados, the French apple spirit. Ian Schrager was doing Zubrowka, the Polish herbal vodka, with honey and fresh apple juice. Julie Reiner, who refuses to use any liqueur at all on the grounds that it makes the drink taste like a Jolly Rancher, was infusing vodka with fresh apples and topping it with sparkling apple cider. These bartenders saw the inherent appeal of the Appletinithat Granny Smith apples are delicious and fit seamlessly into the sour cocktail template.

It was true then and its true now. While the relative acceptability of incandescent green liqueurs has changed, what hasnt changed one bit is the fact that vodka, apple and sweet-sour flavors, when shaken together, are as simple and profoundly delicious as anything you can find and is no less in or out of fashion than autumn itself.

Appletini

1.5 oz. vodka

0.75 oz. fresh granny smith apple juice

0.75 oz. lemon juice

0.75 oz. simple syrup

Add all ingredients with ice into a cocktail shaker and shake hard for eight to 10 seconds. Strain off the ice into a Martini glass and garnish with a couple apple slices, or just for fun, a cherry.

NOTES ON INGREDIENTS

Ketel One

Vodka: The craft cocktail bartender in me would love to tell you that pisco or mezcal or something makes the best Appletini youve ever had, but its not true. Ive tried this recipe with all kinds of spirits and I still like it best when the spirit gets out of the way and lets the apple juice sing. Which is to say: Vodka. As for bottlings, you can stay on message with one distilled from apples like Upstate Vodka, if you like, but vodka is mostly here to provide the canvas on which to paint.

The other thing to note here is that theres a traditional Polish vodka called Zubrowka thats infused with the herb bison grass, which offers a lemongrass-like warm herbal sweetness. It is taken traditionally with apple juice because those flavors go fantastically togetherthe brand of Zubrowka available here is Zu, and if you are partial to Appletinis, its worth picking up a bottle for them.

Fresh Apple Juice: You certainly could just use bottled apple juice, but I dont recommend it. It wont be green, for starters, and bottled juice tends to not be Granny Smith, which means its sweeter, without that leading tart edge.

This is the annoying part of my advice: You have to juice apples for this. Or, rather, if you want it to be and stay green, you have to juice apples for this. The good news is that I have a trick: Apple juice oxidizes and turns brown within minutes, but if you juice them into a container with a small amount of ascorbic acidpure vitamin C, a cheap and common ingredient in canningto prevent oxidation. You dont need much, just like 1-2tsp per quart of juice and make sure to stir. With this trick, you can make a big batch of apple juice, refrigerate it and itll stay vivid green forever.

Simple Syrup: This will allow the apples to speak as loudly as possible. Very talented bartenders sometimes advise honey syrup, which obviously works and offers a warm sweet finish to mingle with the apples malic bite and you can do that if you like.

If you really want to blow the doors off, my absolute favorite sweetness to use here is lemongrass syrup, which adds the same type of herbal sweetness Zubrowka does, but even more so.

To make it, mix 1 cup each of sugar and water in a small pot and stir to combine. Heat to about 160-180Fyou want to think of the herbs like tea and not scald themand then remove from heat. Roughly chop 2 stalks of lemongrass and once your simple syrup is hot, you can either add the lemongrass to the simple syrup, cover and let come to room temperature, or if you want a louder flavor, add the hot syrup and the lemongrass to a high-powered blender and blend on high for 10 seconds, then cover and let cool. Strain out the solids and refrigerate.

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Tesla boss Elon Musk (NTB/AFP/Getty)

Elon Musk has proposed a solution to growing tensions between China and Taiwan  just days after coming under fire for suggesting a peace plan for Ukraine and Russia.

The worlds richest man said he believes conflict in Taiwan is inevitable, and  similarly to his propositions for Kyiv earlier this week  suggested handing over some control to Beijing.

China regards Taiwan as part of its territory, despite it having been governed independently since 1949 and recognised as a sovereign country by more than a dozen other nations.

Mr Musk said his recommendation would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, probably won't make everyone happy.

And it's possible, and I think [probable], in fact, that they could have an arrangement that's more lenient than Hong Kong, he told the Financial Times.

Hong Kong has recently experienced its largest-ever population drop, with 140,000 residents applying for special visas in the UK, offered in the face of political unrest in the former colony. It comes amid attempts by Beijing to exert increasing authority despite the one country, two systems principle agreed upon during its handover in 1997.

The same principle  initially developed with Taiwan in mind  was rejected by the islands government as recently as August after it was proposed afresh by China in a white paper, and has virtually no public support. At a news conference in Tapei, a foreign ministry spokesperson warned that only Taiwan's people can decide its future.

According to the Financial Timess editor Roula Khalaf, who interviewed Mr Musk as part of the papers Lunch with the FT series, the longest silence to any of her questions followed her enquiry about the risk to his electric car firm Teslas factory in Shanghai, which accounts for between 30 and 50 per cent of the firms total production.

Speaking against a backdrop of increasing US-China tensions, which came to a peak during House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taiwan in August, and the risk of a potential Chinese attempt to wrest control of the island, Mr Musk said that Tesla would be caught up in any conflict involving Beijing.

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But he reportedly appeared to assume that his Shanghai factory would still be able to supply to its customers in China, just not anywhere else. Apple would be in very deep trouble, thats for sure he added, before predicting that the global economy as a whole would take a 30 per cent hit.

Mr Musk said that Beijing has made clear its disapproval of his recent rollout of Starlink  the satellite communications system created by his company SpaceX  in Ukraine to help Kyivs military circumvent Russias disruption of the internet.

It was a development that further evidenced how Starlink could be used to circumvent censorship and repression by authoritarian governments, and Mr Musk said that Beijing sought assurances that he would not sell the product in China.

Despite his immediate support for Ukraine in the face of the invasion ordered by Russias Vladimir Putin in February, Mr Musk drew the ire of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky with a Twitter poll of his suggestions for ending the war.

Mr Musks ideas included Ukraine permanently ceding Crimea to Moscow, and holding votes in parts of Ukraine that the Kremlin says it is annexing  after Mr Putin ordered a series of sham referenda in a hasty bid to shore up his military gains in the face of an ascendant Ukrainian counter-offensive.

World news in pictures

7 October 2022: A protester hurls rocks amid clashes with Israeli soldiers following a demonstration against the expropriation of Palestinian land by Israel in the village of Kfar Qaddum in the occupied West Bank near the Jewish settlement of Kedumimon (AFP/Getty)

6 October 2022: Ukrainian firefighters push out a fire after a strike in Zaporizhzhia amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine (AFP/Getty)

5 October 2022: Amnesty International activists organize a sit-in at Rome's Capitol Hill in solidarity with protesters in Iran, (AP)

4 October 2022: A woman takes a moment for the victims of Saturday's soccer match stampede in front of gate 13 at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, Indonesia (AP)

3 October 2022: Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and children perform the Tashlich ritual in the coastal Mediterranean city of Netanya, during which sins are cast into the water to the fish, ahead of the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, the most important day in the Jewish calendar (AFP/Getty)

2 October 2022: Supporters of Brazilian former President, and candidate for the Workers Party, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva react as they watch the vote count of the legislative and presidential election, in Brasilia (AFP/Getty)

1 October 2022: AC Milans Charles De Ketelaere, left, collides with Empolis Koni de Winter and Alberto Grassi, right during their Serie A football match at the Carlo-Castellani stadium (AFP/Getty)

30 September 2022: From left, Moscow-appointed head of Kherson Region Vladimir Saldo, Moscow-appointed head of Zaporizhzhia region Yevgeny Balitsky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, Denis Pushilin, leader of self-proclaimed of the Donetsk People's Republic and Leonid Pasechnik, leader of self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic pose for a photo during a ceremony to sign the treaties for four regions of Ukraine to join Russia, at the Kremlin in Moscow (AP)

29 September 2022: A man walks through debris on a street in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Punta Gorda, Florida (AFP/Getty)

28 September 2022: Finland closes motorway so F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet pilots can practice landings in Joutsa, Finland (Reuters)

27 September 2022: This handout picture released on September 27, 2022 by the Danish Defence Command shows the gas leak at the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline as it is seen from the Danish Defence's F-16 rejection response off the Danish Baltic island of Bornholm, south of Dueodde (DANISH DEFENCE/AFP/Getty)

In response, Mr Zelensky created his own poll, asking: Which Elon Musk do you like more? One who supports Ukraine [or] one who supports Russia?

Ukrainian ambassador Andrij Melnyk replied that his very diplomatic response to Mr Musks suggestions was merely to f*** off, while Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov accused the Tesla founder of moral idiocy, repetition of Kremlin propaganda, a betrayal of Ukrainian courage and sacrifice.

Following his remarks on Taiwan, one senior official familiar with security planning there told Reuters that Musk needs to find a clear-headed political adviser.

Wang Ting-yu, a senior politician in Taiwans ruling Democratic Progressive Party who sits on the parliament's foreign affairs and defence committee, responded to the Tesla founder: Individual independent companies cannot take their ownership as a joke.

So why should they casually pass off the democratic freedoms, sovereignty and way of life of 23 million Taiwanese? Its not acceptable for Ukraine, and Taiwan certainly wont allow it.

Asked about Mr Musks comments, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters that Taiwan was a domestic affair, and said that Beijing would continue to adhere to the principle of peaceful reunification while resolutely smashing Taiwanese separatism.
The largest aircraft carrier in the world has been sent out on its first deployment: The USS Gerald Ford left Norfolk, Virginia on Tuesday, heading out into the Atlantic.

The ships deployment comes after delays that have lasted years and cost billions of dollars  $13bn in all.

This specific aircraft carrier has a range of new technologies, such as electromagnetic catapults that can launch planes and advanced weapons elevators that will move bombs and missiles up to the flight deck, according to Insider.

Washington Post reporters Robert Costa and Bob Woodward wrote in their new book Peril that former President Donald Trump often ranted about this very ship, arguing that the cost was too high and that the flight command centres placement was wrong.

It just doesnt look right, he said.

In this April 14, 2017 file photo, as crew members stand on the deck, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford heads to the Norfolk, Va., naval station (AP)

In this file handout image courtesy of the US Navy taken on June 18, 2021 the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) completes the first scheduled explosive event of Full Ship Shock Trials while underway in the Atlantic Ocean (US NAVY/AFP via Getty Images)

Democratic Virginia Representative Elaine Luria also slammed the carrier, calling it a $13-billion nuclear-powered floating berthing barge.

The ship will take part in military exercises which will include around 9,000 people from nine countries, 20 vessels, and 60 aircraft, the Navy said in a press release.

This handout photo provided by the US Navy shows the USS Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) departing Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia on October 4, 2022 (US NAVY/AFP via Getty Images)

The Navy said the ship is the first new carrier designed in more than four decades. The building of the ship began in 2009 and it was commissioned by Mr Trump in 2017.

Construction has already started on the next two carriers in the Ford category  the USS Kennedy and the USS Enterprise.

Government officials and family members of former US President Gerald Ford salute a model of a new aircraft carrier named the USS Gerald R. Ford during a naming ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington, 16 January 2007 (AFP via Getty Images)

The carrier has nearly three times the amount of electrical power of the previous Nimitz-class of carriers, the Navy said.

The electromagnetic launch system, EMALS, uses electric power to launch planes from the carrier. Previously, a steam catapult system was used. The new system means that less stress will be put on the carrier and the time between launches has been cut down.

Donald Trump (3rd R) salutes as he departs the USS Gerald R. Ford in Norfolk, Virginia, on July 22, 2017 (AFP via Getty Images)

According to CNN, an official said the USS Gerald Ford is the sole forward-class carrier that has dual-band radar.

The carrier will operate in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea on a deployment that will be shorter than the typical six-month timeframe.

The Commander of Carrier Strike Group 12, Rear Admiral Gregory Huffman, said in a statement that this deployment is an opportunity to push the ball further down the field and demonstrate the advantage that Ford and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 bring to the future of naval aviation, to the region and to our allies and partners.

The other countries taking part in the exercise include Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden.
Brian Ingelson, Director of Bands at Palm Springs High School, passes the conductor's baton to his son, Matthew Ingelson, following his final Spirit of the Sands band concert at Richards Center for the Arts in Palm Springs, Calif., on May 18, 2022. Matthew Ingelson will become the new Director of Bands at Palm Springs High School.

This summer, Desert Sun reporter Jonathan Horwitz wrote a moving article about the retirement of longtime Palm Springs High School band and visual corps directors Brian and Beverley Ingelson. Under their auspices, Palm Springs High students performed around the world, including at the Sydney Opera House, Disneyland Paris, the Great Wall of China and the second inauguration parade for President Barack Obama. Its amazing to see our local kids attaining the proficiency to perform at such places and have these world-expanding opportunities at such a young age.

Arts education has been shown time and time again to improve motivation, concentration, confidence and teamwork. It is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking and verbal skills. Palm Springs High is fortunate to have a strong performing arts program with robust community support. But not all schools in California, let alone our valley, are so lucky.

State law requires visual and performing arts instruction for grades 1-6. For grades 7-8, schools have to offer arts classes either during or after school. High school students must take either a year of art, a foreign language or career and technical education to graduate. But many schools lack full-time arts instructors. The gaps, predictably, are bigger in schools that serve a large population of minority and poor kids.

Brian Ingelson, Director of Bands at Palm Springs High School, recognizes the senior class of the Palm Springs Spirit of the Sands Band and Visuals Corps at Richards Center for the Arts in Palm Springs, Calif., on May 18, 2022. Brian and Beverley Ingelson are retiring after 27 years of service at Palm Springs High School.

Proposition 28 is an attempt to rectify that without any new taxes for Californians.

The measure would require California to allocate at least 1% of Prop. 98 funding  money already guaranteed for public schools and community colleges in the state budget  for music and arts education. Proponents of the measure say thats about a $1 billion set aside each year. Schools with high concentrations of students from low-income households would get more money. School districts would have to spend 80% of the new funding on hiring arts and music instructors, and they would need to publish annual reports on how they spend the money.

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We generally dont like these kinds of state mandates. But even former Arkansas governor-turned-Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has said: Youll never have music and arts in the schools if you dont mandate it, because what you mandate, you will fund  because you have to, its the law. You find the funding, because you have to.

To be sure, arts education is not a red or blue issue. The people who are the true innovators, the people who are Bill Gates and Steven Jobs and Steven Spielberg, the people who come up with the great next thing, these are the right-brained kids, the ones that sometimes gets shoved over in the corner, and theyre considered to be slow learners, nerds, not cooperative, theyre all of those things. But what they really are is theyre brilliant, and theyre thinking in a way that is different than the left-brain-dominant kids who think very logically and in a linear way, Huckabee has noted. Right-brain kids dont think like that, but theyre the ones who create the magic things that we need. And if we bore them to death ... what well end up doing is well see them drop out, and what a shame, what a loss  not to that kid, the loss to all of us.

The Spirit of the Sands band plays to welcome students back for the first day of school at Palm Springs High School in Palm Springs, Calif., August 10, 2022.

Proposition 28 does add some practical safeguards on budgeting; if California faces an economic downturn, the proposition allows the Legislature to reduce funding for arts education in a year when lawmakers provide less than the constitutional spending requirement. In this case, the reduction in funding for arts education could not be more than the percentage reduction in total funding to public schools and community colleges.

Proposition 28 is being spearheaded by former Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner, and the measure has drawn the support of big-name celebrities from Hollywood and the music industry.

Wed love to see these industry heavyweights do more than just make campaign donations to this cause. Perhaps if it passes, they could initiate some public-private partnerships that build true pipelines of creative superstars from our public schools to our artistic institutions and corporations that are such a key part of the California ethos and economy.

Yes on 28. Its a shame we have to put such measures in place rather than doing the right thing to start with, but if this gets the job done, we support it.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Endorsement: Yes on Prop. 28. Arts education for kids is critical
Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal has opened up about feeling lonely and depressed during the height of his success.

The 56-year-old Michelin star-holding chef said that, although he was constantly surrounded by people, he actually felt really lonely.

Blumenthal, the proprietor of the Fat Duck and Hinds Head in Bray, Berkshire, and Dinner in London, moved to France in 2018. and has stayed out of the spotlight since after he had enough of cooking.

He rediscovered his love for cooking six months ago, according to an interview in The Times, but the chef described having shooting star moments.

Then I fell back down to Earth again. Enough was never enough, he said.

Blumenthal is widely credited as the pioneer of multi-sensory cooking, and became known for his unusual recipes, including Meat Fruit, snail porridge, and savoury ice cream such as bacon and egg ice cream.

The Fat Duck holds three Michelin stars, the last of which was awarded in 2004, and Blumenthal was appointed an OBE in the 2006 New Years Honours List for his services to British Gastronomy.

But his road to success was driven by a need to keep on, keep on, keep on, he said, which led to him feeling lost.

I was in London, in a big kitchen with loads of people, and then out from the kitchen into that sort of media world surrounded by people, but I look back and I was really lonely, he told the newspaper.

Chef Heston Blumenthal meets Queen Elizabeth II as he attends a reception at Buckingham Palace reception hosted by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh for those who made the regional, national and international Diamond Jubilee celebrations events to remember on October 16, 2012 (Getty Images)

I didnt think I was lonely at the time, and people would say, Hes got all this, and can do all this and do all that, but actually it was not what was really at the heart of what drove me.

Blumenthal said his ambition to always achieve the best awards and accolades was unconsciously building a monster without realising it.

After the third Michelin star in 2004, I thought, I dont know why I got this. What happens if I lose it? he admitted.

His move to France did little to help him reconnect with his love for cooking initially, with the chef describing his state of mind as a haze of being lost.

He added: Im not sure if I felt depressed at the time, but looking back I think I was. It was unaware anxiety.

Blumenthal is set to release a new cookbook, Is This A Cookbook?, on 13 October.
The Allianz Arena in Munich will host the opening match of Euro 2024 (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Archive)

The draw for the Euro 2024 qualifying competition takes place in Frankfurt on Sunday.

Here the PA news agency looks at what to expect.

What time is the draw due to start, and where is it happening?

The draw is scheduled to begin at 11am UK time, and will be conducted at Frankfurts Festhalle exhibition centre.

How will it work?

Fifty-three countries will enter the draw. Hosts Germany qualify automatically and Russia have been excluded from qualification due to the invasion of Ukraine.

There will be seven groups of five teams and three groups of six. The four countries who made it through to next summers Nations League finals  the Netherlands, Croatia, Spain and Italy  are guaranteed to be placed in a five-team group.

England, Scotland and Wales are in seeding pot two, while the Republic of Ireland are in pot three and Northern Ireland are in pot five out of six.

Who qualifies?

Good morning 



Start your day with the highlights from last night's draw with Ukraine, which saw us gain promotion to League A.#UKRSCO pic.twitter.com/qWPRpL3rLE  Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) September 28, 2022

The top two teams from each group will go through to the finals, while 12 more teams will battle it out for three additional spots via play-offs to be played in March 2024.

The winners of the groups in Leagues A, B and C of the Nations League  which includes Scotland  are guaranteed at least a play-off place if they fail to finish in the top two of their qualifying group.

Will any teams be kept apart?

Belarus and Ukraine cannot face each other. Belarus are aiding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and during the Nations League had to play their home matches behind closed doors in Serbia. Armenia and Azerbaijan will also be kept apart, as will Gibraltar and Spain.

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A maximum of two countries designated as winter venues can be drawn together  these are Belarus, Estonia, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania and Norway.

Pairings that would lead to excessive travelling have also been declared, and will be capped at a maximum of one pairing per group.

When will the matches be played?

The group stage of qualification will all take place next year, during the March, June, September, October and November international breaks.

When does Euro 2024 kick off?

The tournament starts in Munich on Friday, June 14, 2024. The final will be staged in Berlin on July 14 with 10 cities in total hosting matches.
Haverills own Noah Vonleh is determined to make the most of the chance the Boston Celtics have extended him with a camp invite and the possibility of making the teams 2022-23 roster. This is a great opportunity, said the Indiana product after practice on Sunday (via CLNS). I got the call in early August from the front office, and they talked about a potential chance to make the roster.

I was very excited, he said, especially as a hometown kid from the area. A former five-star recruit coming out of high school who struggled to find a role at the NBA level, playing for seven NBA teams before falling out of the league and playing a stint with the CBAs Shanghai Sharks last season.

The journey continues, shared Vonleh of his potential path back to the NBA with the Celtics.

Celtics Lab 146: Catching up with Tacko Fall on his new book, the CBA, and ties to the Celtics https://t.co/9lHJEjUOBZ  The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 9, 2022

I dont know if this will be the last stop, he added. But Im happy to be here now  Im just staying in the moment.

Listen to the Celtics Lab podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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The United States and much of the world appears headed for an economic downturn. For those of us in Indiana, evidence about the depth of a downturn is mixed. We have a high share of manufacturing, which will be heavily affected by higher interest rates.

This makes it more likely our recession will be worse than the national average. However, manufacturing employment is a smaller and less important part of our economies than it was in 1981 when we last went through this type of downturn.

Michael Hicks

The nation began the 1981 recession with an unemployment rate of 7.2 percent. We are today sitting at 3.5 percent, and businesses will be reluctant to cut employment given their recent experience with tight labor markets. But, the big lesson of a downturn is really how little control anyone has on short term macroeconomic conditions. That should occasion us to think a bit more intelligently about the long term, where public policy and individual decisions will have influence.

It is election season, so we are unlikely to hear much substantive reflection on the long-term state of affairs in our state. Still, I would hope that there are serious thoughts about the many ways state and local government, businesses, and households can adjust their temporal window of concern. We should be thinking about Indianas economy in, say, 2030 or 2040, instead of dreading 2023.

One way to begin that is by listening to the aspirations of Hoosiers. When I give talks around the state, I like to ask people, what would you like to see in your local economy over the next 20 to 30 years? The answer is always the same. Folks want to see steady population and job growth, increased prosperity, and a chance for young people to build wealth through home ownership.

There is always interest in schools being a centerpiece of the community, and people my age express some hope their children could find a way back to live nearby. I often hear talk of better institutions, from local government  schools especially  but also congregations, civic clubs and the like. There is clear frustration that national politics has poisoned the frank and pragmatic discussions we need to have locally. I also hear a lot about bad roads, crumbling infrastructure, the lack of public services and general underinvestment. These are all worries about economic growth.

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Theres a lot I dont hear. Few folks in Indiana lament the shortage of beaches or mountains in Indiana. Im usually the only one complaining about the cold, but then I spent most of my life in the south. When I ask about local concerns, I dont hear about crime or immigration, what books are in the school library or if what pronouns we use. I also dont hear folks complain about taxes. None of these issues have come up in the more than a decade Ive been travelling around the state.

My anecdotal evidence of peoples concerns are useful only because I speak to non-partisan groups. When Ive attended political events, I hear a very different set of concerns that are almost a caricature of the facts. I try to stay away from these, since theres so little to learn from a political event.

I note this because the concerns I hear about are all long-term issues that affect their lives, and more importantly the lives of their children and grandchildren. One way to think more wholesomely about the long term economy is to view economic growth the way economists do in their writing and technical research. It is so very different from what you hear about the politics of growth.

For most of the past century, economists have used mathematical models to explain growth of an economy. The model is that growth (say change in incomes or GDP) is a function of people, capital investment (land or factories), human capital and technology. We could simplify it a bit by dividing everything by the number of people. So per capita income is a function of the capital per person, human capital per person and technology per person. We could do this at a county or state or between nations. We can do it in a single period, say 2010 through 2020, or we could look at data over decades or even centuries.

The findings of this research are pretty compelling. My interpretation of the many dozens of studies Ive read on this matter, and some Ive authored, help me think about the future in a more focused way. These are what the statistical models of several centuries say.

Before the industrial revolution, arable land really, really mattered. During most of the industrial revolution, capital investment in factories and farming really mattered. People mattered too, but people migrated like wildfire to economic opportunity. So, if you had land and capital, you could find people.

Sometime in the middle of the 19th century, technology began to really matter. Fortunately that technology was mostly around manufacturing cities, like Detroit or Boston. Technology still matters, but sometime in the middle of the 20th century, human capital really began to influence growth. Human capital is hard to measure, but increasingly years of education per adult really explains growth. During the 20th century, technology started to move away from manufacturing cities to places where lots of highly educated workers lived. Think Detroit in 1920 versus Cupertino in 1990.

By the 1990s capital began to matter far less, and indeed by the 21st century, studies began to report that in the developed world, nearly all the growth and prosperity between regions was attributable to human capital. This isnt really a surprising result, when one considers the goods and services people are now consuming, how they are produced and the extraordinarily free flow of capital across the developed world.

This should prompt Hoosiers to ask their leaders where they stand on these issues. Do they think future growth will primarily come from large capital investments in the state, or from the human capital of our people? If they say growth is about capital investment, they are mistaken and we need different, better educated leaders. If they say the future is about human capital, we need to ask why the state is in the midst of an historical disinvestment in people.

Michael J. Hicks, PhD, is the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research and the George and Frances Ball distinguished professor of economics in the Miller College of Business at Ball State University.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Hicks: Recession a time to think about the long-run
The Jordan Buck statue was formally unveiled Sept. 24 at a Jordan Buck Day celebration in Danbury. The statue, which is 21 feet long and about 12 feet high, commemorates the former world record white-tailed deer shot in 1914 by James Jorden near Danbury.

DANBURY - The story and the buck are among the all-time greats in the world of white-tailed deer hunting.

Why not make the commemorative statue larger-than-life, too?

"Well, I guess we wanted people to stop and take notice, yes," said Don Chell of Grantsburg.

Chell was a driving force in the project to fund, construct and erect a statue to honor the Jordan Buck.

The deer, shot in 1914 by James Jordan along the Yellow River in Danbury, measured 206  inches under the Boone and Crockett Club scoring system.

These photos, provided by the Burnett County Historical Society, show James Jordan with the original buck rack and a replica mount.

Jordan Buck held world record for a typical whitetail until 1993

It was recognized in 1978 as the world record typical whitetail by the club. It held the top spot, arguably the most coveted big game trophy in the world, until 1993.

A 100-year celebration of the buck was held in Danbury in 2014.

But Chell, who was president of a Whitetails Unlimited chapter for more than two decades, wanted to have something more permanent.

He helped organize raffles to raise money for a statue, including raffles for a 25-20 Winchester rifle, the gun Jordan used to shoot the trophy buck.

Once the coffers were full enough an order was placed and the larger-than-life statue was produced at the FAST Corporation in Sparta.

It was finished about 18 months ago, but the site in Danbury wasn't quite ready, Chell said. So he stored the statue in a pole barn on his farm.

It was eventually placed on a plot of land along the Gandy Dancer Trail in Danbury and a "Jordan Buck Day" celebration was held Sept. 24.

The circuitous path of the statue mirrors elements of the Jordan Buck rack.

James Jordan's trophy buck rack sat in a vacant house in Minnesota for decades until his nephew bought it for $2 at a secondhand store

After Jordan shot the deer, he gave the head to George Van Castle of Webster, who offered to mount the buck for $5.

It would be the last time Jordan would see the rack for 50 years.

In the months after taking possession of the antlers, Van Castle moved near Hinckley, Minnesota, about 20 miles from Danbury. Jordan went to Webster in 1915 to check on the mount only to learn Van Castle and the rack were gone.

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Van Castle later moved to Florida, leaving his Minnesota house vacant for 40 years with Jordan's rack inside.

The record antlers collected dust until 1959, when Van Castle's house was purchased. Items found in the house were sent to be sold at a secondhand store in Sandstone, Minnesota.

As fate would have it, the rack was noticed by Bob Ludwig, Jordan's nephew. Ludwig bought the mount for $2.

Ludwig helped arrange a scoring for the huge rack: a panel measured it at 206  inches, bigger than any typical whitetail on record.

Ludwig told friends and relatives about the news and began to show off the rack. When Jordan saw it, he exclaimed: "That's my deer!"

But questions lingered until 1977, when Ron Schara, then outdoors writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, traveled to Danbury to hear Jordan's claim about the buck.

Schara's column about his meeting with Jordan caused Boone and Crockett officials to investigate further. They were convinced and in December 1978 the group's records committee officially declared Jordan as the hunter who killed the world-record whitetail.

Sadly, Jordan died two months before the records committee ruled.

The antlers of the Jordan Buck statue in Danbury mimics the massive 10-point rack on the former world record whitetail shot by James Jordan near Danbury in 1914.

The original rack of the Jordan Buck is now owned by and on display at Bass Pro Shops headquarters in Springfield, Missouri. Replica mounts are found at several sites in Wisconsin, including Crex Meadows State Wildlife Area in Grantsburg and Cabela's stores in Green Bay and Richfield.

Boone and Crockett Club now lists Jordan Buck as third all-time in its record book

The Jordan Buck is now listed as third all-time in the Boone and Crockett Club record book.

It was displaced as the world record in 1993 when Milo Hanson killed a 213  inch deer on his Saskatchewan farm.

Second is a deer taken in November 2021 by Dustin Huff in Indiana; it scored 211 4/8.

But now the Jordan Buck has a statue to top them all. The leaping form is 21 feet long, 14 feet high and 6 feet wide.

Danbury plans to hold an annual "Jordan Buck Day" in the fall.

"It's been quite a ride," Chell said. "But I guess you can say the Jordan Buck is finally home."

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CWD found at Vernon County deer farm

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection announced Wednesday that a white-tailed deer at a Vernon County deer farm tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

The CWD-positive buck was among a herd of captive deer at Hidden Valley Whitetails in Readstown, according to DATCP.

The business has about 28 deer remaining on its 1-acre property, the agency said.

The farm has been placed under quarantine, meaning no live animals or whole carcasses are permitted to leave the property. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and DATCP veterinarians and staff will conduct an epidemiological investigation at the site.

CWD is a fatal, neurological disease of deer, elk and moose caused by an infectious protein called a prion that affects the animal's brain. Testing for CWD is typically only performed after the animals death.

Three Wisconsin deer farms  Maple Hill Farms in Gilman, Red Wing Deer Farm in Waukesha and Van Ooyen Whitetails in Antigo  have been depopulated in 2022 after CWD was discovered in their herds. Each of the owners was compensated with tax-payer funds for the loss of the animals.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jordan Buck, former world record whitetail, celebrated in Danbury
Linda Ronstadt's second memoir, "Feels Like Home: A Song for the Sonoran Borderlands," could just as easily have been a cookbook.

Her friend CC Goldwater, whose grandfather was politician Barry Goldwater, suggested the singer do a cookbook to raise money for research into Parkinsons disease, which Ronstadt was diagnosed with in 2012.

"I said, 'I don't cook,' " says Ronstadt, 76, with a laugh. "She said 'Oh, it's OK.' "

A plan was hatched to gather recipes from the Goldwaters, the Ronstadts and family friend Bill Steen, who supplies the photographs in "Feels Like Home."

The book includes some family recipes, but over time, it morphed into a broader celebration of Ronstadt's Arizona roots.

It's a departure from her first memoir, "Simple Dreams," which focused more on Ronstadt's musical career.

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The Ronstadt family, with Linda at right on a hobby horse.

Ronstadt, who lives in San Francisco, spoke about the book (co-written with Lawrence Downes), how growing up in Tucson shaped who she is and the importance of family.

Q: Having read both memoirs, I like that they're such different books, despite covering some of the same territory.

Answer: Well, "Simple Dreams" is about my musical process. This is slightly about that, because my childhood was part of my musical process. Indeed, it was inseparable. But I just wrote about a different thing.

Could you talk about the importance of sharing this side of your story  your Mexican-American heritage and life in the borderlands?

We're really dealing with three different cultures that have the same roots. There's Mexico. There's the United States. And there's Mexican-Americans. ... Mexican food has taken over. You can get a taco anywhere. A Sonoran (Desert) hot dog I don't think is so ubiquitous. But I eat them (laughs). I don't eat hot dogs and hamburgers. But a Sonoran hot dog is too good to pass up.

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Linda Ronstadt in the Tucson Rodeo Parade

You often hear of successful musicians coming from musical families, but it seems your family may have been more musical than most.

In those days, mostly everyone played the piano. It was just a thing that happened with children. They got piano lessons and they practiced. There wasn't a radio. So you had to make your own music. And people did. It might not be really good. But I think everybody should have their own music they can play and sing. It's not going to be Paul Simon. But we have Paul Simon for that. And he does a good job.

Did you ever make it to Phoenix to perform before you moved to California as a teen?

We auditioned at some club, I can't remember what it was called. We did well and they offered us a job but my brother was going into the police department and he didn't think they would approve of it, him hanging around in a beatnik dive.

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Linda Ronstadt in 2002.

I know it's a Randy Newman song that you've recorded more than once. But what appealed to you about "Feels Like Home" as a title?

It just seemed like a good way to sum up what the book was about. And I think family is important, the things your ancestors have been through.

How did growing up in in the borderlands, traveling to Mexico from Tucson, shape you?

We were driving through a landscape that was typical for me. I thought everybody had cactus in their backyard. But it turns out they didn't. I've always been proud of my heritage and where I came from. I love Tucson.

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A young Linda Ronstadt on horseback.

Do you miss the desert?

Oh, yeah. Developers plowed up a lot of desert land and didn't put houses on it or bother to put any ground cover. So there's just dust clouds constantly. The last time I drove to Phoenix from Tucson, I was in a dust storm for two hours.

And that fence they built. That stupid fence, which doesn't keep people out because people fly in. It cuts scars in the desert and causes erosion. It empties the water table because they're using all the water to make concrete. And it prevents animals from migrating. They need to migrate to live.

An American rancher will buy 2,000 acres in Montana and build his house right in the middle so that he's completely isolated. Mexicans build their house in a village and they share the grasslands.

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You grew up crossing the border to visit family on your father's side.

If you wanted to go farther south than Nogales, you had to have a permit, and the permit only lasted until such and such a date. So I would get the permit, go across and, coming back, it wasn't this incredibly long line of trucks where it takes hours to get through. You just showed your passport and you were there.

There was no point in putting up a fence. Some of those fences go right through ranchers' land. One of them goes straight through the Tohono O'odham reservation. It's preposterous. It cost a fortune. And it's worthless. And it's cruel. And they intensified the cruelty by separating families.

What do you think should be done about the situation on the border?

I think we should make it easier for them to work. They're not taking jobs away from Americans. They're doing jobs Americans won't do. They come up with a work visa, they earn money to send to their families, and then they go back. It couldn't be more ideal. More ideal would be paying them fairly, I suppose.

You write that much of the Tucson you knew in the '50s and '60s has been knocked down for blacktop and sprawl.

They destroyed a community to build (Tucson Convention Center), a so-called community center. And it was such a beautiful section. The buildings were adobe and right on the street. Now people pay big money to get a building like that, but it was for poor people. And after they tore it up, the two that were still available got rented to lawyers and money men. It's where rich people live now.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Linda Ronstadt talks 'Feels Like Home' book, 'worthless' border wall
World War II veteran Cleatus Lebow, 98, passed away Sept 29 in Amarillo; he was the oldest of only two remaining survivors of the torpedoed vessel the USS Indianapolis from World War II.

In total, only 316 out of 1,195 sailors survived the July 30, 1945, attack from a Japanese submarine. More than 890 men entered the water after the attack on the ship, with Lebow being one of about one-third of the men that survived exposure, dehydration and shark attacks while stranded in the open ocean after spending over four days in the waters of the Philippines Sea.

Cleatus Lebow, in wheelchair, is seen at a previous reunion at the USS Indianapolis. Lebow, one of the last two remaining survivors, died Sept. 29; he was 98.

Over the past year, two survivors from the USS Indianapolis have died, leaving Harold Bray Jr., who turned 95 in June as the last living survivor of the attack. Granville Crane of Gulfport, Mississippi, died Jan. 5 at the age of 95.

More:Emotion just beneath the surface

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Lebow and Bray both attended a ceremony May 18 at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas, for the 77th-anniversary reunion of friends and family of the USS Indianapolis crew. Leaving from the Ussery-Roan Texas State Veterans Home in Amarillo, Lebow looked forward to meeting his fellow survivor and their families, especially with the passing of Crane signaling that this could be their last meeting between them.

Cleatus Lebow waves to his supporters in May at the Ussery-Roan Texas State Veterans Home as he departs for the USS Indianapolis Reunion in Fredericksburg. Lebow, one of the last two remaining survivors, died Sept. 29; he was 98.

"I am really excited to make this trip; I have not seen Bray or family members in years, Lebow said as he departed Amarillo. With the special bond that we have, this really means something to meet again.

Lebow was one of 10 siblings who grew up in Abernathy, Texas. Joining the Navy in 1943 as a teenager, Lebow served on the USS Indianapolis for nearly three years before his ship was sunk. He was awarded a Purple Heart while recovering in Guam and was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in 2020 for his service.

More:USS Indianapolis survivor Lebow honored at ceremony

After retiring from working for the telephone company after 35 years of service, Lebow moved to Memphis, Texas, where he will be laid to his final rest Sunday afternoon. Lebow had been a resident of the Ussery-Roan State Veterans Home since Feb. 21 of this year.

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Melissa Kalka and Lee Persefield escort U.S.S. Indianapolis survivor Cleatus Lebow to center stage by Blanke Siebrecht at the Armed Forces Day Banquet in May. Lebow, one of the last two remaining survivors, died Sept. 29; he was 98.

Lee Persefield, the onsite representative for the Veterans Land Board, spoke about the loss of one of his most distinguished residents.

He was someone that we truly had to respect, such a hero for the country itself being one of the few remaining survivors of the USS Indianapolis, Persefield said. He always wore a smile and was a very humble man. He never wanted to be considered a hero; Cleatus just said he did what he did. He brought a smile to anyones face that he met. He was exceedingly kind and very gracious.

U.S. Navy Veteran Cleatus Lebow visits the memorial to the USS Indianapolis in Indiana in this provided photo. Lebow, one of the last two remaining survivors, died Sept. 29; he was 98.

Persefield said that his fellow residents had the utmost respect for Lebow, knowing his sacrifices.

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Having been a part of that Greatest Generation and losing another member of that generation for us is a very sad time, Persefield said. He was loved by so many here and by other family members of USS Indianapolis survivors. Our greatest thing we got to do for him was take him to the reunion earlier this year to meet with his fellow survivor.

Persefield said at the time of the reunion that there was a great possibility that this would be the last time that the two men would meet.

In this provided file photo, Cleatus Lebow, third from the right, visited Indianapolis for a reunion with six fellow survivors of the USS Indianapolis, which sank after an attack by two Japanese torpedoes in 1945. Lebow, 98, died Sept. 29. He was one of two survivors remaining.

"It was such an honor to have him with us for the time that we had with him, Persefield said.

Lebows son Jerry Lebow spoke about the passing of his father and the generous outreach that has come from the community upon his death.

He was one of the last two survivors from the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, and we were very proud of him, Lebow said. I feel like I kind of had to share him and his experiences with the rest of the world. That is OK because that was part of his life, and I appreciate everything he did, knowing what he did and the stories behind all of it.

The USS Indianapolis just off Mares Island in San Francisco in July, 1945, the same month it sank in the Pacific. U.S. Navy Photo

Lebow said that he has had so many people reach out to him since the passing of his father.

"I have had so many phone calls, letters and texts about my fathers passing; it has been crazy over the past week, Lebow said. It is unbelievable how many people have reached out to us.

Jerry Lebow said that his father never liked to be looked upon as a hero.

My dad always said 'I am not a hero' and that other veterans 'gave as much as I did and more,' Lebow said. He always said he was just a lonely sailor doing his job for the country that wanted to go home.

Services will be held in Memphis, Texas, on Sunday, Oct. 9, 3 p.m. at Fairview Cemetery.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Humble hero: Cleatus Lebow, USS Indianapolis survivor, remembered
Franklin County voters will choose from four candidates for two judge seats to oversee cases ranging from teens stealing cars to divorces and custody battles.

The Dispatch talked with the four candidates for two judgeships on Franklin County Domestic Relations and Juvenile court about their qualifications. And they were asked about how they would decide what to do pretrial with youth criminal defendants, particularly in cases related to car thefts  a crime on the rise among teens in the county.

Early voting in Ohio begins Wednesday, Oct. 12, and the general election is Nov. 8.

What you need to know

Four candidates are running for two judge positions on the Franklin County Common Pleas Court's Domestic Relations and Juvenile division.

Common pleas court races are supposed to be nonpartisan in Ohio and party affiliations do not appear on the general ballot, but candidates run in partisan primaries.

Common pleas court judges in Ohio are elected to six-year terms and are paid $155,485 annually in 2022.

Meet the candidates

Below is information on the candidates in contested races, including some of their experience, information they provided in an interview with The Dispatch and ratings from the Columbus Bar Association. This includes a poll conducted by the bar association of central Ohio attorneys on which judicial candidates they prefer.

The bars nonpartisan Judiciary Screening Committee rates judges based on their qualifications, including education, experience, training, character and temperament, according to their bylaws. This year, the screening committee issued star ratings on a scale of one to five with five stars signifying superior qualifications, three stars signifying the candidate meets qualifications and one star signifying the candidate does not possess the qualifications necessary to be a judge.

In another bar poll, attorneys rated sitting judges on a five-point scale  with five representing excellent  on factors including their objectivity, temperament, knowledge and timeliness.

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Judge Kim A. Browne vs. Don Roberts

Kim A. Browne (D)

Experience:

2002-present: Judge, Franklin County Court of Common Pleas' Domestic Relations and Juvenile division. She was appointed in 2002 and first elected in 2004.

1996-2001: Attorney in various roles at Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation

CBA Judiciary Committee: Five stars

CBA Preference Poll: 79.2%

CBA Judicial Performance Poll: 3.17

What the candidate says: Browne, a judge for two decades, said she is the best person for the job because she has the experience. Browne also was the court's administrative judge for six years before leaving the role this year to focus on her campaign.

Browne switched her party affiliation from Republican in Democrat in 2021. She said at the time that as an African American woman, she was disturbed by what the GOP had become. She was the third county judge to flip, a move critics say was to win reelection in an increasingly Democratic county.

When law enforcement officials held a news conference in February 2021 calling out Franklin County Juvenile court judges for not doing enough to help keep teens already charged with crimes  particularly in car thefts  from committing more crimes, the judges rebuffed the claims.

Browne, the administrative judge at the time, and the six other county juvenile judges released a statement calling the news conference an effort to spread propoganda and fear.

Talking to The Dispatch recently, Browne said she is concerned by the rise in juveniles stealing cars and how to handle them.

I like to emphasize that everybody is innocent until they're proven guilty, she said. The courts philosophy is we will hold (a juvenile accused of crime in detention) if you are a danger to yourself, a danger to the community or if we can't trust you to come back to court to answer for what you've done.

Browne said detention can be very disruptive for youths and has to be weighed carefully. Factors to consider, Browne said, include the seriousness of the crime, age of the defendant, if they were already on community control or had prior offenses, and how involved they were in the crime. If a gun was involved, she said, the defendant is automatically held.

Don Roberts (R)

Experience:

2013-present: Solo practitioner

2009-2012: Associate Attorney, Suzanne K. Sabol & Associates, concentrated in family law

2003-2008: Supervising Attorney, The Legal Aid Society of Columbus

CBA Judiciary Committee: Two stars

CBA Preference Poll: 20.8%

What the candidate says: Roberts said hes practiced in domestic and juvenile court over the past two decades in 48 Ohio counties, but primarily in Franklin County.

I have a passion for representing my clients. I love my clients, he said. But I feel that the next step for me is actually to play this role.

His practices primary focus has been family law. Roberts has represented some clients  primarily people he was already representing in family court  in criminal cases, such as domestic violence cases.

Roberts served in the U.S. Air Force, worked as a police officer and worked as a bailiff in municipal court before he became a lawyer.

Roberts is interested in bringing specialized dockets to family court to expedite divorces, including one for first responders who do shift work, making custody agreements difficult.

Discussing the rash of juvenile car thefts and other crimes with The Dispatch, Roberts said he believes sentencing someone quickly to a short sentence is more effective than giving them a long sentence.

Douglas Nobles vs. Janie Roberts

Douglas Nobles and Janie Roberts are running in a special election for an unexpired judgeship term that ends in January 2025.

Douglas Nobles (D)

Experience:

2018-present: Prosecutor, Columbus City Attorneys Office

2016-2018: Staff Attorney/Law Clerk Supervisor, Franklin County Public Defenders Office

2015-2016: Staff Attorney, Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Division of Domestic Relations

CBA Judiciary Committee: Four stars

CBA Preference Poll: 66.3%

What the candidate says: Nobles said he has the benefit of experience on both sides  as a prosecutor and a defense attorney  as well as experience as a neutral third party when he was a staff attorney in domestic relations court.

I understand the issues on both sides, he said. Im running because I want to help people, and I want to be a public servant.

Discussing holding juveniles pretrial, Nobles said hed weigh each case, keeping in mind the publics safety and the rights of the victims. Nobles said the juvenile courts need to dig into the deeper issues that are leading adolescents to commit more crimes.

We have to figure out why theyre in front of us and how can we help stop the cycle, and connect them with resources, he said.

Janie Roberts (R)

Experience:

2006-present: Solo practitioner with a concentration in domestic/juvenile cases

1997-2006: Magistrate, Franklin County Common Pleas Juvenile Traffic Court

1990-1994: Assistant Attorney General, Ohio Attorney Generals Office

CBA Judiciary Committee: three stars

CBA Preference Poll: 33.7%

What the candidate says: Roberts first ran for domestic relations and juvenile court judge in 2018, losing to Terri Jamison. She didnt plan to run again, she said, but then an opportunity presented itself.

Jamison was elected to the 10th District (Franklin County) Court of Appeals, and Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Republican Dana S. Preisse in August 2021 to replace her on the county Domestic Relations and Juvenile court. Preisse ran unopposed in the Republican primary special election to keep her spot.

But after the primary, Preisse decided to drop out. The Franklin County Republican Party chose Roberts to replace Preisse on the general election ballot.

I want to be a judge in domestic court where I practice, Roberts said. I have practiced exclusively since 2006 in juvenile and family court. I have done every kind of case I can do in those courts.

Roberts said juvenile crime has escalated in the decades shes been a lawyer, and added that car thefts have gotten out of hand in recent years. In serious crimes involving guns or felony car thefts, Roberts said she would hold the accused youth in detention at least overnight.

Its not just to punish the kids but to keep them safe and give them consequences. These kids are dying, she said. Its not right for the kids, the communities or the families. I believe a lot of the parents want more consequences for them, too.

jlaird@dispatch.com

@LairdWrites

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Four candidates for Franklin County Domestic and Juvenile judgeships
AMES  In a cornfield at the Iowa State University Research Park, white placards stand every couple of yards.

Pivot Bio, the first one reads. Applied Nitrogen Rate 200 Lbs/Acre.

"160 lbs," reads the next sign.

"0 Lbs," reads a third.

The numbers represent the amount of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer applied to each part of the field, according to researchers at Pivot Bio, a deep-pocketed startup that aims to upend the crop nutrient business.

The company, which started in California and opened an Ames office last summer, offers farmers a new source for nitrogen, a key nutrient for corn. Nitrogen use has exploded over the last 60 years as farmers have supplied more synthetic fertilizer. The practice drives Iowa's expanding production of food, animal feed, ethanol, starch and other commodity derivatives.

Excess nitrogen fertilizer, however, creates hazards in the air and water. Prices have also skyrocketed over the last two years, squeezing farm profit margins.

Pivot Bio has offered a solution: billions of miniscule, gene-edited microbes that cling to a plant's roots, pull nitrogen from the air and convert the nutrient to a form the crop can absorb. The company's executives say the product allows farmers to cut back on the amount of synthetic fertilizer they apply to a field without losing yield.

When the product launched in 2018, Pivot Bio told customers they could cut back synthetic nitrogen by 25 pounds an acre. This year, company leaders said they had improved gene editing of the microbes enough that farmers could cut back 40 pounds an acre. Eventually, the company hopes that farmers won't have to apply nitrogen fertilizer at all.

The pitch has appealed to many farmers because of rising fertilizer costs. Natural gas is the main ingredient in ammonia and urea fertilizers. Driven in part by a drop in the European supply of natural gas, the nitrogen fertilizer diammonium phosphate cost $954 a metric ton this April, more than triple the $282 two years ago, according to Bloomberg News. Other nitrogen fertilizers have followed the same trend.

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Spread over a 360-acre farm, the price swing since 2020 could cost a farmer an extra $18,000. Pivot Bio promises to cut into that pain.

Its simple math, spokesperson Tracy Willits said at the company's field outside the research park on a warm September afternoon.

Funding surge, marketing blitz for microbe maker

Pivot Bio and other microbial fertilizer companies have won investors attention, raising $1 billion last year, according to the venture capital research firm AgFunder. Established fertilizer players like Nutrien Ltd. and Bayer AG are researching microbial options, as well.

Among the startups, Pivot Bio is the vanguard, perhaps the hottest product in ag innovation next to automated tractors. Since starting in 2011, the company has raised $617 million, including a $420 million round last summer with backing from Bill Gates Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Bunge Ltd.s venture capital arm and Temasek Holdings Ltd., Singapores state investment firm.

Pivot Bio has engaged in a marketing blitz in recent years. The company posts frequent Facebook and Twitter ads. It's a sponsor of agriculture podcasts and web shows and the athletics programs at Iowa State University and the University of Iowa. U.S. Rep Randy Feenstra and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, both Iowa Republicans, promoted Pivot Bio in August during the annual Farm Progress Show in Boone.

Willits said Pivot Bio received $50 million in revenue this year and was planted on 3 million acres, triple its reported footprint in 2021. The company sold out of product well before planting season" this year, Willits said.

At the beginning of September, Pivot Bio promoted a new iteration that farmers can apply directly to seed instead of spraying it into furrows. Willits declined to say how much the company expects its sales to grow this season. But Pivot Bio executives want to increase the number of independent dealers selling their products to 1,800 from 1,000.

More:Iowa will test whether farmers can make money turning prairies, manure into renewable natural gas

The farmer demand is intense, Willits said. And the curiosity about what were doing and the value we can deliver to them is quite high. What that says to us is farmers are ready and want more options.

Yet some outside experts say microbial fertilizers arent backed by much independent research. They say Pivot Bio has recently taken to requiring professors to sign nondisclosure agreements that give the company oversight of any published data.

Willits said the nondisclosure agreements are necessary to "ensure that our product is managed consistently and stewarded according to label directions, resulting in high quality data." She said the company has partnered with 15 universities since 2019, with new study results on the way "in the coming months."

The most critical thing is that we develop relationships with growers and that we prove our ability to perform on their farm, said Pat Yockey, a Pivot Bio commercial agronomist. If we do, well, well continue to see demand.

Synthetic fertilizer costly, not just in price, but also to the environment

Any crop, whether its corn or tobacco or pears, reflects the nutrients it absorbs.

In the 19th century, European researchers realized that nitrogen played a particularly important role. But while they could find plenty of nitrogen in the air, natural nitrogen in a form that plants could consume was relatively rare, spread through animal waste, human waste and crop residue.

German scientist Fritz Haber discovered a solution while doing research for the chemical company BASF in 1909. He applied extreme heat and pressure to natural gas and air, breaking up tightly bound atoms and joining together hydrogen and nitrogen. The process created ammonium, a form of nitrogen that plants could absorb.

German scientist Carl Bosch, a BASF employee, figured out how to expand Haber's method to an industrial scale. The method became known as the Haber-Bosch process, and both men went on to win Nobel Prizes in chemistry.

The process created synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, which boosted crop yields. Also, U.S. and European militaries used the process to make bombs.

In the years after World War II, according to Enriching the Earth by Vaclav Smil, companies turned U.S. munitions plants into synthetic fertilizer factories. The product helped usher in the Green Revolution of the 1960s, when food production accelerated.

The popularity of synthetic fertilizer, however, also came with a steep environmental cost. The manufacturing process emits carbon dioxide. When farmers spread too much synthetic nitrogen  as they often do to assure a strong yield  the crops cant absorb all the nutrients. Excess nitrogen remains in the soil. Some microbes consume the nitrogen and emit nitrous oxide into the air.

Nitrous oxide has 265 times as much global warming potential as carbon dioxide, based on how long the compound remains in the atmosphere and its ability to reflect heat. Researchers at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Greenpeace and GRAIN concluded last year that the synthetic fertilizer industry warms the planet about 38% more than the commercial aviation business.

Kristie Boering, an earth sciences professor at the University of California, Berkeley, estimates that the amount of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere increased 5% from 1900 to 1960. From then until 2021, the amount increased 13%  more than double over the same period. Boering said the rise of synthetic fertilizer explains the difference.

In addition to polluting the air, excess nitrogen in the soil is picked up by water that leaches into wells and rivers. The runoff has reached the Gulf of Mexico and created a dead zone, an area surrounding the mouth of the Mississippi River where algae blooms fueled by excess nutrients suck the oxygen from the water.

Somethings got to give, said Bill Brady, CEO of Boston-based Kula Bio, another microbe startup that closed a $50 million funding round in January. We need the food. But theres no way we can continue to pollute like that.

Can microbes transform the fertilizer market?

Companies like Pivot Bio and Kula Bio claim their products can solve the problem. Pivot's microbes fixate nitrogen, meaning they pull the nutrient from the air and convert it into a form that plants can use. Essentially, the tiny bugs are clean fertilizer factories.

The company's scientists edit the microbes' genes to behave the way some already do around legumes like soybeans. Microbes will bind to the roots of those plants. The plants feed the microbes. The microbes, in turn, give the plants nitrogen.

The microbes don't naturally provide nitrogen to the roots of cereals like rice, corn and wheat. Pivot Bio says genetic information tells the microbes not to convert air into nitrogen when they are already surrounded by the nutrient in the soil. Pivot Bio's scientists have changed that gene.

David Kanter, vice chair of the International Nitrogen Initiative, said decreasing the nutrient's use is as important to staving off the effects of global warming as curtailing car and aircraft emissions. But unlike in Europe, he said, U.S. regulations around agriculture rarely involve mandates. Policymakers instead rely on incentives to make eco-friendly practices more profitable.

If Pivot Bio can provide a cheaper alternative to nitrogen fertilizers, it will have the same incentive effect.

If (Pivot Bio is) successful, it would essentially transform the nitrogen input market, said Kanter, who is on the company's advisory board. Nitrogen, in the end, would essentially be a supplement instead of being a baseload on the plant.

Farmers weigh whether data justifies switching products

On his Audubon farm, James Nelson was tempted to try Pivot Bio the last three years. But his planter isn't equipped to spray the liquid product into furrows.

With the company now offering a version that puts the microbes directly on seeds, Nelson said he will buy the product before next years planting season. He plans to try Pivot on a small portion of his farm and cut back his nitrogen fertilizer application to 130 pounds an acre from his usual 170 pounds.

He said Pivot Bios advertisements about saving on fertilizer have appealed to him. He is paying about 73 cents a pound for nitrogen this year, up from 32 cents two years ago.

More:Gov. Kim Reynolds has controlled $2.7 billion in federal COVID-19 aid. Here's how she's spending it.

His dealer offered to sell him Pivot Bios product for $24 an acre, about $5.30 an acre less than what he pays for fertilizer. With corn selling for $6.75 a bushel, the deal would work for Nelson only if the product doesnt cost him any yield.

He is skeptical.

The more I look at it, the more I think, Why bother? he said over the phone in early October, taking a break from running his combine in a soybean field. But Im still curious.

According to Pivot Bio, company researchers examined the effect of its product on 2,400 fields this year. The company said it compared the weight of the biomass and the chlorophyl concentration in the leaves of Pivot Bio-treated corn to those of similar, untreated corn. The company said that, despite using less nitrogen fertilizer, the Pivot Bio-treated corn had 14% more nitrogen in it  a sign that the plants were healthier.

Aaron Erb, a farmer and seed dealer in Wellman, said his yields with Pivot are consistent even though he's cut his use of nitrogen. He said Pivot Bios research has swayed many of his customers.

More:Why did Iowa ADM wheat mill close? Former workers say manager buyouts led to wastewater crisis

The data is finally enough, I suppose, to trust it and change their farms over, he said.

Willits, the company spokesperson, said Pivot Bio has research projects in the pipeline with the University of Georgia, Iowa State University and Purdue University. Ecology professor Steven Hall, who is conducting the Iowa State research, declined to say what he's found so far, telling the Des Moines Register that his study is still pending.

University researcher: 'My God. What are you people thinking about?'

Other researchers are dubious. Dave Franzen, a North Dakota State University Extension soil specialist, said he tried to study Pivot Bio this year after receiving a grant in April. At that point, he said, dealers told him they were sold out of the product.

He said the company offered to give him the product if he signed a nondisclosure agreement, which he declined to do. He is studying two other company's products instead. He said he is troubled by Pivot Bios popularity among farmers.

My God, he said. What are you people thinking about? Im a scientist. I look at data. Im not wowed by marketing. But a lot of people are.

More:Derechos, rare haboob in Iowa raise concerns: Is the Midwest headed to another Dust Bowl?

University of Minnesota nutrient management professor Daniel Kaiser, meanwhile, said he managed to conduct independent research on Pivot Bio in six studies from 2019 to 2021. He said he studied the product without a nondisclosure agreement.

Kaiser criticized the framing around much of Pivot Bios advertising. He said he doesnt believe the product necessarily works even if the crop yield remains stable while farmers decrease their nitrogen fertilizer use. Farmers often overapply fertilizer, he said. They may cut back and still see stable yields without Pivot Bio.

To measure the product's performance, Kaiser compared fields with much less fertilizer per acre than what a farmer would normally use. In control fields, he used only nitrogen fertilizer. In other fields, he used Pivot's product and a reduced amount of fertilizer.

In his six studies, he concluded that yield increased with Pivot just one time.

Getting consistency out of it is the main issue, Kaiser said. Its kind of in stark contrast to what the company will claim.

He didnt study Pivot in 2022, though he wants to return to the product. At the same time, he said his contact at Pivot told him this year that the company was changing some practices and that it was no longer engaging with outside research.

Id like to be able to see if I can replicate (the positive results) and figure it out, Kaiser said. There might be specific circumstances where it works.  I dont know where this is going to go.

Part of the solution: '23andMe for soil'

In a southeast Ames laboratory, white-coated employees pull cups of soil from sacks and drop them into pinky-sized tubes. The tubes are also filled with tiny beaters. The employees place a tray of tubes into a machine.

The machine shakes the trays. Inside each tube, the beaters go to work, cracking open the cells of the billions of microbes embedded in the soil.

Employees move the tubes to a centrifuge, which whirls the tubes in loops like a stomach-churning carnival ride. The dirt sinks to the bottom of the tube. The delicate strands of the microbial DNA float to the top.

Employees clean the DNA and place it in a sequencer, a machine that looks like a printer and provides genetic information about the billions of microbes in the samples.

The process unfolds at Trace Genomics, a startup that aims to be an important cog in the microbe fertilizer business. The company, which started in 2016, describes itself as 23andMe for Soil, a resource for farmers who want to know the genetic profiles of the microbes in their fields.

Not all microbes behave the same, said Pat Dumstorff, the product lead for Trace Genomics. Knowing what kinds are in different parts of a field will help farmers better understand how much fertilizer to apply.

The company works with agronomists and offers detailed prescriptions. Trace Genomics currently analyzes the DNA of microbes that deliver phosphorous to plants. Dumstorff said the feedback helps farmers decide how much phosphorous fertilizer to buy.

He said the company hopes to offer a similar analysis for nitrogen, but the microbes that provide it are more complicated. The company needs more time to learn how to deliver accurate feedback.

Phosphorous is like checkers, he said. Nitrogen is like chess.

The company has managed to capitalize on the recent wave of microbial fertilizers, though. Trace Genomics began consulting with businesses researching microbial products last fall.

The company operates a greenhouse at its Ames site, where Trace Genomics researchers plant crops with different proposed products. The researchers check the level of nutrients reaching the crops over time.

With efficacy difficult to discern, will bad actors emerge?

Verdesian Life Sciences, a North Carolina company, receives feedback from Trace Genomics about its pending phosphorous product.

Before farmers apply fertilizer, plenty of phosphorous already exists in the soil, said Kuide Qin, Verdesians chief science officer. But most of the phosphorous isnt in a form that plants can consume. The company is experimenting with microbes that are supposed to transform the phosphorous, making it consumable by the plants.

The theory is good, Qin said. Execution is difficult.

A former scientist for Dow Chemical and Bayer, Qin said he is used to researching chemicals like pesticides. Those products generally work in all conditions. If they failed, Qin knew within a couple days.

More:Prairie restoration taking root in Iowa: Conservation groups eye new solutions

But microbes work more slowly, he said. Farmers often dont know if a product has lived up to a companys claims until they see the yield at harvest. Microbes dont work in all conditions, either.

They perform their tasks for different lengths of time. They work best at specific stages. They thrive in different environments.

Its hard to figure out the efficacy of the product, Qin said.

Prasanna Kankanala, the soil science manager at Trace Genomics, said the hype surrounding microbial fertilizers concerns her.

Successful products could forever clean up farming. But their appeal  and optimistic investors' deep pockets  have the potential to attract bad actors.

She said government agencies don't regulate product purity enough, meaning different microbial fertilizers can perform differently with similar advertised ingredients. Businesses can mislead farmers, she said. (Pivot Bio follows labeling guidance from the Association of American Plant Food Control Officials and receives authorization from state agencies before selling commercially in a jurisdiction, Willits said.)

Researchers say the field is fertile for "snake oil." Kankanala worries the excitement around microbes will fade if early commercial versions don't work.

"The grower will never trust the product," she said. "And the word of mouth is going to spread like wildfire.

Tyler Jett covers jobs and the economy for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at tjett@registermedia.com, 515-284-8215, or on Twitter at @LetsJett.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Hot microbe fertilizer startups look to expand, but does product work?
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 02: Ryan Reynolds attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images); NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 12: TJ Miller and Kate Miller attends the 2018 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights' Ripple Of Hope Awards at New York Hilton Midtown on December 12, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Controversial actor and comedian T.J. Miller says he's not interested in returning for Deadpool 3  or working with Ryan Reynolds ever again  even if he were asked to after the pair had a "weird moment" together on set.

Miller, who played blunt bartender Weasel in the franchise's first two films and has been embroiled in multiple controversies over the years, says he thinks his former costar hates him and recalled a time when Reynolds allegedly requested another take to belittle Miller in front of the cast and crew.

"As the character, he was, like, horrifically mean to me. But to me. As if I'm Weasel," Miller explained on The Adam Carolla Show. "He was like, 'You know what's great about you, Weasel? You're not the star, but you do just enough exposition that it's funny, and then we can leave and get back to the real movie.'"

Miller said the jab took him by surprise. "I just kind of listened and thought it was weird, and then I got off stage because they were like, 'Cut?,'" he said, adding that the crew seemed uncomfortable after the scene, too.

Miller also suggested the interaction went deeper than just an onscreen dynamic. "That's exactly why he said that," he deadpanned. "Because I'm not funnier than he is at all, right? And I haven't been in more movies than him."

Miller said the moment told him all he needed to know about Reynolds. "Would I work with him again? No. I would not work with him again," he said, adding, "I sorta wish him well because he's so good at Deadpool, and I think it's weird that he hates me."

The actor-comedian has courted controversy throughout his career. He was accused of sexual assault by a woman in 2017, an allegation he denied. A year later, he was accused of bullying a fellow actor on the set of his HBO series Silicon Valley, which he also denied but was written off the show. He was also arrested in 2018 for allegedly making a fake bomb threat while on board an Amtrak train, but the federal charges were later dropped, citing Miller's past brain surgery as a factor.

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 02: Ryan Reynolds attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images); NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 12: TJ Miller and Kate Miller attends the 2018 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights' Ripple Of Hope Awards at New York Hilton Midtown on December 12, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Mike Coppola/Getty; Mike Coppola/Getty Ryan Reynolds; T.J. Miller

Throughout the Carolla Show interview, Miller maintained that he genuinely enjoys Reynolds' performance as the Merc with a Mouth  even if he sees him as an "insecure dude" in real life. "He's such a good comedian that, when you cover his face, he's so quick, he's so funny," he said. "I love him as a comedian, but I think after he got super, super famous from the first Deadpool, then things kinda changed. I think he was like, 'See? You guys see?'"

Despite his comments, Miller admitted that his stance on working with Reynolds could change. "I've said that about Michael Bay, and now we're friends, and I would work with him again," he said, before adding that Bay similarly has a "very specific opinion" of Reynolds after they worked together on the 2019 film 6 Underground.

Still, don't expect Weasel to pop up in future Deadpool installments. "I don't really think you should do something for more than five years," he said. "I think it's weird to just go back and play Weasel 10 years later."

But, he added, "I don't wish them any ill will. I think [Reynolds] should make a Deadpool 3 and continue to make movies. I just think he doesn't like me, and I thought it was weird how he expressed that."

A representative for Reynolds did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

Deadpool 3, which will also feature Hugh Jackman's return as Wolverine, is set to hit theaters Sept. 6, 2024.

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Texas has an opportunity to make a statement against rival Oklahoma on Saturday. A victory at the Cotton Bowl this weekend would be the biggest of the Steve Sarkisian era and create a whirlwind of momentum for Texas.

This historic rivalry game serves as an immediate recruiting boost for the winning team. The Longhorns and Sooners often compete for the same prospects on the recruiting trail due to close proximity. Having the golden hat on display in team facilities is a great recruiting tool both coaches would love to have.

Both Texas and Oklahoma sit inside the top six in 247Sports team composite for the 2023 cycle.

Texas is not allowed to officially host any visitors as Oklahoma is the designated home in this years game, but multiple key targets are still expected attend.

Here is a look at some of the biggest names making the trip to Dallas for the highly anticipated matchup between the blue blood programs.

2023 Five-star CB Javien Toviano

Red River Showdown this weekend!  Javien Toviano (@j_toviano8) October 6, 2022

2024 Five-star edge Colin Simmons

Elite Duncanville (Texas) EDGE Colin Simmons will be at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday as Oklahoma and Texas square off. Both the Horns and Sooners are in the mix for one of the nation's best in 2024 More: https://t.co/cFJ5jo3vUP (On3+) pic.twitter.com/85tf2HFcRK  Sam Spiegelman (@samspiegs) October 7, 2022

2023 Five-star WR Johntay Cook (Texas commit)

Texas commit Johntay Cook named homecoming king and presented with his Under Armour All-American jersey on the same night. He will be at Texas-OU tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/DKFSeO08Cx  Mike Roach (@MikeRoach247) October 7, 2022

2024 Five-star WR Micah Hudson

BREAKING: 2024 5 WR and top 10 player in the class Micah Hudson will be in attendance at the Red River Rivalry game to watch the Horns in person for the THIRD time this fall. Hudson was at DKR last weekend and saw Worthy go for 7/119/2. Per @247Hudson/@Horns247 pic.twitter.com/oWvKCzqiuA  49 on them bitches (@hookemcowboys) October 5, 2022

Story originally appeared on Longhorns Wire
An Ohio judge has ruled that the states heartbeat law that bans abortion after six weeks will remain blocked while a constitutional challenge proceeds.

Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins rejected the states argument that women have no right to an abortion since it isnt mentioned in the Ohio Constitution in a preliminary injunction issued on Friday, the Associated Press reported.

Republican Governor Mike DeWine signed a law banning abortion after a detectable foetal heartbeat in 2019, that briefly went into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in June.

The law has been suspended due as legal appeals make their way through the courts.

In comments made on Friday, Mr Jenkins said the right to an abortion doesnt have to be named in the state constitution to be protected, the Associated Press reported.

This court has no difficulty holding that the Ohio Constitution confers a fundamental right on all of Ohioans to privacy, procreation, bodily integrity and freedom of choice in health care decision-making that encompasses the right to abortion, he said after issuing the judgment.

Mr Jenkins said the state had failed to prove that the ban on most abortions after detection of foetal cardiac activity is narrowly tailored enough not to infringe on those rights, according to the Associated Press.

Governor Mike Dewine signed a foetal abortion ban into effect in 2019 (2019 The Columbus Dispatch)

Judge Christian Jenkins rejected Ohios argument that a right had to be mentioned in the state constitution to be recognised (Hamilton County Courts)

He said the law was written to almost completely eliminate the rights of Ohio women. It is not narrowly tailored, not even close. The state is likely to appeal.

Ohio Right to Life President Michael Gonidakis told the Associated Press he was saddened but not surprised by the decision.

The abortion clinics literally forum shopped to get the outcome they wanted. This is a moment in time for the pro-life movement and we are convinced that the Ohio Supreme Court will overturn this ruling, Mr Gonidakis said. Nowhere in Ohios Constitution does a right to an abortion exist.

More than a dozen states have effectively banned abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in June.

In July, an 11-year-old victim of rape was forced to travel to Indiana for an abortion after the pregnancy was discovered after the six week limit.
Dr. Robert Montgomery believes the best option for all nations is to work together for good of all

One of the well-established theories in sociology of religion is that governments and religions are drawn to each other. Governments want legitimization from God through religions, and religions want protection and sponsorship from governments. In addition, religious people feel that if their religion is named as the religion of their nation, they gain power and confidence in their religion and its values. This latter motivation is close to what the Christian Nationalists want. In other words, if they can have America declare itself a Christian nation, that reinforces their religious influence. This is actually a heresy of faith in making an idol of the nation instead of depending on Gods given means of grace: the word, sacraments, fellowship, and prayer (see Acts 2:42).

When I was a boy in China under attack from Japan, the Japanese considered Christianity an American religion and consequently resisted its spread. My father explained to the authorities that he did not represent the American nation, but Jesus Christ. However, the identification of a nation with a religion is fairly common. In ordinary language, people speak of many nations as Muslim nations or Hindu nations or Buddhist nations. Christian nationalists want to add Christian nation to the list. In most of these cases, a majority of the population belong to one of these religions. In other words, much of the world sees that the religion of the majority indicates the religious identity of the nation. Christian Nationalists want the added personal identity of being a member of a Christian nation, not simply a Christian citizen of whatever nation. However, Christian teaching makes clear that the faith and love connecting us to God is very different from connection to any single nation.

The identification of a nation as belonging to a particular religion is a long-time human practice. Christianity creates a problem for this practice: the founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ, took specific steps not to associate himself with nation formation or nation building. When the people wanted to make him their king, he walked away (John 6:15). The mandate given to his disciples was to make disciples of all ethne or peoples. The translation of nations does not mean nation states in the modern sense, but peoples  ethne in Greek or goi in Hebrew.

Constantine legitimized the Christian church in 313 CE, but by the end of the century Christianity was made official so that Rome became recognized as a Christian empire. Later, Roman power moved to Constantinople, and it became the center of the Eastern Christian empire. As Christianity spread northward from the Mediterranean to the barbarian tribes of Europe, they adopted the Roman state church pattern, just as Rome had followed the worldwide pattern of nations united with religions.

I say all of the above to emphasize the uniqueness of the United States in separating organized religion from governmental power so that no one religion is favored or official. The actual wording in the Constitution is: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Christianity, in principle, is a universal religion equally open to people of all nations. When this is not the case or it becomes overly attached to one nation, the message of Christianity is then distorted. Christian nationalism does just that. The mystery of religious truth is that it cannot be imposed by force or become simply a custom and still continue to carry the core meaning of faith and love. Scientific truths can be demonstrated so clearly that it amounts to what we call proof, but religious truth is not subject to proof. Otherwise, it would destroy faith and love as the means of relating to God. Interestingly, religion can be studied scientifically in its human expressions of words, public worship, institutions, buildings, human feelings, activities, attitudes, and influences. Christian nationalism, a current political desire of some, is an ideology that can be studied to understand its ancient roots and effects on peoples. People are drawn to power, and that includes religious people. But the power of religion is in its ability to inspire and motivate, and that is what it can contribute to society. Christianity intrinsically cannot claim any territory or constitute itself as a nation comparable to other nations. At the same time, Christians have a responsibility and civic duty from God to advocate for just laws, policies, and activities in any nation where they live.

Rev. Dr. Robert L. Montgomery is a Presbyterian minister with a degree from Emory University in the Social Scientific Study of Religion.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Christian Nationalism is heresy; making an idol of the nation
Central Bucks School District Sign

(CNN)  A Pennsylvania school district is under fire for allegedly discriminating against LGBTQ students.

After a months-long investigation, the Pennsylvania American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint Thursday with the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division on behalf of seven transgender and nonbinary students in the Central Bucks School District, accusing the state's fourth-largest district of illegal gender discrimination in maintaining, perpetuating and exacerbating what the civil rights organization deems a hostile education environment for LGBTQ+ students.

"We spoke to dozens of students, parents, teachers, guidance counselors, librarians, and community stakeholders," said Witold J. Walczak, the Pennsylvania ACLU legal director. "Trans and nonbinary and LGBTQ+ students are harassed, bullied, persistently, severely and the school district historically has done very little to help and support these students."

The complaint indicates administrators were well-aware of the hostile environment, quoting Superintendent Abram M. Lucabaugh's comment at a school board meeting in May that for LGBTQ+ students "a successful day is getting through the day and not being harassed." The filing argues the district's treatment of LGBTQ+ students has been "at best indifferent" and says it has more recently become "overtly discriminatory and hostile" with tragic consequences, citing multiple serious incidents of student self-harm, including a trans student attempting to take his life at school in 2019.

The district's superintendent declined to comment explicitly on the complaint.

"We believe it is paramount that all students and teachers are cared for and respected as members of our learning and teaching community," said Superintendent Abram M. Lucabaugh, Ed.D., "With regard to yesterday's filing, we do not comment on legal matters."

CNN reached out to the Departments of Justice and Education and to the school board president and did not receive an immediate response.

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'Extremists' on school board

Walczak said "extremists" who won election to the Central Bucks school board last year had an agenda aimed at targeting LGBTQ+ students.

"Since the election of new school board members in November 2021, the new board and central administration have adopted policies and taken actions that target LGBTQ+ students, like directing removal of pride flags as inappropriate "political symbols," intimidating teachers into removing LGBTQ+ themed resource materials from their classrooms, directing teachers not to use preferred names and pronouns unless the student has parental consent," the complaint says.

While details on the claims made by the seven Central Bucks students are redacted, because they are minors, the filing includes other explicit examples of alleged discrimination, like the district's decision to suspend a teacher in a highly public way  the complaint called it a "perp walk"  after the teacher helped a trans student file a report with the Office for Civil Rights. The district also passed new library and textbook policies focused on "sexualized content" that the complaint calls a thinly disguised effort to censor LGBTQ+-themed materials.

The Pennsylvania ACLU is asking that the Justice Department or the Department of Education investigate the hostile environment in the school district and order it to take remedial measures recommended by the DOE for supporting transgender and other gender non-conforming youth in school, including using welcoming and inclusive language that is free from discrimination and harassment. The complaint, which argues many of the district's policies run counter to the DOE'S recommendations, also asks that the district provide mandatory training for staff, the administration and the board on supporting LGBTQ+ youth.

A nationwide battle

The filing is the latest salvo in a nationwide battle over education policies regulating everything from which books school libraries can offer to what teachers and students can say or display in the classroom. The American Library Association reports attempts to ban books are on the rise in schools across the country and could even surpass the record set in 2021. Meanwhile, lawmakers in several states, often driven by conservative activists, have introduced legislation that would limit classroom instruction.

Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed what critics call the "don't say gay" law in March, banning classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade or an a manner that is not age- or developmentally appropriate. The move inspiring legislators in other states, like Ohio, to take similar steps.

And in August, a Wisconsin school district affirmed a ban on teachers displaying Pride materials in classrooms or writing their pronouns in email signatures, deeming those acts political and in Texas that same month, a school district approved restrictions on how race and gender are discussed, including allowing teachers to call students by pronouns that do not match their gender identity. The board also set rules for multiple-occupancy bathrooms that require they be designated for and used only by persons based on their biological sex  policies the ACLU of Texas described as "egregious."

The-CNN-Wire &  2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Related: Pennsylvania Governor Signs Anti-Conversion Therapy Order
With October in full s, that Halloween spirit has begun. And that only means one thing  it's time to be scared.

And what better way to usher in the spooky season than by visiting some of the alleged haunted areas of Massachusetts?

One of the most famous places in the state is none other than the Bridgewater Triangle.

"The Bridgewater Triangle is an area of about 200 square miles in the greater Bridgewater area, claimed to be a site of alleged paranormal phenomena, ranging from UFOs to poltergeist, various bigfoot-like sightings, giant snakes, and thunderbirds," according to the Bridgewater Public Library. "The term was coined by New England based cryptozoologist Loren Coleman in a book called 'Mysterious America.'"

Freetown Ledge on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020.

The Hockomock Swamp, located within the triangle, is associated with many stories and legends related to the Bridgewater Triangle, according to the library.

"The Bridgewater Triangle is likely one of the world's most concentrated areas of diverse paranormal reports," added Paranormal Encyclopedia.

Some of the towns within the triangle include Brockton, Whitman, West Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, Bridgewater, Middleboro, Dighton, Berkley, Raynham, Norton, Easton, Freetown, Lakeville, Seekonk, and Taunton.

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According to the website Legends of America, "the Hockomock Swamp was used by the Wampanoag Indian Tribe long before European colonists arrived. Before them, other indigenous people are known to have lived in the area, as human artifacts have been discovered that date to 9,000 years old. From about 300 AD to Colonial times, Native Americans depended on the swamp as an abundant source of game. ... The Wampanoag both worshiped and feared the area, as the chief deity of death and disease, called Hobomock, was said to dwell in the swamp."

The Bridgewater Triangle: What is the Bridgewater Triangle anyway? A look at the dark and paranormal tales of this 'window area of unexplained occurrences'

The term, "Hockomock means place where spirits dwell, according to Legends of America, which noted "Early English colonists called it 'Devils Swamp.'

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Fog forms over Lake Nippenicket in Bridgewater on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020.

"Since colonial times, bizarre reports began to be told about the triangle area, including giant snakes, strange creatures, ghosts, and missing people," Legends of America stated. "In more modern times, reports include people having seen Bigfoot, UFOs, ominous black helicopters, mysterious balls of light, poltergeist activity, and cattle mutilations.

Early on, the forest was said to have been home to a race of diminutive humanoid creatures known as Pukwudgies. Long known in Delaware and Wampanoag Native American folklore, these troll-like creatures, generally described as about 3-4 feet tall with smooth, hairy grey skin and large ears, have a notorious reputation for mischief and mayhem.

One of the more famous places in the triangle is an 80-foot deep rock quarry known as the Assonet Ledge in the Fall River-Freetown State Forest.

Ghosts: Ghosts of the Assonet Ledge

King Philip's Cave in Norton, on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020.

"Here, people often speak of having a compelling urge to jump off the cliff," according to Legends of America. "Some reports say that some people have, in fact, jumped to their deaths. Other people talk of feeling a sense of dread when venturing near the ledge. It is said that visitors have seen ghosts here, that it has been an alleged hotspot for Satanists and strange cults, and some have seen UFOs.

"The forest surrounding the triangle has been known as the site of various cult activities, which is said to have included animal sacrifice and ritualistic murders committed by admitted Satanists."

Solitude Stone, Forest Street in West Bridgewater on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020.

Also reported over the years in the triangle have been mysterious glowing eyes of unseen creatures, glowing lights hovering in the sky, and native American ghosts paddling canoes in the waterways, according to the Bridgewater Public Library.

Halloween: Enter the Bridgewater Triangle, if you dare

A ghost of a hitchhiker has been reported along a stretch of Route 44 in Rehoboth, and another ghostly phantom has been seen in Hockomock Swamp near Route 138, according to Legends of America.

Aside from being a hotbed for reported supernatural activity, the Hockomock Swamp is one of the largest areas of wetlands in the state.

The Hockomock Swamp is considered a hot spot in the Bridgewater Triangle

Mass.gov notes, "The Hockomock Swamp and associated wetlands and water bodies comprise the largest vegetated freshwater wetland system in Massachusetts. The boundaries of the Hockomock Swamp ACEC include approximately 16,950 acres in the southeastern part of the state. The wetlands act as a huge water reservoir and serve as the headwaters for the Town River, which flows into the Taunton River. ... The Hockomock Swamp is a vast natural and scenic area. Because of its size, it is a unique and irreplaceable wildlife habitat. It is also the location of at least 13 rare and endangered species."

This article originally appeared on wickedlocal.com: Halloween in Massachusetts: Visit the Bridgewater Triangle this fall
(Getty/iStock)

In 2016, the billionaire hedge fund manager Daniel Och agreed to pay nearly $2.2m to settle charges that he had broken US laws against bribing foreign government officials.

Och, US regulators said, had been warned by his own lawyer and his chief financial officer not to do business with an "infamous" Israeli businessman who regularly played bribes to public servants of the Democratic Republic of Congo, but did so anyway.

The settlement  whose findings Och did not admit or deny  came from a major investigation into what regulators described as "complicated, far-reaching" bribery schemes by Och's investment firm Och-Ziff Capital Management to secure special access from officials in Libya, Chad, Niger and beyond, resulting in $413m of fines for the company, a jail sentence for one of its executives, and the reported loss of one third of its assets.

Now Daniel Och is mounting a lawsuit against his former firm, today known as Sculptor Capital Management, accusing it of poor corporate governance.

Yet rather than anything relating to the firm's chequered past, Och's legal case stems from a more pecuniary grievance: the high pay of its new chief executive James Levin.

In a complaint filed with the Delaware court system last month, lawyers for Och and his co-plaintiffs wrote that Sculptor's "less than mediocre" performance and annual revenue of $626m "cannot possibly justify" Levin's 2021 compensation package of $145.8m  which the lawsuit alleges is more than Apple's Tim Cook or JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon.

Since his appointment in April 2021, the lawsuit claims, Levin has "devoted himself to entrenching his position at the company, shaping the board of directors, and wielding that resulting leverage to extract ever-escalating pay packages".

Och remains a major shareholder in Sculptor, with 14.4 per cent of its voting power, according to Reuters, and he mounted his lawsuit alongside four other major shareholders in the firm.

The suit claims that Levin's pay in 2021 was 17.7 times larger than the median pay of chief executives at equivalent firms, despite Sculptor's share price falling from its summer peak by more than 25 per cent by the end of the year (it's now down by 67 per cent).

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Sculptor quickly shot back: "Mr Och's filing is misleading and full of falsehoods that present a grossly distorted view of Board governance at the company. We look forward to setting the record straight through the legal process...

"The acrimonious separation from Mr Och resulted in a grudge against the company and its leadership that he continues to harbour."

Indeed, this is the latest in a long-running drama between Och, Sculptor and its new CEO. According to reports, Levin joined the company in 2006 and was groomed for years as Och's protege and intended replacement.

Och even earmarked Levin, then only 33 years old, for an eye-watering pay package of $250m, including 39 million of Och's own shares.

But around Christmas 2017, Och suddenly changed his mind and froze Levin out, leading to a different chief executive to be brought in from Credit Suisse to soothe relations between the two moguls.

The dispute caused the departure of William Barr, later to become famous outside of Wall Street as Donald Trump's attorney general (until he was finally defenestrated in the days after the 2020 election for saying publicly that it was not stolen).

"I rode it out because of [my colleagues' and clients'] faith in me," Levin told Institutional Investor in 2020. "Asset management is always about the team and the people willing to back the team."

These were dark times for Sculptor. When Levin took the throne, the company was in its sixth straight year of losing more assets than it gained as clients pulled a total of about $30bn out of the fund in the wake of its bribery scandal.

Under Levin's tenure that trend reversed, with the first quarter of 2021 bringing Sculptor's first net inflow of assets since the scandal broke. By the end of the year, however, its profits lagged behind investors' expectations, even though its assets had increased.

This February, one of Sculptor's board members resigned over what he described as "governance failures" that led to Levin being given a "staggering award" despite "numerous warning flags".

The board member, J Morgan Rutman, has close ties to Och, who originally appointed him and now employs him as president of his family wealth management office.

Rutman particularly took aim at the shares that Levin received as part of his 2021 compensation package, which he claimed gave the chief executive a bigger vote over Sculptor than the founders of rival investment companies such as Blackstone and Apollo enjoy over their own creations.

Sculptor said at the time that Rutman's letter contained many "inaccuracies" and "baseless assertions", arguing that all its independent directors except him believed Levin's compensation was in shareholders' best interests.
Fourth in a series regarding Panhandle values and quality of life.

All universities have an economic impact on the regions and communities in which they are located. University education is a combined public and private good, benefiting everyone in the public square while simultaneously directly benefiting the recipient of the degree and the family to which they belong. A UCLA study of freshmen states that students attend college to get a better job. That is a personal benefit, and if the job is close to the university, a public benefit through increased tax collections and quality of life.

The values of people in the rural regions of our nation and its heartland are epitomized by the people of the Texas Panhandle. Rural values are the products of enterprise and industry essential to economic survival and prosperity. These are rooted in the history of our region, often in families, while providing products that help our nation.

Dr. Walter Wendler, President of West Texas A&M University

When embodied in lived experience, these particular rural values create a culture necessary to produce the food, fuel and fiber that energizes, feeds and clothes the people of our state and nation. The geography of the regions that produce food, fuel and fiber demand a widely dispersed population in regions where daunting day-to-day challenges consume daily life. A rural population of frontier-minded folks willing to take risks produces something of value. People in these pursuits are tough-minded, rely on each other, believe in something larger than self, work hard and live by essential values.

Free moral agency is an enduring moral principle. Individual responsibility, personal achievement and the willingness to work for something are essential to liberty. The power of a public university in a free society and constitutional republic is supported by embedding values into the educational experience. Free thought and individual expression are the grist of an enlightened society.

Fuel - Our national energy security relies partly on oil and gas production as a key component in the immediate future for the energy required to sustain a free society. Texas produces slightly over 5.07 million barrels of oil per day. That is 41% of the total United States crude production. Texas leads the nation in natural gas production, producing nearly 24% of the U.S. total. While many factors lead to Texas' standing as the furnace for American energy production, national and world standing is diminished without workers and leaders who appreciate and hold rural Texas values. The concept that we can do away with fossil fuel utilization at any time in the near future is a pipe dream. According to Brookings, fossil fuels will be necessary for a long time into the future.

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Food - Texas dwarfs all other states in the nation in the number of cattle produced, with over 4.6 million. Next in line is Oklahoma, with 2.2 million. This includes both fed beef and cow-calf operations. Texas ranks fourth nationally in milk production, producing 15.6 million pounds of milk in 2021. It lags behind California, Wisconsin and Idaho. However, the Texas dairy market's growth has led the nation with a nearly 70% increase over the past decade.

Fiber - Texas leads the nation in the production of cotton, with 6.5 billion bales produced in 2020, according to the USDA. Most of this cotton is produced on the south plains. United States production is third globally behind India and China and leads the world in cotton exports, all according to the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service.

The production of fuel, food and fiber is accomplished in rural regions worldwide. Rural regions differ from urban regions; according to Pew Research, 70% of rural residents believe people who do not live in similar communities do not understand their challenges. Interestingly, according to the same research, 65% of people in urban regions do not understand the challenges people in rural regions face. People in rural regions believe their neighbors share their values, and people in urban regions do not believe the same about their neighbors. Many of these beliefs are fostered in family life focused on being economically productive.

According to The Urban Institute, one in five Americans live in rural communities, and 22% of the nation's rural residents are people of color. Increasingly, Hispanic populations are growing in rural regions. Therefore, Hispanics in rural regions comprise a growing portion of the fuel, food and fiber workforce. The notion that rural people live in poverty, and accept the culture poverty creates, is antithetical to the slowly evolving economic reality of many individuals and families. Family units and diverse rural business enterprises produce goods and services invaluable to the region, state and nation.

Understanding and expounding values in the heartland are vital to many people associated with West Texas A&M University. Rural values are the cornerstone of the Panhandle economic life and essential in sustaining a constitutional republic.

Walter V. Wendler is President of West Texas A&M University. His weekly columns are available at https://walterwendler.com/.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Wendler commentary: Family and regional economic impacts
Floridians whose homes and businesses were destroyed during Hurricane Ian are adamant about rebuilding the communities that were destroyed during Hurricane Ian.

Images out of some of the hardest hit regions like Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach show entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble after menacing storm surge and Category 4 hurricane force winds ripped through southwest Florida on Oct. 28.

MORE: Hurricane Ian before and after images show destruction of Sanibel Island, Fort Myers Beach

Despite threats exacerbated by climate change, such as rising sea levels and the threat of more intense storm systems, and the challenges presented by the sheer level of devastation, residents are vowing to bring these coastal communities back to their former glory.

"There's no doubt that the rebuilding efforts, the reconstruction efforts, after Hurricane Ian, are going to be very challenging, and they're going to take longer than they ordinarily would," Matthew Harrell, CEO of Franklin Street, a commercial real estate company that specializes in Southwest Florida, told ABC News.

PHOTO: The Salty Crab Bar & Grill is pictured before and after the passage of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, Fla., in an undated composited photos. (The Salty Crab Bar & Grill)

As local and national news stations broadcast the effects of Hurricane Ian live, one of the most striking images were videos of storm surge rushing into The Salty Crab Bar & Grill, a community favorite situated right on the Gulf of Mexico in Fort Myers Beach.

The restaurant was completely destroyed by the storm, Jamie McElhone, marketing coordinator of The Salty Crab, told ABC News.

MORE: Homes are crumbling into the Gulf at the foot of temporary new Pine Island bridge

The damage to the restaurant has not been surveyed yet, as search and rescue teams remain focused on locating those who died in the storm and may still be among the rubble, McElhone said.

Civilians have not yet been allowed to enter the region, she added. Seventy-eight employees for the restaurant have been left scrambling to find work. Some have relocated about 200 miles north to Clearwater, where the Beachside Hospitality Group, which owns The Salty Crab, operates another restaurant.

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The plan is to rebuild the restaurant, as long as the insurance and building codes allow them to, McElhone said.

PHOTO: Damages to The Salty Crab Bar & Grill from the passage of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, Fla., are seen in an undated photo. (The Salty Crab Bar & Grill)

PHOTO: The Celtic Ray Public House stands in Punta Gorda, Fla., in a streeet view from March 2022. (Google Maps)

The expense of rebuilding will certainly be an issue that city officials will be grappling with in the coming weeks and months, Harrell said. After a major catastrophe, there is often a "demand surge," which involves a temporary increase in the cost of reconstruction due to high demand of materials and labor.

The rebuilding efforts are expected to take longer than usual because of breakdowns in the supply chain and labor shortages that existed prior to Ian, Harrell said.

MORE: Hurricane Ian statistics show why it will come to be known as 'The Big One'

Max Doyle and the pub he co-owns with his father, the Celtic Public House in Punta Gorda, is a prime example of successful efforts to rebuild following a hurricane.

The pub was destroyed by the winds of Hurricane Charley in in 2004.

"It looked like Mother Nature decided to redecorate our town," Doyle said of the damage.

PHOTO: A flooded trailer park is seen after Hurricane Ian caused widespread destruction in Arcadia, Fla., Oct. 4, 2022. (Marco Bello/Reuters)

Even though the Doyles did not have the money or an insurance payout to fund the rebuilding, "it was just something that had to be done," he said. They relied on community donations and eventually restored the pub, he said.

The risk of hurricanes is something "you sign up for" when you move to Florida, Doyle said. The pub has since withstood every storm, including Ian, he added.

"There's not really anywhere in the country where you don't have some sort of natural disaster," he said.

MORE: How animals at Florida zoos and wildlife sanctuaries are hunkering down for Hurricane Ian

It will likely take years to rebuild the regions to what they once were, President Joe Biden on Wednesday after visiting Fort Myers Beach.

"You got to start from scratch," the president said from Fisherman's Wharf. "You got to move again. And its going to take a lot  a lot of time  not weeks or months; its going to take years for everything to get squared away in the state of Florida to fully recover and rebuild."

PHOTO: Remains of destroyed restaurants, shops and other businesses are seen after Hurricane Ian caused widespread destruction in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., Oct. 4, 2022. (Marco Bello/Reuters)

Harrell praised the resiliency of Floridians during a crisis and expects communities to build back "stronger than ever" -- with an ability to withstand the next "big one" that heads their way, Harrell said.

Many of the structures that were destroyed were built decades ago, before the building codes in Florida began to take into account the threat of strong hurricanes, Harrell said. All of the newly constructed properties will be built to current codes -- including impact-resistant windows and roof straps that enable roofs to withstand 155-mile winds.

The properties that remained unscathed are the ones that were built to code, Harrell said, adding that there are discussions to strengthen those codes even further in the wake of Ian. The landscape of these regions won't look the same either, with homes being rebuilt on stilts or raising the elevation of structures with dirt to withstand the base flood elevation.

"So the likelihood of having a similar type of even like Hurricane Ian ... is much less likely to happen in the future," Harrell said.

PHOTO: Snowbird Bruce Hickey, 70, walks along the waterfront, now littered with debris including shrimp boats, on San Carlos Island, Fla., Oct. 5, 2022, one week after the passage of Hurricane Ian. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)

In addition, even those insurance rates will rise, the rates for newly built properties that are up to code will be less expensive, Harrell said.

Despite the risk of hurricanes, the areas still present desirable attributes such as beautiful beaches, warm weather and economic opportunities that come with tourism, Harrell said.

"There are very few parts of the country that are safe from any sort of natural catastrophes," he said. "We have a history of just coming out of these catastrophes stronger better than better than ever."

Floridians adamant about rebuilding in areas devastated by Hurricane Ian originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Meet President Baugh  the self-proclaimed 'dictator' of a micronation in Nevada you've probably never heard of

'President' Kevin Baugh of Molossia stands by the micronation's flag. Republic of Molossia

Kevin Baugh is the "benevolent dictator" of the Republic of Molossia  a one-acre micronation in Nevada.

It has a currency pegged to the value of cookie dough and a navy consisting of two kayaks.

A micronation is a self-proclaimed independent state whose sovereignty is not recognized by the international community.

It all started in 1977, when a 15-year-old Kevin Baugh and his childhood best friend, James Spielman, watched "The Mouse That Roared"  a satirical 1959 movie about a tiny, fictional nation waging war on the US.

"I was struck by the imagination and creativity of that," said the 60-year-old, who asked to be referred to as "Your Excellency" or "President Baugh," during a phone interview with Insider.

Four decades on, he's lost contact with that friend  but the dream of ruling his own miniature country lives on.

Baugh is now the self-proclaimed "benevolent dictator" of the Republic of Molossia  a one-acre micronation with a population of 35 in the northwestern Nevadan desert.

'President' Kevin Baugh of the micronation of Molossia. Republic of Molossia

The micronation was born at a suburban house in Portland, Oregon, in 1977. It was originally known as the Grand Republic of Vuldstein. Baugh appointed himself Prime Minister, and Spielman was made King.

Baugh conceded that, back then, it was a little more than childish reverie. "It was more fictional. I guess you could say," he said. "There was no internet back then, so we made it up as we went along."

Spielman eventually abandoned the project, but Baugh continued working on it sporadically while he served in the US Army. He left the army in the 1990s and settled in Nevada with his family. Around this time, he said, he started taking the micronation more seriously.

"The internet came along, and I was able to see that other people had created their own countries," Baugh explained. "So I took Molossia from just being on paper to having our own website."

Baugh continued researching micronations online, finding information on how he could fully realize one of his own.

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What is a micronation?

A micronation is a self-proclaimed independent state whose sovereignty is not recognized by the international community. For example, world governments and the UN do not recognize them as legitimate.

They're often small, the outgrowth of a single individual, and viewed as trivial enough to be ignored by the established nation their land sits within. The US knows Molossia exists, Baugh said, but "basically ignores" it.

There are at least 67 separate micronations in the world, Insider previously reported.

Signposts showing 'USA' and 'Molossia' in Nevada. Republic of Molossia

Baugh learned that micronations are usually formed by claiming the land they live on as their own territory. So, in 1998, he bought a small plot in Nevada and claimed it as "the homeland for our country,' which was then called the Kingdom of Molossia.

For a short period afterward, it was ruled as a communist dictatorship. Baugh said the communist iconography the micronation used riled up locals, so he decided to turn Molossia into a capitalist military dictatorship.

Baugh is the self-proclaimed "benevolent dictator" of what is now called the Republic of Molossia.

"I mean, not the kind of dictator that makes people disappear in the night or anything like that," he said. "We're a family nation. That would really irritate the family if someone just suddenly disappears."

Citizens of Molossia, who are all members of Kevin Baugh's family, celebrate Christmas together in 2019. Republic of Molossia

There are 35 citizens, all of whom are related to Baugh. This number, he said, also includes the family's three dogs.

The human citizens all have "dual citizenship" with the US.

"It helps to still have that US citizenship," Baugh said. "Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to go to Walmart or something like that, and we'd all starve to death."

Citizens vote in US elections and pay US taxes, which Baugh jokingly refers to as "foreign aid."

Baugh said Molossians have "very positive relations" with local communities over the border. They make regular "appearances" in the nearby town of Dayton, Nevada, and participate in the annual Nevada Day Parade in Carson City.

'President' Kevin Baugh and his family participate in the 2016 Nevada Day Parade. Republic of Molossia

Baugh said he has relative freedom to do what he wants in Molossia but is always eager to avoid introducing laws that would contravene American law or otherwise aggravate US authorities.

"I can pass whatever laws I want as long as I don't offend the bigger country around me because you don't want to make them mad," he said. "You can have your own money, your own stamps, your own whatever, customs, holidays, things like that. So it's really fun."

Molossia has its own currency, time zone, and system of measurements

Molossia has its own currency  the valora. Unusually, it's pegged to the relative value of chocolate chip cookie dough.

"We like doing things a little differently here in our own country," Baugh said. "We also have our own measurement system and time zone, stuff like that."

The time zone is 39 minutes ahead of Pacific Standard Time and 21 minutes behind Mountain Standard Time. Using the unique and non-sensical Kokintz system, measurements base lengths on the size of Baugh's hand and volume relative to the size of Diet Pepsi cans.

Molossia also has a navy, despite being landlocked. "Our entire Navy is composed of inflatable kayaks," Baugh said, adding that there are often training exercises at Lake Tahoe.

Molossia's 'navy,' which consists of two kayaks, at Lake Tahoe. Republic of Molossia

Baugh said the country is currently at war with East Germany, which ceased to exist in 1990, and was once in battle with another micronation  Mustachistan. "A micronational war is just somebody spamming your email inbox or something like that," he explained.

The economy is tourism-based; approximately 200 people visit Molossia a year. Tourists get their passports stamped upon arrival and are free to explore the sites of the tiny country. "It takes about an hour and a half to see literally every site," he said.

The customs office at Molossia's border. Republic of Molossia

Baugh leads the tours himself but also works a full-time job. He declined to comment on his profession because it would take the "sense of humor" out of things.

Baugh conceded that running Molossia is a "bit of fun" and "a chuckle" but said that, at its core, it is a serious exploration of what constitutes a nation and what a world of micronations would look like.

"We're dependent on the US for almost everything economically  food and clothes and all that kind stuff that you would normally buy," Baugh said. "But within those limits, we take our nation pretty seriously and, at the same time, have a good time with it."

Read the original article on Insider
US warships, with South Korea and Japan, train to shoot down North Korean missiles

U.S. warships from the USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group teamed up with South Korean and Japanese destroyers to practice shooting down missiles in the Sea of Japan Thursday, a show of force following multiple launches by North Korea this week.

"The exercises also demonstrate the deep strength of our trilateral relationship with Japan and the Republic of Korea, which is resolute against those who challenge regional stability," Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a press briefing Thursday.

PHOTO: Ships from the U.S., Japan and Republic of Korea conducted a trilateral ballistic missile defense exercise in the Sea of Japan, Oct. 6, 2022. (Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin Stack)

The guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville and guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold joined one South Korean vessel and two Japanese destroyers in the Sea of Japan for the exercise, according to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

"Chancellorsville provided air defense to the units as they conducted the ballistic missile exercise, which includes, detecting, tracking, and intercepting simulated targets, as well as coordination, communication, and information-sharing between the three countries," a statement from the command said. The simulation did not involve firing live rounds, a U.S. official told ABC News.

PHOTO:The U.S. Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), and Republic of Korea Navy ships ROKS Munmu the Great (DDH 976) and ROKS Gangwon (FFG 815) steam in formation in waters east of the Korean Peninsula, Sept. 29, 2022. (U.S. Navy)

The USS Reagan and the ships belonging to its strike group had recently departed the Sea of Japan after an earlier series of drills with South Korean and Japanese naval forces. It was was operating to the east in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday when North Korea launched a ballistic missile over Japan. In response, the strike group turned around, arriving back in the Sea of Japan on Wednesday.

MORE: North Korea flies warplanes near South Korea after series of missile tests

That same day, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea. Ryder condemned the latest launches.

"As you're aware, North Korea conducted another ballistic missile launch last night, launching two short range missiles," he said. "The United States strongly condemns this irresponsible act."

PHOTO: United States Forces Korea joined with the Republic of Korea military in a demonstration of their combat readiness during a Live-Fire exercise on Oct. 5, 2022. (U.S. Forces Korea)

Before the anti-missile drills at sea, the U.S. responded to North Korea firing over Japan with shows of force in the air and on land alongside its allies. American fighters flew alongside Japanese and South Korean fighters, some striking ground targets on an uninhabited island west of the peninsula.

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But a joint ground-to-ground missile exercise Wednesday sent mixed signals when one South Korean projectile failed soon after launch, hitting a building on its own airbase.

The South Korean joint chiefs of staff said one of its Hyunmoo missiles "fell after an abnormal flight" in Gangneung, which is along the northeast coast of the country, adding that there were no casualties reported, and the cause was being assessed.

Meanwhile, officials warn that North Korea could soon conduct its first nuclear test since 2017.

The U.S. still assesses North Korea is making preparations for such a test, but is not sure when, according to Ryder.

"If and when they do conduct a nuclear test, I'm not going to speculate," Ryder said.

US warships, with South Korea and Japan, train to shoot down North Korean missiles originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
PHILADELPHIA  Lisa Deeley was just looking for some fresh air when the local election chief, in the midst of certifying the local 2020 vote, stepped outside the downtown convention center for a simple walk that would turn her life upside down.

Unknowingly, Deeley's path took her headlong into the viewfinder of a camera-wielding Donald Trump supporter who unleashed a torrent of insults, falsely accusing the city commissioner of election fraud and demanding unauthorized access to the vote count.

The video, posted to social media, immediately went viral, prompting a wave of threats requiring the appointment of a plainclothes security detail that for weeks accompanied the commissioner everywhere she went  from the restroom to her local Wawa convenience store. The threats got so bad she relocated her mother to a New Jersey beach town to remove her from the line of fire.

Election fears:'I dread 2024': America's local election officials are being pushed to their limits

Under pressure:Election workers faced new threats after 2020 election. Experts fear it will drive them away

"Everybody who's had this position before me has worked in relative anonymity," Deeley said. "Nobody paid any attention to this position before  until 2020."

Deeley's story is not unfamiliar to legions of election workers who are now bracing for the fast-approaching midterms and increasing security concerns animated by baseless attacks on local election systems and administrators leveled by the former president and his allies.

Philadelphia City Commissioner Lisa Deeley, the city's election chief, is trailed by a security detail after she was threatened during ballot certification in the days after the 2020 presidential election.

The 2020 election, in addition to igniting an extremist revolt that resulted in the stunning assault on the U.S. Capitol, has transformed a foundational civic exercise  voting  into a new national security challenge, with the 2022 vote representing the first national test of a system that faced unprecedented assault two years ago.

Local election workers, who once operated in near-political obscurity, have added protection plans to jobs that once celebrated the cycles of democratic engagement. Threats to their well-being have drawn the attention of federal authorities, while new plans are emerging for even more aggressive monitoring of polling places by partisan political operatives.

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"We are trying to prepare for the worst, and hope for the best," said Karen Brinson Bell, the chief election official in North Carolina, whose preparations have recently included conflict resolution and active shooter training.

"We really did not think we would face these things," Bell said.

And there is reason for concern.

Poll watchers to swarm battleground states

As Trump has made the "big lie" a litmus test for Republican candidates in the midterms, the GOP and conservative allies are planning to swarm battleground states with thousands of "poll watchers" charged with rooting out alleged voter fraud, a mission that election officials suggest is merely code for authorizing intimidation.

Both parties have deployed poll watchers for decades, but Republicans are producing record-setting plans to monitor elections in 2022. One reason is the end of a lawsuit that had restricted their activities at polling places, and another is Trump's continuing complaints about 2020.

The Republican National Committee said its plans include more than 52,000 poll watchers and poll workers, as well as "37 in-state election integrity counsels"  lawyers willing to wage election challenges in court, if necessary. As part of the effort, the party also says it has staged more than 4,600 poll watcher trainings.

"The RNCs stance on election integrity is that we should make it easier to vote, and harder to cheat," said an outline of the RNC plan. "Within that proposal are five core integrity issues: Voter IDs, absentee signature matching, bipartisan observers, updated voter rolls, and timely processing and counting of ballots."

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.

Separate from the efforts of the Republican Party, there are conservative groups who are planning to install their own poll watchers.

David Becker, executive director and founder of the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation & Research Center, said poll watchers are useful to the smooth running of elections  if they play by the rules.

"What we're talking about are people who are going outside their authority," Becker said, and may be willing to "interfere" with the process.

"Vigilance is the operative term here."

In political denial:Hundreds of elections deniers running for office nationwide in 2022 pose 'major threat' to U.S. democracy

Long-time planning:GOP to massively step up 2022 poll watching efforts in Michigan and across U.S.

The stepped-up Republican poll-watching project has been developed as Trump continues to make false claims about voter fraud in 2020, and demands that GOP candidates make it an issue in future elections.

Democrats and voting rights advocates said the campaign could only encourage overzealous Trump loyalists to engage in voter intimidation and disrupt polling places, similar to attempts in 2020.

Brendan Fischer, deputy executive director of the election watchdog organization Documented, said conservative organizations are training hyperpartisan activists to challenge voters in an effort to suppress turnout. He said many poll watchers will be election deniers who refuse to believe Trump lost to Biden two years ago.

"It isn't necessarily a problem that more Republicans or more Democrats are getting involved in the election process," he said. "The problem is that individuals who believe in baseless election conspiracies are entering the election system."

Watchdog groups are more concerned about plans by conservative organizations to post poll workers who, in some cases, may be election deniers with a grudge against the election system.

The Conservative Partnership Institute, one of whose senior partners is former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, has created what it calls an "Election Integrity Network." It is headed by Cleta Mitchell, an attorney who supported the Trump campaign's protests of 2020 election results.

Avid Trump supporter and pillow salesman Mike Lindell is also helping conservatives deploy poll watchers during the upcoming elections.

My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell listens as former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally May 1 in Greenwood, Nebraska.

An organization dubbing itself the Michigan Grassroots Alliance announced an "Election Overwatch" program, claiming that "everyday citizens all across America have been deployed to ensure that the 2022 elections are conducted in a lawful manner."

"If you are someone who seeks to cast a vote illegally, we are watching," said the announcement from the group.

Patrick Colbeck, a former Michigan Republican state senator, said that "poll challengers, poll workers and canvassers" have also been threatened and harassed by Democrats and election officials who don't want oversight of their activities.

"Please note that the conflict is not between sour grapes Republicans and Democrats," Colbeck said in an email. "It is between those who seek lawful elections and those who seek unlawful elections."

Sowing trouble and disinformation

Wendy Weiser, who directs the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, said it's disturbing that actual election deniers are included in the serious business of poll watching.

Some volunteers may be there to "disrupt the process" and "sow trouble and disinformation," she said.

The expanded RNC plan will target 17 states that are considered key battlegrounds, both in the midterms and in the 2024 presidential contest.

In a statement, the RNC said its poll watching plans "are independent from any outside organization," and that volunteers are trained on "the need to comply with federal and state laws protecting voting rights." The RNC said it would dismiss any volunteer who breaks the rules.

Poll-watching targets include six states in which Trump protested Biden's victory, using lawsuits and extremist rhetoric that helped trigger the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol: Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Voters visit polling places to cast their ballots in the 2022 primary election on May 24 in Atlanta.

Republican Party and state affiliates have also filed lawsuits against counties in Arizona and Nevada  two swing states  over restrictions on poll workers. An RNC statement on one of those lawsuits said "Arizonans deserve basic transparency about how their elections will be conducted."

Republican poll watchers will also be busy in Florida, Texas and Ohio, states that are essential for Republicans if they want to win control of Congress or the presidency.

Most of these states are making plans to deal with the influx of poll watchers.

In North Carolina, Henderson County reported a near-tripling in the number of poll watchers during its May primary, and some had to be warned off as they got too close to voters, voting machines, and elected officials.

Karen Hebb, director of the Henderson County, North Carolina, Board of Elections, said previous elections drew eight to 10 observers from each party; between 28 and 30 Republican poll watchers appeared at polling places during the May primary.

The county government has since re-affirmed its rules to govern the conduct of poll watchers from both parties.

"We want to let them know ahead of time what we're going to allow and what we're not," Hebb said.

Justice Department beefs up election security before midterms

The wave of harassment and abuse targeting local election workers in 2020 prompted the Justice Department to launch the Election Threats Task Force, supported by the FBI's network of 56 field offices.

At the time it was created last year, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate cast the unit as a new guardian of the "electoral process."

A threat to any election official, worker, or volunteer is a threat to democracy," Monaco said.

Since last summer, the task force has reviewed more than 1,000 reports of threatening communications. About 11% of those met the threshold for federal investigation, so far resulting in seven overall criminal prosecutions.

The bulk of the potentially criminal threats involved election workers in seven states  Arizona, Georgia, Colorado, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Wisconsin  where the vote was close and involved post-election challenges, senior FBI officials said last week at an election-security briefing.

On Thursday, federal authorities announced charges against an Iowa man, accused of threatening a Phoenix-area election official and an official with the Arizona Attorney General's Office in telephone calls last year.

"I am glad that you are standing up for democracy and want to place your hand on the Bible and say that the election was honest and fair," Mark Rissi, 64, allegedly told the election official in a September 2021 message. "When we come to lynch your stupid lying Commie (expletive), youll remember that you lied on the (expletive) Bible, you piece of (expletive). Youre going to die, you piece of (expletive). Were going to hang you. Were going to hang you.

In December, Rissi allegedly left a similar message in a call to the Attorney General's Office.

"Do your job ... or you will hang with those (expletive) in the end," the message stated. "We will see to it. Torches and pitchforks. Thats your future, (expletive). Do your job.

In a separate case Thursday, a Nebraska man was sentenced to 18 months in prison for posting multiple threats on Instagram, targeting the chief elections official in Colorado.

Your security detail is far too thin and incompetent to protect you," Travis Ford wrote in one of the posts. "This world is unpredictable these days  anything can happen to anyone.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the case "makes clear that those who illegally threaten election workers should be prepared to face meaningful penalties."

The protection of election workers has become a relatively new front for federal authorities who until 2020 were primarily focused on safeguarding election systems from foreign adversaries, including Russia, and blunting cyber campaigns aimed at disrupting election operations, stealing voter data and altering vote counts.

So far, the officials have identified no credible threats to U.S. voting systems in advance of the midterms. But a measure of their concern for threats to election workers was underscored during the security briefing when FBI officials from the Criminal Investigative Division outlined their security preparations.

In August, FBI Director Christopher Wray described election and politically motivated violence "almost a 365-day phenomenon," an outgrowth of the country's deep divide.

"I feel like everyday I'm getting briefed on somebody throwing a Molotov cocktail at someone for some issue," Wray told the Senate Judiciary Committee, referring to an array of array of domestic grievances, from election-related disputes to lingering anger following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the landmark abortion-rights case Roe v. Wade. "It's crazy."

A flashpoint in Philadelphia

A man watches from the observers area as election workers count ballots at the Philadelphia Convention Center on Nov. 6 in Pennsylvania.

Weeks before the 2020 election, Trump took aim at Philadelphia in what would become an early front in the former president's shadow campaign to sow doubt in the final vote count.

The city, a Democratic stronghold, appeared to be a strategic choice of targets in a state Trump had narrowly won in 2016, and where any successful GOP challenge could have tipped the outcome.

On Sept. 29, 2020, in the first presidential debate in Cleveland, Trump lit a match.

Falsely asserting that poll watchers had been banned from early voting locations, Trump claimed "bad things happen in Philadelphia."

"Bad things," he continued.

Deeley, the election commissioner, said Trump's remark "popped the cork right off the bottle."

"That was it; there was no putting it back," she said, referring to the start of a campaign of threats, harassment and abuse that also did not spare her colleagues on the three-member commission, including fellow Democrat Omar Sabir and Republican Al Schmidt, who left the post last year.

In testimony before a special House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, Schmidt described the pressure exerted by Trump himself, who called the commissioner out by name in a Nov. 11, 2020, tweet, after Trump lost the state.

"A guy named Al Schmidt, a Philadelphia Commissioner and so-called Republican (RINO), is being used big time by the Fake News Media to explain how honest things were with respect to the Election in Philadelphia," Trump wrote. "He refuses to look at a mountain of corruption & dishonesty..."

The tweet, Schmidt told the committee, prompted a stream of graphic threats that not only targeted him, but also members of his family, with pictures of his home and address posted on social media.

Race for the Senate: Control of the Senate is now a coin flip: These are the midterm election races to watch

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Sabir called the 2020 vote, his first presidential election as a Philadelphia commissioner, as "baptism by fire."

"It was a lot," Sabir said, referring both to the super-charged political climate and the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.

Philadelphia County Board of Elections Commissioner Omar Sabir at his City Hall office.

He said the former president's disparaging comments about Philadelphia "changed the job" that now has him touring the city in an attempt to bolster confidence in the election process.

For Deeley, there also is continuing unease: just walking past the city's convention center where she was confronted two years ago makes her nauseous.

The commissioner said streets are quiet now, but the 2020 experience also is informing the city's preparations for the coming midterms.

Election officials are moving the election certification process from the center city convention center to a more obscure warehouse in northeast Philadelphia.

"I don't think it will draw the same crowds as the convention center," Deeley said.

Plans for her own personal security remain under "discussion."

"We're going to discuss with the (city's) Office of Emergency Management whether we get hotel rooms to avoid frequent travel and whether we all go to the same one," she said, adding there is also some consideration of using a "different car" to become less identifiable.

"That's crazy, right?"

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Midterm elections 2022: Poll workers fear trouble after Trump chaos
Buc-ee's celebrated with a groundbreaking ceremony for the first Buc-ee's travel center in Missouri at 3284 N. Mulroy Road on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022.

Travel center Buc-ee's wants to rename the road custumers will take to the 53,000 square-foot, 120 fueling pump gas station. On Thursday night the proposed North Beaver Road got a lukewarm reception from Springfield's Planning and Zoning Commission.

Construction is currently underway first of the popular Texas-based chain in Missouri located in northeast Springfield. With its beaver mascot, Buc-ee's is known for its large stores, branded merchandise and clean bathrooms that often become a draw for out-of-town tourists.

In a proposal supported by Springfield city staff, Buc-ee's wants to rename North Mulroy Road to North Beaver Road to help those out-of-towners find the superstore.

According to staff, the city does not typically change street names to support specific commercial businesses, but "Beaver Road" does not "directly reference a business, they said  pointing to other instances of roads invoking a brand without naming it.

More:University Heights resident to file lawsuit in attempt to stop commercial development

"Planning supports the street name change. The original request was to rename the street to 'Buc-ees Avenue,' but staff did not support this as it was not in line with our policy to reference a companys name," reads staff comments.

"In 2019, planning did not support the street name change of East Farm Road 188 to Innovative Avenue as it reflected the name of the applicants business, Innovative Dental; however, after some negotiations, we supported renaming the street to Innovation Avenue. Other street names such as 'Bear Boulevard' near Missouri State University and 'Mustard Way' near Frenchs Food Company are examples of street names staff supported in the past," according to the staff's report.

They also noted the current road name would confuse travelers once a new dual lane roundabout is constructed. Without a new name, one lane would state "North Mulroy Road North" and the other "North Mulroy Road South."

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But Commissioner Bruce Colony noted the confusion could also be alleviated by removing "north" from Mulroy Road or picking another name without Buc-ee's branding. He also said drivers would likely be see the 53,000 square-foot Buc-ee's facility without a road dedicated to their mascot.

Commissioner Eric Pauly said he could not support the name change because of the beaver's inextirpable link to Buc-ee's brand.

"I agree with planning department's historic look at this where they have not supported renaming a road after a customer-driven business..." Pauly said.

"With their logoing being Buc-ee Beaver, wanting to change the road to Beaver Road, that certainly trades on that particular name. And I do think that gives an unfair advantage to a direct-customer, retail establishment over some of our other retailers in the area. It's like if there was a street name request to Golden Arch Boulevard. We all know who that's going to be."

With two P and Z Commissioners absent, the Beaver Road vote deadlocked  with Commissioners Britton Jobe, Carl Knuckles and Natalie Broekhoven in favor and Commissioners Eric Pauly, Bruce Colony and Chris Lebeck opposed.

With the tie, the matter is tabled and will be taken up again at P and Z's next meeting. Regardless of their recommendation, the name change will be voted on by Springfield's City Council.

Andrew Sullender is the local government reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow him on Twitter @andrewsullender. Email tips and story ideas to asullender@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Buc-ee's petitions Springfield for street named after beaver mascot
President Joe Biden addresses the Supreme Court's decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization to overturn Roe v. Wade June 24, 2022 in Cross Hall at the White House in Washington, DC. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

In August, President Biden encouraged states to use Medicaid funds to expand abortion access.

But no states have taken him up on it due to logistics challenges and a daunting legal challenge.

Passing a law through Congress could be advocates' best hope of protecting abortion access.

The Biden administration is scrambling to expand abortion access as it becomes precarious for millions of Americans. But not all of its strategies have taken hold.

As midterm elections approach, even a Democratic majority in the House and Senate might not be enough to preserve abortion access.

In the meantime, Biden took a swing at it. An August executive order sought to encourage states with more permissive abortion laws to use Medicaid to fund travel for people from states where abortion is prohibited. But many states view the approach as too complicated to attempt and legally dubious  if they're interested in expanding access at all  according to a report by Politico after the publication contacted Medicaid agencies in 24 states where abortion is legal.

Agencies in ten states said they haven't decided whether to apply, two are waiting for additional federal guidance, one is not pursuing the policy, and 11 states did not respond to requests for comment, Politico said.

In addition to the Medicaid policy, the Biden administration has made several other efforts to expand abortion access across the country since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. The White House challenged Idaho's near-total abortion ban, for instance, arguing that it violates federal law by preventing medical providers from offering emergency treatment.

The administration has also called upon pharmacists to continue prescribing medications that might be used to cause an abortion even in states that have banned the procedure, and has warned tech companies against the misuse of personal data that could expose abortion seekers. But ultimately, a substantial expansion of abortion access would have to be achieved by Congressional action  or happen at the state level.

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A strong performance by Democrats in the midterms this fall might make it possible for the party to maneuver around the Senate's filibuster rule and get a law passed. But even if this happens, the Supreme Court could strike it down, Mary Ziegler, a law professor at UC Davis, told Insider.

Biden's Medicaid path to abortion access is cumbersome and legally fraught

The key word in Biden's plan to use Medicaid funds to expand access to abortion is "travel." According to the Hyde Amendment, federal funds cannot be used for abortion procedures, so the Biden administration's workaround is to have it help out with the cost of crossing state lines.

The reluctance of states to take advantage of the executive order represents a strategic disconnect between the federal government and pro-abortion-rights states. In many cases, states are unwilling to test legally murky waters.

"We've said, 'Open door, you've got an idea, come to us,' because we're trying to help everyone we can in any way we can," a senior health official anonymously told Politico. "But the reality is there is no silver bullet here."

Instead, some states are finding it more straightforward, or at least safer, to use their own funds to help out-of-state residents obtain abortions rather than pursuing a complicated and slow Medicaid application, Politico reported.

It's also possible that some states will eventually pursue the administration's proposal, but are currently still reviewing it, as is the case for ten of the state Medicaid agencies Politico spoke with.

When the executive order was signed in August, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it would "not violate" the Hyde Amendment, which has previously stymied attempts to use programs like Medicaid to fund abortions. The Biden administration struck the Hyde Amendment from its budget last year in a historic if symbolic and non-legally-binding move, as Congress would need to act to repeal the law. The potential for legal challenges are among the reasons states are hesitant to take the administration up on its offer.

"There's no question that part of the challenge here is there are real limits to executive-branch authority," Andrea Miller, the president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, told Politico. "They continue to try to find creative solutions, and they also continue to butt up against the limits of their authority, and that's frustrating for everyone."

For this reason, passing a law that codifies abortion access is regarded as the most effective way to enshrine the right to choose.

By Ziegler's estimation, the midterms are about Democrats "preventing things from getting worse" on the abortion front  which could happen if Republicans took control of Congress and passed a national abortion ban, she said.

In terms of expanding abortion access, Ziegler thinks state and local elections will matter just as much as the national election.

"If you look at how we got to where we are, a lot of it is states like Mississippi passing bans and experimenting," she said. "It's not really from the anti-abortion movement dominating in Congress and getting lots of abortion bans passed, right?"

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Corrects spelling of in paragraph 7 to Uthai Sawan from Mutahi Sawant)

By Chayut Setboonsarng

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Social media in Thailand was awash with grief and anger on Friday over the killing of 34 people, including 23 children, at the hands of a former policeman who rampaged through a preschool daycare centre before killing his own wife and child.

An opposition politician said the police and authorities had to reflect on the case to ensure there was no repeat of Thursday's killings at the northeast Thailand daycare centre, where tiny coffins were taken away from the scene.

"It's so heart-breaking. They were small kids, they did not deserve this. Some of them were still in their afternoon naps," said 29-year-old Bangkok resident Chamita Itthiponwitoon.

The 34-year-old attacker went on a rampage with a pistol and a large knife at the centre in the province of Nong Bua Lamphu  the worst mass killing by a single attacker in the country's recent history.

"Humanity, not tiny angels, died," wrote one Twitter user, identified as @psmyheart, who posted under a Thai hashtag that translates as #MassShootingNongBuaLamphu.

More than 4.7 million people sent posts with the hashtag by Friday afternoon, many with messages such as "RIP Children of Heaven" and "I hope you are reborn as angels in heaven".

On the Facebook page of the Uthai Sawan Child Development Centre where the attack took place, hundreds of people posted condolences under the centre's last post before the massacre, an account of a visit the children made to a Buddhist temple in September.

'PEOPLE AT RISK'

Most of the child victims were aged between two and five, many killed with a machete-like blade farmers use to cut sugarcane, police said.

Authorities identified the attacker as a former policemen discharged from the force last year after being caught with methamphetamines. He was on trial on a drug charge.

He went home after the daycare centre slaughter and shot his wife and son before turning the gun on himself.

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Amid the grief, questions are being raised about guns, drugs, mental health and the accountability of the security forces.

Thursday's attack comes two years after a mass shooting by an ex-soldier at a shopping mall and army base in Nakhon Ratchasima province, commonly known as Korat, in which 29 people were killed.

"The mass shootings in Korat and Nong Bua Lumpu reflect some problems in the army and police, including mental health and problems with command," opposition politician, Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, said in a post on Twitter shared 125,000 times.

"If the problems are not solved, it would mean that the lives of people are at risk from the people who have these weapons in their hands."

Twitter user @jaoohja touched a nerve with a post shared more than 14,500 times that included a photograph of some graffiti with the message: "Who do you call when the police murder?"

(This story has been corrected to fix spelling of the name to Uthai Sawan from Mutahi Sawant in paragraph 7)

(Additional Reporting by Artorn Pookasook in Bangkok; Writing by Kate Lamb; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Photo credit: Curt Borgwardt - Getty Images



"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below."

Content warning: This article contains references to murder and sexual assault some may find upsetting. Reader discretion is advised.



In Netflixs hit show Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Jeffrey Dahmer's grandmother Catherine Dahmer (otherwise known as Catherine Jemima Hughes) plays a major role in the notorious serial killer's story as Dahmer killed multiple men during his time living with her. He killed and dismembered odor-emitting bodies in her home, and yet it is believed that Catherine, depicted by actress Michael Learned, was unaware of what happened in her basement.

The atrocities that Dahmer committed and the legal proceedings that followed were marked by several points where an arrest could have happened, but didnt. You may have found yourself wondering if Dahmer couldve been stopped if he had gone to jail for assaulting fellow soldiers in the military, or if his grandmother knew what was happening under their roof and notified the authorities. Here, we explore Dahmer's relationship with his paternal grandmother and what he got away with in her home.

Where did Catherine Dahmer live?

Catherine lived in a suburb of Wisconsin called West Allis, on 2357 S 57th Street. The house is still standing today.

How long did Jeffrey Dahmer live with his grandmother, Catherine?

Dahmer moved back into his parent's house after being honorably discharged from the military in 1981, despite the physical and sexual abuse that he committed towards Preston Davis and Billie Capshaw during his time in service. Dahmer continued to struggle with alcoholism upon his return home, and was arrested in Ohio for drunk and disorderly conduct.

Following that arrest, his father Lionel Dahmer and his stepmother Shari Dahmer sent their son to his grandmother's house in Wisconsin, where he remained until 1990  a total of nine years. Jeffery's father told the Milwaukee Sentinel, "This was probably very wrong to do, but I didnt have the wisdom to do anything differently, and we sent him to his grandmothers to live there. A new scene. They loved each other, and hed help her with the chores."

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While Dahmer's parents had hoped that his grandmother would be a positive influence, the serial killer continued to use her home as a setting for his gruesome murders.

Which crimes did Jeffrey Dahmer commit in his grandmothers house?

Dahmer was arrested for indecent exposure in 1982, and then was charged for disorderly conduct in 1986.

In 1987, Steven Tuomi was murdered by Dahmer in a hotel room. The serial killer brought the corpse back to his grandmother's houses, where he proceeded to dismember the body. Dahmer killed three other men (Jamie Doxtator, Richard Guerrero, and Anthony Sears) in Catherine's basement during his stint in her home, and experimented on their corpses with acid.

How much did Catherine Dahmer know about Jeffrey Dahmer's crimes?

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story's depiction of Catherine suggests that the woman was suspicious of what her grandson was doing in her basement. However, it was never confirmed if Catherine had an inkling about the atrocities committed in her basement, or if she was unaware, as she never gave a testimony in court.

One of Dahmer's surviving victims, Ronald Flowers, stated in court that he believed he wasn't killed because Dahmer's grandmother had been aware that Flowers was in her home. In the documentary Jeffrey Dahmer: Mind of a Monster, Flowers explains that he was having trouble starting his car one night. "This man came up to me and said, "Are you having trouble?"' he recounted. "He introduced himself as Jeff."

Flowers shared that he was lured back to Dahmer's grandmother's house with a promise to jumpstart his car. Dahmer and Catherine had a brief conversation, and Flowers described the serial killer as "visibly nervous" after he spoke to his grandmother. The man admits in Jeffrey Dahmer: Mind of a Monster that he doesn't remember what happened between falling over in Catherine's house and waking up in a hospital bed, but attributed escaping Dahmer to Catherine knowing he was in her home.

Did Jeffrey Dahmer kill his grandmother?

No, Dahmer did not kill his grandmother. According to her gravestone, Catherine passed away on December 25th, 1992 while Dahmer was in prison at the Columbia Correctional Facility. Dahmer himself died almost two years later, on November 28, 1994.

There are no reports pointing to hostility between the grandmother and grandson. Despite what happened in her basement, Catherine, in a 1991 article in the Fond du Lac Reporter accessed through newspapers.com, was quoted as referring to Dahmer's arrest as "terrible." "I loved him very much. He would do anything for me," she explained.

Watch all 10 episodes of "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" on Netflix.

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Former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters at Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley on July 22, 2022.

For years, Arizona has been one of former President Donald Trump's favorite spots to campaign. Here's a rundown of his visits.

2016 campaign

July 11, 2015: Eventual Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump makes his first stop in Phoenix, focusing on immigration and helping set the tone for his upstart campaign.

Dec. 16: Trump packs the airport in Mesa a day after one of the Republican debates.

March 19, 2016: Protesters couldnt stop Trump from drawing thousands to a raucous rally in Fountain Hills the weekend before the states presidential primary. He also stopped in Tucson.

June 18: Trump packs the Veterans Memorial Coliseum on a blistering summer day.

Aug. 31: Trump outlines his hard-line plans for dealing with immigration and border security in a widely anticipated speech in Phoenix. Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence was on hand for the event.

Oct. 4: Trump tries to energize his conservative base at a stop in Prescott Valley.

Oct. 29: Trump schedules a record-breaking seventh Arizona stop in a visit to the Phoenix Convention Center.

Election guide: November 2022

2020 campaign

Feb. 19, 2020: President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, touting the national economy.

May 5: Trump tours a Phoenix Honeywell facility making respirator masks to cope with the coronavirus pandemic and discusses aid to Native Americans.

June 23: Trump addresses a church full of mostly maskless young people in Phoenix amid a pandemic that followed his disastrous, half-empty rally in Tulsa days earlier. He visited the border wall in Yuma earlier in the day.

Aug. 18: Trump visits Yuma during the Democratic National Convention to highlight his record on building a border wall and attack his Democratic opponents ambitions on immigration.

Sept. 14: Trump holds a roundtable event with a group called Latinos for Trump at the Arizona Grand Resort in an effort to pull in support with a demographic that could be key to carrying the swing state.

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Oct. 19: On a day overshadowed by his private insults for epidemiologist Anthony Fauci, Trump targets his base in a hangar visit to Prescott and seeks to boost GOP turnout in a Tucson hangar stop.

Oct. 28: On a day that broke the states record for presidential-ticket visits, Trump held rallies in Bullhead City and Goodyear.

Post presidency

July 24, 2021: Trump attends a Turning Point Action rally in Phoenix and predicts the ongoing ballot review would vindicate his claims of a stolen election.

Jan. 17, 2022: Trump packs 15,000 into a rally in Florence to hear him lament a stolen election, rip President Joe Biden and tease at another run.

July 22: Trump boosted his Republican picks ahead of the August primary at an event in Prescott Valley. It dwarfed events held the same day involving Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and former Vice President Mike Pence.

Oct. 9: In his third Arizona visit of the year, Trump is expected to urge Republicans to support Kari Lake, Blake Masters and the rest of his GOP picks in the midterm elections during the rally in .

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Donald Trump's visits to Arizona during his political career
The fates of Apple and Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer TSMC have grown inextricably intertwined since the advent of the iPhone. As each subsequent generation of iPhone hurtled past the technological capabilities of its predecessor, the processors that powered them grew increasingly complex and specialized  to the point that, today, TSMC has become the only chip fab on the planet with the requisite tools and know-how to actually build them. In his new book, Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology, economic historian Chris Miller examines the rise of processor production as an economically crucial commodity, the national security implications those global supply chains might pose to America.

Chip War Cover

Excerpted from Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller. Reprinted with permission from Scribner. Copyright 2022.

Apple Silicon

The greatest beneficiary of the rise of foundries like TSMC was a company that most people dont even realize designs chips: Apple. The company Steve Jobs built has always specialized in hardware, however, so its no surprise that Apples desire to perfect its devices includes controlling the silicon inside. Since his earliest days at Apple, Steve Jobs had thought deeply about the relationship between software and hardware. In 1980, when his hair nearly reached his shoulders and his mustache covered his upper lip, Jobs gave a lecture that asked, What is software?

The only thing I can think of, he answered, is software is something that is changing too rapidly, or you dont exactly know what you want yet, or you didnt have time to get it into hardware.

Jobs didnt have time to get all his ideas into the hardware of the first-generation iPhone, which used Apples own iOS operating system but outsourced design and production of its chips to Samsung. The revolutionary new phone had many other chips, too: an Intel memory chip, an audio processor designed by Wolfson, a modem to connect with the cell network produced by Germanys Infineon, a Bluetooth chip designed by CSR, and a signal amplifier from Skyworks, among others. All were designed by other companies.

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As Jobs introduced new versions of the iPhone, he began etching his vision for the smartphone into Apples own silicon chips. A year after launching the iPhone, Apple bought a small Silicon Valley chip design firm called PA Semi that had expertise in energy-efficient processing. Soon Apple began hiring some of the industrys best chip designers. Two years later, the company announced it had designed its own application processor, the A4, which it used in the new iPad and the iPhone 4. Designing chips as complex as the processors that run smartphones is expensive, which is why most low- and midrange smartphone companies buy off-the-shelf chips from companies like Qualcomm. However, Apple has invested heavily in R&D and chip design facilities in Bavaria and Israel as well as Silicon Valley, where engineers design its newest chips. Now Apple not only designs the main processors for most of its devices but also ancillary chips that run accessories like AirPods. This investment in specialized silicon explains why Apples products work so smoothly. Within four years of the iPhones launch, Apple was making over 60 percent of all the worlds profits from smartphone sales, crushing rivals like Nokia and BlackBerry and leaving East Asian smartphone makers to compete in the low-margin market for cheap phones.

Like Qualcomm and the other chip firms that powered the mobile revolution, even though Apple designs ever more silicon, it doesnt build any of these chips. Apple is well known for outsourcing assembly of its phones, tablets, and other devices to several hundred thousand assembly line workers in China, who are responsible for screwing and gluing tiny pieces together. Chinas ecosystem of assembly facilities is the worlds best place to build electronic devices. Taiwanese companies, like Foxconn and Wistron, that run these facilities for Apple in China are uniquely capable of churning out phones, PCs, and other electronic. Though the electronics assembly facilities in Chinese cities like Dongguan and Zhengzhou are the worlds most efficient, however, they arent irreplaceable. The world still has several hundred million subsistence farmers whod happily fasten components into an iPhone for a dollar an hour. Foxconn assembles most of its Apple products in China, but it builds some in Vietnam and India, too.

Unlike assembly line workers, the chips inside smartphones are very difficult to replace. As transistors have shrunk, theyve become ever harder to fabricate. The number of semiconductor companies that can build leading-edge chips has dwindled. By 2010, at the time Apple launched its first chip, there were just a handful of cutting-edge foundries: Taiwans TSMC, South Koreas Samsung, and  perhaps  GlobalFoundries, depending on whether it could succeed in winning market share. Intel, still the worlds leader at shrinking transistors, remained focused on building its own chips for PCs and servers rather than processors for other companies phones. Chinese foundries like SMIC were trying to catch up but remained years behind.

Because of this, the smartphone supply chain looks very different from the one associated with PCs. Smartphones and PCs are both assembled largely in China with high-value components mostly designed in the U.S., Europe, Japan, or Korea. For PCs, most processors come from Intel and are produced at one of the companys fabs in the U.S., Ireland, or Israel. Smartphones are different. Theyre stuffed full of chips, not only the main processor (which Apple designs itself), but modem and radio-frequency chips for connecting with cellular networks, chips for WiFi and Bluetooth connections, an image sensor for the camera, at least two memory chips, chips that sense motion (so your phone knows when you turn it horizontal), as well as semiconductors that manage the battery, the audio, and wireless charging. These chips make up most of the bill of materials needed to build a smartphone.

As semiconductor fabrication capacity migrated to Taiwan and South Korea, so too did the ability to produce many of these chips. Application processors, the electronic brain inside each smartphone, are mostly produced in Taiwan and South Korea before being sent to China for final assembly inside a phones plastic case and glass screen. Apples iPhone processors are fabricated exclusively in Taiwan. Today, no company besides TSMC has the skill or the production capacity to build the chips Apple needs. So the text etched onto the back of each iPhone  Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in Chinais highly misleading. The iPhones most irreplaceable components are indeed designed in California and assembled in China. But they can only be made in Taiwan.
In case you forgot, Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake are one of the cutest A-list couples out there. Between the PDA and adorable Instagram pics, we cant get enough of these two. However, despite being two huge names in Hollywood, they keep things quite low-key, rarely making huge red-carpet appearances.

However, on Oct 8, the two decided to go out together for the 2022 CHLA (Childrens Hospital Los Angeles) Gala, and they looked stunning! See the photos here:

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Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images

While Biel and Timberlake usually keep their own styles on the red carpet, with both of them showing off their bold tastes, they shook things up a bit. Thats right, they ended up matching in a way for this red-carpet event, and we love how it came out.

Biel looked gorgeous in a tiered black dress from Giambattista Vallis FW22 Couture line. The dress has tiers of bows, followed by another tier of fluffy feathers in between. The floor-lengthened gown has crystals encrusted all around the edges, leaving Biel to show off her toned arms. The Candy star also wore her hair up in a loose bun, with her blonde hair peeking through on the side.

Click here to read the full article.

Now, Timberlake also came dressed to impress in a black velvet suit that matches the monochromatic color scheme his wife is rocking as well.

Held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, the 2022 CHLA Gala is an event that honors courageous children and the exceptional physicians, researchers, and caregivers, per their website. Many other stars came to the event, like Garcelle Beauvais, Chris Pine, Matt Le Blanc, Jimmy Kimmel, and more.

Pine and his father Robert were the hosts, with Timberlake being the star performer of the event. During the event, the gala honored Panda Express and Kristin and Jeffrey Worthe with the esteemed Courage to Care Award.

An amazing cause and stunning red-carpet fashion? What more could you as for?

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Biel and Timberlake started dating in 2007, later getting engaged in Dec 2011 and marrying less than a year later in Oct 2012. They have two sons together named Silas, 7, and Phineas, 2.

Before you go, click here to see the longest celebrity marriages.



Tim McGraw, Faith Hill

Launch Gallery: Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biels Best Parenting Moments

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When he previously campaigned for the U.S. Senate in 2020, I thought retired Army Brig. Gen. Don Bolduc seemed like an excellent candidate.

Im one of those people who like having lawmakers with a military background. Thats because these folks typically have a genuine appreciation of service and sacrifice, a tangible sense of honor, and a commitment to country over self.

These all seem to be increasingly rare qualities.

D. Allan Kerr

Which was part of what I considered Bolducs appeal. This is a guy who enlisted as a private and retired as a brigadier general, served 10  yes, 10  tours in Afghanistan, earned five Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts. He was one of the famous horse soldiers who took the fight directly to the Taliban after the 9/11 attacks.

(Some have quibbled that Bolduc wasnt technically one of the horse soldiers depicted in the 2018 Chris Hemsworth film 12 Strong, but the guy served on horseback in Afghanistan  in my mind, that makes him a horse soldier.)

Perhaps even more admirable than his brilliant war record is Bolducs willingness to cast a spotlight on his own struggle with post-traumatic stress, in an effort to alleviate the stigma of PTSD. This, I thought, is a leader.

After failing to win the GOP nomination for one New Hampshire Senate seat in 2020, Bolduc ran again this year for the other. Good for him, I thought.

But this time around, he acted more like a follower than a leader.

I was hugely disappointed when Bolduc decided to go along with the extreme whackjob wing of the Republican Party in promoting bogus theories of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. At this point, Im inclined to think most politicians promoting these claims are either dupes or liars  especially when considering, even two years later, not a single shred of evidence has turned up to back these theories.

I signed a letter with 120 other generals and admirals saying that Donald Trump won the election and, damn it, I stand by it, Bolduc said during the campaign.

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Then, in one of the clumsiest and most transparent political flipflops I can remember, he decided the election was legit after all  two days after he secured the Republican nomination. He claimed he had done a lot of research on this before suddenly realizing the election wasnt stolen after all.

So, heres the thing  we can disagree on issues like abortion and defense spending and Social Security, because everyones entitled to their opinion. But if you support the attempted overthrow of a lawfully elected government because it didnt go your way, I dont want you anywhere near a position of power. Period.

If Bolduc had made this declaration, say, a month before the Republican primary, that would have been a legit demonstration of courage, the kind of act I would expect from a war hero. Now he just looks like another cynical, opportunistic politician who vastly underestimated the intelligence of his constituents.

Say what you want about Maggie Hassan, the incumbent senator hes trying to unseat, but she strikes me as a doer.

Just in the past year, she and North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis introduced a bill to deliver health care and benefits to generations of veterans exposed to toxic substances.

She introduced a bipartisan bill with Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman to prepare the federal governments defenses against quantum-computing-enabled data breaches.

Hassan and Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley introduced a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI), to provide cyber defense training to state and local law enforcement agencies.

Another bill she introduced with Grassley and Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst to prevent companies from engaging in conflicts of interest in federal contracting passed the Senate.

She introduced a bill with Texas Republican John Cornyn to help prevent child abuse.

She introduced bipartisan legislation with Kentucky Republican Rand Paul to save taxpayer dollars and cut waste by eliminating duplicative government programs.

She co-sponsored a bill to expand benefits for public safety officers disabled by traumatic service-related experiences, and for the families of these officers who die by suicide stemming from those experiences. This was signed into law by President Joe Biden as the Public Safety Officer Support Act of 2022.

She teamed with Indiana Republican Sen. Mike Braun to push for additional training for doctors in dealing with opioid use disorders.

She teamed with Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton to successfully demand the POW/MIA flag be returned to its rightful place atop the White House after it was removed during the Trump Administration.

This past summer, the Senate passed four bipartisan bills Hassan cosponsored to increase funding for small police departments, improve officer training, and improve mental health support for officers.

Just this past week, her bill to continue helping veterans make the transition to civilian life passed the House and is heading to Bidens desk for signature. I could throw in many other examples, but you get the picture.

Around this time each election year, we hear a lot of empty rhetoric and buzzwords selected to incite rather than inspire. Maybe we should take a look at what people have actually accomplished in their respective roles and base our decisions on that.

D. Allan Kerr greatly admires Don Bolduc as an American warrior, but not so much as a politician.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kerr: General Bolduc not the leader I thought he was
'Timing is everything'

Whats that old expression? Timing is everything. All of a sudden, Gov. Mike DeWine is tossing out treats to we the voters.

More:Gov. Mike DeWine pitches eliminating Ohio sales tax on baby items amid abortion debate

Is he inspired by the spirit of Halloween or is it the upcoming November election in which he is up for reelection? Included in his bag of treats are a proposed elimination of sales taxes on baby items and expanded insurance coverage for lower-income mothers.

And just announced, a meager amount of state released funds for desperate food banks. Of which some of the above would have to be passed by our Republican-dominated Ohio legislature.

Good luck with that one, as they seem more interested in taking away womens right to choose, proliferation of guns, dictating school curriculum, gerrymandering voting districts, and their own pocketbooks. All of which seem more trick than treat in making Ohio, in DeWines words, the best place in the nation to have a baby and raise a family."

Susan B. West, Athens

What part of 'no law' is hard to understand?

The language is clear: Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion. The Constitution doesnt say some laws or a few laws. The prohibition against compelling the American citizenry to observe and support the tenets of a particular faith is absolute.

Thousands turned out for the first Ohio March for Life on Wednesday at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. The event was a show of support for ending abortion access in Ohio from the point of conception.

Unfortunately, it is apparent that the supporters of an absolute ban of abortion, including those who gathered at the Ohio Statehouse on Wednesday, (Oct. 6 "March advocates for banning abortion at conception") have rejected this foundational tenet of American freedom.

More:Ohioans march at Statehouse to oppose abortion

The crowd cheers as Jeanne Mancini speaks during the first Ohio March for Life on Wednesday at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. The event was a show of support for ending abortion access in Ohio from the point of conception. Ohio's Republican lawmakers are poised to ban nearly all abortions when they return to Columbus after the November elections.

More:Ohio lawmakers introduce bill banning abortion at conception unless mother's life at risk

Many of the speakers and others at the demonstration urged the adoption of their version of Christian principles to justify the restriction of the rights of others who believe differently. These people would, with no respect for our fundamental laws, establish their beliefs as compelling rules for all.

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No law means no law. Is that really so difficult to understand?

Ronald L. Solove, Columbus

Letters to the Editor

Share your thoughts:How to submit a letter to the editor for The Columbus Dispatch

'Faith in the spirit of liberty'

Near the end of her life, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was asked what she thought was the biggest threat to our democracy. She responded, A public that doesnt care about the rights we have.

More:Opinion: Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a role model and inspiration

In this July 24, 2013, file photo, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg poses for a photo in her chambers at the Supreme Court in Washington. Ginsburg developed a cultlike following over her more than 27 years on the bench, especially among young women who appreciated her lifelong, fierce defense of women's rights. She died Sept. 18, 2020.

She went on to quote Judge Learned Hand: When the fire dies in the hearts of people, there is no judge and no constitution that can restore it. She concluded, So my faith is in the spirit of liberty.

I cannot express any better my sentiments about the upcoming election. It is imperative that we overlook the chaos and do what is required of citizens in a democracy  register to vote by Oct. 11 and vote on Nov. 8  so that we can renew our faith in the spirit of liberty.

Laura Moorman, Westerville

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Letters: Abortion ban supporters pushing their religion on others
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, one writer delves into the history of the Old Spanish Trail and outlines how best to visit the trail today.

Getty Images

Antonio Armijo had a vision.

In 1829, at just 25 years old, Antonio Armijo set out to find a new path westward. He led a party of 60 men and 100 mules across the vast landscape between what is now Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Los Angeles (at the time of his journey, this region was still part of northern Mexico), in the hopes of discovering prosperous land for himself and his community. What he found was much larger than the 61 people who set out on the expedition. Ultimately, he created a path for hundreds of others to follow: the Old Spanish Trail.

Courtesy of NPS

The Old Spanish Trail lets us reframe the way we think of American history, Guy McClellan, Ph.D. and historian for the National Trails office of the National Park Service, told Travel + Leisure. Its important to recognize the northern expansion of Spanish culture." He explained that while many consider only the United States' migration in the 1800s (from east to west), it is more accurate to also acknowledge the northern frontier expansion of Mexico and New Spain.

Armijo's journey, which came in at just over 1,000 miles, began in Sante Fe, headed west to Abiquiu, New Mexico, and then onto Page, Arizona; Las Vegas; Barstow, California; and finally, Los Angeles. The path used by subsequent traders eventually forked into three trails: Armijo's path, then two additional, smaller trails that head farther north to destinations like Taos, New Mexico, but eventually reconnect with the original trail. These three pathways now make up the official 2,700-mile national historic trail.

William Dummitt/Getty Images

Armijo's trek was a significant one for Hispanic heritage (though it also presents challenges for researchers, as he kept a diary some call aggravatingly brief about the experience), as it finally realized the long-held dream to connect Santa Fe and L.A. for trading purposes. The route was not entirely unknown to Armijo or his contemporaries. In fact, it had been traveled for years prior by Indigenous people making their way to the California coast and other Hispanic explorers attempting their own journeys west. He had the knowledge of both his ancestors and others before him working in his favor. But his efforts enabled travelers to traverse back and forth along a more direct path between (present-day) New Mexico and California, creating commerce and community-building opportunities.

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They settled in California. It wasnt a one-and-done, Angelica Sanchez-Clark, Ph.D., and fellow historian with the National Trails, said. Some of the family members come back to New Mexico, and others make a concerted effort to settle communities in Southern California. [The trail] really connects these two really important places.

As the State Historic Preservation Office of Nevada noted, Though the Old Spanish Trail was difficult and perilous, the benefits could not be ignored. Perils included those by Mother Nature: dangerous stretches of craggy mountains, raging rivers, and desert landscapes that could swing from sweltering to freezing all too quickly. McClellan added, one explorer wrote in their log that they encountered deep snows and solitary gloom and needed to get bailed out on more than one occasion by Indigenous peoples along the way.

But the landscape wasnt the only treacherous part of the expedition. So too were the plentiful horse thieves who roamed the trail, transporting stolen stock taken from California's ranchos and missions, and those who used it to funnel Indigenous captives to New Mexico or California. The trail wasnt always a place of peace, Sanchez-Clark said. But for decades, it prevailed in its mission to transport goods and people between the two cities.

However, after the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848, Mexico ceded the region to the U.S. The trails once used by mules shifted and instead were replaced by wagonways. Thus, the Old Spanish Trail, made famous by Armijo some 30 years earlier, was abandoned and almost forgotten  until 2002, when it was revived and officially designated by Congress as one of the country's 19 national historic trails.

Though you cant hike the path taken by Armijo in its entirety (unless you want to walk along some of Americas busiest highways), you can visit key sections of the trail on day trips or by undertaking one epic road trip to see as many of its significant stops as you can.

Getty Images

The trail functions via a partnership between the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management, and with the help of tireless volunteers from organizations like the Old Spanish Trail Association, who maintain the trail physically and preserve it historically. Even now, some 20 years after its congressional designation, Sanchez-Clark explained, its a work in progress, but one her team is diligently working on to grow partnerships along the route to encourage more visitors.

For example, at the trail's starting point in New Mexico, travelers can visit the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, which displays thousands of artifacts from before, during, and after the trail's heyday.

In California, travelers can actually walk the pathway of Armijo and his fellow trekkers in Amargosa Canyon, which is home to a vast network of hiking trails that follow the same path used by the explorers.

Those looking to feel even more grounded in the experience can also make their way to Utah to further retrace the footsteps of these brave men and women by hiking the Old Spanish Trail Heritage Loop, where they may even come across old wagon ruts and other artifacts.

And in Colorado, travelers can stop at Fort Uncompahgre Interpretive Center, a trading hub used by those traveling the trail that shows visitors an as authentic as possible recreation of the 1829 experience.

As McClellan said, The Old Spanish trail provides an opportunity to interrogate some of the biases that we might have and further gives us a chance to explore our collective history and some of the most beautiful stretches of our nation, one mile at a time.
BlueWeave Consulting and Research Pvt Ltd

Global autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) market is categorized into five major geographic regions, namely North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. APAC is expected to continue to maintain its dominance in global AAC market by growing at the highest rate during the forecast period. The APAC AAC regional market is driven by increasing demand for lighter and sustainable materials in construction affordable housing units across major APAC cities which are increasing populated by people migrating from rural areas.

New Delhi, Oct. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) market is expanding at a significant growth rate owing to the worlds mega trends, such as rapid urbanization and industrialization, and increasing demand for green and lightweight construction materials, such as AAC, for building low-cost housing units that are gaining significant popularity in developing countries.



BlueWeave Consulting, a leading strategic consulting and market research firm, in its recent study, estimated Global Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Market size at USD 6.76 billion in 2021. BlueWeave forecasts global AAC market size to grow at a CAGR of 7.6% between 2022 and 2028 (forecast period), reaching a value of USD 11.08 billion by 2028. Rapid urbanization and industrialization; growing volumes of infrastructure activities across the world, particularly in developing countries and the Middle East; increasing popularity of low-cost housing units among people in emerging economies; and growing awareness among people about environment-friendly sustainable building materials are spurring a high demand for lighter construction materials, such as AAC, than the traditional ones. These global mega trends, in turn, are expected to boost the growth of global AAC market at a robust rate during the forecast period (20222028), as AAC is light weight and is made of green materials.

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Favorable properties of autoclaved aerated concrete

Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) is also known as various other names including autoclaved cellular concrete (ACC), Autoclaved Lightweight Concrete (ALC), and porous concrete. AAC is an environment friendly and lightweight material for construction. It is manufactured with aggregates including quartz sand, lime, cement, calcined gypsum, water, and aluminium powder or fly ash (as in China and India). As 80% of it contains air, AAC is a lightweight construction material manufactured, molded, and cut as blocks or panels in the factory. Construction companies use AAC for walls, floors, and roofs. As a cement-based product, AAC provides strength, sound and thermal insulation, structural capability, and construction and design flexibility. These favorable properties drive the demand for AAC. This, in turn, is expected to boost the growth of global AAC market during the period in analysis.

Request for Sample Report @ https://www.blueweaveconsulting.com/report/autoclaved-aerated-concrete-market/report-sample

Growing preference for affordable housing

Increasing environmental awareness and changes in peoples needs and demands have fueled the escalation in the number of smart city projects and low-cost green construction materials worldwide. Builders use the smart home concept and sustainable materials as integral parts of the construction of affordable residential and commercial buildings. In major emerging economies, such as China and India, there is a high demand for affordable housing units from their increasingly urbanized population. As the worlds most populous and developing countries, China and India are major markets for AAC products.

Challenge: Consumers lack of knowledge about AAC

Although AAC is gaining traction across the regional markets, there is a considerable lack of knowledge, particularly developing and under developing countries, about AAC and its benefits. High familiarity with traditional construction materials could act as a hurdle in understanding relatively new ones, such as AAC. This, in turn, could make people hesitant in choosing AAC over the known traditional materials. Hence, lack or limited knowledge about AAC could limit the growth of global AAC market.

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Global Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Market - Regional Insights

Based on geography, the global autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) market is segmented into five major regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is expected to continue its dominance in global AAC market by growing at the highest rate during the forecast period, due to an increasing demand for lighter and sustainable materials in construction affordable housing units across major APAC cities.

Impact of COVID-19 on Global Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Market

Covid-19 pandemic affected industries across verticals including global autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) market. The sudden rise in Covid-19 infections led to lockdown restrictions and precautionary measures were taken up to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. There was a complete stoppage in international trade, and the supply chain was disrupted. The manufacturing and operations of the key companies ceased, and the workers migrated to their hometowns. Moreover, the demand for AAC dropped as the construction and renovation of buildings were also put to a halt. During the post Covid-19 period, however, the world has started to witness significant increase in demand for AAC, as the smart city projects and construction activities have resumed.

Competitive Landscape

ACICO, AERCON AAC, Aercon Florida LLC, AKG Gazbeton, Bauroc International AS, Biltech Building Elements Limited, Buildmate Projects Pvt. Ltd., Eastland Building Materials Co., Ltd., Brickwell, CSR Ltd., H+H International A/S, JK Lakshmi Cement, Quinn Building Products, Solbet Sp Z.O.O, UAL Industries Ltd., UltraTech Cement Ltd., Wehrhahn GmbH, and Xella Group are key players operating in global autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) market. Other than collaborations, mergers, and partnerships, product diversification, research and development, and facility expansion are other key strategies executed by these companies to gain an edge over their competitors.

Do not miss the business opportunity in the Global Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Market. Consult our analysts to gain crucial insights and facilitate your business growth

The in-depth analysis of the report provides information about growth potential, upcoming trends, and statistics of the Global Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Market. It also highlights the factors driving forecasts of total market size. The report promises to provide recent technology trends in the Global Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) market and industry insights to help decision-makers make sound strategic decisions. Furthermore, the report also analyzes the growth drivers, challenges, and competitive dynamics of the market.







Recent Developments

In January 2022 - The H+H Group completed the acquisition of 52.5% of the shares in DOMAPOR GmbH & Co. KG, a Germany-based provider of Aircrete and calcium silicate blocks. The acquisition of DOMAPOR is expected to enable H+H to expand its presence in Germany wall-building materials market.

In January 2022 - Xella Group, a Europe-based leading provider of AAC, sold its insulation business unit URSA to Etex, a building material manufacturer based in Belgium. The URSA business unit consists of 13 production sites, located Europe.

Scope of the Report

Attributes Details Years Considered Historical Data  20182021 Base Year  2021 Estimated Year  2022 Forecast  20222028 Facts Covered Revenue in USD Billion Market Coverage North America (US, Canada), Europe (Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, The Netherlands, Belgium, NORDIC Countries, Rest of Europe), Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia & New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Rest of Asia Pacific), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Rest of Latin America), Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Iran, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Rest of Middle East and Africa) Product/Service Segmentation Application, Production Type, End User, Region Key Players Buildmate Projects Pvt. Ltd., Biltech Building Elements Limited, AKG Gazbeton, Aercon Florida LLC, Solbet Sp Z.O.O., UAL Industries Ltd, H+H International A/S, JK Lakshmi Cement, CSR Ltd., UltraTech Cement Ltd., Quinn Building Products, Bauroc International AS, Wehrhahn GmbH

By Application

Walls

Floors & Roofs

Others

By Production Type

Blocks

Beams & Lintels

Cladding Panels

Wall Panels

Roof Panels

Floor Elements

Others

By End User

Residential

Non-Residential

By Region

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa







Please Find Below Some New Report:

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BlueWeave Consulting (BWC) provides comprehensive Market Intelligence (MI) Solutions to businesses regarding various products and services online and offline. We offer all-inclusive market research reports by analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data to boost the performance of your business solutions. BWC has built its reputation from the scratch by delivering quality inputs and nourishing long-lasting relationships with its clients. We are one of the promising digital MI solutions companies providing agile assistance to make your business endeavors successful.

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Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty

When the U.S. announced the release of American hostage Mark Frerichsa navy veteran who has been held by the Taliban since 2020it failed to mention that he was released in exchange for a convicted Afghan drug trafficker and prominent Taliban ally, Bashir Noorzai.

After more than two years in captivity Frerichs is safe and on his way home from Afghanistan Marks return to his loved ones is the result of intense engagement with the Taliban, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week.

Halfway across the world in Afghanistan, the Taliban were also congratulating themselves for securing the release of Noorzai. Many Taliban leaders and fighters flocked to the Kabul airport carrying colorful garlands to welcome him.

Often dubbed the Pablo Escobar of Afghanistan, Noorzai is a notorious drug lord from the southern Afghan province of Kandahar. He was the earliest financier of the Taliban in the 1990s, fueling the groups insurgency with funds from his illicit narcotic trades.

You cant imagine the importance of this man within the Taliban, former Afghan security official Ahmad Shuja Jamal told The Daily Beast.

A Brothers Dying Words to Miracle Sisters Who Escaped the Taliban

Now, his release after more than a decade has Afghan experts and political stakeholders guessing if the U.S. is leaving the door open for establishing ties with the Taliban.

He is very influential within the Taliban, but particularly within the Noorzai tribe where most of the Taliban leadership come from, former Afghan spy chief Rahmatullah Nabil told The Daily Beast, adding that as one of the founding father of the Taliban, Noorzai wields considerable influence over senior leaders like Mullah Haibatullah, the current leader of the Taliban.

In the past, he was an intermediary between Taliban leaders and the Americans in 2001. I suspect even now his release is conditional to a deal with the Americans, Nabil said. He is someone who can influence the Taliban to bring about desired changes, those that the international community wants to see. He could be the U.S.s man inside the Taliban.

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According to Noorzais lawyer, the former drug lord had cooperated with the U.S. before his arrest, and once handed over 15 truckloads of weapons, including about 400 anti aircraft missiles that had been hidden by the Taliban in his tribes territory.

Speaking at his own grand welcome in Kabul, Noorzai said he hoped his release would improve relations with the U.S. I hope this exchange can lead to peace between Afghanistan and America, because an American was released and I am also free now, he said.

Aside from his political influence, Noorzai brings the promise of financial relief through his drug trade to a flailing Taliban leadership, which has been running the country on fumes left behind after the fall of the previous government.

Afghanistan's acting Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid and Afghan tribal leader Bashir Noorzai sit during a news conference after a prisoner swap, in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sept. 19, 2022. Reuters

In the last one year, the Taliban have come to realize that it is difficult to run a government and not as easy as running a guerrilla war fuelled by drug trafficking and black marketing funds, a former Afghan security official familiar with counternarcotics efforts under in the previous government told The Daily Beast.

While outwardly, the Taliban has banned opium cultivation and trade in Afghanistan, the illicit drug trade has in fact continued to grow. Afghanistans opium production, contributing to over 80 percent of the global supply, now covers 263,000 hectares of landthree times more than in 2001, when the U.S. invaded the country.

The Taliban have been less than forthcoming with experts wanting to quantify the problem, but recent satellite imagery revealed that the Taliban have felled native pomegranate farms to replace them with opium fields. Similarly, images show that a prime narcotic trading hubthe Abdul Wadood market, has also expanded.

Noorzais return to Afghanistan will only fuel this problem, the security official said.

Noorzai isnt the first drug smuggler the US [had] released; about 50 other drug traffickers were released after the Doha deal, but he is certainly the most prominent, the official said. All of them [released prisoners] have gone back to their narcotic business again, as will Noorzai. The Taliban continue to depend on drug trafficking and smuggling to sustain themselves financially.

While the Taliban has been seeking recognition from the international government and the lifting of sanctions on their members, they have not only continued to breach agreements of the Doha deal, but have also been committing large-scale human rights violations. Most recently, Al Zawhiri, the Al Qaeda chief, was targeted by a U.S. drone in the heart of Kabul, contrary to the Taliban claims that they have severed ties with the militant organization responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

Nabil speculated that whether Noorzai returns to the narcotic trade will depend on the political responsibility he is given, not just by the Taliban, but also the U.S.

He may not return to narco-trade openly if he has struck a deal with the American to be the go-between with the Taliban, perhaps even their de facto ruler, he said. I believe then he might seek to consolidate his power politically, perhaps even assume the role of the de facto leader of the Taliban.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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A video circulating online appeared to show a Chick-fil-A employee spitting in chicken batter.

A worker shown in the clip said it was the "secret formula," per ABC24 Memphis.

An operator for the chain said two employees involved had been fired "effective immediately."

Two employees at the Chick-fil-A restaurant in West Memphis, Arkansas, have been fired after a video appeared to show one of them spitting in food.

A video shared by ABC 24 Memphis showed what appeared to be a Chick-fil-A employee saying "from the secret formula right now" before seemingly spitting in the chicken batter.

Jonathan Cardwell, an operator for the restaurant chain, described the employees' behavior as "completely unacceptable."

He wrote on the restaurant's Facebook page: "We have identified the Team Member, as well as the one filming, and have terminated employment effective immediately. We have very strict standards and high expectations for Food Safety, Team Member behavior, and our Guest Experience and this was an egregious violation of all of the above."

"You trust us to deliver you safe, fresh food with a team who genuinely cares about you. We fell short of those expectations here," the statement read.

Cardwell also apologized and said the company takes such matters "very seriously."

Chick-fil-A did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside of standard business hours.

West Memphis station WREG-TV contacted the Arkansas Department of Health to determine whether an investigation would be launched. The department responded: "The Arkansas Department of Health takes all restaurant complaints seriously and will follow up with an inspection of the facility."

"Our environmental health specialists will investigate the complaint and if the statements made in the complaint are found to be occurring, we will implement interventions to correct the issues."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Three Topeka children died Saturday morning when the van in which they were riding was struck by a semi-trailer as it started to turn through the wall on the Kansas Turnpike, about five miles southwest of its south Topeka interchange.

A Kansas Highway Patrol accident report identified those killed as Laila El Azari, 9, Kylie Lunn, 9, and Brooklyn Peery, 8.

Two of the children who died were fourth-graders at Farley Elementary School while one was a third-grader at Jay Shideler Elementary School, said Scott McWilliams, superintendent for Auburn Washburn USD 437, in an email sent Saturday to all the district's parents at staff.

Carrington Peery, 5, of Topeka, suffered a suspected serious injury while Amber Marie Peery, 32, of Topeka, suffered a possible injury and Gabriella Ponomarez, 9, of Topeka, suffered a suspected minor injury, the report said.

How did the crash occur?

A student from Jay Shideler Elementary School were among three children who died Saturday in a crash on the Kansas Turnpike.

The accident report said Amber Peery was driving a 2018 Dodge van with the five children as her passengers when it became involved at 9:07 a.m. Saturday in a crash with a 2022 Kenworth semi driven by Robert Hosey Russell, 70, of Huntsville, Ala., who wasn't hurt.

Both vehicles were southbound on the turnpike when the crash occurred, the accident report said.

"(Peery's vehicle) went to turn through the barrier wall," it said. "(Russell's vehicle) then struck (Peery's vehicle)."

Both drivers were wearing safety restraints, the accident report said. It didn't address whether the passengers wore safety restraints.

What is the school district doing?

Students at Farley and Jay Shideler elementary schools will be notified of what happened Monday morning in an age-appropriate manner, McWilliams said in his email Saturday to Auburn-Washburn students and staff.

"We are saddened by the loss to our school community and will make every effort to help you and your child in the days ahead," he said.

USD 437's schools have crisis teams made up of professionals trained to help with the needs of students, parents and school employees "at difficult times such as this," McWilliams said.

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"There will be designated areas of support offered to students who need time to process, discuss or grieve," he said. "We will have counselors and social workers available to meet with students and staff members as needed. We encourage you, as parents, to also reach out to our counseling office for assistance if needed."

Tim Hrenchir can be reached at 785-213-5934 or threnchir@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas Turnpike crash kills 3 children from Auburn-Washburn USD 437
Anna Delvey was convicted of fraud and grand larceny in 2019 (AFP via Getty)

Fake German heiress Anna Delvey, the subject of hit Netflix drama Inventing Anna, has spoken about her release from prison on house arrest and trying to fix what Ive done wrong.

In her first interview after her release on house arrest from the Orange County Detention Centre  where she spent 18 months after US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) determined she had overstayed her visa  Delvey said she was really happy to return to Manhattan, and lauded her attorney for aligning with her vision and fighting for getting her bail.

Nothing was guaranteed. They denied bail before. It was an exercise in perseverance, Delvey told The New York Times. So many immigration lawyers told me Id get deported to Mars before Id get out in New York. And I just had to find the person who [wouldnt] accept no for an answer and make it happen.

Delvey, 31, conned friends and big banks out of hundreds of thousands of dollars before she was convicted in 2019 of fraud and grand larceny and sentenced to between four and 12 years in prison. After paying back her victims, Delvey was briefly released in February 2021 before she was arrested by ICE.

A judge ordered her release on house arrest earlier this week after finding that her status as a public figure made it difficult for her to avoid detention, and her risk of flight [is] sufficiently mitigated, according to filings obtained by The Daily Beast.

Delvey told the Times that she did not want to fight her immigration case from Germany because she didnt want people to think she only cares about obscene wealth and could not handle a period in jail.

She added: ... and thats just not the reality. I could have left, but I chose not to because Im trying to fix what Ive done wrong. I have so much history in New York and I felt like if I were in Europe, Id be running from something. But if jail does not prove people wrong, then what will? she said.

When asked about how she got the money to pay for her $10,000 bail and her East Village apartment rent  which included three months upfront  Delvey simply told the Times to ask the government. She added that the money was hers.

Story continues

John [Sandweg], my lawyer, found [the apartment] for me. I obviously wasnt able to do anything from jail. I have a great team around me, so it was all thanks to them, she further explained.

As for the benefits that shell be getting on house arrest, Delvey said she expects better food and is excited about having visitors past 1.30pm on Thursdays.

Delvey also told the Times that she now has a better relationship with her parents, and calls them every other day. Although she is excited about resuming her work in art, Delvey said she has a lot more going on and has recently been working on a podcast.

The Russian-born con artists story was dramatised in the Netflix series Inventing Anna (AP/Netflix)

But its not shaped up yet. It was pretty hard to record anything high-quality from jail, Delvey said. And then theres my book. Id love to do something with criminal-justice reform to kind of highlight the struggles of other girls.

She added that she will not give critics the satisfaction of seeing her fail, and warn them not to expect her to do anything crazy or illegal.

I learned so much being in jail. Theres a very well-documented arc about how Ive felt about everything. It wouldnt be right if I were just to switch in one day, Delvey told the Times. I am regretful about the way things played out. The way Ive tried to see my experience is to learn from it: Who I am today is because of the decisions I made in the past.

In a ruling earlier this week, Judge Conroy said that Delvey had demonstrated interest in pursuing legitimate employment in the United States, pursuits that will face heavy public scrutiny, which ultimately will lessen her flight risk.

At her trial in 2019, Ms Devey was found guilty of scamming more than $200,000 (147,000) from hotels, banks and other institutions. She disguised herself as a German heiress in order to swindle large sums from associates and friends.

The Russian-born con artists story was dramatised in the Netflix series Inventing Anna. Insider reported Netflix paid Delvey $320,000, but her funds were frozen and used to pay her victims.
PHOENIX  The Arizona Court of Appeals on Friday blocked a trial court's decision that allowed immediate enforcement of a pre-statehood law that criminalizes nearly all abortions.

The ruling means that abortions can again take place in Arizona, at least for now, unless the state Supreme Court steps in.

The three-judge panel agreed with Planned Parenthood that the judge should not have lifted the decades-old order blocking its enforcement.

The brief order written by Presiding Judge Peter J. Eckerstrom said Planned Parenthood and its Arizona affiliate had shown they are likely to prevail on an appeal of a decision by the judge in Tucson to allow enforcement of the old law. They said the judge should have considered a host of laws restricting abortions passed since the original injunction was put in place following the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade that said women have a constitutional right to an abortion.

Those laws include a new one blocking abortions after 15 weeks' pregnancy that took effect last month.

The Supreme Court overruled Roe in June, and Republican Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich then asked that the injunction blocking enforcement of the pre-statehood abortion be lifted. Pima Court Superior Court Judge Kellie Johnson agreed on Sept. 23 and lifted the order two weeks ago.

Providers across the state stopped abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court decision, but many restarted procedures in mid-summer. That came after a federal judge blocked a separate personhood law they worried would allow criminal charges against doctors and nurses. They halted again after Johnson's ruling.

The appeals court said the trial court erred by limiting its analysis only to the attorney general's request to lift the injunction issued after Roe was handed down and refusing to consider the later laws passed by the Legislature to regulate abortion.

Arizona courts have a responsibility to attempt to harmonize all of this states relevant statutes, Eckerstrom wrote, mirroring arguments made by attorneys for Planned Parenthood.

The appeals court set a hearing for next week to consider whether to set an expedited schedule for hearing Planned Parenthood's full appeal.
Amanda Kitchingman Roban-Cook surprised her husband by wearing two wedding dresses on their special day. Almida Meyer Photography

A bride in Washington surprised her husband by wearing a decoy wedding dress for their first look.

But for the ceremony, Amanda Kitchingman Roban-Cook changed into a custom black wedding dress.

She told Insider her husband was "underwhelmed" by the decoy, but teared up seeing the real one.

A bride in Washington surprised her husband in a black wedding dress after she wore a decoy for their first look that left him "underwhelmed"  pulling off the ultimate wedding day prank.

Amanda Kitchingman Roban-Cook, 28, and her husband Alex tied the knot in September after they began dating in 2016, she told Insider. The couple met while working as EMT basics on ambulance night shifts in Reno, Nevada. They currently live in Washington where Amanda works as a cardiac nurse and Alex is a firefighter.

After their engagement in 2020, Amanda said she began looking into bringing her vision for the perfect wedding dress to life. Inspired by Morticia Addams from "The Addams Family," she told Insider she wanted to design a black, caped dress.

The couple during their first-look photoshoot. Almida Meyer Photography

But a month before the wedding, which took place an hour north of Seattle by a national park, they decided to do their vows in private.

"I had spent the better part of a year working on that dress, designing that dress, picturing what it would look like with me coming down the aisle and him looking at me and his reaction," she said. But by doing their vows privately, she said she was worried she'd miss out on the experience of seeing Alex's live reaction to her dress as she walked down the aisle.

That's when she got the idea to surprise Alex by wearing not one, but two wedding dresses on their special day.

The couple sharing a kiss on their wedding day. Almida Meyer Photography

Amanda told Insider she dug out a silver gown she bought for $300 on Pinterest five years ago to wear for their first look and vows, tricking Alex into believing it was the real wedding dress.

One thing about their relationship she shared she loves is how they've never stopped having fun together.

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"We kind of both vowed to never take ourselves too seriously and never grow up," Amanda said. "Especially early on in our relationship we played a lot of pranks on each other."

When Alex saw her in the decoy dress, Amanda said she could see a hint of disappointment in his eyes as he had previously been so confident she'd wear black. "I don't think anybody else would have really caught it, but I could just see the slightest 'What?' in his face," Amanda said.

Amanda's dress featured a removable skirt. Almida Meyer Photography

But thankfully, she had a style "switcheroo" in store. After their vows, with the help of two friends, she swapped into her real gown  a Lace & Liberty black wedding dress inspired by Morticia Addams, which cost roughly $5,000 to custom design.

"I wanted something very unique and very dramatic," Amanda said of the gown, which featured a cape veil, a lace overlay with star details, and a removable skirt that she said made her feel like a princess.

Walking down to the altar with her father by her side, Amanda told Insider that seeing Alex's reaction made the prank worth it. "I saw Alex have the realization wash over him that this was a totally different dress," she said.

Amanda said Alex "absolutely lost it" when he saw her walk out in her real wedding dress. Almida Meyer Photography

Not one to usually cry, Alex couldn't help but shed a tear seeing Amanda in her real gown because it was so much more her style, she said.

"He just absolutely lost it, he had to turn away and ask for a tissue because he said he was about two seconds away from ugly crying up at the altar," she said. And it wasn't just Alex that got emotional seeing her in the black gown. Their wedding was intimate, she said, with just 50 guests in attendance.

"I think I made at least half of the crowd cry," Amanda said. "Our friends and extended family were blown away."

And having spent so much time designing her perfect wedding dress, Amanda said she has zero plans to keep it in storage. Amanda told Insider that her mother-in-law made a comment about how she can now "put the dress away and never look at it again," at the wedding, to which Amanda said absolutely not.

Amanda said she definitely plans to wear her wedding dress again. Almida Meyer Photography

"I have to find something to wear this to, even if it's just putting it on and walking in the park and scaring little children," she said.

Jokes aside, Amanda told Insider that she may break out the dress for an upcoming Vampire-themed Ball in Seattle.

"There's an opportunity to wear it again," she said.

Read the original article on Insider
Story at a glance

Since the early 2000s, natural gas development rapidly expanded across Pennsylvania, but its extraction and processing poses environmental and health harms.

Throughout their campaigns, candidates have weighed in on the sector and the role regulations play in protecting human health and jobs.

The outcome of the election will be pivotal in determining whether Republicans take control of the Senate in November.

The Pennsylvania Senate race between Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz has made national headlines, not only because its outcome could determine which party takes control of the chamber come November, but for personal jabs made by each candidate taking aim at everything from personal health to puppy-killing pasts.

But largely absent from the headlines are the candidates respective views on the states massive natural gas industry, and both the jobs and hazards that come with it.

In a state with a history of strong union values and pioneering environmental programs, Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman is vying to gain support from two groups of constituents that often hold contrasting end goals.

A pro-union candidate, Fetterman is fighting for the blue collar vote in the traditionally red, rural areas of Pennsylvania, promising to preserve the union way of life for the thousands of workers employed by the states natural gas industry.

However, a self-proclaimed environmental justice advocate, Fetterman concedes climate change is an existential threat and supports the transition to clean energy as soon as possible.

The balancing act may ultimately pitch the economic interests of the second-highest producer of natural gas in the country with the health and environmental risks of natural gas extraction and production.

Earlier this week, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved the race from its lean Democrat column to toss up, as polling data shows Fettermans slight lead over Oz is shrinking.

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A closer look at the positions

Although Fetterman previously supported a temporary ban on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) during his 2016 senate run, he later reversed his position following Governor Tom Wolfs introduction of new regulations on the industry.

But some question the efficacy of Fettermans current dual approach.

I think hes making a play for blue collar voters and for rural voters, but its more based on style and nativism than really issue substance, and thats his problem, Republican political consultant Keith Naughton told Changing America. Its hard closing the deal, unless youre addressing peoples concerns on the issue front.

A September poll from CBS News shows the economy, inflation and crime are among the top concerns for Pennsylvania voters ahead of the midterm election.

Naughton also noted attacks on the natural gas industry in the past have hurt Democrats in Pennsylvania and resulted in less support from trade unions.

Now the Republicans have nominated some pretty bad candidates, so it hasnt reflected in wins and losses on the statewide scale, but its definitely put the state into a more competitive category, certainly for president.

Politically, prioritizing environmental concerns over union interests poses a problem in the absence of an alternative energy source, or if the alternative is more expensive or is simply energy shortages, he added. Youre going to lose that debate, Naughton said. So if you want to move away from natural gas, youve got to have a real efficient, cost effective alternative.

America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.

Fetterman has received endorsements from several environmental groups including the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, Clean Water Action, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. But some activists are reluctant to lend their support. Hes also been endorsed by the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and United Steelworkers District 10.

John rejects this notion that you have to pick between the environment and good union jobs, said Fetterman campaign spokesperson Joe Calvello.

We need to make sure we are supporting these unions, union workers who work in the natural gas industry here in Pennsylvania, in making sure that they have stability, and they have a future, Calvello said. At the same time, we need to make sure that Pennsylvania is an absolute leader in green energy.

Meanwhile, Fettermans Republican rival, vehement natural-gas proponent Mehmet Oz, has called out the candidates previous support for a ban on fracking, claiming it would result in job losses.

Doubling down on his staunch pro-union views, the Fetterman campaign refuted Ozs claim, stating John has stood up to politicians to fight for U.S. Steels right to build fracking wells, and pointed to the criticism Fetterman received on the subject during the Democratic primary.

We cant just abandon these [workers], and tell them to go learn how to code, a Fetterman spokesperson told WFMZ-TV in August.

As the United States continues to use more solar and wind power, ensuring these technologies are not built in China but are instead domestically manufactured can help the green energy transformation while preserving jobs at the same time, Cavello said. John always says Republicans need to get real about climate change and Democrats need to get real about our energy security.

Oz himself previously expressed concern about the health risks of fracking and called for the full disclosure of any chemicals leaked into the environment throughout the process.

But in his current bid for Senate, Oz has cemented his support for the natural gas industry, promising to overturn heavy-handed regulations imposed by the Biden administration he argues are stifling domestic energy production, his website reads.

Throughout his campaign, Oz received donations totalling over $200,000 from oil and gas companies, while he and his wife hold stakes in ConocoPhillips and Pioneer Natural Resources  two major oil and gas companies that both conduct fracking operations.

The Oz campaign did not respond to questions from Changing America for this story.

Natural gas in PA

The natural gas industry currently employs over 72,000 workers in Pennsylvania, and as of 2021, over half of all Pennsylvania households rely on natural gas as their primary home heating fuel.

Since its boom in the early 2000s, natural gas has been touted as a clean transition fuel by companies, a claim they make based on the fact that when burned, it does not emit nearly as much carbon dioxide and other pollutants compared with coal or oil.

Over this time period, fracking shale formations became the dominant form of extracting natural gas, and in 2000, the United States operated around 23,000 hydraulically fractured wells. That number grew to around 300,000 by 2015.

In Pennsylvania, natural gas production from fracking grew by 6.8 percent in 2021 over the previous year, while the 518 new wells drilled in 2021 was the greatest year-over-year annual increase since 2017, according to the states Independent Fiscal Office.

To frack a well, a stream of high-pressure water, chemicals and sand is injected into cracks in and below the earths surface, forcing trapped gas to rise.

But the process has been criticized by environmentalists for its resource-intensive nature, the huge amounts of wastewater it produces and other lasting harms.

A faster transition away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy will more quickly diminish the health harms associated with fossil fuels, particularly shale gas, Alison Steele, Executive Director at the Environmental Health Project (EHP), told Changing America.

EHP was founded a decade ago during the onset of the shale boom in southwest Pennsylvania. The nonprofit works to better incorporate public health into policies on shale gas development.

In a white paper published earlier this year, EHP outlined what it called Pennsylvanias failure to adequately address the public health concerns of the fracking boom.

Any type of loosening of regulations on the industry, which is already loosely regulated and very poorly enforced, at least in Pennsylvania, would mean an increase of potential health risks for people in frontline communities, Steele said.

Apart from health concerns, methane leaks from natural gas production are top-of-mind for environmentalists, as the greenhouse gas is over 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere, according to the EPA. Leaks of volatile organic compounds have also been documented near oil and gas drilling activities, while some of these substances are carcinogenic and can lead to long-term health problems.

Not only has methane been found to leak from abandoned wells, but leaks have been documented at every single stage of the gas supply chain, from the point of extraction, to processing the gas, transporting it, storing it, said Robert Routh, an attorney and consultant with the Pennsylvania-based Clean Air Action Fund.

Even if the most stringent regulatory policies are enacted, zero leakage will never be achieved, Routh said.

If enough methane leaks, given how extremely potent it is as a greenhouse gas, any climate benefits [of natural gas production] compared to coal could be wiped out.

Understanding the economics

A common argument against increased regulation of the natural gas industry or bans on fracking as a whole is that any new restrictive legislation will have detrimental effects on the thousands of workers in the state and its economy.

But research from 2021 shows counties that produced the most natural gas across Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia between 2008 and 2019 saw a decline in their share of jobs, income, and population compared with national rates. The report was conducted by the Ohio River Valley Institute, a non-profit organization that focuses on clean energy and equitable democracy throughout Appalachia.

I would say if were going to have an economic conversation, let it be a comprehensive economic conversation including information like [the Ohio River Valleys report], and also talking about the economic impacts of poor health outcomes, said Steele.

These can include costs of missed days of school and work, expenses for emergency room visits, hospitalizations, medications, and injuries, Steele said.

There are a significant number of health impacts that are tied to public health as well and that very often gets left out of the conversation.

Routh also argues theres a false choice between having clean energy, a growing economy, and family-sustaining job growth, especially given the clean energy incentives included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

For Pennsylvania specifically, the Act is expected to bring a $270 million investment for large-scale clean power generation and storage between 2022 and 2030, and provide tax credits to create jobs across solar, wind, and other clean energy industries.

We really want to make sure that if there are conversations happening about how we move forward [with the transition to renewable energy], residents of those communities have to have a place at the table and a role in the decision making process and often they have not, Steele said.

We recognize their need to be meaningful opportunities and that means good, safe, well-paying jobs located in areas where there could be a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines joined the Oneworld alliance in March 2021, joining carriers like Finnair and British Airways.

The carrier has been given awards for its inflight product and customer service.

I flew Alaska for the first time and thought it lacked amenities, but is a good option if the price is right.

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines is one of the US' biggest carriers, flying over 32 million passengers in 2021.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet. Shutterstock

Source: Statista

The airline mostly operates routes on the West Coast from its bases in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Anchorage.

Alaska Airlines Disney plane. Alaska Airlines

Source: Alaska Airlines

However, it also flies to Canada, as well as eastbound to places like Boston and Tampa, and southbound to Mexico and Central America.

Alaska Airlines orca livery. Alaska Airlines

Source: Alaska Airlines, Alaska unveiled its new Boeing 737 MAX 9 livery featuring the orca whale. Here's how the scene was designed and painted.

Recently, Alaska has expanded its international presence via its Oneworld alliance with carriers like American Airlines, British Airways, and Finnair.

American Airlines oneworld livery. Tupungato/Shutterstock

Source: Alaska Airlines

The carrier joined the global partnership in March 2021 and said in December the alliance would offer over 100 nonstop flights from the West Coast to Europe by summer 2022.

Alaska Airlines

Source: Alaska Airlines

"With the new Oneworld member airline flights to Europe and extensive connections at Alaska's hubs, the possibilities are endless for customers planning that long-awaited trip to Europe," Oneworld CEO Rob Gurney said in a press release.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker (L), British Airways CEO Alex Cruz (2L), IAG CEO Willie Walsh (C), Oneworld CEO Rob Gurney (2R) and Qantas CEO Alan Joyce attend a press conference in London on February 1, 2019, with the chief executives of the airlines that form Oneworld Alliance. Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images

Source: Alaska Airlines

Alaska has also deepened its partnership with American to grow the pair's West Coast International Alliance, which was announced in February 2020.

Alaska Airlines AaronP/Bauer-Griffin / Getty Images

American Airlines and Alaska just announced a new partnership, which will create new travel options for just about anyone on the West Coast

The partnership compliments American's Northeast Alliance with JetBlue Airways.

American Airlines and JetBlue Airways NYC Russ/Shutterstock

Source: DoT, American and JetBlue are expanding their Northeast Alliance despite a looming DoJ lawsuit that could unravel it all

Story continues

While the pair already operated domestic codeshares before the announcement, the enhanced partnership will allow Alaska customers to seamlessly travel on American's international flights under one booking.

American Airlines and JetBlue Airways Chris O'Meara/AP

Source: Insider

In addition to its extensive network, Alaska is known for its impressive product, ranking high in JD Power's 2022 annual airline satisfaction survey.

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 EcoDemonstrator. Thomas Pallini/Insider

J.D. Power ranked airlines across 3 fare classes according to its annual customer satisfaction survey  see the results

Specifically, Alaska came in second behind JetBlue for its first class, and third for its premium class behind JetBlue and Delta Air Lines. Its regular economy product came in fifth but was still above the industry average.

Delta's domestic first class on its A321neo. Jennifer Bradley Franklin/Insider

Source: JD Power, Boeing's most controversial plane is being used to fight climate change. See inside the new Boeing 737 Max ecoDemonstrator.

The carrier also performed relatively well during the summer of travel chaos that saw thousands of flight disruptions due to staffing shortages and severe weather, among other factors.

Airport passengers wait in line during the travel chaos. James D. Morgan/Getty Images

From May 27 to September 13, Alaska only canceled 1% of its 77,410 total scheduled flights and delayed 18%, per FlightAware data. That compares to 3% and 26%, respectively, by the US' worst offender, American.

American's ticket counter in DC. Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: FlightAware

Given its reputation, I decided to fly Alaska for the first time to see if the airline lived up to expectations. Here's what my five-and-a-half-hour flight from Seattle to New Jersey was like.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

My journey started bright and early at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. I arrived around 6:00 a.m. for my 7:40 a.m. flight.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

Because I checked in online, I had a mobile boarding pass and could head straight to security.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

However, the Alaska check-in desk at Seattle is huge and there are plenty of kiosks to print a boarding pass or bag tag.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

I cleared security in less than five minutes thanks to TSA PreCheck and was at the gate within 20 minutes of arriving at the airport. I'll admit, the walk to the N gates was long, so I'm glad I got there early.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

At the gate I learned the flight was slightly delayed by 20 minutes, but we were able to make up some time in the sky.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

We started boarding the Boeing 737-900 around 7:40. I was one of the last people on the plane, but there was still space in the overhead for my carry-on.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

Alaskas 737-900 is configured with 16 first class loungers and 162 economy seats, including 24 extra legroom.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

Economy seats offer 31-32 inches of legroom, which is more than competitors like Delta, which only offers 30-31 inches on its 737-900, per SeatGuru.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: SeatGuru

However, the seats on Alaska are slightly more narrow, offering 17 inches of width versus 17.2 inches on Delta and 17.3 on most of United's 737-900s.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: SeatGuru

I was assigned seat 29D during booking, which I was happy with because I prefer the aisle.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

I found the economy seat perfectly comfortable with plenty of legroom. I'm 5'3" and on the smaller side, so I fit into most airline seats.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

However, taller passengers may opt for an extra legroom seat with 35 inches of pitch, which is an added fee, or first class.

Alaska's first class section on its Boeing 737-900. Taylor Rains/Insider

The first thing I noticed when I sat down was the lack of seatback screens. I flew United's Boeing 737 MAX to Seattle, which had the TVs, so I was a little disappointed.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

I flew on United's Boeing 737 MAX 8 in economy from Newark to Seattle and saw how the upgraded cabin easily competes with Delta and American

However, Alaska does offer inflight streaming on laptops and smartphones, similar to Southwest Airlines, so I was able to pass the time.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

Despite lacking inflight screens, the seats did have a few amenities, like seatback pockets and a conveniently placed power outlet...

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

...an adjustable headrest...

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

and large tray tables. I worked for most of the flight and had plenty of space for my laptop.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

The WiFi was also reliable and affordable, costing just $8.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

Soon after takeoff, the flight attendants came through the cabin to serve drinks and snacks.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

I tried a few of Alaska's offerings, including Biscoff cookies

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

a Mini Braid snack

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

and a ham, egg, and arugula breakfast sandwich, which I pre-ordered for $8.50. All of the food was good, and I'm glad the carrier had meal options on the long transcontinental flight.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

I also enjoyed a cup of coffee.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

It is important to note that many meals, like the sandwich, require customers to pre-order online. But there are buy-onboard options too, like a tapas "picnic pack."

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: Alaska Airlines

Overall, I had a good experience as a first-time customer on Alaska. I was happy with the generous legroom and delicious food options...

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

and thought the seat was comfortable, despite the lack of inflight screens. I wouldn't hesitate to book the carrier again if the price is right.

Flying Alaska from Seattle to Newark in economy. Taylor Rains/Insider

Read the original article on Business Insider
Thawanny Silva de Souza, 6, and Rafael Silva de Souza, 9, eat a lunch of rice, beans and egg in their familys house, in the Arco Iris favela in Recife, Brazil (Reuters)

The spectre of hunger hangs over Brazils presidential race this year like few before it.

Rampant inflation and fallout from the pandemic have pushed food insecurity here to levels nearly unrecognisable a decade ago. One in three Brazilians say they have struggled recently to feed their families.

Trailing in the polls and eager to offer relief, President Jair Bolsonaro dribbled budget rules to boost Brazils main welfare programme by 50 per cent through to the end of the year.

But that has failed to move the needle so far. Opinion surveys show his support among the poorest Brazilians flat or flagging since the more generous payouts started.

Luciana Messias dos Santos, 29, poses for a picture in front of her empty fridge at her home in the Estrutural favela in Brasilia (Reuters)

Thawanny eats a lunch of rice, beans and egg in her family's house, in the Arco Iris favela (Reuters)

Welfare recipients interviewed by Reuters in a half dozen states were reluctant to give Bolsonaro credit for the expiring election-year benefits. Most said they are pulling for his left-wing rival, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who slashed hunger and extreme poverty with the help of a commodity boom during his 2003-2010 presidency.

In the slums of Brazilian cities, families are struggling to feed themselves as hunger rises in the powerhouse food exporter.

Were the forgotten ones. There is no lunch today, says Dona Monica in a favela called Arco Iris (Rainbow) on a river smelling of sewers and urine in the northeastern city of Recife where dengue is rife.

Carla Marquez, 36, who is six months pregnant, cries as she talks about gas and food prices in the room where she and her family live in Sao Paulo (Reuters)

Luciana stands with her son, as she cooks using firewood outside her home (Reuters)

In the centre of Sao Paulo, Brazils largest city, Carla Marquez lives in a room paid for by a church with her husband Carlos Henrique Mendes, 25, and their five-year-old daughter. We havent bought food in ages. Prices are absurdly high. Ive nothing to give her, the 36-year old mother said in tears.

UN HUNGER MAP

Brazils election looks to be yet another case of soaring global food inflation unsettling incumbents, but hunger has been mounting a comeback in Latin Americas largest economy for the better part of a decade.

Just eight years ago, Brazil hit its UN target for eliminating widespread malnourishment ahead of schedule. Since then, the share of Brazilians who say they cannot feed their families in the past 12 months has more than doubled to 36 per cent, according to the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) think tank.

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The result is a consensus across Brazils political establishment that the country needs a stronger social safety net. Almost every major party and candidate has backed emergency cash stipends to 20 million families, which benefit roughly one in four Brazilians  making it one of the worlds most far-reaching welfare programmes.

Elvira de Fatima Saraiva, 57, prepares dinner, the family's only meal of the day, in Porto Alegre (Reuters)

A view of the Brasilia Teimosa favela is seen beneath the residential buildings of the Boa Viagem neighbourhood in Recife (Reuters)

FGVs Marcelo Neri says he has never seen hunger so central to the electoral debate.

The whole political spectrum is talking about food insecurity, the emphasis is everywhere, he said.

Bolsonaro and Lula both promise they will work to extend this years more generous welfare programme or even expand it. Neither has explained how they would fund this  but analysts reckon it will mean the end of a constitutional spending limit that has defined fiscal policy for the past six years.

LULA LEADING RACE

Voter opinion polls showed that Bolsonaro did manage to narrow Lulas advantage earlier this year by increasing Auxilio Brasil and working to lower fuel costs, but Lula had begun to pull away again in the past two weeks.

Lula received 48.4 per cent in last Sundays first-round vote, with Bolsonaro on 43.2 per cent  meaning Lula fell short of outright victory. The outcome of the election will be decided in the second-round vote in three weeks.

Maria Jose holds her lunch, a bowl of rice, in front of her house in the Arco Iris favela (Reuters)

Luciana feeds her 10-month-old baby as he sits on the lap of her husband Felipe dos Santos, 26, at their home (Reuters)

The aid has not generated the effect the government had expected. The increase was seen by people as an electoral manoeuvre and they are rejecting the ploy, pollster Felipe Nunes, of Quaest Pesquisa e Consultoria, told Reuters.

FGV economist Mr Neri agreed Lulas credibility is higher among Brazils poor, because Bolsonaros social welfare measures have been erratic. The government reduced and then suspended emergency aid after the Covid-19 pandemic, and when welfare was restored it was at a lower value, he said.

Meanwhile, food prices have continued to go up, driven by fuel and transport costs, and have risen 9.83 per cent in the year.

People say Bolsonaro is helping. But he gives and then takes it away. It was much better with Lula, said Luciana Messias dos Santos, 29.

Carla dos Santos Feliciano, 38, pushes a buggy containing fruit and vegetables donated by merchants at the CEASA supply centre in Rio de Janeiro (Reuters)

Carla sorts through food that has been thrown out to find edible products to cook with, at the CEASA supply centre (Reuters)

In her wooden shack in Estrutural, Brasilias largest favela, she had to adapt her stove to cook with wood as fuel because gas is too expensive.

Bolsonaro has denied hunger has become critical in Brazil, irritated by the importance it has taken on in the election campaign.

Hunger in Brazil? It does not exist the way it is being reported, he said in August. Last week, his economy minister, Paulo Guedes, took on a survey by the Penssan Network that said 33 million people face starvation. Its a lie. That is false. These are not the numbers, he said.

In Rio de Janeiro, welfare recipient Carla Feliciano, 38, says she survives by picking fruit and vegetables from dumpsters outside the municipal market. She said life has become very difficult after the pandemic under the Bolsonaro government.

Welfare or no welfare makes no difference. I vote for Lula. I will die a Lula supporter, she said.

WELFARE AS ELECTION PLOY

Average income of poor Brazilians has fallen to levels of 10 years ago, widening the countrys stark social inequality.

Bolsonaro has focused on winning their votes which he needs to be re-elected  an uphill task running against Lula, whose conditional cash-transfer welfare programme called Bolsa Familia lifted millions from poverty when he was in office.

Carla sorts through food that has been thrown out to find edible products to cook (Reuters)

Izabela, 2, eats a meal made from food found in a garbage container by her mother Carla (Reuters)

Bolsonaro renamed the programme Auxilio Brasil to end the association of social welfare with Lula, but this has not brought the electoral dividends he had hoped for.

Bolsonaro has tried to play this card, but it wont help him, said Carlas husband Carlos, who scrapes by collecting scrap cardboard in the streets of Sao Paulo. He said he would vote for Lula and his Workers Party. His wife was not so sure.

Living in a tent with her children and grandchildren just half a mile from the presidential place in Brasilia, Edilene Alves says she sees through Bolsonaros ploy.

The distrust of Bolsonaros motives held by Carlos and Edilene was echoed by low-income Brazilians from Porto Alegre in the deep south to Salvador and Recife in the northeast.

They think we are dumb. Increasing welfare from 400 reais [70] to 600 reais does not help when supermarket prices have risen so much, said the migrant from Brazils poor northeast. People are going to die of hunger.
Michael M Santiago/Getty Images

Two people were shot outside the Long Island home of Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) on Sunday afternoon. The Republican, who is running for New York governor, said his two teenage daughters were home at the time.

Zeldin said in a statement that he did not know the men shot, who were found underneath his front porch and in the bushes near his home. Police said there was no connection between the victims and the Zeldins.

A source in law enforcement told CNN that the men had been walking down Zeldins block when a car pulled up alongside them, with someone inside opening fire. The pair fled in the direction of the congressmans home as the vehicle pulled away, the source said.

Another police source told the New York Post that the victims, who were transported to a local hospital and expected to survive their injuries, were known to the department.

Zeldins 16-year-old twins, Mikayla and Arianna, had been doing homework at the kitchen table when the gunfire went off outside, he said in a statement posted on Twitter.

They heard the shots. Boom! They went upstairs and locked themselves in the bathroom, the congressman, who had been out of the house with his wife, told the Post.

The girls called 911 shortly after and were freaked out but unharmed, Zeldin said, hailing the twins who acted very swiftly and smartly every step of the way.

Like so many New Yorkers, he concluded his statement, crime has literally made its way to our front door. In a press conference held Sunday evening, Zeldin took a sharper tack, saying: Im standing in front of crime scene tape in front of my own house. You cant get me more outraged than I am right now.

Thank you to all who reached out with your concern regarding the 2 people shot this afternoon outside my home. Mikayla and Arianna were at the kitchen table doing homework. One of the bullets landed just 30 feet from them. They acted very swiftly and smartly in response. pic.twitter.com/PMw3u5ic17  Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) October 9, 2022

The incident comes after the gubernatorial hopeful was attacked at an upstate stop along the campaign trail in July. He was speaking at a veterans event in Fairport on his Unite to Fire [N.Y. Gov. Kathy] Hochul bus tour when a man climbed on stage with what reporters identified as a cat-shaped self-defense key chain and accosted him. Zeldin was unharmed.

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Focusing his campaign heavily on addressing crime, Zeldin has earned ringing endorsements from the 50,000-member Police Conference of New York and New York Citys Sergeants Benevolent Association, which last month called him the best candidate for precarious times.

Also in September, Zeldin received a show of support from former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, who took to the conservative social media platform Gettr to call the congressman the MAGA key to victory.

Independent polls have shown Gov. Kathy Hochul, the Democratic incumbent, holds a tenuous and oscillating lead in the race. She has responded by vastly outspending her Republican opponent, dropping more than $1.5 million a week on ads since Labor Day, according to The New York Times.

Zeldins first statewide advertisement, Take Back Our Streets, aired last month. It features 13 clips of people being violently attacked, with audio of muted screams and gunshots in the background.

You are looking at actual violent crimes caught on camera in Kathy Hochuls New York, a voiceover says in the spot. And its getting much worse.

That turned out not to be entirely true. Of the 13 incidents included in the spot, several had been recorded before Hochuls time in office as governor. And one incident, featuring an elderly man being assaulted, was traced back not to New York but to Oakland, California.

Zeldins campaign acknowledged the California clip, saying it would be swapped out. But this whole thing about the clips from when [Hochul] was lieutenant governor, she is not getting any type of a free pass, he added in a statement.

Hochul said Sunday evening that she had been briefed on the nature of the shooting. As we await more details, Im relieved to hear the Zeldin family is safe and grateful for law enforcements quick response, she added in a tweeted statement.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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ReportLinker

Major players in the high voltage cable market are Prysmian group, Dubai Cable Company Pvt. Ltd. , NKT Cables, Nexans, Southwire Company LLC, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. , Siemens AG, Tele-Fonika Kable S.

New York, Sept. 30, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "High Voltage Cable Global Market Report 2022" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06323497/?utm_source=GNW

A., Jiangan Group Limited, Schneider Electric, Tratos, Universal Cables LTD, Riyadh Cables Group Company, Synergy Cables, ZTT, ABB, Baosheng High Voltage Cable Co. Ltd, Elsewedy Electric Company, TBEA Co. Ltd., Hitachi Ltd, and Furukawa Electric.



The global high voltage cable market is expected to grow from $33.61 billion in 2021 to $35.80 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5%. The high voltage cable market is expected to grow to $43.68 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.7%.



The high voltage cables market consists of sales of high voltage cables or related products by entities (organizations, sole traders, and partnerships) that are used for the transfer of electricity at high voltage and are used for various types of applications like direct power transmission, ignition systems, alternating current and other instruments.High voltage cables refer to a wire or cable that is rated for more than 1000 volts.



These cables are also used at locations such as power production units, solar and wind energy production units, instrument industry, and power transmission.



The main types of installations in the high voltage cable market are overhead, submarine and underground. A submarine refers to a vessel that can be submerged and navigated underwater, usually built for warfare and armed with torpedoes or guided missiles.The voltages are 50kV-110kV,115kV-330kV and >330kV.The end-users involved are utility and industrial.



North America was the largest region in the high voltage cables market in 2020.Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period.



The regions covered in the high voltage cables market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa.



Strategic partnerships and collaborations are a key trend gaining popularity in the high voltage cables market.Companies operating in high voltage cable are undergoing partnerships to strengthen their position in the high voltage cable market.



For instance, in March 2022, Taihan Cable & Solution a south Korean company partnered with the Saudi company Mohammed Al-Ojaimi Group and entered into a joint venture for the establishment of a High voltage cables plant in Saudi Arabia.This collaboration hopes to capture the market in the region through localized production of the product.



Furthermore, in October 2021, Gulf Cable & Electrical Industries Company Co, a Kuwait-based manufacturer of electrical cables partnered with Riyadh Cables Group Company, a Saudi Arabia-based manufacturer of high voltage cables for the establishment of high voltage cables production factory in Kuwait. This collaboration with Riyadh Cables group aims at achieving the maximum benefit from the markets capabilities by diversifying the companys products and its revenue sources in a way that serves shareholders interests and goals.



In March 2022, Ravin Group, an India-based solutions provider in the area of cables, solar, EHV projects & power equipment, acquired Cable Corporation of India Ltd for an undisclosed amount.Through this acquisition, The Ravian Group will be able to enhance its manufacturing capacity from 250 V up to 400 V and manufacture different voltage of cables and extend the companys presence across the country.



The Cabel Corporation India is an India-based manufacturer of high voltage cables.



The countries covered in the high voltage cables market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, and USA.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06323497/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




J.D. Vance at a campaign event in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. (Maddie McGarvey/The New York Times)

J.D. Vance was not running for office. He said it irked him when people assumed that. Instead, in 2017, he said he had come back to Ohio to start a nonprofit organization.

Vance gave that organization a lofty name  Our Ohio Renewal  and an even loftier mission: to make it easier for disadvantaged children to achieve their dreams. He said it would dispense with empty talk and get to work fighting Ohios toughest problems: opioids, joblessness and broken families.

I actually care about solving some of these things, Vance said.

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Within two years, it had fizzled.

Vances nonprofit group raised only about $220,000, hired only a handful of staff members, shrank drastically in 2018 and died for good in 2021. It left only the faintest mark on the state it had been meant to change, leaving behind a pair of op-eds and two tweets. (Vance also started a sister charity, which paid for a psychiatrist to spend a year in a small-town Ohio clinic. Then it shuttered, too.)

Vance is now the Republican nominee for Senate in Ohio, running on a promise to tackle some of the same issues his defunct organization was supposed to target. On the campaign trail, he has said his group stalled because a key staff member was diagnosed with cancer.

I saw that Ohio lacked a focused effort on solving the opioid crisis, even while so many Ohioans lives were devastated by addiction, my own family and mother included, Vance said in a written statement. While the group only ended up lasting for a short period of time, Im proud of the work we did.

But some of the nonprofit groups workers said they had drawn a different conclusion: They had been lured by the promise of helping Ohio, but instead had been used to help Vance start his career in politics.

During its brief life, Vances organization paid a political consultant who advised Vance about entering the 2018 Senate race. It paid an assistant who helped schedule Vances political speeches. And it paid for a survey of Ohio citizens that several of the staff members said they had never seen.

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The collapse of Vances nonprofit group was first reported last year by Insider. Now, Ohio Democrats use the group as an attack line. J.D. Vance was in a position to really help people, but he only helped himself, says an ad created by Vances opponent, Rep. Tim Ryan.

The New York Times examined federal and state records and talked to most of the people connected to the tiny nonprofit organization. That included 10 people who served as employees, board members or outside advisers for Our Ohio Renewal.

Vance started his group in November 2016, on the day after Donald Trump had won the presidency. At the time, Vances Hillbilly Elegy, about his troubled childhood in Ohio, was a surprise bestseller. After Yale Law School and two years in Silicon Valley, Vance was returning to Ohio.

He said his nonprofit group would seek to fix some of the social problems that he had described in his book.

I felt, you know, frankly a little bit of responsibility  now that Ive been given this platform by the success of the book  to go and try to do at least a little something to help out, Vance said in late 2016.

His group was set up as a social welfare organization  called a 501(c)(4), after the relevant section of the federal tax code  that is allowed to do more political advocacy than a traditional charity. Politicians often treat these groups as a kind of incubator for their next campaigns, using them to attract donors, pay staff members and test out messages between elections.

Vance said his organization was not that. It was focused on something bigger. In its application for tax-exempt status, his group told the Internal Revenue Service it planned to increase its fundraising to $500,000 a year by 2018 and to more than double its spending on personnel.

In his statement to the Times, Vance said he had donated $80,000 of his own money to the nonprofit group, which was about one-third of the $221,000 that it reported having raised over its lifetime. He declined to identify the groups other donors.

Vance said he did not take a salary. He did not have a formal leadership role but called himself honorary chairman.

I wont promise anything for now, besides this: I will work hard to find solutions to the opioid and joblessness problems, and when we identify workable solutions, well do something about them, he wrote to members of his advisory board in 2017. He signed off, Looking forward to doing some good, JD.

Vance wanted to help grandparents, like his, who stepped in to raise children when parents were absent or unable. The task of figuring out how to do so fell to Jamil Jivani, a friend of Vances from Yale Law School who had been hired as the groups director of law and policy. Jivani and two researchers paid by Ohio State University  where Vance was a scholar in residence in the political science department  spent months researching family law, looking for policies that could be changed.

At the time, Vance was traveling for speeches, working for an investment firm and splitting his time between Ohio and Washington, where his wife and young son lived. Vance was largely absent from the nonprofit groups offices, according to an employee at the organization, who asked not to be identified while describing the groups inner workings. The person often studied in Vances spacious and frequently empty office on campus. It was very quiet, the person said.

Another person who worked for the nonprofit group said that, in hindsight, it had seemed aimed at serving Vances ambition by giving him a presence in a state where he had not lived full-time for several years. The person said it had felt as if much of the job involved giving outsiders the impression that Vance was in the state, said the person, who asked not to be identified for fear of antagonizing Vance and his supporters.

In November 2017, the groups research produced a result: an op-ed in The Cleveland Plain Dealer. In that piece, Vance urged the Ohio Legislature to adopt a bill that would help kinship caregivers like his grandparents.

Vances group did not make much of an impact in the effort to pass the bill, said former state Rep. Jeff Rezabek, a Republican who sponsored it. The legislation stalled that year, although similar legislation eventually passed, after Vances group had become largely inactive.

At the same time, in 2017 and early 2018, Vance was gradually starting to do the thing that he had said he wouldnt: politics. He spoke at GOP Lincoln Day dinners around Ohio. He publicly flirted with running for the Senate as a Republican in 2018  even, reportedly, commissioning a poll to see if his attacks on Trump would hold him back.

J.D. is giving serious consideration toward this, because there are very serious people asking him to run, Vances political adviser, Jai Chabria, told CNN in early 2018.

Chabrias firm Mercury LLC was paid $63,425 by Our Ohio Renewal for management services in 2017. Although the group listed him in official documents as its executive director, Chabria said, he was only a consultant for the nonprofit. Jivani, the director of law and policy, actually ran the group.

Someone needed to get the paperwork started to launch it, but I was never tasked with running the day-to-day operations of the organization, Chabria wrote in an email to the Times.

He said the nonprofit group had never paid him to advise Vance personally during that time. He did that for free.

Our Ohio Renewal also paid a salary to Vances personal assistant, who scheduled Vances appearances at events including Republican gatherings. Chabria defended that practice, saying that Vance had often mentioned Our Ohio Renewal at those talks.

The assistant managed Vances calendar because he was a central part of the organization, Chabria wrote in an email, adding that Vance was making regular public appearances in the media and at events to promote the activities of the group.

Tax-law experts said that was most likely permissible, given the looser rules around this type of nonprofit group.

Also in 2017, Our Ohio Renewal said in annual filings that it had paid an unnamed pollster $45,000 for a survey on social, cultural and general welfare needs of Ohio citizens.

That survey was one of the most expensive things Our Ohio Renewal ever paid for. But several employees said they had never seen it. I dont have any recollection of a survey and dont have a copy of one, Jennifer Best, who was both the groups accountant and the treasurer of its board, said in an email message.

Chabria saw the survey, but he said he no longer had a copy to share. He said it had tested messages about Our Ohio Renewals work and did not ask questions on any potential candidacy by Vance himself.

In February 2018, Jivani  the director of law and policy who ran Our Ohio Renewal day to day  was diagnosed with cancer.

After that, Our Ohio Renewal seemed to freeze.

It stopped tweeting. Its website trumpeted the same Latest News  a story from January 2018  for nearly two years and then shut off, according to archived versions of the page. (Ohio Democrats have taken over the groups old domain and are using it to mock Vance.) The groups financial activity slowed sharply, and its bank account ran down to zero, according to Best.

Finally, she told the Internal Revenue Service that the group was finished at the end of 2020.

Jivani, whose cancer is in remission, blames the groups demise on his own bad luck.

As much as I wanted to, I could not take care of the day-to-day needs of this organization to help it scale, he said.

Vance did not respond to questions about why he had let the organization collapse after Jivanis diagnosis.

Now, Vance is in a tight Senate race, with Chabria as his chief strategist. In his most recent financial disclosures, Vance listed himself as honorary chairman of Our Ohio Renewal, even though it no longer existed. Under the time frame, he wrote, Jan 2017 to present.

 2022 The New York Times Company
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. AP Photo/Michael Wyke, File

Ye said his bond with Obama "faded" after he veered from what he "was supposed to say as a rapper."

"I was Obama's favorite artist," Ye told Tucker Carlson in an interview that aired on Friday.

Ye spoke of how he met with Obama in 2008 when the then-US senator was running for president.

The rapper Ye during an interview that aired on Friday said his connection with former President Barack Obama "faded" after he veered from what he "was supposed to say as a rapper."

During a talk with Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, detailed his long history with Obama  who served as a United States Senator representing Illinois before his election as president in 2008.

"I was Obama's favorite artist," the rapper said. "Obama met with me and my mama to say that he was running for office back in 2008 and he wanted the support."

He continued: "And everybody was so 'in' to this idea of the Black president. We were always cool. It's also like ... How many of us are there? Obama level? Ye level? Virgil [Abloh] level? Just Black, so brilliant, that we cut through all the lines of racism."

Ye said that as Black men who were known around the globe and at the top of the political world and music worlds, respectively, they were at a preeminent level.

"In some place, we'd have to be friends and get along, because it's like  you're at that level," he said. "You're like a Formula One Lewis Hamilton race car driver. We're still driving a white car, but we were the best race car drivers that ever existed."

"That was me and Obama's connection, but as soon as I wasn't saying what I was supposed to say as a rapper, our connection faded," he added.

Ye remarked that he hasn't spoken to Obama recently, but didn't hesitate to say what he'd do if the men interacted in the future.

"I'll talk to him if I see him," he said of the former two-term president. "But I guarantee you he see me."

The rapper on Saturday tore into Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, alleging that his Instagram account was disabled, and was criticized by several Jewish groups over comments he made about former White House senior advisor Jared Kushner that were perceived by some as being "anti-Jewish."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Newtown Township supervisors object to editorial

While it might be the opinion of the newspaper's editorial board and Newtown Township Supervisor Kyle Davis that we should "never offer thoughts on the abortion debate," (Oct. 2) the rest of the Newtown supervisors strongly disagree.

We were elected to represent this community, and there arent rules and regulations to stop us from taking up social issues, especially when 50% of the population is involved. By that, of course, I mean women. This is a very nonpartisan notion to want to protect women in our community.

Our symbolic gesture that we presented is intended to send a message to Harrisburg, as our state senate met in the middle of the night of July 8 to craft Senate Bill 106 where Republicans chose to take away womens rights to reproductive health. If it's voted affirmatively again with a new legislature next year there is a very good chance that it will be placed on the ballot for voters as early as the primary election of May 23, 2023.

As supervisors, we are tasked with the general governance  legislative, executive, and administratively in order to ensure sound fiscal management and to secure the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the township as stated in Title 53 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes that govern township supervisors.

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures, and now, as a right has been stripped away from us by the Supreme Court, it is time for all of us to renew our commitment to womens rights because womens rights are human rights. Supervisors have the right to do this.

Elen Snyder

Newtown Township Supervisor

Newtown supervisors' abortion resolution divisive

Newtown Township's resolution (valuing reproductive rights) is a very divisive action that will erode the common goodness of our community. It supports only one side of a crisis pregnancy, that which is the purposeful ending of a human life. It includes no listing of the various crisis pregnancy centers available to township residents. These centers help women with their pregnancy, with their life after giving birth, with the care of the mother and baby, and also with the care of the mother who aborted her baby and her needs in grappling with ending her babys life. The Gianna Center, A Babys Breath, and Legacy of Life are all centers for help, support and guidance for women in such a crisis. Their contact information is below. Please consider adding these centers to your resolution so as not to exclude such life-saving information in your quest to support women that need help.

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The Gianna CenterSuburban Community HospitalMedical Arts Pavilion, Suite 2072705 DeKalb PikeEast Norriton, PA 19401(215) 857-9599

A Babys Breath65 West Street Rd.,Bldg. B, Suite 203Warminster PA 18974(215) 442-0442

Legacy of Life25 South Main Street, #217Yardley, PA 19067(215) 788-4051

Debbie McFarlane

Newtown Township

This article originally appeared on The Intelligencer: Letter writers weigh in on Newtown Township abortion discussion
FILE

A police officer in Massachusetts shot dead a pit bull mix after it attacked him.

The Wayland Police Department is investigating the incident, local news station WCVB reported. The officer, who suffered several bite injuries, responded to the residence on Concord Road after a child mistakenly made a 911 call on 3 October.

The homeowner told the outlet that he had opened the door after the officer knocked, and the dog, a 1-year-old pit bull-Labrador retriever mix, chased him outside.

The cop was running all over the yard, so he jumped up and grabbed him by the arm, and let go, the man, who chose to remain anonymous, told WCVB. I was coming out the door and the next thing you know, I heard Boom! Boom! Boom!

The dog weighed 61 pounds and died after being shot. An ambulance responded to the scene to treat the officers injuries.

The department told WCVB in a statement that the incident had been unfortunate and was now under investigation.

The safety of our officers and community members is of the utmost importance, and anytime an officer has to use force, we take it very seriously, acting Wayland police Chief Ed Burman said.

We will investigate this incident to ensure we have the fullest possible understanding of what occurred.

A woman who had previously owned the dog, named Blaze, also told the station that it had bit people in two other separate instances. Blazes vet had reportedly said it had anxiety and had been working with its owners to treat it.
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NASA's SpaceX Crew-5, the next long-duration astronaut mission to the International Space Station, is expected to launch no earlier than 12:00 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 5, with a backup date on Friday, Oct. 7.

Four crewmembers from three international space agencies will embark on a roughly six-month-long mission to the orbital outpost. They will launch aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endurance capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket from pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

Crew-5 is SpaceX's sixth crewed mission for NASA's Commercial Crew Program and the eighth crewed mission overall for SpaceX.

From left are JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, mission specialist; NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, mission commander; Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, mission specialist; and NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, pilot. SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to lift off from Kennedys Launch Complex 39A. This will be the fifth crew rotation mission of SpaceXs human transportation system and its sixth flight with astronauts to the space station for NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

Meet the crew members

NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada are joined by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's astronaut Koichi Wakata, and cosmonaut Anna Kikina, from Roscosmos, the Russian space agency.

The science mission is a first-time trip to space for Mann, Cassada, and Kikina and the fifth trip for Wakata.

It is the first time a Russian cosmonaut will fly aboard a SpaceX mission as part of a crew-swap agreement between NASA and Roscosmos. The other part of the agreement was fulfilled on September 21 when NASA astronaut Frank Rubio launched aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule with two Russian cosmonauts.

NASA's Joel Montalbano, manager of the International Space Station program, told reporters on Monday, Sept. 26, Kikina's flight is one-third of the currently planned crew-swap agreements. NASA will send another astronaut to the ISS on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 2023 and another Russian cosmonaut can be expected to fly with SpaceX in 2024.

He told reporters that NASA has had "excellent support from Roscosmos during this last launch campaign. And we expect it to continue."

Story continues

Before being assigned to SpaceX's Crew-5 mission, Mann and Cassada were originally set to fly to space aboard Boeing's Starliner capsule before that program suffered delays.

NASA said in a statement that, "it was important to make these reassignments to allow Boeing time to complete the development of Starliner while continuing plans for astronauts to gain spaceflight experience for the future needs of the agencys missions."

NASA Astronaut: Nicole Mann, Crew-5 Commander

NASA Astronaut Nicole Mann poses for a portrait before her launch to the International Space Station as part of NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 mission.

Mann is from Petaluma, California, and is married with one son. She is a Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps and served as a test pilot in the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet.

A Naval Academy graduate, Mann was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 2013. Before that, she served in the U.S. Marine Corps, earned her wings of gold as a Naval Aviator in 2003, and attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. She has accumulated more than 2,500 flight hours in 25 types of aircraft. She deployed twice aboard aircraft carriers in support of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mann will be the first Native American woman to travel to space.

She will serve as the Crew-5 mission Commander, the first time a woman will fill that role. During a pre-mission briefing, she said, "I think it's important that young girls realize that they have these leadership opportunities for them. But from an operational perspective, to be honest, it really doesn't matter if you're a woman or a man or what country you're from or your gender or your race."

NASA Astronaut: Josh Cassada, Crew-5 Pilot

NASA Astronaut Josh Cassada poses for a portrait before his launch to the International Space Station as part of NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 mission.

Cassada is the Crew-5 Pilot and is from San Diego, California, He is married with two children. He holds a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Rochester and also serves as a U.S. Navy test pilot.

He was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 2013. Before that he graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 2006 and accumulated more than 4,000 flight hours in over 40 different aircraft, as well as 23 combat missions.

During a pre-mission briefing, Cassada said that he has packed a variety of movies from the 1980s to watch while aboard the station and is looking forward to working with "the cold atom lab  a really interesting fundamental physics experiment in which we can see quantum mechanics at a macroscopic scale."

He also said that he is looking forward to enjoying some Detroit-style pizza as one of his last meals before he takes off for space.

JAXA Astronaut: Koichi Wakata, Crew-5 Mission Specialist

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's astronaut Koichi Wakata is from Saitama, Japan. He is married with one child. He holds a doctorate in aerospace engineering and serves as the Senior Advisor and Astronaut for JAXA.

He was selected as an astronaut by the National Space Development Agency of Japan, now JAXA, in 1992. The SpaceX Crew-5 mission will be Wakata's fifth spaceflight on which he will serve as a Mission Specialist.

He previously flew aboard the space shuttle three times and once on a Russian Soyuz mission. He holds the record for the most time spent in space by a Japanese person with a total of 347 days, eight hours, and 33 minutes as of May 2014.

SpaceX Crew-5 Mission Specialist Koichi Wakata from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) poses for a portrait in his Crew Dragon flight suit at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California.

When asked about flying aboard Crew Dragon after flying many times on the space shuttle during a pre-mission briefing, he said, "it's a very different spacecraft. Very sophisticated, very automated and it's a very reliable system. And so I think I have to listen to the commander and pilot and work with Anna. Communication is the key."

As for what he will do during his off time aboard the station he said, "I'm not an artist or anything but I did bring some origami paper. I hope I can make something in orbit and fly that in the Japanese module."

Roscosmos Cosmonaut: Anna Kikina, Crew-5 Mission Specialist

Crew-5's second Mission Specialist, Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina is from Novosibirsk, Russia. She is an engineer and test cosmonaut.

Kikina spoke via a translator at a pre-mission briefing in which she said that she was 27 years old in 2012 when Roscosmos cosmonaut selection "was open to everyone equally, even myself." Currently, she is the only woman cosmonaut in active service with Roscosmos.

SpaceX Crew-5 Mission Specialist Anna Kikina from Roscosmos poses for a portrait in her Crew Dragon flight suit at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California.

Crew-5 will be her first spaceflight. During the briefing, she said that she expects to primarily work alongside her cosmonaut colleagues in the Russian segment of the space station, but expects to collaborate with the astronauts of the other segments during a spacewalk and with controlling the station's robotic arm that is used to capture some visiting spacecraft.

She has also brought with her a tiny hand-made figurine toy of a young cartoon character boy called "Gorodovichok" with orange hair that will represent her hometown in Russia.

Visit floridatoday.com/space for real-time updates and live video on launch day.

For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.

Jamie Groh is a space reporter for Florida Today. You can contact her at JGroh@floridatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AlteredJamie.

Wednesday, October 5: SpaceX Crew-5

Company / Agency: SpaceX for NASA

Rocket: Falcon 9

Location: Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center

Launch Time: 12:00 p.m. EDT

Trajectory: Northeast

Weather: 90% "go"

Live coverage: Visit floridatoday.com/space for real-time updates and live video on launch day.

About: SpaceX will launch the fifth operational mission under contract by NASA to deliver astronauts to the International Space Station known as Crew-5. Astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan's Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina will travel to the ISS for a six-month science mission.

Nicole Mann

NASA Astronaut: Selected in 2013

Mission Designation: Crew-5 Commander

From: Petaluma, California

Experience: Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps and test pilot with more than 2,500 flight hours

Josh Cassada

NASA Astronaut: Selected in 2013

Mission Designation: Crew-5 Pilot

From: San Diego, California

Experience: U.S. Navy test pilot with more than 4,000 flight hours

Koichi Wakata

JAXA Astronaut: Selected in 1992

Mission Designation: Crew-5 Mission Specialist

From: Saitama, Japan

Experience: 347 days in space on four spaceflights

Anna Kikina

Roscosmos Cosmonaut: Selected in 2012

Mission Designation: Crew-5 Mission Specialist

From: Novosibirsk, Russia

Experience: Russian engineer and test cosmonaut

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 will fly astronauts from NASA, Japan, and Russia
Urban Hawker

Max Flatow Photography

Iconic Singapore dishes, like Hainanese chicken and chili crab, are arriving in New York City. Urban Hawker, the first Singaporean hawker center in the city, is modeled after the island nation's famous hawker markets and opens in Manhattan on Wednesday, September 28.

For food lovers, Singaporean hawker stalls are the stuff of dreams. Traditional hawker centers hit that sweet spot between restaurants and street food stalls, with multiple vendors grouped into a huge complex with a common seating area. Urban Hawker features 17 vendors offering popular Singaporean fare, eleven of them directly from hawker centers in Singapore; all of the offerings are curated by Singaporean food expert KF Seetoh. Guests will have the opportunity to sample Malay, Peranakan, Chinese, Indian, Southeast Asian, and British-influenced cuisine.

KF Seetoh, founding director of Makansutra, a Singapore-based organization dedicated to promoting heritage street food culture worldwide, spent years curating Urban Hawker, bringing both vendors from Singapore as well as local favorites from the states.

Urban Hawker

Max Flatow Photography

"At Urban Hawker we have a great range of international flavors that we're excited to present to New York's diverse and curious palates and people," says Seeoth. "I have always believed that our hawker food will be well-liked by the world. Why? Because it's just good, humble heritage fare that the world will love, too."

New York favorites like Lady Wong, the first Southeast Asian pastry shop in New York City, are also setting up in the 11,000-square-foot space. Of course, you'll find some of Singapore's best hawkers, whose businesses have been passed down through generations. Highlights include Hainan Jones, where Singapore's Hainanese chicken rice, one of the country's most celebrated dishes, is the star of the show, and Dragon Phoenix, with national favorites like sambal chili crab.

Urban Hawker

Max Flatow Photography

The market also features a 30-seat bar called The Sling Bar, which offers Malaysian-inspired snacks like kuih pie tee and beef rendang sliders, in addition to gin-centric cocktails. New York City's leading market maker, Urbanspace, which runs food halls throughout the city and seasonal pop-up markets, partnered on the center, which will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. To learn more about Urban Hawker visit the website.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday said the U.S. and Saudi Arabia should maintain a deep, important security relationship, refuting criticism of Riyadh for its human rights abuses.

They have been an important security partner, they should continue to be so and the [Biden] administration has got the wrong end of the stick, Pompeo told Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream.

Saudi Arabia has been heavily criticized for its human rights abuses following the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which the U.S. has tied to Riyadh, and the mass execution of prisoners.

Despite the concerns, President Biden visited oil-rich Saudi Arabia over the summer amid soaring gas prices in the U.S. and was seen fist-bumping Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

But last week, OPEC+, of which Saudi Arabia is a leading member, announced it would cut oil production by 2 million barrels, angering lawmakers and the Biden administration.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) tweeted last week that after the OPEC+ announcement, all diplomatic options should be on the table, including the withholding of American military hardware & security assistance that Saudi Arabia, in particular, is so dependent on.

Saudi Arabia is among the largest U.S. customers for foreign weapons sales.

Pompeo on Sunday laid the blame for the energy crisis on the Biden administration and said maintaining close ties with Riyadh means putting the American people first.

And to put the American people first means a deep, important security relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as we have had for decades, Pompeo argued.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Lauren Phillips, a 32-year-old attorney from Brooklyn, had an easy pregnancy. Her vitals remained perfect, she felt great eating only vegan food, and was able to walk three miles a day throughout. The only blip was that despite being thrice vaccinated and meticulous about masking, she got infected with the coronavirus in her second trimester.

At the time, it didn't seem like a big deal - "just like a mild cold" - and her pregnancy proceeded without incident until she gave birth to a healthy eight-pound baby boy in April. The trouble began a few days later.

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She was at home nursing her son when she felt what she called a "pulse" shake her body and by the time she made it to the emergency room, her blood pressure had rocketed to a dangerous 160/116. Phillips didn't know it then, but she had preeclampsia, a little understood complication of pregnancy that each year results in more than 70,000 maternal and 500,000 fetal deaths worldwide. Rates of the illness had been rising steadily in the United States for years, but during the pandemic, the number of cases jumped, according to doctors. No one knows exactly why.

The mystery of preeclampsia cases like that of Phillips is part of the growing pool of information scientists are sorting through when it comes to the impact of the coronavirus on reproductive health, from a woman's menstrual cycle and fertility down to possible effects on a baby's development.

Ilhem Messaoudi, a professor of immunology at the University of Kentucky, said she and many of her colleagues have been taken aback by the extent to which pregnancy has been affected by the pandemic. Like many researchers, she had initially thought of covid-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as a respiratory illness and did not expect it to impact reproductive organs.

Instead, she and other pregnancy experts have spent the past few years scrambling to understand spikes in maternal complications - first reported anecdotally then verified in several large studies - including an extremely small but nonetheless alarming group of unusual stillbirths. "I was naive," Messaoudi reflected. "Now I wonder, 'What else have we been missing?'"

Story continues

It will be decades before we know the extent of the coronavirus's effects on human health. But now, more than 2 years and 9 months since it appeared - a period in which millions of pregnant people have been infected with the virus at least once - researchers have noted some positive signs, some worrisome ones, and many other data points they still aren't sure how to evaluate, especially since it's difficult to disentangle the impact of maternal stress during the pandemic from the devastation of the virus itself.

- - -

The coronavirus is not the first virus to have ripple effects that may impact pregnancy and childbirth. During the 1918 flu pandemic, rates of stillbirth soared, and babies born during the height of the disaster suffered from higher rates of cardiac and other health issues as adults. In 2015, Brazil and numerous other countries reported an association between infection with the Zika virus and microcephaly, a rare neurological condition that results in an infant's head being abnormally small.

Among the key findings so far about SARS-CoV-2 - by many accounts the most studied virus ever to infect humans - are that fertility appears appears unaffected by either infections or vaccines. Periods may shift in women after the vaccine but only slightly so and the change appears to be only temporary.

But there is more reason for concern with pregnancy itself. While the vast majority of people who are infected do not experience complications, the risk of preeclampsia and other severe issues has been documented to be much higher with infection.

The biological mechanisms are still unclear, but researchers say they likely start with changes in the blood and immune system of the mothers. Pregnancy can be both magical and brutal as it transforms a person's body to support another life. Much of the stress is on the heart and circulatory system, with blood volume surging by 30 percent to 50 percent, and the heart growing to pump more blood.

The coronavirus, it turns out, can have a profound impact on that same system. The virus attaches itself to what are known as ACE2 receptors involved in regulating blood pressure and inflammation, and throughout the pandemic, doctors have found that in some patients, the disease can lead to hundreds of microclots in blood vessels, all of which can have a range of effects on the mother and developing baby.

- - -

For the first nine months of their being, humans are cocooned inside an organ in their mother's uterus known as the placenta that provides oxygen and other nutrients. Back in spring 2020, when health officials still called covid-19 a respiratory disease, the idea the virus could wreak damage on that seemed far-fetched.

Then, last fall and winter, Amy Heerema McKenney, a Cleveland Clinic pathologist whose job involves figuring out why some babies die, began receiving eerily similar reports of stillbirths. The cases seemed to appear out of nowhere and in rapid succession.

Almost as soon as she began looking into them, Heerema McKenney recalled, she became "pretty panicked." A normal placenta is spongy and dark, reflecting the nourishing blood flowing through it. The ones she was looking at in her lab from the mothers who lost their babies were like nothing she had ever seen before: firm, scarred and more of a shade of tan.

"The degree of devastation was unique," she said. Flipping through case files, she noted that most of the women were in their second trimester, unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated, and infected with the coronavirus within a two-week window before their pregnancies ending. Heerema McKenney herself saw fewer than 20 potentially coronavirus-related stillbirths over about six months.

But her findings matched up with cases colleagues were seeing in other parts of the world. And they also echoed those in a paper from Ireland that looked at seven cases - six stillbirths and one second-trimester fetal death in pregnant people infected with the coronavirus - resulting from what the authors called "a readily recognizable pattern of placental injury." She said, "That's when we realized we were all looking at the same thing."

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention involving 1,249,634 deliveries from March 2020 to September 2021 similarly documents a link. "Although stillbirth was a rare outcome overall, a covid-19 diagnosis documented during the delivery hospitalization was associated with an increased risk for stillbirth in the United States, with a stronger association during the period of delta variant predominance," the researchers wrote.

They theorized that a reduced blood flow to the placenta, along with inflammation from a coronavirus infection, "might, in part, explain the association between covid-19 and stillbirth." No sooner had Heerema McKenney and other researchers around the world begun pooling data and discussing how to react, the delta wave receded, and when omicron arrived, the cases simply disappeared.

- - -

While the stillbirth cases stunned the medical community due to their clustering within a short period and their impact on the placenta, a surge in preeclampsia presents a much larger public health threat.

Preeclampsia, a leading cause of maternal death across the globe, usually begins with small signs like high blood pressure, bubbly urine or vision changes but can progress rapidly to send a person's entire body into crisis. It typically occurs midway through pregnancy, after about the 20th week, in roughly 2 to 6 percent of pregnant people in the United States.

"It's a progressive condition," said Patrick Ramsey, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and chief of its division of maternal-fetal medicine. While most cases resolve when the baby is delivered or the pregnancy ends, there is no clear treatment in the meantime and the condition can result in organ failure and death.

During the pandemic, pregnant people infected with the coronavirus - whether symptomatic or not - were found to have a 60 percent greater risk of preeclampsia than those who were not infected, according to a number of studies. They also experienced higher rates of other complications, ranging from preterm birth and infection, to dying within six weeks of the pregnancy ending.

Aris Papageorghiou, a professor of fetal medicine at the Oxford Maternal and Perinatal Health Institute in the United Kingdom, who participated in the research, said no one knows exactly why the coronavirus can affect pregnancy so severely. But one theory is that the virus may "unmask" or exacerbate underlying issues that already put some women at risk for preeclampsia or inflammatory disease.

He said previous coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1, which hit Asia in the early 2000s, and MERS-CoV, which caused outbreaks mostly in the Middle East from 2012 to 2015, were also associated with greater maternal complications.

Messaoudi's research findings bolster his hypothesis. In her study of the placenta and cord blood of infected pregnant people, she found what she calls "disturbances" - or changes in infection-fighting T cells and other immune system changes - that might have long-lasting consequences. She and her colleagues described the differences as a "remodeling of the immunological landscape" or "immunological scars."

These signs showed up even in people who were asymptomatic or had mild covid-19 symptoms, and Messaoudi wonders whether the immune responses might be part of what caused changes in the placenta linked to stillbirths.

"I think I should have known," she said, "but I was still surprised by the magnitude of that impact." For some women who have experienced preeclampsia, the complications seemed to come out of the blue.

In the case of Phillips, the Brooklyn woman who developed the condition after giving birth, doctors stabilized her after a few days, but she remained on heavy blood pressure medication for five more weeks. Today, she worries about other pregnant people who may get covid-19 without being told about the link with preeclampsia.

"Right now we're not doing enough. Maybe if people knew more about the risks they would be behaving differently," she said, adding that she continues to have "lingering worries about what damage this may or may not have done" when it comes to future pregnancies since she and her husband would like to have more children.

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Russia launched multiple missile attacks into the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia overnight, killing at least 13 people and wounding more than 60 in an apparent reprisal for a truck bomb that damaged a Crimean bridge, authorities said Sunday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday blamed Ukraine's special services for the bridge explosion, and he ordered the chairman of his investigative committee, Alexander Bastrykin, to open a criminal case. Bastrykin said some suspects have already been identified.

"There is no doubt this is a terrorist attack aimed at destroying Russia's critically important civilian infrastructure," Putin said in reference to the only road link between Russia and Crimea. Ukraine officials have hinted at involvement in the blast but have not claimed responsibility.

The missile strikes caused parts of one high-rise apartment building to collapse and blew windows out of adjacent buildings. The attacks came hours after an explosion Saturday that caused the partial collapse of the Kerch Bridge, an important supply artery for the Kremlins war effort.

This handout picture taken and released by National Police of Ukraine on Oct. 9, 2022, shows a residential building after a strike in Zaporizhzhia, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Initially, the city council said 17 had died, but later regional police revised the number to 13. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack on civilians "absolute evil" and the Russians "savages and terrorists."

Russian authorities had warned of reprisals after the attack on the 12-mile, $3.6 billion Kerch Bridge, a symbol of Moscows seizure of Crimea eight years ago. The bridge reopened Sunday to rail and limited vehicle traffic, with long lines of cars waiting to cross.

Other developments:

Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson, who has been negotiating in an unofficial capacity for the release of Americans Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan from Russian captivity, told CNN on Sunday that an agreement for their freedom could be reached by the end of the year.

Putin signed a decree tightening security for the Crimean bridge and for energy infrastructure between Crimea and Russia. He put Russias federal security service, the FSB, in charge of the effort.

Story continues

In the recaptured city of Lyman, where the fleeing Russians left a trail of devastation, the first 20 bodies from a mass burial site were exhumed. About 200 civilians are thought to be buried in one location. The bodies of Ukrainian soldiers were buried in a mass grave at another site, police said.

Russias Defense Ministry announced that air force Gen. Sergei Surovikin would now command all Russian troops in Ukraine. Surovikin, who already was in charge of troops in southern Ukraine, had led Russian forces in Syria and was accused of overseeing a bombardment that destroyed much of Aleppo.

GRAPHICS: Mapping and tracking Russia's invasion of Ukraine

NUCLEAR ARMAGEDDON? Biden cites highest risk since 1962

Ukraine makes plea for more defense weaponry

Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, responding to the Russian missile barrage, said Ukraine "urgently needs more modern air and missile defense systems" to protect its cities.

"Russia continues its missile terror against civilians in Zaporizhzhia," Kuleba said. "I urge partners to speed up deliveries."

The increased flow of weapons from the West has played a crucial role in a turnaround in the war as Ukraine forces have pushed back Russian troops, retaking thousands of square miles of land.

Criticism of war strategy heats up in Russia with losses

Disapproval of the war effort is growing in Russia, with vocal critics including Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and private military company owner Yevgeny Prigozhin, as well as state-approved TV presenters, pop stars and "an increasingly vocal community of ultra-nationalistic military bloggers," the British Defense Ministry said in its latest assessment.

The criticism remains focused on the Russian military command rather than political leadership, the ministry said. But the assessment says the trend of public voicing of dissent against the Russian establishment is being at least partly tolerated and "will likely be hard to reverse."

'Temporary relief:' Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant reconnected to grid

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was repaired and reconnected to the grid Sunday, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, its Director-General, Rafael Grossi, called the development "a temporary relief in a still untenable situation.''

The IAEA said the plants link to a 750-kilovolt line was cut by bombings Saturday. All six reactors at the facility, the largest of its kind in Europe, are shut down, but they still require electricity for cooling and other safety functions, which was being supplied by emergency diesel generators. The plant has been held by Russian forces for months but operated by Ukrainian employees.

"A protection zone is needed now,'' Grossi tweeted. "I will travel to & will see.''

Residents of Enerhodar, where the plant is located, have been living without electricity and gas for three days, Mayor Dmytro Orlov said Sunday. He said some locals used open fires next to their homes to cook food and boil water.

Orlov blamed constant shelling by Russia for preventing service workers from restoring utilities before Sunday  and warned locals to stay cautious when collecting firewood in areas likely to be riddled with landmines. About half of the 50,000 residents fled when Russian troops seized the city.

Retired Adm. Mike Mullen, Rep. Don Bacon suggest Biden cool nuclear rhetoric

President Joe Bidens warning last week that the risk of nuclear "Armageddon" is at the highest level since 1962 was "concerning" and not productive toward ending the war in Ukraine, retired Adm. Mike Mullen said Sunday. Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and principal military adviser to President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, said on ABC's "This Week" that Biden's warning was "about at the top of the language scale."

"I think we need to back off that a little bit and do everything we possibly can to try to get to the table to resolve this thing, Mullen said. It's got to end and usually there are negotiations associated with that."

Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that Putin is a "cornered animal ... unpredictable, unstable." But he also said Biden should be "more cautious" with his rhetoric.

Ukraine troops have liberated 50 towns in Kherson alone

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have liberated more than 50 towns and almost 500 square miles in the occupied Kherson region and are closing in on the Russian-held city, Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Enin said Sunday. The region is one of four Russia claimed to annex after bogus referendums conducted at gunpoint that the Kremlin said drew overwhelming support for joining Russia.

"Little by little, step by step, the Kherson region, our lands are free from invaders," Enin said. Ukraine officials say they also are making inroads in the other three regions seized by Russia, including the Luhansk and Donetsk regions that make up the industrial Donbas. The Donbas region has been the primary focus of Russian troops since retreating from the Kyiv area in the early days of the war.

Slovakia's birthday gift to Putin: Howitzers for Ukraine

Slovakian Defense Minister Jaro Nad said Sunday that Bratislava had delivered two self-propelled, Zuzana 2 howitzers to support Ukraine's effort to turn back the Russian invasion. The neighbor of Ukraine has been one of Kyiv's staunchest supporters, with previous donations that included a Soviet-era S-300 air defense system, military helicopters and thousands of rockets.

Nad suggested the latest offerings were actually a gift for Putin, who turned 70 on Friday.

"To mark his 70th birthday, we delivered yet another gift to aggressor Putin. Another two new #Zuzana2 howitzers are now in (and much more to come)," Nad tweeted.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine updates: Russian strikes kill 13 after Crimean bridge attack
Men cross into Georgia from Russia. (Daro Sulakauri / Getty Images)

Less than three weeks ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the call-up of 300,000 men to bolster army ranks decimated by battlefield routs in Ukraine. Now, in an extraordinary exodus, waves of fighting-age men have fled Russia in what appear to be roughly those same numbers.

By plane or by bicycle, in cars or on foot, at a rate sometimes reaching tens of thousands per day, Russian men desperate to avoid deployment to the front lines  or face long jail sentences for draft evasion  are seeking haven in neighboring and nearby countries.

They have crossed land borders into Finland or Mongolia, booked expensive air tickets to Turkey or Serbia, decamped for the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Georgia and Armenia. In one striking instance, two Russian asylum seekers made their way by boat to a remote Alaskan island in the Bering Sea, the states two U.S. senators said.

Within some destination countries, and across the wider West, theres sharp debate over whether those leaving are deserving of shelter.

Some argue that Russians who truly object to the war  and not merely to their own conscription  should be welcomed, or at least tolerated. Others point out that as a practical matter, the mass flight is reducing the pool of men available to fight in Ukraine.

Reservists drafted in the Russian mobilization attend a departure ceremony in Crimea. (AFP/Getty Images)

Theres worry in some quarters about the security risk. And many Ukrainians and their supporters believe that abetting draft evaders resettlement helps Putin, who turned 70 on Friday, escape accountability at home.

It would be wrong for us to close the border to Russians, Merab Metreveli, a well-known TV news anchor in Georgia  a country that was itself invaded by Russia, in 2008  wrote on Facebook at the end of September. But he also said uncontrolled entry posed risks.

Whats the way out? he asked.

Many Russians who made the decision to depart did so with little more than a knapsack and whatever cash they could scrape together, leaving jobs, homes and family behind.

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I need to build my new life now, said a 30-year-old film producer named Sakhamin, who made his way to the Georgian capital of Tbilisi days after Putins Sept. 21 announcement of a partial mobilization.

I understood that if I didnt leave, he said, I would stay on the other bank of the river that separates the new and the old worlds.

In Russia, the mass flight triggered by the call-up amounts to a stark public rejection of months of rosy government claims about the nature and scope of the special military operation. Many Russians tacitly accepted the Feb. 24 invasion, believing it would have little effect on their daily lives, but the mobilization order suddenly brought the war home.

At the only operational border crossing into Georgia, a miles-long traffic jam that was visible in satellite imagery built up soon after Putins mobilization announcement.

Russian citizens wait for identification numbers in Kazakhstan. (AFP/Getty Images)

Sakhamin  who did not want his full name used for fear of retribution against relatives remaining in Russia  traveled with his girlfriend. They took a taxi as far as they could, then walked the last 10 miles to the border, where they joined an hours-long line for Russian authorities to check their documents.

While waiting, they met a despairing would-be escapee who had been turned back. His passport was confiscated, the man told the couple, and he was served with conscription papers on the spot.

Such decisions seemed haphazard, with some men reporting almost surreal encounters as they crossed over. A 24-year-old from Moscow named Mark, who also recently arrived in Tbilisi, lied and told a Russian border guard he was going to Georgia for a friends wedding. He said the guards only question was why he had friends in Georgia.

In some favored destinations, the window for reaching safety was relatively short. Nine days after Putins announcement, Finland, the last land route for Russians into the European Union, barred Russians from entering as tourists. In the week prior to that, two-thirds of the 66,000 Russians coming into the EU had arrived via Finland, according to the blocs border agency, Frontex.

I was lucky, said Yevginiy, a 34-year-old supply-chain manager who caught a sold-out bus from St. Petersburg to Helsinki a few days before Finlands entry restrictions were imposed. Not everybody has the opportunity to get out.

Precise totals of those seeking to avoid military service are difficult to determine, in part because few officially declare their intentions. But the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta cited an estimate by the security services that in the four days after the call-up was announced, a total of 261,000 men between the ages of 18 and 40 had left the country. Many more have since fled.

The Interior Ministry of Kazakhstan, which shares a border with Russia, this week reported 200,000 Russian arrivals since the mobilization announcement. In Turkey  where, unlike in the EU, direct flights from Russia are allowed to land  officials have not disclosed arrival figures, but dozens of daily flights filled mainly with fighting-age men have been touching down in several Turkish cities.

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network used open-source flight data to put arrivals in Turkey in the first few days alone at more than 30,000, with more than 1,000 other Russians catching planes to Serbia during that period. Mongolia, which says it is neutral in the war, reported 12,000 entries between Putins announcement and the end of last week.

In Georgia, where tens of thousands of Russians moved after the war began, volunteer groups that have been aiding new arrivals, and advising others on how to cross over, said the influx had probably doubled the numbers already there. With Russian troops occupying two separatist territories in Georgia, some opposition politicians have said that the newcomers should be made to explicitly express recognition of the countrys territorial integrity.

Russia has a million active-duty military personnel, about 200,000 of whom took part in the initial assault on Ukraine  an invading force that military analysts have said was far too small to seize and occupy a country of 44 million people.

Over the course of eight grinding months, Ukraine claims more than 60,000 Russian troops have been killed or otherwise removed from the fight. Western estimates range considerably lower, but Russia is suffering a historic mauling.

With Ukrainian forces recapturing swaths of the country's south and east, Russian officials are using euphemisms like regrouping to describe hasty retreats by Moscow's forces, and withhold information about what appear to be witheringly high casualty rates. However, some cracks have appeared in the official facade.

War hawks infuriated by territorial losses are directing unprecedentedly harsh criticism at senior military leaders, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, a longtime Putin confidant who may now find himself scapegoated for battlefield failures. On state television, hard-line commentators have taken to lamenting what they characterize as an unfair fight powered by Western weaponry, with Russia as victim.

As social media postings have documented a chaotic rounding up of recruits  some are shown being dumped in desolate fields without supplies, given rusty old rifles, or ordered to buy their own food and equipment  Putin acknowledged that corrections to the mobilization process were needed, but did not back away from his war aims.

Instead, in a bellicose speech declaring the annexation of four Ukrainian provinces, the president declared that these territories, as now-Russian soil, would be defended by any means necessary. But even as he spoke, Russian forces in some affected areas were in rapid retreat. Much of the world dismissed the announced annexations as illegal.

Western military analysts have expressed skepticism that the mobilization will do much to blunt Ukrainian offensives, even though some of the new recruits are already reaching the front lines.

Rushing thousands of untrained and unmotivated Russian men to the front will not meaningfully increase Russian combat power, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War wrote in an assessment late last month.

"Get a tattoo with your name and surname. So that we know how to find your relatives when you are killed."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

Some of those trying to avoid being conscripted said they initially believed official assurances that only men with military experience would be called up. But word spread of a widening dragnet that ensnared men who were obviously unfit for service, or had no relevant training or skills. The Kremlin has blamed overzealous local authorities.

With the Defense Ministry reporting this week that 200,000 men have been mobilized  two-thirds of the way to meeting Putins target  roundups have fallen disproportionately on poorer republics populated by ethnic minorities. In Dagestan, a Muslim-majority republic whose soldiers have already died disproportionately in Ukraine, scores of people have been arrested in protests.

Demonstrations erupted in some bigger Russian cities as well, as they did in the wars earliest weeks. But protests were quickly quelled by police, who availed themselves of one particularly chilling tactic: serving some detainees with draft notices.

Ukraine has set up hotlines for Russian troops who want to arrange surrenders, promising humane treatment. The countrys defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, this week recorded an unusual video telling freshly mobilized Russians that they had been tricked and betrayed by their leaders.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who often addresses Russians in their own language, had a grim warning of his own for Moscows newest foot soldiers.

Get a tattoo with your name and surname, he advised. So that we know how to find your relatives when you are killed.

Special correspondent Kolotilov reported from Tbilisi, Times staff writer King from Washington and special correspondent Hunt from Helsinki.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Hundreds of people have been evacuated after a massive blaze broke out at a shopping centre in Pakistan's capital Islamabad.

The fire erupted at the Centaurus mall, located in the heart of the city, on Sunday, sending huge plumes of black smoke billowing from the building.

Crowds of terrified shoppers were seen running down escalators to escape in scenes of panic shared on social media.

Islamabad Police said rescue teams pulled out people trapped in the mall via a rear entrance before carrying out a search operation inside the building.

A helicopter crew was also dispatched to help the rescue efforts and stop the flames spreading to other floors of the building.

Everyone inside has now been brought to safety and no casualties have been reported.

"The fire inside the mall has been brought under control and no shop was damaged," the force said in a statement posted on Twitter.

The area has now been sealed off pending an investigation into the cause of the blaze.

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The four-storey shopping mall has more than 250 stores and welcomes 11million visitors every year.

The Centaurus building, designed by British architectural firm, WS Atkins, also houses a 36-floor hotel and three 23-floor residential and office towers, together with a cash and carry on the ground floor and food courts on the top.
In a satellite images taken in September 2022, showing heavy weaponry and military forces on the move in Serha and Sheraro in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. (Satellite image 2022 Maxar Technologies via The New York Times)

NAIROBI, Kenya  As fighting flared in northern Ethiopia last month, shattering a five-month truce and reigniting a destructive civil war, a small U.S. military aircraft carrying senior American diplomats crossed the front line on a secret mission to halt the bloodshed.

Flying low and taking measures to avoid detection, the jet traveled to Tigray, the besieged northern region that has been at war with the Ethiopian government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, before continuing to Djibouti for a round of tense peace talks, according to people familiar with the negotiations. In a measure of the distrust between the two sides, Mike Hammer, the American envoy to the region, flew aboard the U.S. Air Force plane as an assurance that it would not be shot down.

Tigray is the worlds unseen war, a sprawling conflict hidden behind a punishing government siege that has severed communications in the region, locked out reporters and left 5.2 million people in urgent need of food aid. United Nations investigators have called it a war crime.

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But in recent weeks the fighting has surged to its most intense level yet  and the secret efforts at peace have given way to raging combat that many fear could quickly spiral across the Horn of Africa, destabilizing the region.

While the worlds gaze is largely fixed on the war in Ukraine, the conflict in Tigray is also huge, with three major armed forces, including two of Africas largest armies, those of Ethiopia and of Eritrea, battling on multiple fronts across a rugged region twice the size of Switzerland.

The latest fighting, featuring pitched battles, drone strikes and artillery barrages, has pulled in neighboring countries and involves hundreds of thousands of combatants, by most estimates. At least a hundred civilians have died and as many as 500,000 have fled their homes in recent weeks, a senior U.N. official said.

A diplomatic drive to end the war has also been hidden. An official peace process led by the African Union has been hobbled by disputes over mediators and money for most of the past year, officials say, prompting Western officials to try to carry the ball. Since March, the United States has held three secret meetings outside Ethiopia  in Djibouti and in the Seychelles  bringing together warring leaders for the first time since the war erupted in November 2020.

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Details of the latest meeting on Sept. 9, which was attended by Abiys national security adviser, Redwan Hussien, and his justice minister, Gedion Timothewos, were provided by Western and Tigrayan officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss events that the Americans insisted should remain confidential.

A U.S. official confirmed that a U.S. Air Force Beechcraft aircraft had operated the flight across Tigray on behalf of the State Department.

Now hopes for peace lie with a surprise announcement this past week by the African Union, inviting both sides to talks in South Africa.

But the prospects for that initiative are uncertain. Tigrayan leaders have accused the mediator, the former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, of siding with Abiy. After initially scheduling talks for this weekend, the African Union said on Thursday only that they would take place soon.

Events on the battlefield could move faster than that.

Reliable information about the last six weeks of fighting is hard to obtain. But interviews with Western and Tigrayan officials  as well as video footage, satellite images and witness accounts gathered over the regions few working phone lines  offered a keyhole view of a metastasizing conflict that is exacting a high cost on civilians.

Ethiopian drone strikes hit a kindergarten in August, killing several children, and a U.N. food truck in late September. An airstrike on Tuesday in Adi Daero, near the border with Eritrea, hit a center for refugees, killing at least 50 people, said two humanitarian officials in the area who spoke on the condition of anonymity for their safety.

After an earlier strike on the same town, video footage showed the lifeless body of a woman being pulled from smoking rubble.

The fighting is intense, and the casualties are immense, Gen. Tsadkan Gebretensae, a former chief of the Ethiopian military, now a strategist for the Tigrayans, said in a phone interview.

A spokeswoman for Abiy and spokesmen for the Ethiopian government and military did not respond to requests for comment. The government has denied it strikes civilian targets.

The most striking change in recent weeks is the return to the war of Isaias Afwerki, the dictatorial leader of the nation to the north, Eritrea, and his army, one of the largest in Africa, which was accused of many atrocities in earlier fighting.

Eritrean troops have pounded Tigray with artillery barrages from across the border and captured the Tigrayan town of Shiraro, where recent satellite images showed hundreds of marching soldiers and lines of artillery field guns. In an unusual move, several thousand Ethiopian soldiers have been flown into Eritrea to help with the assault, officials said.

Inside Eritrea, the country has fully mobilized its armed forces, calling all men below the age of 55 to military service, Annette Weber, the European Union envoy to the Horn of Africa, wrote to EU member states last month in a confidential briefing obtained by The New York Times.

The war rages on with high military buildup on all sides, increased intensity and Eritrean participation, Weber wrote in the leaked briefing, which first appeared on the website of the World Peace Foundation, a program at Tufts University.

Tens of thousands are injured or killed on the various battlefronts, many with the belief that surrender is no option, the briefing continued. Much is at stake.

The stakes for civilians in northern Ethiopia were outlined in a Sept. 22 report by U.N. investigators that accused both sides of war crimes, including massacres and sexual assaults. But it singled out Abiys forces for using starvation as a method of warfare and for sexual slavery of Tigrayan women held in military camps.

At Tigrays largest hospital, doctors say that patients are dying from cancer, kidney disease and other treatable conditions for want of medicines. A recent study found that newborn babies in Tigray are dying at four times the prewar rate.

One day we will be free of the fear of being bombed from the air, Dr. Fasika Amdeslaise, a surgeon in Tigray with rare internet access, wrote on Twitter. One day we will be able to treat our patients.

The fighting is the latest twist of a war in which the fortunes of both sides have oscillated wildly.

Just a year ago, Tigrayan fighters were marching on the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, after driving government forces from Tigray. But in November they were forced to retreat after Abiy obtained armed drones from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and China.

The United States changed tack in January when President Joe Biden made his first phone call to Abiy, easing the Ethiopian leaders fears that the United States intended to try to oust him, and setting the stage for secret talks, two American officials said.

Two months later, on March 10, a U.S. Army Beechcraft airplane carried Tsadkan, the Tigrayan general, to the Seychelles, where he met in a hotel with Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, the head of the Ethiopian military.

The two men hammered out a humanitarian truce that, weeks later, allowed aid convoys to roll back into Tigray. A second American-brokered meeting took place in Djibouti in June.

But the truce was also an opportunity for both sides to rearm, and as the summer wore on, Abiy appeared to drag his feet, officials said. His delegates at talks lacked the authority to make decisions, and he appeared reluctant to restore essential services like electricity and banking to Tigray.

The slide back to war on Aug. 24 prompted criticism from experts who say the Biden administration failed to apply enough pressure to force the warring groups to substantive peace talks.

The diplomacy is clearly not working, said Cameron Hudson, a former State Department official now affiliated with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Theres a lot of effort but they are not achieving anything. So we have to question if were using the right tools.

The reemergence of Isaias, the Eritrean leader, adds a volatile new element to the conflict. On Sept. 20 Hammer, the American envoy, called for Eritreans to return home from the fighting in Tigray.

Other countries in the region are also getting sucked in  as well as a contingent of U.N. peacekeepers.

Sudan has been a conduit for flights carrying arms to Tigray, Weber said in her confidential briefing. In May, about 650 ethnic Tigrayans, on U.N. peacekeeping duty in Sudan, deserted the Ethiopian army and sought asylum, said two U.N. officials in Sudan who spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the situation. By August, about 400 of those peacekeepers had vanished, the officials said, mostly into Tigray to fight alongside refugees who had been recruited from camps along the border.

Hudson, the analyst, said it seemed that Washington was hesitating to take harder action, for instance deploying sanctions that Biden authorized in November, in the hope that Ethiopia might once again become a strong American partner in the region.

But with Ethiopia straining to the breaking point from the war in Tigray, as well as violent strife in other regions like Oromia, such a notion is delusional, Hudson said.

Were not going back to those old days, and certainly not under Abiy, he said.

 2022 The New York Times Company
Slovakia transfers two Zuzana 2 howitzers to Ukraine

To mark his 70th birthday, we gave another gift to the aggressor Putin, he said on Twitter.

Two new Zuzana 2 howitzers are already in Ukraine.

Read also: Slovakia to transfer 30 armored personnel carriers to Ukraine

The Slovak minister added that even more weapons would be delivered to Ukraine in future.

On Oct. 2, Germany, Norway and Denmark agreed to purchase 16 Slovakian Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers for delivery to Ukraine. The deliveries of the new weapons will start next year.

In June, Ukraine and Slovakia signed a contract for the supply of eight 155-mm self-propelled guns. On Aug. 13, it was reported that Kyiv had already received the first four.

Read also: Slovakia signs deal with Czech Republic and Poland to help it send MiG-29s to Ukraine

Zuzana 2 is an 8x8 self-propelled gun (caliber 155 mm, based on the previous version of the Zuzana, but with a longer barrel and longer firing range (42 kilometers).



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Feb. 25, 2022, in Orlando, Fla.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem faced a Friday deadline to appeal a state ethics board's finding that there was evidence she improperly intervened in her daughter's application for a real estate appraiser license.

The Government Accountability Board voted unanimously last month that there was enough evidence to believe the Republican governor had committed malfeasance and engaged in a conflict of interest.

Noem has maintained she did nothing wrong, but so far the process has been conducted in private. Neither her office nor her reelection campaign answered questions Friday on whether she would proceed to a contested case hearing that would give her a chance to make her case publicly.

The board took unspecified action against the governor, and board member Gene Kean said last month that Friday would be the deadline for Noem to respond.

If there is no public hearing, it's not clear whether the board will release details of the action it took. The board closed the complaint last month but suggested it could be reopened.

More: Gov. Kristi Noem announces she's recovering after a successful back surgery

A lawyer who has represented the governor before the board also did not respond to questions.

The Associated Press first reported that shortly after a state agency moved in July 2020 to deny Noem's daughter, Kassidy Peters, an appraiser license, the governor held a meeting with Peters and key decision-makers in her licensure. Days after the meeting, Peters signed an agreement that gave her another opportunity to meet the licensing requirements. The South Dakota Legislatures audit committee, controlled by Republicans, unanimously approved a report in May that found Noems daughter got preferential treatment.

Noem previously requested the ethics complaint be dismissed without a hearing by arguing that the person who brought it, former Republican Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, was out for revenge after she successfully pushed for his impeachment and removal from office for his conduct in a 2020 fatal car crash.

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Earlier: Attorney General Mark Vargo recuses himself from investigating Kristi Noem ethics complaint

In that April motion to the board, Noem's attorneys also said she could counter the accusations against her. Her campaign spokesman, Ian Fury, on Friday referred a reporter to an August statement that branded the board's action as illegal.

But declining to fight the evidence in a contested case hearing would all the board's action" against her while potentially avoiding further public scrutiny.

GAB has not said what action it has taken

The Government Accountability Board, which has never handled such a high-profile case since its inception in 2017, has not publicly said what action it has taken. It has deliberated over the complaints for nearly a year in a series of closed-door meetings, navigating untested laws.

Board member David Gienapp, at the board's August meeting, verbally moved to invoke a statute  SDCL 3-24-7  that states the board shall hold a contested case hearing to afford the accused person the opportunity to respond to the allegation. But the board's draft minutes, posted two days later, make no mention of that statute. Instead, the draft minutes state that the board acted to make an initial determination that the complaint alleges facts that the governor engaged in misconduct.

More: Was Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden in charge while Gov. Kristi Noem had spine surgery?

The board's minutes state that it took appropriate action," but the board has kept that action a secret so far. The board is allowed under state law to issue a private reprimand. But the statute says it may take that action at the conclusion of a contested case hearing and after it has determined, by a majority vote, that there has been misconduct.

Their official actions, whatever they may be, should be a public record, said David Bordewyk, who directs the South Dakota Newspaper Association and advocates for open records and meeting laws.

Given the nature of this board, which is to hold public officials accountable, the public has a right to know what those accountability measures are, regardless of the official.

Board members this week either declined to comment or did not return a request for comment. An attorney hired by the board, Mark Haigh, has previously said it fully complied with all the requirements in the laws governing it.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Kristi Noem silent on possible appeal to South Dakota ethics board
A group of New Hampshire taxpayers have chosen a new target in their quest to sue the state over its school funding system: the statewide education property tax.

In a filing in Grafton Superior Court Wednesday, the taxpayers are asking the court to grant an injunction against the tax to stop it from being implemented next year, arguing that it is not applied fairly between property-rich and property-poor towns and is unconstitutional.

The motion is the latest move in an ongoing legal effort to dismantle the states school funding model. In June, the same group of plaintiffs sued the state over broader objections to the school funding system, arguing it unconstitutionally creates different tax burdens depending on a property owners hometown.

Andru Volinsky

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In 1997, the New Hampshire Supreme Court rejected the state education taxing scheme the lawsuit states, referring to the Claremont II decision in which the court required the state to create a more equal school funding model.

Now, the State is primed to once again impose a tax using the same mechanisms previously held unconstitutional that will result in some taxpayers paying up to seven times as much for education funding as their wealthier counterparts, the lawsuit continues.

The statewide education property tax, known as SWEPT, requires towns to collect a property tax on top of their local property taxes. Across the state, those taxes must total $363 million every year. That money is never sent to the state, but rather retained locally and passed to local school districts. Each fiscal year, the Department of Revenue Administration determines a standard tax rate to apply to all New Hampshire property owners by calculating what the total property valuations are for the state and how much is necessary to get to $363 million. That number typically hovers between $1 and $2 per $1,000 in property value, or $300 to $600 per year for a $300,000 house.

Story continues

Portsmouth home listed for $3.9M: Here's what we learned about its storied history

Advocates of SWEPT say it helps to standardize education property taxes across towns and addresses the Supreme Courts Claremont II decision.

But critics say that in practice, the tax does not equalize what taxpayers in different towns pay toward education.

In Wednesdays filing, attorneys Natalie LaFlamme, Andru Volinsky, and John Tobin say that the new SWEPT system does not meet the directive made by the Supreme Court in the Claremont II decision. In that ruling, the court said that New Hampshires constitution requires the state to fund its public schools through taxes that are administered in a manner that is equal in valuation and uniform in rate throughout the State. SWEPT does not create a tax system that is equal in valuation, plaintiffs argue.

Because the SWEPT rate is flat, towns with higher property values collect more money from it than those with lower values. When originally established in 1999, the tax sought to balance that reality by requiring that any excess taxes collected under SWEPT by wealthier towns be sent back to the state to be redistributed through the Education Trust Fund. That meant that any town whose SWEPT revenues more than covered their public schools had to pass the extra funding to the state, which would effectively distribute it to towns whose SWEPT revenues did not cover their school expenses.

In Portsmouth: Historic barn is the newest project for owner of private island

But in 2011, amid arguments that the richer municipalities had become donor towns, the Legislature removed the redistribution requirement, allowing wealthier municipalities to keep excess revenue they raise from the SWEPT and use it to offset other taxes in their town.

Now, plaintiffs argue that rather than bringing equality to school funding, SWEPT has allowed some wealthier towns to offset their local taxes so much that they effectively become negative taxes  a reduction of their other taxes. Poorer towns, meanwhile, still come up short and are required to raise their local tax rates to keep their schools open.

And critics say a move by the Legislature in 2021 to temporarily cut the required statewide collection number from $363 million to $263 million  intended to serve as a statewide property tax cut  was undermined by a simultaneous decision to cut targeted aid for property-poor towns. That move forced some of those towns to make up more of the difference and raise taxes overall, according to an analysis from Reaching Higher NH, a left-leaning education think tank.

The plaintiffs motion requests that the state issue a preliminary injunction to prevent the Department of Revenue Administration from implementing SWEPT next year. That rate has been announced at $1.44 per $1,000 in property value for next year; the department is advising towns of that rate and approving their tax rate between October and December of this year.

The plaintiffs are also asking the court to bar the DRA from approving any SWEPT tax warrant that allows for a negative tax rate.

Wednesdays motion is the latest move in an ongoing legal effort to dismantle the states school funding model.

The latest motion is separate from that broader lawsuit and specifically focuses on SWEPT. The broader lawsuit will have a court hearing in August, the Grafton Superior Court announced this week.

This years taxpayer lawsuit from LaFlamme, Volinsky, and Tobin is also separate from the 2019 lawsuit from Contoocook Valley School District and other school districts that argues the funding model creates an unconstitutional financial burden on school districts themselves.

The taxpayers will have to clear a high legal bar. In order to succeed with this weeks motion, and temporarily block the implementation of SWEPT, plaintiffs lawyers will have to prove to the court that their preliminary motion will likely succeed on its merits if brought to a full trial; that the current SWEPT tax system will cause the taxpayers immediate, irreparable harm if it isnt blocked in time; and that blocking the SWEPT would not disproportionately burden the state. If the court finds that any one of those conditions is not met, the attempt will fail.

LaFlamme argues that the first condition  a likelihood of success on the merits  has been met because the state has already admitted that negative SWEPT taxes exist and that wealthier towns are able to offset their other taxes using their SWEPT revenues. The state admitted this in a filing last month in which the Department of Justice did not contest the plaintiffs assertions about the negative SWEPT taxes, LaFlamme noted.

In fact, LaFlamme said, it was the states decision to admit that fact that led the plaintiffs to file the latest motion this week.

The factual basis for this is when the state answered our complaint a few weeks ago, they specifically stated: Yes, this excess is still happening. Yes, we admit or agree that some towns have a negative local tax rate, she said. This particular injunction (motion) was really set off by the states answer to our complaint.

LaFlamme and other attorneys are hoping to combine that admission with previous Supreme Court opinions in the late 1990s that found that a similar proposed state property tax allowing towns to retain their excess revenues did not meet the Claremont II requirements and were unconstitutional. Those proposals in the 1990s were defeated in favor of SWEPT. But the legislative change in 2011 to eliminate donor towns effectively created a system that mirrored the 1990s proposals that were struck down, plaintiffs argue.

This is the first serious legal challenge to the SWEPT system since 2011

Despite this express language in Claremont II, the State has repeatedly sought new mechanisms to alleviate the tax burden on wealthier towns, the motion states. And, each time, the courts have held these mechanisms unconstitutional.

They hope the court will make the same finding now.

The timeline for the preliminary injunction proceedings is likely to be brisk. The state typically has 30 days to respond to a request for a preliminary injunction with its own motion. A spokesman for the Department of Justice, Michael Garrity declined to comment on the new SWEPT lawsuit but confirmed it would respond.

We intend to respond to the motion in the normal course and have agreed with plaintiffs counsel that any response will be due within 30 days, Garrity said Thursday.

While the state has not yet responded to Wednesdays motion, the Department of Justice did provide a glimpse last month into their defense strategy against the broader taxpayer lawsuit. In its response to the plaintiffs lawsuit, the state outlined 10 defenses it might choose to deploy at trial, including the argument that the state cannot be sued because of the doctrine of sovereign immunity, that the courts are barred from requiring specific legislative fixes because of the separation of powers, and that schools spend significant funds on programs and services that are not constitutionally necessary and should not be funded by the state.

That response is just a preview; a full counter motion from the state with detailed defenses and case citations will come closer to the trial date in August.

This story was originally published by New Hampshire Bulletin.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Taxpayers ask court to NH education property tax
Danish military video of bubbles in Baltic Sea resulting from damage to the Nord Stream pipeline. Danish Defense Command

The US has considered analyzing underwater audio recordings of the Nord Stream pipelines' damage, per CNN.

It depends in part on the quality of Sweden and Denmark's sound recordings, sources told CNN.

The Navy told CNN it was prepared to help investigations into the Nord Stream pipeline damage.

The US Navy is weighing whether to analyze underwater audio recordings captured when the natural-gas pipelines between Russia and Europe were recently damaged in a suspected attack, sources told CNN on Wednesday.

Four severe leaks were discovered last week on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which European leaders attributed to an act of "sabotage." The section of the pipelines that experienced the damage are laid approximately 50 meters below the water.

Damage from the incident  suspected to be the result of underwater explosions  caused natural-gas to erupt like geysers from the surface of the Baltic Sea.

Satellite images taken above the Nord Stream pipelines at the time of the event are difficult to examine because of cloudy weather, according to the European Space Agency. Examining underwater audio of the explosions could provide crucial information for the investigation, the sources told CNN.

The US has advanced technology to process underwater sounds, two sources with knowledge of the matter told CNN. The technology could provide more information about how the damage in the Nord Stream pipeline was caused and what was in the surrounding area at the time, consequently helping with an investigation into the leaks, they said.

Sweden and Denmark have the audio recordings, but whether the US can contribute to the investigation will depend in part on the quality of the sound, per CNN's sources.

A Navy spokesperson declined to confirm to CNN that the US had offered to look into the audio recordings, but said it was prepared to help the investigations into the Nord Stream pipelines' damage.

The Navy didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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Denmark and Sweden told the UN Security Council on Friday that they believed the Nord Stream pipelines were damaged by TNT, as the magnitude of the explosions was measured at 2.3 and 2.1 on the Richter Scale  "probably corresponding to an explosive load of several hundred kilos," they said in a joint statement.

European leaders said the incident was sabotage and some German lawmakers pointed the finger at Russia. The Kremlin said sabotage couldn't be ruled out but claims that Moscow was involved were "stupid and absurd."

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Biden administration on Friday imposed new sanctions targeting North Koreas weapons supply network after Pyongyang held a series of provocative missile tests over the past two weeks.

The Treasury Department slapped the sanctions on two individuals and three entities for activities related to the exportation of petroleum to the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), which directly supports the development of DPRK weapons programs and its military, according to a department statement referring to North Korea by its formal name.

By designating these entities and individuals, the United States is sending a clear message that we will continue to take actions against those who support the development and sustainment of the DPRKs military and weapons arsenal, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a separate statement.

The sanctions follow six North Korean missile launches within 12 days, the most recent on Thursday. Since the start of the year, the isolated nation has launched 41 ballistic missiles, six of which were intercontinental ballistic missiles and one that flew over Japan.

Pyongyangs military also flew 12 warplanes near the border with South Korea on Thursday, prompting Seoul to scramble 30 of its own jets in response.

The U.S. then held military drills alongside South Korea and Japan, including a wargame that began Friday involving the USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group in waters east of South Korea.

The DPRKs long-range ballistic missile launches, including over Japan, demonstrate a continued disregard for United Nations Security Council resolutions, Brian Nelson, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement. The United States will continue to enforce multilateral sanctions and pursue the DPRKs sanctions evasion efforts worldwide, including by designating those who support these activities.

The Treasury Department imposed the sanctions on New Eastern Shipping Co Ltd., along with the individuals Kwek Kee Seng and Chen Shih Huan for having helped deliver or transfer refined petroleum products to North Korea, as well as two entities owned or controlled by the two individuals: Anfsar Trading (S) Pte. Ltd. and Swanseas Port Services Pte. Ltd.

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Under U.N. Security Council resolutions, ship-to-ship transfers of any cargo to or from North Korean-flagged vessels are prohibited, and Pyongyangs import of refined petroleum products is limited to 500,000 barrels per year starting in 2018.

Blinken noted that North Korea has broken its 500,000-barrel cap every year since the rule was imposed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty

They were three brothers, members of a pacifist Hutterite sect in South Dakota. Arrested for being conscientious objectors during World War I, they were sent to Alcatraz, at that time a military prison. When the brothers refused to don uniforms, because it symbolized submission to the army, they were chained to their cell bars, arms crossed and standing, for eight hours a day.

Fed only bread and water, the brothers were given no blankets, beds, or other furniture, and were occasionally whipped when chained. Rats roamed their cells, moisture from a cistern dampened their walls, and the only lights were in the corridor. Finally transferred after four months to another military prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, they were marched uphill and, sweaty, forced to undress and stand in the chilly night air for several hours. Two of the brothers died several days later, and when the widow of one showed up and asked for his coffin to be opened to view his body, she was horrified to find it clothed in the military uniform he had refused to wear while alive.

Thats just one example of the brutality and callousness of what might be the bleakest period in American historythe years 1917-1921, the subject of American Midnight: The Great War, A Violent Peace, and Democracys Forgotten Crisis, the latest book from noted historian Adam Hochschild.

The Race Massacre Trump Ignored Because America Tries to Hide Its Sins

The sheer savagery and brutality of what people endured during this era is one of the things that surprised him most during his research, Hochschild said in an interview with The Daily Beast. Particularly the lynchings of Black people, and other types of brutality used against conscientious objectors in prison. Why this happened, he says, is because we were not too far away from the brutality of the frontier. There was a kind of brutality that comes from being close to an expanding frontier, and a tradition of vigilante justice on the frontier. Something of that spirit spread into the whole country, and entering WWI unleashed so much of this brutality, even though the United States had not been attacked.

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American Midnight is the kind of book the right-wing group Moms For Liberty would probably want banned from school libraries, because it shows white nativism at its most toxic. The years it covers saw a crackdown on leftist groups like the Socialists and International Workers of the World, the latter of whom were involved in the largest civilian criminal trial in U.S. history; massive race riots in cities like East Saint Louis and Tulsa, and lynchings throughout the South; censoring of the leftist, foreign-language, and Black press, which were banned from the mails; battles against organized labor; prejudicial moves against Jews and immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe; and the rise of the American Protective League, a massive right-wing vigilante force that was an auxiliary of the Department of Justice.

Handout

The psychosis of the era was, in fact, so extreme it almost seems surreal. In Bisbee, Arizona, an army of vigilantes forced over 1,000 striking miners into cattle cars, hauled them nearly 200 miles into New Mexico, then drove them into an army stockade. In East St. Louis, white mobs invaded a Black neighborhood, set fire to more than a dozen blocks, killed at least 100 residents and forced more than 7,000 to flee for their lives. And in the Palmer Raids of 1919/1920 (named after then Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer), nearly 10,000 so-called subversives, many of them Jews, Poles, or Italians, were arrestedmost without warrants, often beaten and denied legal representation, in what one historian called arguably the greatest single violation of civil liberties in American history.

Because we are a country that has always been receiving new waves of immigrants, there has been this tension between those who got here earlier, and the new waves, says Hochschild of the Palmer Raids, and there has been a tendency to blame the new waves for things going wrong. When people feel they are lagging behind, they want to blame somebody.

Not that there werent people who fought against this repression. Anarchist Emma Goldman spoke out against the war and conscription, but was eventually arrested for conspiracy to interfere with the draft and ultimately deported. Socialist leader Eugene V. Debs also refused to keep quiet, was arrested, incarcerated, and ran for President in 1920 from his jail cell, earning 6 percent of the vote.

(President Woodrow Wilson, who hated Debs, refused to pardon him, even after the war had ended. It wasnt until Warren G. Harding became president that Debs was released from prison, with Harding telling a reporter, Why should we kid each other? Debs was right. We shouldn't have been in that war.)

And then there was the greatest American hero youve probably never heard of: Louis F. Post. A founding member of the NAACP and a supporter of the campaign that created Labor Day, Post was acting Secretary of Labor, a position which also made him head of the Immigration Bureau, when he invalidated 3,000 of the Palmer Raid arrests for various reasons (no access to lawyers, no deportation warrants). And out of over 2,000 more deportation cases, he allowed less than 20 percent to go through. This infuriated the House Rules Committee, which tried to impeach him. But when testifying, Post gave such an impressive lesson on immigration law that the committee dropped the proceedings.

So why isnt this guy better known?

His heroism was within the bureaucracy, says Hochschild, he was not leading a march, or anything like that. Post orchestrated the Twelve Lawyer Report (researched by a dozen attorneys that detailed the abuses of the Palmer Raids), but he stayed in the background, and eliminated from his papers that he had any contact with these folks. And he also orchestrated a case in Boston (Post encouraged a test case in which a federal judge freed potential deportees while slamming the governments overreach). He was trying to conceal his efforts, but there were front page headlines at the time. Still, that was 100 years ago.

Reading American Midnight, it becomes obvious that some of the issues that were flashpoints in 1917-1921immigration, racism, labor strife, compromised mediahave their echoes in todays world. Given that, Hochschild says there are significant similarities and differences.

A lot of things are the same, he says, but one difference is who the villains are. At that time, immigrants were primarily Jews, Italians, and Poles, none of whom had become white, so to speak. Today its immigrants from Latin America. In those days Red-baiting was really extreme, and today there really is no more communism, but that doesnt stop the right from Red-baiting anyway. And another difference is a more positive one: the daily press in those years was awful, they pretty much printed what government spokespersons said. Todays press is more skeptical.

Still, American Midnight raises the question of whether the insanity of the era it discusses can ever happen again. On this point, Hochschild is surprisingly optimistic. Id like to think its not inevitable, he says, we can avoid it. Good journalism is incredibly important, and not taking what government and demagogues say for granted, Having organizations that dont let people get away with stuff, like the ACLU, which was born during this period. And 100 years ago there really werent civic organizations dedicated to maintaining civil liberties.

Ultimately, Hochschild wants the readers of the book to come away from it with the understanding that eternal vigilance regarding our rights is important. We have to watch this doesnt happen again, he says. Its not about a single person or party. Weve been through these things before, and we have to be aware of them, and aware of what causes stress in this country.

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Anna Sorokin, the ex-con-artist who inspired the Netflix series Inventing Anna, discussed her oncoming legal battle against potential deportation in her first interview since her release from prison on Oct. 8.

Speaking with the New York Times, Sorokin asserted that she is regretful of her criminal actions, which involved swindling the upper echelons of Manhattan by posing as an heiress under the name Anna Delvey.

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I learned so much being in jail, Sorokin said. Theres a very well-documented arc about how Ive felt about everything. It wouldnt be right if I were just to switch in one day. That would be very disingenuous. Its a process. I am regretful about the way things played out. The way Ive tried to see my experience is to learn from it: Who I am today is because of the decisions I made in the past.

Sorokin also explained why she elected to serve a jail sentence in the U.S., instead of fighting for her immigration status from Germany, stating that a decision to leave the country would have given the impression that she was running from something.

I just did not want it to go down the way ICE wanted it to. Letting them deport me would have been like a sign of capitulation  confirmation of this perception of me as this shallow person who only cares about obscene wealth, and thats just not the reality, Sorokin said. I could have left, but I chose not to because Im trying to fix what Ive done wrong. I have so much history in New York and I felt like if I were in Europe, Id be running from something. But if jail does not prove people wrong, then what will?

Sorokin, who is Russian-born and has German citizenship, was arrested in March of last year for overstaying her visa in the U.S. She was released on bail from Orange County Jail on Oct. 7, at which point she was free to return to Manhattan and hunker down in her new East Village apartment under 24-hour house arrest.

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So many immigration lawyers told me Id get deported to Mars before Id get out in New York, Sorokin said, explaining her excitement to be able to remain in the U.S. for the time being. I just had to find the person whod align with my vision, not accept no for an answer and make it happen.

But John Sandweg, the immigration attorney representing Sorokin, clarified her release does not necessarily mean she will be able to remain in the country.

This doesnt mean she gets to stay in the United States, Sandweg said. All this means is that she gets to continue to aggressively pursue all her cases out of jail, off the taxpayers dime  and she gets to do it from home.

The 31-year-olds criminal record is stacked against her, given a hefty 2019 conviction that found her guilty on eight counts, including grand larceny and theft of services. She served just over four years of her four-to-12 year sentence before being released and subsequently arrested by ICE six months later.

Back in a 2019 interview with the New York Times, Sorokin expressed little remorse for her actions. Now, three years later, sitting across from the same journalist who interviewed her then, Sorokin alleges her stance has changed drastically.

Sorokin also shared her thoughts on being legally barred from using social media, which is a stipulation of her release from prison. In prison, Sorokin was an active presence online. Her latest Instagram post dates back as recently as a week ago, with the location tagged as the Orange County Correctional Facility.

Maybe thats for the best? Its really hard to tune out distractions, Sorokin said of her social media ban. Hopefully its not forever.

In her newfound time at home, Sorokin plans to try her hand at podcasting and writing a novel, in addition to pursuing her artwork.

I have a lot going on. Im working on my own podcast with different guests for each episode. But its not shaped up yet, Sorokin said. It was pretty hard to record anything high quality from jail. And then theres my book. Id love to do something with criminal-justice reform to kind of highlight the struggles of other girls.

All the while, shes preparing to make a legal case for her to remain in the United States.

My immigration case is just beginning, Sorokin said.

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Oct. 9WEDNESDAY

Southern Colorado Women's Chamber Virtual Membership Benefits Seminar  8-9:30 a.m. Registration: tinyurl.com/vaj6t8ky.

Spark the Springs: Entrepreneurship Celebration  Connect with the entrepreneurial community in Colorado Springs and hear from serial entrepreneur Jim Waldrop, 5:30-8:30 p.m., UCCS Berger Hall, 1240 Austin Bluffs Parkway. Registration: tinyurl.com/e6ebspe5.

COMING UP

Oct. 18: Southern Colorado Women's Chamber Business Lunch  11 a.m.-1 p.m., The Pinery at the Hill, 775 W. Bijou St., $38-$50. Registration: tinyurl.com/356jxn25.

Oct. 18: FMLA New Laws  Need to Knows  11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce, 166 Second St., Monument. Registration: trilakeschamber.com.

Oct. 18: Tri-Lakes Chamber Business After Hours  5-7 p.m., Force Broadband, 1945 Deer Creek Road, Unit 108, Monument, free for first-time visitors. Registration: trilakeschamber.com.

Oct. 20: Community and Business Expo  4-7 p.m., Tri-Lakes YMCA, 17250 Jackson Creek Parkway, Monument; trilakeschamber.com.

Oct. 20 and Nov. 3: Tri-Lakes Chamber Networking Breakfasts  7:30-9 a.m., Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce, 166 Second St., Monument, free for first-time visitors. Registration: trilakeschamber.com.

Oct. 29: Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC Annual Gala  6-10 p.m., The Broadmoor, International Center, 1 Lake Ave., $220-$320. Reservations: tinyurl.com/83vwdwuz.

Nov. 10: State of the Region  11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., DoubleTree hotel, 1775 E. Cheyenne Mountain Blvd., $70-$90. Registration: tinyurl.com/2p9c5kp7.

Dec. 5: Legislative Roundtable  4-6 p.m., The Broadmoor, 1 Lake Ave., $50-$80. Registration: tinyurl.com/mwnrnhsz.

ONGOING

Virtual Apple Club Meeting  With Q&A and presentations, 6-8 p.m. second Mondays; smmug.org. Email for virtual meeting credentials: jeffj@smmug.org.

Colorado Springs Toastmasters  5:55-7:15 p.m. second and fourth Mondays, Wild Goose Meeting House, 401 N. Tejon St.; 720-989-8944, southad4@d6leaders.org.

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Resume Clinic  10 a.m.-noon Tuesdays, Hanifen Employment Center, 14 W. Bijou St.; 719-866-6445.

Customer Service Certification Training  2-4 p.m. First Tuesdays, Hanifen Employment Center, 14 W. Bijou St.; 719-866-6445.

Interview Skills  10 a.m.-noon Thursdays, Hanifen Employment Center, 14 W. Bijou St.; 719-866-6445.
Maine in books (The Independent)

Maine is the most isolated slice of the continental United States. Its a place that stretches so far north it forms a peninsula into Canada, and so far east that its where the country comes closest to brushing Europe. And yet Maines frigid landscapes and cloistered small towns occupy a conspicuously outsized space in American fiction. The population of the state has hovered just above a relatively minuscule million people for almost 50 years, but in the last two decades its rough shores, tall pines, and one-horse towns have inspired three winners of the Pulitzer Prize: Richard Russos Empire Falls (2002), Elizabeth Strouts Olive Kitteridge (2009), and Paul Hardings elegiac novel of loss, Tinkers (2010).

Maine is a place where the wind keens through packed forests. Snow accumulates by the side of the road into mounds as tall as houses. You could go as far back as Henry David Thoreaus obsessively observed 1864 nature essay The Maine Woods to find crystalline depictions of the state, but really theres no need. Maine, and its relentless topography, is everywhere in fiction. Think of The Cider House Rules and John Irvings patients rendering of the map, from inland mountains which slide into unfarmed valleys which give way to the bright Maine sea. Atmospheric bestsellers, like Christina Baker Klines haunted Orphan Train and Anita Shreves The Weight of Water, with its misty sea that steamed like a bath. And most notably, Stephen King, the bard of a supernatural Maine in which the impossible feels inevitable.

This year I found myself back in Maine, on my lifelong literary road trip. It forms the backdrop to three new books: Lucy by the Sea, Strouts nuanced return to the deep north, Morgan Taltys beautifully raw debut story collection Night of the Living Rez, and Hokuloa Road, Elizabeth Hands incandescently creepy mystery about a Maine man who trades life in the middle of nowhere for Hawaii. What I found within their pages were three distinct places, separated according to their protagonists age, class, and conditions, but all enamoured and afraid of their own remoteness.

Its Maines far-offness that drives the plot in Lucy by the Sea, Strouts pandemic novel about an ageing duo from New York City who head north in the hopes of avoiding the deadly coronavirus. Professional writer Lucy and her ex-husband, William, will be familiar to readers of Strouts previous novels, My Name is Lucy Barton (2016) and Oh William! (2021). In her latest, Maine is a refuge  not the real world, but a buffer that the pair are trying to put between themselves and where theyve come from.

Upon her arrival in the town of Crosby  invented, but evocative of Maines sleepy coastal towns with their craggy shores (and also the hometown of Strouts other heroine, Olive Kitteridge)  Lucy is greeted by drabness that suits her melancholy. Everything looked really brown and bleak, and yet in a way that was interesting: There were many different shades of brown in the grasses that we passed by; there was a quietness to this, Strout writes. Her Maine is imbued with a sense of sturdy permanence: the ocean surrounds Lucy on both sides of the road; the seaweed lay wavy-like on the rocks; and the weather remained cold, bleak. The novel is punctuated by loss  there are deaths, divorces, miscarriages  but also reconciliation. Maine holds still for Strouts characters, cradling them while they reflect.

Two New Yorkers escape to Maine during the pandemic in Elizabeth Strouts Lucy by the Sea (Getty)

Its a sympathetic relationship between person and place that couldnt be more distinct from the Maine in Taltys stories, set on the Penobscot Indian Nation reservation where the author was raised. His Maine is kinetic, aggressive, and ferociously present-tense. In Burn, the story that starts the collection, protagonist Dee is forced to cut off a friends long braid after he falls asleep outside and it becomes frozen into the snow. Like Lucy, Night of the Living Rez is about the hardness of life  addiction, runaway children, and infant loss all feature  but in Taltys cocksure, angry prose, Maine is an additional source of pressure. Where Strouts seaweed lay wavy-like, Taltys sharp pine trees clutter and lean into each other (not unlike Kings in It: the trees, mostly firs, were thick, growing everywhere, battling each other). In another story, the thick, wet rain plays a role in a violent car crash. Maine has all the destructive force of an antagonist, but none of the remorse. For those on the reservation, the landscape is as breathtakingly beautiful as it is hard to endure.

Hokuloa Road offers the most surprising rendering of all: Maine in the rear-view mirror, a memory that informs a characters experience of elsewhere. Working-class Grady arrives on a fictional Hawaiian island in the hopes of fleeing the dead-end monotony of mid-pandemic Maine, but the results are disappointing to him. The few houses Grady saw were modest. Cinder-block rectangles, modular homes Hed flown halfway around the world to find himself surrounded by the same frigging s*** hed grown up with. The place seems imprinted upon him.

Theres a versatility to Maine  an edge-of-the-world outpost mysterious enough to accommodate opposing metaphors of homecoming, stasis, and escape

The version of Maine that prevails in each of these books exists at the nexus of a characters personal history. Strouts Lucy and William have the money to travel north in pursuit of safety; with construction work paused, Grady takes a job in Hawaii to survive the same event, someplace far from home. The brutality of Dees Maine is entirely separate from the elite coastal towns where New Yorkers have second homes  and yet they sit side by side. Theres a versatility to Maine  an edge-of-the-world outpost mysterious enough to accommodate opposing metaphors of homecoming, stasis, and escape.

But Maines more than a parlour trick. All three of these new novels capture the states impressionistic force, the sense that the landscape can shape lives. Its a quality that, we know from Thoreaus wanderings, predates the fiction it has inspired.

Who shall describe the inexpressible tenderness and immortal life of the grim forest, where Nature, though it be midwinter, is ever in her spring? the transcendentalist wrote in the late 1840s after months spent exploring. Struggling to describe Maine literally, he instead describes the feel of it: What a place to live, what a place to die and be buried in! There certainly men would live forever, and laugh at death and the grave.

Or, as Hand puts it in elegant, wistful understatement: Maybe Maine was the real world after all.
Activists hacked an Iranian state broadcasters leading news programme with a message supporting anti-regime protests as demonstrations entered their fourth week in the country.

The Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN) was broadcasting an appearance of Irans Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Saturday evening, before abruptly cutting to a screen with photos of young women and girls who have been killed during the protests.

Among the images was a photo of Mahsa Amini, 22, whose death last month while in the custody of Irans notorious morality police, has ignited a fierce backlash against the regime.

The screen also had Farsi text that read the blood of our youths is on your hands and a message urging Iranians to join the protests.

Hacking group called Edalat-e Ali claimed responsibility for the disruption.

The group also hacked into the Iranian state broadcasters website and posted an opposition message on the page earlier this year.

Protesters have regularly chanted death to the dictator and called for regime change during demonstrations across the country.

More than 150 people have been killed, hundreds injured and thousands arrested following weeks of unrest.

A human rights group said yesterday security forces were shooting at people in Kurdish cities Sanandaj and Saqez.

Women and girls have also torn off their headscarves in the protests but several are said to have been beaten to death by police, including Nika Tragic Nika Shakarami, 16, in Tehran.

Ms Amini was arrested for allegedly violating Irans strictly-enforced dress code.

Police said she had suffered a heart attack after being taken to the station to be convinced and educated, state television said, denying allegations she was beaten.

Her family have denied the official account put forward by Iranian officials.
ASHEVILLE - The Asheville-Buncombe Community Land Trust  the only model of its kind in Western North Carolina, according to land trust Executive Director Anna Zuevskaya  has sold its first home, paving the way toward more affordable homeownership opportunities in Asheville.

A three-bedroom, single-family home in the Shiloh neighborhood was sold in July to Asheville native Nikita Lindsey for $125,000, half the price of its $250,000 appraisal value, Zuevskaya said.

The home was originally built by Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity in 2016, according to Buncombe County property records. The community land trust acquired it in 2020.

WNC housing report: 125,000 live in poverty, many can't afford housing

Home sales: Asheville homes sales cool but sale prices remain sky high in first half of 2022

According to July data from Canopy MLS, the average sales price of a home in Buncombe County is $596,722, and the median sales price is $475,000.

The land trust was established in 2018 as a nonprofit with the goal of creating and protecting permanently affordable housing as a response to the damage caused by centuries of racist real estate policies and practices.

It was a long journey, Zuevskaya said of the sale, but it paves the way for others to purchase homes in the land trust's inventory.

In order to ensure permanent affordability, the community land trust retains ownership of the land on which the home sits, allowing the nonprofit to control the cost, and sell the house itself to an income-qualified buyer.

Currently, the trust owns four other parcels: Two homes in the East End that it will renovate and sell, Zuevskaya said, and two vacant parcels on Wyatt Street, also in Shiloh, slated to be built on.

Homeless advocates: APD notice of removal of camps before impending storm 'horrific'

Average and median asking prices of all Buncombe County residences on the market hit record highs during the first quarter of 2015.

Especially (for) homeownership opportunities, there is no other model like this that provides permanent affordability for homeownership," Zuevskaya said. Typically, homes will be sold at $100,000 less than the traditional real estate market, she said.

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Sasha Vrtunski, Asheville's affordable housing officer, said the land trust is "creating a net" around buyers, most of whom are first-time homeowners.

We dont have rent control in North Carolina, we dont have some of the other tools that other places have," she said. "Affordable housing organizations or developers have developed most of the other models of affordable housing (in Asheville), and this is the one weve been missing."

It's a strategy to develop a pipeline of affordable units, she said, and right now, the land trust is building that stock.

Vrtunski was on the trust's board for several years and now serves as the city staff liaison.

She said the first sale is an exciting milestone, and one she hopes will elevate the land trust's profile in the community, "and help people understand how the land trust can work and that its a viable path to homeownership."

More: City commits $1M to land trust to create affordable housing, battle gentrification

As part of its 2016 affordable housing bond, the city dedicated $1 million to the community land trust in 2018, which has helped fund many of the property acquisitions.

Lindsey's new home on Caribou Road is located in one of Asheville's historically Black neighborhoods. Restoring affordability to the properties, particularly in areas of the city that were redlined, is a key mission of the nonprofit, Zuevskaya said.

These are the places most impacted by urban renewal, gentrification, and the price hikes of the last five to 10 years, she said.

Where will it go?:Asheville's Affordable Housing Bond: $6.5 million remains.

Shiloh senior housing:Asheville City Council OKs 54-unit expansion of 100% affordable

More:New Asheville reparations project launches to do what city, county 'might not be able to'

"Our focus is is to ensure that people can return to those neighborhoods that they have potentially been displaced from in the past," she said.

This was echoed by Vrtunski, who said the land trust works to "turn the tables" on decades of lack of investment in these neighborhoods, helping people stay in their homes or move back to the communities their families are from.

Its trying to reclaim those areas, and get folks in there and stabilize a neighborhood, Vrtunski said.

Lindsey is a first-time homebuyer, and Zuevskaya said they worked closely together for about nine months ahead of the sale.

She was ready, she was excited, she was just on top of everything, Zuevskaya said. In order to qualify for the land trust's homeownership program, there are a number eligibility requirements, the primary of which are: income, assets and securing a mortgage.

Program applicants must have household income of 80% area median income or below, which is $45,000 for one person household and $51,400 for a two-person, according to the land trust's website.

Being a new homeowner is one of the best feelings Ive ever experienced. It has been an amazing journey for my daughter and I," Lindsey said in an Aug. 19 release from the land trust. I am not only building equity for my immediate family, but I am also getting the opportunity to generate wealth for those who come after me.

What comes next for ABCLT?

In the coming months, Zuevskaya said the land trust will put out a request for proposals for both the renovations of existing homes and construction on its vacant parcels.

Firestorm in West Asheville is moving to the former Dr. Dave's Automotive on Haywood Road.

Related: What is West Asheville's queer, anarchist, feminist bookstore Firestorm Books up to?

The nonprofit is also slated to get two lots from the city of Asheville, one in Montford at the corner of Chestnut and Young streets and the other on Lufty Avenue in West Asheville.

Also in the works, West Asheville's Firestorm Books has purchased the former site of Dr. Dave's Automotive  and plans to donate the newly acquired land to the trust. Zuevskaya said they are in the beginning stages of that process.

If acquired, it would be the first commercial property in the land trust's inventory.

Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville land trust paves way to affordability with $125K home sale
The Housing Authority of the city of Pueblo has been awarded a $70,000 Emergency Safety and Security grant from the federal Housing and Urban Development agency.

Funds will go to the purchase of surveillance cameras and electronic locks at the authority's developments citywide to improve the health and safety of residents.

Safety in public housing is a top priority at HUD, said Marcia Fudge, secretary of housing. These funds will help identify and address opportunities to invest in physical improvements and to advance the health and safety of public housing residents.

Pueblo Housing Authority's multifamily residential structures like these Mountain View Townhomes will receive security upgrades thanks to a $70,000 grant from the federal Housing and Urban Development agency.

Energize Colorado helps Pueblo businesses

Energize Colorado's Energize Community Program has awarded 15 loans worth $285,000 to Pueblo business owners in the past three months.

The funds help small business owners apply for additional capital, plus the program connects them with business advisors and community business support organizations. Another 14 loans worth $270,000 are pending in Pueblo, said Kanitha Heng Snow, director of strategic partnerships and marketing for Energize Colorado.

The program is projected to help create 142 jobs in Pueblo.

"The Energize Colorado team and I have partnered on door-to-door outreach and the funding readiness portion of the Energize Community Program," said Brian Estrada, executive director for the Southern Colorado Small Business Development Center in Pueblo. "We also co-hosted a successful resource fair in our community which informed small business community members about opportunities available to them."

"This endeavor has been a win-win for the small businesses we serve," Estrada said.

Shoppes at Market Place groundbreaking Oct. 14 in Pueblo West

A groundbreaking for the Shoppes at Market Place, 1002 N. Market Plaza, is set for 2 p.m. Oct. 14.

The shopping center is being built by Elk Valley Development and will be constructed next to Ace Hardware. It will offer retail, restaurant, bank and office space.

Sam's Street Tacos will be providing lunch for the event.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo's Housing Authority to beef up security with $70,000 grant
Man sent to morgue still alive after opens body bag to see eyes open (Supplied)

A hospital in Australia is under investigation after nurses allegedly sent a man to the morgue in a body bag while still alive.

Kevin Reid, a palliative care patient, supposedly died in Rockingham General Hospital on 5 September. But a doctors discovery suggests the patient could have actually died on 6 September  despite having already been sent to the morgue.

The realisation that a grave error was made struck when the doctor unzipped the body bag and found fresh blood on the patients gown and saw his eyes were open, according to reports.

On 5 September, nurses believed Mr Reid, 55, died and sent him to the morgue after informing his family. A doctor had not attended to certify the patients death before he was sent to the morgue, which the hospital attributed to staff shortages.

The hospital also said there had been confusion because two patients had died in a very short space of time.

The following day, a doctor went to certify Mr Reids death after an organ donation organisation requested permission to take his organs.

As well as the doctor spotting fresh blood and the patients eyes open, two of the corpses limbs had reportedly moved, raising the alarm Mr Reid may have been alive when he was transferred to the body bag.

The hospital, near Perth, is under investigation (Supplied)

The doctor alerted the state coroner after he was reportedly asked to backdate Mr Reids death date by senior hospital staff. An investigation was swiftly opened by Western Australias Coroners Court.

I believe the frank blood from a new skin tear, arm position and eye signs were inconsistent with a person who was post-mortem on arrival at the morgue, the doctor wrote in his report to the coroner, as reported by Business News.

A doctor had not attended to certify Mr Reids death before he was sent to the morgue (Getty/iStockphoto)

Paul Forden, chief executive of South Metropolitan Health Service, said that the patients family had been present at his bedside for some time after nurses announced his death.

He also clarified that the investigation being done by health officials was looking into protocols following the death of a patient and stressed that it was not investigating whether or not the patient was alive.
Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Christian Jenkins speaks to Assistant Ohio attorney general Amanda Narog in his courtroom in downtown Cincinnati on October 7, 2022. Sam Greene /The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP

An Ohio judge blocked the state's six-week abortion ban, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

The court ruling prolonged an earlier suspension of the law, which was set to end next week.

Ohio Republican state Attorney General David Yost is expected to appeal the decision.

An Ohio judge on Friday indefinitely blocked a state law that prohibited most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins issued the preliminary injunction after a hearing, rejecting the state's argument that there is no right to an abortion in the state since it isn't mentioned in the Ohio Constitution.

Jenkins said that a right doesn't have to be specifically named within the text in order for it to be protected.

"This court has no difficulty holding that the Ohio Constitution confers a fundamental right on all of Ohioans to privacy, procreation, bodily integrity and freedom of choice in health care decision-making that encompasses the right to abortion," he said.

The decision prolonged an earlier suspension of the law, which was set to end next week.

With the Ohio ruling, the state's restrictive abortion law is now halted until the case makes its way through the courts; without the ban on the books, abortion in the state is legal for up to 22 weeks of pregnancy.

The plaintiffs in the case argued that the Ohio law denied women their due process rights, referencing key affidavits, including one of a cancer patient who had to leave the state to receive medical care.

Due to radiation that can be damaging to a fetus, pregnant cancer patients are often presented with the choice of having an abortion before undergoing treatment.

"Does a law that prevents a cancer patient from getting lifesaving treatment infringe on those rights? The answer is obviously it does. Abortion is health care to which Ohioans have a right," Jenkins said on Friday.

Protesters rally at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus in support of abortion after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022. Barbara J. Perenic /The Columbus Dispatch via AP, File

The plaintiffs stated that they were "relieved that patients in Ohio can continue to access abortion as we work to fight this unjust and dangerous ban in court."

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Ohio Republican state Attorney General David Yost, who is supportive of the six-week ban, is expected to appeal the decision.

"We will wait and review the judge's actual written order and consult with the governor's administration," a Yost spokesman said after the ruling.

After the United States Supreme Court earlier this year overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that legalized abortion in the United States and afforded a constitutional right to the procedure, the issue is now in the hands of individual states.

While many solidly Democratic states have expanded access to abortion rights after the high court's decision, the bulk of GOP-controlled states has gone in the opposite direction  imposing total or near-total abortion bans.

The restrictive laws have led to a torrent of litigation across a multitude of states seeking to overturn the bans.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans' Services Cheryl Lussier Poppe met with leaders of the food service hiring agency Snapchef, MassHire Central Career Center and Veterans Inc. for a roundtable discussion. From right are Don Alexander, Veterans Inc. case manager; SNAPchef CEO Todd Snopkowski; Poppe; Ken Desmarais, SNAPchef director of business development; and Jibrael Younis, MassHire operations manager.

WORCESTER  Saying veteran hires can provide resilience and creativity in jobs in the culinary industry, Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans' Services Cheryl Lussier Poppe discussed how training and staffing organizations can improve outreach to those who have served in the military.

Poppe met with leaders of the food service hiring agency Snapchef, MassHire Central Career Center and Veterans Inc. for a roundtable discussion Tuesday.

Snapchef is a staffing provider for the food services and hospitality industry. The agency has placed chefs in multiple Worcester-area businesses.

In addition to facilitating hiring, Snapchef trains members of the communities they have locations in to serve in the hospitality industry. The roundtable was held at Snapchef's training center on Southbridge Street.

In addition to Worcester, Snapchef has locations in Boston, Springfield and Providence. The agency has placed chefs throughout New England.

Todd Snopkowski, CEO and co-founder of Snapchef, said

veterans bring discipline to the kitchen.

"Being a chef myself, we call it a brigade, the larger kitchens that I've worked in," Snopkowski said. "They come out with skills that I, as a chef, look for. Hardworking, able to follow direction, able to take on tasks and able to complete tasks."

He said one of the chefs Snapchef placed in a college is one of the last standing chefs there after the kitchen went through some staffing shifts. Snopkowski credited that chef's ability to persevere.

In a tough hiring market, Snopkowski said, veterans are a key focus on recruiting for Snapchef.

Hiring agencies like Snapchef are taking the lead by showing interest in hiring veterans who are looking for their next step outside of the military.

"They provide them with opportunities. Not just with employment, but also with learning the skills," Poppe said. "And also they're helping them foster some of the values that they learned in the military: the teamwork, the innovation, learning to make some substitutions when you have to."

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Ken Desmarais, director of culinary business development at Snapchef, asked Poppe what were the best practices to reach veterans.

Poppe said Snapchef has a good start by reaching out to MassHire and Veterans Inc. and recommended talking to the city's Veterans' Services Division. She said there are 15 other veterans services organizations along with Veterans Inc. nonprofit providers that can be helpful.

Poppe said veterans can be reached by social media, hiring websites and through traditional mail.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Veterans' Services' Cheryl Lussier Poppe touts vets for food service
SHEBOYGAN - One thing hasnt changed about the Old Wisconsin Sausage Company in the company's 75 years, according to vice president and general manager Steve Harrison. Its always been about people.

You know, it's been about products, but it's predominantly about people who care about what they're doing, Harrison said. Try to put out a good product. Try and do the right things at the right time. Keep people as happy as you can. And you know, that's probably a tradition that hopefully will continue to move forward.

Old Wisconsin provided food during COVID-19 pandemic

Many businesses closed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing people to work from home or leaving many without jobs. But Old Wisconsin stayed open.

The mantra was OK, everybody can work from home. Well, when you're making food and you're in manufacturing, it doesn't really work that well, Harrison said. We got up in front of the staff and told them how important it was  that we had people counting on us to make food for them. If you don't have food, you've got a problem.

To provide a safe environment, he said they had nurses on board, partitions in break areas and COVID-19 sick-leave policies in place, which left some spaces empty on production lines.

If you're missing 10% of your workforce or 15%  and I think that's probably the high watermark that we were missing, maybe 20 people or 30 people at some point because of the restrictions of COVID  and try and manage schedules at that point in time gets to be pretty interesting, Harrison said.

Old Wisconsin had challenges with getting meat from processing plants at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic because many shut down due to COVID-19 outbreaks. After that, supply chain issues with other ingredients and components, such as spices and film for packaging, created obstacles in production.

It was just so many things in flux at a given point in time, Harrison said. It was challenging, so we're all kind of looking forward to maybe things just settling down just a little bit.

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Although some supply chain issues have improved, Harrison said, like companies across the manufacturing industry, Old Wisconsin is experiencing challenges with inflation.

It continues to be a challenge of getting products out there, just like the car lots aren't full of cars. You know, whether it's one piece of the puzzle, if you can't have a chip, you can't get the car, chief executive officer Robert Buddig said. It could be the smallest little ingredient, or one part.  And along with that can be layered with the price and all sorts. Its not been stable grounds on a lot of things out there right now.

For Old Wisconsin, Harrison said spice prices have increased more than 20%, film prices have increased 15% and box prices have increased by double digits. This has led to an increase in retail products.

Overall, the price of food increased 1% for June 2022 and 10% over the past year, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Both Bob (Robert Buddig) and I have been in this business for over 40 years and the last two or three years have probably been the most challenging of our entire careers, Harrison said. Because you never seem like you could do enough or keep people happy. Customers were mad because you couldn't get them enough product. Employees were concerned because they were working an awful lot of hours. So, you have to make those adjustments.

Workers at Old Wisconsin Sausage assemble sausage and cheese packets, Wednesday, July 27, 2022, in Sheboygan, Wis.

Old Wisconsin has created a culture of community throughout its history

Old Wisconsin began as Thielmanns, and was founded by Frank Thielmann and William Stolzman in 1947. Six years later, Thielmann's opened its first plant to meet increasing demand and was renamed as Thielmanns Old Wisconsin Sausage Company.

For Buddig and Harrison, the Sheboygan community and Old Wisconsin have had a close relationship over the years.

We have an area here that's driven by a lot of family businesses, and we think we treat our people in our community, not just ourselves, but our associates that work with us, like it's a community, Buddig said. I'm not just saying we're special. I'm saying all the community is special, and people don't realize how nice it is to live in this community.

Buddig, who's from Chicago, said Sheboygan is a breath of fresh air.

In 1981, Carl Buddig and Co., a family-owned meat-process company, purchased Old Wisconsin and changed the name to Old Wisconsin Sausage Company.

Our family has learned a lot from being up here as well, Buddig said. And the spirit here and of Old Wisconsin  other than one employee, every employee up here is from the area. So, you know, it's been homegrown, basically home to its own. Its kind of neat to watch the company grow.

Old Wisconsin employs about 500 people, with some working for Old Wisconsin for 20 to 40 years.

A rack of snack sticks ready to be smoked at Old Wisconsin Sausage, Wednesday, July 27, 2022, in Sheboygan, Wis.

Harrison said a culture has been built at Old Wisconsin.

(Employees) have to believe in what they're doing, Harrison said. And they like seeing their products. I mean, basically you can go across the country and find Old Wisconsin somewhere. And just knowing that maybe they touched it, maybe they put it in a bag, maybe they loaded it on a truck  there's a lot of pride associated with that.

Old Wisconsin is sold across the United States and in Canada. Buddig also said that Old Wisconsin will largely go with Walmart, the companys biggest customer, wherever they go.

The company has moved away from traditional sausages to meat snacks, which Buddig said they transitioned to because many people are deciding to snack rather than eat the traditional three meals a day.

Everything's on the go, Buddig said. And even sitting down having dinner at home is not the same as it used to be. So much stuff is portable on-the-go snacking. Snacking is on trend, big-time, and protein is on trend."

A closeup of snack sized pieces of snacking sausage at Old Wisconsin Sausage, Wednesday, July 27, 2022, in Sheboygan, Wis.

In Sheboygan, Old Wisconsin has a retail shop at 2107 S. Seventeenth St. and a distribution and packaging facility at 4036 Weeden Creek Rd., which the company moved into from its former site on Union Avenue.

Harrison said he thinks theyre honest about where the company has been and where it's planning to go.

Providing a career path for people, younger folks who are coming on board, making sure that we're paying better than competitive wages and benefits so that they can take care of their family, Harrison said. Those values, I think, are instilled in our company that going forward, I feel really good about the future.

In addition to creating a positive workplace and culture at Old Wisconsin, Harrison said they try to be involved in the community, whether through volunteering or economic development initiatives.

There's a quality-of-life question that, if we're going to attract and retain people  you want to have the amenities, Harrison said. So, if those things are not being supported within the community, they may or may not develop. ... The support of the community is having that staff who likes living here, has things to do when they're living here.

Workers inspect the line at Old Wisconsin Sausage, Wednesday, July 27, 2022, in Sheboygan, Wis.

He said Old Wisconsin makes efforts to support community organizations that their employees volunteer with, too, such as making products and monetary donations.

"We make sure that we support them and, again, it's nothing really any different than the responsibility, social responsibility, I think that every company in Sheboygan County has, and that may or may not be true in other communities, Harrison said. But, you know, I think we're close-knit.

To celebrate employees, Harrison said Old Wisconsin throws staff parties twice a year, brings in food trucks once a month, and offers incentives and breakfast to those who work on Saturdays.

We try and have some fun too. Our folks work really, really hard, Harrison said. ... I think in this day and age right now, people need to know that they're appreciated. Because it's not always just about money. To some people, it is just about money, but people want to know that they're important to the company.

More: Olive Garden could be coming to the Sheboygan area soon. Here's where and what to know.

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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: Old Wisconsin Sausage in Sheboygan celebrating 75 years of community
A Rhode Island man has been charged with allegedly planting a homemade bomb in a bathroom stall at the Mansfield Drive-In and marketplace this summer, according to the Connecticut State Police.

Matthew J. Farley, of Harrisville, Rhode Island, was turned over to Connecticut State Police on Friday after being arrested in Rhode Island. He was wanted on a warrant connected to the bomb scare, which caused a closure and evacuation during a Sunday flea market on the drive-in grounds in June, according to state police records.

The 36-year-old was charged with trying to manufacture a bomb and conspiracy to commit first-degree breach of peace, according to state police.

On June 6 around 2 p.m., CSP Troop C received a 911 call from a woman who worked at the drive-in at 228 Stafford Road in Mansfield. She told police that a suspicious device was found inside a bathroom by a customer who was worried that it was a bomb, police said.

The homemade explosive device consisted of an Altoids container on top of a cardboard box with a blinking red light on top of it. It had flammable and 5/6 written on it and contained wires, clothes pins and batteries, police said.

Investigators from state police, the Emergency Services Unit Bomb Squad, the Fire and Explosive Investigation Unit and the FBI investigated the device and suspected it was live. They dismantled the device and began what state police described as complex and in-depth investigative steps that led them to Farley.

In the bathroom near the explosive device, investigators also found a shell casing, a bullet and multiple counterfeit $10 bills. The bills were designed with the image of a woman wearing a mask over her eyes and had sexual messages and the term Scarlett Nation scrawled on them, according to investigators in a warrant for Farleys arrest.

Police linked the messages on the bills to a Twitter account and interviewed a person, identified only as Witness No. 6 in police records, who told them that she worked as a life coach for a man named MJ from Rhode Island who had been watching her, sending her unwanted gifts and long, incomprehensible letters, according to state police in the warrant.

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Police showed the woman surveillance video from the flea market the morning the bomb was found, including video of a man with long dark hair who went in and out of the bathroom twice that afternoon and matched the description of MJ.

When the woman saw the video, she told police thats the [expletive] right there, police said in the warrant. The man was identified as Farley.

The woman gave police that mans phone number, which investigators used to track cellphone GPS data that showed a phone registered to Farley was in the area of the market the day that bomb was planted, state police said.

During the investigation, an employee of the drive-in received a suspicious letter that was addressed to the drive-in but was written for the woman who identified Farley. In it, he talks about the woman selling her crafts at the flea market and begs for his computer and other property back from her. The letter also contained two SD cards and a dollar bill, on at least one of the cards were sexual videos and photographs from an OnlyFans account, state police said.

Yours have cut me deep enough to open my eyes to see the truth, the letter said, according to state police.

At another, the author wrote: Im not threatening you, but since you said you could ruin my life, I want you to know that if I had wanted to destroy your life, I have more than enough evidence in just texts you sent me.

Also inside the envelope was a guide to making the Altoids contained device and a bulleted list of instructions that ended with bow down slave.

The instructions began with the message: Congrats. You didnt blow up, according to the warrant.

Police in September were granted a warrant for Farleys arrest. He was taken into the custody of Troop C on Friday. Farley was being held in lieu of a $50,000 bond and was scheduled to be arranged in Rockville Superior Court on Tuesday, police said.
DALLAS  The sellout crowd of 92,100 at the Cotton Bowl  the 100 were the minute number of Sooners fans who stayed the entire game  got to see a slightly different version of Oklahoma and Texas football.

Turkey, meet the carving knife.

Thats how one-sided this 49-0 win was. It wasnt pretty in terms of competitiveness. That said, it proved to be a lovely sight to behold if youre part of Longhorn Nation, which can finally celebrate snapping a four-game losing streak to the Sooners in this blood feud of a rivalry and possibly embarking on a new, upward path.

Off the top, there are a couple of easy observations.

Oklahoma aint any good.

Texas can be.

It certainly was Saturday in this historic meeting of two unranked clubs in terms of lopsided scoring margin and potential significance moving forward after a blowout of a now 3-3 OU team thats winless in three Big 12 games.

So this is what a Steve Sarkisian program can look like. He certainly envisioned this kind of success when he took the Texas job less than two years ago.

Week 6 winners and losers: Oklahoma sinks to new low, UCLA riding high

More:Texas' Quinn Ewers signs lucrative NIL deal to market himself digitally now, later

You never know the path youre going to go on, said the second-year Longhorns coach, who beat OU for the first time. I hate to dwell on last year, but we felt we let one get away. The outside world looks only at wins and losses for growth in the program, but we look at the work every day, the attention to detail, the competitiveness and physicalness. I know its a minute since we got the Golden Hat.

A whole bunch of Longhorns tried it on for size.

I put it on, tailback Bijan Robinson said. Its kind of big.

Quinn Ewers nodded in agreement. Yeah, what Bijan said.

The two were instrumental in Texas posting its most complete win in ages in this series and turning the page on OUs domination.

Sarkisian knows he has an NFL-quality quarterback  something that has been in short supply over the last dozen years  in Ewers, plus an NFL-bound workhorse tailback in Bijan Robinson after his fourth consecutive 100-yard-plus performance. He also knows he has a spectacular wide receiver and tight end in Xavier Worthy and JaTavion Sanders, who combined for three touchdowns, and now he has a swarm-tackling defense aglow after its first shutout of the year and first in this series since 1965.

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Five different Horns scored.

Ewers showed off an arm and the quickest release of any Texas quarterback these eyes have ever seen.

And the defense, maligned a year ago after ranking No. 100 nationally, got three sacks and two takeaways and completely throttled an OU offense that tried five players throwing a pass and resorted to a fake field goal and four fourth-down gambles. Nothing the Sooners tried resulted in points.

Yes, Texas checked a whole lot of boxes.

Sarkisians free-wheeling offense, working on all cylinders with 585 yards yards overall and four touchdowns in six first-half possessions alone, trampled a very, very suspect Sooners defense, and his defense crumpled an anemic, run-heavy OU offense at every turn.

One would be hard-pressed to remember a more complete victory in this series.

It all spelled a runaway for Texas in the biggest Longhorns landslide in the series history and quite possibly the beginning of a Longhorns streak, given the seeming disparity of talent between the two teams. Quite frankly, Texas toyed with OU all day long.

Golden: Texas looking for role reversal in Red River Rivalry

Texas didnt get its 50. But OUs fit to be tied after allowing 104 points in its last two games.

Uh, about that missed Bert Auburn field goal.

We kid, Sark, because theres precious little to find anything wrong with in such a total domination of a proud Oklahoma program that's coming to grips with a three-game losing streak, a new head coach trying to replace a big-time winner in Lincoln Riley and a dispirited fan base contemplating one of its worst seasons in ages.

And Auburns no problem. Hed made 10 of 12 field-goal tries, including eight in a row, before the rare miss in the fourth quarter.

Fifty would have been awesome, said Ewers, who threw four touchdown passes with one interception. I know Bert wanted that one. Hes a great kicker. Obviously hes been on a burner the last couple of games.

For Texas, it was a glorious afternoon in the sun as the burnt-orange half of the stadium stayed to the sweet end and watched receiver Jordan Whittington sprint around the field, carrying the huge white flag with the Longhorns logo.

You get a great win like this, Whittington said, you want to build on it.

Maybe, just maybe this could be the start of something big, opponents current slumping status notwithstanding.

Understand, the Longhorns wont be going to the College Football Playoff this year, but they now find themselves 4-2 with two razor-thin losses to No. 1 Alabama and a frenzied Texas Tech in overtime on the road. But for them, Sarkisians era would be on full-scale upward trajectory and in the top 10.

The Longhorns (2-1 in Big 12 play) should climb into the Top 25 on Sunday unless the last five teams in those rankings all hold serve. It matters not to a Texas team that feels legitimately good about itself and its prospects to contend for its first Big 12 crown since 2009.

All things are possible if Saturdays showing is any indication.

There was nothing fluky about this verdict. Texas scored throughout and made this a statement game, something it's been sorely in need of as Sarkisian finally comes through with his first signature win. Not only that, but he evens his UT record at 9-9, and the vibe with this team is for real.

We didnt talk about last year, but we didnt want to let it happen again, said Sanders, noting the 55-48 loss after Texas led 28-7 in the 2021 meeting. Were still on the Revenge Tour.

The Tour continues with a home game against Iowa State next week.

And Sark, much embattled after a tumultuous 5-7 first season that included one blown halftime lead after another, finally has something tangible for show and tell with two straight wins over West Virginia and OU along with a profound hope that there are more where those came from.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Steve Sarkisian, Texas Longhorns carve up Oklahoma, snap losing streak
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis stands in a courtroom at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Ga. on Aug. 30, 2022. (Audra Melton/The New York Times)

ATLANTA  Witnesses called to testify in a Georgia criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump and his allies have not always come willingly.

A number of them have fought their subpoenas in their home-state courts, only to have local judges order them to cooperate. That was the case with Trump-aligned lawyers John Eastman in New Mexico, Jenna Ellis in Colorado and Rudy Giuliani in New York; Giuliani was also told by an Atlanta judge that he could come on a train, on a bus or Uber after his lawyers said a health condition prevented him from flying.

But the state of Texas is proving to be an outlier, creating serious headaches for Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, who is leading the investigation into efforts by Trump and others to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia.

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Last month, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the states highest criminal court, thwarted Willis effort to force Jacki Pick, a Republican lawyer and pundit, to testify in Atlanta, saying that her subpoena had essentially expired. But in a pair of opinions, a majority of the judges on the all-Republican court went further, indicating that they believed the Georgia special grand jury conducting the inquiry may not have the legal standing to compel testimony from Texas witnesses.

After the courts ruling, two other pro-Trump Texans, Sidney Powell and Phil Waldron, did not show up for their scheduled court dates in Atlanta. And while there may be workarounds for Willis  experts say the Atlanta prosecutors could go to Texas to depose the witnesses  it looks to some Georgia observers like a pattern of Texas Republicans meddling with Georgia when it comes to the fate of Trump.

It does seem like theres a substantial resistance from Texas and Texans to forcing people to cooperate in ways that we havent seen from any other jurisdiction, said Anthony Michael Kreis, a constitutional law professor at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

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Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, has also weighed in, filing an amicus brief late last month along with other Republican attorneys general that supported efforts by Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina to avoid testifying in the Atlanta investigation. Paxton, in a statement accompanying his brief, assailed the investigation for what he said were its repeated attempts to ignore the Constitution.

Paxton, who is running for reelection this year despite having been indicted and arrested on criminal securities-fraud charges, has sought to intervene in Georgia before. After the 2020 election, he sued Georgia and three other swing states that Trump lost, in a far-fetched attempt to get the Supreme Court to delay the certification of their presidential electors.

By refusing to compel the three Texas residents to testify in Georgia, the court is breaking with a long tradition of cooperation between states in producing subpoenaed witnesses. All 50 states have versions of what is known as the Uniform Act, which was created in the 1930s to establish a framework for one state to compel testimony from a witness residing in another.

Willis, in a statement, said, We expect every state to abide by the Constitutional requirement to ensure that full faith and credit is given by them to the laws and proceedings of other states. That requirement includes abiding by the interstate compact to produce witnesses for other states judicial proceedings.

Willis is weighing potential conspiracy and racketeering charges, among others, and is examining the phone call that Trump made on Jan. 2, 2021, to Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, imploring him to find nearly 12,000 votes, or enough to reverse the outcome of the Georgia vote.

On Friday, her office filed paperwork seeking to compel testimony from three more witnesses, The Associated Press reported: former House Speaker Newt Gingrich as well as Michael Flynn, a former national security adviser, and Eric Herschmann, a lawyer who worked in the Trump White House.

Nearly 20 people, including Giuliani, have already been informed that they are targets of Willis investigation and could face criminal charges. Pick, a radio host and former lawyer for House Republicans whose husband, Doug Deason, is a prominent Republican donor and Dallas power broker, has also been told she is among the targets of the investigation, according to one of her lawyers, Geoffrey Harper.

She played a central role in one of two December 2020 hearings before Georgia lawmakers that were organized by Giuliani, who advanced a number of falsehoods about the election. During a hearing before the Georgia Senate, Pick narrated a video feed that showed ballot counting taking place at a downtown Atlanta arena where voting was held.

At the hearing, Pick said the video goes to what she called fraud or misrepresentation, and the implication of her presentation was that something improper was taking place. She was immediately challenged by Democrats at the hearing. The office of Raffensperger, a Republican, has also long refuted the idea that anything nefarious took place in the counting of votes at the arena.

Harper said his client had done nothing wrong.

She didnt suggest there was fraud, she didnt suggest something untoward had happened, he said. She simply said here is a video, heres what it shows, wed like to investigate further. Her testimony is the most innocuous thing youve ever seen.

Fulton County prosecutors are also seeking the testimony of Powell, who like Pick lives in the Dallas area. She is a lawyer and conspiracy theorist who played a high-profile role in efforts to keep Trump in power. In Georgia, she helped put together a team of Trump allies and consultants who gained access to a wide range of voter data and voting equipment in rural Coffee County; they are currently being investigated by Raffenspergers office, as well as the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Willis office.

In an email, Powell said, GA has no need to subpoena me. My involvement in GA issues has been significantly misrepresented by the press including your outlet.

She did not answer questions about her legal strategy with respect to Fulton Countys attempt to make her testify, or say whether she had been informed that she is a target of the investigation or merely a witness.

Waldron, a former Army colonel with a background in information warfare, also advanced a number of conspiracy theories after the 2020 election, and he made a virtual appearance at one of the legislative hearings in Georgia. He could not be reached for comment. He lives outside of Austin, Texas, and the district attorney in the county where he lives said he was not aware of any legal challenge to Willis effort to compel Waldrons testimony.

The body overseeing the Fulton County investigation is known under Georgia law as a special purpose grand jury. It can sit for longer periods than a regular grand jury and has the ability to subpoena targets of the investigation to provide testimony, though it lacks the power to indict. Once a special grand jury issues a report and recommendations, indictments can be sought from a regular grand jury.

A majority of judges on the Texas court expressed the view that the Georgia grand jury was not a proper criminal grand jury because it lacks indictment authority, and thus likely lacks standing to compel the appearance of witnesses from Texas.

I am inclined to find such a body is not the kind of grand jury envisioned by the Uniform Act, wrote Judge Kevin Yeary. And if I may be wrong about that, I would place the burden to show otherwise on the requesting state.

His view was essentially backed by four other judges on the nine-member court.

The question of whether the Fulton County special grand jury is civil or criminal in nature came up in late August, when lawyers for Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, unsuccessfully sought to quash a subpoena demanding that he testify. The governors lawyers argued that the special grand jury was civil, and that Kemp would not have to testify in a civil action under the doctrine of sovereign immunity.

But in a written order on Aug. 29, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert C.I. McBurney rejected the idea that the special grand jury was civil, noting that none of the paperwork establishing the grand jury mentioned that it would be considering civil actions.

That a special purpose grand jury cannot issue an indictment does not diminish the criminal nature of its work or somehow transmogrify that criminal investigation into a civil one, McBurney wrote. Police officers, too, lack the authority to indict anyone, but their investigations are plainly criminal.

Ronald Wright, a law professor at Wake Forest University who studies the work of criminal prosecutors, said that the Texas courts decision, based on its interpretation of the special grand jurys purpose, appeared unusual. I havent heard anything about one state saying categorically, No we read your statute, that doesnt apply here, you cant get this witness, he said.

The nine members of Texas Court of Criminal Appeals are elected and are all Republicans. But they have not always been in sync with Gov. Greg Abbott and Paxton, both vociferous Trump supporters.

Harper said his reading of Georgia law is that the special grand jury is a civil proceeding. He believes that witnesses living in other states can challenge efforts to compel their testimony, at least if it is in person.

Civil cases can get testimony from out-of-state witnesses, but they have to do it by deposition, he said. I believe that if pressed on the issue, it would be a unanimous ruling by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals that a special grand jury in Georgia cannot subpoena live testimony from witnesses outside of Georgia.

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The US has warned Hong Kong against becoming a "safe haven" for sanctioned oligarchs, per the FT.

Sanctioned billionaire Alexei Mordashov's $500 million yacht moored in a Hong Kong harbor Friday.

A Hong Kong marine department spokesperson said the city didn't have the authority to impose sanctions.

The US has warned Hong Kong against providing a "safe haven" for sanctioned oligarchs after a $500 million superyacht moored in one of the city's harbors, the Financial Times reported.

The yacht, called Nord and believed to belong to Russia's third richest person Alexei Mordashov, docked in Hong Kong Friday after initially setting a course for Vietnam, Bloomberg reported.

Nord was anchored in the port of Vladivostok, south east Russia, from late March until September 28 according to vessel-tracking site Marine Traffic, having left the Seychelles in early March when sanctions kicked in.

Now the US government is taking steps to discourage the Chinese territory from harboring assets flying the Russian flag, saying the city state's "reputation as a financial centre depends on adherence to international laws and standards".

"The possible use of Hong Kong as a safe haven by individuals evading sanctions from multiple jurisdictions further calls into question the transparency of the business environment," a US state department spokesperson told the FT.

A spokesperson for Hong Kong's marine department told the FT on Friday that the city was unlikely to implement sanctions on Mordashov or other oligarchs.

"Certain countries may impose unilateral sanctions against certain places on the basis of their own considerations," the spokesperson said.

"The Hong Kong [government] does not implement, nor do we have the legal authority to take action on, unilateral sanctions imposed by other jurisdictions."

Ryan Mitchell, an assistant professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, told the paper that Hong Kong businesses could be subject to "secondary sanctions" if they engaged in business with sanctioned Russia individuals.

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Mordashov, a steel and mining tycoon worth $18.5 billion, was sanctioned by the US, the UK, and the EU after Putin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine.

Several of his assets failed to escape sanctions like Nord has to date. Italy seized both a $71 million yacht and a $116 million villa in Sardinia belonging to Mordashov, Reuters first reported.

After the EU imposed sanctions on Mordashov, he told Russian news agency TASS he had "absolutely nothing to do with the emergence of the current geopolitical tension" and didn't understand how targeting him would end the conflict in Ukraine.

Read the original article on Business Insider
An Indian family seeking asylum in the US at the Arizona-Mexico border on 20 May

As an openly gay man living in a deeply conservative part of India's Punjab, life had long been hard for Jashan Preet Singh.

Over the years, Mr Singh, 24, had grown accustomed to daily discrimination in his hometown of Jalandhar - harassment and beatings doled out by his neighbours, and a family that had largely turned its back on him.

But what happened late last year was different.

"There were 15 or 20 people who tried to kill me," he told the BBC from Fresno, California. "I ran away from there and saved my life. But they cut various parts of my body." The attack left him with a mutilated arm and a severed thumb.

Mr Singh's escape set him on a journey that took him through Turkey and France. Eventually, it led him to the US-Mexico border, nearly 8,000 miles (12,800km) away, where he crossed into California to begin a new life in the US.

He is not alone - for years, the arrival of Indian migrants in the US has been slow but steady, amounting to dozens or hundreds each month.

This year, however, the figures have spiked.

Since the beginning of the 2022 fiscal year that started last October, a record 16,290 Indian citizens have been taken into US custody at the Mexican border. The previous high of 8,997 was recorded in 2018.

Experts point to a number of reasons for the increase, including a climate of discrimination in India, an end to pandemic-era restrictions, a perception that the current US administration is welcoming to asylum seekers and the ramping-up of previously established smuggling networks.

Indian migrant detentions at US-Mexico border . . The number of Indian migrants detained at the border has risen steadily since 2014. .

While some migrants are coming to the US for economic reasons, many are fleeing persecution back home, said Deepak Ahluwalia, an immigration lawyer who has represented Indian nationals in Texas and California.

The latter group range from Muslims, Christians and "low-caste" Hindus to members of India's LGBT community who fear violence at the hands of extreme Hindu nationalists, or supporters of secessionist movements and farmers from the Punjab region, which has been shaken by protests since 2020.

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Conditions for many of these groups have deteriorated in recent years, international observers say.

Tough decisions

For Mr Singh, the decision to leave his country wasn't an easy one. He first considered moving to another Indian city, but feared that he would be treated just as badly.

"The culture is not open-minded for gay people," he said. "Being gay over there is a big issue."

India only decriminalised gay sex in 2018 and same-sex marriage remains illegal.

His brother soon put him in touch with an India-based "travel agency" - part of a sophisticated and expensive smuggling network that took him first to Turkey - where "life was very tough" - and then to France, where he briefly considered staying but was unable to find work. The entire trip took him just over six months.

Indian nationals being processed by US immigration officials after crossing the border on 26 September

Eventually, his "travel agent" arranged for him to join a small group of Indians headed to the US, where many - Mr Singh included - had family members.

"He charged us a lot of money," Mr Singh said. "[But] from France he got me to Cancun, and from there to Mexico City and north."

A difficult journey

Immigrants such as Mr Singh often see the US as "the ultimate gateway" to a better life, said Mr Ahluwalia, the lawyer.

The enormous distances involved, however, make the trip to the US extremely challenging.

Traditionally, Indian migrants who arrive at the US-Mexican border use "door-to-door" smuggling services, with journeys arranged from India to South America. They are often guided the entire way and travel in small groups with their fellow countrymen who speak the same language, rather than individually or with only family members.

These networks often begin with India-based "travel agents" which outsource parts of the journey to partner criminal groups in Latin America.

Jessica Bolter, an analyst at the Washington DC-based Migration Policy Institute, said that the number of Indian migrants is also rising as a result of a "ripple effect" that takes place when those who have used these services successfully recommend them to friends or family back in India.

"It naturally expands and draws more migrants," she said. "Of course, that doesn't happen without migrants wanting to leave originally."

The experiences of Manpreet - a 20-year-old from Punjab who asked that only his first name be used - are typical of those who have taken the southern route in the past. A vocal critic of India's ruling BJP (Bharatiya Jannata Party), he fled the country after being persecuted for his political beliefs.

"From Ecuador I took a bus to Colombia, and from Colombia I took a bus to Panama," Manpreet recalled in an interview with the BBC from California. "From there, via a boat, I [went to] Nicaragua and Guatemala, and then Mexico and entered the US."

Even guided by seasoned smugglers, the trip to the border is often one that is fraught with dangers, including robberies and extortion at the hands of local gangs or corrupt authorities or extreme weather, injuries and illness.

These dangers were highlighted in 2019, when a 6-year-old Indian girl from Punjab was found dead in the scorching desert near the border town of Lukeville, Arizona - a case that made headlines in India. It was later reported that she died in temperatures of over 42 C (108 F) after her mother left her with a group of other Indians to search for water.

Indian migrants at a humanitarian camp in Panama in 2019

An uncertain fresh start

Once in the US, migrants such as Mr Singh begin a long legal process to apply for asylum. Most often, it begins with what US officials term a "credible fear interview," in which they must convince authorities they face persecution if returned home.

"This first step is the most important," Mr Ahluwalia explained. "If he [the officer] deems there is no credible fear, your case is never going to move forward. That is very catastrophic."

If an asylum officer believes these fears are credible, would-be asylum seekers are likely to be issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge who will consider their request.

The process is lengthy - with wait times of several years now the norm across the US - with no promise of a positive outcome.

Mr Singh, for his part, has been in the US since late June. At the moment, he is saving up money to hire a lawyer.

While his long-term future in the US is by no means guaranteed, and his journey was long, it was better than the alternative, he said.

"I would always fear for my life," he added. "Since I have been here, I have never felt such a thing."
VICTOR de SCHWANBERG/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY - Getty Images

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics to Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser, and Anton Zeilinger.

Through their work, these scientists proved that hidden variablesa concept Einstein dreamt up to describe missing elements of quantum physicsdont exist.

Their results have made an impact on quantum computing and quantum cryptography.

Once described as spooky action at a distance by the worlds most famous physicist, Albert Einstein, entanglementthe idea that two particles separated by vast distances could instantly influence each otherlies at the very heart of what makes quantum physics so strange and counterintuitive.

On Tuesday morning, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics to three quantum physicists  Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser, and Anton Zeilinger  whose work confirmed this troubling phenomenon and placed it at the heart of a technical revolution. Aspect, Clauser, and Zeilinger will equally share the 10-million-krona ($915,000 USD) prize.

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In a statement on its website, the Nobel Committee says it jointly awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics to the trio for their separate experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities, and pioneering quantum information science.

One of the most fascinating predictions of quantum mechanics is entanglement, where widely separated particles can be prepared so that they behave as a single unit, Ulf Danielsson, secretary of the Nobel Committee for Physics , tells Popular Mechanics. The groundbreaking experiments of Clauser, Aspect, and Zeilinger show that this mind-boggling phenomenon persists at macroscopic distances, demonstrating the deficiency of our classical intuition.

Danielsson, a professor of theoretical physics at Uppsala University in Sweden, refers to the fact that this phenomena of an instant quantum connection between particles across vast distances isnt accounted for in classical physics of the everyday world.

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He adds that the trios results are not only important to our fundamental understanding of the world, but point toward future applications like secure communication using quantum cryptography and the ability to build quantum computers of staggering power.

Proving Einstein Wrong

Photo credit: MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY - Getty Images

In quantum physics, entanglement describes a state in which two particles are connected in such a way that measuring the quality of one  called a variable  immediately causes the other to adopt a corresponding or anti-corresponding value.

This might not sound too troubling up front, but consider that this instantaneous change in the second particle would happen even if the entangled pair were on opposite sides of the universe.

Entanglement, as it was first suggested in the 1930s, encroached on the idea of local realism, which can be boiled down into two statements. First, realism states that all particles have definite properties for all possible measurements. Secondly, locality says that communication between particles cant happen faster than the speed of light.



The instantaneous action of entanglement challenged at least one of these premises, maybe both. To Einstein, via its challenge to locality, this instantaneous nature represented a threat to one of his key principles of special relativity : the fact that nothing can travel faster than light .

Einstein thought that rather than violating local realism, entanglement and its spooky action at a distance indicated that quantum physics was incomplete; he believed that elements connecting the variables of one particle to another would eventually be found. The elements he and other physicists believed to be missing came to be known as local hidden variables.

The work of Clauser, Aspect, and Zeilinger is so groundbreaking and worthy of the highest prize in physics because it conclusively proved that hidden variables dont exist. But the reason non-locality doesnt violate relativity isnt understood and has been hotly debated ever since. One suggestion is that entangled particles are still part of the same system, thus the distance between them doesnt matter.

Confirming Quantum Physics Is Complete

Photo credit: Niklas Elmehed  Nobel Prize Outreach

In 1964, Northern Irish physicist John Stewart Bell devised his eponymous Bells theorem, which suggested that locality was a testable hypothesis. Breaking local realism was referred to as the violation of Bell inequalities.

American theoretical and experimental physicist Clausealong with then-U.C. Berkeley graduate student Stuart Freedman, who passed away in 2012devised the first practical experiment to hunt for such a violation in 1972. The duo built an experiment to send two entangled photons in opposite directions toward fixed polarization filters.

These filters would either block the photons or allow them to pass to a detector based on their angle and the polarization of the photon, with the result reflected in its entangled partner. The results obtained defied the rules of classical mechanics, the existence of hidden variables, and agreed with quantum theory. In other words, the experiment violated Bells inequality.

Aspect, a physicist from the Universite Paris-Saclay and Ecole Polytechnique, France, would come up with improved versions of Clauser and Freedmans experiment in 1982. Built into Aspects tests was the ability to register photons blocked at the filter. Once again, a scientist demonstrated the violation of Bells inequality.

In 1997 at the University of Vienna in Austria, Zeilingernow a senior scientist at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information of the Austrian Academy of Scienceswent even further. He demonstrated the transference of quantum information from an entangled pair to a third particle. In 1998, he followed this work up by entangling two photons that dont directly interact by using entangled partner particles.

Nicolas Brunner is an associate professor at the University of Geneva, where his area of research is the foundation of quantum theory and quantum information processing. That means his research strongly hinges on the concepts of entanglement and nonlocality. Quantum nonlocality is the strongest demonstration of entanglement and demonstrates that nature is inherently non-local, he tells Popular Mechanics. Unlike Einstein hoped, there is no way that you can turn quantum theory into a physical theory that behaves locally. And the work of Clauser, Aspect, and Zeilinger was the first really convincing demonstration of this fundamental aspect of quantum mechanics.

From here, Brunner explains, researchers were free to speculate about what could be done with the non-local nature of entanglement and quantum mechanics. This led to the development of quantum cryptography, in particular, and quantum technology in general.

You can use the entanglement of photons to create a cryptographic system where two distant parties can exchange secret messages when in full privacy, Brunner says. Privacy and security are guaranteed by the laws of quantum mechanics.

As for what this prize means for the fields of quantum physics and quantum information, Brunner thinks its great. Ive been working with quantum non-locality for 20 years, since the beginning of my Ph.D. To see it recognized like this by the most important physics prizes is really quite something. Its really a recognition of the importance of subjects in the field of quantum information in general.

At a press conference announcing the award on Tuesday, Zeilinger emphasized the contributions of his colleagues in the field of quantum physics.

I was actually very surprised to get the call, he said. This prize would not be possible without the work of more than 100 young people over the years.

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Eduardo Porter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Latin America, U.S. economic policy and immigration. He is the author of American Poison: How Racial Hostility Destroyed Our Promise and The Price of Everything: Finding Method in the Madness of What Things Cost.
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If you were an action fan in the 1970s, 80s, or 90s, one of the great pleasures of filmgoing was the experience, every year or two, of a new Walter Hill movie. No one else was really making movies like him, and no one had before; although his morally and philosophically oriented genre pictures owed something to the Westerns of Howard Hawks and the existential crime films of Jean-Pierre Melville, they werent really the same. Films like The Driver, The Warriors, and 48 Hours were somehow both more heightened in their mythological resonances and more realistic in their behavior than the works of the American and European stylists on whose shoulders Hill stood.

Starting with Hard Times in 1975 and continuing on through masterpieces like Southern Comfort, Streets of Fire, Johnny Handsome and Trespass, Hill created a body of work that spoke to American culture both past and present, subtly commenting on the intersection between race and class and how it informed everything from the Vietnam War to the Rodney King beating  yet he did so through ostensibly escapist action films in which these subjects were addressed obliquely, and often with comedy.

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As Hill points out in the new episode of IndieWires Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, the jokes are funny but the bullets are real  a key to understanding not only the aforementioned classics but his latest film, Dead for a Dollar. Dead for a Dollar marks Hills return to the genre he loves most, the Western, and it delivers the usual satisfactions of a Hill picture  rich characterizations, expressive use of American landscapes, kinetic action direction  but takes an even more reflective and contemplative approach to the West than is typical of Hill. Its a different kind of Western when compared with Hills earlier trilogy of The Long Riders, Geronimo, and Wild Bill, movies based on historical figures that placed certain restrictions and requirements on the director.

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With Dead for a Dollar hes dealing in pure fiction (even if the hero played by Christoph Waltz is loosely based on Danish bounty hunter Chris Madsen), and that factor liberated him to create one of his most unpredictable, emotionally resonant takes on the genre. I very much enjoyed the freedom, he told IndieWire. With Jesse James, Cole Younger, Wild Bill Hickok, and Geronimo one feels very bound by history. Jesse must die hanging a picture and Bills going to go back to the Number 10 saloon and be murdered. You have a much greater latitude and freedom on something like Broken Trail or this one.

You can listen to the entire discussion with Hill below. Keep reading for excerpts from the podcast.

Like many of Hills best films, Dead for a Dollar honors the past while looking at the present and future, and this was by design. The movie wants to valorize the Western, theres no question about that, Hill said. But at the same time I tried to interject issues of race and also issues concerning feminism. Hill tried to be honest to the period while also bringing a contemporary perspective to the material, but he pointed out that the first thing that anybody should always think about in a Western is that its not the way it was. They are already a cocoon of mythology  any Western that you contemplate, its not the way life really was in the West. And its one of the attractions of the Western, that so much of the mythology has already been built.

Yet while Hill is happy to dramatize or mythologize certain components of his story, he also wants it to have a moral seriousness that comes from acknowledging that even in the bleak landscape of Dead for a Dollar, life matters  and choices matter. [The film] deals with codes of honor, ethics, and morality in a bleak, isolated social condition.

That philosophy leads to one of the most suspenseful and moving sequences in Hills career: Toward the end of Dead for a Dollar, the various plot strands that have been unfurling throughout the film are suddenly pulled together in a compact, dynamic climax of thrilling but realistic action filmmaking. Im a firm believer that action sequences start with character, Hill said. You dont let the movie get beyond what is valid for the characters that have been created and are part of this story. If I had Christoph leaping from building to building, the mood of the movie would have been broken. The movie stays within what seem to be his legitimate physical capabilities.

Back before Marvel Studios reinvented the meaning of the term comic-book movie, Hills films often used to be accused of having a comic-book sensibility, which he surprisingly does not deny. If you want to accuse my films of being comic books, youre probably onto something, but its a different kind of comic book. I grew up in the golden age of comic books and people forget how serious many of them were.

In recent years several of Hills films have found a new life on the festival and repertory circuit  including those, like Streets of Fire, that went largely unappreciated at the time of their release. Hill said that the way to keep going in the midst of critical and commercial disappointments is to keep an unshakeable belief that you can do it. You cant take the discouragement of lack of business or poor reviews in a way thats going to paralyze your storytelling in the future. I was disappointed in the reaction to Streets of Fire in North America. It did pretty well in Europe and it did very well in Japan; it did not do well in the UK. Any place they spoke English, the movie didnt work. But, you know, its a profound mystery. The movie I made before Streets of Fire was a huge hit. I didnt do anything any different in my approach to the work. Sometimes you catch the wave and sometimes you dont. That mystery is part of what keeps Hill excited by filmmaking, along with the idea that theres no one right approach. Everybodys got their own way and everybodys own way is correct. Films are basically 125 years old  if there was a right way and a wrong way to do it, these things would now be known. But part of the glory of it all is that its very individual. Every film has its own sense of truth to it, hopefully, and the effect of the personality of the director and cast make them all profoundly different.

The Filmmaker Toolkit podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, and Stitcher.

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The central government has been working relentlessly to enhance road infrastructure across the country. Recently, at the 81st Annual Session of the Indian Roads Congress in Uttar Pradeshs Lucknow, the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday (October 8) stated that before the end of 2024, the center would make the road infrastructure of Uttar Pradesh equivalent to that of the USA. Gadkari further stated that he has promised Uttar Pradeshs Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath about the same and announced projects worth Rs 7,000 crore for UPs road infrastructural development.

"I have promised (UP CM) Yogi Ji that before the end of 2024, we will make the road infrastructure of Uttar Pradesh equivalent to that of the USA: Nitin Gadkari said at the 81st Annual Session of the Indian Roads Congress in Uttar Pradeshs Lucknow.

"I have promised that there will be road projects worth Rs 5 lakh crores in Uttar Pradesh before the end of 2024. Im announcing projects worth Rs 8,000 crores today," he stated. "There is no shortage of money with the government for the construction of good roads," he added.

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According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Gadkari urged all stakeholders Vishwakarmas, people behind the development of road infrastructure, to ensure fast-paced, integrated, and sustainable infrastructure development in the country with ecological preservation, technology, innovation, safety, and quality construction of the roads.

"This 3-day session of IRC will be a great opportunity for engineers, professionals, and road sector experts from India and foreign countries to come together and make efforts towards safer and sustainable roads furthering Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s vision of a 5 trillion dollar economy," he had added.

Gadkari also held a review meeting at the Chief Minister's residence in Lucknow. All the ongoing and proposed National Highway projects in Uttar Pradesh were discussed in detail in the meeting. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was also present on the occasion.

Stating that a gift of Rs 7,000 crore is being given to Uttar Pradesh, he said this includes the Shahabad bypass-Hardoi bypass of Rs 1,212 crore, Shahjahanpur to Shahabad bypass of Rs 950 crore, Moradabad to Kashipur National Highway (Rs 2,007 crore), 13 railway over bridges (Rs 1,000 crore), among others.

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Gadkari said that by 2024, the road infrastructure of Uttar Pradesh would be at par with that of America. For achieving the target of a USD 5 trillion economy, as directed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the road network is most important, Gadkari said.

The minister added that the need of the hour is to use "waste" for road construction without harming the environment in Uttar Pradesh. He stressed that along with the economy, attention must also be paid to the environment.

The Union minister also appealed to the people to use CNG, ethanol, methanol, and electric vehicles instead of diesel and petrol vehicles, which he said would also make fares cheaper. Today we are making one lakh liters of bioethanol from stubble and are also working on manufacturing bio-CNG from it, he said.

Terming green hydrogen as the need of the future, Gadkari said if work on this technology is done in 117 aspirational districts of the country, then it will help them become financially strong and generate employment, the release added.

(With inputs from PTI)
Diwali 2022: Ahead of Diwali, preparations by the Uttar Pradesh government are going on in full swing to celebrate the sixth Deepotsav (festival of lamps) in Ram ki Paidi ghats in Ayodhya on October 23. This time the Deepotsav will be celebrated with more grandeur and splendour.

A target of lighting more than 12 lakh lamps has been set to make a Guinness World record. In order to achieve the momentous feat, the earthen pots are being brought from Ayodhya, Lucknow, Gonda and other districts.The process of gathering lamps in Ram Padi has also started. According to the district administration, lamps will burn for more than 30 minutes this year, unlike the last five years. Now people could witness the lamps burning for a longer duration. Earlier the lamps used to get extinguished quickly, depriving the people of the magnificent sight.

Instead of 30 ml, 40 ml oil will be poured into the lamps so that they last for a long time.Earlier in 2021, Uttar Pradesh`s Department of Tourism and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University jointly entered in Guinness World Records for the "largest display of oil lamps" during Deepotsava at Ram ki Paidi ghats in Ayodhya.Last year, 9 lakhs earthen lamps were lit in the Deepotsav.
Aries

This week brings the start of a new venture or an opportunity to begin something new. You may consider a new offer or proposal at your workplace or business. You and your partner will stay connected on an intellectual and emotional level. You will push and motivate each other to be a better version of yourselves. Its time to give attention to your partner, and do not hesitate to make the first move.

Taurus

Things will be going well in your career. There will be good news related to your job/career. There could be a job offer or positive news related to a job interview or application. Negotiations with business associates will go well. Your finances are set to get better. Your bond will get stronger with your partner and will bring you closer. Dont be dominating, and act with grace and sensitivity. You will be in control of your emotions. Stand firm and fight for your love with courage.

Gemini

There could be stress, arguments, and difference arising because of a lack of communication in relationships and in the workplace. You may face a situation where your opponent or an adversary can outwit you and is adamant about proving you wrong. Dont fall into the trap of unnecessary arguments and proving that you are right. Focus on your work, and dont pay attention to what people around you are doing or thinking. Sometimes you have to lose a battle to win a war.

Cancer

You will enjoy good social status and reputation at your workplace. Someone experienced and grounded will offer support and guidance in your career. Invest your time, energy and resources towards something long-term. You will be able to achieve goals through good organisation, determination and resource management. You will be grounded and committed in your relationship. Formalisation of marriage or engagement is also indicated for some. You could be taking part in some sort of traditional ceremony or ritual.

Leo

It is a good time to begin new relationships and nurture your existing relationships; however, there is a need to create a balance between personal life and work matters. Be grounded and realistic with expectations. You will shine at your workplace and lead from the front. You will be full of enthusiasm and positive energy. Your ideas will flourish, and you will have the strength to execute your plans.

Virgo

This week brings success, the accomplishment of material goals and financial security as a result of your hard work and dedication. This is a good week for teamwork, developing innovative ways to manage projects, and completing pending tasks successfully. You will be happy to share the abundance and wealth with loved ones. Family plays an important part, and you will be surrounded by people you love. Marriage or engagement is on the cards for those looking to settle down.

Libra

Your diligence, hard work and attention to detail will pay off. Be assured that you are on the right track. You will be dedicated & committed towards your work & relationships. However, your work will keep you occupied, leaving little time for romance. There could be a new job or starting a business where your skills will be put to use. There will be financial stability because of careful planning and a focussed approach.

Scorpio

It will be an action-packed week for professionals. It's time to take a leap and seize the opportunity coming your way. However, do not be impulsive and impatient with results. There could be a significant shift in your career, opportunities coming your way, and an upswing in finances. Your responsibilities at home may increase your stress level. Take a break and find time to relax or plan something exciting with friends or a partner.

Sagittarius

Patience is the key to love and relationship; go with the flow, do not rush. For a strong foundation, you need to invest time and effort into your relationship. You might want to wait for a while before your relationship moves to the next level. Your boss and colleagues will take note of your work and performance. Make full use of your skills and talents to accomplish goals. It is a favourable week to acquire new clients and close financial deals or sign contracts.

Capricorn

Exercise caution while making any decision related to your profession. Be careful with your money and finances. If you are nurturing an idea, do not share your plans or finances with anyone. Be patient, and do not expect the results of your efforts too soon. There might be some delays in your professional plans. Follow a mature and balanced approach in relationships. Stay clear from arguments and differences of opinion. Do not give in to pressure to take any decision related to your relationships or marriage.

Aquarius

This week offers a new opportunity or a new idea. It encourages and inspires you to follow your passion and instincts. There could be a job offer, and those in the creative profession will excel. However, on the personal front, you may feel lonely and dejected because of another persons insensitivity. Insecurities, lack of trust or deceit might affect your relationship. What people think about you might bother you, so stop worrying about that.

Pisces

There is a reassurance that all is well on the home front. Relationships, jobs, and work will be stable. Your concerns about home or family will be put to ease. Getting involved in some social work or local issues is indicated. This week brings joy, happiness, and celebrations that come with achieving a goal or reaching a milestone. You will achieve an important milestone in your career.

(These Tarot Card predictions are by Chhavi Upadhyay, who is a Delhibased, intuitive Tarot Practitioner & Consultant)
New Delhi: The finance ministry is mulling several steps like dipping into other accounts of a cheque issuer and prohibition of opening of new accounts of offenders to effectively deal with cheque bounce cases which are clogging the legal system.

Many suggestions were made at a high-level meeting recently called by the ministry to deal with the high incidence of cheque bounce cases.

Some of the steps suggested before taking legal recourse included debiting another accounts of the cheque issuer if his or her account is short of funds to honour the instrument, sources said.

The other suggestions were treating cheque bounce as default of loan and thus reporting it to credit information companies for necessary downgrade of score, the sources said, adding a proper legal view would be taken before these suggestions are accepted.

If these suggestions are implemented, it would help enforce cheque honouring by the payer without the matter going to court and also compel him/her to make payment by creating a deterrent through technology.

These measures would help promote ease of doing business and dissuade people from wilfully indulging in issuance of cheques even though their accounts have insufficient funds.

Proposed steps could be implemented through the integration of data across the banks, sources said.

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for auto debit and other suggestions would be required.

Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 deals with dishonour of cheque due to insufficiency of funds in the account.

A complaint for dishonour of cheque under Section 138 of the Act can be filed in the court situated at a place where the bank of the payee is located. It is a punishable offence with a fine which can extend to twice the amount of the cheque or imprisonment for a term not more than two years or both.

When an issuer presents a cheque to the bank for payment, and it is returned unpaid by the bank due to insufficient funds, the cheque is said to have bounced.

Peeved at the large number of pending cases of cheque bounce, the Supreme Court had constituted a committee with a mandate to suggest steps to be taken for early disposal of about 35 lakh pending cases across the country.

During the hearing, the Centre had "in principle accepted" the need for creating additional courts to deal with such cases.

The SC-constituted committee had recommended procedural reforms, full use of technology and augmentation of infrastructure to ensure that disputes are resolved swiftly.

Besides, the panel suggested some changes in the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.

Trade bodies have been pitching for changes in the cheque bounce law for the fast disposal of such cases.

Industry body PHDCCI recently urged the finance ministry to take measures like compulsory suspension of bank withdrawals for a few days to make the cheque issuers accountable for their action in cheque-bounce cases.

The government should enact a law that from the date of dishonouring of cheque, the dispute between the two parties must be settled within 90 days through mediation, the chamber has suggested.
New Delhi: Days after some cops were caught on camera publicly flogging a few Muslim community members accused of hurling stones at Garba dance participants in Gujarat's Kheda district, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday (October 8, 2022), slammed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and asked if it is the Indian democracy and the Indian secularism. Addressing a public meeting in Telangana's Hyderabad, Owaisi said that a stray dog has "respect" in India but not Muslims.

"They are being beaten on roads with lathis. Is it Indian democracy? Is it Indian secularism? Is it rule of law? There is respect for a roadside dog. But a Muslim is not respected," the Hyderabad MP said.

He said that the accused should have been dealt with as per law and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak on the incident.

"If this was how the punishment is given, shut down the courts and remove police," he said.

He alleged that those drunk with power had become oppressors and reminded them that power is not permanent.



"Today the time is yours. Our time will also come but we will not reply with 'zulm'. We have to respond to violence with unity, political power and by strengthening democracy and rule of law," he said and advised Muslims not to get demoralised.

Owaisi also alleged that wherever there is a BJP government in the country, it feels like Muslims are "living in an open jail".

The Lok Sabha MP also slammed the survey of madrasas being undertaken in Uttar Pradesh and questioned the silence of Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav.

#WATCH | Wherever there is a BJP govt in the country it feels like Muslims are living in an open jail....There is more respect for the road dog than Muslims: AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi at an event yesterday pic.twitter.com/qcJUctvFmf  ANI (@ANI) October 9, 2022

Meanwhile, Gujarat police chief Ashish Bhatia has ordered a probe into the said incident.

Seven persons, including a policeman, were injured after a mob comprising members of the Muslim community allegedly hurled stones at a Garba dance event organised as part of Navratri celebrations at Undhela village of Kheda district on Monday night. The attackers reportedly objected to the event being held near a mosque.

The next day, videos surfaced purportedly showing police personnel publicly flogging three of the 13 accused arrested in the stone pelting case with a baton by holding them against an electric pole at an intersection in Undhela village.

Chad Gujarat Police took action on Ms who pelted stones on Hindus in Garba pandals pic.twitter.com/DN4SXPBREp  BALA (@rightarmleftist) October 4, 2022

A voluntary organisation in Gujarat has sent legal notices to the Chief Secretary and the DGP over the flogging incident.

Muslims use condoms the most: Owaisi on RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's 'population imbalance' remarks

Responding to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's recent population imbalance remark, Asaduddin Owaisi asked him to "not fret" as the Muslim population was "rather declining" in the country. He also asserted that Indian Muslims were the ones using condoms the most.

"Don't fret. The Muslim population is not increasing. It's rather falling... Who's using condoms the most? We are. Mohan Bhagwat won't speak on this," Owaisi said.

#WATCH | On RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's statement that there's a religious imbalance in India, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi says, "Don't fret, Muslim population is not increasing, it's rather falling... Who's using condoms the most? We are. Mohan Bhagwat won't speak on this." pic.twitter.com/kcaYLaNm7A  ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2022

Earlier this week, while addressing the annual RSS Vijayadashmi festival, Bhagwat had called for a "comprehensive policy on population" and said that it should be applied equally to all.

"Population control and religion-based population balance is an important subject that can no longer be ignored... So a comprehensive population policy should be brought and should be equally applicable to all. Only then rules pertaining to population control will yield results," he had said.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, who was seen taking an oath denouncing several Hindu gods at an event, resigned from the council of ministers on Sunday. Gautam converted to Buddhism in a religious conversion event in which he allegedly denounced Hindu deities. Taking to Twitter, Gautam announced his resignation and said, "Today I have been freed from many shackles, and been born again. Now I will continue to fight for rights and atrocities on the society more firmly without any restrictions."He tendered his resignation in a letter typed on his letterhead. However, the letter was not addressed to anyone in particular. The AAP leader in his letter wrote that the BJP has been targeting several sections of society for political gains, and he cannot be a mute spectator to that. However, he does not want his actions to cause any inconvenience to party leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal."I am Rajendra Pal Gautam, a true patriot and follower of Ambedkar.

AAP Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam who was spotted participating at an event, where people took an oath boycotting several Hindu Gods, resigns



(File picture of minister) pic.twitter.com/aezloNyIN6  ANI (@ANI) October 9, 2022

For the last few years, I am constantly seeing that the honour of the sisters and daughters of my society is being looted and they are killed. In some places, there are killings for honour, and in other places on entering the temple and touching the idol. They are being beaten to death with humiliation. Even children are being brutally murdered for touching a pot of water. The mare is taken out of the procession. My heart is pierced every day by incidents of such caste discrimination," he wrote in a letter.

"In my capacity, I attended the Buddhist Dhamma initiation ceremony organized by Mission Jai Bhim and Buddhist Society of India on October 5, 2022, at Ambedkar Bhawan, Rani Jhansi Road on the occasion of Ashoka Vijayadashami, being a member of the society. It had no connection with the Aam Aadmi Party and I being a council of ministers," he said. The AAP leader said that the 22 vows of Babasaheb were repeated by Babasaheb`s great-grandson Raj Ratna Ambedkar, which he repeated along with more than 10,000 people.

Also Read: 'Biggest liar': BJP lashes out at Kejriwal, alleges he called people of Gujarat descendants of 'Kansa'

"After that, I see that BJP is targeting our leader Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party. It is sad for me. Arvind Kejriwal Ji has given me a lot of respect and cooperation, for which I will always be grateful to him. I sincerely appreciate the steps taken by the party for education, health, electricity, water, employment, women and child safety and social welfare to strengthen India. Babasaheb Ambedkar`s dreams will come true only by following this path," he added.

Further accusing BJP of doing politics on Babasaheb`s pledges, the AAP leader said, "The 22 pledges given by Babasaheb were also printed by former BJP Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot in the book `Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches, Vol-17`. These pledges are repeated by crores of people at thousands of places organized in every corner of the country. But the BJP has objections to these 22 pledges given by Babasaheb. BJP is using this to do dirty politics and being hurt by it, I am tendering my resignation," he said.

Gautam further said that he does not want his leader Arvind Kejriwal and his party to suffer any kind of damage because of him."As a true soldier of the party, I will live my life by the constitutional values shown by Buddha and Saheb. I will fight for the rights of my sisters and daughters and the people of the society with great gusto. Some people of the Manuwadi mindset are threatening to harm my life and property on social media and phone and I am not afraid. I will fight for the rights and rights of my society with great strength and strength. If I have to give myself in this fight for the rights of society, I will not let this fight stop," he added.

Also Read: Congress MLA attacked by unidentified people in Gujarat, says 'Anyone who speaks up under BJP govt gets beaten

He further said that he attended the Buddhist Dhamma initiation ceremony but it has nothing to do with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Speaking to ANI, Gautam said that he has submitted his resignation to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who has given him a lot of respect." Such issue has been created out of oaths that are repeated by several crore people of the country. BJP has made it an issue, are trying to insult me and my party," he said.

The Delhi Social Welfare Minister`s resignation comes after facing criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which accused the ruling government in the state of hurting religious sentiments and demanded that the party remove the legislator from his position. Earlier on Wednesday, the AAP minister had attended Ashoka Vijaya Dashami celebrations at Ambedkar Bhawan in Jhandewalan, where 10,000 people were supposed to embrace Buddhism.

A video of the event went viral in which a monk, sharing the dais with Gautam, administering an oath to the gathered Hindus: "I will have no faith in Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, nor will I worship them as God. I will have no faith in Rama or Krishna, nor will I worship them. I will have no faith in Gauri, Ganapati and other Hindu Gods, nor will I worship them."
Sky News TV channel has broadcast an interview with President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

Trend presents the interview.

-Thank you very much President Aliyev for agreeing to do his interview with Sky News. The French President seems confident that the truce will be agreed in the coming days and that you will be able to resume negotiations. How likely is that and on what terms?

-It depends on the position of Armenia. Azerbaijan has always been very supportive to negotiation table, and frankly speaking for 28 years since the OSCE Minsk Group was established we are involved in negotiations. We had hopes and still have hopes that negotiations will lead to progress, and will lead to political settlement. But unfortunately Armenias position was opposite. They used negotiation only as a pretext in order to make this process endless. In other words, they wanted always to seal the status quo, to keep status quo unchanged, and not to return the territories back which they have to according to the UN Security Council resolutions and according to the basic principles which are on the table, which were elaborated by the OSCE Minsk Group. Therefore, I hope that after this bitter defeat which Armenia is suffering on the battlefield, they will be more reasonable, and they will listen to the advises of the mediators, and will be sincere on negotiations table. Negotiations should leave to the political settlement, and to the liberation of the occupied territories.

-But what territories exactly are we talking about? Are we simply talking about Nagorno-Karabakh or we talking about the seven occupied Azerbaijani territories that they call their security zone? Because clearly you are not getting all of it back.

-Our territorial integrity is recognized by the whole world. All the countries recognize territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, which includes Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenians position, actually was also a pretext that we are using these seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh as an excuse to occupy a security zone. But todays clash shows that there is no security zone in modern world. Modern military equipment does not provide security even for long distance. The security must be provided by political means. Therefore, we were always saying that political settlement will provide security guarantees for all-for Azerbaijanis, for Armenians, for other nationalities who live in the area. And the basic principles which Armenia rejected to support and clearly says how the territories are going to be returned back. In the first stage five regions of Azerbaijan which are situated on the south eastern part of Nagorno-Karabakh. Then two regions of Azerbaijan which are situated between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia. Then Azerbaijanis return to Nagorno-Karabakh. There have been 25 percent of Azerbaijanis in Nagorno-Karabakh their rights must also be provided. And they go back to where they lived in the ancient city of Shusha and other places and we restore normal communications, we restore people-to-people contact, and slowly and slowly I am sure people will reconcile. Thats the plan of the mediators and we support it.

-Would you recognize Nagorno-Karabakhs independence if youre allowed to have 25 percent Azerbaijani population there?

-No, no, never. And that has never been the issue on negotiation table. Our position was very clear, that Azerbaijan will never recognize Nagorno-Karabakhs independence, because its our ancient land. The history of Nagorno-Karabakh is now well-known. Second, it is an integral part of Azerbaijan and why should we give independence to small number of people? Azerbaijan is a multi-ethnic country as almost all the countries in the world. National minorities live in peace and dignity in Azerbaijan and in many countries in the world. Being national minority does not mean that you have a right for secession, have a right for separatism. Separatism is a big threat to international community and all the countries in the world condemn separatism. What has been done against us was separatism of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and military aggression of Armenias state against Azerbaijan which led to the situation which we are facing now. Occupation, a million of Azerbaijani refugees, ethnic-cleansing against Azerbaijanis, destroyed cities and villages. Now when we are liberating our territories, there are video about what happened there. Everything is destroyed, its as if like Stalingrad. Its even worth than Stalingrad after World War II.

-But that is exactly what you are doing now to the regional capital Stepanakert. That is what you are doing to Shusha which yesterday was targeted not once but twice. A double hit on the cathedral there when it was very clear that civilians and journalists were sheltering inside.

-That was first of all a provocation from the Armenian side. We never did that in the past, we have Armenian church in the center of Baku. You can send someone, or when you come

-Its not that the Armenians targeted their own cathedral. How can that be?

-Thats probably their provocation in order to present us in such a way but I can tell you that they are shelling our cities. Do you know that we have 31 killed civilians as a result of Armenian bombardment? 170 wounded people and more than 1 thousand houses totally demolished or damaged because of Armenian attack on our civilians. And they use ballistic missiles. Ballistic missiles!

-With all due respect, that is also what you are doing with your shells on Nagorno-Karabakh and you have very sophisticated drone technology which should allow you to see precisely what you are targeting. So, why the civilian structures are getting hit?

-No, no. We never attack civilians. What we did in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, we attacked their tanks, we attacked their guns, we attacked their artillery systems, and also we attacked their military infrastructure. It is not our fault that these military infrastructures sometimes is situated in the city center. But we never on purpose, we never attack civilians. Yes, we have sophisticated weapons but not all of them are sophisticated. There could be some mistakes. Therefore, there was never a deliberate attack on civilians on our side. On the contrary, every day the city of Tartar which is very close to the line of contact is being bombed. We have 2 thousand shells a day on the city. It is almost destroyed and nobody talks about them. So, please lets be fair about that, we didnt start it, and we dont need to attack civilians. We need our territories. Why should we attack civilians with whom we plan to live side by side after the war is over. People of Armenian origin in Nagorno-Karabakh are hostages of a criminal regime which is there. They will, I am sure, live side by side with us in peace and dignity after the war is over.

-You have said that you would like to see Armenia withdraw its troops. But you have also said that you are not prepared to accept peacekeepers there. How else can you reassure your counterparts, the Armenians, that you will not then retake the whole lands?

-If you can tell me when I said that I dont want to see peacekeepers, I will answer you, but I never said that. Thats wrong information I am sorry, I never said

-But you wont accept peacekeepers on that territory.

-Peacekeepers is one of the elements which is provided in the basic principles for the settlement, which was elaborated by the OSCE Minsk Group and there is an item about peacekeepers. But we did not come to this item to discuss it properly. Because its premature. Because first, we need to resolve the core issue-the occupation, liberation of territories and then, when Azerbaijanis will return, then of course peacekeepers should come. It is in the framework of agreement, if it is signed by both sides. Then both sides will select who these peacekeepers will be. So we are not against it, but we actually were not in active phase of negotiations on this item.

-It doesnt sound as though your terms of negotiations have changed since before this latest vast outbreak of hostilities. So, I am just wondering, why weapons should be placed down now if negotiations have never succeeded before?

-You know, negotiations are taking place since 1992. Since that time there have been zero progress on the ground, zero progress. Armenia always was using some manipulation tools in order to disrupt negotiations. This year, starting from July they launched three times a military attack on us. On July, they attacked our civilians and our military positions on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan far away from Karabakh region. That lasted for four days, we pushed back, they could not occupy territories, and we stopped because we dont have any military purpose on Armenian side. On August 23, they send a sabotage group to commit a terror act which was detained and the head of the group gives evidence. At the end of September, they launched the artillery bombardment of our cities and killed immediately innocent people. We had to respond, we had to push back, thats what we did. Therefore, we are in favor of negotiations. I can give you two examples, Armenian prime minister last year announced that "Karabakh is Armenia". What does it mean? It means the end of

-I asked him what he meant.

-What he meant?

-He said that he meant that ever since the 4th century there have been Armenian churches, there has been an Armenian population and there has ever since the beginning of the Soviet Union much larger Armenian population, ethnic Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh than Azerbaijani.

-You know, he is telling, mildly speaking, not truth. The Armenians settlement in that area started in the late 18th and early 19th centuries after the treaty of Kurekchay was signed by Azerbaijani Ibrahim Khan, and Russian general. As a result of that treaty Karabakh khanate became part of Russia, and Russia started

-I am sorry.

-Thats how it was. Thats how Armenians came to Nagorno-Karabakh. Its only two centuries, less. He is telling about 4th century.

-You have been in power since the beginning of this century. And yet, there has been no progress made on this issue. It is all very well to blame the Armenians. But do you take some personal responsibility for the fact that your soldiers are now dying on the frontline because you politically have not been able to resolve this?

-Our soldiers are dying for our land. Our soldiers are dying on Azerbaijani soil, historical and internationally recognized. On which soil now Armenian soldiers are dying? They are dying now in Fuzuli, they are dying in Jabrayil, they are dying in other Azerbaijani territories. What they are doing there? You should ask Pashinyan what his soldiers is doing there? 90 percent of the so-called "army of Nagorno-Karabakh" consists of Armenian citizens. They are on our land. It is just enough to look at the map. For us it is a patriotic war. We are defending ourselves. We want to restore our territorial integrity to allow one million refugees to go back. Thats what we are doing. For 28 years we were patient to believe that negotiations will lead to progress. As a result, we got what we have got now. When we pushed back and punished the aggressor, you know we are attacked politically. I accepted the basic principles, Pashinyan rejected it. I accept the format of negotiations which is between Armenia-Azerbaijan, Pashinyan says no, Azerbaijan should negotiate with Nagorno-Karabakh. So, he is to blame for what is happening now.

-The French and the Russian say that they have intelligence that Syrian mercenaries are being used on your frontlines. Do you categorically deny that?

-Absolutely, categorically. So far I havent been provided with a single document which testified this intelligence. Let them show this intelligence to me. Our intelligence representatives had contacts after these accusations have been made. During this contacts with their counterpart no evidence was provided. If there is evidence why is it not on the newspapers? Why is it not on your channel? Where is this evidence? Show it to me. There is no evidence. We dont need mercenaries we have 100 thousand fighters, well-prepared, well-trained. We have modern equipment, we have all the necessary military components in order to liberate our land and thats what we are doing. This is fake news.

-One final question, what gesture of good will could you put on the table to try and start negotiation at this stage?

-We already did that. By the way, I can tell you one more thing about who is against negotiations. Foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia were invited, even before this outbreak, to Geneva to meet Minsk Group co-chairs. Armenian foreign minister was supposed to go in the beginning of October, our foreign minister was supposed to go on the 8th of October. So, Armenian foreign minister ignored that, he didnt go. Our foreign minister yesterday was in Geneva, met with the co-chairs. And when we received the proposal from Russia to organize the meeting between foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Russia, we agreed. So our foreign minister just an hour ago landed in Moscow, and he will be meeting with his Russian counterpart. And I dont know what will be the program. Will he meet Armenian minister or not? But he is there. We want peaceful settlement, but settlement. We want solution, not imitation, not another 30 years of etceteras, practical steps, time-table. When our people are going back home? What will be the security guarantees for them? And how we will reconcile? Two nations must reconcile. We are neighbors, we cannot live in hostility forever. This must be stopped, but stopped on the basis of historical truth and international law.

-And a question about journalists operating in Nagorno-Karabakh. Your presidential spokesman has said that because they are there illegally on what you consider to be Azerbaijani territories, they are effectively fair game. Is that something that you believe also?

-Our position is very fair, clear. Nagorno-Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan and our position is that, if any foreign citizen, any-not only journalists- if he wants or she wants to visit Nagorno-Karabakh, please, let us know. We do not expect some kind of special attitude, just inform us that such and such person wants to visit and when we have this information, when we have this sign of respect to our territorial integrity we never object. So, those who go there without this, how to say, procedure, they are being put in the black list of our foreign ministry and the entrance for them to Azerbaijan is forbidden. But if those people write a letter to our foreign minister that we made a mistake, or next time we will inform you, we remove them from the black list. This is fair, the only thing we need is just respect. Therefore, for those journalists who want to go there and cover events, Id like to use this opportunity to deliver messages to them. Please, inform our foreign ministry by e-mail and go there. No problem.

-And you will not target them.

-We never do it. We never do it. Why should we? We are interested that journalists are coming. I am everyday on TV, everyday I give interviews, because we want to deliver our point. We want to deliver our case, we are not aggressors. We are victims. It is Armenia who is an aggressor. We want the territories back. Thats all.

-President Aliyev, thank you so much for talking to us today.

-Thank you very much.
One year ago: The New Jersey Nets said Kyrie Irving could not play or practice with them until he could be a full participant; New York City r
AP ICET Counselling 2022: Andhra Pradesh Integrated Common Entrance Test, AP ICET 2022 Counselling registration will begin today, October 9, 2022. The Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education, APSCHE will release the AP ICET Counselling Registration form 2022 on the website today. Candidates who qualified the AP ICET 2022 exam can visit the official website-- icet-sche.aptonline.in. Candidates will be required to login to the counseling website using their registration number, date of birth and other asked credentials as asked.

AP ICET Counselling: Here's how to apply

Visit the official website

Now, on the homepage click on the registration link

Upload all the required documents

Click on AP ICET 2022 fee payment link and pay the required fees.

Download and take a print out for further reference

AP ICET counselling schedule 2022

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Candidates will be required to pay the counselling fee while registering. Candidates belonging to the General and Other Backward Caste (OBC) categories need to pay a counselling registration fee of Rs 1200. Candidates from the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Caste (ST) categories will be required to pay Rs 600.

Andhra Pradesh Integrated Common Entrance Test is conducted by Andhra University, Visakhapatnam on behalf of A.P. State Council of Higher Education for admission into first year of Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Computer Applications (MCA) in University constituent and affiliated colleges.
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has stirred up yet another controversy. AAP supremo, who is on a two-day visit to poll-bound Gujarat, on Saturday targetted rival BJP with his descendants of 'Kansa' remark. However, the saffron party was also quick to respond to the jibe and alleged that Kejriwal compared the people of Gujarat with Kansa. Bharatiya Janata Party Gujarat president BR Patil also called Kejriwal the biggest liar.

"We have never seen a liar like Arvind Kejriwal. Despite being a CM, he peddles lies. He called the people of Gujarat 'Kansa' and then he's seeking votes from them. He should think before speaking," said Patil on Sunday.

BJP leaders statements came after the AAP chief in one of his rallies said that God assigned him the task to finish off the descendants of Kansa. I was born on Krishna Janmashtami and God has sent me with a special task to finish off the descendants of Kansa, the corrupts and goons. We all will fulfil this task given by God, Delhi CM said in a rally in Gujarat.

The AAP national convenor is set to hold joint rallies with his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann in Gujarats Dharampur and Valsad. Today marks the second day of his Gujarat visit, a state which has been a stronghold of the BJP for over two decades.

It may be noted that upon his arrival in Gujarat, Arvind Kejriwal was greeted with black hoardings, which carried pictures of him wearing a skullcap. The hoarding bore messages like I do not believe in Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, Rama and Krishna as God and These are the words and rituals of Aam Aadmi Party.
New Delhi: On Saturday, Congress Presidential candidate and MP Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is "scared" of Rahul Gandhi's "rising popularity" as a result of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. "Many people are identifying with Rahul Gandhi. After witnessing the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the BJP is terrified. "As Rahul Gandhi's popularity grows, these people's (popularity) declines," Kharge said. Earlier today, Kharge stated that he is fighting the Congress Presidential polls because the country's situation is "bad" and that he wants to "fight" them. "I want to fight because the country's situation is dire." Modi and Shah are playing politics in places where democracy has no place. Agencies such as the CBI and ED are deteriorating. I need strength to fight them. That is why, on the advice of delegations, I am contesting the election," Kharge said. Shashi Tharoor and Mallikarjun Kharge are competing for the position of Congress President.

Digvijaya Singh dropped out of the race earlier and endorsed Kharge, whom he described as a "senior and respected leader of the party" against whom he "cannot think of contesting." Singh was the second Congress leader to withdraw from the race, following Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's announcement that he would not run in the elections due to political turmoil in his state.

Also Read: 'Rahul is Bharat, Bharat is Rahul': New UP Congress Chief hails Gandhi scion

With the Gandhis opting out of the presidential race, the grand old party is set to elect a non-Gandhi president for the first time in over 25 years. The deadline for withdrawing nominations is October 8. The election will be held on October 17, and the results will be announced on October 19. The Wayanad MP is currently leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra, a 3,500-kilometer march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir that crosses 12 states. The Yatra began in Kanyakumari and will end in Kashmir the following year, covering 25 kilometres per day.

According to the Congress, the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' is being held to combat the BJP-led Centre's divisive politics and to educate the people of India about the dangers of economic inequalities, social polarisation, and political centralisation. Notably, all of the party's MPs, leaders, and workers, as well as Rahul Gandhi, are housed in containers. Some of the containers also have sleeping beds, toilets, and air conditioners.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi on claims that next Congress president would be 'remote-controlled': 'Both Kharge and Tharoor are...'

The arrangements were made with the intense heat and humidity of the change of location in mind. The Congress suffered a humiliation in earlier this year's assembly elections, and the Yatra is seen as an attempt to rally the party's rank and file for the upcoming electoral battles.

(With agencies' inputs)
Gujarat: Congress MLA and tribal leader Anant Patel who was allegedly thrashed by goons in Navsari district on Saturday, October 8, 2022, said that anyone who raised their voice under the rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is beaten up and sent to jail. The tribal leader has alleged that the chief of Zila Panchayat and his goons vandalized his car and beat him up when he was reaching Khergam, Navsari for a meeting. He further alleged that the Zila Panchayat chief and goons made casteist slurs at him and said, "you are becoming a leader being an Adivasi. Won`t let an Adivasi walk here."

After the tribal leader was thrashed, a huge crowd of protesters gathered on Saturday night in support of the Congress MLA. The protestors have vowed to block the 14 districts until the Zila Panchayat chief and his goons are caught. While talking to ANI, Patel alleged, "The chief of Zila Panchayat and his goons vandalized my car and beat me up when I was reaching Khergam, Navsari for a meeting. They said, you are becoming a leader being an Adivasi, we won`t spare you; won`t let an Adivasi walk here."

"We will protest here until the Zila Panchayat chief and his goons are caught. Adivasis will block the highways of 14 districts till then. Anyone who raises their voice under the rule of the BJP government is beaten up and sent to jail," he added.

"Four-five people attacked Anant Patel yesterday, after which he sat in protest with his Adivasi supporters. He`s been assured that within three days, the guilty will be caught and proper action will be taken. Police deployed but no untoward incident occurred. Complaint filed as per rules," said Navsari Deputy Superintendent of Police. On Saturday night, protestors set ablaze a shop and vandalized the fire tender which reached the spot.
New Delhi: Delhiites woke up to a cold weather on sunday morning after heavy rainfall lashed the national capital late Friday night and throughout Saturday. Indian Meteorological Department has predicted light to moderate intensity rainfall intensity over and adjoining areas of isolated places of South, South-East Delhi and NCR.

However, due to incessant rains, Delhi observes severe waterlogging in several parts of the national capital including Anand Vihar, Wazirabad, the stretch of road between the INA market and the AIIMS, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, Tughlakabad, Sangam Vihar, Kirari, Rohtak Road, Vikas Marg, near Zakhira, Najafgarh, Mahipalpur, and Rangpuri, according to civic and PWD officials.

Waterlogging near the Anand Parbat red light slowed vehicular traffic on New Rohtak Road in the carriageway from Zakhira to Anand Parbat.

Despite the inconveniences of waterlogging and traffic congestion, the weather service stated that the constant rains improved air quality with Air Quality Index (AQI) at 37 at 6:40 PM, placing it in the "good" category.

Also Read: Weather update: IMD issues Yellow Alert in parts of Maharashtra for next 3 days, predicts heavy rainfall in THESE STATES- Check forecast here

The maximum temperature was 23.4 degrees Celsius, 10 notches below normal, according to the weather department, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 20.8 degrees Celsius.

According to the IMD, all 12 stations in the national capital received moderate rainfall today, which is expected to decrease by Sunday, but the sky will stay hazy. The weather department, however, has not issued a warning or alert for Delhi. The day will be cloudy with mild to moderate showers in most parts of the city, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

"The highest and minimum temperatures would be approximately 24 and 21 degrees Celsius," an IMD official told the media.

Relieving Delhiites, the IMD told the media that Delhi will not observe significant rainfall from October 10 onwards, however, drizzling or light rain might happen.

"Delhi mainly received moderate rainfall today. Safdarjung and Lodhi Road recorded 25 mm rainfall while the Palam area received only 4 mm rainfall today morning. But all 12 stations in Delhi received rainfall today. Thereafter rain has been picked and from morning till 2 pm the rainfall was around 15 mm over Safdarjung and this moderate rainfall will continue today. No warning was issued. It is likely to reduce from tomorrow but the sky will remain cloudy. No significant rainfall from 10 Oct onwards, drizzling or light rain might happen," RK Jenamani, Scientist, IMD told media. The scientist also stated that the untimely rainfall is occurring in north India due to the interaction between western disturbance over the middle and upper troposphere.

(With Agency Inputs)
Noida: Two women were taken into police custody after a purported video of them manhandling a private security guard of a group housing society here went viral, officials said on Saturday. A third woman, who was with the duo at the time of the incident that took place around 1 am on Saturday, is absconding, they said. The trio, aged below 30 years, had allegedly got into an argument with the private security guard Ujjwal Shukla of the Ajnara Homes society in Sector 121, under Phase 3 police station limits.

They have been identified as sisters Deeksha and Anjali Tiwari, who are natives of Uttarakhand but staying in the society on rent, and Kakul Ahmed, a resident of Gaur City-2 in Greater Noida (West).

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Noida) Saad Miyan Khan said a non-cognizable report (NCR) has been lodged against them over a complaint by the guard.

"Two of the accused have been taken into custody in a preventive action under CrPC section 151. They were produced before a local magistrate and challans issued against them under Indian Penal Code sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult)," Khan told PTI.

Those held are Anjali and Kakul while Deeksha is absconding, officials said.

According to officials, the women, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, were in a car that did not have a society sticker because of which the on-duty guard stopped them for enquiry.

However, this prompted a heated argument between the women and the security guard even as his colleagues tried to intervene and resolve the situation.

WATCH: Woman manhandles Noida society guard

A purported video of the episode surfaced on social media which showed one of the women holding the guard by his collar before she removed the cap from his head and flung it in the air.

In the last few months, Noida has witnessed multiple episodes of conflicts between residents and private security guards.

On Saturday, a bank manager and a guard of Supertech Capetown in Sector 74 were arrested by the local police following a conflict under CrPC section 151.

Last month, a woman resident of Cleo County society in Sector 121 was arrested for assaulting a security guard over a delay in the opening of entry barrier. The woman worked as a teacher.

In August, a 32-year-old woman, a lawyer by profession, was arrested for assaulting a private security guard of the Jaypee Wishtown society in Sector 128 over a delay in letting her car inside the campus.
New Delhi: Days after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal advised the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi VK Saxena to chill a bit after the governor slammed the Kejriwal-led government of focusing on "speeches and marketing" and diverting from basic public interest, Saxena, on Friday, October 7, 2022, issued a 6-page letter accusing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers of neglecting their constitutional duties and responsibilities in leading Delhi.

The 6-paged letter came days after Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia accused him of encroaching with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's functioning and "unconstitutionally" initiating inquiries into its policies and decisions.

Kejriwal wrote in a tweet two days ago: "LG sahib scolds me on a daily basis, whereas my wife does not. My wife has not written me as many love letters in the last six months as LG sahib has. Chill a little, LG sahib. Also, tell your super boss to chill a little."

Kejriwal tweeted in response to the latest letter from the LG, "Today one more love letter has arrived."

"I hope that you will accept this message of mine in the true sense as a 'duty letter' received from the guardian of Delhi, which you are calling 'love letter'," Saxena wrote in the letter.

In his six-page letter, Mr Saxena detailed 11 decisions taken by the Delhi government so far that have caused tension between Delhi's Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Minister.

Accusing the Kejriwal-led government of running on advertisements, Saxena stated, "Your government is running on the basis of advertisements and speeches. When I, while discharging my constitutional responsibilities, made you aware of these shortcomings and requested you to redress them, you and your colleagues not only misled the people, but also made baseless personal allegations. Take cognizance and reference of Manish Sisodia's baseless, misleading and nonsensical statements."

The LG further wrote, "I would like to remind you that the issues that were conveyed to you in the letter constituted the feelings of all the common citizens of Delhi and the issues were related to administration. I or the people of Delhi have not yet received any satisfactory reply from you on those matters."

Mr Saxena added that as the Lieutenant Governor, he had taken prompt and appropriate action against corruption, inaction and transparency in any government department or body. He claimed that he had been completely impartial and conscientious in the discharge of his constitutional responsibilities.

Responding to Mr Sisodia's demand for an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged  6,000 crore scam in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the LG said: "A detailed report has been sought from the authorities concerned."
Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday sought five years' time to fully solve the perennial flood problem in Assam and said the government is striving to make the natural calamity a part of history. Addressing a BJP workers' meeting after inaugurating the party's newly constructed state office here, Shah said an "ambitious" flood mitigation project is being prepared at the moment.

"In the BJP manifesto, we had promised an Assam free from terrorism, corruption and flood. We've already achieved the first two. Give us five more years, we'll make Assam free from flood," he said.

Almost every year, three to four waves of flood ravage Assam.

According to the Economic Survey of Assam for 2021-22, the average annual loss due to the disaster is to the tune of Rs 200 crore, and particularly in 1998, the loss was around Rs 500 crore and it was Rs 771 crore in 2004.

Shah stated that he has already discussed the problem at length with the various stakeholders on Friday evening, and "an ambitious project" is being prepared under the aegis of the North Eastern Council (NEC).

"In five years, the flood will be history. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is determined to make Assam a flood-free state," he said.

                



              5              pic.twitter.com/bggZ2lw19O  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 8, 2022

During a meeting on Friday, Shah had asked the Assam government to devise a long-term plan to protect the northeastern state from flood so that more development can take place.

The union home minister also stated that his party believes in strengthening internal security so that laws like Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) are not needed in society, and its application has already been withdrawn from around 80 per cent of the northeastern region.

"AFSPA is protection for army and security forces. Rahul Gandhi had announced that AFSPA would be withdrawn if his party's government comes to power. I had said that security forces need to be strengthened," he said.

Taking a dig at the Congress' ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', Shah claimed that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had said goodbye to Assam during the 1962 India-China war, and the grand old party "had forgotten" that northeast (NE) even existed.

"This region is three times the size of UP and it was full of separatist and insurgent movements. The Congress watched silently the attempts to break NE. Only Modi worked for this place and united the NE.

"The Congress and those who went for (its) 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', please listen. This is an example of how northeast was united without giving a single lecture. Northeast is a 'Bharat Jodo' example set by Modi," he added.

Shah asserted that Assam stayed with India during the partition due to the efforts of former Chief Minister Gopinath Bordoloi.

"The Congress destroyed the northeast. Hundreds of groups were formed to work against India. In 2014, a change took place and the Narendra Modi government came to power. It is Modi who spent lakhs of crores to develop the region," he claimed.

The union home minister stated that several big-ticket infrastructure projects were implemented in the northeast in the last eight years and the development works united the region.

"Thousands of youths had earlier taken up arms in NE. Bandhs and agitation were routines here, and development was stalled. Today, it is known for peace and development," he asserted.

Shah also hailed the Assam government for "freeing" Kaziranga National Park from encroachment and rhino poaching, "stopping" cow smuggling through the Bodoland region and "preventing" illegal trading of supari (areca nut).

The government is also on track to fulfil its target of paddy procurement from Assam at the minimum support price (MSP) and setting up of medical colleges in each district of the state, he added.

Enforcement agencies must destroy all channels of drug trafficking

Amit Shah also asserted that seizing narcotics alone cannot make the country drug-free and enforcement agencies must aim at destroying all channels between traffickers and final consumers.

Addressing the regional meeting on 'Drug Trafficking and National Security' here, the home minister said under 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', a target to destroy 75,000 kg narcotics was set but under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, so far over 1.5 lakh kg narcotics has been destroyed, which is more than double the target set.

He said, the prime minister has a dream to make the country drug-free and for this, coordinated effort is necessary between central and state agencies.

The security of the nation can only be ensured if drug trafficking and all related channels are destroyed as insurgency, arms smuggling, and other anti-national activities are linked to trafficking, he said.

"Insurgency along with arms trade and drug trafficking are two sides of a coin," he said.

Chaired a meeting with the CMs and DGsP of northeastern states in Guwahati, Assam.



In the line with PM @NarendraModi Jis vision of a 'Drug-free India' approx 40000 kg of narcotics were destroyed in the northeastern region under a special campaign against drugs. pic.twitter.com/7OmKO8ATia  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 8, 2022

Modi govt has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs.



Urged all CMs that it is not an issue of the Centre or state but a national issue, so the efforts to deal with it should also be national and unified. Stressed upon using Forensic Science Laboratory and technology. pic.twitter.com/TEHPsqUhLo October 8, 2022

The home minister urged the law-enforcing, health, revenue, and social revenue departments to adopt a twin-pronged approach for ensuring that drug trafficking is stopped.

"We must be harsh with the traffickers while at the same time the victims must be dealt with sensitively," he said.
New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, claimed on Sunday that many leaders and workers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat secretly support his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and want their party to lose in the upcoming Assembly elections. Aiming the BJP for the posters that appeared in several Gujarat cities on Saturday, in which he was referred to as "anti-Hindu", the AAP's national convener said those behind the posters were "demons and descendants of Kans." "Many BJP leaders and workers meet me and secretly ask me to do something to defeat the ruling party. I would like to tell all the BJP workers and leaders who want to defeat their party to work secretly for AAP," he said at a rally in Gujarat's tribal-dominated Valsad district, where Assembly elections are set to take place in the coming months.

"We have to break 27 years of their (BJP's) arrogance. I know you have your businesses, if you join us they will damage your business. You stay there, but secretly work to defeat it. Congress workers need not fear, you can leave your party and join AAP. Forget your party," Kejriwal said. He has called upon the voters to support AAP in the upcoming election to "wipe out the demons".

Also Read: 'Biggest liar': BJP lashes out at Kejriwal, alleges he called people of Gujarat descendants of 'Kansa'

Everyone should work together to create a new Gujarat. Do not care about the party; work for Gujarat and the country, he said, claiming that the AAP will usher in a new era "new storm, new politics, a new party, new faces, new ideas, and new dawn".

The national capitals CM also slammed the BJP workers, quoting, "They go around and whisper that 'While Kejriwal is good, he will not win in Gujarat this time, but next time. If anyone tells you so, then know that he is from the BJP. Tell him that not next time, but (Kejriwal will win this time)."

Also Read: I am sent by God to finish off Kansa's descendants: Arvind Kejriwal on posters in Gujarat calling him anti-Hindu

On the hoarding calling him "anti-Hindu", he alleged, "Those who insult god are called 'rakshas' (demons). Those who insult gods are called 'Kans ki aulaad' (descendants of Kans). What would demons do in ancient times? They would enter any village, indulge in hooliganism, tease and rape women."

(With agencies' inputs)
Modhera: In the run-up to the Gujarat Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that the people of the state had blessed him and trusted him for the last two decades, regardless of his caste or political background. Addressing a crowd in poll-bound Gujarat after naming Modhera in Mehsana district India's first solar-powered village, he said the state's blessings gave him the drive and strength to work for them, and this has grown. Modi arrived in his home state for a three-day visit to launch several projects worth over Rs 14,600 crore. Gujarat's assembly elections are set to take place soon. The elections are critical for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which wants to keep power in the state, while the Congress wants to win after being out of power in the state for 27 years. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also entered the fray.

"You neither looked at my caste nor my political life. You blessed me blindly with all your love and affection, and you saw my work and kept attesting to it. Not just me, you also blessed my friends. And as your blessings increase, my drive and strength to work keep growing," said the prime minister. He stated that the people of Gujarat have placed their trust in him for the last two decades, as a result of which Gujarat has emerged as one of the country's leading states.

Also Read: Lok Sabha elections 2024: PM Modi to hold 40 rallies across 144 LS seats BJP lost in 2019 polls

"For this, I bow before crores of Gujaratis for their patience. It is because of your efforts that the government and the public worked together to create a new history. All this has been possible because of your immense faith," he said.

Modi was Gujarat's chief minister from 2001 to 2014 before becoming Prime Minister. He is from the town of Vadnagar, which is also in the Mehsana district.Change, according to the prime minister, is difficult because it requires foresight.

(With agencies' inputs)
Faron Medhi was ecstatic when she was called as one of the top five contestants vying for the title of Miss Teen USA.

And when she heard Miss Idaho's name being called, she was thrilled, thinking her friend had won the title. Then she realized Idaho's representative was awarded second place.

"I was like, 'Hold the phone. It's me?' " Medhi said.

Medhi, an Omaha native, was named Miss Teen USA over the weekend. She's the first Miss Nebraska Teen USA to win the national title.

The 18-year-old graduated from Millard North High School in 2022.

She got her start in pageants at 9 years old. Mom entered her for fun, but Medhi was hooked.

Walking across the stage in a gown for the first time left Medhi feeling beautiful and empowered.

"It really boosted my self-esteem," she said.

She quickly set her sights on Miss Teen USA.

Medhi nabbed her first major title, Miss Nebraska Teen USA, in March. A flexible high school schedule allowed her to focus on her platform and engage in the community.

She visited kindergarten and first grade classes to share a book she self-published. The book, "I Am ABCs," teaches kids affirmations for every letter of the alphabet.

Medhi said it's important to invest in youth. And teaching them about the power of confidence is key in a world of social media comparisons.

To prep for Miss Teen USA, Medhi squeezed in workouts at her mother's Elkhorn dance studio where she also teaches classes. The studio doubled as a spot to practice walking in her gowns. She practiced interview prep any time she found herself in the car.

She plans to use her title, and the reach that comes with it, to grow her current platform of self-love.

Medhi said she hopes, too, that people see her as real and authentic.

"The truth about pageantry is that every single pageant girl is out in her community and leading in change," she said. "Breaking those barriers and stereotypes is what I want to do."

Medhi will hold the title of Miss Teen USA for one year. She'll juggle the responsibilities of the title along with attending classes at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. She's majoring in biology, with hopes of becoming a pediatrician.

Medhi said she may try to compete in Miss USA, but for now, she's taking things day-by-day.

"This is seriously a dream come true," Medhi said. "I'm just going to play it by ear and live in the moment."
New Delhi: Over 300 establishments ranging from hotels, restaurants, eateries to online delivery services of food, medicines, logistics and other essential commodities, transport and travel service will be able to operate the business on a 24X7 basis in the national capital soon.

Just a few weeks before Diwali, Delhi Lt. Governor V.K. Saxena has approved the proposal to exempt 314 such applications, some of them pending since 2016. The LG has directed that notification to this effect be issued within seven days. Such applications were pending since 2016.

The decision will also provide a fillip to the much desired `night life` in the City. Approving the proposal, Delhi LG took a "very serious view" of "inordinate delay, adhocism, randomness and unjustified discretion" on part of the labour department in disposing of applications made by the firms for these exemptions, officials said.

"These applications, were kept pending for no reason even as just 02 applications, one of 2017 and another of 2021 were processed and sent for approval, in a display of unexplained discretion on part of the Labour Department, which strongly indicated the prevalence of corrupt practices," stated the LG.

"This shows a complete unprofessional attitude and lack of due diligence on the part of the Labour Department and amounted to the Department having adopted a `pick and choose policy` in processing such applications. Such a system may also lead to corrupt practices. Further, inordinately delayed processing of such routine applications also negatively affects the confidence/sentiments of the business community at large," he added.

Read the complete order here:

Key points of the development here:

- Lt. Governor VK Saxena has approved the proposal to exempt 314 applications of hotel and restaurant owners, online eateries, medicines, and other essential commodities, to be able to operate on 24x7 basis in the National Capital, starting from next week.

- The decision, providing exemption under Sections 14, 15 and 16 of the Delhi Shops and Establishment Act, 1954, is expected to boost employment generation and promote a positive and favourable business environment that is a prerequisite for economic growth.

- Exemptions under Sections 14, 15 and 16 of the said Act enables commercial establishments to operate on a 24X7 basis, subject to certain conditions that entail welfare of labour and security etc.

- The LG also pointed towards the fact that it took repeated observations and persuasion from the LG Secretariat for the Labour Department to put in place a Digital Mechanism for the receipt of applications.

- This the LG said, showed reluctance on part of the Labour Department in adopting simple technological interventions that improved the regulatory framework for `Ease of Doing Business`.

- The LG has strictly advised that such applications are disposed of within a prescribed timeline so that a conducive investor-friendly business environment and positive confidence could be instilled in the entrepreneurs and business community of Delhi at large.

- The LG has also directed the Labour Department to ensure that such delays do not occur in future, a mechanism be developed for transparent and effective monitoring, reasons of pendency be ascertained, responsibility be fixed and suitable action be taken against the erring officials.

(With agency inputs)
Srinagar: Two terrorist associates of LeT were detained under PSA, one of whom was Ishfaq Majeed Dar R/o Saderkoot Bala, who was a hard-core ANE's & was in touch with terrorists in Pok. He was given the task by his handlers across the border to mobilise the youth in Bandipora for recruiting them into the banned terror organisation LeT. He was also given the task to identify Police/ Crpf Naka's

Waseem Ahmad Malik @Obaid @ Osama R/o Gundpora Rampora is the other person. He was also in contact with a POK-based terrorist named Hashir Parray, whose module was recently busted by Bandipora police. This man was establishing new associates in Bandipora town and surrounding areas, as well as working on luring Bandipora youth towards terror loyalists and establishing terror sleeper cells in the district.

Also Read: 'Grave injustice to the victims of terrorism': India slams Pakistan, Germany for remarks on Jammu and Kashmir

Given their strong tendency for mobilising youth terror activities and undermining the peaceful atmosphere in the Bandipora district, both were detained under the PSA.
Bhubaneswar: State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) of the Government of Odisha on Saturday (October 8, 2022) held its 113th meeting under the chairpersonship of Chief Secretary of Odisha Suresh Chandra Mahapatra. The committee approved 10 industrial projects worth Rs 1923.60 crores that would generate employment opportunities for over 5,170 people in the state. The projects approved in the meeting belonged to diverse sectors like Power & Renewable Energy, Chemicals, IT&ESDM, Food Processing, Oil & Gas, Metal downstream, Technical Textiles, Tourism and Infrastructure. The approved projects will be set up across Odisha with 4 of the projects being set up in Khordha, and 1 each in Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Balasore, Keonjhar and Angul.

The SLSWCA approved the proposal of M/s Luminous Power Technologies Private Limited to set up a manufacturing unit of new technology eco-friendly Batteries Fuel Cell, Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC batteries), and Power storage & Solar batteries in the Angul Aluminium Park with a proposed investment of Rs 481 crores generating employment for over 1,150 people in the state.

The committee also gave a nod to the proposal of M/s Silox India Private Limited to set up a chemical manufacturing unit in the Paradeep Industrial Area. The unit is expected to produce 25000 MTPA Sodium Formaldehyde Sulphoxylate, 2000 MTPA Zinc Formaldehyde Sulphoxylate & 15000 MTP Metal Salts of Cobalt, Nickel, Magnesium, Lithium, and Zinc. The unit is being set up with an investment of Rs 500 crore and is expected to generate employment opportunities for over 800 people in the state.

The committee also approved the investment of Rs 265 crore of M/s Happiest Minds Technologies Limited in setting up a software development centre facility offering IT services at O-Hub in Info-valley SEZ, Bhubaneswar. The project is expected to create over 1500 highly skilled job opportunities in the state.

In the Hospitality sector, the committee approved M/s MGM Resorts Pvt. Ltd.s 5-star Hotel Hyatt Regency with an investment of Rs 180 Crores. The project will be coming up in the New Marine Drive Road, Puri. The committee also approved M/s Oil India Limiteds Oil and Gas exploration units with an installed capacity of 10KLPD each in Astaranga, Puri and Patkura, Kendrapada. OIL will be investing over Rs 108 crores in the state creating employment opportunities for over 115 people in these two locations.

In the agro and food processing sector, the Rs 150 crore worth aqua feed manufacturing facility with an annual capacity of 1,80,000 MT proposed by M/s IFB Agro Industries Limited was also approved by the committee. The project will be set up in the Somanathpur Industrial Estate, Balasore with an estimated employment potential of over 270.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today (October 9, 2022) begin his three-day visit to Gujarat to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects worth over Rs 14,500 crores. According to the Prime Minister's Office, Modi will begin his trip to his home state from Modhera in Mehsana, where he will dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 3,900 crore. The Prime Minister will also declare Modhera as India's first 24x7 solar-powered village.

The other projects being dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister in Mehsana include the Gauge Conversion of the Sabarmati-Jagudan segment of the Ahmedabad-Mehsana Gauge Conversion project; ONGCs Nandasan Geological oil production project; Sujalam Sufalam Canal from Kherava to Shingoda Lake; Dharoi Dam Based Vadnagar Kheralu and Dharoi Group Reform Scheme; project of four laning of a section of Bechraji Modhera -Chanasma state highway; project to expand a section of Unja-Dasaj Upera Ladol (Bhankhar Approach Road); New Building of Regional Training Centre, Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA), Mehsana; and Projection Mapping at Sun Temple at Modhera, among others.

Looking forward to being in Modhera today. Modhera, which is associated with the Sun Temple will also be known for its strides in solar energy. https://t.co/pyqdRb2ARO  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 9, 2022

Prime Minister Modi will also lay the foundation stone of multiple projects that include four laning of a section of NH-68 from Patan to Gozariya; a water treatment plant at Chalasan village of Jotana taluka of Mehsana district; a new automated milk powder plant and UHT milk carton plant at Dudhsagar Dairy; Redevelopment & Reconstruction of General Hospital Mehsana; and Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) for Mehsana and other districts of North Gujarat, among others.

Following this, he will visit the Modheshwari Mata Temple and the Sun temple.

On October 10, Prime Minister Modi will first inaugurate various projects in Amod in Bharuch, and will then inaugurate the Modi Shaikshanik Sankul in Ahmedabad. Thereafter, he is scheduled to dedicate various projects in Jamnagar.

In Amod, Bharuch, PM Modi will dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 8,000 crore, including the Bulk Drug Park in Jambusar. He will also lay the foundation stone of the Deep Sea Pipeline Project in Dahej; phase 1 of Ankleshwar Airport and the development of Multilevel Industrial Sheds at Ankleshwar and Panoli.

Prime Minister Modi is also scheduled to perform the groundbreaking ceremony for the development of multiple industrial parks. These include four Tribal Industrial Parks which will come up in Valia (Bharuch), Amirgadh (Banaskantha), Chakaliya (Dahod) and Vanar (Chhota Udaipur); Agro Food Park at Mudetha (Banaskantha); Sea Food Park at Kakwadi Danti (Valsad); and MSME Park at Khandivav (Mahisagar).

In Ahmedabad, PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate Phase 1 of the educational complex Modi Shaikshanik Sankul, while in Jamnagar, he will dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 1,460 crore. These projects relate to irrigation, power, water supply and urban infrastructure.

On October 11, Prime Minister will also dedicate and lay the foundation stones of various healthcare facilities of around Rs 1,300 crore in Civil Hospital Asarwa, Ahmedabad.

Modi's visit to Gujarat comes ahead of the Assembly elections in December this year.
New Delhi: While Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared Modhera as India's first 24x7 solar-powered village in the evening, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann will jointly address two rallies in Gujarat on Sunday (October 9, 2022). Assembly elections in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Gujarat are scheduled to be held by the end of this year.

The elections are crucial for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which aims to retain power in the state, while the Congress hopes for a win after remaining out of power for 27 years in the state. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also entered the election arena. Prime Minister is on a three-day visit to Gujarat.

BJP v/s AAP in Gujarat

From riding an auto rickshaw to visiting schools and temples, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has taken the ruling BJP head-on in PM Modi's native state, Gujarat, which goes for the assembly polls in three months.

This year AAP chief has made a dozen trips to Gujarat, visited various regions, addressed rallies, offered prayers at temples and held town hall interactions with different communities in a bid to position the AAP as the main challenger of the ruling party that is in power since 1998.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reached Ahmedabad and inaugurated multiple projects and to take part in various programmes in Modhera village in the Mehsana district of Gujarat. In a significant step towards promoting clean energy, PM declared Modhera as India`s first solar-powered village today. Modhera is famous for its Sun temple.

In Modhera, PM Modi also addressed a public function where he will laid the foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 3900 crore. Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of multiple projects that include four laning of a section of NH-68 from Patan to Gozariya; water treatment plant at Chalasan village of Jotana taluka of Mehsana district; new automated milk powder plant and UHT milk carton plant at Dudhsagar Dairy; Redevelopment & Reconstruction of General Hospital Mehsana; and Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) for Mehsana and other districts of North Gujarat, among others.

Addressing a rally after the function, Modi said Modhera was once subject to countless atrocities of all kinds committed by invaders in the past, but is growing now with modernity while retaining its ancient character.

In Gujarat, Prime Minister also performed Darshan and Pooja at Modheshwari Mata Temple and visited the Sun temple where he will witnessed the beautiful projection mapping show.

PM declares Modhera in Gujarat as India's first 24x7 solar-powered village

Prime Minister declared Modhera in Gujarat's Mehsana district as the country's first 24X7 "solar-powered" village. The solar project, a first of its kind in the country, realises the Prime Minister's vision of solarisation of the sun-temple town of Modhera.

"Whenever there will be talks of solar power, Modhera will be the first name to emerge. Because here everything is running on solar power. Whether it is light, farm....Even effort is being made to run buses, vehicles on solar power.

"For a self-reliant India of the 21st century, we have to encourage such efforts for our energy needs. I am working day and night to take the country in the direction of providing (energy security) for Gujarat, the country, and to our coming generation," said the prime minister.

Prime minister also witnessed 3D projection mapping light and sound show at Modhera's famous Surya Mandir.

People of Gujarat have blessed me without looking at my caste: PM Modi

PM Modi today said the people of Gujarat blessed him and reposed trust in him for the last two decades irrespective of his caste and political background. "You neither looked at my caste, nor my political life. You blessed me blindly with all your love and affection, and you saw my work and kept attesting it. Not just me, you also blessed my friends. And as your blessings increase, my drive and strength to work keep growing," the prime minister said.

PM highlighted that the people of Gujarat reposed trust in him for the last two decades, due to which Gujarat emerged as one of the prominent states in the country. "For this, I bow before crores of Gujaratis for their patience. It is because of your efforts that the government and public worked together to create a new history. All this has been possible because of your immense faith," he said.

(With agency inputs)
Lucknow: Buoyed by the response to the Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra, newly appointed Uttar Pradesh party chief Brijlal Khabri has hailed Rahul Gandhi by saying "Rahul means Bharat, and Bharat means Rahul", and asserted his aim is to "save" the country and the Constitution. His remarks in an interview with the PTI on Friday was a reminiscent of former Congress president Dev Kant Barooah's famous "India is Indira, Indira is India" utterance, which the party's rivals have often used to criticise the Congress and the Gandhi family.

Khabri parried queries on why the Bharat Jodo Yatra is scheduled to pass through just one district (Bulandshahr) in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, saying, "Bharat is not a district nor it is a state. It is a union of states. He is covering 13 states, and has set a big aim."

He lambasted the BJP government for "trying to sell the country and abolish the Constitution". He also said the Congress was "targeting to win all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP in the 2024 general elections", and warned the BJP of losing deposits in Rae Bareli, which is currently represented by Sonia Gandhi, and Amethi, which Rahul Gandhi lost to Smriti Irani of the BJP in 2019. Khabri, who was earlier with the BSP, was recently appointed the state Congress chief and he assumed charge on Saturday.

"The present government is trying to sell the country and abolish the Constitution. Democracy is being murdered. To save these three, if Rahul Gandhiji has undertaken the foot march, why are these people getting pain in their stomach?" he said.

Also Read: 'Bharat Jodo Yatra is not for 2024 elections but to..': Rahul Gandhi asserts Congress' mission to unite India

The BJP was rattled because Rahul Gandhi is uniting this country "which will end their 'roji-roti' (bread and butter)", he said. "Today, Rahulji has geared up to save the country, and lakhs of people are walking with him. I can say 'Rahul maane Bharat, aur Bharat maane Rahul' (Rahul means Bharat and Bharat means Rahul)," Khabri asserted.

He also said the party's "planning and strategy" to improve its performance in the state will soon be seen on the ground. On the BJP eying the Congress' bastion of Rae Bareli, he said, "However much the BJP tries, they will find it difficult to save their deposits in Rae Bareli as well as in Amethi. We are targeting to win all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 general elections."

However, when asked if Sonia and Rahul Gandhi will contest from Uttar Pradesh, the state party president said, "This is a matter of time. They are (senior) leaders, they will contest from the seats they want to." On whether he would like Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to contest from Rae Bareli, in case Sonia Gandhi opts out, Khabri said, "I will always say that Priyanka ji should come forward (and contest), and if she does so, she will definitely win."

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi on claims that next Congress president would be 'remote-controlled': 'Both Kharge and Tharoor are...'

He said the decision on any possible alliance will be taken by the party's central leadership. He hit back at state BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary's recent statement that Rahul Gandhi should have conducted his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Pakistan, saying "The BJP has always been giving such statements to create a Hindu-Muslim divide. As soon as the conspiracy of the BJP to divide India was unveiled, Rahul Gandhi ji started the work of uniting India." Along with Khabri being appointed as the president of the UP Congress, six regional presidents were also announced by the party.

"This (the new arrangement) will give strength (to the party), as everyone will discharge their responsibilities, and work together," he said, rejecting suggestions that this system was inspired by a similar arrangement in the BJP. "And, politics is a type of laboratory. Our main target is to save the country, the democracy and the Constitution." He also claimed the Samajwadi Party's improved performance in the 2022 elections in the state was a mere "coincidence".

"The BJP won the UP Assembly elections by resorting to the Hindu-Muslim (narrative), while the SP came second. In a way, the BJP got benefit of doubt (in voters' mind), as people wanted to remove the BJP, but then who would have tolerated the goondaism (of the SP)?" The former Lok Sabha MP from Jalaun also slammed Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party, saying people calling it a B-team of the BJP were "correct".

Also Read: Bharat Jodo Yatra completes 1 month on the road, Congress shares a look back at Rahul Gandhis journey - WATCH

"The job of the Opposition is to counter the wrongdoings of the government, which Rahulji has been doing. Smaller parties in the Opposition can be seen speaking against Rahul ji. So, when you are speaking against Rahul Gandhi, you have automatically become a supporter of the BJP," he said.

He also railed against Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, who was a BJP ally before joining hands with the SP for 2022 polls, and then also came out of this alliance as well. "Politicians of these types are like weeds ('kharpatwar') that crop up during rains, and attract attention. But, the moment someone touches them, they may get fungal infection." "They first create caste-based organisations, and when they get going they leave others for selfish reasons. This also includes the BSP," he said.
New Delhi: A day after the Election Commission of India froze the Shiv Sena's symbol amid a dispute between the party's two factions, independent MP Kapil Sibal slammed the ECI for the action, calling it "freezing democracy." Along with him, even Arvind Sawant, a Shiv Sena MP from the Uddhav faction, also stated, "ECI froze our election symbol." They asked us to give symbols, and Uddhav Thackeray gave ECI three symbols: 'Trishul, Mashaal, and rising sun.' The ECI will make a decision and assign the symbol right away."

"Election Commission Behind the scenes is the Government`s submission Upfront they call it the Election Commission! Shame on Institutions who do the Government`s bidding ! Kapil Sibal said.

The poll panel froze the party's Bow and Arrow symbol in an interim order on Saturday, saying, "The Commission hereby makes the following Interim Order, to cover the purpose of the current by-elections and to continue till the final determination of the dispute into the matter." It stated that neither of the two groups led by Eknath Shinde nor the other led by Uddhav Thackeray shall be allowed to use the name of the party 'Shiv Sena,' nor shall either of the two groups be allowed to use the symbol 'Bow & Arrow,' which is reserved for 'Shiv Sena.'

Also Read: Uddhav Thackeray faction calls EC order on Shiv Sena symbol 'injustice'; Eknath Shinde group says 'right decision'

"Both the groups shall be known by such names as they may choose for their respective groups, including, if they so desire, linkage with their parent party `Shiv Sena`; and both the groups shall also be allotted such different symbols as they may choose from the list of free symbols notified by the Election Commission for the current by-elections," the poll panel said.

"Election Commission Freezes Sena Election symbol Amounts to "freezing" Democracy The "bow and arrow" belongs to the real Shiv Sena led by Udhav The "Defectors Platter" for serving the BJP belongs to Shinde`s faction," Sibal said on Sunday. The Commission has asked both groups to provide, by 1 p.m. on October 10, the names of their organisations by which they wish to be recognised by the Commission, as well as three options in order of preference, any of which may be approved by the Commission.

Also Read: Five MLAs, two MPs from Uddhav group to join Shinde-led faction, claims Shiv Sena leader

They have also been asked to provide suggestions for symbols that could be assigned to the candidates.

"They may indicate the names of three free symbols, in the order of their preference, any one of which may be allotted to their candidates by the Commission," quotes ECI

The time available is insufficient to ensure the due process required for the proceedings. The Commission, however, takes note of the urgency involved in the use of party symbols and party names due to the announced schedule of by-elections, according to the order issued by the Election Commission on Saturday.

(With agency inputs)
TN TET 2022: Tamil Nadu Teachers Recruitment Board, TN TRB has released the TN TET admit card. Candidates can download the admit card from the official website at trb.tn.nic.in. Candidates can download their TN TET admit card using their User ID and Password. Tamil Nadu Teachers Eligibility Test (TNTET) will be held from 14 October to 19 October 2022 in two different sessions.

TN TET Admit Card 2022: Here's how to download

Visit the official website at trb.tn.nic.in

On the homepage, click on the TN TET admit card link

A new page will open and scroll down and select click here to download admit card

Candidates have to click on applicant login and enter their roll number and password etc.

The provisional admit card will appear on screen

Download and keep a copy

The Tamil Nadu TN TET examination will be conducted between October 14 to October 19, 2022, in two different sessions. Candidates are strictly instructed to reach the centre as per the timings mentioned in the Admit Card. Late comers will not be allowed inside the Centre for Examination. For the convenience of the candidates, we have provided you with the steps and a direct link to download the hall ticket.
New Delhi: The Election Commission on Saturday (October 8, 2022) barred the Shiv Sena factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde from using the party name and its election symbol in the upcoming Andheri East assembly bypoll. In an interim order over the claims by the rival factions for control of the organisation, the EC asked them to suggest by Monday three different name choices and also as many free symbols for allocation to their respective groups. Reacting to the Commission's order, the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction called it an 'injustice', while the Shinde group termed it a "right decision".

"Khokewale traitors committed this shameless and vile act of freezing the name Shiv Sena and symbol," Shiv Sena leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray said, adding that the people of Maharashtra would not tolerate it.

"We will fight and win. We are on the side of the truth. Satyamev Jayate!" he said in a tweet in Marathi.

Aaditya and other leaders of the Uddhav Thackeray faction have been accusing the rebels led by Shinde of committing treachery for the lure of "khoke" (boxes of cash).

Ambadas Danve, the Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council and a Thackeray loyalist, said that the poll body should have holistically taken a decision rather than passing an interim decision for the bypoll.

"This is injustice," he told the news agency PTI.

Chandrakant Khaire, a former MP and another leader from the Thackeray camp, attacked the rival faction led by Shinde and said whoever has done this cannot undo the "sin" they have committed.

On the other hand, Prataprao Jadhav, an MP from the Shinde camp, said that the EC has taken the "right decision".

Uddhav Thackeray discarded the ideology of Sena founder Bal Thackeray and formed an alliance with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party, he said.

The interim order came on Saturday on the Shinde faction's request seeking it be allocated the symbol as the Andheri East assembly bypoll is approaching.

"The Commission is duty bound to ensure that all electoral steps of the bye-election are free of any confusion and contradiction and thus its next step is necessarily agnostic to the possibility of either of the faction participating in the poll," the interim order said.

The rival factions had approached the Commission after the split in the Shiv Sena ranks in June, claiming to be the 'real Shiv Sena'.

Andheri East bypoll is Uddhav Thackeray's first electoral test after split in Shiv Sena

It is notable that the November 3 bypoll to the Andheri East constituency in suburban Mumbai is the first electoral test for the Uddhav Thackeray group after the split in Shiv Sena in June this year, leading to the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

The upcoming contest is between the Thackeray-led faction and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as the Shinde faction is not contesting.

The BJP, an ally of the Shinde faction, has decided to field Murji Patel, a corporator in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, for the bypoll necessitated due to the death of incumbent Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke.

The Congress and the NCP have decided to support the late Latke's wife Rujuta Latke, the candidate of the Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, their coalition partner in the MVA.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: Amid the row over symbol between the two rival factions of Shiv Sena, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Sunday came out in support of the Shinde camp saying the Election Commission (EC) should give the `Bow and Arrow` symbol to the rebel group while taking the final call over the matter.

Speaking to ANI, Athawale said, "The symbol of Shiv Sena has been frozen for the Assembly bye-election of Andheri east. After that, I feel that Eknath Shinde group should definitely get the symbol of Shiv Sena`s `Bow and Arrow`. Election Commission has to decide on the basis of merit and when the decision will be taken later. Eknath Shinde will definitely get the symbol of Shiv Sena."

Union Minister said that Uddhav Thackeray`s political ambition is responsible for freezing the symbol of the party.

"Uddhav Thackeray ji is responsible for the freeze of Shiv Sena`s symbol because he had formed the government with NCP and Congress by betraying the BJP and became the Chief Minister. In the run for chief ministership, he had done a lot of damage to his party and now ended up facing a ban on using the party`s original symbol."

Athawale also objected to Shiv Sena`s demand for `rising sun` as party`s symbol in the upcoming bypolls. He said that `Rising Sun` was earlier the Republican Party of India`s (RPI) symbol so this should not be alloted to the Thackeray group.

"Arvind Sawant, who is the MP of the Thackeray faction, has given three symbol options to the Election Commission, in which Trishul, Mashaal (torch) and Rising Sun are there. Trishul and Mashaal are fine but the `Rising Sun` should not be given to the Uddhav Thackeray group because it was the symbol of RPI. We are going to write to the Election Commission about the matter," the Union Minister added.

The Uddhav Thackeray camp of Shiv Sena submitted a list of three names and symbols for the upcoming Andheri East Assembly constituency bypolls to the Election Commission.Amid a row over Shiv Sena`s `Bow and Arrow` symbol claim, the Election Commission (EC) on Saturday froze the symbol barring both the rival camps in the party from using it in the upcoming Assembly bypoll slated for November 3.

Following this, the Thackeray faction on Sunday submitted the options of `Trishul`, `Rising Sun` and `Torch` as symbols for the party to the Election Commission. Further, the Thackeray camp suggested three names -- Shiv Sena (Balasaheb Thackeray), Shiv Sena (Prabodhankar Thackeray) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) for the upcoming bye-elections.

"Our party`s name is Shiv Sena, if ECI gives any of the names related to Shiv Sena including `Shiv Sena (Balasaheb Thackeray)`, `Shiv Sena (Prabodhankar Thackeray)` or `Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)`, that would be acceptable to us," Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) MP Arvind Sawant told media persons.

Notably, EC passed the interim order saying in Andheri East bye polls, neither of the two groups shall be permitted to use the symbol "Bow and Arrow", reserved for "Shiv Sena".

The Commission`s ruling came amid the ongoing symbol war between the Uddhav Thackeray camp and rival Eknath Shinde camp.

In its order, the Commission said, "In order to place both the rival groups on even keel and to protect their rights and interests, and going by the past precedence, the Commission hereby makes the following Interim Order, to cover the purpose of the current Bye-elections and to continue till the final determination of the dispute in the matter in terms of Para 15 of the Symbols Order:- Neither of the two groups led by Eknathrao Sambhaji Shinde (Petitioner) and other led by Uddhav Thackeray (Respondent) be permitted to use the name of the party Shiv Sena simplicitor."

"Neither of the two groups shall also be permitted to use the symbol `Bow and Arrow`, reserved for "Shivsenal`; Both the groups shall be known by such names as they may choose for their respective groups, including, if they so desire, linkage with their parent party Shivsena; and Both groups shall also be allotted such different symbols as they may choose from the list of free symbols notified by the Election Commission for the purposes of the current bye-elections," added the Commission.

Eknath Shinde took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on June 30 earlier this year.

This came after a faction of Shiv Sena under Shinde shifted the alliance to Bharatiya Janata Party BJP from Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Since then, Maharashtra has been witnessing a tussle between both the factions of Sena as to who is the real inheritor of the legacy of Bal Thackeray.
For the 10th year, volunteers with Trinity United Methodist Church in New Kingstown held a community-wide effort to pack meals to benefit hunger relief efforts across the globe.

The church held this meal packaging event Sunday morning at the New Kingstown Fire Hall with the help of JROTC cadets from Cumberland Valley High School who helped unload bags of ingredients.

Ingredients were sent to the fire hall from the Philadelphia warehouse of Rise Against Hunger, an international ministry that provides dehydrated meals to those dealing with hunger. According to the church, meals are given to children at schools, as well as sent to disaster sites.

Along with the church, its youth group and the JROTC were volunteers from other organizations, such as New Kingstown Vision, New Kingstown Fire Company and auxiliary, American Legion Post #101 Riders (Carlisle) and residents of Silver Spring Township. All together, the group of 72 volunteers helped package more than 11,000 meals.

In addition to the meals this event generates, it supplies a lot of fun, energy, and feelings of satisfaction, said Wendy Frock, a member of Trinity UM Church. Its wonderful to experience the generations working together to accomplish our goals. It brings us together while providing opportunities to invite and welcome others who want to make a difference.
Pithoragarh: Heavy snowfall lashed several areas in Dharchula town in Pithoragarh district, leaving up to two feet of snow in the upper areas and blocking key roads near the Nepal border on Sunday, officials said. Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) officials said that some roads have been blocked following the continuous snowfall because of which locals and security personnel have been facing problems.

They said the Lipulekh road has been closed near Malla Ghat. Pithoragarh District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan said they are continuously monitoring the situation. Higher reaches of the state have been receiving snowfall intermittently for the past week.

In Darma valley, the last outpost near the China border, last week received more than four feet of snowfall in the mountains at an altitude of 17,500 feet. Security personnel had to patrol the area under extreme circumstances.

#WATCH | Uttarakhand: Hemkund Sahib in Chamoli district enshrouded in a white cover of snow as it receives fresh snowfall pic.twitter.com/RPpDN1uC40  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) October 9, 2022

Last month, a woman died and about 30 houses were damaged in a cloudburst in the district. The cloudburst flooded the Kali river. Several houses were washed away by the strong current. There were also reports of damage in villages in Nepal.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) teams had to be deployed to carry out rescue and relief work. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the cloudburst-hit villages and took stock of the rescue work.
New Delhi: India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday gave a yellow alert for parts of central Maharashtra, Marathwada and over Konkan, for the next three to four days. "Mostly for the entire of Maharashtra, there are expectations of thundershowers, associated with isolated heavy rainfall. Thunderstorm warning- yellow warning- given for parts of central Maharashtra, Marathwada and over Konkan, for the next 3-4 days." The IMD has forecast thunderstorm accompanied by lightning and light to moderate rains and gusty winds (30 to 40 kmph) very likely at isolated places for Friday and Saturday, the official said.

Earlier, heavy rainfall lashed the national capital on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. The IMD said that moderate rain is also likely through the weekend and Monday may see light showers. Incessant rainfall throughout the day on Saturday brought the maximum temperature down sharply in Delhi and resulted in waterlogging in some parts of the city. The maximum temperature at the Safdarjung weather station settled at 23.4 degrees Celsius on Saturday, ten degrees below the normal for this time of the year. The normal maximum temperature for this time of the year is 33.8 degrees Celsius.

The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Sunday, which is a warning to be aware. Light rainfall is likely to continue on Monday and very light rainfall is likely on Tuesday. Thereafter, the city is set to remain dry, according to the IMDs forecast for the next six days.

The city went under cloud cover and witnessed incessant rainfall from afternoon, with parts of the city witnessing heavy rains and thunderstorms, civic officials said.

"Generally cloudy sky with moderate to heavy rain/thundershower in the city and suburbs in the next 24 hours," the weather office had said on Saturday morning.

"Isolated heavy falls & thunderstorms/lightning very likely over Gujarat Region 07th-10th; Madhya Maharashtra and Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam from 07th-09th; Marathwada on 7th & 9th; Konkan & Goa and Telangana on 07th; Rayalaseema and Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal on 07th-11th; North Interior Karnataka, during 07th,09th and 10th; South Interior Karnataka during 9th - 11th; Kerala on 9th & 10th October 2022," it added.

The weather forecasting agency on Saturday predicted that Mumbai touched a maximum temperature of 30 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature likely to be 26-degree celsius.
New Delhi: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi offered a sharp reply to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat's statement on population control and "religious imbalance" in the country. As quoted by ANI, Owaisi asked Bhagwat to stop worrying about the Muslim population in the country. He said, "Don't fret, Muslim population is not increasing, it's rather falling... Who's using condoms the most? We are. Mohan Bhagwat won't speak on this."

#WATCH | On RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's statement that there's a religious imbalance in India, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi says, "Don't fret, Muslim population is not increasing, it's rather falling... Who's using condoms the most? We are. Mohan Bhagwat won't speak on this." pic.twitter.com/kcaYLaNm7A  ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2022

For the unversed, Owaisi was referring to RSS chief Dr Mohan Bhagwat's statement that population imbalance leads to changes in geographical boundaries, adding that population control and religion-based population balance is an important subject that can no longer be ignored. He said this while addressing RSS Swayamsevaks at the customary Vijayadashami celebration in Nagpur on Wednesday.

Also Read: Population imbalances lead to changes in geographical boundaries, says RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

"Population require resources. If it grows without building resources, it becomes a burden. There is another view in which population is considered an asset. We need to work on a population policy for all keeping both aspects in mind," Mohan Bhagwat said, adding "people should raise their voices against the wrong, but by acting within the framework of the law. Raising one's voice against wrong should become normal...We all have to stay united as one."

(With agency inputs)
Chandigarh: A handful of farmers in Punjab have started disposing of crop residue -- which is usually burnt and causes air pollution -- in a sustainable manner, either by using it as natural fertiliser or selling it for fuel production.

These farmers have not only reduced consumption of fertilisers by mixing crop residue in the soil but have also begun to monetise the practice by managing the stubble of other growers.

Bhupinder Singh (59), who cultivates 30 acres of land in Badarpur, the last village of Mohali district, has not been burning paddy stubble since 2018. Instead, he mixes it with soil using an MB plough, a tillage equipment.

"After which the land is ready for sowing the next crop - wheat."

He says that after it is buried, stubble residue gets decomposed within a week.

"With the absorption of stubble in soil, the consumption of fertiliser has dropped. Earlier, we used to use potash for wheat crop which we no longer do," he says.

"Farmers do not want to burn stubble. When a grower finds his next crop is getting delayed, he resorts to setting crop residue on fire. Otherwise, he is as much concerned about the environment as anyone else," he adds.

In Bhupinder Singh's village, 70 per cent of farmers have already stopped burning paddy stubble.

"With more and more people becoming aware of the harmful effects of burning paddy, they are managing it instead of setting it on fire," says Singh who has been awarded for crop residue management at state and national levels.

Growers in Badarpur have set up a farmers' club from where they dispense crop residue management machinery to farmers.

"We have machines like MB plough, mulcher, happy seeder, zero till drill to give to other farmers in nearby villages on rent. However, we do not charge anything from small farmers for use of these machines," he says.

Also Read: Madhya Pradesh farmer grows red ladyfinger that costs Rs 800 per kg, heres why

Amarjit Singh (48) of village Burj Tehal Dass in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district has also not been burning paddy for the past 15 years, encouraging others to follow in his footstep.

Considering its ill effects on the environment, Amarjit Singh, who grows crops on more than 100 acres of land, instead sells it to a nearby factory which turns it into fuel. He along with some other farmers give machines like happy seeders, super seeders, ploughs, mulchers etc to prevent them from polluting the environment.

Avtar Singh of village Theri in Mohali, along with three other farmers, is managing paddy with the help of balers - a machine used to compress crop residue into bales.

Almost 500 growers are managing 2,000 tonnes of crop residue with this machine.

Avtar Singh collects stubble from the fields of farmers in four districts -- Fatehgarh Sahib, Mohali, Rupnagar, and Moga.

The crop residue, which is used as fuel, is then sold to a thread factory in Dera Bassi and an electricity-producing company in Ferozepur, says Avtar Singh.

Earlier, Avtar Singh used to cultivate 75 acres of land. But later he reduced the area under cultivation to 25 acres in order to focus on managing the stubble of other farmers.

Besides buying a rack and tractor trolleys, Avtar Singh has two balers.

"Now we strive to sell crop residue directly to companies dispensing away with agents. It will fetch us more money," says Avtar Singh.

Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is one of the reasons behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in the national capital and adjoining areas in October and November.

As the window for Rabi crop wheat is very short after paddy harvest, farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue.

Punjab generates around 180 lakh tonnes of paddy straw annually.

Despite taking several measures to check stubble burning over the past several years, the incidents of farm fires continue unabated in Punjab.

The state recorded 71,304 such fire incidents in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019, and 50,590 in 2018 with many districts including Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda and Amritsar witnessing a large number of stubble-burning incidents.
MUMBAI: Like Alia Bhatt, actor Bipasha Basu is also shelling out maternity styles. On Saturday, Bipasha, who is expecting her first child with actor Karan Singh Grover, took to Instagram and dropped her new pictures. The 'Raaz' actress was seen flaunting her pregnancy glow and a million-dollar smile in the images.

Speaking of her outfit, she opted for a red printed kaftan. "Roshogolla #loveyourself #mamatobe," Bipasha captioned the post. Bipasha styled the outfit with a statement-making gold chain with a stunning pendant. However, fans noticed that the 43-year-old was wearing heels with the outfit and began criticising her brutally and overlooking her and her child's health concern.

A user wrote, "Yeah log pragnancy mai bhi hill kese carry krlete hai."

The second user wrote, "Why she use hills in this time."

The third user said, "Kamse kam pregnancy mein to heels pehnana avoid karo."

Another netizen wrote, "Pregnancy me heels nhi phnte mam."

One of the netizens wrote, "Inka doctor aur humara doctor ke education alag hoti ha kya hum logo ma shuru sa he heel ban ho jate ha."

Another one wrote, "No coset ...one of my friend used coset. In 8 mnth baby ii's serious and no heels also."

One comment read, "Kamse kam pregnancy mein to heels pehnana avoid karo."

"Mishtiiiiiii Maaaa," actor Dia Mirza commented.

"Cutest cutie," Bipasha's husband Karan commented.

On August 16, Bipasha and Karan announced the news of their pregnancy. "A new time, a new phase, a new light adds another unique shade to our prism of life. Making us a little more whole than we used to be. We began this life individually and then we met each other and from then we were two. Too much love for only two seemed a little unfair for us to see... so soon, we who once were two will now become three," the couple had posted.

Bipasha met Karan during the shoot of their 2015 film 'Alone'. The couple married in April 2016 as per Bengali traditions.
New Delhi: Siddhant Chaturvedi has always been known for making a great pair with his female co-stars. While the actor received immense love from the audience for his amazing chemistry with Deepika Padukone in Gehraiyaan, he has been in talks these days, for his upcoming film, 'Phone Bhoot' in which he will be seen sharing the screen space with Katrina Kaif and this is what he has to say about the actress.

Recently during a conversation, Siddhant was seen talking about the amazing moments that he had with Katrina on the sets of Phone Bhoot, He said I would say, its amazing working with her. She might look innocent but she is a prankster. She used to prank us a lot as we are juniors also. It was fun working with her, she was very loving. Got to learn a lot from her. I think she is one of the most hardworking actresses I have worked with.

As Siddhants upcoming horror comedy Phone Bhoot is all set to release this Diwali season, the audience is excited to watch him on the screen with yet another amazing performance. Moreover, the actor was also seen enjoying his time during Navaratri while he was visiting Durga Pooja Pandals to seek blessing.

Talking about his future lineups, Siddhant will be next seen in 'Phone Bhoot' with Katrina Kaif and Ishaan Khatter and Yudhra' where he takes on a heavy dose of action.
New Delhi: Top Kollywood actress Nayanthara welcomed twin baby boys with her husband Vignesh Shivan.

Vignesh shared the happy news with his fans through social media and wrote, "Nayan & Me have become Amma & Appa We are blessed with Twin Baby Boys All Our prayers,our ancestors blessings combined wit all the good manifestations made, have come 2gethr in the form Of 2 blessed babies for us Need all ur blessings for our Uyir & Ulagam Life looks brighter & more beautiful God is double great..."

Nayanthara and filmmaker Vignesh Shivan married in Chennai on June 9. It was an intimate wedding with only their close friends and select guests, including Shah Rukh Khan, AR Rahman, Suriya and Rajinikanth, in attendance.

On the professional front, Nayanthara will be next seen in 'Jawan' co-starring Shah Rukh Khan. She also has 'Gold', 'Iraivan', 'Connect', and 'Lady Superstar 75' in her kitty.
Mumbai: Directing films was on his wish list for quite some time, says Riteish Deshmukh, who is happy about going behind the camera for the first time with the upcoming Marathi movie 'Ved'.

The actor, known for the 'Housefull' series, 'Ek Villain' and 'Marjaavaan', ventured into Marathi cinema as a producer with 2013's 'Balak Palak' and followed it up with 'Yellow'.

"This (direction) is something I was attracted to for many years but didn't have the courage to do it because I was acting. In the last three-four years I was trying to figure out.Even the film that I have directed 'Ved' is something that worked out itself for me," Deshmukh, who has also starred in Marathi films 'Lai Bhaari' and 'Mauli', told PTI.

With Maharashtra also being home to Bollywood, the actor said Marathi films face stiff competition from Hindi cinema.

"It is tough for Marathi cinema to survive with Hindi cinema in the same state when the first preference is to watch Hindi over Marathi cinema. When Marathi movies become a second choice, their theatre share invariably goes down," added Deshmukh. Citing examples of critical Marathi hit films such as Nagraj Manjule's 'Sairat' and 'Natsamrat' by Mahesh Manjrekar, the 43-year-old actor said the state needs at least two such movies every year to lure masses to theatres.

"The idea is how can we go from third to second option to being an equal option. We have to figure out how to attract (audiences). Maharashtra has 12 crore population, I believe 9-10 crore will be Marathi-speaking audience.

"We are able to tap into that substantial base with very few films. Like, 'Sairat' did brilliantly. 'Lai Bhaari', 'Natsamrat', these films reached the maximum audience. But we need more such films, we need two films every year,? he said.

Recently, Deshmukh made his digital debut with 'Plan A Plan B', co-starring Tamannaah Bhatia. Directed by Shashanka Ghosh of 'Veere Di Wedding' fame and written by Rajat Arora, the coming-of-age film premiered on Netflix last month.

The actor said he was interested in exploring the digital medium and his dream was fulfilled with 'Plan A Plan B', which follows the quirky romance between a match-maker (Bhatia) and a divorce attorney (Deshmukh).

"It was a time when pandemic had hit, OTT was something that I was looking forward to. But nothing had materialised. Every other day I am offered a UP gangster (role). When this film came, I was like they are doing a rom-com, let's do it'. I got the opportunity to do a rom-com after 10 years. Besides, it is a light-hearted watch," he added.

Veteran actor Poonam Dhillon and popular influencer Kusha Kapila also round out the cast of 'Plan A Plan B'.
New Delhi: Rumours of Rashmika Mandanna and Vijay Deverakonda dating have been making rounds for quite some time now. Recently, the actress left for a vacation in the Maldives and she isn't alone.

Rashmika was spotted at the airport before she left for the Maldives on Friday. A few minutes before she arrived, Vijay was also spotted making his way inside the airport. This led to speculations if Rashmika and Vijay, who are rumoured to be dating for a while, were heading to the Maldives together.

Rashmika has been sharing updates on her Instagram and her fans are way more active than she could have even imagined. Recently, Rashmika shared a picture where she can be seen wearing Vijay's shades that he wore to the airport and fans cannot keep calm.

A fan took to Twitter to share Rashmika's poolside picture and revealed that she was wearing the same sunglasses that Vijay was sporting when he took off from Mumbai. Another one wrote, "Told ya sharing clothes, accessories, being seen at same airports these two are our Telugu Robsten.'"

Rashmika is wearing Vijays shades which He wore at the airport yesterday. That means ViRosh are in Maldives #Virosh #VijayDeverakonda #RashmikaMandanna pic.twitter.com/te9w67M0hH October 8, 2022

Earlier, Rashmika took to Instagram and shared a sun-kissed picture of herself wearing a floral maxi dress with cut-out details.

Rashmika Mandanna's link-up rumours with Vijay Deverakonda often grab the headlines. Earlier this year, a report claimed that they were planning to tie the knot soon. However, Vijay dismissed all the speculations.
New Delhi: The 12th Instalment of PM Kisan Yojana will soon be released by the Central government. It is expecting that farmers may get this one around Diwali. Under the scheme, an income support of Rs 6,000 per year in three equal instalments has been provided to all land-holding farmer families. The fund is directly tranferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

ALSO READ | Explained: Why Vegetable prices in Delhi-NCR region shoot up?

11 Instalments of PM Kisan Yojana have been released for the registered farmers so far. The recent instalment of Rs 2000 was directly transferred to over 10 crore accounts on May 30, 2022. While PM Modi distributed the 10th instalment in January 2022. Since the PM Kisan benefits are disbursed at a gap of around every four months, it is expected that the beneficiaries will soon receive the upcoming instalment.

ALSO READ | Petrol-Diesel Price today, October 9, 2022: Check today's petrol & diesel rate

It is a Central Sector scheme with 100% funding from the Government of India that had become operational from December 1, 2018.

If you are also waiting for the 12th instalment and want to check your name on the list, here's the step-by-step guide for you.

PM Kisan Yojana Beneficiary Status check: Steps

Step 1: Visit the official website of PM Kisan Yojana - https://pmkisan.gov.in.

Step 2: Find the option of 'Farmers Corner', available on the homepage.

Step 3: Within the Farmers Corner section, click on the Beneficiaries List option.

Step 4: Select State, District, Sub District, Block, and Village from the drop-down list.

Step 5: Click on 'Get Report'.

Step 6: The complete list of beneficiaries will appear, in which you can check your name.

It is worth noting that the government has made it mandatory for all beneficiaries to complete the eKYC. "eKYC is MANDATORY for PMKISAN Registered Farmers. OTP Based eKYC is available on PMKISAN Portal. or nearest CSC centres may be contacted for Biometric based eKYC," according to the official website of the scheme.

Note: For any query or assistance, beneficiaries can visit the official website. They can also contact PM-Kisan Helpline No: 011-24300606,155261.
MILAN  Aquazzura has partnered with Swarovski on a capsule collection as part of the celebrations to mark the luxury footwear brands 10th anniversary.

Aquazzura is launching a new shoe design, the feminine Aura sandal, elevated by a sculptured heel encrusted with Swarovski crystals.

More from WWD

Ive been using Swarovski crystals since the very beginning of Aquazzura and I fell in love with the idea of doing something really special together, said founder Edgardo Osorio. For the concept behind the shoes, I wanted this style to be all about the crystals and a womans legsa woman walking in crystals and nothing else.

Made by hand in Italy, each model is unique and features an ankle strap lit up by sparkling square-cut crystals. The heel is emphasized by embedded and faceted maxi crystals with an octagonal cut. These were developed exclusively by Swarovski Creators Lab for this limited edition.

The are five colors and material combinations in napa leather that are available in Very Peri; a metallic green hue; a bouganville fuchsia, and a transparent plexi version in shimmering silver or gold.

We developed special colorways and stones for this collaboration. My favorite one is the fuchsia crystal in the different shades, which is something that I havent seen before; I love how it changes color according to how the light hits it, said Osorio.

A look from the Aquazzura and Swarovski capsule.

The collection is available at Aquazzura stores and on the brands online platform as well as at selected Swarovski flagships and online at the Creators Lab platform.

Osorio over the last decade has succeeded in building a solid and independent business and has developed a loyal customer base that includes celebrities and royals, ranging from Kate Middleton to Nicole Kidman and Scarlett Johansson, to name a few.

The designer is busy extending the Aquazzura product offer. After presenting a home line during Milan Design Week in June, Osorio is introducing the Tequila clutch to mark the brands birthday, flanking the Tequila sandal. He also unveiled a full-fledged handbag collection to retailers in July that will be launched in the first quarter of next year.

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Aquazzura will launch a mens shoe collection in the first quarter of next year as well.

In June, Aquazzura unveiled a capsule collection with Mytheresa, inspired by the designers newfound love of diving.

Swarovski, based in Wattens, Austria, has been going through two years of radical transformation, and in July it named Alexis Nasard its new chief executive officer. A former Procter & Gamble executive, he the first CEO to come from outside the Swarovski family in the brands 127-year history.

Aquazzura for Swarovski Creators Lab

Click here to read the full article.
New Delhi: Investment in today's time calls for careful financial planning. Are you also wondering to know about the investment scheme? No doubt, you are in search of a scheme from which you can get safe, secure, and maximum return. Here's the right destination for your curiosity.

Here you are going to know details about a moneyback plan scheme of the post office. The name of the policy is Gram Sumangal which is also known as Anticipated Endowment Assurance Plan. It comes under RPLI i.e. Rural Postal Life Insurance category. The maximum sum assured for the Gram Sumangal scheme is Rs 10 lakh. (Also Read: Tips and Tricks: Follow THIS formula to get strong profit in Mutual Funds)

Under the scheme, the insured individual gets the benefit of money back as a survival benefit. When the insured individual dies, the nominee will get the benefit of the sum assured and the bonus.

Age limit

The minimum age limit is 19 years and the maximum is 40 years.

Policy term period

The policy term of this plan is 15 years and 20 years.

A benefit to the policyholder

If the policyholder pays a premium for 15 years, he gets 20-20 percent of the sum assured in the 6th, 9th, and 12th years. On maturity of the policy, 40 percent of the Sum Assured and the Total Bonus are available together.

How to avail the benefit of Money back

If an individual has opted for a policy term for 20 years, he will get 20-20 percent of the sum assured in the 8th, 12th, and 16th years. On completion of 20 years, 40 percent of the sum assured will be available along with the total bonus. The policy term and premium paying term are the same for this scheme.

At present, an annual bonus of Rs 45 per thousand sums assured is issued by India Post. Accordingly, the annual bonus on the sum assured of 1 lakh will be Rs 4500.

The policy term for 20 years

If you buy a policy at the age of 25 years. You buy a sum assured of 10 lakhs for yourself. If you keep the policy term for 15 years, the Net Monthly Premium will be Rs.6793. If the policy term is kept for 20 years then the monthly premium will be Rs 5121.

Maturity amount

The bonus amount for the premium term of 15 years will be Rs 6.75 lakhs. If the premium term is 20 years, the bonus amount will be Rs.9 lakh. Since the sum assured is Rs 10 lakh, the total benefit after 15 years will be Rs 16.75 lakh. After 20 years, the total maturity amount will be Rs 19 lakh.
Indian Railways Update: Setting out for train journey today? Then this news is for you. Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has decided to cancel a total of 190 trains today on October 9, due to multiple reasons including maintenance and operational concerns. 131 trains were fully cancelled, while 59 trains were partially cancelled. Additionally, it has decided to divert 10 trains and reschedule 4 trains due to various reasons varying from operational work on tracks to natural disasters. Furthermore, chances are multiple trains can be cancelled on October 10 as well, based on the information on the NTES website.

The cancellation and other changes in the trains' schedule will have an effect on passengers travelling from cities like, Pune, Bina, Satara, Bhatinda, Pathankot, Gorakhpur, New Delhi, Vadodara, Ratnagiri, Madgaon, Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur Central, Patna Jn., Banaras, Amritsar Jn., Ghaziabad, Palwal and many more.

Here's the full list of cancelled trains of IRCTC's cancelled trains on October 9:

Also read: Vande Bharat train suffers jammed wheel on Delhi-Varanasi route, passengers shifted to Shatabdi

Indian Railways tend to cancel train services every day due to various reasons, which includes work on trains, natural disasters and even derailment of trains. Full list can also be checked by going to the option of the exceptional train in the upper right corner on NTES website.

Indian Railways is the most preferred mode of transport as it is economical and make passengers reach their destination on time with utmost comfort. As per Railway officials, Indian Railways will initiate special train services for Diwali and Chhath Puja, like it did during Navratri and Durga Puja 2022, to manage the passenger rush and to provide travellers the comfort of travelling. Indian Railways has however, further increased the platform tickets at several stations of South India.
New Delhi: Web browser application is an essential tool to search web content on the Internet. We all use different web browsers depending on our likes and dislikes. However, if you are using Google Chrome browser for your searches, then its time to become more cautious and protective regarding your data and sensitive information. Google Chrome is considered as the most vulnerable browser available in the market, according to a new report published by Atlas VPN.

ALSO READ | Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro to be 15 - 20% costlier in India

The report said Google has become the most vulnerable with 303 vulnerabilities and a cumulative total of 3,159 vulnerabilities as of 2022. These figures were based on data from the VulDB vulnerabiltiy database from January 1, 2022 to October 5, 2022, according to the report.

ALSO READ | Explained: Why Vegetable prices in Delhi-NCR region shoot up?

The CVE programme tracks security flaws and vulnerabilities across the multiple platforms.

What is a Web browser?

Web browser is an application software that helps us to find content on the Internet effecively and conveniently. There are lots of web browser in the market such as Microsoft Edge, Opera, Apples Safari, Mozillas Firefox, etc. However, Google Chrome is used most widely used to do searches on the Internet.

What is found in the new report?

As per the report, Google Chrome is the only browser with new vulnerabilities in the five days of October. These are CVE-2022-3318, CVE-2022-3314, CVE-2022-3311, CVE-2022-3309, and CVE-2022-3307.

But these errors and issues on Chrome can be fixed if users update to Googles Chrome version 106.0.5249.61.

Mozills Firefox browser is in the second place in the list of vulnerable browser. The report said it had 117 vulnerabilities. In the first three quarters of 2022, Safari web browser had 26 vulnerabilities, and its number for cumulative vulnerabilities 1,139 since its release, the report said. As of May 2022, Safari reached over a billion users, and Apple has been working hard to make sure its browser is secure and safe to use.

Opera browser had found no vulnerabilities so far in 2022 and only 344 cumulative vulnerabilities.
New Delhi: The daily app quiz from Amazon is back in action. The quiz will be found in the Funzone section of the e-commerce app. The winner will get Rs 5000 Amazon Pay Balance. If you are interested to play the quiz, you can play it in the Funzone section of the app.

Questions type

Five questions, usually based on general knowledge and current events, make up Amazon's daily quiz.

How can you win?

For a contestant to be eligible for the quiz reward, they must properly answer each question. There are four options for each quiz question. Participants in the quiz are required to select one accurate response from these choices. Once all questions have been correctly answered, participants will enter a drawing to determine the quiz's winners.

Here are all five questions and its answer for October 9, 2022:

1. Who was named the Player of the Series in the recently concluded T20I series between England and Pakistan?

Answer: Harry Brook

2. The movie Hocus Pocus 2, stars which of these actresses famous for her role in a TV series?

Answer: Sarah- Jessica Parker

3. North Korea has recently fired a ballistic missile over which of these countries?

Answer: Japan

4. This is a cable-supported bridge between two mountain peaks at which tourist destination in Asia?

Answer: Langkawi

5. This is a famous tourist site in which country?

Answer:- Egypt

How to play the quiz?

- Open the Amazon app.

- Click on the search bar.

- Search Fun zone.

- Click on the Amazon daily quiz option available at the bottom of the fun zone.
New Delhi: Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has warned its users about hundreds of apps on Apple and Google`s app stores that were specifically designed to steal login credentials to the social network app.

According to The Verge, the company has said that over 400 malicious apps disguised as games, photo editors, and other utilities have been identified by them. Facebook is notifying users who "may have unknowingly self-compromised their accounts by downloading these apps and sharing their credentials."

As per Bloomberg, a million users were potentially affected. In its post, Meta said that the apps tricked people into downloading them with fake reviews and promises of useful functionality; both are common tactics for other scam apps trying to take your money rather than your login info.

However upon opening some of the apps, users were prompted to log in with Facebook before they could actually do anything and if they did, the developers were able to steal their credentials, reported The Verge.

Meta says that it reported the apps to Google and Apple and got them taken down, but it`s still not a great look that they made it onto the stores in the first place. Facebook`s report indicates that the issue is significantly worse on the Play Store as out of the 402 malicious apps on its list, 355 were for Android, and 47 were for iOS.

As per The Verge, interestingly, the Android ones spanned a wide range of genres, from games, VPNs, photo editors, and horoscope apps, every single one for iPhone was related to managing business pages or ads.
New Delhi: Bigg Boss makers began the 24*7 live footage only a few years ago when one hour of footage wasn't enough for the fans. But this was a double-edged sword for the channel as the loyalists of the show kept an eye on everything & would often call out for deleted scenes on the show that didn't make the cut.

We see one hour of edited footage but the fans are smart enough to catch everything they see live. In a series of tweets, we've learned that Bigg Boss had missed out on an important part when Ankit in a fit of rage soiled Shalin's bed.

Apparently as per the live footage, after getting offended by Shalin & Priyanka's war of words, Ankit, who has the reputation of being the latter's shadow on the show, went ahead & poured water on Shalin's bed.

It's funny because this could probably be the only time when Ankit did something actively inside the house other than following Priyanka around.

There is nothing the fans wouldn't notice as the show has some really hardcore fans.
New Delhi: The first week of 'Bigg Boss 16' comes to an end and much has happened already. Many groups have formed, many relationships have started budding and many have already gotten into rifts as well.

The Sunday episode started with Abdu and his cuteness. He asks Archana to make Pizza for him and she cutely denies it. Priyanka and Nimrat yet again get into a fight.

Tina can be seen badmouthing Sumbul to Shalin, the actor even agrees that he now needs space from Sumbul. Tina again quotes her as a kid, Shalin disagrees and says she is a very strong contestant. Tina then gives Shalin an idea to fool around with Sondarya or Nimrat to push Sumbul away. Shalin goes for it, flirts with Sondarya and gets a peck on his cheek in front of Sumbul.

Later, Tina tells Shalin about Gautam's feelings for Soundarya. She says that he is playing his game and doesn't have any genuine feelings for her. Shalin then feels bad but well for the kiss as he didn't know but, too late, Gautam is already pretty pissed.

Shalin says that he needs space from Sumbul and Tina adds fuel to the fire here which was well expected. Gautam is still very upset and Shalin tries to patch things up with him. While Shalin and Gautam talk, a mystery gets solved that the mastermind behind all this mess was Tina who is here playing 'mind games...' Gautam is pretty sure that Tina has feelings for Shalin and she is doing all this out of jealousy.

Meanwhile, Shalin requests Archana to make Chicken for him and she very bluntly rejects it. Not just that, she even makes fun of Shalin's health and this is where Sumbul being a sweet friend steps in taking the captain's permission and makes chicken for Shalin.

Abdu then explains the deep meaning of friendship, group to Sajid, Stan, Shiv and Gauri. Sajid then influences Abdu to not talk about their group to others.

The Shalin-Sondarya kiss saga takes an ugly turn and a big story opens up that Gautam likes Sondarya and she is quite interested too. While this discussion happens in their group, Abdu turns khabri and transfers all this masala to Sajid, Shiv and Stan.

A new segment gets introduced, 'Janta Ka Sawaal,' where fans slam, question and suggest their favourite contestant about their game. Shalin, Sumbul, Nimrat, Ankit, Abdu and Stan were the gharwalas who were questioned by the public today. Bigg Boss gives a task to Priyanka to make sure that Ankit speaks at least a 1000 words every day.

After the segment gets over, Priyanka and Ankit get into a massive fight and the actress breaks all her bonds with the 'Udariyaan' co-star. Priyanka cries her heart out in front of Ankit, well, no one saw that coming.

Finally, Shekhar Suman enters with his new segment 'Big Bulletin with Shekhar Suman.' The actor-host starts with a Shayari and takes a dig at most of the contestants in the house. He later calls Priyanka as his first guest and yet again, she and Nimrat get into a fight over the same stale topic.

Keep watching this space for more updates.
Tehran: Iran's security forces on Saturday intensified their crackdown over anti-government protests resulting in the death of two persons. In Sanandaj, security forces shot and killed a driver in his car, while in one of the schools in Saqqez, two teachers were injured, according to the Iranian human rights group Hengaw.

Another protester was shot in the abdomen by IRGC security forces and died, Hengaw said. "Students in the schools in Sanandaj and Saqqez started the protests. Then, government forces started an attack on one of the schools in Saqqez," Azhin Sheikhi, from Hengaw told CNN.

Iran`s security forces shot at protesters and used tear gas in the Kurdish cities of Sanandaj and Saqez in fresh protests as weeks of nationwide demonstrations gathered momentum.

Widespread strikes are taking place in Saqez, Diwandareh, Mahabad, and Sanandaj, said Hengaw.

The Norway-registered Hengaw human rights organization has been monitoring human rights violations in Iran`s Kurdish region, where the protests began three weeks ago, following the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurdish woman, while in the custody of the morality police. Saqez is also her hometown.

Meanwhile, protests also continued in other locations across the country on Saturday including Tehran, Karaj, Esfahan, Shiraz, Kerman, Mashhad, Tabriz and Rasht, reported CNN.

Speaking at Alzahra University, an all-girls institution in Tehran, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi commented on the latest riots across the country. "The enemy thought that they could follow their desires inside the university, unaware that our students and professors were awake and would not allow the enemy`s false dreams to come true," Raisi said according to a statement issued by his office.

Social media video showed protests at the same university with women chanting "Death to the oppressor, whether it be the Shah or the Supreme Leader." It was unclear if the protest took place while the president was at the university, reported CNN.

Video provided to US-funded Radio Farda also showed riot police beating up a young woman in Tehran.

Also Read: EU lawmaker cuts off her hair in support of hijab protests in Iran, says 'Enough of the mumbling'

Total death toll figures since protests kicked off vary from government, opposition groups, international rights organizations and local journalists.

An Iran-focused human rights group based in Norway, IranHR, tallied the number of deaths since the protests started across Iran at 154. Human Rights Watch said as of September 31, Iranian state-affiliated media placed the number of deaths at 60.
Students, staff and community members gathered in remembrance of slain professor Thomas Meixner at the University of Arizona campus on Oct. 7, 2022.

The University of Arizona held a candlelight vigil on Friday night in honor of Thomas Meixner, the department head of hydrology and atmospheric sciences who police say was shot and killed Wednesday by a former student.

People gathered on the lawn with faux votive candles. Tables were set out with writing instruments for people to write messages to Meixners family.

Tom was beloved because of his selfless devotion to his family, his community, his students and his colleagues, UA President Robert Robbins said as he stood on a staircase overlooking the crowd.

He spoke about Meixners life and how he grew up in Maryland playing in the streams and digging in the garden.

As an adult, his passion for water and the environment carried over to his research and teaching, Robbins said

Meixner earned a bachelor's degree in the history of science as well as soil and water conservation from the University of Maryland in 1992, Robbins said. Then he came to the University of Arizona, where he earned his doctoral degree in hydrology and water resources in 1999.

He left to become an assistant professor of environmental sciences at the University of California, Riverside, until 2004, before returning to UA as an assistant professor. He became department head in 2019, Robbins said.

At the vigil, Emmanuel Taylor, associate pastor at St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center, also gave words of comfort to family and friends.

Keep coming back day after day walking with one another offering that support. The world needs your goodness, Taylor said about grieving and coping with the loss.

Meixners brother-in-law, Colin Cotter, also spoke at the vigil about his kindness and brilliance. He also spoke about the outpouring of love and support Meixners family has received from the community.

Life is fragile, more so than I ever realized. Everything about these circumstances feels so wrong. I cant wrap my head and my heart around the reality of what has just transpired, but love and compassion and togetherness and community is the key to get through it, he said.

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Meixner was shot at 2 p.m. Wednesday in his office in the Harshbarger Building by a former student who was expelled from the university, police say.

Meixner was pronounced dead after being taken to Banner University Medical System.

In a statement released Thursday evening, Robbins expressed concern and care for the UA community and extended condolences to Meixner's loved ones.

"Our hearts break for his family, students, colleagues, and our entire campus community," Robbins said. "He set a wonderful example for all of us on how to be a true servant leader in life, and he will not be forgotten."

The suspect, Murad Dervish, 46, was captured by police just after 5 p.m. Wednesday after a brief car chase and was charged on suspicion of first-degree murder and aggravated assault.

According to an interim complaint filed with the Pima County Justice Court on Friday, Dervish was expelled from the university in February and barred from the property. Police said he had harassed and threatened staff members multiple times before.

Reach breaking news reporter Camila Pedrosa at cpedrosa@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: UA community gathers in remembrance of slain professor
FILE PHOTO: The logos of car manufacturers Nissan and Renault are pictured at a dealership Kyiv

(Reuters) -Nissan Motor Co Ltd is pressing partner Renault SA to cut its stake in the Japanese automaker and revamp their more than 20-year-old alliance, the Wall Street Journal said on Friday, citing people with knowledge of the talks.

French car firm Renault owns about 43% of Nissan, while the Japanese firm owns 15% of its top shareholder, but without voting rights.

In June, Nissan revealed for the first time some details of its alliance pact with top shareholder Renault that keep the latter from unilaterally increasing its stake beyond 44.4%.

Their talks cover the question of whether Nissan will join Renault's new unit being set up to house its electric vehicle (EV) assets in exchange for its French ally winding down the Nissan stake, the paper said.

Nissan's Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta was among the firm's executives who visited France last month and discussed whether the Japanese car maker would invest in Renault's new EV business, the paper added.

Renault is pushing ahead with plans to split its EV and combustion engine businesses in a bid to catch up with rivals such as Tesla and Volkswagen in the race to cleaner driving.

It expects to unveil a detailed blueprint for the new EV entity this autumn.

Renault declined to comment on the report, while Nissan did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment outside normal working hours.

(Reporting by Rhea Binoy in Bengaluru; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
The man accused of kidnapping a family of four in broad daylight is formally charged with murder.

Jesus Manuel Salgado, 48, was booked into the Merced County Jail and charged with four counts of murder and four counts of kidnapping on Thursday evening, according to the Merced County Sheriffs Office. Investigators believe Salgado was behind the quadruple murder of three adults and an 8-month-old child whose bodies were found in a rural California orchard days after their abduction.

The victims were identified as married couple Jasleen Kaur, 27, and Jasdeep Singh, 36; their infant daughter, Aroohi Dheri; and Singhs brother, Amandeep Singh, 39.

Our detectives, alongside investigators from assisting agencies, will continue to follow up on any leads of additional people who may have been involved in this horrific incident, the sheriffs office stated in their release.

RELATED: Kidnapped Family Of Four Found Dead In Rural California Almond Orchard

Salgado was officially charged with four counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances, as well as arson and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, by the Merced County District Attorney on Monday. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, the office said. "District Attorney Kimberly Lewis will not be making a decision regarding the death penalty in 2022," the statement continued. "The People are preserving their right to pursue the death penalty in the future."

On Wednesday evening, a local farmer came upon the four bodies, which were relatively close together in the Dos Palos area, about 30 miles south of where they were kidnapped Monday morning.

A cause of death has yet to be determined, though the victims were discovered among the rows of an almond orchard.

Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said the infant had no visible trauma and told the Associated Press he believed the relatives were killed within one hour of their kidnapping.

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Theres some things youll take to the grave, Warnke stated. This, to me, was pure evil.

The kidnapping victims

Jasdeep Singh, Jasleen Kaur, Aroohi Dheri and Amandeep Singh Photo: Merced County Sheriff's Office

The frantic search for Kaur, Dheri and the Singh brothers began Monday morning after a masked man approached Jasdeep Singh in front of his trucking business on the 800 block of Highway 59 in Merced shortly after 9:00 a.m. Closed-circuit TV captured the man producing a gun before moving Jasdeep into the building, returning 12 minutes later with both Singh brothers, whose hands were zip-tied behind their backs.

The suspect is seen forcing the men into the backseat of Amandeeps Dodge Ram pick-up truck before driving out of frame and returning just minutes later.

Upon the suspects return, the gunman again entered the dwelling, returning with Jasleen and her infant daughter, with whom he drove away in Amandeeps vehicle.

The pick-up truck was found burning on the side of a Winton road  about 10 miles northwest of where the victims were kidnapped  at 11:39 a.m. that morning.

At the time of the kidnapping, family members spoke to reporters, begging for the safe return of their loved ones, according to the Fresno Bee.

This is a peace-loving family and running a small business in the Merced area, said family member Balwinder Saini. "We have been living in this area for a long time. We are devastated, we are shocked, we are dying every moment.

As searches continued, authorities announced Jesus Salgado as a person of interest in the kidnapping, releasing a photo of a person  later determined not to be Salgado  at an ATM.

Merced County Sheriffs Office Public Information Officer Alexandra Britton told Oxygen.com that the bank sent a photo with the correct timestamp but mistakenly sent a picture from a different bank location.

Salgado is not a suspect as far as using the (victims) card, Britton stated.

A still from Peacock's A Friend of the Family

Britton confirmed there was a transaction made with the victims card, though it was unclear who was behind it.

The ATM card was used, she said. However, to my knowledge, Salgado was not associated with the transaction.

The sheriffs office could not confirm whether or not they were looking for a possible second suspect related to the ATM card.

According to Britton, investigators narrowed in on Salgado after he allegedly told relatives that he was involved in this incident.

After his family members told him they were going to call law enforcement, Salgado attempted to take his own life, Britton told Oxygen.com.

A police handout of Jesus Salgado

Jesus Salgado Photo: Merced County Sheriff's Office

Merced County officials previously listed Salgado in critical condition following the attempted suicide. However, Sheriff Warnke later reported that Salgado provided information to authorities while receiving medical treatment for his injuries.

A possible motive behind the slayings has yet to be determined. According to the Associated Press, Warnke indicated there was a feud between the suspect and the victims that got pretty nasty in text messages and e-mails.

Warnke previously nodded to the suspects criminal history, saying, everything is on the table, according to the Fresno Bee.

Salgado was convicted in 2005 for robbing a residential dwelling with a gun and intimidating a witness, for which he served time in state prison before his June 2015 release. Per the Associated Press, Salgado also has a drug-related conviction under his belt.

Oxy App

The quadruple murder continues to pull on the heartstrings of not only those in the community but people around the world.

Right now, Ive got hundreds of people in a community that are grieving the loss of two families, and this is worldwide - these families are across different continents, Warnke told the outlet. Weve got to show them that we can give them justice.

Addressing reporters shortly after the victims bodies were discovered, Warnke stated he hoped the district attorneys office files for the death penalty.

Family members said the victims were members of the Punjabi Sikh community, a group in central California with a strong presence in the regions trucking industry. The Associated Press cited public records stating the family had just opened "Unison Trucking" weeks before the murders.

Its such a heartbreaking case. We had all hoped for the best, and this outcome is the worst-case scenario, Britton told Oxygen.com. We all feel for the family. No one should ever have to go through that.

Court and legal information regarding Jesus Selgado were not available. The district attorneys office did not immediately respond to requests by Oxygen.com.
The source of a contaminant in the Roanoke River and Spring Hollow reservoir, which if left unchecked could remain there in perpetuity, remains a mystery.

Officials with the Western Virginia Water Authority, which operates the public water supply, and the state Department of Environmental Quality said last week that they are continuing to search for the source of GenX, a so-called forever chemical that has been detected in river and reservoir water.

Emails between the two agencies show that one potential trail led them from the Roanoke County reservoir upstream, all the way to the Blacksburg Industrial Park.

In an Aug. 31 email to DEQ, water authority executive director Michael McEvoy asked for a list of industries that have state permits to discharge treated waste into Cedar Run, a tributary of the North Fork of the Roanoke River.

He received a spreadsheet, which was included in a series of emails obtained through an open records request from The Roanoke Times, that shows four tenants of the industrial park, which is located in the headwaters of Cedar Run.

Armed with the list, Scott Shirley, the water authoritys chief operating officer for water quality, visited the park to gain a better perspective of the manufacturers present, he wrote in a Sept. 2 email.

The email states that Shirley saw several chemical tanks at Wolverine Advanced Materials, an automotive parts manufacturer, that indicated the use of Fluoroelastomer rubber coating and lining materials.

Shirley also viewed a groundwater extraction system at Federal-Mogul Powertrain, which makes engine and replacement bearings for commercial and light vehicles. Research indicated that the process at the plant includes the use of elastomer materials, he wrote.

While noting that additional investigation was needed, Shirley wrote at the time that manufacturing of a fluoroelastomer should be a high priority site for further follow-up.

The email stated that the water authority had identified a point on Cedar Run downstream from the industrial park for testing. Since then, a Sept. 12 test of the water showed no detectable traces of GenX. But the compounds presence is believed to be intermittent, and additional testing is planned.

The water authoritys interest in Federal-Mogul and Wolverine was intended to narrow potential areas for investigation, according to Sarah Baumgardner, a spokesperson for the water authority.

Subsequent research has indicated that these operations are not likely to generate HFPO-DA [hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid, which is commonly referred to by the trade name of GenX], but ongoing sampling will assist in confirming these findings, Baumgardner wrote in an email Friday.

Later in the day, she wrote in a follow-up email that the companies in the industrial park have been eliminated from the Water Authoritys businesses of interest in our investigation.

GenX is used in the manufacture of fluoropolymers, a non-stick coating that is resistant to weather, temperatures and other chemicals. It is common in the automotive industry and in the manufacture of semiconductor chips.

A spokesman for Tennaco, the corporate owner of Federal-Mogul, said the company has not been contacted by DEQ or any other state or local agency concerning GenX. Efforts to reach Wolverine were unsuccessful.

DEQ currently has no information that implicates any of the tenants of the industrial park that have state-issued permits to discharge into Cedar Run, spokesman Aaron Proctor said.

The environmental agency has not contacted or visited any of the companies, though we are still actively working to find the source of the pollutant within the watershed of Spring Hollow, he wrote in an email last week.

Mark Barker, an executive assistant with the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League who has closely followed the GenX issue, questioned why DEQ is not using its authority to inspect permitted facilities.

If they are not going on site at suspected facilities  and there cant be that many that can feed into the Roanoke River before Spring Hollow  then why arent they? Barker asked.

This should be treated as a health emergency. The source needs to be found ASAP and stopped ASAP.

Forever chemicals are everywhere

At first glance, the numbers may not seem alarming.

Forever chemicals like GenX  which have an ab ility to repel both oil and water, making them attractive for a wide variety of uses in industry and the manufacture of consumer products  are measured in tiny amounts, usually parts per trillion.

In June, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a health advisory for GenX in drinking water, warning that long-term consumption of water with more than 10 parts per trillion could cause health problems for some people that include complications in the liver, kidney and immune system.

Tests of the water at Spring Hollow have shown levels as high as 62 parts per trillion in January 2020, although concentrations have been going down since then. At times, no GenX has been detected at all.

A more recent test of the Roanoke River, just upstream of where water is pumped into Spring Hollow, found 139 parts per trillion.

One part per trillion, if expressed as a unit in time, would be approximately one second in 32,000 years, according to the water authority. The EPAs health advisory was based on a 70-year lifetime of drinking two liters of water per day.

While that may appear to pose only a minimal risk, its important to remember that forever chemicals are likely to be in far more products than the water we drink, according to Kang Xia, an environmental chemistry professor at Virginia Techs School of Plant and Environmental Sciences.

There are more than 6,000 different types of forever chemicals, which is the more commonly used name for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. They are named forever because their chemical composition does not easily break down, meaning they can remain in the soil, water and air for generations.

The man-made compounds are used to manufacture consumer products that need to resist heat, oils, stains, grease and water. That includes nonstick cook wear, waterproof clothing, fast food containers, upholstery, carpets, cosmetics and dental floss.

Were using so much PFAS in every aspect of our lives, Xia said.

As an example, she pointed to research that shows that someone who applies lipstick containing a PFAS three times a day could potentially be facing a higher exposure than what is found in drinking water.

Many forever chemicals have been in use for decades, going as far back as the 1940s. But concerns about them have grown in recent years, as analytical instruments for testing and laboratories to process results have advanced to the point of being able to measure more minuscule amounts.

If you dont see it, you dont know that its there, Xia said. And if you dont know its there, you dont know if there is a problem.

Even the metal parts of the analytical instruments used to test for PFAS may be coated with substances that contain PFAS compounds, which could complicate the tests due to cross-contamination.

Testing for PFAS is very, very tricky, because PFAS are everywhere, Xia said. Its very easy to have false positive tests because of that kind of cross-contamination from other sources.

Searching for the source

Although the water authority has known since 2020 that GenX was in Spring Hollow, the EPAs health advisory issued in June marked the first time that levels were above what is recommended for human consumption.

Since then, the authority has increased sampling of both the reservoir and the river, and stepped up its efforts to find the source.

As the compound comes from a very specific manufacturing process, the authority has been collecting samples and doing research to refine our search and narrow the universe of potential sources, Baumgardner wrote in an email.

Early on, the Mountain Valley Pipeline was considered and later ruled out. The unfinished pipeline, which will cross the Roanoke River upstream of Spring Hollow, is covered with an epoxy coating meant to safeguard the metal pipe from corrosion. Pipeline opponents have expressed concerns that the coating could degenerate and leach into groundwater, raising health concerns.

But no connection was found between the coating and GenX, Baumgardner said.

Another possible source that was checked out and crossed off the list was the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, and in particular an open burning ground where hazardous waste from the making of propellants is incinerated.

One theory was that toxins from that process could have been carried by wind to Spring Hollow before settling in the water. That was considered a remote possibility, and became even more so after air testing found low levels of GenX.

We will continue to monitor atmospheric deposition; however, this pathway does not appear to be a significant contributing source, an Oct. 4 update posted to the authoritys website stated.

A spokesperson for the arsenal said GenX is not in the waste that goes to the open burning ground.

Although some forever chemicals can be spread by other means  such as runoff from treated sludge used on farmlands as fertilizer, or from groundwater contaminated by a fire-fighting foam used in airplane crashes  an industry is still considered the most likely source for a chemical like GenX.

In July, the water authority began taking more samples, testing the river and reservoir weekly. Tests of treated water show a steady decline, from 34.4 parts per trillion in early July to more recent detections of 3.8 and 1 part per trillion, well below the EPAs heath advisory for more than 10 parts per trillion.

The authority has stopped drawing water from the Roanoke River to fill Spring Hollow, which previously served about a third of its 69,000-some customers in the Roanoke Valley.

More water from Carvins Cove, which tested negative for forever chemicals, is being used. Water treated by a carbon filtering system at Spring Hollow, which has been largely successful in reducing GenX levels, currently makes up about 15% of the water distribution, Baumgardner said.

But the treatment is considered rudimentary, and the authority is planning a $2.5 million upgrade to the system.

Assuming a source for the contamination is found, an enforcement action from DEQ may not be possible. Currently, forever chemicals are not regulated in Virginia or at the federal level.

But as the authority stated on its website, knowing the source of this compound and removing its discharge into the river will protect our customers and everyone in the Roanoke River watershed.

Extent of contamination unknown

In 2020, the General Assembly passed a law requiring the state Health Department to convene a work group to study forever chemicals and the possible development of guidelines to limit their use.

As part of a statewide review, testing of water was carried out at 43 public waterworks last year. Of a total of 63 samples taken, forever chemicals were found at 15 locations.

The highest concentration of about 10 compounds that were the focus of the testing was 57 parts per trillion of GenX at Spring Hollow.

No forever chemicals were found in the water of the New River Valley Regional Water Authority, which draws an average of 7.4 million gallons a day from the New River to serve customers in Montgomery County, the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg, and Virginia Tech.

Water systems in the cities of Radford and Salem and Pulaski County also tested negative.

Another round of testing is being done this year. The work group will then consider new rules that would draw a line in terms of how much forever chemicals are allowed.

A report from the workgroup last year noted that nearly 1,000 public water systems, many of them serving less than 3,000 customers, remain untested. Also unknown is the level of pollution in private wells, which the Health Department does not test.

As the report stated, the extent and level of PFAS contamination in drinking water  is still largely unknown.
The states chief downtown revitalization agency has recognized Lebanons first Pride event among the best Main Street-backed programs in 2021.

Family Pride Day drew about 300 participants and 20 vendors to a park in June and offered a space where people with LGBTQ+ identities and allies could share stories about their experiences and celebrate diversity.

Oregon Main Street honored volunteers efforts to creating an environment that is welcoming and inviting to all during a recent annual award dinner, according to a news release.

It reinforces what many are trying to accomplish with Main Street. Thats: You are welcome. You are included, said Cassie Cruze, manager at Lebanon Downtown Association.

Oregon Main Street provides grant funding and networking and templates for policy and plans to bring businesses back to aging downtown sectors that declined in the 1990s and early 2000s.

The event came after two years of isolation in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Cruze said volunteers envisioned a celebration that reached people especially hard hit by social distancing, lockdowns and filter face masks.

For people within the LGBTQ+ community, isolation can be even within your own home, Cruze said.

A group from the downtown association appeared before the Lebanon City Council in April, asking mayor Paul Aziz to proclaim June as Pride Month ahead of the event in a city that saw dozens of proclamations each year.

Pride Month has been celebrated nationwide for more than 50 years to commemorate the Stonewall uprising of 1969 in New York.

Cruze said downtown associations are questioning how to encourage inclusivity and diversity. Expanding local economies increasingly includes figuring out who isnt at the table in planning meetings, Cruze said.

Thats the moment to be inclusive, to make sure voices are being heard, she said.

Main Street managers apparently agree. Albany and Lebanon together took one-third of the 12 awards.

Albany and Lebanon have strong main street programs. We represent dynamic business owners who want to make a difference in their communities, said Lise Grato, executive director at Albany Downtown Association.

Oregon Main Street recognized Oscar and Tamalynne Hult at the annual dinner and conference for renovating the 110-year-old building where they own The Natty Dresser, a menswear shop and haberdashery in historic downtown Albany.

The time and effort theyve put into bringing it back to its former glory is incredible, Grato said.

Their renovation of the former Young & Son Department Store building transformed and preserved the corner at Broadalbin Street and Second Avenue, according to a news release.

Hannah Darling won volunteer of the year award for more than five years of work with the Albany Downtown Association. She helped with an association effort to hang flower baskets, then joined the organizations board of directors.

Darling is the organizations president for its 2021-2022 year.

Main Street also recognized the volunteer efforts of Peggy Udolf, owner of longtime association member business and women's clothier Emma Downtown. Udolf also served on the downtown association board.

Related stories:
By Trend

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has addressed the nation.

Trend presents the nationwide address of the head of state.

Nationwide address of President Ilham Aliyev:

- Dear fellow compatriots.

Today, the victorious Azerbaijani Army liberated several settlements. I heartily congratulate all the people of Azerbaijan on this occasion.

I would like to bring to your attention the names of the liberated settlements: Hadrut settlement, Chayli village, Yukhari Guzlak village, Gorazilli village, Gishlag village, Garajalli village, Afandilar village, Suleymanli village, Sur village.

The liberation of these villages and the settlement of Hadrut is our historic victory. Azerbaijan is liberating the occupied territories. Good news comes from the frontline almost every day. Every day, our soldiers and officers perform their combat missions with dignity. At the same time, they are capturing more and more commanding positions. They are taking over strategic heights. Thus, the operational plan is being fully implemented. The operational plan is based on modern combat principles. Today, the Azerbaijani Army has a complete advantage on the battlefield  both in terms of logistics and combat readiness.

Many pieces of the enemys military equipment have been destroyed and seized in today's battles. I can say that the Armenian army has suffered a major blow since 27 September. I would simply like to bring to your attention the list of Armenias destroyed and seized military equipment and hardware  16 command posts, 196 tanks, 38 BM-21, one "Hurricane", 10 self-propelled artillery units, including eight "Acacia", two "Qvozdika", 36 infantry fighting vehicles, 24 artillery batteries, 2 RM or air defense installations, two launch facilities of the "S-300" complex, 25 OSA anti-aircraft missile systems, two "Cube" anti-aircraft missile systems, four "Repellent" radio-technical barrier installation, 136 cannons, 56 mortars, one TOS-1A flame thrower, two radar stations, one "Kalchuga" antenna. In addition, 18 tanks, four artillery pieces, 22 infantry fighting vehicles, 12 mortars, four UAZ trucks, one excavators, 27 "Igla" complexes, one ZIL truck and nine GAZ trucks have been seized.

I should also say that not a single piece of military equipment belonging to the Azerbaijani Armed Forces is in the hands of the enemy. The enemy tells tales and lies to his people. They falsify facts, want to deceive their own people, want to deceive the international community saying that they are allegedly attacking us, that they have taken back some of our positions. This is a lie. There is an objective observation of the battles, and any military expert can see that the Azerbaijani Army today has beaten Armenia on the battlefield. The Azerbaijani Army is showing its superiority. Azerbaijani soldiers and officers are showing high moral and psychological qualities, showing high spirits. Because we are fighting on our own land, we are liberating our own lands. Armenian soldiers are occupiers. The land where the battles are going on is not theirs. They are abandoning their positions and running away. However, several layers of a deeply echeloned defense system were established along the line of contact over the past 30 years. Engineering and fortification facilities were built. It is very difficult to break them, to cross them. In some cases, we needed a few days to break through some fortifications. At the same time, we are doing everything to minimize losses. Therefore, in some cases, we strengthened our positions in various directions and then prepared for a new operation so that there is a maximum result and minimum loss.

Today, the Azerbaijani flag flies in the liberated lands. Today, Azerbaijani soldiers are guarding the trenches dug by Armenians in our occupied lands  we are in their trenches, not them in ours, we are in their posts, we are in their tanks. We are now using the military equipment taken as booty  18 tanks. Their tanks are now fighting them on the battlefield. This is the advantage of the Azerbaijani Army, this is our advantage. Today, we show in open media, on the Internet how accurately and precisely the enemy's equipment is being destroyed.

The enemy is in panic, the enemy is hysterical. The leadership of the enemy country is completely at a loss. He regularly calls different countries, heads of state and government of different countries, repeatedly asks for help, begs for help, implores several times a day. He is at their feet. He humiliates himself  come and rescue us. The only way to save them is to leave our lands. We have said this many times  leave our lands of your own accord. Implement UN Security Council resolutions or you will regret it. Do you think that Azerbaijan will put up with this situation? It will not! I have said this many times. Did you think that the Azerbaijani people would put up with these insults? They wont! I have said this many times. But if you sit on our lands, poison our sacred land and then put forward claims against us  look at this impudence! We put them in their place. We showed them where they belong. We are chasing them so badly that they will never forget this sprint.

Today, battles are taking place along the entire frontline. Azerbaijan is strengthening its positions in all directions and we are forcing the aggressor to make peace. This is the main purpose of this operation. We have shown them that we are winning on the battlefield, internationally and politically. They saw our strength and they saw our determination. They saw that no force in the world can turn us away from the right path. No country in the world can influence our determination. Whoever else you beg, whoever else you kneel before, whoever else you implore  no-one can influence us! We are on the right path, we are winning, we are getting the upper hand and we will take back our lands! We will restore our territorial integrity!

But we are giving the occupier probably the last chance to leave our lands. Get out, make a commitment, go back to the negotiations, go back to the format of the negotiations. What does the prime minister of Armenia think of himself? Is it possible to talk to us in this way? Now he knows his place. By saying that "Karabakh is Armenia" Karabakh will never become Armenia. Let's see whether he can say that "Karabakh is Armenia" now. He can't even speak now.

Their foreign minister has had to go to Moscow for talks now. Let him say "Karabakh is Armenia" there. If he says such a thing, there can be no talks. I said that no-one can force us. He said we should negotiate with the bandit leader of the criminal "Nagorno-Karabakh republic". We can never agree to this and this will never happen. Therefore, the events that took place in the political sphere yesterday and the day before yesterday show that the Armenian leadership has finally begun to realize, after receiving a major blow to the head, that it will only do what we tell them to do. Whatever we say will happen. We are giving him a chance to leave our land through negotiations and peace. We will return to these lands anyway. We will restore our territorial integrity. The whole world saw that, including Armenia. We dont want bloodshed. We dont want martyrs. We want our lands back. Get out of our land! Go and live in your own country. We will get our lands back! Therefore, they should not miss this historic opportunity.

I think that today's meeting in Moscow will clarify many things. They must accept the basic principles. However, Pashinyan said he did not accept them. He said that he would not give back an inch of land to Azerbaijan. What happened?! Why cant you hold on to these lands? Why cant you? What happened? Why did you run away? Now you are kneeling before others, humiliating yourself and humiliating your people. You have brought your country to level zero. He said he would not give back these lands. Who is even going to ask you whether you will give it back or not?! We came and took it, and that is all. We will take as much as we need, if we want, we will take more. As we could have done in July. I have talked about that. In July, we could easily move into the territory of Armenia and occupy lands. No-one could have stopped us. These battles are proving that. We didn't do that. I didn't! However, our army was ready for that. I did not let them because there is a political will. We act within the law. We dont set our sights on the lands of other countries but we will not give our land to anyone either. So what happened, Pashinyan? You said that the Nagorno-Karabakh republic" covers all the occupied territories. So come and defend them now. Why are you running to Moscow? Why do you keep calling and annoying world leaders? Who did you not call? Who did you not annoy? I would advise him to call shamans. Let them help him. Or call a chief of a tribe living on a remote island and he will save his life. As they say, he has become a joke character. Open up and scroll through social networks. People are making fun of you and circulating jokes. There has never been anyone in the world who would humiliate his country so much. Why? Because he cannot come and sit on someone else's land and keep it.

That is why I turn to the people of Azerbaijan and say that we will take our lands back. I remember the leader of the gang illegally living in Nagorno-Karabakh and soon to be thrown out of there conducting a "swearing-in" ceremony in Shusha. At that time, this reverberated a lot in Azerbaijani society. It had a major impact. We took it as an insult  all of us without exception. I remember also receiving calls that we should not allow this to happen, that we should bomb and destroy it. Of course, I could not go for that. Because our war is not against civilians. Unlike Armenia, we do not fire on civilians. But we have not forgotten that. Now let him go and look at the building where he was sworn in. See what state it is in now.

We know what to do and when. Therefore, our successful operation today has led to great results. I know what to do, how and when. The Azerbaijani people believe in me. Relying on this trust, I also take all necessary measures, run our country with confidence in all areas, including army building.

I want to touch upon another issue. The people of Azerbaijan have repeatedly heard from mediators and leaders of some international organizations that there is no military solution to this conflict. I said that I do not agree with this thesis, and I was right. I was! Negotiations have been going on for about 30 years. Has the issue moved off the ground? Has a centimeter of land been given to us through negotiations? Did they force the aggressor to leave our land and implement the UN Security Council resolutions? No! How is this problem being resolved now? Isn't this a military way? This issue is being resolved by military means. Military and then political. If this operation had not taken place, if we had not inflicted the necessary blows on the aggressor, if we had not taught them a lesson, would they have fled to Moscow to negotiate?! He would be satisfied and keep saying that we will not give back the land. We have forced them. We have brought them to such a state that they are looking for a place to hide but cannot find it. They are sitting tight-lipped like mice, keeping silence. So where is your persistence? Where is your arrogance? Where is your "heroism"? You said that "Karabakh is Armenia". Karabakh is Azerbaijan. Everyone should know this, including those in charge of Armenia today. I tell them again that if they commit fraud again after the Moscow talks, they will regret it. We will take back our lands  peacefully or through war. There is no question about that! We want to organize it peacefully, we want to do it peacefully. We give Armenia one last chance, one last chance! They shouldnt rely on anyone. No-one will help them. Armenia is powerless before us. Armenia is on its knees before us. We have brought them to their knees for the souls of our martyrs. The blood of our martyrs did not remain unavenged. I have repeatedly said in meetings with representatives of the families of martyrs and parents of martyrs that we will take revenge. The blood of our martyrs will not remain on the ground. We do not want blood. We want our lands to be given back to us. Let them not delay this issue any longer. There is no such thing as status-quo. It is over. The status quo should be like this or like that. I have changed the status quo, I have changed it! There, on the battlefield. There is no status quo. There is no line of contact. We smashed it. They had been building this line of contact for 30 years. The terrain in that region is a natural fortification. We are going from the bottom up. In fact, they were building concrete fortifications there for 30 years. We broke through. No-one can do anything where there is an Azerbaijani soldier. We have destroyed that line of contact today. There is no line of contact. Now they are saying there will be a new line of contact. It will not happen! We will take back our lands. What line of contact can we talk about now? No, we have destroyed it, we have done that, we have shown determination, we have shown strength, we have relied on the will of our people and today we are winning. We are winning a historic victory! This victory is the brightest victory among the victories of the Azerbaijani people. These victories will be continued in the future. We will liberate our lands and restore our territorial integrity! We will drive the enemy away. I know that the people of Azerbaijan liked my words. We will drive them away to the very end. Our flag will be raised in all occupied territories and the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan will be restored. Long live the Azerbaijani Army! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!




Dave Rhoades is a titan of railroads who historians have never heard of.

Specifically, a titan on the railroads of the Albany O-Gaugers Train Club. Even more specifically, those model trains he towers over dressed as a conductor.

Rhoades slipped a watch into the pocket of a pressed blue vest and peered down the track Saturday, Oct. 8, at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library where a Lionel construction train was due any second.

Ive put this together out of my own head, he said.

Tracks laid down in three concentric circles clacked and chattered with locomotives 1/48-ish the size of the engines theyre modeled after.

Rhoades has dozens of cars and locomotives to pull them at home. But he chose just a couple of favorites to circle the clubs model town at its annual library expo.

The Lebanon man modeled a three-car passenger setup after the Santiam Excursion Trains line that runs about every week in the city where he lives.

The following train carried construction equipment and wood products on seven flatbed cars.

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By the fifth or sixth lap, it was clear the model trains are a reflection of Rhoades experiences.

Rhoades described a life of working with his hands  jobs in timber mills and construction. Now he crafts laminated cutting boards as a woodworking hobby.

Tiny wooden sheets emulating plywood bear his makers mark.

I grew up working in mills, so thats what I saw, Rhoades said.

Trains are part of his life now, too. He had photos of shelves full of plastic-and-metal scale railway equipment.

He said he first played with trains when he was 5. They were his brothers, he said.

Rhoades bought two toy trains in quick succession in late 2021 hoping to surprise his brother with the exact model theyd enjoyed as kids.

But in each case, Rhoades said, his brother said that wasnt the train.

Then I stopped asking him and I kept buying trains and now I have about 30, Rhoades said.

Rhoades checked his watch and found his hour was up. Another of the clubs 24 members would take his place.

Bill Maddy had switched a Great Northern train for a Northern Pacific passenger train. The train swept past a tiny diner, miniature cars, a grocery store and then out into the countryside.

Plastic passengers went past the same trees dozens of times.

Maddy said some who talk to him about model trains are into the hobby for the technicalities. Others at the event like building the tabletop sets where trains operate, or imagining themselves at the helm of a locomotive.

Some of us dont care about scale. Its about fun, Maddy said.

Richard Meneghelli said he joined the club a decade ago to socialize and to relax. He said he has just a few cars at home, a relatively small collection that helps him focus on something other than work.

Its a little mindless and its kind of fun, he said.

Meneghelli said the clubs model town is set up in a little more than two hours.

That leaves time to relax. Or excitedly swap childhood stories. Or opine on the role railroads carried in the countrys brutal 19th-century expansion westward.

Club secretary Wayne Gladwin was among those who feels nostalgia. Model trains were toys when he was a boy.

The computer wasnt there. The cell phone wasnt around, he said. Most of us grew up with trains.

Opposite Gladwin, on the other side of the clubs 15- by 30-foot table, two older men smiled. As did a younger dad.

A 2-year-old girl, Ember Fowler, watched with a wide-eyed expression. Mom Ericka Fowler said her family moved to Corvallis the week of Sept. 19 and immediately began looking for activities at the library.

If you have a toddler, this is a win, Ericka Fowler said.

Werner Mukatis, of Corvallis, chuckled thinking of his 6-year-old granddaughter. He makes videos of model trains to show the child.

She says, Poppy! Show me the trains! Show me the trains! Mukatis said.

Randy Stockberger, attending the train show with Mukatis, said he was smiling because he saw children having fun. He laughed when he saw a child place a package of cookies on some rails to be pushed around by a toy locomotive.

Its something an adult would never think of  and another adult would yell at them for it, Stockberger said.

Tyler Hamlett was thinking about a toy train set he said he left on the other side of the country with his parents when he moved to Corvallis for his wife Jessicas family studies courses at Oregon State University.

He watched with daughters Lily, 2, and Emmy, 4 months, as the trains circled.

Theres something kind of magical about this setup, he said.
The developer of an embattled Philomath housing subdivision is taking his former environmental consultant to court for allegedly failing to inform him about methane gas at the site.

Millpond Crossing, named for the 30-acre sites sawmill history with two large log ponds, starts at the corner of Chapel Drive and South 15th Street. Construction has been delayed there since methane gas was discovered. Decaying wood debris can generate methane gas.

Levi Miller of Pierce County, Washington and his company MPC Builders LLC bought the property in February 2018, finalizing the sale in September that year. In a $9.9 million lawsuit filed in Benton County in May, Miller claims Washington-based Aerotech Environmental Consulting Inc. didn't inform him about the potential risk of methane and other biogases.

In a response filed with the court, Aerotech denies Millers allegations and requests the case be dismissed. Specifically, Aerotech claims its contract with MPC Builders didnt require identifying landfill gas or recommendations for how to go about investigating methane and its remediation.

A 12-person jury trial has been scheduled to start Nov. 27, 2023 and is set run for three weeks in Benton County Circuit Court.

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Philomath official, community concerned

In September, Philomath City Council member Catherine Biscoe raised concerns about Millpond Crossing. She hoped to share a report on the topic at a council meeting but didnt get the chance.

Recent reports of possible groundwater contamination and hydrogen sulfide readings are clearly documented in a June report from PBS Engineering and Environmental Inc., the developer's new environmental consultant, Biscoe said.

Biscoes report includes concerns about procedural irregularities as well as issues of safety, health and financial protections for the homeowners in Millpond Crossing.

At the September meeting, City Attorney Jim Brewer suggested an executive session on the matter, saying litigation is likely to be filed and the citys role in that is not yet clear. He added that more than one closed session on the topic may be necessary.

Risks of building on a brownfield

Meanwhile, the state warned the project's first residents to forgo power tools, fire pits and barbecues  anything that could spark an explosion. No methane has been found in or under any homes, the developer previously has said.

Because the environmental consultant had identified some contaminants, although methane gas wasnt among them, Miller volunteered in October 2018 to clean up the site under a program the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality offers to elicit cooperation with property owners.

Then DEQ required Miller to look for methane specifically, and in June 2020 and April 2021 sampling at the property detected methane in shallow soil in several places. Methane is flammable and in confined spaces can cause explosions or displace oxygen.

In submitting to DEQ oversight, the developer acknowledged that he did his due diligence and was aware its housing complex would be built on a brownfield and abandoned former mill site, according to an email Miller's Portland-based attorney, Carson Bowler, sent to DEQ.

A DEQ document states the log ponds of the former mill site were filled with wood waste, construction debris and other hazardous substances in the 80s. A court document adds old oil filters, batteries, waste oils and plastics to the ponds contents.

Methane is not the only hazard to address. In May 2018, Aerotech found contaminants in the area of the filled log ponds, including diesel and oil. It also found such metals as arsenic, barium, chromium, cadmium, lead, mercury, selenium and silver.

Initially aware of only the metals and the petroleum contamination, Miller moved forward with his plans, entering the DEQs Voluntary Cleanup Program, the developer said in his lawsuit against Aerotech, which alleges negligence and breach of contract.

Adjustments and planning delays

Among the actions taken by the developer: Venting systems and methane alarms were installed in each home, according to DEQ, which also urged the developer to seal underground electrical conduits leading to enclosed spaces to alleviate concerns about methane buildup within utility infrastructure.

No homeowner has reported any alarms being triggered or issues with other installed mitigation measures, Bowler said in a Sept. 16 email.

Costly environmental mitigation measures and planning changes have put Millpond behind by around eight months, Bowler said in his email. He acknowledged that regular methane monitoring at the site hasnt happened since February, citing an impending state brownfield loan that is needed to pay for additional field work.

A major plan modification sought by Millpond would have allowed the developer to refinance the project and get additional capital through a new construction loan, had it happened in a timely fashion, Bowler said. Proceeding with new home construction would in turn cover more environmental work at the site.

Delayed funding significantly impacted work at the site, including contaminant testing and monitoring, according to Bowler, who said because of delays with DEQ, new home construction and funding, Millpond has had no source of revenue since February.

Bowler added that despite the challenges, the developer and its new environmental consultant have continued carrying out a long list of work at the site. But the consultant isnt in a position to front the money for subcontractor field work, including methane monitoring.

The current status of the project is not a result of Millponds recalcitrance, but rather a byproduct of not being able to secure funding, which is now in the final stages of being resolved, Bowler said via email.

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According to the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice 'Best of the Best' awards, one of the country's top 'hidden gem' restaurants is located in Colorado.
Fishing boats in the sea along the Son Tra Peninsula in Da Nang. Photo by Pham Phung

Police in the central city of Da Nang are probing the death of a South Korean woman found dead at a hotels swimming pool area last week.

Around 6:30 p.m. October 5, police officers in Son Tra District, where the hotel is located, received a report that a foreigner had died of unknown causes in the hotels swimming pool area, the citys Department of Tourism said in a press release on Saturday.

Initial investigations determined that the 38-year-old woman carried South Korean nationality.

City police said they were working with relevant agencies to clarify the cause of death.

The citys tourism department sent a letter of condolence to the woman's family and asked the hotel to support them with accommodation while making her funeral arrangements.

Vietnam reopened its borders to foreign tourists in mid-March.

In the first nine months this year, Vietnam received over 293,000 South Korean tourists, accounting for 16 percent of total foreign arrivals, according to the General Statistics Office.

Before the pandemic in 2019, Vietnam welcomed nearly 4.3 million South Korean tourists.
Party Chief Nguyen Phu Trong speaks at the closing of the sixth plenum of the 13th Central Committee of Vietnam's Communist Party in Hanoi, Oct. 9, 2022. Photo by Nhat Bac

The Party Politburo will make recommendations at its next plenary for the new ministers of Transport and Health as well as the State Auditor General to the National Assembly.

Addressing at the closing session of the sixth plenum of the 13th Central Committee of Vietnam's Communist Party Sunday, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said the Party Central Committee gave its opinions on the Politburo's report on personnel for the positions.

The Politburo will, in turn, make recommendations based on the committee's opinions to the National Assembly for consideration and approval at its next session that opens October 20.

On July 15, Dao Hong Lan, Party chief of the northern province of Bac Ninh, was appointed acting health minister after her predecessor was arrested for involvement in a Covid-19 test kit fraud in 2020.

On July 25, Ngo Van Tuan, Party Secretary of the northern province of Hoa Binh, was appointed Secretary of the Party delegation at the State Audit of Vietnam and Deputy Auditor General in charge of the State Audit of Vietnam.

Nguyen Van The currently serves as Minister of Transport, a position he has held since 2017.

The Party chief said this was the first time the Central Committee had decided to let high-ranking officials - former HCMC chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong, President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, Bui Nhat Quang and Secretary of the Party Committee of the Central Committee of Agencies Huynh Tan Viet to leave the Party Central Committee after they were accused of committing violations and shortcomings with "serious consequences."

The committee also decided to expel Pham Xuan Thang, Secretary of Hai Duongs Party Committee, and chairman of the provincial Peoples Council from the Party for wrongdoings that caused serious consequences including great losses to the state budget.

In addition to discussing personnel appointments, the session also focused on a number of socio-economic issues, the Party chief said.

In the first 9 months, Vietnams GDP growth crossed 8.8%; while state budget revenues increased 22%.

Total import-export turnover reached nearly $559 billion with exports of more than $282.5 billion, up 17.3% year-on-year. Vietnams recorded a trade surplus of nearly $7 billion during the period.

The Central Committee called for the whole system to step up vigilance and exert better control over the Covid-19 pandemic as well as other diseases.

During the session, the Central Committee also agreed on the need to roll out the national master plan for 2021-2023 with a vision towards 2050, considering this 'a very important political task.'

The Party chief said the planning work should focus on forming a national infrastructure framework, particularly in transport, urban areas, energy, digital transformation, environmental protection, irrigation, natural disaster prevention and control, and climate change response.

The planning will also aim to establish and develop economic corridors along the North-South axis and the East-West axis and connect seaports, international border gates, major trade hubs, urban hubs and economic centers.
Hand models can make several million Vietnamese dong an hour without having to worry about their appearance or spending time applying makeup like regular models.

At the end of her last photoshoot in September, which lasted 12 hours, Vong Dinh Y sat down to massage her tired hands.

"Two years ago, when I was working as a promotion girl, many people praised me for having beautiful hands and asked me why I didn't do hand modeling. I tried it once and fell in love with the profession," the 21-year-old native of central Binh Thuan Province said.

At the time, Dinh Y was an accounting student at a university in Ho Chi Minh City. At first, she thought this was just a side hustle and only worked part-time to earn some extra money. However, when she entered the profession and became passionate, she decided to make it her full-time career.

Vong Dinh Y during a photoshoot for a jewelry brand in September 2022. Photo courtesy of Y

Most of her contracts involve modeling for jewelry products, which requires precision movements as directed by the photographer.

"The most difficult thing is making your hands express different moods, suited to different jobs or contexts," she revealed.

For example, when shooting and filming with food, she needs to express hand motions that show she is someone who often goes to the kitchen and has great cooking skills.

Dinh Y reveals that her first ever hand model job was for a foreign nail brand. At the time, she took a photo of her hand, didn't need to edit it, and sent it to the recruiter for immediate approval. From her first job working for VND50,000 ($2.09) an hour, until now, Dinh Y's remuneration has jumped to about VND500,000-1 million per hour. For difficult projects, the rate can reach VND5 million per hour.

"Hand modeling is a recent development in Vietnam, especially in the fields of jewelry, cosmetics, nails," she said. Thanks to her efforts to build an image on social networks along with her experience in shooting in many locations, Dinh Y admits she has a very good income.

According to statistics from International Modeling Association, hand modeling generates a very high income. A professional model can earn $13,000 for two hours working for a famous brand.

Dinh Y strikes a pose with her hands during a photoshoot. Photo courtesy of Y

Dinh Y said a standard hand must be nearly perfect, that is, without any defects like scars, moles, wrinkles or tattoos. In addition, the skin of the hands should be smooth, without showing blue veins.

"The shape of the hands must be innately beautiful, but to have smooth and white skin, it must be taken care of," she said.

To prepare for a shoot, her usual routine is exfoliation, manicures, hand waxing, cleansing, and cream. When shooting, she always has to use sunscreen to protect the skin from the light of the flash.

"Many people think that modeling is a leisurely pursuit but the reality is the complete opposite," said Phan Thuy, 23, from HCMCs Binh Thanh District, who has been doing this job for more than three years.

There are times when she must work long hours, even two days in an air-conditioned room, having to apply many different cosmetics. In order to create a satisfactory and standard photo, the model has to hold the product up high for a long time, resulting in cramps and stiff tendons.

Since her hands are an important part of Thuy's work, she sometimes takes a few months off work to take care of the skin on her hands, which peels and wrinkles due to the weather.

Besides the hard work, Thuy thinks hand modeling is very interesting and fun.

"My body can show all kinds of weird poses, but no one notices," the girl from Gia Lai Province said.

Phan Thuy poses for a photo with a calabash. Photo courtesy of Thuy

Like many other professions, according to her, hand modeling is divided into many fields and has different requirements. Because it is about beauty, it is required that the model's hands be slim, long, white, smooth and have few defects. Nails are also quite important; customers often prefer solid nails with rectangular molds rather than raft or square ones.

"My hands still have moles and show a few veins. However, most customers who come to me prioritize the hand appearance first. Faults on the skin can be quickly fixed by using concealer," she said.

The biggest thing Thuy has gained after three years in the profession is a new experience.

"This is a profession that I enjoy doing. The important thing is that I get to interact with many brothers and sisters in the artistic field and also staff behind the scenes," Thuy confided.
A media center for the upcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will open on Oct. 12.

The media center will handle credentials and interview applications for foreign journalists and journalists from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, as well as Taiwan.

The center will also organize press conferences and arrange coverage of the congress for reporters.

The press reception service area of the media center is located in Hotel Nikko New Century Beijing.

A website (http://20th.cpcnews.cn) and social media accounts in WeChat, Weibo and Toutiao for the media center will open on Oct. 10 to provide information about the congress, press conferences, and press interviews. An area on the website will be dedicated to providing information services for registered reporters.

The telephone numbers of the reception office for domestic journalists are: (8610)68356200, 68356300. The fax numbers are: (8610)68356700, 68356800.

The telephone numbers of the reception office for journalists from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are: (8610)68350700, 68350800. The fax numbers are: (8610)68350900, 68351900.

The telephone numbers of the reception office for foreign journalists are: (8610)68350100, 68350200. The fax numbers are: (8610)68350400, 68350500.
By Trend

The Connect World" program of CNN International TV channel has broadcast an interview with President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

Trend presents the interview.

-Sir, I spoke to the President of Armenia, and he told me that this conflict is dramatically different from the previous clashes, because of the open support that Turkey is providing Azerbaijan. Specifically, he told me this. Turkey with its military officials, generals, mercenaries, terroristic jihadists brought in thousands to Azerbaijan to fight Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey with his military might pretending they are there in order to protect some international logistic structures. Are there any Turkish forces or Turkish equipment in Azerbaijan right now sir?

-Turkish equipment yes, Turkish forces no. And frankly speaking, I regret that Armenian president is using this opportunity to address the world through CNN to spread rumors. I cannot call it otherwise, because what he said as you presented to me I didnt see his presentation but what I heard from you is absolutely wrong. It is false information. Turkey is supporting us, but this is a political support. This is a diplomatic support, and if not for this support if not for very open position of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying that Azerbaijan is not alone, Turkey is with Azerbaijan, probably today Armenia would have achieved its goal, which is actually to spread the geography of this conflict and to involve as many countries as possible so these countries help them on the battlefield. And I would also like to remind Armenian president who was behind Armenia when Armenia in the beginning of 90s was occupying our territories We have enough evidences who was helping them to occupy our territories. Therefore, from Armenian side to say that somebody is helping Azerbaijan is absolutely wrong, is false information and we reject it.

-You have said that there is Turkish equipment in Azerbaijan. What Turkish equipment sir?

-Weapons, Turkish weapons, not only Turkish weapons, Russian weapons, Israeli weapons, Belarusian weapons, Ukrainian weapons, you name it. Because today the geography of our purchases of military equipment is getting broader and broader, and we pay for that. If you look how Armenia gets their weapons and from where, you will see that they could not afford to pay for those weapons which they have, because thats billions of dollars. For a poor country its impossible. They get weapons free of charge from their ally, we get weapons paying for them.

-Okay, let me put this to you sir. We have seen satellite imagery that would suggest Turkish F-16s are on at least one of your bases. You havent bought F-16s. So, is that correct? Are there F-16s on the ground that would suggest significant support for Azerbaijan?

-I agree with you when you say on the ground. F-16s came to Azerbaijan for military exercise. Last year Azerbaijan and Turkey had ten joint military exercises. Turkey is our ally and it is common here to have military exercises, including air force. By the way this year due to the pandemic we had only two military exercises. One of them was just before the Armenian attack on Azerbaijan happened. So F-16s are on the ground, they are not flying. They are not in any way participating in any kind of battle. And by the way

-You are categorical about that. That F-16s are not in use.

-I am categorical and even more I want to tell you about one Armenian fake in the first days of the clashes they said that Turkish F-16 shot down Armenian SU-25. This is fake and those who are accusing us of this now should apologize. Because everybody knows that this is a fake. F-16s are here, but they are on the ground as you correctly mentioned.

-OSCEs Minsk Group which has sought a solution to this long-standing dispute since the 1990s is co-chaired by France, by the US and by Russia. The French foreign minister has specifically warned that Turkeys backing of Azerbaijan risks fueling the internationalization of this conflict. You say you are supported by Turkey. But what do you say to the French when they say this support risks this conflict getting worse?

-I do not agree with that. As I said, Turkey plays a stabilizing role in the region and in particular in the situation with respect to Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Every country can afford to have a partner, and an ally. And Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani people are happy to have such a partner, such an ally and such a brother like Turkey. We do not object when Armenia considers France their ally and France is a country which at this moment supports most of all Armenia. At the same time we see that its up to countries themselves to choose allies. For instance, French foreign minister is not concerned about Russia supporting Armenia with weapons free of charge and he doesnt think that it is internationalization of the conflict. But when Turkey expresses legitimate, political support it becomes a concern and I, frankly speaking, cannot understand that how one NATO country can act in such a way against another NATO country? NATO members are supposed to be allies. But we dont see it.

-Can you explicitly lay out the goals of your campaign at present?

Our goal is to defend our people, to defend our country and to defend our right to live on our land. It was Armenia who on September 27th launched an artillery attack on Azerbaijani military position and on our villages and cities. During these days of clashes we have 31 victims among civilians, almost 200 wounded, and more than 1,000 houses demolished, or seriously damaged by Armenian army. We had to respond, had to defend ourselves. Our respond was very sensitive to Armenia, was very painful. They suffer very serious defeat, they run away from us, we liberate part of our territory, we install our national flag on the occupied territories, we restore our territorial integrity and we are right. We are fighting on our soil, Armenia is fighting on the soil of another country.

-How many military casualties have you sustained sir?

-With respect to military casualties I already referred to that, we will disclose this information after the active phase of the clashes is over.

Do you intend to retake all of Nagorno-Karabakh, all disputed lands?

-We are talking about Nagorno-Karabakh and seven districts which surround former Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous district. Because Armenia not only occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and expelled all Azerbaijanis who were about 25 percent of the population of autonomous district but also occupied seven districts of Azerbaijan with the population of 700,000 people. So, our main objective is to liberate those territories and to allow Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons to go back. As far as Nagorno-Karabakh is concerned we think and that was officially declared many times that after the war is over, after occupational forces are withdrawn, Armenians and Azerbaijanis in Nagorno-Karabakh will live side-by-side as in any other country with a multi-ethnic population, and one day, I am sure, they will again become good neighbors to each other.

-The Armenian president told me that your demand that Armenia set a time-table for withdrawing troops should be put to the "Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh" because your dispute is with them. He added though that in Nagorno-Karabakh 95 percent of the population were Armenians, because they are living there for thousands of years. You say that Karabakh is Azerbaijan. But how would you address the fears of ethnic-Armenians there?

-First of all

-Hold on sir, that they might be ethnically cleansed if the government of Azerbaijan retakes the territory.

-I understand, today in Azerbaijan thousands of Armenians live in different cities of our country primarily in the capital city of Baku. One of the Armenian long-range destructive missile, Smerch, which they use to attack our second largest city of Ganja hit the house of native Armenian woman. So, today in Azerbaijan there are thousands of Armenians who live in peace, and dignity. But in Armenia, all Azerbaijanis have been expelled. Armenias population is 99 percent Armenians. They committed ethnic cleansing against us. What Armenian president said, he is lying again. Today it is not 95 percent, today it is 100 percent Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, because 25 percent of Azerbaijanis who lived there were ethnically cleansed by the Armenian regime. I regret that such a person with such an important position is spreading lies. Look in the internet, look at Kurekchay Peace Agreement, which was signed in the beginning of the 19th century, between Azerbaijani khan of Karabakh and Russian general. Nothing is said about Armenian population. Armenian population was resettled to our land by Russian Empire in order to change the religious composition of the region after the Russo-Persian wars. This is a historical fact and what Armenian president says is fake, absolutely fake.

-I must point out that as you suggest that the Armenian president is spreading lies and fake information so he has said the same thing about Azerbaijan and yourself.

-Look at the internet, look at the documents and you will see who is telling the truth and who is lying.

-I have to make the point that each side is trading insults at this point. How would Azerbaijan accept international mediation and stop military action? What are your bottom lines here?

-We have international mediation for 28 years. OSCE Minsk Group is in "action", actually is passive form for 28 years since 1992 and this mediation led to nothing. This mediation led to what is happening today. This mediation was not enough in order to press Armenia to leave the territories which do not belong to them.

-Have you been in touch with Washington on this? I mean what is the Trump administration telling you? US, of course, is one of the co-chairs of the Minsk Group.

-We have very diverse relations with the United States, relations are developing very successfully in many areas. As far as Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is concerned, three countries of the Minsk Group co-chairs have the same right and the same responsibility to mediate and when representatives from these countries come, they come altogether, representatives of three countries. Therefore, there is no distinction in their performance. But of course we understand that some countries are more pro-Armenian some countries are even more pro-Armenian.

-So, can I just ask you who are you speaking to in Washington? Is it state or is it the Trump administration? The Armenian president certainly told us that they have spoken to Robert OBrien, for example.

-Well, Armenian prime minister I think the only person whom he did not speak during these days is a head of a tribe in some far away you know remote island. He called everyone. He called President Putin five times, he called President Macron, I dont know four times. He called Chancellor Merkel. The only one left is a tribal chief. I advice to call him and to complain on Azerbaijan and to send some people from his tribe to help poor poor Armenia whom Azerbaijan is destroying.

-So, that wasnt the question, the question was who are you speaking to in Washington is it the state or is it the Trump administration?

-We speak with administration, we speak to State Department. Actually, they contacted us. I gave instructions to our foreign ministry, to my administration to be in touch with all those who call us, who want to express their position and express their view on how to move forward. But it is actually doesnt make any difference whether it is State Department or White House because for us it is US Administration anyway.

-Whats the position as you understand it in Washington?

-The position in Washington is not different from the position of other co-chairs. They are supporting the principles based on which the solution must be found. It is Armenia who is against those principles. Those principles say that territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh should be returned to Azerbaijan in time and when you were referring to my statement time-table, that is exactly what is in the documents. It is not me who invented them. It is Armenia who is against.

-Lets have a look at Russias position then, because it is not clear to me what Washingtons position is from what we have just discussed. But lets have a look at Russias position. Let me play out some sound from the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. He said we remain deeply concerned by the situation in the region and we believe that the sides must stop the fire and come to the negotiating table. They are asking that you go to the negotiating table. The Russian president has described the fighting as a tragedy. You personally spoke to Vladimir Putin as I understand it on Wednesday. What did he tell you? What are Russias red lines here?

-I called President Putin in order to congratulate him on the occasion of his birthday on the 7th of October. I do it every year and so does he. So every year we congratulate each other on our birthdays. And that was a coincidence that his birthday is coincided with the events. Therefore, of course, we discussed this issue and our press service has issued a press-release about that, I think it will not be right for me to say something more than it was released in the press.

-I wish you would, I mean are you prepared to defy Moscows appeal? For peace talks?

-We are for peace talks. If you allow me, I will just give you two examples. Azerbaijan is a constructive partner to negotiation table. We think that the principles which have been elaborated by the United States, Russia and France should be basis for settlement. Armenian President rejects them, I am sorry, Armenian prime minister rejects them. Because the person who is in charge in Armenia is not a president, but prime minister, and with whom I had negotiations. So he said that "Karabakh is Armenia". That makes negotiations senseless. Because how you can say "Karabakh is Armenia" and negotiate to return the territories back? He said Azerbaijan should negotiate not with Armenia, but with Nagorno-Karabakh which is a change of format. So we are ready for negotiations if Armenian prime minister returns back from the skies where he is flying, back to earth.

-That is not the position, as I understand it, from the Russians who said both sides must stop the fire and come to the negotiating table.

-Those who started fire, should stop first and we will do the same. But to go back to negotiation table. Pashinyan regime did everything to destroy negotiations. They made the statement, they attacked us in July, they attacked us in August, they attacked us in September. They do everything in order to disrupt negotiations. We are ready. But they are not.

If you wont stop, and they wont stop. What happens next? Where does this leave the conflict which so many people are now concerned could escalate into much wider, regional war?

-It should not escalate wider, I call all the countries to stay away from this situation. It is our bilateral issue with Armenia. Mediators they have, they have their mandate. Their mandate is not to interfere on the ground, their mandate is to facilitate to find the solution. So, they will continue, I am sure within the framework of their mandate. Armenians' attempt to make this conflict international is very counter-productive, destructive and dangerous for many countries. So, Armenia should understand that occupation cannot last forever. Status quo must be changed. And by the way presidents, former presidents of France, former presidents of United States and President of Russia made a statement, when all of them were in charge, status-quo is unacceptable and must be changed. I support it but Armenia is against.

-I want to get your response to a new report from Amnesty International claiming they have identified Israeli-made MO-95 DPICM cluster munitions. That appear to have been fired by Azerbaijani forces. Now CNN cannot independently verify those claims nor the apparent video of the explosions. But sir, how do you respond to Amnestys claims?

-I would say that we dont have any contact with the organization which you named, because of their pro-Armenian and anti-Azerbaijani position. First, it is wrong, it is false and second, I would recommend them to see how cluster bombs are being used against our civilians. How they use "Smerch", how they use "Elbrus", "Tochka U", ballistic missiles on our cities - Ganja, Goranboy, Naftalan, Yevlakh and other cities are under Armenian bombardment. Why does Amnesty International see or want to see only one side? Why they do not see another side? Thats a question.

-Let me just push you on this. Are you categorically saying that cluster munitions have not being used by Azerbaijani forces? And if so, are you prepared to allow independent observers to verify that?

-Yes, we are prepared to do it, also we are prepared to see how Armenia will allow independent observers to see what they have been doing. And though it should be not unilateral, it should be bilateral. We defend ourselves and we must do it. But our targets are only military objectives. And almost all of what we have destroyed, we destroyed from the very modern equipment. You can find it on internet. Its Turkish brand new, excellent, marvelous fighter drones. It is other equipment which destroys you know tanks, guns, military positions. So we dont need to use these kind of weapons in order to achieve our goal. Our target are not civilians. Our target are occupants, we must return our land to those whom it belongs to.

-Sir, Armenia can and will speak for themselves. I am asking you specifically, you categorically deny do you, that cluster munitions have been used by Azerbaijani forces.

-Yes, I deny it and I want to ask you. Did you ask this question to Armenian president?

-We didnt have the information at the time.

-Thats the point,that's the point. You ask me, ask him, ask him. Let the Amnesty International ask him what they do.

-We will certainly ask him for a statement. Im asking you.

-Ask him. I already answered. No. Ask him.

-I will. Thank you, sir.




China will step up efforts in cultivation of highly skilled talent to boost the country's core competitiveness and optimize employment.

By the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), policy support and cultivation system for highly skilled talent will be optimized, according to a guideline released by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council.

Meanwhile, skilled talent will account for more than 30 percent of the employed, while highly skilled personnel will account for one-third of the skilled by the end of 2025, the guideline said.

By 2035, the scale of skilled talent will continue to grow while the number and structure of highly skilled talent should meet the requirements of basically realizing socialist modernization, it said.

The guideline called for efforts to optimize the cultivation system and strengthen policy support.

Intensified efforts should also be made to train highly skilled talent that are urgently needed, while giving full play to vocational schools in training them.

The guideline also noted that the employment mechanism and the occupational standard and evaluation system for the talent should also be optimized.
China sent a solar exploration satellite into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Sunday, furthering the country's scientific endeavor to unravel the mysteries of the Sun.

The Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S), nicknamed Kuafu-1 in Chinese, was launched aboard a Long March-2D rocket at 07:43 a.m. (Beijing Time) and entered its planned orbit successfully.

After four to six months of testing, the 859-kg satellite will start normal operation 720 kilometers away from the Earth to study the causality between the solar magnetic field and two major eruptive phenomena, namely solar flares and coronal mass ejections, thus providing data support for space weather forecasting.

CHASING THE SUN

The solar observatory, named after Kuafu, a giant in Chinese mythology who indefatigably chased the sun, will extend its working hours to over 96 percent of the year.

A space-borne observatory running at a sun-synchronous orbit is not hampered by the Earth's rotations, while an Earth-based telescope can see the Sun only in the daytime.

"ASO-S is capable of probing the Sun 24 hours daily for most of the year," said Gan Weiqun, the satellite's principal scientist from the Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). "Its longest daily time-out is no more than 18 minutes when briefly running through the shadow of Earth each day from May to August."

The solar probe, with a projected life of no less than four years, is designed to accumulate and transmit back some 500 gigabytes of data within a day, which is equivalent to tens of thousands of high-quality images.

"The onboard detectors take pictures every few seconds or minutes, and during solar eruptions, they can rapidly increase their shutter speed to only one second so as to capture solar activities with more details," said Huang Yu, associate chief designer of ASO-S science application system.

During its in-orbit operation, three ground stations in the cities of Sanya, Kashgar and Beijing, far apart from each other, will receive data from space, before sending them in packages over the next four years to a 2,048-core powerful computer mounted at the PMO for decoding.
Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai (Photo: VNA)

Specifically, Mai was one among speakers of the panel on Insuring Nature to Reduce Risks  Risk-transfer Solutions for Coral Reefs chaired by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Office in Geneva, and another on Financing Climate Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies by the World Bank (WB) Office here.

Addressing these events, Mai introduced Vietnam's guidelines and policies in response to climate change, mitigate disaster impacts, restore and protect natural resources such as coral reefs. Vietnam has committed to achieving net-zero carbon neutrality by 2050 as announced by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November 2021.

Vietnam's socio-economic development plan for 2021-2025 places priority on climate change adaptation, environmental protection, circular economy transformation and green finance for sustainable development, she said, adding that to address the impacts of coral reef degradation on the livelihoods of coastal people and to achieve the sustainable development goal (SDG) 14 on the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources, Vietnam has been implementing the National Programme on Sustainable Development, approved by the Government in 2017, and the Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Maritime Economy by 2030, with a vision to 2045 issued in 2018 by the 8th Plenum of the 12th Party Central Committee.

The lack of financial resources is one of the most crucial barriers to the implementation of the SDGs, including criteria related to environmental protection and climate change adaptation in Vietnam and other developing countries, she stressed.

On these occasions, Ambassador Mai expressed her thanks to the WB and UNDP for their great support and policy advice for Vietnam in implementing the climate and environment agendas, as well as for development cooperation in general./.
Ly Du So, head of the Ho Chi Minh City Muslim Community Representative Board, speaks at the function. (Photo: VNA)

The event was attended by representatives of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, the Consulate Generals of Malaysia and Indonesia in the city, and religious organisations such as Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, and Cao Daism, as well as a large number of people in the Muslim community in the city.

Addressing the function, Ly Du So, head of the Ho Chi Minh City Muslim Community Representative Board, emphasised that this years Maulid Festival is taking place at a time when the country has weathered the COVID-19 pandemic and is striving to complete major development targets for the year.

The Muslim community in Ho Chi Minh City has always responded to movements launched by the Vietnam Fatherland Front, he said.

Nguyen Van Luong, deputy head of the municipal Department of Religious Affairs, praised local Muslims contributions to the citys development, and expressed his belief that the community will continue to practice their faith in accordance with the law, refute hostile forces distorting claims, and make further contributions to local development./.
Students take part in an activity launched by Chinese Bridge Club to facilitate Egyptian students' Chinese language learning at the Al Jazeera Official Experimental Languages School in Cairo, Egypt, on Oct. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

CAIRO, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- At the Al Jazeera Official Experimental Languages School in downtown Cairo, a group of volunteers held a range of interactive activities on Chinese customs, symbols and language on Monday to help Egyptian students better understand China and the Chinese language.

The activities are part of a three-day initiative launched by the Chinese Bridge Club in Cairo to facilitate Egyptian students' Chinese language learning, after a pilot program for teaching the Chinese language began in September in 12 Egyptian public middle schools.

During Monday's event, a promotional video on China was screened to help participants gain some knowledge about the country's history and landmark sites.

Volunteers also performed Chinese martial arts and joined students in interactive activities such as guessing words.

"I love China so much... I have always wanted to visit this great country, that's why I want to learn the Chinese language," Qugaya Sherif, a seventh-grade student, told Xinhua during the activities.

"Studying a foreign language is always good," the 13-year-old girl said, adding the initiative to teach Chinese as an optional second foreign language in Egyptian schools offers her "a great opportunity" to learn a language that she likes.

Zhang Huasheng, science and technology counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, said during the event he was glad that many Egyptian students welcomed the idea of learning Chinese.

"This is the result of the continuous strengthening of the friendship between China and Egypt, and it is a significant proof of the ongoing development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Egypt," he said.

As more people have started learning Chinese, it has gradually become the "bridge of culture and friendship" that connects China with the rest of the world, he said.

"Now, optional Chinese language courses are offered in Egyptian schools, which means that more Egyptian friends will learn Chinese and enhance their understanding of China," he noted.

For her part, Sahar al-Gamal, principal of the Al Jazeera Official Experimental Languages School, said the school would do its best make the project a success and "contribute to promoting the awareness of learning the Chinese language."

In September 2020, China and Egypt signed a memorandum of understanding to teach Chinese as an optional second foreign language in Egyptian primary and secondary schools, Zhang Tao, charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Egypt, revealed in a video message in late September.

Thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, the pilot program has been launched one year earlier than planned, according to Zhang Tao.

People take part in an activity launched by Chinese Bridge Club to facilitate Egyptian students' Chinese language learning at the Al Jazeera Official Experimental Languages School in Cairo, Egypt, on Oct. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

An Egyptian teacher (R) teaches students Chinese words during an activity launched by Chinese Bridge Club to facilitate Egyptian students' Chinese language learning at the Al Jazeera Official Experimental Languages School in Cairo, Egypt, on Oct. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

Editor: ZAD
Police officers check vehicles on a street in Dublin, Ireland, Sept. 19, 2020. (Xinhua)

Search and rescue efforts are continuing but police have said they are not expecting further casualties, said the reports.

DUBLIN, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Ten people, including a primary school-aged girl, were confirmed dead by Irish police on Saturday following an explosion at a petrol station in Donegal, Ireland.

The police described the explosion as a "freak accident."

Police confirmed that all victims were from the Creeslough area where the blast ripped through the Applegreen petrol station and convenience store, causing widespread damage, including to surrounding buildings and cars, on Friday, according to media reports.

The explosion took place just after 3:00 p.m. (1400 GMT) at the Applegreen petrol station on the outskirts of Creeslough in an area near the Republic of Ireland's northwestern tip.

Search and rescue efforts are continuing but police have said they are not expecting further casualties, said the reports.

The cause of the explosion remained unknown and police had yet to announce the launch of an inquiry as the search through rubble went on.

Editor: WJH
Egypts Public Prosecution ordered the release of 50 pretrial detainees on Sunday and Monday, a member of the Presidential Pardon committee announced.
Long-distance British-South African swimmer and ocean advocate Lewis Pugh entered on Friday his 4th day of a 160-kilometre swim across the Red Sea to deliver a message to the world leaders who will gather at the COP27 in Sharm El-Shiekh to take action to protect oceans and coral reefs.
US Climate Envoy John Kerry has lauded Egypt's Nexus on Water, Food and Energy (NWFE) Programme that was launched for financing eco-friendly and green projects, saying it is a model for best ever development programs directed to face climate change effects.

US Climate Envoy John Kerry has lauded Egypt's Nexus on Water, Food and Energy (NWFE) programme that was launched for financing eco-friendly and green projects, saying it is a model for development programmes designed to face the repercussions of climate change.

Kerry was speaking at a roundtable held as part of the second edition of the Egypt-International Cooperation Forum (Egypt-ICF) 2022 that kicked off on Wednesday at the New Administrative Capital.

The US envoy thanked Egypt for adopting the ambitious NWFE programme, saying Egypt will benefit from the programme in the development domain and it will help the country reduce carbon emissions.

In July, Egypt launched the NWFE programme within the framework of its National Climate Change Strategy 2050, with a view to attracting foreign investments to Egypts green transformation plan.

The programme seeks to mobilise concessional development finance for a package of priority green development projects in the food, water, and energy sectors. It also aims to achieve sustainable, low-emission development and enhance scientific research and technology transfers in the climate change field.

On 1 September, Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad said an agreement between Egypt and the US on supporting the NWFE programme is set to be announced at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in November in the Egyptian Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced it "strongly supports" the NWFE programme.

Ahead of her visit to Egypt to attend Egypt-ICF, EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso said the bank is proud that it is leading the energy pillar of this programme, supporting Egypts green energy transition.

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The 19-member Board of Trustees overseeing the national dialogue proposed by President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi last April approved on Saturday the regulations governing the performance of its 19 sub-committees and the tasks of their rapporteurs and assistant rapporteurs.

At the end of two meetings on 17 September, the board also called on political and civilian forces to collect proposals on what issues should top the agenda of the dialogue from citizens and public institutions.

A statement by the board noted that the first meeting on Saturday saw an exchange of views with the 19 sub-committees rapporteurs and assistant rapporteurs, while the second focused on the drafting of internal bylaws and procedural rules governing the work of sub-committees, outlining the tasks of rapporteurs and assistant rapporteurs and the preparation of a code of conduct to regulate dialogue sessions.

The above steps pave the way for the start of the dialogue in a way that serves the nation and the interests of citizens, said the statement.

Saturdays two meetings were attended by the rapporteur of the Political Committee Alieddin Hilal; his assistant, AUC professor Mustafa Kamel Al-Sayed; the rapporteur of the Social Committee and former minister of youth Khaled Abdel-Aziz; his assistant AUC professor Hania Al-Shalakani; the rapporteur of the Economic Committee Ahmed Galal and his assistant researcher Abdel-Fattah Al-Gibali.

While we took a long time preparing for President Al-Sisis initiative, good preparation is a precondition to ensure the success of the dialogue, said Emadeddin Hussein, a member of the board and editor-in-chief of the daily Al-Shorouk newspaper.

Kamal Zayed, another board member, said it was now important to seek the views of ordinary citizens and public institutions across Egypts governorates, a process that would probably continue until the end of September, allowing the dialogue to begin in the first half of October.

The 41-member Egyptian Alliance of Political Parties issues a statement on Tuesday welcoming the consultations with members of the public. The move aims to extend the national dialogue to every part of Egypt and make it a central topic of discussion among in places such as social clubs, cultural palaces and youth centres, it said.

Ahmed Al-Sharkawi, a member of the board and of the Social Democratic Party, said opposition figures were on the whole happy over preparations for the dialogue.

Negad Al-Borai, a human rights activist and board member, said he has hopes that the boards ninth meeting, expected on Saturday, will be the last.

Al-Sharkawi and Al-Borai praised the release of prisoners and pretrial detainees in recent months. In the words of Al-Sharkawi, it sends a positive signal ahead of holding a constructive and serious national dialogue.

On 16 September, the day before the boards two meetings, the prosecutior-general ordered the release of 33 pretrial detainees. A further 28 pretrial detainees were released on Tuesday 20 September.

Tarek Al-Awadi, a member of the Presidential Pardon Committee, said in a TV interview that more than 800 prisoners and pretrial detainees had been released since President Al-Sisi declared his national dialogue initiative in April.

This is an ongoing process and we hope that the file of political prisoners and detainees will be closed very soon, said Al-Awadi. He added that the majority of those released had been detained under exceptional circumstances when the state was battling terrorist elements.

Al-Awadi also said that, following the release of Al-Jazeera journalist Ahmed Al-Nagdi on 16 September, he expects two other detained Al-Jazeera journalists to be pardoned within days, and that President Al-Sisi had directed authorities to help those released reintegrate into society.

The authorities will help those who lost their jobs because of their detention to regain them or find new employment. If there are any legislative obstacles in the way they will work to eliminate them, said Al-Awadi.

The successive release of prisoners seems to have struck a chord with the US Statement Department which said on 14 September that it will provide Egypt with most of the $300 million tranche of aid that has been conditioned on human rights improvements. US news outlets cited senior US officials saying the move was made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ahead of his meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri on Monday. Cairo has made progress by releasing some 500 prisoners and the Egyptian government made efforts to foster national dialogue, said a US official.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 22 September, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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By Sabina Mammadli

Armenian armed forces shelled positions of Azerbaijani army came under fire, Azernews reports per Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

The units of the Armenian armed forces in the positions of Yukhari Shorja settlement of Basarkechar district and Khanazakh of Goris district using small arms of various calibers periodically subjected the positions of the Azerbaijani army located in the direction of Yellija of Kalbabajr district during the night of October 8, and the positions in the direction of Malibey settlement of Lachin district in the morning of October 9.

The Azerbaijani army units took adequate countermeasures.

Armenia periodically shells Azerbaijani military positions on liberated territories. Since early September, Azerbaijani positions have multiple times come under Armenian fire.

The major border clashes since the 44-day war (2020) erupted between the sides on the night of September 12 leading to 13, when units of the Armenian armed forces carried out large-scale provocations along the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border in Dashkasan, Kalbajar, and Lachin directions.
The National dialogue's board of trustees has issued the procedural rules regulating the sessions of its three main tracks' subcommittees, it said in an official statement on Sunday evening in preparation for the dialogues official kick off.

The rules also included the tasks of the dialogue's general rapporteur, his assistant as well as all committees' rapporteurs and assistant rapporteurs.

It also set the timing arrangement for the sessions and its administrations and how to formulate the outputs, the statement added.

The board of trustees also finalised the drafting of the guidelines for certain codes of conduct for rapporteurs and assistant rapporteurs as well as participants in sessions.

The guidelines were shared online by the board via its official Facebook page.

The dialogue  called for by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi during the annual Egyptian Family Iftar banquet on 26 April  is set to kick off officially within a few weeks, General Coordinator of the National Dialogue Diaa Rashwan said on Thursday.

El-Sisi has asserted that all intellectuals, syndicates and political forces are invited to the dialogue, while assuring that only one faction is excluded from the dialogue.

The president was referring to the Muslim Brotherhood group, which Egypt designated a terrorist organisation in 2013.

Over the past two months, the 19-member board of trustees completed its selection of rapporteurs and assistant rapporteurs for the dialogue's three main tracks (political, economic, social) and their 19 subcommittees.

Whenever a subcommittee finishes discussing a particular track and makes recommendations it will present them to the dialogues board to be sent to the president for a final say.

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The statement demanded the High Council of State, the House of Representatives (parliament), and the country's political actors to object to the "political absurdity," referring to the ambiguous terms and objectives stipulated in the MoU.

Members of the Libyan High Council of State on Tuesday announced their objection to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on oil and gas signed between Turkey and the Libyan Government of National Unity on Monday.

"We denounce the memorandum of understanding between the government of (Prime Minister) Dbeibah and Turkey's government on oil investment," 73 members of the council said in a joint statement.

The statement came one day after a high-level Turkish delegation paid a visit to Tripoli and signed an MoU with the Libyan Government of National Unity that allows Turkey to explore oil and gas fields in some areas of the eastern Mediterranean.

In the statement, the council members also rejected the Turkish "opportunistic policy."

The House of Representatives on Monday rejected the MoU, claiming that the Government of National Unity doesn't have authority to sign international agreements "as it has legally expired."

"The Speaker of the House of Representatives confirms that any MoU, treaty, or agreement signed by the expired government is not binding to Libya and the Libyan people," Parliament Spokesman Abdullah Blehig said in a statement.

Moreover, the government that was appointed by the parliament to replace the current Government of National Unity also rejected the MoU on Monday, confirming that it would resort to the law to solve the "tampering with the interests of Libya."

In February, the parliament appointed a new government led by the former interior minister Fathi Bashagha to replace the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity headed by Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah.

However, Dbeibah refuses to hand over power, saying his government would continue to work and only hand over office to an elected government.

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Chad's national forum, boycotted by much of the opposition, announced on Saturday that junta leader Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno would stay in office during a two-year transition to elections.

The National Sovereign Inclusive Dialogue (DNIS) forum -- boycotted by opposition members, two out of three leading armed rebel groups and civil society organisations -- also ratified Deby's right to run for president post-transition.

The national forum began its work in August after multiple delays.

It wrapped in N'Djamena on Saturday, before a packed audience of civilians and military, with a speech by General Deby.

The junta leader promised "a new phase of the transition" devoted to "achieving the prescribed deadlines for the return to constitutional order".

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, floating another 18 months of transition "if the Chadians do not manage to reach an agreement" on the way forward.

A week ago the DNIS adopted "by consensus" a raft of resolutions including prolonging the transition period to 24 months.

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

Deby, in military uniform, saluted the crowd as he arrived in an SUV, surrounded by bodyguards sporting red berets.

At the end of a ceremony lasting more than two hours, he expressed his "pride" at the forum meetings which he said have made it possible to "get out of the horror scenario".

Deby reiterated his commitment to releasing prisoners of war in exchange for a ceasefire and their participation in national dialogue.

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An explosion Saturday caused the partial collapse of a bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia, damaging an important supply artery for the Kremlin's faltering war effort in southern Ukraine and hitting a towering symbol of Russian power in the region.

Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, which killed three people. The speaker of the Russian-backed regional parliament in Crimea accused Ukraine, but Moscow didn't apportion blame. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly threatened to strike the bridge and some lauded the destruction on Saturday, but Kyiv stopped short of claiming responsibility.

The explosion, which Russian authorities said was caused by a truck bomb, risked a sharp escalation in Russia's eight-month war, with some Russian lawmakers calling for President Vladimir Putin to declare a ``counterterrorism operation,`` shedding the term ``special military operation'' that had downplayed the scope of fighting to ordinary Russians.

Putin signed a decree late Saturday tightening security for the bridge and for energy infrastructure between Crimea and Russia, and put Russia's federal security service, the FSB, in charge of the effort.

Hours after the explosion, Russia's Defense Ministry announced that air force chief Gen. Sergei Surovikin would now command all Russian troops in Ukraine. Surovikin, who this summer was placed in charge of troops in southern Ukraine, had led Russian forces in Syria and was accused of overseeing a bombardment that destroyed much of Aleppo.

Moscow, however, continues to suffer battlefield losses.

On Saturday, a Kremlin-backed official in Ukraine's Kherson region announced a partial evacuation of civilians from the southern province, one of four illegally annexed by Moscow last week. Kirill Stremousov told Russia's state-run RIA Novosti agency that young children, their parents and the elderly could be relocated to two southern Russian regions because Kherson was getting ``ready for a difficult period.''

The 19-kilometer (12-mile) Kerch Bridge, on a strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, is a symbol of Moscow's claims on Crimea and an essential link to the peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The $3.6 billion bridge, the longest in Europe, is vital to sustaining Russia's military operations in southern Ukraine. Putin himself presided over the bridge's opening in 2018.

The attack on it ``will have a further sapping effort on Russian morale, (and) will give an extra boost to Ukraine's,'' said James Nixey of Chatham House, a think tank in London. ``Conceivably the Russians can rebuild it, but they can't defend it while losing a war.``

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a video address, indirectly acknowledged the bridge attack but did not address its cause.

``Today was a good and mostly sunny day on the territory of our state,'' he said. ``Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea. Although it was also warm.''

Zelenskyy said Ukraine wants a future ``without occupiers. Throughout our territory, in particular in Crimea.''

Zelenskyy also said Ukrainian forces advanced or held the line in the east and south, but acknowledged ``very, very difficult, very tough fighting'' around the city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russian forces have claimed recent gains.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee said a truck bomb caused seven railway cars carrying fuel to catch fire, resulting in the ``partial collapse of two sections of the bridge.'' A man and a woman riding in a vehicle on the bridge were killed, Russia's Investigative Committee said. It didn't say who the third victim was.

All vehicles crossing the bridge are supposed to undergo state-of-the-art checks for explosives. The truck that exploded was owned by a resident of the Krasnodar region in southern Russia, the Russian Investigative Committee said, adding the man's home was searched and experts were looking at the truck's route.

Train and automobile traffic over the bridge was temporarily suspended. Automobile traffic resumed Saturday afternoon on one of the two links that remained intact, with the flow alternating in each direction, said Crimea's Russia-backed leader, Sergey Aksyonov.

Rail traffic was resuming slowly. Two passenger trains left the Crimean cities of Sevastopol and Simferopol and headed toward the bridge Saturday evening. Passenger ferry links between Crimea and the Russian mainland were being relaunched Sunday.

While Russia seized areas north of Crimea early during its invasion of Ukraine and built a land corridor to it along the Sea of Azov, Ukraine is pressing a counteroffensive to reclaim that territory.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its troops in the south were receiving necessary supplies through that corridor and by sea. Russia's Energy Ministry said Crimea has enough fuel for 15 days.

Russian war bloggers responded to the bridge attack with fury, urging Moscow to retaliate by striking Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. Putin ordered the creation of a government panel to deal with the emergency.

Gennady Zyuganov, head of the Russian Communist Party, said the ``terror attack'' should serve as a wake-up call. ``The special operation must be turned into a counterterrorist operation,'' he declared.

Leonid Slutsky, head of the foreign affairs committee in the Russian parliament's lower house, said ``consequences will be imminent'' if Ukraine was responsible. And Sergei Mironov, leader of the Just Russia faction, said Russia should respond by attacking key Ukrainian infrastructure.

Such statements may herald a decision by Putin to declare a counterterrorism operation.

The parliamentary leader of Zelenskyy's party cast the explosion as a consequence of Moscow's takeover of Crimea.

``Russian illegal construction is starting to fall apart and catch fire. The reason is simple: If you build something explosive, then sooner or later it will explode,'' said David Arakhamia of the Servant of the People party.

The Ukrainian postal service announced it would issue stamps commemorating the blast, as it did after the sinking of the Moskva, a Russian flagship cruiser, by a Ukrainian strike.

The secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, tweeted a video with the Kerch Bridge on fire and Marilyn Monroe singing her ``Happy Birthday Mr. President'' song. Putin turned 70 on Friday.

In Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said ``the reaction of the Kyiv regime to the destruction of civilian infrastructure shows its terrorist nature.''

The Crimean Peninsula is a popular destination for Russian tourists and home to a Russian naval base. A Russian tourist association estimated that 50,000 tourists were in Crimea on Saturday.

Elsewhere, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has lost its last remaining external power source as a result of renewed shelling and is now relying on emergency diesel generators.

Ukrainian authorities were also just beginning to sift through the wreckage of the devastated city of Lyman in eastern Ukraine, assessing the humanitarian toll and possible war crimes after a months-long Russian occupation.

``Some people died in their houses, some people died in the streets, and the bodies are now being sent to experts for examination,'' said Mark Tkachenko of the Kramatorsk district police.

Explosions also rocked the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv early Saturday, sending plumes of smoke into the sky and triggering secondary explosions. Ukrainian officials accused Russia of using surface-to-air missiles in two largely residential neighborhoods.

Kharkiv resident Tetiana Samoilenko's apartment caught fire in the attack. She was in the kitchen when the blast struck, sending glass flying.

``Now I have no roof over my head. Now I don't know what to do next,'' the 80-year-old said.

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Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly inaugurated on Sunday the fourth edition of the Torathna Exhibition for Handicrafts and Heritage at the Egypt International Exhibition Center (EIEC) in New Cairo.

The exhibition, which will run until Saturday, is held under the patronage of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

The prime minister, accompanied by Planning and Economic Development Minister Hala El-Said, Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad, and CEO of the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise Development Agency Nevine Gamea, inspected the different pavilions of the exhibition.

Five Arab countries (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Sudan and Libya) are participating in the exhibition, with Saudi Arabia being the event's guest of honour.

The exhibition also features the participation of 1,100 owners of projects specialised in heritage products.

Among the innovative Egyptian products to be presented in the exhibition are hand-made carpets; textiles; furnishings; womens accessories; glass products; embroideries; lighting units; leather, wooden, copper, wicker and palm leaf works; paintings; Sinai products and pottery.

The exhibition includes a pavilion designated to showcase products from the villages that are part of the Decent Life presidential initiative, a countryside-focused initiative to improve living conditions.

The event is the biggest gathering that brings together artisans, innovators, artists and entrepreneurs from Egypt and many Arab countries.

It aims to share knowledge, exchange experience, display manufacturing techniques and explore additional marketing opportunities to support heritage industries and the handicrafts sector.

The exhibition also seeks to promote ancient Egyptian arts and crafts and encourage their sale locally and internationally.

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After holding four procedural sessions last week, the Senate  the consultative upper house  will get down to business on Monday to discuss a new government-drafted bill on vehicle manufacturing and amendments to the Environment Law (4/1994).

The amendments to the Environment Law (4/1994) aim to contribute to improving the quality of life in Egypt in terms of promoting a wider use of environment-friendly means of transport.

They also aim to limit the use of vehicles that consume fuel that is harmful to nature and human beings, according to a report prepared by the Senate's Energy and Environment Committee and the Industry and Trade Committee.

"The Senate's two committees approved the amendments because they reflect the state's new strategy of gradually switching to a green economy based on stemming air pollution, improving quality of life, promoting a wider use of environment-friendly vehicles, expanding and funding the operation of environment-friendly vehicles and restricting the use of vehicles that cause harmful emissions to the environment and human health," said the report.

"The amendments are in line with Article 46 of Egypt's constitution, which obligates the state to take all measures necessary to conserve the environment and create a sound healthy life," it added.

Controversial amendments

2.5-5% green fee

To achieve the above, the amendments would see a 2.5 percent green fee levied for newly imported and locally produced vehicles fitted with engines that cause harmful emissions.

This includes vehicles with engines using diesel only, vehicles with engines using gasoline only, or vehicles using combined fuel (diesel  natural gas).

"Vehicles with electric engines or natgas-powered engines, plus government-owned and ambulance vehicles, will be exempted from paying this green fee," said the report.

Half of the proceeds of the new "green fee" will go to the Automotive Industry Development Fund and the other half to the Environment Protection Fund, it pointed out.

The amendment will entrust the Environmental Affairs Agency with the power of inspecting vehicles and issuing "environment adjustment certificates" after they pay the green fee.

The law states that the 2.5 percent green fee could be increased annually by 0.5 percent to reach 5 percent maximum.

"As for locally produced vehicles, this percent will be calculated according to the producer's selling price," said the report, adding that "as for imported vehicles, the fee will be calculated according to the value of the custom purposes bill plus the customs tax and other taxes and fees, and that in all circumstances the green fee will be imposed on vehicles one time."

The amendments state that the executive regulations will be drafted by both ministers of finance and the environment and ratified by the prime minister.

Senate rejects 2.5-5% green fee

The report, however, indicated that after consultation with government representatives, the Senate's two committees decided to add a new article (47) to the environment law stating that the Environmental Affairs Agency will be in charge of issuing "environment adjustment certificates" to locally produced and imported vehicles using diesel and gasoline fuel only after they pay a green fee ranging between EGP 1,000 minimum and EGP 50,000 maximum to be paid one time."

"This sum of money will replace the 2.5-5 percent green fee after members of the two committees raised concerns that this fee contravenes the constitution in terms of discriminating against vehicles in terms of value," said the report.

The Senate's two committees also rejected splitting the proceeds of the green fee between the Automotive Industry Development Fund and the Environment Protection Fund.

The two committees decided that 80 percent of the proceeds of the green fee would go to the environment-friendly electric vehicle assembly industry, 10 percent to the Environment Protection Fund, and 10 percent to the State Budget.

"This new division of fees will be more effective in achieving the objectives of the amendments in terms of offering the funds necessary for the creation of an electric vehicle assembly industry and at the same time helping the ministry of environment implement a sustainable strategy in this respect," said the report.

A new government-drafted bill on "establishing supreme council for vehicle manufacturing and a fund to manage the financing of a local environment-friendly electric vehicle assembly industry" will be also discussed by the Senate this week.

According to a report prepared by the Senate's Industry and Trade Committee, the 14-article bill serves the government's long-term strategy to develop the local automotive industry and offers a package of facilities and incentives to investors to tap the new industry of electric vehicle (EV) assembly in Egypt.

According to the report, the bill states that "a Supreme Council for vehicle manufacturing is to be established and chaired by the prime minister or anyone acting on his behalf."

"The Council will include as a member the minister of trade and industry plus at least another two members with high experience in the area of vehicle manufacturing," the report said.

"The Council will be involved in drafting the general policies and strategies necessary for developing Egypt's local vehicle manufacturing industry," said the report, adding that "the Council will also take charge of drawing up the necessary legislative and administrative framework for this industry, eliminating obstacles, and exchanging expertise and agreements with countries with pioneering roles and great experience in the field of vehicle manufacturing."

The report also indicates that a fund to manage the financing of a local environment-friendly electric vehicle assembly industry will be also set up, with its headquarters located in greater Cairo and with branches or offices in all of Egypt.

"To achieve its objectives, the Fund will embark on offering a package of incentives and facilities to investors plus spending on innovation works necessary to create a competitive local environment-friendly vehicle manufacturing industry in Egypt," said the report.

The board of the fund will be chaired by the minister of finance and includes as members the ministers of planning and economic development, environment, public enterprise, transport, trade and industry, and military production, the head of the General Authority for Industrial Development, the chairman of the Federation of the Egyptian Industries, the executive director of the General Investment Authority, and representatives for the cabinet, the ministry of interior, the Arab Industrialisation Organisation, the Vehicle Manufacturing Unit at the Trade and Industry Ministry, and a member of the Supreme Council for Vehicle Manufacturing.

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The 10th edition of the Ibero-American Film Week Festival will take place in Cairo and Alexandria on 13-20 October, highlighting richness of Ibero-American culture, according to Spains newly appointed Ambassador to Egypt Alvaro Iranzo.

The screenings will be held at the Cervantes Spanish Culture Institute in Cairo.

In addition, screenings will be offered in Alexandria at the Jesuit Cultural Centre for the second time in the festivals history.

The 16 participating countries will include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela.

The audience for this cultural exhibition are mostly the students of the Portuguese and Spanish language departments of the Egyptian universities, as well as the cinema fans in general.

The entry is free, and all movies will be offered with either English or Arabic subtitles.

In the presence of ambassadors and cultural attaches to Ibero-American countries, Ambassador Iranzo remarked that "our cinema is a way to highlight our identity, as well as to share the stories told by directors, as well as high-profile female directors whose numbers are growing every day, as well as male and female artists.

Iranzo stressed the role of cinema as a tool of public diplomacy, describing how it highlights the importance of Ibero-American cinema as a powerful cultural industry that we find every day more powerful, interconnected and connected to each other."

He stressed that these cultural programmes take into account the close connections between the Portuguese and Spanish languages with the Arabic language, and to the Mediterranean and Atlantic states.

The films and documentaries present the cultural essence of each participating country, highlighting the strength of this interconnected cultural industry, he said.

Iranzo affirmed that "the Ibero-American Film Week Festival is an annual cultural event that brings together the Embassies of the Ibero-American countries in Egypt. Its main objective is to spread the word regarding the diversity of film production in Spanish and Portuguese, as well as allowing the opportunity for the Egyptian public to enjoy a wider contact with the richness of Ibero-American culture. It is specially designed for the growing number of young Spanish and Portuguese language learners from all over Egypt, as well as for the general public who are eager to learn more about these countries."

During his remarks, he thanked the teachers and professors for their work in allowing their students to reach and connect with the community of nearly 600 million Spanish speakers and 275 million Portugese speakers around the world.

He also expressed his appreciation for the festivals collaboration with the Jesuit Cultural Center located in Alexandria and the Egyptian graphic designer Samia Al-Khodari, who created the poster for this years festival.

For his part, Jose Octavio Trip, who is Mexico's ambassador to Egypt and dean of the diplomatic corps of Latin American ambassadors, said that Ibero-American cinema is a way to express creativity, sadness, joy and all human feelings.

He also emphasised that the festival allows communication between cultures and peoples.

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Egypt and Greece reaffirmed on Sunday that the outgoing Libyan Government of National Unity (GNU) is not entitled to sign international deals, a few days after the Tripoli-based government signed economic and maritime deals with Turkey.

Last week, the GNU government headed by Abdel-Hamid Dbeibah signed a series of preliminary economic agreements in the hydrocarbon and oil sectors with Turkey in the Libyan capital.

The agreements may also include energy exploration in maritime areas, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a press conference after the signing ceremony.

The deals have deepened the preexisting tensions between Turkey and Greece, which has said that such energy exploration deals infringe on Greek waters.

We have affirmed that the outgoing GNU in Tripoli does not have the authority to strike any international deals or MoUs and agreed on the necessity for the international community and the United Nations to take a firm and clear stance to protect the legitimacy requirements in Libya, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said today in a presser with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in Cairo.

UN should not keep silent

The top Egyptian diplomat called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to take a firm position regarding the illegitimacy of the outgoing Libyan government given that the GNU stemmed from an agreement drafted and adopted by the UN.

The UN should not remain silent regarding the full and honest implementation of what it has adopted and drafted, Shoukry said.

He added that the UN-overseen Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF), from which the GNU stemmed, tasked the Tripoli-based government with ending the transitional period by holding elections, which were set to be held on 24 December 2021.

This is a responsibility that [the GNU] did not fulfill, Shoukry said.

He stressed that the mandate of the Libyan GNU ended on 22 June after the end of an 18-month period granted for the GNU in this regard as per the UN-overseen agreement.

Libyan political forces and numerous countries have denounced the deals signed by Ankara and the Tripoli-based government, one of two rival governments in Libya. The European Union said the energy deals signed in this regard infringe on the sovereign rights of third states and is not in line with the UN Law of the Sea.

However, Libyan PM Dbeibah defended the deals, saying they will help Libya continue exploring for oil in its territorial waters in cooperation with other states amid sharp growth in global demand for gas.

During the press conference, Greek FM Dendias denounced the deals as violating the UN-led LPDF, asserting that they harm the Libyan state.

The Government of National Unity cannot, I repeat, cannot enter into any international agreement in a manner that harms the stability of foreign relations of the Libyan State, Dendias said.

The Greek FM said the mandate of the Libyan GNU has expired and therefore it does not represent the Libyan people.

Said government does not have any competence to review or implement previous agreements regarding the future of Libya's external relations, Dendias stated.

Turkey taking advantage of Libya situation

The Greek FM accused Turkey of trying to take advantage of the turbulent situation in Libya in order to further destabilise the Mediterranean region and establish a regional hegemony.

Greece had earlier condemned last weeks deals, stressing that any measures that aim to implement the 2019 Turkey-Libya maritime demarcation agreement are illegal.

In 2019, Ankara and another former Tripoli-based government signed a controversial maritime border deal with Turkey that granted Ankara access to a contested economic zone in the Mediterranean.

At the time, Egypt, Greece and Cyprus condemned the deal as a stark violation of international maritime laws.

Egypt, Cyprus and Greece have also rejected Turkeys oil explorations in recent years inside Cypriot territorial waters, deeming them unlawful and unacceptable.

During todays presser, Shoukry said he and Dendias highlighted during their Cairo meeting their commitment to the fundamental agreement for the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) signed by the two countries in 2020.

The [2020 deal] complies with international law, has multiple economic benefits for our two countries, and contributes to creating positive cooperation atmospheres in the Eastern Mediterranean, Shoukry said.

In this regard, Dendias affirmed Greeces determination and obligation to defend the sovereign rights of Egypt and Greece under their 2020 deal.

Egypt, Greece and Cyprus are members of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF), an eight-state economic organisation that aims to maximise use of natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Holding Libyan elections

The Egyptian and Greek FMs reiterated support to efforts made to pave the way for holding the presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya.

Shoukry reviewed with Dendias Egypts efforts to bring the views of Libyan parties closer, including hosting the Libyan Constitutional Track Committee meetings to agree on constitutional arrangements for the countrys elections.

The top Egyptian diplomat also reaffirmed the need for the dismissal of foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya within a specific timeframe.

Egypt, which has supported the holding of long-delayed elections in Libya to end the conflict in the country, has called on all sides to raise the national interests of all Libyans above any narrow considerations.

Egyptian-Greek relations

Shoukry hailed the Egyptian-Greek relations as strategic. Shoukry said he agreed with Dendias on continuing political consultations between the two countries and efforts to enhance their economic and commercial relations, especially in energy and renewable energy sectors.

This comes in light of the two countries keenness to play a pivotal role as a fulcrum for transporting energy via the Mediterranean in a way that achieves joint interests with regard to energy security in our regional surrounding, the Egyptian FM added.

Dendias said Egypt and Greece are a bridge between Europe and the Arab world and between Europe and Africa, adding that the relations between the two countries are more than just a strategic partnership.

In recent years, Cairo and Athens have been keen to strengthen their relations and cooperation in developing energy resources, combating terrorism, and signing new maritime border agreements along with Cyprus.

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Egypt has strongly condemned the terrorist attack which targeted a military barracks in Djibouti, killing seven Djibouti soldiers.

"Egypt extends its deepest condolences and sincere sympathy for the government and people of Djibouti as well as the families of the victims, and wishes the injured a speedy recovery, said the foreign ministry in a statement on Sunday.

The soldiers were killed in an assault by a rebel group on a military barracks in Garabtisan in the north of the country in the early hours of Friday leaving seven dead, four wounded and six missing.

The country blamed the attack on the "Armed FRUD" (Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy), according to a Djiboutian defence ministry statement.

The statement described it as a "terrorist group," adding "this gang is well known for its odious and criminal acts of terrorising and pillaging in remote areas of the country."

All efforts were being made to pursue the assailants and find the missing, the statement said.

The FRUD  which recruits among the Afar community of northern Djibouti  launched a rebellion against the government in 1991, saying it wanted to defend Afar interests against the Issas, the other large ethnic community in the country.

The group later splintered and while the FRUD is now a member of the ruling UMP coalition that backs long-serving President Ismail Omar Guelleh, the armed wing remains committed to violence.

In a statement reported by AFP, the FRUD condemned the attack, saying "it is a terrorist act aimed at creating a climate of war and instability in our country."

Djibouti is located on the northeast coast of the Horn of Africa.

It is also located at the crossroad of one of the world's busiest shipping where the Red Sea joins the Gulf of Aden.

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Vietnam sends 11 candidates to WorldSkills Competition 2022

A total of 11 Vietnamese entrants have been dispatched to participate in the WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition which is being held from September 30 to November 28 throughout Europe and East Asia.





Truong The Dieu (right) brought home the first silver medal for Vietnam at the World Skills Competition in 2019 (Photo: thanhnien.vn)

The Directorate of Vocational Education and Training noted this year's event is a "special iteration" as it is getting underway across 15 countries and territories in two continents.



The contest has attracted the participation of 1,000 candidates from 63 countries and territories worldwide, said Dr. Nguyen Chi Truong, director of the Department of Vocational Skills under the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training.



Vietnamese candidates are set to compete in 10 out of 63 skill competitions, including Mechatronics, Cloud Computing, Information Network Cabling, Water Technology, Electrical Installations, CNC Milling, CNC Turning, Mechanical Engineering CAD, IT Software Solutions for Business, and Hairdressing.



These competitions are to be held across six countries, namely Germany, France, Finland, Austria, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.



The WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition is the official replacement for WorldSkills Shanghai 2022, which was canceled in May due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.



The Vietnamese delegation started participating in the 39th WorldSkills Competition back in 2007 when the event was held in Japan. The 2022 contest marks the eighth time that Vietnam has participated in the event.



Vietnam has so far won one silver medal, two bronze medals, and 37 certificates of excellent vocational skills.
The 20th Global Family Office Investment Summit in Dubai from October 18 to 20, 2022 is expected to attract billions of dirhams in investment to the UAE.

This is in line with the Vice President, Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, HH Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed Al Maktoums latest programme Thabat Venture Builder that aims to boost family businesses contribution to GDP to $320 billion by 2032.

Announcing the Summit Sir Anthony Ritossa said the Ritossa Summits have so far hosted more than 6,100 world leaders, family offices, investors and entrepreneurs from over 55 countries, representing $4.5 trillion in wealth. The Summits have raised $2.8 billion in purpose-driven investments globally and enabled more than 50 international companies and family offices to relocate or open representative offices in the UAE, bolstering the nations status as a global economic powerhouse.

Family business

Commenting on the upcoming event, Sir Anthony, Chairman of Ritossa Family Office, said: Under the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the wise leadership of Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Thabat will not only propel the growth of family businesses and support the UAEs overall economic trajectory, it will also act as a catalyst for more family office contributions to tackle some of the most pressing socio-economic challenges facing the Mena region.

There has been no shortage of supportive initiatives aimed at enhancing the role of the UAEleaders, companies and peoplein its advance into a more prosperous future. In line with such efforts, Im a firm believer in the power of family offices as an economic engine and a force for good within the UAE and across the wider region, Sir Anthony added.

Celebrating its 20th global anniversary and 13th Summit to be held in Dubai, the Global Family Office Investment Summit promises to garner extensive support for development programmes such as Thabat.

Providing insights

The two and a half days of exchange in Dubai will provide insights into how family offices can invest for a brighter future, how to grow and preserve wealth, and how to invest responsibly in various sectors including education, healthcare and emerging technologies. The Summit also aims to elevate the discourse on the importance of building a family legacy in a region where family businesses constitute up to 90% of all companies, employ 80% of the workforce and contribute 60% of the GDP.

Mohamed Al Ali, CEO of Al Ali Holdings and CEO & Advisor of Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum International Investments Enterprise, said: Over the years, the UAE has cemented its position as a leading investment hub and a melting pot of impact investors, especially now with COP28 around the corner. Homegrown businesses and advocacy groups such as the Ritossa Summits play a key role in boosting responsible investments from the UAE and to the world. It is time we made profit with purpose the new norm.

As a family office influencer with an unwavering commitment to create a legacy that matters, Sir Anthony is renowned in global wealth and social circles for putting his success down to his business acumen, humility and sense of giving. He successfully navigated his global family of family offices through the Covid-19 storm, emerging stronger as a credible platform for exceptional networking between family offices and thought leaders from all over the world.

Fred Hollows Foundation

Through the Ritossa Summits, Sir Anthony has been supporting The Fred Hollows Foundation as a UAE Advisory Board Member. The Foundation has recently announced a partnership with Noor Dubai Foundation to raise money in support of individuals who are blind or vision-impaired in Bangladesh. The Foundation has so far succeeded in restoring sight to more than three million people around the world.

In June 2022, the 19th Ritossa Family Office Investment Summit was held in Monaco under the High Patronage of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, bringing together dignitaries from the worlds leading families to discuss investments for a better tomorrow. The Summit was attended by HRH Prince Michel de Yougoslavie and HRH Prince AbdulAziz Bin Faisal AlSaud.

Headquartered and founded in Dubai by impact investor and philanthropist Sir Anthony Ritossa, the homegrown Summit has evolved to become a global movement of responsible investors, avid entrepreneurs and other changemakers. Today, the Global Family Office Investment Summit boasts the number one family office conference in the world.-- TradeArabia News Service
Digital activists supporting Iran's wave of women-led protests have hacked a state television live news broadcast, superimposing crosshairs and flames on the face of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"The blood of our youths is on your hands," read a message on screen in the broadcast that started 9pm local time Saturday, as protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, again rocked Tehran and other cities.

The hack interrupted footage of Khamenei meeting state officials and was claimed by the Edalat-e Ali (Ali's Justice) hacktivist group, which added a slogan on the top right-hand corner of the screen: "Join us and rise up."

The images beamed to Iranian viewers for a number of seconds also showed black-and-white pictures of Amini and three other women killed in the more than three weeks of unrest and crackdown by state security forces.

Anger flared after the death of Amini on September 16, three days after her arrest in Tehran by the notorious morality police for an alleged breach of the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women.

The hack was widely reported by Persian media and rights groups based outside Iran, who shared the footage on social media.

Inside the Islamic republic, Tasnim news agency confirmed that the evening news broadcast "was hacked for a few moments by anti-revolutionary agents".

In videos posted online, the news anchor is seen shifting uncomfortably in his seat after the clip finishes, with his squirming reaction becoming a widely shared meme on social media, despite recent internet restrictions.

The hackers added a message on screen, urging Khamenei to vacate his Tehran office and flee the country: "It's time to collect your furniture from Pasteur Street and find another place for your family outside Iran."

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Israeli police arrested at least three Palestinian suspects Sunday in connection with a deadly shooting at a Jerusalem checkpoint, as security forces searched for the suspected gunman.

The shooter opened fire on a military checkpoint in east Jerusalem late Saturday, killing a female Israeli soldier and wounding three other soldiers, one of them seriously. The Israeli occupation army identified the soldier as 18-year-old Noa Lazar.

Police said a large force of officers, soldiers and Shin Bet security agency operatives were involved in the search to apprehend the Palestinian attacker.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid offered condolences to Lazar's family. ``We will not be silent and we will not rest until we bring the abominable killers to justice,`` he said.

The attack came hours after two Palestinian teenagers were killed by Israeli military in the occupied West Bank. A day earlier, two other Palestinian teenagers, ages 14 and 17, were killed by Israeli fire in separate incidents elsewhere in the West Bank.

Rights groups accuse Israeli forces of using excessive force in their dealings with the Palestinians, particularly young men, without being held accountable. The occupation army says it contends with complex, life-threatening scenarios.

Israel captured east Jerusalem, along with the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed the area in a move that is not recognized internationally. It considers the entire city, including east Jerusalem, home to the city's most important holy sites, to be its capital. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem for the capital of a future state with the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

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Israel's Defense Ministry said Sunday that it had reached a settlement to compensate the family of a Palestinian-American man who died earlier this year after he was detained by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank.

The settlement marks a rare case of compensation in a Palestinian claim against alleged wrongdoing by Israeli military forces and comes after U.S. criticism against Israel.

In January, Israeli troops detained Omar Asaad, 78, at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, binding his hands and blindfolding him. Israeli troops then unbound his hands and left him face-down in an abandoned building.

Asaad, who had lived in the U.S. for four decades, was pronounced dead at a hospital after other Palestinians who had been detained found him unconscious. It was unclear when exactly he died.

On Sunday, the Defense Ministry said that it had reached a settlement with Asaad's family, which had filed a claim against the state in an Israeli court.

The ministry said that ``in light of the unfortunate event's unique circumstances,`` it agreed to pay the family 500,000 shekels, or about $141,000.

After an outcry from the U.S. government, the Israeli military issued a rare statement earlier this year saying the incident ``was a grave and unfortunate event, resulting from moral failure and poor decision-making on the part of the soldiers.'' It said one officer was reprimanded, and two other officers reassigned to noncommanding roles, over the incident.

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Pope Francis on Sunday denounced Europe's indifference toward migrants risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea as he elevated to sainthood an Italian bishop and Italian-born missionary whose work and life paths illustrated the difficulties faced by 19th Century Italian emigrants.

Frances departed from prepared remarks to slam Europe's treatment of migrants as ``disgusting, sinful and criminal.'' He noted that people from outside the continent are often left to die during perilous sea crossings or pushed back to Libya, where they wind up in camps he referred to as ``lager,'' the German word referring to Nazi concentration camps.

He also recalled the plight of Ukrainians fleeing war, which he said ``causes us great suffering.''

``The exclusion of migrants is scandalous,'' Francis said, generating applause from the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square for the canonizations of Don Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, an Italian bishop who founded an order to help Italian emigrants in 1887, and Artedime Zatti, an Italian who emigrated in 1897 to Argentina and dedicated his life as a lay-worker there to helping the sick.

``Indeed, the situation of migrants is criminal. They are left to die in front of us, making the Mediterranean the largest cemetery in the world. The situation of migrants is disgusting, sinful, criminal. Not to open the doors to those who are in need. No, we exclude them, we send them away to lager, where they are exploited and sold as slaves.''

He urged the faithful to consider the treatment of migrants, asking: `'Do we welcome them as brothers, or do we exploit them?''

The pontiff said the two new saints ``remind us of the importance or walking together.''

Francis said that Scalabrani showed ``great vision,'' by looking forward ``to a world and a Church without barriers, where no one was a foreigner.`` And the pontiff called Zatti ``a living example of gratitude'' who devoted his life to serving others after being cured of tuberculosis.

Scalabrini founded the Missionaries of Saint Charles Borromeo, known as the Scalabrian Fathers, and the Missionary Sisters of Saint Charles Borromeo Scalabrians, to minister to the many Italians who left their homeland due to what he wrote were the combined effects of an agricultural crisis, social change, a poorly managed economy, exorbitant taxation and ``the natural desire to improve one's condition.''

Disturbed by statistics on Italian emigration that swelled to 84,000 in 1884 alone, Scalabrini wrote that the mass emigration and separation of families would ``help strew white the lands of America with their bones.''

He died in 1905 in Piacenza, where he was bishop, and was beatified in 1997 by St. John Paul. Pope Francis dispensed of the requirement of having a miracle attributed to him after beatification.

The order he founded currently operates 176 missions around the world, including 27 migrant shelters and 20 schools and centers for children.

Francis, himself the son of Italian immigrants to Argentina, has recalled being inspired by Zatti's life while he was Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina, saying the numbers entering the order increased after he prayed for his intercession.

Zatti was one of eight children born to a farming couple in northern Italy that emigrated to Argentina in 1897 when he was a teenager.

After entering the Salesian order at age 20, Zatti fell ill with tuberculosis and was sent to a Salesian-run hospital in northern Patagonia to be treated. He made a vow to serve the sick and poor for the rest of his life if he recovered. Zatti went on to work in the same hospital for 40 years, serving as a nurse in the pharmacy and later as an administrator.

His fame for treating the ill attracted the sick from all over Patagonia. Zatti was known to travel the city of Viedma with his bicycle with a medical case to help the sick. The pontiff on Sunday also recalled an occasion when he was seen removing the body of a patient who had died during the night, to prevent the sick from seeing the body.

Zatti died in 1951, and was beatified in 2002. Paving the way for canonization, Francis signed the decree recognizing Zatti's intercession in the healing of a man in the Philippines who had suffered a brain bleed.

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It's possible Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz talked himself into a death sentence.

Prosecutors played video last week at Cruz's penalty trial of jailhouse interviews he did this year with two of their mental health experts. In frank and sometimes graphic detail, he answered their questions about his massacre of 17 people at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018 _ his planning, his motivation, the shootings.

While it can't be known what the 12 jurors are thinking, if any are wavering between voting for death or life without parole, his statements to Dr. Charles Scott, a forensic psychiatrist, and Robert Denney, a neuropsychologist, did not help his cause.

``All of this made Cruz himself perhaps one of the state's best witnesses,'' said David S. Weinstein, a Miami defense attorney and former prosecutor who has been monitoring the trial.

The jury will likely decide Cruz's fate this week. For the 24-year-old to get a death sentence, the jury must be unanimous on at least one victim. But if all 17 counts come back with at least one vote in favor of life in prison, then that would be his sentence. Closing arguments are scheduled Tuesday, with deliberations beginning Wednesday.

Because Cruz's defense is that his birth mother's heavy drinking during pregnancy left him brain damaged, prosecutors could have experts examine him for their rebuttal case.

Scott and Denney interviewed him separately for several hours. In each, Cruz sat across the table, handcuffed, a sweater draped over his chest. He sometimes asked for a pen and paper to add diagrams and drawings to his explanations.

``The question is: What will the jury take away from the interviews? Cold-blooded killer who was vengeful and excited about the murders, or a person so hopelessly deranged that he can't be anything but crazy?'' said Bob Jarvis, a professor at Nova Southeastern University's law school.

Excerpts from those interviews, some of which are graphic:

HOW LONG HAD CRUZ BEEN CONTEMPLATING A SCHOOL SHOOTING?

``A very long time,'' Cruz told Scott, starting when he was 13 or 14, about five years before he did it.

``It was just a thought. I was reading books,'' Cruz said. ``It would come and go. It would pop up in my mind.''

The thoughts would return when he watched violent videos, particularly documentaries about mass shootings at Colorado's Columbine High School, Virginia Tech and elsewhere, he said.

HOW DID CRUZ PLAN THE MASSACRE?

``I did my own research,'' Cruz told Scott. ``I studied mass murderers and how they did it, their plans, what they got and what they used.``

He detailed the lessons he learned: Watch for would-be rescuers coming around corners, keep some distance from your targeted victims, attack as fast as possible _ and ``the police didn't do anything.''

``I have a small opportunity to shoot people for maybe 20 minutes,'' Cruz said.

HOW DID CRUZ PREPARE?

He told Scott he put his AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle in a bag the night before and slipped its magazines into a shooting vest. He adjusted the gun's sights and imagined what the recoil would feel like.

``I didn't get any sleep,'' Cruz said.

He donned the burgundy polo shirt he received when he was a member of the Stoneman Douglas Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program so he could escape by mingling with fleeing students.

``If I had all my (shooting) gear on, they would have called the cops,'' Cruz said.

When he set out at 2 p.m., he told the Uber driver he was in the school orchestra and the bag carried his instrument.

WHAT DID CRUZ DO WHEN HE ARRIVED?

``I walked through the gates. Hopefully, there would be no security guards, but I was wrong,'' Cruz told Scott. ``I was looking at the guy and he was watching me.''

When Cruz attended Stoneman Douglas, guards frequently checked him for weapons because of his erratic and sometimes violent behavior. When he was expelled a year before the shooting, a guard predicted he would eventually return and shoot people.

Fearing he'd been discovered, Cruz sprinted into a three-story classroom building and quickly assembled his weapon. He told a student who happened upon him to flee because something bad was about to happen.

He then went floor to floor, shooting down hallways and into classrooms, firing 140 shots in all.

``I thought they would scream,'' Cruz said about his first three victims. He shot them point-blank outside a locked classroom door. ``It was more like they passed out and blood came pouring out of their head. It was really nasty and sad to see.``

But he continued.

``I think I showed mercy to three girls. I was going to walk away, but they showed nasty faces and I went back,'' Cruz said. ``I thought they were going to attack me.''

Cruz shot several of his victims a second time after they fell, including his final one _ a student writhing from a leg wound. He said the boy ``gave me a nasty look. A look of anger.''

``His head blew up like a water balloon,'' Cruz said.

WHY DID CRUZ STOP SHOOTING?

Students and teachers fled the building or locked themselves in classrooms. The third-floor hallway was now empty except for victims.

``I couldn't find anyone to kill,'' he said. ``I didn't want to do it anymore and I didn't think there was anyone else in the building.''

He dropped his gun and vest on the stairwell and fled. He was captured an hour later _ the police officer had been looking for a young male in a Stoneman Douglas ROTC polo.

CRUZ'S FINAL SAY

As Denney was finishing the final interview, he asked Cruz if there was anything else he should know. Cruz thought for 10 seconds before responding: ``Why I chose Valentine's Day.''

``Because I thought no one would love me,'' Cruz explained. ``I didn't like Valentine's Day and I wanted to ruin it for everyone.''

``Do you mean for the family members of the kids that were killed?'' Denney asked.

``No, for the school,'' Cruz replied.

The holiday will never be celebrated there again, he said.

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Thousands of people rallied Sunday in Bosnia for the second time in a week, alleging that a pro-Russian Bosnian Serb leader rigged a ballot during a general election in the Balkan country earlier this month.

Final results of the Oct. 2 vote in Bosnia are yet to be announced. The election was held for all levels of government in both the Serb-dominated and Bosniak-Croat parts of the Balkan country, as well as for the joint central institutions.

Leading Bosnian Serb politician Milorad Dodik has claimed victory in the election for the post of presidency of the Serb entity. Opposition leaders, however, claim that their candidate Jelena Trivic is the winner, and that Dodik rigged the ballot.

Citing reports of irregularities, central election authorities in Bosnia's capital Sarajevo have ordered the unsealing of ballot boxes and a recount at around 1,000 polling stations throughout the country before establishing the final tally.

Dodik, the most powerful politician the Bosnian Serb's semi-autonomous region, has denied allegations that he orchestrated an election fraud to rob his main challenger of her election triumph.

At Sunday's rally in the northern city of Banja Luka, Trivic said opposition wants a recount and a check of all ballots in the Bosnian Serb entity, and an investigation into possible vote-rigging.

``It wasn't me who was robbed, it was the people,'' said Trivic. ``We will not back down, we won't stop.''

The crowd chanted ``Mile thief!,'' referring to Dodik by his nickname.

Dodik has ruled practically unchallenged for years despite being sanctioned by the West for advocating the separation of Republika Srpska, as the Serb entity is called, from the rest of Bosnia. Russia has backed Dodik, fueling fears in the West that Moscow might try to create further instability in volatile Bosnia to avert some attention from the war in Ukraine.

Separatist ambitions among ethnic Serbs sparked the devastating 1992-95 war in Bosnia, which killed more than 100,000 people, displaced millions and shattered the country for years to come. A U.S.-brokered peace agreement that ended the war created the Serb and Bosniak-Croat entities, tied loosely by joint institutions.

The Balkan nation of 3.3 million people remains plagued by corruption and ethnic tensions that have impeded efforts to join the European Union.

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Five years after the term "Steele dossier'' entered the political lexicon, a think tank analyst who contributed to research about Donald Trump and Russia goes on trial Tuesday for lying to the FBI about his sources of information.

Igor Danchenko is the third person to be prosecuted by Special Counsel John Durham, who was appointed to investigate the origins of "Crossfire Hurricane", the designation given to the FBI's 2016 probe into former president Trump's Russia connections. It is also the first of Durham's cases that delves deeply into the origins of the dossier that Trump derided as fake news and a political witch hunt.

Here's some background on what the case is about.

WHO IS DANCHENKO AND WHAT IS HE ACCUSED OF?

Danchenko, a Russian analyst, was a source of information for Christopher Steele, a former British spy who was paid by Democrats to research ties between Russia and presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The compilation of research files, which included salacious rumors and unproven assertions, came to be familiarly known as the "Steele dossier." Though the dossier did not help launch the FBI's investigation into potential coordination between Russia and Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, the Justice Department did rely on it when it applied for and received warrants to monitor the communications of a former Trump campaign adviser.

As part of its efforts to verify information in the dossier, the FBI interviewed Danchenko in 2017.

He is charged with lying to agents about his information sources, with prosecutors accusing Danchenko of misleading the FBI in an effort to make his own contributions seem more credible.

WHAT DO THE PROSECUTORS SAY?

Prosecutors say Danchenko lied when the FBI asked him about how he obtained the information he gave to Steele. Specifically, they say he denied that he relied on a Democratic operative, Charles Dolan, a public relations executive who volunteered for Hillary Clinton's presidential 2016 campaign.

Prosecutors also say Danchenko lied when he said he received information from an anonymous phone call that he believed was placed by a man named named Sergei Millian, a former president of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce. They argue Danchenko knew that Millian wasn't a source of any anonymous phone call.

The indictment says the FBI could have better judged the veracity of the Steele dossier had it known that a Democratic operative was the source of much of its information.

WHAT DOES THE DEFENSE SAY?

Danchenko's lawyers say the prosecution "is a case of extraordinary government overreach.'' They note that Danchenko agreed to multiple voluntary FBI interviews throughout 2017. They say his answers to the FBI were all technically true.

For instance, an FBI agent asked Danchenko whether he ever "talked'' with Dolan about the information that showed up in the dossier. While prosecutors have produced evidence that the two had email exchanges about topics in the dossier, there's no evidence that they talked orally about those topics.

"It was a bad question,'' said Danchenko's lawyer, Stuart Sears, at a pretrial hearing last month. "That's the special counsel's problem. Not Mr. Danchenko's."

And while Danchenko said he believed Millian was the voice on the anonymous phone call, he never told the FBI with any certainty that it was Millian. Sears argued that ambiguous statements like that fall short of what's necessary to convict on a false statements charge.

U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga last month rejected a request from defense lawyers to dismiss the charges, though he called his decision to let the case move forward an "extremely close call.'' He has since ruled that prosecutors cannot present evidence about the most salacious parts of the dossier.

WHAT OTHER CASES HAS DURHAM BROUGHT?

Durham was the U.S. Attorney in Connecticut in 2019 when he was tapped by then-Attorney General William Barr to hunt for potential misconduct by government officials who conducted the original Russia investigation.

But after more than three years, Durham's work has failed to meet the expectations of Trump supporters who hoped he would uncover sweeping FBI conspiracies to derail the Republican's candidacy.

The probe has produced only three criminal cases.

The first case was against an FBI lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, who was accused of altering an email related to the surveillance of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. It ended in a guilty plea and a sentence of probation - and involved FBI misconduct already uncovered by the Justice Department's inspector general.

Last year, Durham's team charged a Democratic lawyer with making a false statement to the FBI's top lawyer during a 2016 meeting in which he presented information about a purported digital backchannel between a Russia bank and the Trump organization. The FBI investigated but found no suspicious contact. The case against the lawyer, Michael Sussmann, ended in a swift acquittal in May.

Durham's work has continued deep into the Biden administration Justice Department, but the Danchenko trial seems likely to be the last criminal case his team will bring. It is not clear when Durham might produce a report summarizing his findings.

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Electric vehicles have many advantages, the top of which is that they have three times less emissions released by traditional vehicles.

It is an undisputable fact that due to the governments efforts and recent events imposed by the pandemic; Especially with the preparation of hosting COP27 next November, Egypt has witnessed a clear improvement in air quality and overall climate during the past few years, recording a noticeable decline in air pollution and 8% reduction in carbon emissions in 2020 alone.

Car exhausts remains the major air polluter in Egypt, this statement stands as the most crucial takeaway from a study published in 2018 by The Eco Experts, an environmentalist global platform. The study, conducted on 48 cities, named Cairo as one of the worlds most polluted cities, shedding light on the magnitude of the situation and the need to reduce carbon emissions in the country.

Although energy transition to renewable resources is a key contributor to improving overall pollution rates, car exhausts, described by the study as the major air polluter in Egypt, remain a significant threat to these efforts. The Egyptian government has therefore developed and actioned an effective strategy to bypass these hazards, with the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy recently announcing plans to launch and supply 3,000 charging stations for electric vehicles (EV) across Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Sharm El-Sheikh, and various highways in an effort to encourage the adoption of environmentally friendly electric vehicles.

The impact of car exhausts on air quality in overcrowded cities is evident and severe. The European Environment Agency has monitored and tested such cities at which car movement was restricted or banned for limited times and recorded a 50% reduction in the harmful Nitrogen Dioxide gas within one week in such events. This further proves the accuracy of the aforementioned study that car exhausts are the biggest source of pollution, not just in Egypt but all over the world. This underlines the significance of Egypts plan to connect and launch electric vehicle charging stations.

The important question here is how we can take advantage of the opportunity presented by the pandemic, which radically contributed to lowering carbon emissions. Once pandemic-related restrictions are lifted, human activity will resume as per the norm, and car exhausts will once again spike, causing irreparable damages to the environment.

EVs to the rescue

The answer to this question lies in the living experience we all went through during the pandemic. While we cant completely abandon cars, we can replace petrol-fueled vehicles with clean and environmentally friendly ones - the solution is Electric Vehicles.

As proven by a myriad of scientific studies, EVs have many advantages, the top of which is that they have three times less emissions released by traditional vehicles. Theyre also easy to operate and hardly as noisy as their traditional counterparts.

Economically, the advantages of EVs are countless; they generate work opportunities for employees in manufacturing plants, repair centers, charging stations; in addition to luring huge green investments that will help kickstart many companies and startups. As for the government, tax and shipment regulations applied to the EVs industry will create a new source of revenues allowing the country to invest and address the needs of its citizens.

Its us or petrol-fueled cars

As CAPMAS reports 11.6 million vehicles currently roaming the streets in Egypt, todays challenge is to develop an adequate infrastructure and provide enough charging stations across all governorates to facilitate the adoption of EVs on a mass scale. To overcome this challenge, one must consider exploiting technological advances to accelerate this process, keep up with rising demand and later on varying customer needs such as remote & fast charging techniques, and even enabling remote maintenance and repair of EVs.

All in all, the future of the planet depends on the choices we make on a daily basis, top of which is our choice of commute. Will we choose the future of our planet over petrol-fueled vehicles?

Our commitment to innovative sustainability isnt only evident in Egypt, but across the region. In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization already approved the use of Schneider Electrics electric vehicle charging station, the EVlink Smart Wallbox, a step representing a true milestone in the kingdoms move into the age of electric vehicles and sustainable transportation.

This is a clear testament to our commitment to the vision of any country within which we operate, including Egypt which adopts a development vision that is in line with Schneider Electric's strategy. Essentially, our goal is to achieve a societal transformation towards sustainability, encouraging the use of electric vehicles, and, eventually, lowering carbon emissions and saving our planet.

The writer is Schneider Electric's Cluster President for Northeast Africa and Levant

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The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest will be staged in the English city of Liverpool, the BBC said Friday, after Britain was asked to hold the event on behalf of designated host country Ukraine.

The birthplace of The Beatles beat Glasgow, Scotland, the other U.K. finalist. In all, seven British cities had applied to hold the pan-continental music competition. The 2023 Eurovision final will be held on May 13.

Ukraine won the right to host the pop extravaganza when its entry, folk-rap ensemble Kalush Orchestra, won this year's contest. Britain's Sam Ryder came second.

Organizers concluded it was too risky to stage the event in Ukraine, so the 2023 contest went to Britain, which says the event will be a celebration of Ukrainian culture and creativity.

BBC Director-General Tim Davie said Liverpool, the undisputed capital of pop music, would be an amazing host. British Prime Minister Liz Truss said on Twitter that Liverpool will put on an unforgettable show which celebrates the rich culture and creativity of Ukraine.

Kalush Orchestra said it was pleased with the choice.

Playing in the same place that The Beatles started out will be a moment we'll never forget! the band said. Although we are sad that next year's competition cannot take place in our homeland, we know that the people of Liverpool will be warm hosts and the organizers will be able to add a real Ukrainian flavor to Eurovision 2023 in this city.

Founded in 1956 to help unite a continent scarred by World War II, Eurovision has grown to include more than 40 countries, including non-European nations such as Israel and Australia.

Organizers strive to keep pop and politics apart _ banning overtly political symbols and lyrics _ but global tensions have often imposed themselves on the contest. Russia was kicked out of this year's competition because of its invasion of Ukraine.

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A Russian barrage pounded apartment buildings and other targets in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, killing at least 17 people and wounding dozens, officials said Sunday.

The blasts in the city, which sits in a region Moscow has claimed as its own, blew out windows in adjacent buildings and left at least one high-rise apartment building partially collapsed.

The strike came after an explosion Saturday caused the partial collapse of a bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia, damaging an important supply artery for the Kremlin's faltering war effort in southern Ukraine and hitting a towering symbol of Russian power in the region.

City council Secretary Anatoliy Kurtev said rockets struck Zaporizhzhia overnight, and that at least five private houses were destroyed and around 40 were damaged. The Ukrainian military also confirmed the attack, saying there were dozens of casualties.

In recent weeks, Russia has repeatedly struck the southern city, which is in the Ukrainian controlled-part of a region that Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed in violation of international law last week. At least 14 people died in Russian missile strikes on apartment buildings in Zaporizhzhia on Thursday.

A part of the region currently in Russian control is home to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Fighting has repeatedly imperiled the plant, Europe's largest nuclear power station, and Ukrainian authorities shut down its last operating reactor last month to prevent a radiation disaster.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, said Saturday that the Zaporizhzhia plant has since lost its last remaining external power source as a result of renewed shelling and is now relying on emergency diesel generators.

No one has claimed responsibility for the Crimea bridge attack, but it was a significant blow to Russia and could lead to an escalation of the conflict. Some Russian lawmakers called for Putin to declare a ``counterterrorism operation,'' rather than the term ``special military operation'' that has downplayed the scope of fighting to ordinary Russians.

Putin signed a decree late Saturday tightening security for the bridge and for energy infrastructure between Crimea and Russia, and put Russia's federal security service, the FSB, in charge of the effort.

Hours after the explosion, Russia's Defense Ministry announced that the air force chief, Gen. Sergei Surovikin, would now command all Russian troops in Ukraine. Surovikin, who this summer was placed in charge of troops in southern Ukraine, had led Russian forces in Syria and was accused of overseeing a bombardment that destroyed much of Aleppo.

The 19-kilometer (12-mile) Kerch Bridge, on a strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, is a symbol of Moscow's claims on Crimea and an essential link to the peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The $3.6 billion bridge, the longest in Europe, is vital to sustaining Russia's military operations in southern Ukraine. Putin himself presided over the bridge's opening in 2018.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a video address, indirectly acknowledged the bridge attack but did not address its cause.

``Today was not a bad day and mostly sunny on our state's territory,'' he said. ``Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea. Although it was also warm.''

Zelenskyy said Ukraine wants a future ``without occupiers. Throughout our territory, in particular in Crimea.''

Zelenskyy also said Ukrainian forces advanced or held the line in the east and south, but acknowledged ``very, very difficult, very tough fighting'' around the city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russian forces have claimed recent gains.

Train and automobile traffic over the bridge was temporarily suspended. Automobile traffic resumed Saturday afternoon on one of the two links that remained intact, with the flow alternating in each direction, said Crimea's Russia-backed leader, Sergey Aksyonov.

Rail traffic was resuming slowly. Two passenger trains left the Crimean cities of Sevastopol and Simferopol and headed toward the bridge Saturday evening. Passenger ferry links between Crimea and the Russian mainland were being relaunched Sunday.

While Russia seized areas north of Crimea early in its invasion of Ukraine and built a land corridor to it along the Sea of Azov, Ukraine is pressing a counteroffensive to reclaim that territory. That Russian-held territory along the sea includes the Zaporizhzhia region.

The Crimean Peninsula is a popular destination for Russian tourists and home to a Russian naval base. A Russian tourist association estimated that 50,000 tourists were in Crimea on Saturday.

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Oman Insurance, a leading insurer in the UAE and GCC, has rebranded itself as Sukoon. The company unveiled the new corporate logo at the iconic Burj Khalifa on October 6, 2022.

The grand reveal happened at an event attended by the companys Chairman, board members, partners and members of the press.

Expressing his opinion on the unique milestone, Abdul-Aziz Abdulla Al Ghurair, Chairman of Sukoon, said: With a vision to develop local expertise and a solution to protect people, my father Abdullah Al Ghurair launched Oman Insurance in 1975, almost half a century ago. A lot has been achieved and much impressive progress has been made in all these years to prepare ourselves for the future of insurance. Today, the company is amongst the best, strongest and most customer-centric insurers in the region. It is the right time for us to reflect these changes and our values in a new brand.

Sense of security

Sukoon means peace of mind in Arabic, Urdu and Hindi - the 3 most widely spoken languages in the region. The brandmark represents two human hands coming together, vividly depicting a sense of security and protection for customers, reflecting again peace of mind with the brand.

Explaining the journey of the company from Oman Insurance to Sukoon, Jean-Louis Laurent Josi, CEO of Sukoon said: In the last three years, we carried out extensive market research and brought together some of the world's best-in-class rebranding experts to guide and advise us. We have gone through several focus groups, interviews, and surveys. We have tested dozens of names, logos and colours to finally select Sukoon. This rebranding represents a new, exciting chapter for us following our successful transformation in the past years, centered around building a rock-solid company and delivering an unrivalled quality of service to our 800,000+ clients.

Josi further commented: Sukoon is a new starting point where leveraging our foundations, we will develop an exceptional insurance platform with the objective of providing an unmatched customer experience and unrivalled insurance expertise in the region. We will achieve this by investing massively in our transformation with dozens of projects in the pipeline focused on digital, partnerships and international development, notably with our Lloyds syndicate.-- TradeArabia News Service
The Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan on Sunday unilaterally cancelled joint military drills between the six nations comprising the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), less than a day before they were due to start on its territory.

The Kyrgyz defense ministry did not specify the reason for cancelling the ``Indestructible Brotherhood-2022'' command and staff exercises, which were set to be held in the country's windswept eastern highlands Monday to Friday.

According to earlier reports, the exercises were set to involve army personnel from CSTO members Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and focus on securing ceasefires. Observers from five further states, including Serbia, Syria and Uzbekistan, had also been invited.

The move by Bishkek is the latest indication that tensions may be simmering within the alliance, formed in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Last month, Armenia skipped a two-week drill held by the collective in Kazakhstan, after criticizing the bloc for failing to openly side with it after large-scale fighting erupted on its border with non-member Azerbaijan in September.

Russia and other CSTO countries effectively turned down Yerevan's request for military aid, issued hours after hostilities began, and limited their response to sending fact-finding missions to the border. Armenian authorities had accused the Azerbaijani government in Baku of using heavy artillery and combat drones to strike Armenian army positions.

Despite its apparent ambitions to provide a counterpart to NATO, the CSTO has at times struggled to define its exact purpose. Failure to engage in numerous security crises among its members over the years has prompted analysts to question its viability.

Last spring, the bloc looked on impassively as two members, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, were engaged in a bloody border dispute.

The CSTO's focus has instead been aimed more intensely on enhancing readiness for potential spillover from Afghanistan, which shares a long border with Tajikistan. As of last month, Russia had around 5,000 troops stationed in that country, down from 7,000 in January as the Kremlin has drawn down its military presence to replenish its ranks in Ukraine amid the eight-month war.

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France's prestigious Bayeux War Correspondents' Awards Saturday largely honoured reporting on the Ukraine conflict, with Associated Press and Burkina Faso newspaper Sidwaya among the recipients.

Instituted in 1994, the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Awards have honoured exceptional reporting on war and unrest.

The choice of Bayeux is significant as it was the first French town to be liberated by the Allied forces during World War II.

With the exception of the Burkina Faso award, all the prize winners were awarded for their coverage of the war in Ukraine.

The photo prize went to Ukrainian photographer Evgeniy Maloletka for his work with video journalist Mstyslav Chernov on the fall of Mariupol for AP.

The written press prize went to Mariam Ouedraogo of Sidwaya for her reporting in Burkina Faso, which has suffered two coups this year.

In television, Theo Maneval and Pierre Dehoorne won the first Amnesty International prize for "Viktor and the kiss of war" in Ukraine for France 5, with the large format prize going to Philip Cox of the Guardian for "The Spiderman of Sudan".

For radio, the international jury awarded the prize to Maurine Mercier, who recorded the testimony of a mother and her daughter on "two weeks of rape and terror in Bucha", also in Ukraine, for France Info - RTS.

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This came on Wednesday during a seminar organised by the FEC under the rubric "Opportunities to develop Egyptian food industries exports" on the sidelines of the SIAL Paris fair.

El-Dawy explained that France came in 23rd on the list of the most important markets importing Egyptian processed food in 2021.

He said that 135 Egyptian companies exported processed food to France in 2021.

The FEC announced these figures as it will participate in SIAL International Food Exhibition in Paris, which is considered the world's largest professional meeting in the food sector.

The exhibition, held from 15 to 19 October, will see the participation of 73 Egyptian companies to shed light on the progress attained by the Egyptian food industries, director of exhibitions at the FEC Heba Sohail said.

Sohail made the remarks during a symposium organised by the FEC in cooperation with the Egyptian Commercial Service (ECS).

The FEC has been keen on participating in the Paris-hosted exhibition for the last 20 years, she added, noting that the exhibition represents a perfect opportunity for the Egyptian companies to promote their exports.
"Sonatrach and its partner Naturgy have agreed to revise the prices of the existing long-term gas supply contracts taking into account market developments," the Algerian firm said in a statement.

It did not say which way they would be revised, but natural gas prices have more than doubled in Europe since Russia's February invasion of Ukraine, as Russia cuts back supplies in suspected retaliation against Western sanctions.

Algeria, Africa's top natural gas exporter, has signed a flurry of deals with southern European governments and energy firms seeking to offset the fallout, delivering a cash windfall for Algeria.

But experts have cast doubt over its ability to boost production in the short term.

The Spanish government in July urged energy firms to reduce their imports of gas from Russia.

But ties between Madrid and Algiers have been cold since the government of Pedro Sanchez in March dropped decades of neutrality on the Western Sahara conflict, backing an autonomy plan drafted by Algeria's arch-rival Morocco.

Algeria in June suspended its 2002 friendship treaty with Spain, but has said gas deliveries will continue.

Sonatrach supplied more than 40 percent of Spain's natural gas imports in 2021 through the deep-sea Medgaz pipeline.

Naturgy is Spain's top buyer of Algerian gas, which represents over a fifth of the firm's total gas purchases.

Spanish gas regulator Enagas says Algeria was the country's second gas supplier (24 percent) in August, behind the United States (26.5 percent).

But Algeria's share has dropped in recent months as Spain has increased its imports from other sources.
A wave of unrest has rocked Iran since the 22-year-old Kurdish woman's death was announced on September 16 after her arrest in Tehran for allegedly failing to observe the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women.

Anger over her death has sparked the biggest wave of protests to rock Iran in almost three years and a crackdown that has seen scores of protesters killed and hundreds arrested.

Despite the security forces' use of lethal force in a bid to crush them, the protests have continued for 20 consecutive days and nights, according to online videos verified by AFP.



This UGC image made available on Twitter on October 7, 2022, shows a man walking past the fountain of Park Daneshjoo or Student Park in the Iranian capital Tehran, reportedly coloured red in protest against a bloody crackdown on three weeks of protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini. AFP

Images of the blood-red fountains were shared online by the 1500tasvir social media channel that monitors violations in the Islamic republic.

The fountains shown are located in downtown Tehran -- in Student Park, Fatemi Square and Artists' Park.



This UGC image made available on Twitter on October 7, 2022, Fatemi Square in the Iranian capital Tehran, with the water of its fountains reportedly coloured red in protest against a bloody crackdown on three weeks of protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini. AFP

Activists who took to Twitter described the red fountains as "works of art" titled "Tehran covered in blood", adding that they were created by an anonymous artist.

The BBC's Persian service said later the water had been drained, although traces of red could still be seen on the fountains, in images it published on Instagram.

Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights says at least 92 protesters have been killed so far in the crackdown that has seen sweeping restrictions imposed on the internet, including blocks on Instagram and WhatsApp.



A man looking at the water reportedly coloured red in protest against a deadly crackdown on three weeks of protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, in a fountain outside the Artists Forum at Honarmandan Park in the Iranian capital Tehran, on October 7, 2022. AFP

Iranian security forces have rounded up high-profile supporters of the movement, including activists, journalists and pop stars.

Despite such measures, the demonstrations have continued in towns and cities nationwide.

"Death to the dictator," a group of young women can be heard chanting in the northern city of Rasht in a video posted online Thursday and verified by AFP.

Other verified footage shows women shouting "Azadi", Persian for freedom, and clapping loudly as they march down a street in the city of Qods, west of the capital.

Amnesty International has verified the deaths of 52 people killed by Iran's security forces, but says it believes the "real death toll is far higher".

In a statement issued a week ago, the London-based rights group said Iran was intentionally using lethal force to crush the women-led protests.

It said it had obtained a leaked document issued to armed forces commanders in all provinces on September 21 ordering them to "severely confront" protesters.

Another leaked document showed the commander in Mazandaran province told forces to "confront mercilessly, going as far as causing deaths, any unrest by rioters and anti-revolutionaries".
A defence ministry statement blamed the assault on the base in Garabtisan in the north of the tiny Horn of Africa nation on the "Armed FRUD" (Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy), describing it as a "terrorist group".

"Despite the fact that our soldiers defended themselves valiantly, this attack caused the death of seven of our soldiers, wounded four and left six missing," it said in a statement.

"This gang is well known for its odious and criminal acts of terrorising and pillaging in remote areas of the country," it said, adding that all efforts were being made to pursue the assailants and find the missing.

There was no update on Saturday from the authorities.

Recruited among the Afar community of northern Djibouti, the FRUD launched a rebellion against the government in 1991, saying it wanted to defend Afar interests against the Issas, the other large ethnic community in the country.

The group later splintered and while the FRUD is a member of the ruling UMP coalition that backs long-serving President Ismail Omar Guelleh, the armed wing remains committed to armed resistance.

FRUD said it condemned the attack, describing it as "unjustifiable in the current context of political pluralism".

"It is a terrorist act aimed at creating a climate of war and instability in our country," it said in a statement.

Situated on one of the world's busiest shipping routes where the Red Sea joins the Gulf of Aden, Djibouti hosts the only US and Chinese military bases in Africa and the largest overseas French army base.
"Egypt extends its deepest condolences and sincere sympathy for the government and people of Djibouti as well as the families of the victims, and wishes the injured a speedy recovery, said the foreign ministry in a statement on Sunday.

The soldiers were killed in an assault by a rebel group on a military barracks in Garabtisan in the north of the country in the early hours of Friday leaving seven dead, four wounded and six missing.

The country blamed the attack on the "Armed FRUD" (Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy), according to a Djiboutian defence ministry statement.

The statement described it as a "terrorist group," adding "this gang is well known for its odious and criminal acts of terrorising and pillaging in remote areas of the country."

All efforts were being made to pursue the assailants and find the missing, the statement said.

The FRUD  which recruits among the Afar community of northern Djibouti  launched a rebellion against the government in 1991, saying it wanted to defend Afar interests against the Issas, the other large ethnic community in the country.

The group later splintered and while the FRUD is now a member of the ruling UMP coalition that backs long-serving President Ismail Omar Guelleh, the armed wing remains committed to violence.

In a statement reported by AFP, the FRUD condemned the attack, saying "it is a terrorist act aimed at creating a climate of war and instability in our country."

Djibouti is located on the northeast coast of the Horn of Africa.

It is also located at the crossroad of one of the world's busiest shipping where the Red Sea joins the Gulf of Aden.
The Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) will feature six Egyptian films in its upcoming 44th edition, taking place between 13 and 22 November.





The list includes one feature narrative film participating in the International Competition, 19 B, and four shorts competing in the Short Film Competition; My Girlfriend, Mama, From the Work of the Devil, and The Interview, in addition to one feature documentary, Far from the Nile, to be featured in the opening of the Horizons of Arab Cinema programme.

While Kawthar Younis My Girlfriend will have its MENA premiere after its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, the five other Egyptian films will have their world premiere during the CIFF, as confirmed by festival director Amir Ramses

Egyptian cinema is witnessing an awakening that is reflected in its strong presence at the festival with different feature narratives, shorts, and documentaries, which should make us all proud, Ramses stated.

The CIFF is one of the longest running film festivals in the Arab world and Africa and the only festival in the region to be accredited as an A festival by the International Federation of Film Producers.

Details about the six films have been announced by the CIFF as follows:

My Girlfriend



17 Minutes

Directed by Kawthar Younis

Synopsis: Desperate for intimacy, Ali follows his girlfriends suggestion, which puts their relationship to the test. The plan unfolds unexpectedly when gender roles become blurred. The film stars Marc Haggar and Elham Safieddine.

Mama



20 Minutes

Directed by Naji Ismail

Starring Mai El Gheity

Synopsis: A 21-year-old girl is hiding a terrifying secret to protect herself and her brother.

From the Work of the Devil



21 Minutes

Directed by Dessil Mekhtigian

Synopsis: After 10 years, a young woman returns to Cairo to organise an exhibition on the pioneer Armenian photographers who archived Egypt through time. During preparations, the surroundings make her realise the reason behind her return.

The Interview



15 Minutes

Directed by Hind Metwally

Starring Sarrah Abdelrahman

Synopsis: Nadia has to choose between looking after her suicidally depressed mother and attending a job interview which could change her life and provide for her family.

Far from the Nile



99 Minutes

Directed by Sherif El Katsha

Synopsis: Twelve musicians from seven countries along the River Nile speaking different languages and playing different musical styles struggle to collaborate on their four-month tour in the United States.

19B



Directed by Ahmad Abdalla

Starring Sayed Ragab, Ahmed Khaled Saleh, Nahed El-Sebai, and Fadwa Abed

Read more about 19B here.

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KYODO NEWS - Oct 9, 2022 - 15:51 | All, Japan, World

North Korea test-fired two ballistic missiles early Sunday, the Japanese and South Korean governments said, a day after denouncing a military exercise near the Korean Peninsula involving a U.S aircraft carrier for raising regional tensions.

Both missiles, which North Korea fired into waters to its east at around 1:47 a.m. and 1:53 a.m., fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone after traveling an estimated 350 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 100 km, according to Japanese officials.

Since late September, North Korea has conducted missile tests at a pace never before seen. Before the recent cluster, there had been a test hiatus of almost four months.

The latest test, the 25th this year, came days after the nuclear-armed nation launched a ballistic missile over the Japanese archipelago for the first time in five years.

Senior Vice Defense Minister Toshiro Ino told reporters North Korean missile launches "threaten the peace and safety of our nation, the region and the international community...so we strongly condemn" them.

There were no reports of damage to aircraft or ships, he said, adding the government is analyzing the possibility the projectiles were submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

"We should continue to closely monitor future provocative actions," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters in the central Japan city of Suzuka.

Kishida said the government is still checking whether they were SLBMs.

The South Korean military said North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from near the Munchon area on its east coast, with their top speed reaching Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.

South Korea's presidential office convened a National Security Council meeting and warned North Korea that its flurry of weapons tests could further isolate it from the international community and eventually destabilize the regime.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry said its top nuclear envoy Kim Gunn had one-to-one phone conversations with his Japanese and U.S. counterparts and agreed Pyongyang's missile tests, using military exercises by Seoul and Washington as a pretext, are intolerable.

With Kim and Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for North Korea, Japan's Foreign Ministry said Takehiro Funakoshi reaffirmed their belief that the missile spree is a serious and imminent threat to the security of the region and a clear challenge to the international community.

The missile fired on Tuesday over Japan traveled 4,600 km, the longest distance ever for a projectile launched by North Korea, putting it within reach of the U.S. territory of Guam.

It led the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan to return to waters near the peninsula for further military exercises with South Korea.

A spokesman for North Korea's Defense Ministry on Saturday slammed the aircraft carrier's presence, describing it as "an event of considerably huge negative splash to the regional situation."

He said North Korea's armed forces are "seriously approaching the extremely worrisome development of the present situation."

The latest test, the seventh round of missile launches in two weeks, came after South Korea and the United States concluded a two-day naval exercise in the Sea of Japan on Saturday, the eve of the 77th anniversary of the founding of the North's ruling Workers' Party.

The Ronald Reagan also participated in drills with South Korea's navy from Sept. 26 to 29, before Japan joined the first anti-submarine exercise in five years involving the three countries.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said it had assessed that Sunday's missile launch did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. territory or its allies but highlighted the "destabilizing impact" of North Korea's "unlawful" weapons programs.

The Japanese prime minister instructed officials to prepare for contingencies, do their utmost to swiftly provide necessary information to the public and ensure the safety of aircraft and ships, according to his office.

Still, fears remain that North Korea could engage in additional provocative actions, including its seventh nuclear test which would be its first since September 2017.

There are no signs that North Korea is willing to stop developing weapons that are banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang will not yield to international economic sanctions and pledged that he will never give up the nuclear weapons the nation needs to defend itself from U.S. military threats.
KYODO NEWS - Oct 9, 2022 - 18:52 | World, All

China's Communist Party opened Sunday a meeting of senior members who will make final arrangements for its twice-a-decade congress where leader Xi Jinping is expected to secure an unprecedented third five-year term as party general secretary.

The seventh plenary session of the ruling party's 19th Central Committee, which is expected to run for around four days, will discuss a draft work report to be delivered by Xi at the congress, due to start Oct. 16, and finalize plans for China's top leadership for the next five years.

The work report, which will outline basic policies as well as development goals of the party and the nation through 2027, is also expected to detail achievements in the 10 years since Xi became party chief in 2012.

Security was very tight around the Beijing facility where the closed-door gathering is being held, with Chinese state-run media confirming the plenary session had begun in the morning.

The party is expected to issue a communique summary through the media on the last day of the session.

The Communist Party is expected to amend its constitution at the upcoming congress to incorporate wording that indicates Xi's unswerving power and authority has been cemented, according to several party sources.

In September, the party's Politburo decided to incorporate into the constitution "major theoretical viewpoints and strategic thoughts," with some sources saying the supreme rule will stipulate Xi's prominent status that justifies a long-term rule.

A pivotal resolution on the country's modern history adopted by the party last year touted Xi's accomplishments since he became its leader in 2012.

The previous congress in 2017 enshrined in the party constitution "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era," making his status comparable to Communist-led China's founding father Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, the architect of the country's reform efforts.

With the amendment to the party constitution, all Communist Party members will be obliged to protect Xi's prominent status, one of the sources said.

Xi explained a work report at the Sunday meeting, while Wang Huning, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and the country's top ideological theorist, talked about a draft amendment to the Communist Party constitution, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

The congress will take stock of the party's work over the past five years, "with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in uniting and leading the whole Party and Chinese people of all ethnic groups to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era," Xinhua said.

The identity of the successor to Premier Li Keqiang, 67, who is set to retire next spring, and whether Li will stay on in the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee -- the country's highest decision-making body -- even after retirement, have been drawing attention.

Li is in charge of mapping out the nation's economic policies. Speculation has been building that Wang Yang, 67, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, or Vice Premier Hu Chunhua, 59, may succeed Li.

The 20th National Congress of the party, the most important political event in China this year, is expected to run for a week and be attended by about 2,300 delegates from across the country. It will choose the members of the Central Committee.

A day after the conclusion of the congress, members of the Politburo and its Standing Committee will be selected at the first plenary session of the party's 20th Central Committee. The Politburo now has 25 members.

In 2018, China removed from its Constitution a two-term limit for the president and vice president, paving the way for the 69-year-old Xi to hold power for life.
Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) Chief Executive Officer Nouf Abdulrahman Jamsheer has commended the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, to replace the Flexi Permit with a set of new labour market reforms.

Jamsheer pointed out that the new labour market reforms will include the registration of all current holders of Flexi permits and those without a valid work permit through the labour registration centres.

She revealed that more inspections will be conducted to identify employers and workers engaging in illegal activity, and that work permits will be linked to vocational and occupational standards to support a more vibrant labour market.

The new reforms have been introduced to safeguard the rights of employers, workers, and the Kingdom's business community, she added.

With regards to the registration requirements, Jamsheer made it clear that only those workers can register who reside in Bahrain, have not absconded from their jobs and have a clear criminal record.

Applications will not be accepted from those who entered the country on a visit visa, she stated.

Registered workers will not be permitted to obtain a commercial registration, or work in specialised professions except after obtaining a license to practice the profession or equivalent from the relevant authorities, she added.

Jamsheer noted that registered workers will be required to pay for health fees, and provide departure insurance.

"Flexi Permit holders will be given a period of time to register under the new system, ensuring that they have sufficient time to meet the requirements of the new changes," said the top official.

She said that, in coordination with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the private sector, new labour registration centres and an online registration section in the "Sijilat" portal will be established to increase ease of worker registration.

"The registration centres will maintain an up-to-date list of data that includes workers' information, their places of residence, and bank account details, in addition to ensuring that the registrants obtain the required health certificate and professional accreditations and are accessible if required," noted Jamsheer.

According to her, the approved centres can register workers through the LMRA's website, which will contribute to the government's efforts in protecting human rights, addressing the issue of irregular employment, and gaining a clearer picture of the Kingdom's labour market demands.
NEW YORK, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- A scholar has found that history textbooks in the United States traditionally came to focus on the experiences of white Americans and downplay the experiences of Black Americans, the Time magazine has reported.

Donald Yacovone, a Harvard University researcher, analyzed 220 history textbooks from 1832 to the present day, and found that textbooks mostly focused on national politics, the magazine reported on Tuesday last week.

The overwhelming majority of the history textbooks "treated the introduction of African Americans in American society as a 'problem,'" Yacovone was quoted by the magazine as saying.

"The further you go into the 20th century, this almost Evangelical theme of 'the problem of a Negro' and how much he needed to be controlled because he was so inept and ignorant became the guiding theme of American history textbooks," Yacovone added. 
Photo taken on Oct. 1, 2022 shows a toll station on the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (PPSHV Expressway/Handout via Xinhua)

The Chinese-invested Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway was opened to traffic on Oct. 1 for a month's trial operation for free after more than three years of construction.

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- More than 80,000 vehicles had traveled on Cambodia's first-ever expressway in the first week of its trial operation, according to data released by the freeway operator on Saturday.

"From Oct. 1 to 7, the total traffic volume on the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway was 80,231," data from the Cambodian PPSHV Expressway Company showed. "On average, the daily traffic volume was about 11,460."

The Chinese-invested Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway was opened to traffic on Oct. 1 for a month's trial operation for free after more than three years of construction.

Aerial photo taken on July 16, 2022 shows the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway project in Preah Sihanouk Province, Cambodia. (Photo by Li Zhen/Xinhua)

The Ministry of Public Works and Transport said both private cars and cargo trucks were seen on the freeway.

"This proves that the expressway is indeed a potential economic route," the ministry said.

Invested by the China Road and Bridge Corporation, the 2-billion-U.S. dollar expressway with a total length of 187 km connects the capital Phnom Penh and the deep-sea port province of Preah Sihanouk.

The expressway has two lanes for traffic in each direction plus an emergency lane on each side and is paved with asphalt concrete. It can shorten the previous five-hour drive on National Road 4 to about two hours between Phnom Penh and the coastal city of Sihanoukville.

The expressway project is the fruit of cooperation between Cambodia and China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

"The road plays an essential role in helping boost Cambodia's economic growth as it links the capital city to the country's largest seaport," Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol said during a recent visit to the project.

Ministry of Commerce's Undersecretary of State Penn Sovicheat told Xinhua that the expressway is crucial to boosting the economy and tourism, saying that it helps ease traffic congestion, save travel time, and reduce transportation costs. 
Martin Azzopardi, St. Margaret College Secondary School's science teacher who founded the school's China Corner, speaks at the letter delivery ceremony in Cospicua, Malta, on Oct. 6, 2022. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)

VALLETTA, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Teachers and students at St. Margaret College Secondary School in Cospicua said they are determined to nurture and carry on the great friendship between Malta and China.

They expressed the hope as Chinese Ambassador to Malta Yu Dunhai on Thursday officially delivered a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping in reply to teachers and students of the school's China Corner.

In the letter, Xi encouraged more Maltese youth to actively participate in people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries. Xi wished the China Corner even greater success in the future, and welcomed faculty members and students to China for exchanges and study.

The China Corner was founded in 2010 by Martin Azzopardi, a science teacher at the school, with the aim of bringing "China" to his classroom following his first visit to the country. The Maltese government, the Chinese Embassy in Malta and the China Cultural Centre in Malta provided him with a lot of support.

"I feel highly grateful. I cannot believe that the Chinese president found the time to read my letter and kindly replied to it personally. This again demonstrates the kindness and humbleness of the Chinese people. I will treasure this letter throughout my life," said Azzopardi.

In July, Azzopardi and his students wrote a letter to the Chinese president, expressing their best wishes for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malta and China. The letter elaborated on the colorful activities carried out by the China Corner, as well as the efforts it made to promote multicultural understanding and enhance the Malta-China friendship.

Maltese Education Minister Clifton Grima said at the delivery ceremony that the Chinese president places high value on the work of the China Corner, as education indeed serves as a gateway to knowing other countries' cultures and also a bridge for cultural exchanges between countries.

Hailing the achievements of Malta-China collaboration in the past 50 years since the establishment of their diplomatic relations, the minister encouraged the China Corner to work even harder in the future to make more contribution to the bilateral friendship.

Aimee Bugeja, a 15-year-old student, was among those writing the letter to Xi. "Having a China Corner in our school is an opportunity for students to open up to another culture and helps us understand the beauty of China," she said, deeming it also an opportunity to learn to "build bridges and not walls" between different countries and cultures.

The China Corner, deeply loved by students of St. Margaret College Secondary School, provides them with lectures and various activities on the traditional Chinese culture and technologies such as tea ceremony, calligraphy, traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese ceramics, silk weaving, among others.

Joseph Ellul, head of the school, said the China Corner has brought students much closer to the beautiful and rich Chinese culture.

The China Corner and the Chinese language program of the school will "continue to promote the Chinese culture among our students and consolidate the friendship and understanding between the people of Malta and China, a relationship that has been steadily strengthened for the past 50 years," he said.

Xi's reply letter spoke highly of the active role the China Corner has played in enhancing Maltese young people's understanding about China and boosting the friendship between the two countries, Yu, the Chinese ambassador, said at the ceremony.

He voiced hope that the teachers and students will live up to Xi's wish and continue to serve as a bridge of cultural exchanges between the two countries.

The embassy stands ready to offer any assistance to the China Corner, especially on Chinese language teaching, he added.

Thursday's ceremony was "an encouraging moment for me and my students to keep on going," Azzopardi told Xinhua. "I hope students can inherit the friendship between Malta and China and continue to push it forward. The China Corner is a means to enhance the friendship between the two countries."

Ellul said he hoped teachers and students in his school will have the opportunity to go to China for study and visit in the future.

"China is a country that we wish to remain friends and build more projects together in the future," he said. 
LHASA, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The total output of the culture industry in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region grew more than fourfold to 6.9 billion yuan (about 971.9 million U.S. dollars) over the past decade, local authorities said.

The output registered an annual growth rate of over 15 percent on average, Gan Liquan, deputy director of the regional department of culture, told a press conference on Sunday.

Over the past decade, more than 400 million yuan, earmarked by both the central and regional governments, was spent on the protection of intangible cultural heritage, Gan added.

Tibet now has three items (Gesar, Tibetan opera, and Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa) included on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. There are 106 items on the national intangible cultural heritage list with 96 state-level representative bearers and 460 items on the regional list with 522 regional-level representative bearers.

The region has named eight counties, townships, and villages with intangible cultural heritage characteristics, and 19 intangible cultural heritage tourist attractions.

A total of 121 intangible cultural heritage workshops have been established in the region, creating jobs for 3,053 people from 2,271 households and increasing monthly incomes by more than 3,200 yuan on average, Gan said. 
* The Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S), nicknamed Kuafu-1 in Chinese, was launched aboard a Long March-2D rocket at 07:43 a.m. (Beijing Time) and entered its planned orbit successfully.



* The solar observatory, named after Kuafu, a giant in Chinese mythology who indefatigably chased the sun, will extend its working hours to over 96 percent of the year.

* Kuafu-1, with three payloads onboard -- the Lyman-alpha Solar Telescope (LST), the Hard X-ray Imager (HXI), and the Full-disk Vector MagnetoGraph (FMG) -- is an all-rounder satellite specially designed for solar detection.

* Kuafu-1's scientific objectives are described as the probe on "1M2B" -- M for the solar magnetic field and two Bs for two violent bursts, i.e. solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and their potential interplay.

By Xinhua writers Zhou Zhou, Wang Juebin, Li Guoli

JIUQUAN, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- China sent a solar exploration satellite into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Sunday, furthering the country's scientific endeavor to unravel the mysteries of the Sun.

The Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S), nicknamed Kuafu-1 in Chinese, was launched aboard a Long March-2D rocket at 07:43 a.m. (Beijing Time) and entered its planned orbit successfully.

A Long March-2D carrier rocket carrying the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S) blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Oct. 9, 2022. (Photo by Wang Jiangbo/Xinhua)

After four to six months of testing, the 859-kg satellite will start normal operation 720 kilometers away from the Earth to study the causality between the solar magnetic field and two major eruptive phenomena, namely solar flares and coronal mass ejections, thus providing data support for space weather forecasting.

CHASING THE SUN

The solar observatory, named after Kuafu, a giant in Chinese mythology who indefatigably chased the sun, will extend its working hours to over 96 percent of the year.

A space-borne observatory running at a sun-synchronous orbit is not hampered by the Earth's rotations, while an Earth-based telescope can see the Sun only in the daytime.

"ASO-S is capable of probing the Sun 24 hours daily for most of the year," said Gan Weiqun, the satellite's principal scientist from the Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). "Its longest daily time-out is no more than 18 minutes when briefly running through the shadow of Earth each day from May to August."

The solar probe, with a projected life of no less than four years, is designed to accumulate and transmit back some 500 gigabytes of data within a day, which is equivalent to tens of thousands of high-quality images.

"The onboard detectors take pictures every few seconds or minutes, and during solar eruptions, they can rapidly increase their shutter speed to only one second so as to capture solar activities with more details," said Huang Yu, associate chief designer of ASO-S science application system.

During its in-orbit operation, three ground stations in the cities of Sanya, Kashgar, and Beijing, far apart from each other, will receive data from space, before sending them in packages over the next four years to a 2,048-core powerful computer mounted at the PMO for decoding.

VERSATILE PROBE

Kuafu-1, with three payloads onboard -- the Lyman-alpha Solar Telescope (LST), the Hard X-ray Imager (HXI), and the Full-disk Vector MagnetoGraph (FMG) -- is an all-rounder satellite specially designed for solar detection.

It marked the second milestone for the country's solar exploration endeavor after the satellite Xihe, a pathfinder in China's solar exploration, was launched into space in October 2021.

Operating also in a sun-synchronous orbit at an average altitude of 517 km, Xihe carried a solar H-alpha imaging spectrometer as its main scientific payload, obtaining for the first time globally, the fine structure of solar H-alpha, SiI, and FeI spectral lines in orbit.

Kuafu-1 is set to add another piece of our host star's spectral jigsaw. The LST installed on it can seamlessly collect the Lyman-alpha light near the corona emitted from the full disk of the sun.

The wave band of Lyman-alpha, representing the neutral hydrogen spectra released by more than 70 percent of the solar mass, is known to be the strongest ultraviolet emission line that affects the Earth's ionosphere.

The full-disk Lyman-alpha observations will open a fresh window that may reveal new solar physics, said Feng Li, the LST data scientist from PMO. "They're the first of its kind in the world that images from the disc center to a 2.5 solar radius."

HXI, installed on the Kuafu-1, will probe the non-thermal high-energy electrons accelerated in solar flares in the energy ranging from between 30 and 200 keV, with more than 90 tungsten optical gratings at each side.

"A single grating, with a diameter in centimeters, is divided into thousands of slits, the slightest of them only 18 microns," said Su Yang, HXI's data scientist from PMO. "The array constitutes a compound eye for X-rays and see the big picture and details at once."

CLOSE INVESTIGATION

Now, the farthest reaches of the universe have been put within the radius of human observations, but the sun remains "the only star accessible for our close investigation," according to Gan.

Kuafu-1's scientific objectives are described as the probe on "1M2B" -- M for the solar magnetic field and two Bs for two violent bursts, i.e. solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and their potential interplay.

"Our understanding of the sun is far from profound, and how could solar flares and CMEs take place and affect our planet is still not that clear," said Gan. "The sun is the most familiar but the strangest star to humankind."

Solar flares are the intense localized eruptions of electromagnetic radiation in the sun's atmosphere, while CMEs are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun's corona.

LST will increase the probe accuracy on CMEs by about three orders of magnitude, compared with a probe in visible light, while HXI is able to obtain rich characteristic information on solar flares simultaneously, including location, shape, radiation intensity, and time evolution.

FMG can measure the complicated solar magnetic field, a crucial factor that may influence solar flares and CMEs. Its precision reaches 5 gauss, merely a thousandth of the sunspot magnetic field intensity, said Zhang Haiying, an FMG designer from Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics & Technology under CAS.

"The detector can image the full disk magnetically in such a similar accuracy every 18 minutes during solar eruptions, making up a movie that can help us unravel the secrets of how the sun is discharging its tremendous energy," said Zhang.

Gan said the 1M2B allows scientists to "know more about how the solar activities took shape and evolve," and it also "lays the physical basis for forecasting the space weather."

The 11-year solar cycle, starting in the latter half of 2020 and coming to a close in about 2031, is expected to see its peak in 2024 to 2025, with frequent solar eruptions that may cripple the global communication and positioning as happened at its last peak on Halloween of 2003.

"Kuafu-1 was launched at a timing that the ascending curve of solar activity, from dormancy to its most dynamic stage, can be continuously catalogued," said Gan.

"Specifically, the LST can serve as a space weather forecaster to raise alerts of CMEs 40 hours in advance to secure an earlier prevention on Earth." Enditem

(Zhang Quan also contributed to the story. Video reporters: Lin Kai, Wang Juebin; Video editor: Zhou Zhou.)
JERUSALEM, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli police arrested on Sunday six Palestinians for their suspected links to a deadly shooting attack in East Jerusalem on Saturday, as the search for the shooter is still underway.

The gunman opened fire at a military checkpoint near Shuafat, a Palestinian neighborhood of East Jerusalem, killing Noa Lazar, an 18-year-old female sergeant with the military police, the military said in a statement.

Four other people were injured, including a security guard who sustained serious injuries, according to a statement issued by the Israeli police.

Police said army troops, police officers and Shin Bet internal security agents have been on a large-scale manhunt since Saturday night for the shooter identified as Udi Tamimi, a 22-year-old resident of the refugee camp of Shuafat.

In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid offered condolences to the family of the killed soldier and vowed to "bring the heinous murderers to justice."

The shooting came just hours after the Israeli troops killed two Palestinian teenagers during a raid in the occupied West Bank. The two Palestinians, aged 14 and 17, were shot dead on Friday by Israeli forces in clashes in two separate locations in the West Bank.

This is the latest bloodletting in mounting tensions between Israelis and Palestinians amid nightly Israeli military raids, which, according to figures issued by the Red Crescent, have claimed the lives of at least 100 Palestinians since January. 
Five decades after she began her career as a community worker in E China, 74-yr-old Lin Dan remains committed to serving the local residents with undiminished enthusiasm. She is also a delegate to the upcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service




TEHRAN, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian government spokesman said 480 thalassemia patients have died in Iran over the past four years because of the U.S. sanctions which impede Iran's import of medicine for rare diseases.

Because of the sanctions, 70 thalassemia patients lost their lives in 2018, 90 in 2019, 140 in 2020, and 180 in 2021, Ali Bahadori Jahromi said in a late Saturday tweet.

In addition, 220 thalassemia patients could die this year for the same reason, while EB (epidermolysis bullosa) patients and those suffering from other rare diseases are also among the victims of the sanctions on Iran each year, he added.

Also on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in an Instagram post that all Iranians have been indiscriminately targeted by Washington's unprecedented sanctions, which are affecting their livelihoods, jobs, and health.

"Every day, a new list of sanctions against Iran is issued under an excuse," he noted.

The U.S. sanctions against Iran have intensified since 2018, the year when Washington pulled out of a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

Although the United States claims that humanitarian items, including medicine and foodstuff, are not included in the sanctions list, its embargoes on Iran's oil exports and banking sector have, in practice, prevented the country from importing such goods. 
BEIJING, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The number of valid invention patents on the Chinese mainland has exceeded 3 million, with a rising proportion in the field of digital technologies, the National Intellectual Property Administration said on Sunday.

As of September, there were over 3.15 million valid invention patents held on the Chinese mainland, said Ge Shu, an official with the administration, at a press conference.

More than 30 percent of the Chinese patents belonged to strategic emerging industries, such as new energy vehicles, digital creativity, and high-end equipment manufacturing, and 13 percent have a patent term of over 10 years, according to the official.

As of July, 326,000 Chinese enterprises were holding 2.09 million valid invention patents.

Ge stressed the growth of patents in the field of digital technologies, saying that computer technology, measurements, and digital communications were the top three industries in the number of valid invention patents in China as of July.

The patent number has further enhanced China's international status as an innovation power, Ge said. 
Demonstrators rally for abortion rights in Washington, D.C., the United States, Oct. 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Women's March organizers said they planned 450 demonstrations across the United States on Saturday to demand abortion rights.

Hundreds of pro-abortion activists descended on Folger Park in southeast Washington, D.C. before marching onto Capitol Hill at noon.

"We won't go back, we won't go back," participants of Women's March could be heard chanting while a small group of counter-demonstrators appeared nearby to spread their messages.

Rallies calling for abortion rights were also held in New York, Charlotte, Phoenix, Seattle, Milwaukee, and other cities.

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in late June, which eliminated the constitutional protection of abortion rights for women.

In the 100 days since the reversal of the 1973 ruling, 66 clinics in the United States stopped providing abortion, according to an analysis published by the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights think tank, adding that nearly 22 million, or 29 percent, of women of reproductive age live in a state where abortion is banned or limited to a six-week gestational age.

Abortion has been one of the most divisive issues in the United States and is expected to be a top issue for American voters in the midterm elections in November. 

Demonstrators rally for abortion rights in Washington, D.C., the United States, Oct. 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Demonstrators rally for abortion rights in Washington, D.C., the United States, Oct. 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
The Abu Dhabi Government will showcase more than 100 innovative digital initiatives and projects in the field of digital transformation at Gitex Global 2022, which will be held from October 10 to 14 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

In its eleventh year of participation, and under the theme of Leading the Digital Future, the Abu Dhabi Government is supporting more than 30 government and academic entities at the Abu Dhabi Government Pavilion.

The participation of the Abu Dhabi Government at Gitex Global 2022 comes under the supervision of the Higher Committee of Digital Government in Abu Dhabi as part of its efforts to implement a governance framework across the Abu Dhabi government and make a fundamental change in the concept of government services, moving towards a digital future. It comes in line with efforts to enable an integrated digital government based on innovation and creativity to serve all members of society in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi while strengthening partnerships between government entities and the private sector.

Key pillars

Gitex Global 2022 offers the Abu Dhabi Government an opportunity to showcase the initiatives of government entities that were launched within the key pillars of the Abu Dhabi digital agenda, which includes government services, digital government solutions, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital ecosystem enablement.

Ali Rashid Al Ketbi, Chairman of the Department of Government Support - Abu Dhabi, said: The importance of Gitex Global 2022 lies in it being a global platform to enhance strategic partnerships between public and private sectors, explore new opportunities for meaningful cooperation with academia and major global technology companies to support Abu Dhabi's digital agenda. Gitex is a great opportunity to exchange experiences and share knowledge about emerging technologies and global initiatives, thus contributing to accelerating digital transformation in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Al Ketbi added: with its participation at Gitex Global 2022, the Abu Dhabi Government aims to showcase the achievements of the emirate in the areas of digital transformation and how we have built on those achievements, the latest of which was the transfer of all Abu Dhabi government services to the Abu Dhabi unified government services ecosystem TAMM. Through TAMM, government services were transformed to become 100% digital services, allowing the community in Abu Dhabi to easily access all government services in the Emirate and achieve their transactions smoothly and quickly.

Digital transformation

Dr Mohamed Abdel Hamid Al Askar, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Digital Authority, said: We are showcasing new digital initiatives, exploring innovative ideas, and adopting digital technologies that help them advance and succeed in the field of digital transformation.

Al Askar stressed the importance of the pavilion as a platform to enhance cooperation and partnership between government entities that participate under one umbrella and unite with one goal  to enhance the quality of life for the community and achieve happiness for all residents of Abu Dhabi.

During Gitex Global 2022, the Abu Dhabi government pavilion will also host a series of events, including a Capture the Flag competition, which is one of the most known cybersecurity competitions in the world. The ethical hacking competition aims to enhance the skills of ethical hackers, a group of cybersecurity researchers who work to penetrate websites, apps and computer networks to test their security levels and anticipate hacking attacks that companies and government entities could be exposed to.-- TradeArabia News Service
A student with a painted face participates in a face painting competition during Wildlife Week at Van Vihar National Park and Zoo in Bhopal, the capital city of India's Madhya Pradesh state, Oct. 7, 2022. (Str/Xinhua)

BHOPAL, India, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Wildlife Week is celebrated in India in the month of October every year to promote the conservation and protection of animal and plant life. In Van Vihar National Park and Zoo in Bhopal, the capital of India's central Madhya Pradesh state, students with painted faces participate in a face-painting competition during the Wildlife Week.

A student with a painted face participates in a face painting competition during Wildlife Week at Van Vihar National Park and Zoo in Bhopal, the capital city of India's Madhya Pradesh state, Oct. 7, 2022. (Str/Xinhua)

A student with a painted face participates in a face painting competition during Wildlife Week at Van Vihar National Park and Zoo in Bhopal, the capital city of India's Madhya Pradesh state, Oct. 7, 2022. (Str/Xinhua)

Students with a painted face participate in a face painting competition during Wildlife Week at Van Vihar National Park and Zoo in Bhopal, the capital city of India's Madhya Pradesh state, Oct. 7, 2022. (Str/Xinhua)

A student with a painted face participates in a face painting competition during Wildlife Week at Van Vihar National Park and Zoo in Bhopal, the capital city of India's Madhya Pradesh state, Oct. 7, 2022. (Str/Xinhua)

A student with a painted face participates in a face painting competition during Wildlife Week at Van Vihar National Park and Zoo in Bhopal, the capital city of India's Madhya Pradesh state, Oct. 7, 2022. (Str/Xinhua)

Students with a painted face participate in a face painting competition during Wildlife Week at Van Vihar National Park and Zoo in Bhopal, the capital city of India's Madhya Pradesh state, Oct. 7, 2022. (Str/Xinhua)

Students with a painted face participate in a face painting competition during Wildlife Week at Van Vihar National Park and Zoo in Bhopal, the capital city of India's Madhya Pradesh state, Oct. 7, 2022. (Str/Xinhua)

A student with a painted face participates in a face painting competition during Wildlife Week at Van Vihar National Park and Zoo in Bhopal, the capital city of India's Madhya Pradesh state, Oct. 7, 2022. (Str/Xinhua) 
A worker checks electric heaters at a company in Foshan, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 29, 2022. Foshan from June to August this year saw the export of heating equipments to countries of the European Union in worth of 94 million yuan (about 13.2 million U.S. dollars), up 154.4 percent year-on-year. (Xinhua/Huang Guobao)

A worker checks electric heaters at a company in Foshan, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 29, 2022. Foshan from June to August this year saw the export of heating equipments to countries of the European Union in worth of 94 million yuan (about 13.2 million U.S. dollars), up 154.4 percent year-on-year. (Xinhua/Huang Guobao)

Workers operate at the production line of electric heaters at a company in Foshan, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 29, 2022. Foshan from June to August this year saw the export of heating equipments to countries of the European Union in worth of 94 million yuan (about 13.2 million U.S. dollars), up 154.4 percent year-on-year. (Xinhua/Huang Guobao)

Workers operate at the production line of electric water heaters at a company in Foshan, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 30, 2022. Foshan from June to August this year saw the export of heating equipments to countries of the European Union in worth of 94 million yuan (about 13.2 million U.S. dollars), up 154.4 percent year-on-year. (Xinhua/Huang Guobao)

Workers operate at the production line of electric water heaters at a company in Foshan, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 30, 2022. Foshan from June to August this year saw the export of heating equipments to countries of the European Union in worth of 94 million yuan (about 13.2 million U.S. dollars), up 154.4 percent year-on-year. (Xinhua/Huang Guobao)

Workers operate at the production line of electric heaters at a company in Foshan, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 29, 2022. Foshan from June to August this year saw the export of heating equipments to countries of the European Union in worth of 94 million yuan (about 13.2 million U.S. dollars), up 154.4 percent year-on-year. (Xinhua/Huang Guobao)

A worker checks electric heaters at a company in Foshan, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 29, 2022. Foshan from June to August this year saw the export of heating equipments to countries of the European Union in worth of 94 million yuan (about 13.2 million U.S. dollars), up 154.4 percent year-on-year. (Xinhua/Huang Guobao)

A worker operates at the production line of electric water heaters at a company in Foshan, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 30, 2022. Foshan from June to August this year saw the export of heating equipments to countries of the European Union in worth of 94 million yuan (about 13.2 million U.S. dollars), up 154.4 percent year-on-year. (Xinhua/Huang Guobao)

A worker operates at the production line of electric water heaters at a company in Foshan, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 30, 2022. Foshan from June to August this year saw the export of heating equipments to countries of the European Union in worth of 94 million yuan (about 13.2 million U.S. dollars), up 154.4 percent year-on-year. (Xinhua/Huang Guobao)
Xinhua correspondent Sergio Gomez (Cuba) visited Bohai Township in suburban Beijing's Huairou District near the Great Wall of China. New features in recent years are locals hosting tourists with bed-and-breakfasts, young people returning to their hometowns to develop businesses, and working teams engaged in rural revitalization.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
MAIMANA, Afghanistan, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Unknown armed men have gunned down an official with the provincial administration in Afghanistan's northern Faryab province, provincial head for information and culture Mawlawi Shamsudin Mohammadi said Sunday.

According to the official, Qari Abdul Rahman, the director of the economic commission of Faryab province, was on the way to his residence when came under attack in Qaisar district on Saturday and lost his life on the spot.

Without providing more details, Mawlawi Mohammadi said an investigation has been initiated into the case.

This is the first time that a provincial administration official comes under attack in northern Faryab province and its vicinity since the Taliban's taking over power in August 2021. No group or individual has claimed responsibility yet. 
PARIS, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The strike continued in TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil refineries, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) said on Saturday, leading to fuel-related panics in the country.

According to the Ministry for Energy Transition, 20.7 percent of service stations were experiencing difficulties with at least one product on Saturday, compared to 19 percent on Friday.

The delegate of the CGT of ExxonMobile, Christopher Aubert, said that at least 70 percent of the company's workers were on strike on Saturday.

For his part, union leader Pedro Afonso said that all workers on strike were in the TotalEnergies refinery located in Feyzin near the city of Lyon on Saturday.

The strikers' actions led to a decrease in fuel deliveries, provoking fear among the French of fuel shortages as several Total service stations have been closed in the country.

Minister for Energy Transition Agnes Pannier-Runacher told the French media on Saturday that "the measures we have taken, including authorizing heavy goods vehicles refueling the stations to circulate the weekends, have made it possible to stabilize the situation at a national level."

On Friday, several French politicians, including President Emmanuel Macron, called for dialogue and responsibility between TotalEnergies strikers and the company.

The strike started on Sept. 27, forcing the company to temporarily shut down the country's largest refinery in the Normandy region on Sept. 28. 
by Zeynep Cermen

ISTANBUL, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- A small boat carrying a multilateral inspection team approached the grain-laden vessel Moonlight from Ukraine that anchored here in the port of Istanbul in the Marmara Sea on Saturday.

Donning hard hats, life jackets, and other safety equipment, the eight-membered Joint Coordination Center (JCC) team carefully boarded Moonlight via a pilot ladder to give the cargo ship a close inspection.

The Panama-flagged vessel left the Black Sea port of Odessa in Ukraine on Sept. 25, carrying 6,000 tons of soybean.

Once granted a green light from the JCC, it would leave the Turkish anchorage and continue its route to the destination port in Georgia.

In late July, the United Nations (UN) and Turkiye brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative to allow volumes of commercial food exports from three Ukraine ports to transit through a safe maritime humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea, in a bid to mitigate the global food crisis.

Under the initiative, the JCC was established in Istanbul with representatives from the UN, Russia, Ukraine, and Turkiye to carry out safety inspections for cargo ships from and to the Ukrainian ports.

"We have to inspect ballast tanks, the void spaces, the chain locker machine room, the bridge, cruise quarters, and so that takes a lot of time," Christian Santos, a UN member of the team on Moonlight, told Xinhua.

"Another part of that (the inspection) is obviously to ensure that all the documents regarding the crew list, cargo manifest, and levels of consumption of fuels are also in order," Santos explained.

Since its establishment, the JCC has inspected 591 vessels, namely 306 inbounds and 285 outbounds by Friday, allowing 6.4 million metric tons of grain and foodstuffs to export from the Ukrainian ports, the center said in a statement.

According to the Turkish Defence Ministry, four to five inspection teams are usually on the field, each examining almost four vessels per day.

It takes two to four hours for a team to finish inspecting a single vessel, said Santos, noting that the team has to make sure that all the safety requirements are met as per the agreement.

"It depends on the state of readiness of the masters and the crew and also the different configuration of the vessels," he added.

"The length of this vessel (Moonlight) is about 100 meters," said Santos. "As you look at larger bulk carriers, they can transport up to 50,000 metric tons, and they're anywhere from 265 to 300 meters in length, and obviously, cargo hold spaces are a lot larger."

According to Baris Doster, a Turkish journalist and geostrategist, the JCC has been working in concord and doing a perfect job to "speed things up."

"The center established under the facilitative coordination of the United Nations seems functional and effective in this regard ... Does it cure the problems, even to a certain extent? Yes, it does," Doster told Xinhua in an interview.

Despite the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, a consensus had still emerged between the two countries in solving issues of humanitarian concerns, such as food supplies, according to Doster.

Santos also hailed the teams' concerted efforts to facilitate grain exports from Ukraine to other parts of the world.

"We work together to ensure that once all the safety requirements are met, the vessels are able to transit and transport the grains, foodstuffs, and other commodities out of the ports," he said shortly before continuing the inspection on Moonlight.

"I think that all the participants of different teams understand that there is a mission that needs to be accomplished," he noted. 
NEW YORK, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Over 30 years since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), some doctors harbor biases toward people with disabilities, and even actively avoid accepting them as patients, a new study has found.

In focus group discussions with about two dozen U.S. doctors, researchers found that many said they lacked the knowledge and skill to care for patients with disabilities. Even basic physical accommodations, like accessible buildings and medical equipment, were an issue.

While some doctors said they did the best they could, others expressed negative attitudes, saying patients with disabilities were "entitled," or that providing care to them was a burden, said U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday in its report of the study.

In addition, those surveyed insisted that this is a system problem, as medical school and post-graduate training do not prepare doctors for meeting the needs of patients with disabilities.

Another broad problem is insurance reimbursement, which does not factor in the longer appointments that are often necessary for patients with more complex needs, according to the findings published in the October issue of the journal Health Affairs. 
Photo for representation: Hydrogen energy potential. Pixabay

Kathmandu is hosting the Nepal Green Hydrogen Summit on Monday and Tuesday (October 10-11). Organisers claim it will be the first-of-its-kind event in the country.

High-profile personalities and dignitaries of Nepal from various industries, ministries and government offices and development partners in Nepal, including renowned international experts and leading global companies working in green hydrogen technology, will discuss various issues related to the technology and its relevance in Nepal.

Various national and international, governmental and non-governmental agencies are partnering to host the summit. The main organisers include MIT Group Foundation and Global NRN Foundation; the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation; the Ministry of Finance; Global Green Growth Institute; Wind Power Nepal; Kathmandu University and Melbourne Institute of Technology. Shesh Ghale, one of the pioneers of the Nepali diaspora movement, has been instrumental in hosting the summit as the president of MIT Group Foundation.

File: Shesh Ghale

Onlinekhabar has talked to Ghale about the plan behind the Nepal Green Hydrogen Summit. Excerpts:

Nepal knows you as a non-resident Nepali (NRN) movement pioneer. But, how are you connected to the Nepal Green Hydrogen Summit?

To be honest, we, as NRNs, always think about the socioeconomic development of Nepal and Nepalis. With this in mind, as you know, we set up the MIT Group Foundation in 2015/16. Since then, we have donated around Rs 120 million, mostly in relief activities during and after the 2015 earthquake, the Nepal blockade and the Covid pandemic. We also built some schools.

However, the pandemic made us rethink our approach to giving. We realised we needed to build the capability and self-sufficiency, necessary for the economic and industrial success of Nepal. With recent acute energy crisis around the world, it made us think about its impact on Nepal.

Reading and researching various articles and reports, we have discovered around 40,000 people die every year from illnesses directly related to poor air quality in Nepal. Similarly, a child born today will have their life shortened by more than two years. Likewise, our mountains are melting. A 2020 study projected that the eastern end of the range, in Nepal and Bhutan, could lose as much as 60 per cent of its ice mass by 2100, relative to 2015, even in a low-emissions scenario, due to global warming.

So, the biggest overarching issue today is global warming. Climate change is real, and some reports suggest that it poses a much greater threat to public health than the Covid pandemic and hence needs to be treated with equal urgency.

Further research indicates green hydrogen is the only solution the world has identified today, which could mitigate all these climate-related threats to humanity. This made us very excited about the Nepal Green Hydrogen Summit.

So, why are you organising this event? How will it benefit the country?

Nature has hydrogen in abundance. It is a clean-burning molecule that helps to de-carbonise a range of sectors previously proven hard to clean. Green hydrogen powers steel, cement and transport industries which then emit water instead of carbon dioxide without using fossil fuels. Green hydrogen can also produce green fertilisers, which can ensure food safety and security and energy security through energy storage.

These capabilities make for a compelling argument that green hydrogen produced through the electrolysis of water using electricity from renewable energy sources can power the transport sector and heavy industries including agriculture.

We got so excited after learning about green hydrogen and its benefits. It not only addresses threats and risks associated with global warming but also helps Nepal become one of the prosperous nations by 2030 if we work together as a policymaker and the public collaboratively.

Therefore, we have organised Nepal Green Hydrogen Summit to share these ideas and knowledge from the experts so that everyone knows the challenges and opportunities it presents, its implication on greenhouse emission mitigation, and identify policy solutions so we can harness this potentiality for the greater good.

But, many people comment green hydrology is a distant dream for Nepal. Do you think it is possible anytime soon?

File: Nepal Oil Corporation and Kathmandu University sign an agreement to jointly study the possibility of producing hydrogen fuel cells, on Friday, January 8, 2021.

Yes, it is. In every regard, Nepal is unexplored. We dont have huge industries like developed nations, which have much bigger problems as they are often powered by fossil fuels and therefore difficult for them to transition into renewables. But, for us, we start from zero with no incumbency burden, so it will be easier for us to leapfrog. Technology is readily available. All we need is the vision and willingness of our leaders.

The best thing is that we have abundant sources of water. One report shows that Nepal has the potential to produce the most competitive green hydrogen energy by 2032 if we start transitioning into a green economy and develop policy decisions on greening Nepal now. We have the potential to be one of the leaders in producing green hydrogen on a competitive cost base.

Of course, there are some challenges, but I believe all the challenges can be overcome if our policymakers work collaboratively and stop bickering about petty issues and start thinking about humanitys shared future.

So, do you mean green hydrogen is also the future of Nepal?

Yes. We have already a surplus of hydroelectricity production, and it is increasing each year. It means a lot of hydroelectricity will spill over. But, it is green and renewable energy and it can also be converted to green hydrogen. We only need is the government roadmap, a policy and the capital.

For now, we may not envisage a very commercial for-profit project. However, its social benefits will be enormous. Therefore, a startup project must be supported by the government and international agencies. All players must come together.

One good thing is we have the technology  we dont have to reinvent it.

Overall, I see Nepal becoming a very powerful nation if we can transform our energy system.

So, what should be the countrys priorities?

I recommend the government needs to set up a green hydrogen authority that will have almost similar rights and responsibilities to those of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).

What about investments? Are investors like you ready?

We have already invested a considerable amount of money and other resources as it is a good cause. We also consider this as a civic responsibility more than a profit-making business. We believe in the environmental and social governance aspect of investment (ethical and social investment).

But, the investments have to be bankable. If that happens, the Nepali diaspora has the capacity to lead the projects.
Home  Politics  Nepal PM lives in a posh capital locality, but his Dadeldhura constituency is the epitome of underdevelopment

Ganyapadhura, Sher Bahadur Deubas home town is least developed as any other village in the country.

A major issue we have in Asigram is we need a helipad, says Gagan Singh Sarki. Ive already filed an application for it too.

Sarki is a local from Asigram, the village in the Dadeldhura district where Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba spent his childhood. Sarki is the vice-chair of Deubas Nepali Congress partys Asigram local committee.

We met Sarki close to Deubas home. As we were talking, he tried his best to hide different problems that surround the village. But, he was not helped by other locals who told how they were having to face so many issues despite the village being home to the prime minister of the country. The helipad was the last of their concerns.

Development awaited for long

The remains of Sher Bahadur Deubas home in Asigram.

Out of all nine districts in the Sudurpaschim, Dadeldhura is the only one without an airport, so a helipad is important. But it is quite embarrassing that Nepali Congress leaders in the area still have not been able to build a helipad given Deuba has become prime minister five times.

The reason a helipad has been in talks is to do with the coming elections, in which Deuba will vie to represent the only constituency in the Dadeldhura district. When Deuba flew to Asigram during the local elections, there was a major issue regarding where to park his helicopter.

The locals didnt let him land it in the fields, says a local.

Everyone knows why Nepali Congress leaders want to make a helipad. But, others feel that they could have done a lot more.

If they wanted to help the locals, they could have built roads that would mean we could travel easily when we were ill. So many people die as they dont get proper treatment, says a 62-year-old.

And, he is right. There is no proper road that joins Ganyapdhura, the local government of Asigram, to the Dadeldhura district headquarters. The road time and again gets damaged by floods, making commuting very difficult.

The state of the road has not only restricted the people from getting basic service, but it has also embarrassed the locals with constant questions about why the road leading to the prime ministers home is so bad.

The distance is so short, yet the state of the road is so bad. Its very embarrassing, says a local, Padal Dipal.

Deuba comes to his village to cast his vote on a helicopter because of the state of the road.

All the blame cannot be put on Deuba though. Nepali Congress BPs Karna Malla and CPN-Unified Socialists Tara Joshi are also from the same area in Dadeldhura. But, the two have not done enough to better the living standard of the people starting with the road.

Because the road is so bad, buses dont want to come and those that do charge a lot, says Sete Damai, who says they have to pay Rs 350 to get to the headquarters.

For most of the locals, the main problem in the area that needs solving is not a helipad but the road. Poor road access has also affected the areas human development index.

Sorrows galore

Sher Bahadur Deuba

It is evident that Deuba has not done enough to change the face of his Dadeldhura constituency. But that does not mean he does not love the place.

People also seem to love him too as he is yet to lose an election. Each time he wins, Asigram as well as entire Dadeldhura celebrates like there is no tomorrow.

When he wins, we feel proud. Everyone knows hes from Asigram and that is something to be very proud of, says Deubas neighbour Padam Dipal.

Deuba though has not even taken care of his house in the village. It is currently in ruins as the Maoists demolished it in 2002. Following that, Deuba has not even bothered to rebuild it.

He came in 1994 after that hasnt been, says Dipal.

Anyone who comes to Asigram to see where Deuba lived in his early childhood only gets to see the remains of his home.

Those who come to Dadeldhura to see Deubas childhood home get to also witness the pain of the locals.

Where do we hide away the pain? Im building a house after I took a loan. My elder son is in India to work so we can pay off the loan, says 55-year-old Laxman Bahadur Rawat.

Rawats home was damaged by a landslide that happened around two years ago. He was hoping people would help, but no one did and has resorted to taking a loan to rebuild it.

He was hoping Deuba would help as he used to go there as a child a lot, but no help came as most of their family members are in India to work.

A lot of families from Asigram have people working in India. A lack of opportunities in the area means the only way to earn money is to travel to India.

Floods and landslides over the past few years have been harsh as five settlements in the area need to be relocated entirely, says Sarki.

Weve told Bhanu Deuba (Deubas personal secretary) and are waiting for what can be done, says Sarki.

Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand had visited Dadeldhura too and had said the government would help those who lost their homes to natural disasters. But, the locals are yet to receive government support as most believe all the top leaders want from them are votes.

But, Indra Bahadur Deuba, 64, blames the local leaders in Dadeldhura and not Sher Bahadur.

Local leaders here arent doing enough to make the place better. They need to act like leaders and help develop this place, says Indra Bahadur.

Apart from a motorable road, Asigram also does not have proper health facility. Locals usually have to go to the district headquarters in Khalanga or India for health care.

High education is another issue. The locals face the same issue Sher Bahadur Deuba did when he was growing up: leave the village and migrate to cities or abroad.

Challenges for Deuba

Many believe that Sher Bahadur Deuba, for the frist time, risks losing the election in Dadeldhura this time. As he has not been able to better the lives of the locals in area, there are talks that he might not get the votes to win. The local elections are a good example of that. Previously, the area had no party apart from Nepali Congress, but now other parties can also been seen in Asigram and Ganyapdhura.

Maoists, who burnt down Deubas house clean, did a clean sweep in Asigram during the local elections. Even though Nepali Congress won the rural municipality, but Ganyapdhuras ward 1 that houses Deubas home was won by Nepali Congree BP so there is enough evidence that Dadeldhura might no longer be Deubas stronghold as it once was.

This story was translated from the original Nepali version and edited for clarity and length.
State wildlife commissioners on Monday passed emergency rules to establish a special surveillance area in the Oklahoma Panhandle to monitor chronic wasting disease in deer and elk.

The special surveillance area will run south of U.S. 412 from Boise City to the New Mexico state line and south of U.S. 287 from Boise City to the Texas state line.

Upon approval by Gov. Kevin Stitt, the emergency rules will restrict the movement of deer and elk carcasses or parts from within the boundaries of the special surveillance area to outside of it. Hunters who harvest deer or elk within the boundaries must clean those animals first before leaving the special surveillance area.

The special surveillance area has been established because a deer carcass was recovered along a Texas road about 2.5 miles south of the Oklahoma border near Felt that tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

'Every kid learns differently:' Why a downtown OKC school is offering fishing to students

A deer runs across the walking trail at Bluff Creek Park in Oklahoma City on Feb. 4.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation will place a special emphasis on testing samples from hunter harvested deer and elk within the area. The Wildlife Department will be reaching out to hunters and landowners in the area who may be willing to volunteer samples from their deer or elk to be tested.

Oklahoma's archery season for deer and elk is underway, and the muzzleloader season for deer and elk opens Oct. 22.

Chronic wasting disease is an always-fatal neurological disease that affects the brains of deer, elk, moose, and other members of the cervid family, creating holes that resemble those in sponges. The disease does not affect pronghorn antelope.

CWD is a fatal, neurological illness that occurs in North American cervids (members of the deer family). Since its discovery in 1967, CWD has spread to 30 states and two Canadian provinces.

It is transmitted freely among deer and elk. CWD is transmitted directly through animal-to-animal contact and indirectly through contact with objects (including carcasses) or environment contaminated with the infection.

Story continues

There has been no known documented transmission of CWD from deer and elk to humans and livestock. However, in areas where CWD is known to be present, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that hunters strongly consider having those animals tested before eating the meat. The CDC does not recommend eating meat from an infected deer.

Chronic wasting disease has never been documented in wild deer in Oklahoma but it has been found in two captive elk herds in the state. In total, 30 states now have detected the disease within their borders.

Oklahoma hunting seasons:Here's your guide to 2022 regulations, dates

Safety first

Now that archery season is open, bow hunters should be vigilant about safety. Falling from a tree stand is the most common injury among deer hunters and it is important to be connected to the tree by a safety harness.

"Ever since we started focusing on tree stand safety we have talked about not only being attached at all times, but also to have a plan to get back in the stand or down the tree safely if you do fall," said Lance Meek, the hunter education coordinator for the Wildlife Department.

Meek said hunters should always practice these basic safety precautions while hunting in tree stands:

 Always be connected to the tree with a safety harness whether installing, climbing in or out, or sitting in it.

 Always wear a full body harness meeting Treestand Manufacturers Association standards, even during ascent and descent. Do not rely on belt or chest harnesses.

 Never exceed the weight limit of the tree stand specified by the manufacturer.

 Be aware of the hazards (suspension trauma) associated with full body harnesses and the fact that prolonged suspension in a harness may be fatal. Suspension trauma is the development of presyncopal symptoms and loss of consciousness if the human body is held motionless in a vertical position for a period of time.

 Have a plan in place for rescue, including the use of cell phones or signal devices that may be easily reached and used while suspended. If rescue personnel cannot be notified, you must have a plan for recovery or escape. If you have to hang suspended for a period of time before help arrives, exercise your legs by pushing against the tree or doing any other form of continuous motion.

 Have a plan if you do fall. Know how you will get back in your seat or down the tree safely.

 Make sure someone knows where you are and when you plan to come back on every hunt. Hunt with a buddy if possible.

 Always carry emergency signal devices such as a cell phone, walkie-talkie, whistle, signal flare, personal locator device and flashlight at all times and within reach, even while you are suspended in your full body harness.

 Inspect your tree stand each time before climbing in it

 Make a haul line and use it to pull up your bow or unloaded firearm and other gear. Make sure the muzzle of the gun is pointing away from you when pulling into the tree stand.

 The Wildlife Department has provided videos on YouTube on tree stand safety. Go to Outdoor Oklahoma on YouTube and search under the hunter education playlist.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Wildlife Department to search for CWD in the Panhandle
International Residency and Citizenship Expo, a two-day event in which several global immigration and legal experts will come together to highlight the prospects of dual citizenship, citizenship-by-investment (CBI) and significance of holding a powerful passport.

The expo will be held from October 7 to 8 at Conrad Towers in Abu Dhabi.

The Expo expects over 50 plus exhibitors and a significant number of prominent names in the citizenship and migration sector attending the event.

The exhibition will assemble stakeholders - including legal and immigration experts, industry consultants and government criminal interdiction unit (CIU) heads of leading nations offering citizenship and residency by investment, to help residents, high net-worth individuals (HNIs) and prospective immigrants explore various future avenues presented by citizenship programs of different countries.

Visitors attending the event will get the opportunity to engage in one-on-one sessions and conferences with experienced financial, tax, legal and immigration experts to gain insights on immigration and investment opportunities, along with opportunities in start-ups and education in foreign countries.

The event will further educate prospective immigrants on second citizenship and the process of attaining it. During the event, topics such as How Canadian Express Entry works, Why Caribbean countries are a unique investment opportunity, Grenada CBI Program', among many others, will be discussed. Several countries will be highlighted as competitive investment migration prospects.

Arun Bose, Associate Director, Dome Exhibitions, said: The idea behind organising this event is to bring together government immigration officials and experts under one roof from around the world to inform and educate people about the ample options they have available in terms of acquiring citizenship of other countries.-TradeArabia News Service
Korean series Extraordinary Attorney Woo and Squid Game were the big winners at Busan International Film Festivals Asia Contents Awards (ACAs), which featured a star-studded red carpet and welcomed back international guests for the first time since the events inaugural edition in 2019.



Extraordinary Attorney Woo took the Best Content Award, the top prize of the ceremony, as well as Best Actress for Park Eun Bin, who heads the show in the role of a young female lawyer with autism.



The series was broadcast in Korea on the ENA cable channel where it set the record for the highest ratings in the channels history. Netflix also started streaming the show in select territories from June, after which it topped the streamers non-English language weekly rankings for two months straight.



Netflixs Squid Game won the Technical Achievement Award and Best Supporting Actor for Park Haesoo, who plays the childhood friend of Lee Jung-jaes main character in the Emmy award-winning series.



Best Actor was presented to Suzuki Ryohei, star of Japanese series Mobile Emergency Room, which was broadcast on Japanese channel TBS and Disney+, while Best Supporting Actress went to Sora Ma of Singaporean series This Land Is Mine.



Best Newcomer went to actress Bao Shang En for Chinese show Love Behind The Melody and actor Yokohama Ryusei for Japans The Journalist.



Chinas Wang Xiaoshuai (So Long, My Son) and Yang Yishu were awarded Best Writer for Wangs first foray into drama series, The Pavilion, produced by Chinese streamer iQiyi.



Chinese actress Fan Bingbing was awarded the ACA Excellence Award. ACA Rising Star awards went to Kin Minha for Pachinko and Ling Man Lung for In Geek We Trust (see full list of winners below).



Kawamura Tatsuo, chairman of Japanese talent agency K Dash Co, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award, and Song Byeongjoon, president of Korea Drama Production Association, won the Achievement Award.



The awards were established by BIFF and the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) in 2019 to recognise outstanding TV, OTT and online content from Korea and the rest of Asia. This years ceremony kicked off with a performance by saxophonist Danny Jung and also featured performances by K-pop girl group NiziU and boy band Golden Child.



ACA 2022 WINNERS:



Best Content Award: Extraordinary Attorney Woo



Best Asian Animation: The Orbital Children



Best Asian Documentary: The Atom Araullo Specials: Young Arms



Technical Achievement Award: Squid Game



Best Actor: Park Eun Bin, Extraordinary Attorney Woo & Suzuki Ryohei, Mobile Emergency Room



Best Supporting Actor: Sora Ma, This Land Is Mine & Park Haesoo, Squid Game



Best Newcomer: Bao Shang En, Love Behind The Melody & Yokohama Ryusei, The Journalist



Best Writer: Wang Xiaoshuai, Yang Yishu, The Pavilion



Lifetime Achievement Award: Tatsuo Kawamura



Achievement Award: Song Byeongjoon



ACA Excellence Award: Fan Bingbing



Best Creator: The Pinkfong Company



ACA Rising Star: Kim Minha, Pachinko & Ling Man Lung, In Geek We Trust



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CHISINAU, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Several thousand people protested in Moldova's capital on Sunday to demand the resignation of the country's pro-Western government amid mounting anger over spiralling natural gas prices and inflation.

The small east European nation, sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania, has seen political tensions rise in recent months as gas prices soar following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

A Reuters reporter saw thousands of people protesting outside the Moldovan president's official residence in central Chisinau, chanting slogans including "down with (President) Maia Sandu" and "down with the government".

Sandu has repeatedly condemned Moscow's actions in Ukraine and is pushing for membership of the European Union. Her critics charge she should have negotiated a better gas deal with Russia, Moldova's main supplier.

On Friday, Moldova's gas regulator raised prices by 27% for households.

Around 10 tents had been set up by protesters outside the residence by the afternoon, following an attempt to create a protest camp outside Moldova's parliament last week. (Reporting by Alexander Tanas Writing by Max Hunder Editing by Frances Kerry)
Nord, a luxury yacht believed to be owned by Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov, has sailed from Russia to Hong Kong. Getty Images/PAVEL KOROLYOV/AFP via Getty Images

A superyacht owned by a sanctioned Russian billionaire left Russia after seven months for Hong Kong.

Alexei Mordashov, Russia's third-richest person, is said to be the owner of $500 million Nord.

Nord first listed Vietnam as its destination but changed to Hong Kong days later, per Bloomberg.

A $500 million superyacht belonging to a sanctioned Russian billionaire has sailed to Hong Kong after being docked in Russia for more than seven months.

Alexei Mordashov, a steel and mining tycoon, is believed to be the owner of the 465-foot vessel called Nord, per SuperYacht Fan. Nord was anchored in the port of Vladivostok, south east Russia, from late March until September 28 when it departed, according to data from vessel-tracking site, Marine Traffic.

After one week of sailing, Mordashov's luxury yacht ended up mooring in Hong Kong port on Wednesday, per Marine Traffic. Bloomberg reported Nord initially listed a port in Vietnam as its destination, but changed to Hong Kong a few days later.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Nord set sail on March 12 from the Seychelles and was tracked in the Singapore Strait on March 22, Insider previously reported, citing Marine Traffic data. From there, it traveled to Vladivostok, where it remained for over seven months.

Since February, the West has launched barrages of sanctions against Russia to cripple its economy and put pressure on President Vladimir Putin to call off Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The measures include sanctioning wealthy Russian elites and oligarchs by freezing their assets such as private jets and superyachts.

Mordashov has an estimated net worth of about $18.7 billion, making him Russia's third richest person, according to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index. He was sanctioned by the UK, EU, and the US after Moscow began its attack on Ukraine.

The day after he was hit with EU sanctions, Mordashov told the Russian news outlet TASS he had "absolutely nothing to do with the emergence of the current geopolitical tension" and didn't understand why he had come under sanctions.

Story continues

So far, Nord has seemed to evade seizure or being frozen. However, some of Mordashov's other assets haven't been so lucky. In March, Italy seized a $71 million superyacht connected to Mordashov, as well as a $116 million property on the island of Sardinia, Reuters reported.

According to UK filings, Mordashov transferred control of a $1.1 billion stake in Nordgold, a mining firm, to his wife and stepped down as a director.

Read the original article on Business Insider
As some corporations slow the pace of hiring due to economic concerns, small business owners are falling behind when it comes to staffing up.

Almost two-thirds of small businesses were hiring or trying to hire in September, according to a report from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), but 46% reported they couldn't fill those job openings, well above the 48-year historical average of 23%.

The difficulty in hiring has prompted some small business owners to seek more creative solutions to land labor, so they can grow their businesses or  in the worst case  just stay afloat.

Small businesses are not expanding at the rate that they were in 2019, Homebase Founder and CEO John Waldmann told Yahoo Finance Live. It's actually gotten so bad that we've seen small businesses closed out because they can't hireThis is a real challenge to small businesses and if we're going to solve this, it's going to take a lot of different things  including making these jobs more attractive.

(Photo: Getty)

Attracting, hiring, and retaining quality employees is often a challenge for companies of every size. Its no easier in current times of low unemployment, high competition, and a red-hot labor market, making out-of-the-box ideas even more critical.

For Diana Manalang, owner of Little Chef Little Cafe in Queens, N.Y., that means hiring high schoolers to help weather the staffing shortages.

It is working, they show up, they come to work for the most part, Manalang said. We feed them two to three meals a day. We buy them groceries, uniforms, and footwear. We also order takeout for them and we incentivize in any way like if we get free movie tickets or anything like that, [we] pass it along to them.

Executive Home Care, a national franchise of in-home care providers, is addressing the labor shortage by changing their technology for onboarding, recruiting, and hiring.

Getting our franchisees in contact quicker with each of the candidates that apply has been one of the things that has helped us recruit more caregivers quicker, Tim Hadley, CEO of Executive Home Care, told Yahoo Finance.

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Another incentive that has worked: offering flexible work schedules.

It's not a standard 9-to-5 or 8-to-4 type job, Hadley said. People are able to work the hours that they want to work with that flexibility as well as a significant amount of out the job training and continuous training for the caregivers.

Diana Manalang, owner of Little Chef Little Cafe, Queens, NY, hasnt been able to find enough experienced workers for her business.

One perk, though, that many small businesses cant accommodate  even though its risen in popularity since the pandemic  is remote work options.

We've talked to a lot of folks that they want a job, but they want to work from home, Larry Sutton, CEO and Founder of RNR Tire Express, a national franchise retailer of quality tires and custom wheels. And unfortunately our type of business we're in can't do from home.

What many business owners are doing is what has long been tried and true: offering more money. Just under half of owners reported raising compensation, according to the NFIB survey, while over a quarter plan to in the next three months.

But that may not be enough in this environment, said Allan Jones, CEO of Bambee, a company focused on solving complex HR problems for small businesses.

Small business owners  unfortunately or fortunately  have to think about total incentive packages in ways that Fortune 500 companies have for a very long time. So not only do I make $2 more in minimum wage, but what are the other incentives and benefits of working at this organization beyond just the salary and compensation? Jones said. [Small businesses] notoriously do not think about total comp as a recruiting principle. They just think about cash but employees are now looking for that.

Dani Romero is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @daniromerotv

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BEIJING, Oct. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- By Beijing Review: On January 21, 10 days before the Spring Festival holiday (from January 31 to February 6 this year), the workshops of Baoji Saiwei, a heavy machinery manufacturer in Baoji, Shaanxi Province in northwest China, are in full swing to complete their orders. By late 2021, Saiwei had already received its orders for the first half of 2022. Deputy General Manager Li Hui told Beijing Review, "We need to deliver the products in time as well as explore new markets."

The Beijing Stock Exchange starts trading on November 15, 2021, focusing on funding for innovation-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises (WEI YAO)

That same day, in the capital of Beijing, Du Peifan, founder of ZhiqingFin, an artificial intelligence (AI) company focusing on smart speech services, was doing his routine work taking his employees through a checklist in service of their bank clients.

The next day, January 22, in Yiwu, known as the world's largest wholesale market of consumer goods in the eastern province of Zhejiang, Wei Lingying, CEO of OMAWine International, a company importing Spanish wines and foods, is busy taking and delivering orders. Wei even struggled to squeeze in this Beijing Review interview.

Though operating in different sectors and playing individual roles in the market, all three are part of the most robust component of the Chinese economysmall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

China's SMEs, accounting for roughly 99 percent of all firms nationwide, are the main force behind China's economic and social development. According to a 2020 report by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, over 50 percent of national tax revenue and 60 percent of GDP stem from SMEs. They create 70 percent of technological innovation and 80 percent of urban employment.

However, these companies do face many difficulties in and concerns about their further development.

Alive and kicking

COVID-19 flare-ups, rising commodity prices, supply chain problems and financing difficulties, among others, pose treacherous challenges.

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The rising expenditures of importing wine and food products combined with a declining demand due to the pandemic put OMAWine International on edge. Compared to pre-pandemic times, wine orders decreased 20 percent during this year's pre-Spring Festival sales season, according to Wei.

On the plus side, all three companies are still alive, inspiring those willing to have a go at entrepreneurship.

Saiwei only halted production for a brief period at the very onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 and soon resumed operations. "Like gears, we are the inseparable parts that guarantee the swift functioning of China's industrial and supply chains," Li said. "We, SMEs or private companies, could not simply give up and close up shop; we are not just enterprises, but also the economic backbone of our workers' families."

Trials and tribulations

SMEs usually gather in competitive industries, making it essential for them to adjust their business models and actively find new growth opportunities in the new market environment, Zhang said.

Compared with large intelligent speech companies that provide only one standard product, ZhiqingFin's customized services are better, especially in the post-sales field, according to Du. The pandemic has generally stimulated technological expansion, with AI now widely applied. Yet financing remains an issue. It's a tough task for Du to increase company bankrolling to invest in technology capacity and service research.

Pan Gongsheng, Deputy Governor of the People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, said at a press conference in September 2021 that addressing the financing needs of SMEs is high on the agenda of the regulatory authority. Loans to micro and small firms totaled 17.8 trillion yuan ($2.75 trillion) as of late July 2021, up 29.3 percent year on year, according to Pan.

Hi-tech SMEs like Saiwei also receive financial assistance. As opposed to regular enterprises producing heavy machinery, Saiwei caters to specific customer requirements. Last year, it invested roughly 30 million yuan ($4.7 million) in research and development.

The company has been inducted into the Little Giant Firms program, covering small enterprises in their early stages of development, all focusing on high-end technologies. This could bring Saiwei millions of yuan in research support over the coming year. Du's company, too, has applied for the program.

So what does the future hold for China's SMEs? The answer is two-fold: Innovation-led and green development will be two key directions to promote their high-quality growth in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, according to a government guideline.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/smes-rise-to-challenges-in-a-more-conducive-business-environment-301644244.html

SOURCE Beijing Review
South Korean prosecutors have arrested a Terraform Labs employee, in their first arrest under the investigation of the Terra-LUNA collapse. A bench warrant, which allows law enforcement to take suspects into custody, was issued on Wednesday for the arrested employee.

See related article: Terra CEO Do Kwon to lose his passport within a month

Fast facts

Seouls Southern District Prosecutors Office issued a bench warrant on Wednesday for Yoo, Terras head of general affairs, under charges of violating the capital markets act, fraud and breach of duty among others, the district prosecutor Choi Sung-kook confirmed with Forkast. Only Yoos last name was revealed.

The Seoul Southern District Court was working on giving a direct judgment of warrant on Yoo on Thursday morning in Korea, to make a final decision on whether or not to grant the bench warrant. The decision will be reached within the day.

Choi declined to reveal the exact date and location of the arrest.

The prosecutors are alleging that Yoo used bot programming to inflate and manipulate the market price of Terras cryptocurrency.

Yoo is one of the Terra associates for whom local prosecutors issued an arrest warrant on Sept. 14, alongside Terraform Labs cofounder and chief Kwon Do-hyung, or Do Kwon. Yoo is reportedly part of Kwons close inner circle at Terra.

South Korea has nullified Terra chief Kwons passport and requested Interpol to issue a red notice alongside the arrest warrant, to investigate the crash of Terras algorithmic stablecoin and sister cryptocurrency in May.

See related article: S.Korea govt failed, special prosecutor needed on Terra-LUNA, lawmaker says
Beginning this fall, the Virginia Bankers Association Education Foundation and seven Virginia banks will sponsor the new Virginia Banking Fellows Program in partnership with the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education. The mission of this new statewide program is to provide opportunities for deserving community college students to pursue their academic goals, strengthen their leadership skills and learn more about the banking industry.

Thirteen students from 10 Virginia community colleges have been designated as Virginia Banking Fellows and will each receive a $7,000 scholarship to support tuition, books, fees and other expenses related to their education. The banking industry contributed an additional $3,000 per fellow to cover educational elements and the administrative fees of the program, for a total of $10,000 per fellow and $130,000 in all. The Virginia Banking Fellows will be a cohort within the larger VFCCE Fellows Program, which was established in 2011 to help promising second-year students at Virginias community colleges.

Fellows participate in statewide leadership training and conferences, cultural opportunities and community service activities. Virginia Banking Fellows will also have the additional opportunity to participate in online banking industry training as well as a variety of banking industry networking and educational events throughout the year.

For the 202223 school year, the VBA Education Foundation has committed a total of $60,000 to sponsor six fellows from Germanna Community College, Laurel Ridge Community College, Mountain Empire Community College, Patrick & Henry Community College and Rappahannock Community College.

Seven Virginia banks have also committed a total of $70,000 to sponsor a student from a community college for the 202223 Virginia Banking Fellows Program: Blue Ridge Bank at Blue Ridge Community College; Chesapeake Bank at J. Sargent Reynolds Community College; First Bank, Virginia at Laurel Ridge Community College; Atlantic Union Bank at Northern Virginia Community College; The Bank of Clarke County Foundation at Northern Virginia Community College; TowneBank at Tidewater Community College; and American National Bank & Trust Co. at Virginia Western Community College.
The University of Mary Washington on Wednesday unveiled design plans for a new theater complex that will be a home for students in the theater and dance programs and connect the campus and the community in a meaningful way.

The new building, which will be located at the corner of William Street and Sunken Road, is an opportunity to transform campus in a real positive and exciting way, UMW president Troy Paino said during a virtual unveiling of the plans via Zoom last week.

This project brings life to this side of campus and reaches out into the city of Fredericksburg in a meaningful way, he said.

The new building will include a 300-seat theater, a 150-seat studio theater and two large dance studios, as well as storage and administrative and learning spaces.

The university contracted with Commonwealth Architects and HGA Architects & Engineers to develop the plans for the new building, starting from the inside out.

The buildings that currently house UMWs fine and performing arts programs, Pollard, Melchers and duPont halls, were built 70 years ago when UMW was an all-female school with an enrollment of about 1,000. They are no longer adequate for the needs of a co-ed campus of close to 4,000, Paino said.

They also are not accessible to people with disabilities.

As they currently sit, there is no accessibility, Paino said. Students, staff and guests with disabilities must enter form the back and there is no dignity in that, especially with public-facing buildings.

Therefore, the $117 million projectwhich was funded by the General Assembly in the state budget for 202223includes the renovation of Pollard, Melchers and duPont, which will continue to house the art, art history and music programs in safer and more adequate space.

Paino said that the fine and performing arts at UMW have been important to students throughout the years, even those who werent majoring in those disciplines.

We know that smart, well-rounded students are interested in the fine and performing arts even if that is not their primary area of study, he said. Students love to play their instruments or sing in a choir or perform in the theater or work on a theater production. And we know that we can recruit students who are interested in participating in those things.

The new theater arts building at William and Sunken will replace two aging dormitories, Marshall and Russell halls, that sit at that location.

Paino said that climbing the hill from those residences up to the rest of campus is equivalent to mounting a five-story building and poses challenges for those with physical disabilities.

The new theater will be built back into this hill with extensive open green space in front, leading to the main entrance from the corner of William and Sunken.

The community will be able to see from the location into campus in a way that is not possible now, Paino said.

Campus Walk will also be extended down from the Bell Tower, through the new theater and out to the community as part of the project, he said.

Paino said the university understands that many alumni who lived in Russell and Marshall halls, which will be demolished as part of the project, have fond memories of those residences.

We know this was important part of your experience and we are planning several ways to commemorate those buildings, he said.

The new theater and renovation of duPont, Melchers and Pollard are scheduled for completion in 2026.

Paino stressed that while plans for the meat of the new theater building are fixedsince its been designed from the inside outthe exterior plans are still conceptual.
State Sen. Bryce Reeves, RSpotsylvania, is drafting a bill to repeal Virginias in-state college tuition for undocumented immigrants, according to a statement from Friends of Bryce Reeves.

Reeves is seeking to overturn the measure adopted in the 2021 special session and signed into law by former Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, his campaign said in a statement Thursday.

Now, individuals can pay in-state tuition rates at state colleges and universities regardless of immigration status, Reeves reelection campaign said.

We are in the midst of a higher-education cost crisis caused by the federal governments continued involvement in the student loan process, Reeves said in a statement. To think that we would prioritize students that are here illegally over our countrys own citizens is astounding.

All this does is decrease the pool of scholarships and funds available to law-abiding US citizens who reside in Virginia, worsening the issues that our youth face today when it comes to the accessibility of higher education, the Senate District 17 incumbent said. To support this legislation would feel like turning my back on my constituents. I am committed to repealing this unethical, irresponsible law.
The Expo Centre Sharjah has hosted a special edition of the Middle East Jewellery Designers Forum 2022 on the third day of the 50th edition of the Watch & Jewellery Middle East Show (WJMES).



The forum brought together more than 10 high-profile speakers and international experts from the prestigious institutions of gold and jewellery design around the world.



The event discussed a number of jewellery-related topics, including the future trajectory of jewellery designs, new metals, gemstones, fusion, and lab-grown diamonds.



Speakers also discussed education and opportunities for jewellery designs, the latest in education and techniques, job opportunities, jewellery design entrepreneurship, and cross-border jewellery designing.



During the event, it was unanimously agreed that it is very important to intensify efforts to support gold and jewellery professionals and designers. The forum also recommended enhancing designers participation in specialized events to highlight their work and enable them to display their designs alongside the most famous brands in the world of gold.



Present at the forum were Saif Mohammad Al Midfa, CEO of Expo Centre Sharjah, Dr. Khalid Al Midfa. Chairman of Sharjah Media City (Shams), Mohammed Dansanta Rimi, Ambassador of Nigeria to the UAE, Albino Malungo, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Angola to the UAE.



Also present were Chandu Siroya, Vice Chairman of Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group, a number of government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, as well as representatives of exhibitors, a number of designers, entrepreneurs, professionals, and visitors.



Al Midfa said that the Middle East Jewellery Designers Forum has been one of the major events hosted on the side-lines of WJMES that discussed important topics related to the future of gold jewellery design.



Al Midfa emphasized that the forum provided attendees with valuable information about the latest developments in the world of jewellery design, and briefed designers on the latest studies, devices, and equipment used in the manufacture and design of jewelleries. The forum has been a great opportunity for designers to acquire new knowledge and gain practical experience necessary to develop their craft skills and enhance their abilities to invent new designs.



He noted that the event was staged primarily to enhance the WJMES's activities and promote all disciplines associated with the gold and jewellery business, most notably jewellery design, which he described as the core of the sector.  TradeArabia News Service
Police found more than 300 fentanyl pills in a suspicious vehicle Wednesday.

A Colorado Springs police officer patrolling the 300 S. Academy Blvd. area noticed drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle and contacted people associated with it, police say. Authorities recovered 376 fentanyl pills during the investigation and arrested two people on suspicion of narcotics distribution. The bust happened around 3:30 a.m.

Officers say that area has seen an increase in criminal activity at its 24-hour skilled gaming gambling establishments.
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:
Superbrands, the worlds largest independent arbiter of branding, will highlight and honour the UAEs most prestigious and recognisable brands at a gala event on October 18, 2022.

36 of the UAEs greatest brands will be recognised at the 18th annual tribute event, which is acknowledged by many in the corporate world as the Oscars of Branding.

The event will also serve as the launch pad for the 18th edition of the well-respected Superbrands UAE Book, which will feature a two-page profile on each of the 2022 Superbrands.

Powerful tool

Branding is a powerful tool and in todays highly competitive and digitally connected world, brands must establish an emotional connection with customers in order to secure mindshare, gain their trust and, ultimately, win their business on an ongoing basis.

Commenting on the significance of being selected for the Superbrands list, Mike English, Director, Superbrands Middle East stated: Branding is a complex concept that encompasses several elements and it is invaluable because it is what makes a memorable impression on customers and allows them to paint a picture in their minds on what to expect from your company. For this reason, many global corporate heads and prominent business people have frequently emphasised the importance of a strong brand.

Former Coca-Cola Company CEO Muhtar Kent said it best when he said: A brand is a promise. A good brand is a promise kept. Companies that are recognised as Superbrands enjoy a significantly strengthened position in the marketplace, thus giving their respective stakeholders the confidence that they are working with a true leader in the category.

Impartial entity

Over the years, Superbrands has established itself as a respected and impartial entity in the UAE business sphere and will be recognising brands from multiple sectors including consumer products, financial services, food & beverage, healthcare, government and retail.

The Superbrands Council was expanded in 2022 and counts no less than 13 distinguished and inspiring individuals as its members. It comprises a number of returning members including Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman & CEO, Dubai Duty Free, Mishal Kanoo, Deputy Chairman  UAE & Oman, The Kanoo Group and Dr Ram Buxani, Chairman, ITL Cosmos Group, H.E. Saud Salim Al Mazrouei, Director of the Hamriyah Free Zone Authority and the Sharjah Airport International Free Zone Authority as well as several prominent new members.

Together, the Superbrands Council scored more than 2,000 leading brands from across the UAE and shortlisted them to be voted on by over 2,500 senior managers and marketing professionals. Only individuals who were invited could vote on the brands that they believed in. The highest scoring brands have been selected as Superbrands and, further, only brands that achieved the prerequisites set by the Superbrands Council were eligible for inclusion in the Superbrands UAE book, which highlights the history and achievements of each brand.

Thorough screening

Speaking on the selection and voting process, English added: Only the best-of-the-best brands make it onto the Superbrands list thanks to our intensive and thorough screening and voting process. Since brands have to garner a significant number of votes via online poll by our well respected Superbrands Council members and regional marketing professionals, its truly a badge of honour to be recognised, and to be invited to participate in the Superbrands UAE Book. The Oscars of Branding and the latest edition of our book are a true celebration of the countrys key brands.

The 18th edition of the highly anticipated annual tribute event will be attended by the UAEs leading business and corporate heads.-- 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.
Kent MacLennan is executive director of Rise Above Colorado, a statewide prevention non-profit that empowers youth to make healthy connections, decisions, and change.
From welding to accounting, there is a position for everyone in the manufacturing field.

Stellar Industries gave North Iowa students the opportunity to tour facilities as part of National Manufacturing Day. Garner-Hayfield-Ventura and West Hancock schools saw Stellar's Garner facility on Tuesday and Mason City Iowa Jobs for America's Graduates (iJAG) students took a trip to the Mason City facility on Thursday.

"The kids who were here were very respectful. They seem to be very engaged with the opportunity and to see the facility," said Mason City plant manager Stacey Hippen.

National Manufacturing Day is the first Friday in October, celebrating the jobs and companies in the industry. Part of the day is to help raise awareness among students and community members about the possibilities in the field through promotions or tours.

"We'd like to welcome any employees looking for opportunities to come and see us. We'll show you around," said Hippen.

Stellar, an employee owned and operated manufacturer of hydraulic truck mounted equipment and trailers, showed 17 students the manufacturing operation.

High school iJAG students were given information about the company and shown a video detailing its history. Opportunity was given to students to operate truck equipment, meet with employees, and walk through the process on how the parts are made.

Stellar tour guides let students know there is more than what meets the eye when it comes to manufacturing jobs, like the need for engineers and those savvy in marketing.

Several students indicated interest in working within a manufacturing company. Seeing the possibility of being employed by a company like Stellar is the purpose of iJAG.

iJAG is a nonprofit organization that connects business and education to provide the most cost-effective dropout prevention and school to career solution, according to its website. Students in the iJAG program have trouble in a classroom because of barriers or distractions at home.

"We're supporting young people through graduation and preparing them for life after high school by connecting them to work based learning opportunities, like internships," said iJAG Employer Engagement Partner Natalie Lynch.

Hippen says it is important to give students the chance to explore industries to see options post high school.

"I encourage those kids should do it and to not put themselves into debt coming straight out of high school. Some kids, that's okay. But other kids are just not geared for it, so they need to see what opportunities are out there," said Hippen.

North Iowa students accumulated over 12,000 NIACC credits in 2021-22 North Iowa high school students took full advantage of the opportunity to enroll in college 
Silly me.

Do you remember when your mother or father would give you stern advice about staying out of trouble. Use a little common sense, they would say.

The other day, a friend was talking to me about a book she is reading on how to live your life wisely and asked, doesnt it really come down to common sense?

Well, yes and no, I said decisively (sarcasm intended).

If you have a headache, the common-sense thing to do is take an aspirin. If you have a persistent tooth ache, it would make common sense to contact your dentist.

If you are walking on a roadside after dark, common sense would tell you to walk in the direction of the traffic. But common sense might also tell you not to walk on a roadside after dark.

In 1775, Thomas Paine wrote a 47 page pamphlet distributed to the populace of the 13 colonies advocating independence from the rule of Great Britain. It was titled Common Sense. The phrase has been around for a long time and used in a variety of contexts.

It is generally defined as sound judgment, level-headedness and being cautious. Using that definition, would you describe the U.S. Congress as having a lot of common sense? How about your local government, school board or church council? How about your neighbor who revs up his power lawn mower at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning?

Republicans and Democrats have far different approaches to problem-solving, yet both parties would say their decisions are based on common sense.

Most of us have known people in our everyday lives who we describe as being very smart but dont have much common sense.

Scholars who look at the two words individually say that common refers to circumstances that all of us can relate to and that sense is a feeling or perception of an individual rather than something applying to all of us.

Many of us have had to make decisions in our personal lives such as deciding on whether to move from one city to another or to quit our job to accept another job offer or to borrow money for a specific purpose. We make common-sense decisions every day without even realizing it.

In the discussion I had with my book-reading friend, we talked about how people in various walks of life or different cultures might react to the same set of circumstances differently from one another. Does a persons health, wealth, power, politics, cultural background or morality have any influence on their use of common sense? Of course.

So she is right in saying good decision-making comes down to just using common sense. But then the question is: Whose common sense  yours or mine?

Silly me.
Four teenagers were honored last week for completing life skills training and goal-setting exercises through Project Imagine, a community violence intervention program that steers gang-prone kids off the streets and into completing school and becoming employed.

Graduating from the program were Jayden King-Hannah, Jordan Jones, JaToric Nunnally and Nyles Stewart.

Robert David, youth services and gang violence prevention coordinator for the city of Danville, commended the youths for deciding to better their lives.

I want to thank you for making the decision to do something different with your life, David said. We know there are a lot of young men out in the community who have not yet made that decision. Project Imagine is here to help you. The only thing that we can give you is the opportunity. It is your responsibility to take advantage of it.

Tommy Bennett, president of the local chapter of the NAACP, told the youths to not allow anybody to tell them what they cannot do.

Whatever you want to be, you can do it, Bennett said. Reach for the top. Dont let folks pull you down.

Since the programs inception, 13 classes totaling 73 teens have graduated.

Project Imagine started in 2018 to create a positive image in the youths mind so that he or she can imagine a life without gangs or crime. Initially, the program consisted of a nine-week paid work experience and mentoring while on the job with a partnering agency.

The focus now is developing and maintaining those relationships as each teen progresses in meeting their goals, such as finishing school and becoming employed. A Project Imagine outreach worker is assigned to mentor each teen in the program for a minimum of one year.

We like to think of ourselves as your new aunts and uncles because we are going to be there for you, David said. Once you go through Project Imagine, you are family, and that is how we treat you. . We will be honest, and there is no judgment.

As part of the program, the participants receive strength-based assessments using the Casey Life Skills and Clifton Strengths tools that aim to set youth on their way toward developing healthy, productive lives.

The teens in Project Imagine are chosen from referrals from the police department, courts, schools, and parents.

Project Imagine has received national recognition. In 2020, David was named a winner of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award by the National Gang Crime Research Center. The award recognizes his accomplishments in gang prevention and intervention.

The program also received the Presidents Award from the Virginia Municipal League in October 2019.
Danville Community College hosted the CyberKnights Showdown, its first regional cybersecurity competition, Friday on the DCC campus.

Cybersecurity, now more than ever, is an integral part of nearly every business, said Jerry Wallace, president of Danville Community College. The need to protect consumer, business and government data is ever-growing and the opening of our new, state- of-the-art cyber center is DCCs response to this local, national, and global need.

High school students from around the area gathered in the new, state-of-the-art DCC Cyber Center located in the Temple Building on the DCC campus to compete in an online, capture-the-flag environment. Competition categories include: open source intelligence gathering, forensic, web exploitation, steganography, cryptography, network traffic analysis, reverse engineering and encryption.

It was incredibly impressive to watch these high school students come in to the competition prepared to compete in something so technical and specialized, said Wallace. These students are the future of the information systems technology industry.

After the conclusion of the competition, awards were issued to the winners in a ceremony held in Oliver Hall, which included first-, second- and third-place medals, and an HP Laptop for each winner, donated by the Danville Community College Educational Foundation. The winners are:

First place: Epic Misfit Debris, Andrew Lindblom and Joshua Martin;

Second place: Random Eclipse, Jacob Richardson and Benjamin Barnett; and

Third place: Crash-test Gunners, Joshua Cole and Connor Brumfield

Participants enjoyed a boxed lunch, followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony commemorating the opening of the new cyber center.

Wallace welcomed attendees to the ceremony and introduced guest speaker Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security for the Commonwealth of Virginia Aliscia Andrews.

We are pleased that our representation in Richmond recognizes the importance of cybersecurity training and the impact it will have on Virginia in the years to come, said Wallace. It was an absolute honor to have Aliscia Andrews join us to speak to attendees about the critical need for cybersecurity expertise in our state.

Steven Carrigan, professor of information systems technology and director of the cyber center offered closing remarks to attendees.

With continued cyber-attacks on our nations infrastructure, it is important for businesses and industries to hire highly trained graduates, Carrigan said. DCC was first awarded accreditation from the National Security Agency (NSA)/Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) in 2017 and was re-certified in August of this year with our new Cyber and Network Security Associate of Applied Science Degree program. In keeping with October being recognized as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, this competition highlights the brightest high school students in our region who will ultimately become our nations future cyber experts.

For more information about the cybersecurity program at Danville Community College, visit danville.edu.
RALEIGH  Its a busy time of year for the North Carolina hunting community.

Blackpowder and gun deer hunting seasons open this month, as well as duck, bear, small game and other hunting seasons.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commissions Home from the Hunt campaign reminds hunters of firearm safety tips.

Always positively identify your target before pulling the trigger, said Carissa Daniels, engagement & education manager at the Wildlife Commission.

Sounds obvious, but its easy to let anticipation and excitement cloud your judgment. Collect yourself and be aware of your surroundings. To ensure the safest shot, make sure there are no houses, vehicles, powerlines, livestock or people in front of or behind your target.

Additional important rules of firearm safety are:

*Always point a firearm in a safe direction.

*Treat every firearm as if it were loaded. Never assume a firearm is unloaded.

*Use binoculars, rather than a rifle scope, to identify the target.

*Keep your finger out of the trigger guard and off the trigger until ready to shoot.

*Be sure of your target, as well as whats in front of and behind it.

Any person hunting bear, feral swine, rabbit, squirrel, grouse, pheasant or quail with the use of firearms must wear a cap or hat made of hunter orange material or an outer garment of hunter orange visible from all sides.

Anyone hunting deer during a deer firearm season, regardless of weapon, must wear hunter orange visible from all sides. This includes archery hunters that hunt on Sunday during the deer firearm season.

This requirement does not apply to a landholder, his or her spouse and children if they are hunting on the landholders property.

Non-hunters using game lands, such as hikers and birders, are also encouraged to wear blaze orange so they can easily be seen by hunters and other users.

For more information about general hunting regulations, hunting seasons, hunting licenses, Hunting Heritage Apprentice Permits and the Hunter Education Program, go to ncwildlife.org or call 888-248-6834.
GREENSBORO  Greensboro Day School announced last week that it has received a $5 million gift  the largest in its 53-year history.

The gift from Steve and Jackie Bell serves as seed funding for the private schools planned Center for Student Life, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation, which was announced by Head of School Tracie Catlett on Sept. 21 as one of the priorities of the schools new Campus Master Plan.

The school at 5401 Lawndale Drive serves approximately 865 students.

Jackie and Steve Bell have been tremendous supporters of and investors in education in North Carolina at the college and PK12 levels, Catlett said in a news release. We are so grateful for their passion and historic philanthropic support for Greensboro Day Schools future Center for Student life, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation.

The Center will provide a new central hub for the school and will include centers for programs in entrepreneurship, design and the arts, engineering, public purpose and student wellness. In addition to entrepreneurial incubator spaces, the Center will include an industrial makerspace that will accommodate textile design, woodworking, soldering, 3D printing, and welding. The Center will also include flexible, hands-on spaces allowing students to explore current and emerging technologies in robotics, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence.

Catlett said that Greensboro needs a strong public and private school system to support economic growth and to attract future growth in the Triad.

This Center will deepen the schools connections within the community and ready our students for whats next in business, technology, design, and innovation, and it will serve to strengthen the schools commitment to academic excellence, public purpose, and adolescent wellbeing, Catlett said.

The Bells historic gift, Catlett said, has created significant momentum toward making the schools vision a reality.

Jackie and I have loved living in Greensboro for over 53 years, Steve Bell said in the news release, noting that 13 of their children and grandchildren have attended the school  including four who currently attend.

The high quality and dedication of the faculty and staff will ensure a great learning and social environment for current and future Greensboro area students, Steve Bell said. Our gift will help create a new facility that will foster innovation and equip students with the skills they need to become leaders in the Triad and beyond.

Ian Patrick, the schools chief philanthropy officer, said the school community was very grateful to the Bells for their historic and transformative gift.

The Bells know that having a top-flight independent school such as Greensboro Day School is essential to the citys future economic development efforts, and I know that there are many parents or grandparents of GDS students or alumni that feel the same way, Patrick said. We will be calling on everyone in the GDS community to help make this exciting project a reality.
Marriott International said it plans to debut the Fairfield by Marriott brand in Europe and the Middle East by late 2023.



Six new Fairfield properties are set to join the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio in key business & leisure destinations including France, Denmark, and Saudi Arabia.



Fairfield is the second largest brand within Marriott Bonvoys extraordinary portfolio of 30 hotel brands, with a global footprint of more than 1,230 open hotels.



We are thrilled to launch Fairfield by Marriott in Europe and the Middle East, continuing the growth of this trusted brand, said Eric Jacobs, Senior Vice President and Global Brand Leader, Select Brands. Fairfield is celebrated with a unique legacy in the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. Built on principles of warmth, comfort, and simplicity, Fairfield hotels provide quality and reliability that travellers can look forward to globally.



Fairfield celebrates the beauty of simplicity with an effortless hotel experience focused on bringing value, productivity, and a great night's sleep. Inspired by the heritage of the Marriott family farm, Fairfield pays homage to the restorative place built on the feelings of pure joy and natural ease. Fairfield properties globally offer a design aesthetic that is both calm and modern. Within Europe and the Middle East, the design has been interpreted to reflect the locale of the hotel. The European design is inspired by Scandinavian style, which offers a light and bright aesthetic, and the Middle East properties are expected to have a layout tailored for the region, including prayer rooms and Qibla directional signage.



Each hotels public areas will serve as flexible social spaces to share and connect with other travellers, or simply to relax. Guests can expect a harmonious balance of functionality, comfort, and enriching decor, with the use of natural materials, and carefully selected amenities. Each guestroom will feature comfortable beds, a shower and complimentary Wi-Fi.



The Social Market food and beverage concept will offer a complimentary healthy breakfast that provides a nutritious start to the day, and in selected hotels, guests can enjoy a selection of cold and hot a la carte items in the evening. Guests can also grab what they need from the convenient 24/7 market, fully stocked with snacks and beverages.



We are excited to welcome travellers to the first Fairfield by Marriott hotels in Europe in Copenhagen and Amsterdam in 2023, said Satya Anand, President of Europe, Middle East and Africa. The debut of the brand in Europe and the Middle East has been thoughtfully considered for each market, and were looking forward to delivering Fairfields iconic friendly service and warm hospitality at these new properties.



Anticipated openings across the Middle East include:



Fairfield by Marriott Makkah Al Naseem, Saudi Arabia  Expected to open Q1 2025

Located in the Al Naseem district and set to rise in five towers, the 2,600-guestroom Fairfield by Marriott Makkah Al Naseem will be a fantastic property for those looking to visit cultural sites, such as Mina, Muzdalifa, Al Jamarat Bridge, and Arafat. Makkah is known as the birthplace of the prophet Mohammed, and is considered Islam's holiest city. Situated in Makkah city center, the hotel will provide a convenient base for those visiting on pilgrimage or business.



Fairfield by Marriott Makkah Ibrahim Al Khalil Road, Saudi Arabia  Expected to open Q4 2025

Set to be the second Fairfield property in Makkah, the Fairfield by Marriott Makkah Ibrahim Al Khalil Road will look to offer guests a prime location in just walking distance of the Grand Mosque. Every year, more than two million people visit Makkah for Hajj, the pilgrimage to Kaaba, and with 1,376 expected guestrooms outlined in the design plans, the hotel will be the perfect destination for those visiting.  TradeArabia News Service
Late Thursday morning, a big boom shook parts of the Outer Banks, rattling windows, shaking pictures off walls, scaring family pets and driving people to social media to see if anyone knew the source.

The rumbles are a jarring but familiar phenomena along the chain of barrier islands in North Carolina. They even have a name: Seneca guns. But what causes the episodes  which have been heard and felt for centuries  is a long-debated mystery.

Thursdays single boom vibrated across Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills around 11:30 a.m. The on-duty seismologist at the U.S. Geological Survey searched for any seismic activity in the area strong enough to cause the boom, but found nothing.

A spokesperson with Marine Corps said neither the Marines nor military partners were conducting training or flights in the area Thursday. A spokesperson for Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach said the same.

Staff at the Department of Defenses Harvey Point Defense Testing Activity range in nearby Perquimans County said they could not comment on training activity.

Another possible theory, that the boom was the result of training operations involving the USS Gerald R. Ford launched into the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, is also unlikely. A Navy spokesperson said there were no reports that the ship or any associated military equipment was active in the area.

Chalk it up to the mysterious Seneca guns?

The USGS has long researched unexplained booms heard in the Lake Seneca region of New York, as well as northeastern North Carolina, the Tidewater region of Virginia and coastal South Carolina. The agency says the most logical explanation, learned from past earthquakes, is that weak, shallow quakes are to blame.

High-frequency vibrations from the shallow earthquake generate the booming sound; when earthquakes are deeper, those vibrations never reach the surface. Sometimes the earthquakes create booming sounds even when no vibrations are felt, the USGS wrote on its website.

Other theories include sonic booms from military jets or the movement of tectonic plates.

The Coastal Review, the news service of the North Carolina Coastal Federation nonprofit organization, spoke with a scientist who theorized that temperature inversions may be to blame.

Temperature inversions occur in coastal areas when upwelling of cold water decreases surface air temperature and the cold air mass stays under warmer ones. Whats more, North Carolinas coast juts out into the Atlantic, essentially creating a microphone effect, the review wrote.

It seems feasible that Seneca guns boom loudest when an inversion layer amplifies a natural event, such as storms far past the horizon; or a man-made situation, such as breaking the sound barrier, the article said.

The USGS says theres no agreement on a cause for Seneca guns, with most cases never explained.

They have been occurring in several places around the eastern U.S. and in India for at least a century or two, the agency says on its website. The Earth is a complex place and there is a lot about it that we dont understand. Perhaps someday we will understand what causes Seneca guns, but right now we dont understand what makes them. However, they do not seem to pose a threat to anyone.
RALEIGH  North Carolinas two top Democratic state officials are urging the Republican-led legislature to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana in light of President Joe Bidens pardon Oct. 6 of thousands of Americans convicted of simple possession under federal law.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein, the states top lawyer who is considering a run for governor in 2024, shared their support for the presidents decision at a Friday task force meeting on racial equity and criminal justice.

Established by Cooper in June 2020 after George Floyds murder, the 24-member panel of law enforcement officers, attorneys, civil rights advocates and state officials had recommended in a 2020 report that state lawmakers replace the misdemeanor charge for possessing up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana with a civil offense on par with a traffic infraction.

The General Assembly did not act on this recommendation.

Conviction of simple possession can mar peoples records for life and maybe even prevent them from getting a job, Cooper told the task force Friday. The General Assembly didnt pass your recommendations on this last session, but I believe they should. North Carolina should take steps to end this stigma.

Acknowledging that drug charging practices disproportionately impact people of color, Biden called on governors Oct. 6 to issue similar pardons for those convicted of state marijuana offenses, which reflect the vast majority of possession cases. Although no one is currently in federal prison solely for simple possession of the drug, according to the White House, Biden said the pardon could help thousands overcome obstacles to renting a home or finding work. His pardon excludes those convicted of possessing marijuana with intent to distribute.

Cooper, who is term-limited and cannot seek reelection in 2024, said he has asked lawyers to examine state law and determine whether North Carolina can and should take further action to pardon these convictions. The clemency provision of the state constitution grants the governor near-absolute pardoning power.

While federal law still classifies cannabis as a Schedule I drug, 19 states and the District of Columbia have legalized its recreational use, and 37 states and the District of Columbia have legalized its medical use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. North Carolina, however, has been slow to follow suit.

The Republican-led state Senate passed a bill earlier this year with strong bipartisan support that would have legalized marijuana for medical use with a physicians prescription, if purchased through dozens of tightly regulated dispensaries.

But the bill idled in the House, where many Republicans held reservations about legalizing cannabis in any form. Opponents of the bill warned the health benefits remain uncertain and may not outweigh the health risks.

House Speaker Tim Moore said in June that the chamber would wait until 2023 to reconsider legalizing medical marijuana.

Current state law makes possession of more than 0.5 ounces punishable by up to 45 days in jail and up to $1,000 in fines, without exemptions for medical use. Possession of more than 1.5 ounces is classified as a felony.

People should not have a federal criminal record for something that is legal in an increasing number of states, Stein said Thursday. Lets act, and lets get it right. That means decriminalizing adult use, expunging past convictions for simple possession, and including strong protections for kids, no advertising, state-controlled sales and putting N.C. farmers first.

Although Black and white North Carolina residents use marijuana at about the same rate, the task force found that people of color make up a disproportionate percentage of those convicted of simple possession, paralleling nationwide concerns of racial bias. Roughly 60% of North Carolinians convicted for possessing up to half an ounce of marijuana in 2019 were non-white, according to the most recent report.
Pancake Days fundraiser set for Oct. 16 and 23

The Meadows of Dan Ruritan Club and Fire Department will host the 55th annual Pancake Days fundraiser from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on two Sundays: Oct. 16 and Oct. 23, at the Meadows of Dan Community Building, 2858 Jeb Stuart Highway in Patrick County, Va.

Each year, more than 4,000 people attend the all-you-can-eat events supporting the local community. The pancake meal features a selection of buttermilk pancakes, buckwheat pancakes, sausage, gravy and all the fixings.

Proceeds from Pancake Days benefit various local community causes and organizations, including the volunteer fire department, rescue squad, schools, college scholarships, food drives and other needs in the county.

Prices at the door are $12 for adults, and $6 for children ages 12 and younger. Cash and credit cards will be accepted. To-go orders are available and Neeses ground sausage will be available for sale, too. Commemorative T-shirts will be available for purchase.

Tax-deductible donations are being accepted online for those who cannot attend. Visit the RuritanMOD.square.site for more information or to donate.
A healthy democracy depends on an engaged electorate. A disengaged or disinterested population risks tyranny.

The League of Women Voters urges you to vote in the 2022 General Election. Dont allow misinformation to discourage you.

The Montana Supreme Court recently reinstated same-day voter registration, and pre-2021 voter ID and ballot collection requirements, making it possible for more Montanans to vote. Voting determines who will represent you at the state and federal level and whether the proposed ballot issues will go into effect.

Montana has a strong history of citizens turning out to vote. Nationally, 67% of eligible voters voted in 2020; 73.5% of eligible Montanans voted. We can do better. According to the U.S. Census, in 2020 Montana had about 830,000 eligible voters; 753,000 people registered to vote and 612,000 voted. Nearly one quarter of our states citizens, almost 220,000 eligible voters, remained silent. Our current governor was elected by 40% of eligible voters, our attorney general by 41% and our secretary of state by 37%.

Register to Vote

To vote in Montanas General Election, a citizen must be registered.

Check your voter registration today on the Montana Secretary of States Elections website: app.mt.gov/voterinfo/. Verify:

1. Voter status as active

2. Mailing address

3. Absentee ballot status

If you are not registered correctly, download the registration form from the secretary of states election website, complete and sign the form, then mail or deliver the form and any additional identification to your County Election Office. Regular voter registration ends Oct. 11, after which only in-person registration is available, including on Election Day.

Voting in Montana

Over 70% of Montana voters use an absentee ballot and receive their ballots in the mail. To ensure that an absentee ballot is returned to the County Election Office on time, we recommend mailing it by Oct. 30, or delivering it directly to the County Election Office during regular business hours but no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Beginning Oct. 11, those voting in-person may vote early at the election office by going to the office, requesting an absentee ballot, completing it and putting it into the election ballot drop box.

On Election Day, those voting in-person at their polling place must show the election judges valid identification as was required in 2020 and prior elections, which includes student IDs. If your ID doesnt match your information on the voter registration role, you may use a provisional ballot but must bring in or mail a copy of verifying information the next day to have your vote count.

You cant vote twice. If you were given an absentee ballot, have returned it and it has been accepted, the elections office will have a record. You will not be given a second ballot.

Montanas Election System is Secure

Montana election officials take multiple steps to ensure that elections are safe and secure. They test voting and vote counting machines before the election to ensure they are working properly. No machines are connected to the internet. Only paper ballots are used, so voters can confirm their vote before they cast it and votes can be accurately counted.

Absentee ballots are sent only to active voters who request them. Signatures on every absentee ballot are checked against signatures on registration forms; identification is required to register and to vote. Ballots are kept secure once received, during the tabulation process, and after tabulation. Election judges, who take an oath to uphold the integrity of our elections, are friends and neighbors who serve their communities in facilitating fair elections.

Democracy depends on you. Please vote in the Nov. 8 General Election.
Gov. Glenn Youngkins 2022 Energy Plan strikes the right rhetorical balance with its all of the above approach to future energy generation.

As America transitions away from fossil-fuel-based energy sources to clean renewable sources, each state is going to struggle with how to scale back greenhouse gas-producing fuels that have driven the nation since the Industrial Revolution, and scale up clean energy sources that have a ways to go before they are able to meet the demands that are going to be placed on them.

Youngkin argues that we need to balance all the sources we depend on nownatural gas, nuclear, solar, and coal, primarilyas we move toward a clean-energy future. He is rightly concerned about the impact of this transition on the pocketbooks of Virginians, who ultimately will pay for this transition via their monthly energy bills.

Of particular concern are rate adjustment clauses, which were approved by the General Assembly in 2007 and allow Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company to charge customers for covering the costs of specific expenses like environmental cleanup obligations or certain generation facilities, according to a 2021 Virginia Mercury story.

These costs are not inconsequential, and account for a significant portion of the 10-year rise in consumer bills. There is bipartisan support in the General Assembly to address this problem, and we applaud the governor for making it an issue.

But while this energy plan may sound reasonable, it isnt. This blueprint will lead to Virginia dragging its feet on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and making the turn to zero carbon emissions as required by the Virginia Clean Economy Act.

Youngkins plan to slow renewables is hiding just below his rhetoric. He wants to empower the State Corporation Commission to permit energy companies to delay their renewable portfolio standard requirements required by the VCEAan act that the governor makes clear he wants to roll back.

Further, he continues pushing the false narrative that renewable energy is going to drive up costs to the point that Virginia is not competitive.

Clean energy is not the problem here, said Will Cleveland in a Southern Environmental Law Center press release. The problem is a regulatory system that enables utilities to over-charge customers on the one hand and then drive rates even higher with new surcharges with the other hand.  [F]alling-cost resources like solar, wind, and battery storage simply do not threaten reliability or affordability, as this energy plan claims.

Moreover, as a successful businessman, Youngkin should know the clean energy revolution is not going away. The automotive industry, whose products are one of the biggest producers of greenhouse gases, is fully committed to clean energy. General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo are just some of the carmakers that have set aggressive goals to stop selling emission-producing cars in the very near future.

And Californias emission standards, which Virginia currently follows, will drive our economy even if Youngkin withdraws us from that agreement.

The economy isnt waiting for recalcitrant conservatives to come around.

But the most head-scratching element of this energy plan is Youngkins commitment to small modular nuclear reactors.

Smaller in size and cheaper to assemble than traditional nuclear power plants, SMRs are a promising piece of our clean-energy future.

But theres a problem. According to Richard Black of the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit, [T]hey do not currently exist as reactors for power generation. Thus, he continues, its difficult to have confidence in production times  and cost reductions proposed by the industry.

Further, recent research out of Stanford University argues that Small modular reactors  will actually generate more radioactive waste than conventional nuclear power plants.

So Youngkin wants to slow down progress on proven clean-energy solutions like wind and solar that are scaling up and have proven markets, invest heavily in a new nuclear technology that is not even currently producing energy in the U.S., and all the while giving a thumbs up to the energy sources that have put us in the predicament were infossil fuels.

The free market is moving to clean solutions.

Youngkin, using the language of competitiveness, wants to pull Virginia back into the coal mines.

Were not fooled by the rhetoric of someone who appears more interested in refining his presidential campaign stump speech than doing whats best for Virginia.
The Costa Group, Australia's leading grower, packer and marketer of fresh fruit and vegetables, has been hit by what it describes as "a malicious and sophisticated IT phishing attack" which could have resulted in passport, bank and superannuation details being leaked, as also tax file numbers.

In a statement dated 6 October, the company said the attack had taken place on 21 August and it had commenced a review and recovery process with external security consultants from that date onwards.

"As a result of this we have now established that access to data was confined to a single server at the Costa Corindi (NSW) site, which holds data for the berry category, and that only approximately 10% of the data on the Corindi file server was accessed," the statement said.

Costa was started by Francesco Costa, a wine producer from Salina, Italy, who migrated to Australia to raise funds for his vineyard, according to information on the company's website. He worked in Melbourne, Colac and Geelong before returning to Italy in 1895. It operates in more than 30 rural and regional communities across Australia, with its business support centre located at Ravenhall in Victoria.

Costa has experienced a malicious and sophisticated IT phishing attack. <- Sophisticated. ?https://t.co/KnXNXy4Hw3  Brett Callow (@BrettCallow) October 8, 2022

"In 1903, Francesco sent his two eldest sons away because the vineyard could not support them. One of his sons, Joe, migrated and settled in Australia.

"In 1926 another brother, Tony, migrated to Australia to work for Joe. Within a few years, Tony had set up his own business  a small fruit shop in Warrnambool," the site says.

Though most of the data stored on this server was not personal information, the company said, "there is a risk that personal sensitive information of workers on Costas Australian berry farms may have been accessed".

It said this included employees directly hired by Costas berry category since 2013 or provided by labour hire organisations since 2019.

"This sensitive information may include the following: passport details, bank details, superannuation details [and] tax file numbers," the company added.

Costa Group interim chief executive Harry Debney said: This is a malicious attack, which was sophisticated in its execution. Our first concern is for the impact this may have on our current and former employees.

"With this firmly in mind, we continue to do everything we can to minimise any adverse consequences and to strengthen our cyber-security protections. I can also confirm that no core business applications were accessed, nor was any customer or supplier data comprised by the attack.

The Costa Group recommended that any current or former employees take the following precautions:

"Notifying your bank about the incident to ensure that extra checks are done by your bank.

"Notifying your bank/financial institution of any suspect transactions.

"Notifying your telecom provider to ensure they make you aware of any requests to redirect your phone calls/messages to reduce unauthorised attempts to bypass multi-factor authentication.

"Obtaining periodic credit checks to monitor for suspicious activity. Further information on credit checks can be obtained at https://www.idcare.org/fact-sheets/credit-reports-australia.

"Changing your email passwords.

"Enable Multi Factor Authentication on any sensitive accounts you may have such as banking and financial institutions.

"Changing any PIN/password for accounts that includes part or all of the data that may have been accessed (eg. Birth date in password, street address in password etc.).

"Notifying the Australian Federal Police if you suspect you have been subject to identity theft."

The company provided a number for any potentially affected workers to contact: 1300 282 470.

It said the number would operate for the next month from the date of the post and be available from Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm AEDT. Callers have been advised to dial and then select option 1.

Else, one could email cybersecurity @ costagroup.com.au.
CHARLESTON  The newly founded Lincoln Ave. Progressives group held its first rally Saturday afternoon in support of women's and LGBT rights.

The event was held in conjunction with the national Women's March, as dozens of smaller protests popped up around the country to coincide with the Women's March in Washington, D.C.

Around 15 supporters came from across the area, with some traveling from Effingham, Douglas and Shelby counties.

Jacque Cisney, a frequent attendee of rallies in the area, came with her daughter, Juniper Cisney, who is nearly 2. Jacque Cisney shared during the event that she wants easier access to abortion.

"Because I really want to be able to have an abortion easily, very easily, actually," she said. "I don't just want the basic ability to have one."

Cisney has brought her daughter with her for each of the protests in Coles County focused on reproductive rights since the overturning of the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade in June.

"I think the primary importance is because we're both female individuals and females have been encouraged to be submissive and docile under the patriarchy," Cisney said. "I think that it's really important that women be very loud about what they want and for us to take back a society that looks safe to raise our kids, and because for too long society has been unsafe, and has been a place where moms don't want to put their children if they're not upper middle class and white."

She added that she believes those with wombs should be able to access the health care they need, "not just the health care that conservative white men think they need."

Siblings Kalea and Ben Yagow, of St. Elmo, traveled to Charleston because it was the closest rally to them that was being held in connection with the national march.

Kalea Yagow was interning out of state when Roe v. Wade was overturned, but had attended the Women's March in Holland, Michigan, in 2021, so she was signed up for text notifications for future events. When she got a text regarding upcoming rallies, she thought it was the perfect opportunity to participate.

Her brother came in support because of the "widespread impacts" the overturning of Roe v. Wade could have. He said he felt it was important to protest because he wants to grow up in a world where he feels safe.

"I don't want to grow up in an (outdated) environment that's unrealistic and not gonna evolve anytime soon," Ben Yagow said. "It has to start somewhere."

Kalea Yagow added, "(It is) especially important in this conservative area."
World Travel Market London (WTM) running from November 7-9, is expecting to facilitate a record number of deals this year as the growing number of new and returning exhibitors grows, making the event a must-attend for travel buyers.



Across all areas of the exhibition floor, new faces will be present, as well as familiar ones. There are more than 3000+ exhibitors confirmed, more than 70 of which are making their WTM London debut.



Some of the highest-profile new participants can be found in the International Hub region of the show, with global representatives from hotel giants such as Hilton and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. International Hub will for the first time host bed-bank Yalago - part of the Emirates Group, transport rental firm OK Mobility and destination management company Intrepid.



Public, private and hybrid destination management companies and tourist boards are making their presence felt at this years event. Organisers are particularly pleased to welcome back the Brazilian tourist board Embratur, with other returnees representing destinations as diverse as Kyrgyzstan and Rwanda.



First-time destination-driven exhibitors include the Association of Ugandan Tour Operators and representatives from the Azadi International Tourism Organization, showcasing hotels, eco safaris, villages and climbing tours available in Iran.



Elsewhere, there will be a greater presence this year from the more established leisure destinations such as the Caribbean, Spain, and Portugal. The UK and Ireland stand will be twice the size of last year, hosting more than 50 partners and reflecting the continuing interest in the UK and Ireland as a staycation destination and its appeal for inbound visitors.



This years technology hall will include for the first time Sojern, one of the worlds leading travel-specific marketing platforms. UK-based Vamp, which helps travel companies work with influencers, and US-based car rental aggregator Sofiac are among the dozen or so technology businesses also testing the WTM London waters.

Juliette Losardo, WTM London Exhibition Director, said: We are delighted to welcome brand new exhibitors to this years event  new organisations participating is essential to moving the sector forward, as well as being very pleased to see some of our long term loyal exhibitors return. These new and returning participants come from all corners of the globe - there are now exhibitors from more than 100 countries confirmed.



WTM London will this year have a number of specific initiatives designed to help buyers get the most out of their time at ExCeL London. The ever-popular speed networking event takes place on the first two days of the show (Monday 7 November and Tuesday 8 November) from 08:30 to 10am. A dedicated lounge will be available to The Buyers Club, and buyers will have access to WTM Connect Me  a platform to schedule meetings ahead of arrival.



Losardo continued: Buyers attending this years WTM London have the chance to meet with thousands of potential clients, reconnect with industry peers and come away inspired with new ideas. 2022 promises to be one of the most important WTMs to date.  TradeArabia News Service
CHICAGO  A man accused of walking into a Chicago police station and pointing a gun at officers, leading police to shoot and wound him, appeared in court on Friday on assault charges, where a judge ordered his bond set at $200,000.

The police department said in a news release that 43-year-old Terrick Bland, of nearby Maywood, is charged with five counts of aggravated assault of a peace officer and one felony count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

According to police, Bland on Wednesday walked into the lobby of the Ogden District station in the Lawndale neighborhood on the city's West Side and began shouting anti-police statements. When officers ordered him to drop a gun that he had wrapped in a plastic bag, he pointed it at officers and at least three of them opened fire.

Bland was shot once in the shoulder and was treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. According to the Cook County State's Attorney's office, Bland was represented at Friday's hearing by an attorney with the county public defender's office. An official from the office said she could not immediately determine who represented Bland.

It was the second time in a little more than a week in which Chicago officers shot an armed suspect inside of a police station.

On Sept. 26, police shot and wounded 47-year-old Donald Patrick, of Waukegan, after authorities say he climbed a fire escape on another West Side station, entered the building, grabbed handguns off a table and allegedly pointed them at officers who were undergoing SWAT training. Patrick was arrested and charged with burglary and aggravated assault of an officer using a firearm. He remains in jail.

After the shooting Wednesday, Brown said the department was examining what could be done to beef up security at police stations.
Jada Pinkett Smith will release a memoir next fall about her rise to fame and complicated marriage to Will Smith, publisher Dey Street Books announced on Thursday.

The forthcoming book is billed as a no holds barred retelling of the influential actor and TV hosts difficult but riveting journey ... from the depths of suicidal depression to the heights of personal rediscovery and the celebration of authentic feminine power. A title for the memoir has yet to be revealed.

According to Dey Street Books, the book will include details about the Red Table Talk panelists unconventional Baltimore upbringing as the daughter of two parents struggling with addiction who studied theater and briefly dealt drugs before becoming a Hollywood star. The title will also explore Pinkett Smiths close friendship with late rapper Tupac Shakur and her love story with Will Smith, as well as her joyous embrace of motherhood.

The world has imposed many labels and narratives on Jada Pinkett Smith. This is down to the realities of our media landscape, but also the roles thrust upon women by culture, the vice president of Dey Street Books, Carrie Thornton, said a statement.

At the center of all the speculation and false stories is a woman who, like so many women, has had to reconcile her personhood with the needs of those she loves. This memoir is Jada giving the world her truth, taking readers on a journey from lost girl to woman warrior.

The memoir announcement comes several months after Will Smith was banned from the Oscars for 10 years by the film academy for slapping presenter Chris Rock in the face at this years ceremony. Smith hit Rock after the comedian cracked a joke about Pinkett Smiths shaved head  which prompted a larger conversation about alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that causes rapid hair loss.

Pinkett Smith has been vocal about her struggles with alopecia, especially after the Oscars incident brought the condition into the spotlight. In a June episode of her popular Facebook Watch series, Red Table Talk, the Matrix Revolutions star said she hoped Smith and Rock would eventually have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile the state of the world today.

We need them both, and we all actually need one another more than ever, she added. Until then, Will and I are continuing to do what we have done for the last 28 years. And thats keep figuring out this thing called life together.
The midway was dark and the carnies fast asleep when Isaac Schmiesing and his family pulled up to the livestock barn at the Carolina Classic Fair about an hour before sunrise one day last week.

In the early morning darkness, hours before the first elephant ear was dipped into hot grease and the first riders fastened inside The Zipper, three generations of the family went to work, washing, brushing and primping their Guernsey calves for the dairy show that was set to begin in a few hours.

From their hooves to their ears, the cows needed to shine. That meant not a drop of manure, not a strand of hay, not a smidgen of grime on their massive bodies.

Its a beauty pageant for cows, said Clair Stokes Wylie, Isaacs grandmother and something of a legend in local dairy circles.

The Carolina Classic Fair has its roots in agricultural, starting as a grain exposition in the 19th century. A livestock show was eventually added, followed by games, rides and other carnival attractions.

Somewhere along the line, the fair became more about deep-fried Twinkies than prized heifers.

And yet, inside the dairy barn last week, there was evidence that the fair's long ties to agriculture remain intact, even as the number of livestock entries dwindle.

On Monday and Tuesday about 215 Holsteins, Jerseys, Guernseys, Brown Swiss and Ayrshires from around the Southeast competed to be Grand Champion, a coveted honor that can mean more money when it comes time to market the cows for breeding.

If the dairy show was a beauty pageant, as Wylie said, then Amanda Lutz was the pageant judge. A dairy farmer from Chester, S.C., Lutz spent about eight hours over the course of two days, looking at all 215 heifers, sizing up legs, chests, ribs and, in the case of mature cows, their udders.

Lutz developed her sharp eye for judging over the course of a lifetime, learning as a toddler on her family's dairy farm in the Shenandoah Valley then studying dairy science at Virginia Tech.

"That's a beautiful mammary system," she'd say more than a few times over the course of the two-day dairy show.

Showmanship

On Monday, Lutz was up by 4:30 a.m., milking 70 cows on her South Carolina farm, before showering and hopping in her car and driving to the fair in time for the first dairy show at 3 p.m., the showmanship division for Holsteins, Ayrshires and Brown Swiss.

Showmanship is judged mostly on how well exhibitors handle and present their animals to the judge, rather than the cows physical characteristics.

With a few motions, good showmen can get even the largest cows to stop, back up, lift their heads and remain calm in the ring.

In the junior showmanship division on Monday, the calves walked single-file, making a wide circle. Lutz honed in on Madeline Branch, a 9-year-old from Mount Airy.

A saucer-sized silver belt buckle from the West Virginia State Fair accented her milk-white outfit, the traditional garb of dairy exhibitors.

Madeline watched Lutz, sneaking a few glances at her calf, Calzone, to make sure she was calm and relaxed. Madeline bought Calzone, a Brown Swiss, in Maryland, using her own money.

With the assuredness of an old cowhand, Madeline brought Calzone to a stop upon Lutz's silent command, then positioned her legs in a way that would make her look prize-worthy.

Leading up to the fair, Madeline worked with Calzone every day for 30 minutes, work that paid off with a blue ribbon that brought a smile to her mother, Brittany, who flashed her a thumbs up from outside the ring.

Shes really proud of that calf, Brittany said of Madeline.

Procession

On Tuesday morning, with only a few food stands open, the midway deserted and just a few early birds strolling the fairgrounds, the dairy barn was abuzz as exhibitors, including Isaac, prepared for another round of showmanship, this one involving Guernseys and Jerseys.

Nine-year old Isaac, whose red hair matches his calf Dancer's, huddled with his grandmother, Wylie, before the show.

That was a wise move on Isaac's part. Grandma knows her stuff.

Wylie grew up on a farm and operates Goldprint Farm, along with family members, including her husband, Paul, in Linwood, a small town in southern Davidson County. The Guernseys raised on the farm have been consistent prize-winners at fairs around the country for decades.

I was told that I had my diapers changed at the State Fair, Wylie said with a laugh as she walked around the dairy barn last week.

When the Randolph County Fairs dairy show was abruptly moved to the Carolina Classic Fairgrounds last Sunday because of Hurricane Ian, Wylie filled in as judge.

"She's my idol," Lutz said of Wylie.

Wylie pulled Isaac close to review some questions that Lutz was likely to ask each of the participants.

How old is your calf?

What's her name?

What is her breed?

Isaac nailed the answers.

What kind of hay does she eat?

That stumped Isaac.

Grass hay, Wylie said.

In the ring, Isaac occasionally looked toward his mother Carrie Schmiesing for guidance, as he led Dancer, who behaved beautifully.

She occasionally signaled for Isaac to adjust his grip on the reins to lift Dancers head.

Lutz bent down to talk with each of the young exhibitors before giving the calves another long glance. After a few minutes, she tapped the rump of Clint Robsons calf, Bella.

Lutz picked up a microphone and explained her decision, as she did after each show, to a handful of spectators in the showring.

He never missed a beat, Lutz said of Clint.

Clint and his family woke up at 4:30 a.m., to make it to the barn at 5:45 a.m., from their home in Dobson. Once in the barn, Clint washed and fed Bella then began grooming, which included spiking up the hair along Bellas spine, firming it up with glue then blow drying it to give the appearance of a strong, straight spine.

That cow has more hair products than I do, said Clints mom, Chrissy.

Isaac showed three more times on Tuesday, winning in the junior champion winter calf division with Dancer. The family loaded up their cattle and headed back to their farm with several ribbons in hand. They'll rest for several days before heading to the South Carolina State Fair this week.

The procession of cows on Tuesday lasted nearly five hours, and Lutz was on her feet for all of it, never stopping to sit or eat, taking only the occasional sip of water.

Judging is a side gig for Lutz. She does it mostly to help the shrinking community of dairy farmers. Kids can develop a strong work ethic showing large food animals and learn where some of their food comes from, she said.

"I enjoy working with kids," she said. "But yes, my feet hurt."

By the time the dairy show ended on Tuesday afternoon, the faint echoes of screams and pulsing basslines from the midway drifted into the quiet show ring.

The fair, as most of us know it, was cranking up, but there would be no corn dog or Tilt-A-Whirl for Lutz.

"I've got to get home," she said, "and check on my cows."
The 20-story Lied Place Residences, which topped out last year at 250 feet, making it the city's second-tallest building after the state Capitol, may not hold that title for long.

Developers are proposing a 22-story building at Ninth and P streets that would likely eclipse Lied Place by a few feet.

The building, to be built on the northwest corner of the intersection, where Melichar's 66 Sales & Service has sat for more than five decades, would combine office space, rental apartments and condo units.

According to plans submitted to the Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Department, the building would have 36,000 square feet of office space on floors two through five, 70 luxury apartment units on floors seven through 15, and 33 condo units on floors 16 through 21.

Steve Glenn, one of the partners in the development, called it a "very dynamic building" that's going to be "transformational for Lincoln."

"There's nothing like this between Chicago and Denver," said Glenn, who owns Lincoln-based Executive Travel and several other businesses.

Amenities planned include a members-only club on the roof of the building and a host of amenities on the sixth floor for apartment renters that will include a pool, fitness center, co-working suites and a pet wash station, he said.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $87 million, including about $23 million of tax-increment financing, which allows the developers to use future property taxes the project generates to pay for certain upfront costs.

A good portion of the TIF money would likely go to demolition and site remediation, as underground fuel tanks will have to be removed and any contamination cleaned up before construction starts.

If the project comes to fruition, it will mean the end of Melichar's  at least in its iconic downtown location  where it's operated as a family business since it was built in 1969.

Bruce Melichar, whose dad was involved with the opening of the location and whose son, Jeff, runs day-to-day operations now, said he's been given a time frame of January or February for when developers will make a final decision on whether the project will go forward, and he's been told demolition work could begin as early as May.

While he doesn't want to leave downtown, where he said the station is "probably doing more business than we've ever done," he does have an agreement in place to take over operation of another Phillips 66 station in Lincoln.

"At least we've got a plan where Melichar's will still be doing business in Lincoln, Nebraska," he said.

If built, the new high-rise would join a number of other projects that are adding hundreds of living units downtown, most of them in the area bounded by Eighth, 11th, N and Q streets.

They include Atmosphere Lincoln, a 13-story, 320-unit student-oriented apartment complex expected to open next summer on the former site of the Journal Star at 926 P St.; WD Brock Lofts, a 70-unit apartment development at 1030 O St. that's in the planning stages; a redevelopment of the Terminal Building at 10th and O streets that's adding 30 condo units to its upper floors; and the redevelopment of the former Lincoln Electric System headquarters building at 11th and O streets into approximately 20 condos.

Todd Ogden, president and CEO of the Downtown Lincoln Association, said there's plenty of demand to absorb another 100 or so downtown residential units.

"Our occupancy numbers are still very strong, so we more than welcome this type of development in downtown Lincoln," Ogden said in an email. "More inventory in the market will lead to more competitive price points and bring more people to an area that is continuing to thrive on its rapid transformation into a 24/7 urban neighborhood."

He called Glenn a "downtown champion," who, along with his partners, have "put a lot of thought into this development."

Among Glenn's partners are his son, Paul; Mike Weatherl, who founded Silverhawk Aviation and now owns a company that provides security and janitorial services; and Alexander Carlson, whose family owns ARYSE, a startup that makes high-tech orthopedic braces.

Glenn said there are a number of other partners in the project, but he declined to name them.

He said the group has been working on the development for more than five years, and he was careful to note that a lot of work still has to be done to ensure it becomes a reality.

"We don't want to portray that this is a done deal," he said.

But Glenn said he's optimistic. The development group has secured financing and has 40% of the condo units presold, he said, close to its goal of 50% to start construction.

The city approval process is tentatively scheduled to start Nov. 2 with a public hearing before the Planning Commission, likely followed later that month with a hearing before the City Council.

If everything goes as planned, Glenn said he hopes to be able to break ground next spring, with an expected construction timeline of 24 months.

"We're very excited," he said. "We want this building to be a catalyst for the city."
Donald Trump celebrated Ben Sasse's approaching departure from the Senate as "great news" on his social media platform last week after it was revealed that Sasse would be resigning to return to academia as the new president of the University of Florida.

Sasse is leaving behind a premier national elective office that most politicians absolutely covet with four years still remaining in his second Senate term.

It was a day that exposed the character of both men as Trump hurled insults at Sasse on his social media site.

"I'm excited frankly about the opportunity to step away from politics and onto a team of big-cause, low-ego people who want to build stuff and serve students and plan for the future," Sasse told the Tampa Bay Times.

Meanwhile, 271 miles south of Gainesville at Mar-a-Lago, the former president continues to plan a return to power while employing an army of lawyers to obstruct or slow-walk a pile of ongoing litigation, including the dispute over his decision to take top-secret documents from the White House and store them in boxes at his resort home.

For what purpose?

Sasse tried to prevent Trump from even happening at the very beginning, traveling to Iowa in 2016 to campaign against him in advance of Iowa's presidential caucuses.

During the ensuing Trump presidency, Sasse ultimately was formally rebuked by the Nebraska Republican Party for his vote to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial following the 2021 insurrection at the nation's capitol in Washington.

"Nebraskans don't think politics should be about the weird worship of one dude," Sasse said at the time.

By opposing Trump, Sasse became persona non grata in his state party while sticking to his conservative Republican principles and he piled up record victories in his two Senate races, winning all 93 counties in the state both times.

"Something has changed over the last four years," he said in the wake of his party's reprimand.

"But it's not me."

* * *

The choice of Sasse to head the University of Florida adds to a remarkable string of Nebraskans, two of them U.S. senators, who have been chosen to lead universities in three of the nation's four largest states.

Former Sen. Bob Kerrey moved on to become president of the New School, a private university in New York City.

J.B. Milliken left as president of the University of Nebraska system to become chancellor of the City University of New York (CUNY) system and is now chancellor of the University of Texas system.

Sasse will be in Gainesville on Monday to meet with faculty, university staff and students.

* * *

Some interesting results from late September polling by Data Targeting for the Neilan Strategy Group.

The survey showed Jim Pillen leading Carol Blood by a relatively narrow 48% to 41%, in the gubernatorial race.

Minimum wage increase ballot initiative: 55% support; 34% oppose.

Voter photo identification ballot initiative: 63% support, 31% oppose.

Proposed authorization for medical marijuana: 63% support; 25% oppose.

Perhaps most interesting is the pollster's assessment that the relatively slim lead that Pillen holds over Blood in this heavily Republican state is the result of a bruising GOP primary election last May.

Pillen is polling only 75% of the Republican vote now.

"If those voters come home, Pillen's lead will surely increase," the pollster suggests.

* * *

Finishing up:

* Sens. Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz talked President Trump into his surprising endorsement of Sasse in his 2020 reelection bid, according to Maggie Haberman's new book, "Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America."

* So far, 10 murders in Lincoln this year, once an unthinkable number for our community.

* The Texas Rangers gave Aaron Judge a fair opportunity to try to break the American League home run record by pitching to him, rather than around him with balls outside the strike zone. Judge connected for No. 62 and the Rangers deserve some credit for giving him a fair chance.

* The wildfire in the storied Sandhills is a Nebraska tragedy.

* Sen. Tom Brewer is planning to head back to Ukraine once again at the end of the week, returning to a battleground that has become even more potentially dangerous with Russia currently in retreat and a desperate Vladimir Putin threatening to let the genie out of the bottle with the use of battlefield nuclear weapons.

* Behold: a two-game Husker winning streak, with both a tough challenge and a great opportunity waiting at Purdue on Saturday night.
Warning: This story contains a photo that viewers may find disturbing.

LOS ANGELES  An apex predator has been quietly hunting interlopers in Death Valley, and for the first time, the deadly encounter has been captured on camera.

A mountain lion can be seen via nighttime images pouncing onto the back of an in-stride wild donkey.

The cougar easily wins the fight: A photograph taken seven minutes later shows it standing over the dead donkey, eyes glimmering as it stares into a wildlife camera.

"It's extremely rare to get a predation on camera," said Erick Lundgren, the biologist who captured the images. "I guess that just goes to show that (this) predation is really not (that) rare in Death Valley."

The newly documented cougar-donkey dynamic has been the focus of little research, but it might illustrate a developing relationship between the two animals that could benefit the ecosystem, according to a recent study.

The feral donkeys, also known as burros, have long been considered invasive and major disruptors of native species and habitats in Death Valley, pillaging wetlands and destroying vegetation other animals rely on. But Lundgren is hoping this study could shift how conservationists and researchers view the donkeys.

"I was interested in the wild donkeys, not just as a pest ... but as wildlife," said Lundgren, the lead researcher of the report published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. "Which is, I think, how you should study them if you want to understand them."

Not only did the study find the donkeys were the "primary recorded prey" of mountain lions in certain areas of the national park, but also that the presence of the big cats changed how and when the donkeys fed, roamed and congregated, and their interaction formed an "emerging ecological network."

The increased predation "was associated with altered donkey activity patterns and rates, and with reduced herbivory and disturbance-related effects on desert wetlands," the study found. This limited damage from the donkeys in these areas.

"There's a prevailing narrative that wild horses and wild burros are problems ... at some kind of biological level," Lundgren said. "And I think that's really non-scientific."

However, in areas where the mountain lions were not as active, the study found donkeys continued to wreak havoc, the study found.

Although the wild donkeys are not native to North America  they descended from the domesticated African wild ass, which was brought west by pioneers during the Gold Rush  Lundgren notes the region was home to different horse-like species before the last Ice Age that lived alongside prehistoric mountain lions more than 10,000 years ago.

"Mountain lions co-occurred with equids (horse-related species), just like wild donkeys, for several million years," he said. "So it's kind of neat that they're together again and that these new relationships are unfolding, which in many ways mimic old relationships that were around for millions of years."

For Mairin Balisi, a paleontologist and co-author of the study, the images of the mountain lion kill were the "return of an extinct interaction."

"Fossil ecosystems are useful for providing baselines of conservation," said Balisi, a curator at the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology in Claremont.

She said this evolving relationship in Death Valley has the potential to be a natural experiment in how the two species can benefit each other and the surrounding habitat. She likens the interaction to the successful reintroduction of the gray wolf in Yellowstone National Park, which had a positive effect on the food chain.

But currently, Death Valley officials remain committed to their zero burro goal in the park, given how a consensus of prior research shows the animals "denude vegetation at springs (sometimes completely), foul water with their excrement and prevent native wildlife, such as native bighorn sheep, from using springs," Death Valley spokesperson Abby Wines said.

"Mountain lion predation is not sufficient to control the burro population in the park," Wines said.

There are an estimated 4,000 feral burros on parkland today, a drastic increase from about 400 in 2005, she said. National park leaders have worked in recent years to humanely remove the burros from the park.

Kate Schoenecker, a research wildlife biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey at Fort Collins Science Center who studies wild burros, said it's unlikely Death Valley will be able to eliminate the animals, given their protected status on nearby Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service land.

She didn't question the park's efforts to remove the donkeys through trapping efforts, but said she was excited the new study gave a more in-depth look at the understudied burros. Specifically, she pointed out how the research documented the donkeys' "predator-risk avoidance behavior," which can positively affect ecosystems.

"This is really cool because it's never been studied for burros," said Schoenecker, who noted the difficulty in drawing too many conclusions from the recent study given its small sample size and limited data.

"I think there's a lot we still don't know," Schoenecker said. "We're just still learning about basic demographic rates of burros."

Lundgren and Balisi agree there should be more research on the wild donkeys and their broader effects on the ecosystem.

"Ecologically important predator-prey interactions can emerge rapidly in novel ecosystems," Lundgren said, noting he is concerned that total removal of the burros could have unintended consequences for the larger food chain and how continued threats to mountain lions could stunt this potentially beneficial relationship.
Driving through any of Nebraskas larger cities always yields the discovery of large houses, even mansions. Some will have been converted to businesses or divided into smaller residential units while a few will have been carefully restored, looking much as they would have well over a century ago.

One such house stands out among a number of restored homes in Fremont and demonstrates the success of its owner Theron Nye, and is even situated on Nye Avenue, named in his honor, though his name is no longer visible on the house itself.

Before the federal survey was completed, even though Nebraska became a U.S. territory in 1854, it was not possible to legally own land in the territory. In anticipation of the survey, settlers tentatively staked out potential claims then joined with others in the area to form mutual protective associations to prevent non-members from filing official claims on top of association members.

On Aug. 26, 1856, such a claim club, variously known as the Platte Valley Club, Barnard, Kuntz & Co., Pinney, Barnard & Co, and ultimately the Fremont Town Association, came into existence. The 50-some members then built a 12 by 16 foot claim cabin called Marvins Hotel or Barnard-Kuntz House as physical evidence of their tentative claims awaiting the federal survey. Theron Nye was one of the ultimate members.

Theron Nye was born in Brookfield, New York, in July of 1828. After first working in the familys potash business, Nye owned a general store in Hubbardsville, New York. Nye sold his Hubbardsville store in April of 1857 for $90, ending up in Omaha the following month.

Convinced the Union Pacific Railroad would build its westward route through the area, Nye walked the 13 miles to the ultimate Fremont area arriving with $27.50 of his funds intact and there built a 16-by-20-foot, dirt-floored, log cabin and began working, digging a basement for a neighbor, cutting timber and working in a brickyard, probably Rogers & McCarthys.

One report also shows he opened a successful hotel on Sixth Street probably also in 1857. When Fremont was incorporated as a village May 24, 1859, Nye was elected village chairman.

In 1860 when the Western Union Telegraph was completed from Fremont to Fort Kearny the first message was received by the citys first telegrapher Sireno B. Colson, Nyes brother-in-law. The following year the two established Nye & Colson, an oxen-powered freighting company which also bought and sold grain, coal and building material which would later develop as Nye & Schneider Co.

Nye was elected Dodge County treasurer in 1863 and later became a county commissioner. In 1865 Nye replaced the log cabin with a frame house and the following year the Union Pacific arrived, fulfilling his prediction.

E.H. and L.H. Rogers established a private bank under their names in 1867 which reformed as First National Bank of Fremont in 1872 with Nye as president and the Rogerses as cashier and assistant cashier. The village of Fremont reincorporated as a city on July 15, 1871, and Nye was elected the first mayor.

He was defeated in runs for the Nebraska senate in 1872 and 1882. The city of Fremont purchased 80 acres of land west of the city in 1873 as the Union Fair Grounds with Nye as president with the site ultimately becoming the Dodge County Fair Grounds.

In 1882, as Nye, Colson & Co. reported annual sales of $10,000 in agriculture implements, 5 million board feet of lumber and 235 carloads of corn, Nye bought out James Smiths quarter interest in the firm but two years later sold his entire interest to his son Ray, who had been born in Fremont in 1861.

Under Rays direction the firm became Nye, Schneider then Nye Schneider, Morehouse and ultimately Nye, Schneider, Fowler which, in 1892 was reincorporated with estimated capital of $450,000.

When Theron Nye died in March of 1901 his house at 1643 Nye Ave., which was originally built in 1874 as a brick, Italianate home and enlarged in the 1880s, was inherited by son Ray. From 1905 to 1910 the house was again enlarged, at the reported astronomical sum of $30,000, to its present appearance. In 1921 the house and grounds were acquired by the Western Theological Seminary which used the house as a dormitory and classrooms.

The house ultimately became the Dodge County Museum, often referred to as the Louis E. May Museum, with the grounds developed as an arboretum. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and is open now as a museum.

Theron Nyes son Ray became president of the vast Nye, Schneider, Fowler Co. and president of Omaha Printing Co. while son Fred was editor and owner of the Fremont Tribune, editor of the Omaha Republican and editor of the New York World.
The Journal Star editorial board continues its 2022 general election endorsements with three contests for the Nebraska Legislature.

In District 46, the Journal Star editorial board endorses Danielle Conrad, who ably represented the district for eight years before being term-limited in 2014.

Conrad, an attorney, will bring an earned knowledge of how to get things done back to the Legislature, which sees a high percentage of its members turn over each election, and, through her previous work  both in and out of the unicameral, will be a leader in solving the states corrections crisis through means beyond building new prisons.

Her opponent, City Councilman James Michael Bowers has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments on the council and would prioritize protection of public education, access to health care and help for working families.

In large measure, Conrad and Bowers, both Democrats, agree on their positions on issues, differing only in their priorities. Conrad, however, earns an edge through her experience and proven legislative leadership.

In District 26, the Journal Star editorial board endorses George Dungan III to replace term-limited Sen. Matt Hansen.

Dungan, until recently a Lancaster County public defender, will use his experience to work to reduce incarceration through increasing mental health services and problem solving courts and will prioritize affordable health care, public education and increasing jobs.

His opponent, Russ Barger, a former assistant attorney general and member of the Lower Platte South NRD board, who declined an invitation for an editorial board interview, would emphasize tax reduction as a more conservative option to Dungan.

However, based on the areas previous voting record in both state and city elections, Dungan is better suited to represent the district and earns the boards endorsement.

In District 24, which covers York, Seward, Polk and part of Butler counties, the Journal Star editorial board endorses retired family physician Patrick Hotovy.

Hotovy, who would prioritize budget and tax reduction, would, most valuably, bring his medical experience to the Legislature as it works on issues such as abortion, Medicaid and mental health and drug addiction within the corrections crisis.

His opponent, Jana Hughes, would bring her fact-based engineering, family farm and manufacturing background to the Legislature. On issues, however, she and Hotovy, both Republicans, are in agreement.

Both candidates support public voting rather than secret ballots for legislative leadership positions, a troubling change that would undermine and damage the nonpartisan Legislature, a key element in the states unique one-house legislature.

Hotovys experience as a physician and measured approach to the issues, however, earns the boards endorsement.

Endorsements for Lancaster County Districts 2 and 28 will come next week.

About our endorsements

As with all of our editorial board opinions, our election endorsements dont necessarily reflect the unanimous opinions of our members but rather a consensus. We arrive at them after candidate interviews, reviewing news stories and research. While we consider the board an advocate for the community, our endorsements, and all our opinions, are intended to initiate discussion.
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History and background

Echo Lake was established in the 19th century when a dam was erected on the White River as a power source for industry. State officials have found that the dam no longer meets safety standards, so it must be rebuilt or removed by 2025.

The state has approved a $1 million grant to ease the local tax burden, and the federal government may offer more assistance if the city chooses to remove the lake.

The advisory referendum Nov. 8 includes numerous optional features, such as an observation deck and a decorative fountain. Voters will be choosing between hypothetical scenarios of spending $8.1 million to save the lake or $7.7 million to remove the lake.

To keep the lake, engineers have estimated that the city must spend $2.1 million reinforcing and expanding the dam, plus another $2.8 million dredging the lake bottom of pollution and other sediment. The lake currently has deteriorated to an average water depth of only about two feet.
RACINE  For decades, almost no one had ever heard of the U.S. Armys 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, of the Womens Army Corps, the only all-Black, all-female unit to serve overseas during WWII.

The unit was sent first to England and then to France to deal with millions of pieces of mail that had become backlogged. Pictures from the time show airplane hangars stacked with undelivered mail.

A battalion of 817 women, which would later grow to 824, and 31 officers  all Black women  were recruited from the WAC, the Army Service Forces, and the Army Air Force.

Their objective was to clear the backlog and get the mail delivered to U.S. service personnel and members of the American Red Cross.

The mission was considered essential to morale but after the war the incredible effort of the women was largely forgotten.

Independent filmmaker James Theres, a native of Racine and a 1982 graduate of Horlick High School who now makes his home in Madison, made the women the subject of his third documentary in 2019: The SixTripleEight.

The story is now being made into a Broadway musical, and Theres is serving as a historical consultant on the project.

Theyre celebrities, Theres said of the excitement that surrounds the women now that their story is more generally known and added they are very gracious about sharing their experiences.

There are six surviving members of the SixTripleEight, as they call themselves. One lives in the Milwaukee area, Private First Class Anna Mae Robertson.

Staff Sgt. Alice Gertrude Woodson Bennings, a Milwaukee native, died in 1994 and did not live to see the honor and recognition finally given to the 6888th Battalion. She is buried in Wood National Cemetery in Milwaukee.

Theres was on hand June 15 at the Womens Military Museum, at Arlington National Cemetery, for a gathering to celebrate the legislation authored by Congresswoman Gwen Moore, who lives in Milwaukee and is a Racine native, and signed into law by President Joe Biden that will collectively honor the women of the 6888th Battalion with the Congressional Gold Medal.

Similar ceremonies took place in every city where a surviving member of the SixTripleEight lived, including Milwaukee.

The movie To learn more about James Theres' film, "The Six Triple Eight: No mail, low morale," visit lincolnpennyfilms.com/index.php/the-six-triple-eight.

The Broadway team was at the Washington, D.C. event: writers, composers, producers, executive producer Blair Underwood spoke, and attendees were treated to a musical number from the play written to honor the SixTripleEight.

I think there is a notion that people dont like history, but I think they do, Theres said. What they dont like is the way its presented to them, very dry and reading intensive, but a musical is a totally different presentation of the same story.

Whats going to be done with the SixTripleEight is just going to be jaw-dropping, he said of the musical.

Film school

Theres is a historian with an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a masters degree in history from Jackson State University, located in Jackson, Mississippi. His areas of interest were the Civil War and World War II.

He did not necessarily start out to be a documentary filmmaker.

He served seven years in the U.S. Army, which included a tour of duty in the Persian Gulf War, and a decade in the private sector before joining the Veterans Administration in public affairs.

Theres recalls a conversation he had with a friend many years ago in which he said, If I could do it all over again, I would go to film school.

The friend tried to encourage him and said, You still can.

But I thought that it had passed me by, Theres said.

Fate found Theres as he was working on his masters in history at Jackson State when he heard about Memorial Day in Natchez, Mississippi.

He learned that since 1867, residents of Vidalia, Louisiana, march New Orleans-style across the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge to Natchez, Mississippi where they are joined by additional marchers, who all march to the Natchez National Cemetery where Memorial Day events are held.

Its very unique in American history, he said.

The march became the subject of Theress masters thesis and Memorial Day 2016 became the subject of his first film, The 30th of May.

The paper received the prestigious Dr. Margaret Walker Alexander Award at the 10th Annual Creative Arts Festival at Jackson State University. The documentary received 10 awards and appeared on Mississippi Public Television in May 2017.

As it turns out, it wasnt too late for Theres to pursue his dream.

SixTripleEight

Theres learned about the 6888th U.S. Army Battalion by word of mouth. He was touring while promoting The Hello Girls, his second documentary, and someone came up to him and said, Have you heard about the SixTripleEight?

He hadnt, but it happened a second time, and then a third time as he was in Milwaukee screening The Hello Girls.

A woman walked up and asked, Have you heard of the SixTripleEight?

And there it was again. The SixTripleEight.

Yes, I have, Theres responded, to her surprise.

Now that three different women in three different cities had asked virtually the same question, he decided it was time to start researching.

In his research, he saw a lot of historical photos from the National Archives, some interviews, learned that one of the women lived in Milwaukee, but nothing that told the story comprehensively.

I said: Whoa, Ive got a story to tell, Theres said.

Documentaries

Theres describes himself as a historian first and a filmmaker second, which gives him the ability to discern rather quickly if a story is a good story to be told or not.

He added the stories that go untold are usually about women or Black Americans, and these are the stories people love to learn about.

Women have made so many significant contributions since the founding of the country, Theres said. They have been quietly doing their work and now some are getting recognition, as it should be.

Having made two films about women serving their country, Theres said, They are amazing and inspiring.

Theres describes himself as a traditional filmmaker inspired by the Ken Burns style, with sit-down interviews, footage where possible, and archival photos. There are no reenactments.

He said with special reference to the 6888th, he was able to use archival interviews and was also able to interview some of those who are still living.

I just did not see a need to not let them tell the story, he said.

Theres said one of the things those working on the Broadway musical are cognizant of is time. Time is ticking for the six surviving members of the 6888th.

That really puts a fire under us, he said. We would really like for some of them to be there to see it.

He recalled the reaction to the screenings of his documentary SixTripleEight, when hundreds of people would show up for the screenings or virtually. He expects the same enthusiastic response for the musical.

The strength of this story is the strength of these women, he said.
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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U.S.-led attempts to use Xinjiang to contain China a gravest violation of human rights of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang

Xinhua) 08:15, October 09, 2022

GENEVA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday rejected a Xinjiang-related draft decision tabled by the United States and some other countries here at the 51st session of the Human Rights Council.

When the outcome of the vote was shown on the big screen, loud applause was heard at the conference hall of Palais des Nations in Geneva. Envoys of some member countries of the council congratulated Chinese diplomats there on the voting result.

Although the United States deliberately packaged the draft decision, and together with a handful of other Western countries added pressure on other members, the draft decision was rejected by most member countries, especially developing countries. The U.S.-led attempts ended with failure.

To attract more countries to vote for the draft decision, the United States and some other Western countries schemed to package it as a procedural issue that is neutral and has no political motives. However, the lie was debunked by representatives of other member countries.

"This proceeding exposes the deliberate interest of Western powers to instrumentalize the Human Rights Council to advance their geopolitical aspirations and selectively condemn the People's Republic of China," said Juan Antonio Quintanilla Roman, Cuba's permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

"Many say we should give the council the opportunity to debate. But those same countries that want to debate now, where have they been for all these years?" asked the envoy.

"When the Chinese delegation, session after session, has organized side events, photo exhibitions, talks with authorities from the Xinjiang region, visits of hundreds of people, including diplomats based here in Geneva ... side events even during times of the COVID-19 pandemic, bypassing all obstacles, where have those countries been if they were really that interested in discussing the situation that concerns them in the People's Republic of China?" he went on to question.

Hector Constant Rosales, permanent representative of Venezuela to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said, "We warn about the dangerous steps that this hegemonic country is intentionally taking to turn this council into a stage for politicization and confrontation, using human rights as an instrument."

"The word dialogue is therefore used as a synonym of imposition in this case, and we cannot be complicit in this continuous politicization," he added.

Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said, "Pursuit of an 'a la carte' approach driven by political considerations carries the risk of further accentuating politicization and polarization, it also undermines the credibility of this important UN body."

Maira Mariela Macdonal Alvarez, permanent representative of Bolivia to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said the draft decision covers up "its real intention of political manipulation, seeking to include China on the Human Rights Council's agenda in order to attack constantly to this country in the coming sessions."

She added that the move "clearly instrumentalizes the Human Rights Council for its geopolitical intentions."

Chen Xu, head of the Chinese Mission to UN in Geneva, said the United States and some other countries tabled the draft decision and packaged it as a procedural issue, attempting to justify the unauthorized and illegal "assessment," and to put Xinjiang-related issues that do not exist at all on the agenda of the council.

No matter how the draft decision is disguised, its ulterior motive is to take advantage of UN human rights bodies to interfere in China's internal affairs, he said.

"The Xinjiang-related issues are by no means human rights issues. They are about counter-terrorism, deradicalization and anti-separatism," Chen said.

He told the council that after arduous efforts, Xinjiang has seen no violent and terrorist incident for five consecutive years. The human rights of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are protected to the fullest extent.

"Turning a blind eye to these facts and truth, the United States and some other countries had fabricated and spread numerous lies and rumors, in an attempt to smear China, undermine Xinjiang's stability and contain China's development," he said. "It is a typical example of political manipulation and the gravest violation of the human rights of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang."

Chen further stressed that so far, all country-specific resolutions of the Human Rights Council are aimed at developing countries, and the United States and some other countries, in disregard of their own serious human rights violations, are indulged in pointing fingers at others.

The result of the vote fully showed that people have a sense of natural justice. The deeds of politicizing and instrumentalizing human rights issues by the United States and some other countries are doomed to fail.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
KEARNEY  Democrat Carol Blood said she spent just 3% as much as Republican Jim Pillen of Columbus in her gubernatorial campaign, but thats OK.

I may have been outspent, Blood said, but Ive never been outworked.

With Republican voters holding a 2-to-1 advantage over Democrats, Blood is considered a longshot for the statehouse, but she said Saturday in Kearney, Im not a sacrificial lamb.

She said shes been an underdog in almost every election, but she discovered hard work is her secret weapon.

Blood said Pillen spent $7 million in what she described as a hatefest of a primary election battle vs. Charles Herbster for the GOP nomination.

The divisiveness that infected Republican rhetoric actually spurred her into filing as a candidate on the Democratic ticket, said Blood, who brought her hard-working style to Kearney on Saturday. She appeared in front of about 75 Kearney-area Democrats in what was billed as a town hall event where supporters learned more about her and promised to support her campaign.

Blood said her campaign has canvassed more than 270,000 Nebraskans knocking on doors, making telephone calls or mailing handwritten postcards.

Mary Kulhanek of Kearney, a Blood volunteer, has sent 600 postcards along with other volunteers.

I hope it gets people out to vote. We need to be heard, Kulhanek said.

Regarded as a heavy underdog because of her underfunded campaign and the GOP numbers advantage, Blood said Nebraskas race for the statehouse isnt the first time shes been the underdog. Shes defeated what many considered to be stronger candidates for city council in Bellevue and for her District 3 Legislature seat that shes held for six years.

She said her plan for governor is based on four pillars:

 Prosperity for all Nebraskans.

 Maintain public safety and improve public health.

 Invest in Nebraskas infrastructure.

 Encourage education.

Blood said Colorado recently passed universal child care. She said Nebraska should do the same, so more couples can work instead of caring for kids at home to avoid child care expenses.

She said she wants her campaign to be about issues and answers.

When Im elected, well decide what our states priorities are. Well ask communities what their top three needs are, and then well do a strategic plan thats reflected in our state budget, she said.

She said in 25 years Nebraska lawmakers have failed to reduce taxes, and that failure has harmed the middle class. Who pays the most income tax? Its the working middle class. Its the upper class that gets the breaks, she said.

Pillen has declined to debate Blood. She said if he were to debate, it would expose his lack of knowledge about Nebraska government.

He doesnt want to answer questions unless hes been trained on them. He doesnt know how government works, Blood said. I also find it interesting that he hasnt been vetted well by the media.

She said Nebraskans need a governor who can think on their feet, especially when its time to lead after a natural disaster or when the media asks tough questions.

With just four weeks until the Nov. 8 general election, Blood said her goal is to knock on doors and conduct more town hall events.

Blood and her volunteers will be distributing a small newspaper she published for the campaign, The Changing Times.

After people read it, they say theyve never had a candidate explain to them the issues, she said.

She said the newspapers, the door-to-door canvassing and handwritten post cards will hopefully touch voters for the right reasons.

Ive never run a dirty campaign, she said. The other side is getting attention because theyre leaving people scared and angry. They never solve the real problems that affect real Nebraskans.
McIntosh Memorial Library of Viroqua, in partnership with AARP, will be hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by a Festival of Birds, Friday, Oct. 21, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the library.

McIntosh Memorial Library is one of four organizations in Wisconsin awarded a national AARP Community Challenge grant in 2022. Out of 3,200 applications submitted, McIntosh Memorial Library is one of 260 organizations selected for funding. The grant award is $10,000.

The grant dollars are being used to establish an aviary center inside the library. The aviary is in the librarys multi-generational seating area. That specific area provides ample seating so people can be alone or with others to observe the birds year-round. The aviary is equipped to house between 10-15 small songbirds. Bethel Home and Services donated the aviary itself to the library. The grant funding will support the maintenance involved with housing birds, a robust schedule of specialized programming about birds, and the purchase of bird-related materials for the collection.

The 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony will feature speakers from AARP Wisconsin, the city of Viroqua, McIntosh Memorial Library, and other invited guests. During the Festival of Birds, participants will have the opportunity to attend aviary tours provided by Roger and Diane Hanson, art programs with Daryl Skrupky, and learn how to make a bird feeder during an 11:30 a.m. craft time. Of special note, live owls and their ambassadors from River City Raptors will lead a presentation at 10:30 a.m. in the lobby. Live eagles and their ambassadors from the National Eagle Center will present a 1 p.m. program for children and a program for all ages at 2:15 p.m. in the lobby. Children may participate in a Bird Day Camp from noon to 3 p.m. Registration for the camp is required by calling the library at 608-637-7151, extension 6. Daves Pizza will be parked on Rock Avenue in front of the library from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. selling pizza and breadsticks.

For more information, visit www.mcintoshmemoriallibrary.org, call 608-637-7151, or like the Viroqua Library Facebook page.
Reuniting old friends. Uncovering forgotten stories. Helping people better understand a complicated chapter in Wisconsin history.

A new podcast created by UW-La Crosse associate professor Omar Granados and Wisconsin Public Radio host Maureen McCollum accomplishes all that and more.

Uprooted examines the relocation of thousands of Cuban refugees to Fort McCoy in 1980, delving into refugees personal stories and establishing a clearer picture of their past, present and future. The podcast launches Wednesday, Oct. 12, on WPRs website and other podcast providers.

On Wednesday, Oct. 19, the public can join Granados and McCollum for a virtual event introducing the podcast. Guests are asked to register in advance.

Maureen and I had an immediate connection, and I could tell she was approaching the work in hopes of making a statement about the lack of visibility and attention this community has received historically, says Granados, who teaches in the Global Cultures & Languages Department and specializes in the Mariel boatlift of 1980, which brought nearly 15,000 Cuban refugees to western Wisconsin.

His traveling exhibit, Uprooted: The Cuban Refugee Program at Fort McCoy, helped inspire the podcast.

We really wanted to prioritize these unheard voices and make this a podcast told by the migrants who were part of this event, Granados explains. We were fortunate to find a lot of impactful stories and moments.

The Mariel boatlift was a mass exodus of Cubans hoping to flee Fidel Castros failing economy and Communist regime. Under President Jimmy Carter, the United States accepted more than 125,000 refugees  a move that was highly scrutinized.

For several months in 1980, the Coulee Region was a focal point of this international news story, as communities here and across the country absorbed the largest Cuban population influx in U.S. history.

Much was written about the arrival of Cuban refugees and their first few months in America. But less is known about the refugees personal stories, including how their lives have unfolded since.

Thats what the podcast aims to explore.

Ive always been interested in the story of the Mariel boatlift and always wanted to talk to people about it, says McCollum, 07.

A few years ago, when many outlets published stories on the 40th anniversary of Mariel, McCollum decided to approach the story from a more intimate angle. Granados, with all the connections and expertise hed gained through his research over the years, was the perfect partner to bring the idea to life, she says.

Its amazing how few people know the story, or only know part of the story, she notes. Many Cubans left the area, but many chose to stay here instead of going to Florida, New York, Minneapolis or Chicago. They chose to stay, and thats what we wanted to get to the heart of.

Through interviews with experts, academics, journalists and refugees, the podcast tells a touching and definitive history of Cuban refugees in western Wisconsin.

While many of the stories are unique and personal, Granados and McCollum also tackle overarching issues, such as how refugees  many of whom were Black, single, gay men  were viewed through a racialized and prejudiced lens. Their detention in military facilities, Granados says, also served to portray them as untrustworthy.

If theres one thing Granados and McCollum hope listeners will take away, its that those who come to Wisconsin as refugees do not view themselves as outsiders for long. Often, they grow to fully embrace the Badger State.

The most enjoyable part has been understanding the Cuban population as a Wisconsin population  these people are Wisconsinites, Granados says. Theres this iconic photo of Cuban guys playing music, and theyre all wearing Green Bay Packers gear. To me, that says everything. Theyve been here for 42 years. This is their home.
Forty-five surveillance cameras exist in downtown La Crosse, but there are some blind spots.

La Crosses Downtown Main Street Inc. wants to fill in the gaps.

OnOct. 19, the group will be raising funds for the cameras during a Fill the Camera Bag event in front of La Crosse city hall. Volunteers will be on the streets from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. asking for funds necessary to install five new cameras and upgrade six existing ones.

Carolyn Knoblouch, a member of the Downtown Main Street Design Committee, said the group is seeking to raise $50,000 for the cameras and related infrastructure. The money will be donated to the La Crosse Police Department, which will purchase the cameras and direct their use.

Knoblouch said the police department has mapped out where it believes the cameras would be most effective. She said the new cameras would be concentrated near the riverfront, where several students have fallen into the river and drowned in recent years.

Knoblouch referenced the recent case of drowning victim Hamud Faal, a UW-La Crosse student who was missing for several weeks before he was found dead in the Mississippi River. She said well-placed cameras could have resolved the case sooner.

We went through all these searches where the police were saying that they didnt have camera footage and that they didnt know where to search, Knoblouch said. It was hard for the family and friends to not have any closure or any idea what happened for a month while they were holding out hope that he would be found.

She said cameras also assist with law enforcement.

Im sure it will aid in criminal complaints, she said.

Knoblouch said the cameras arent used to invade peoples privacy.

Were not trying to be sneaky or keep tabs on anyone, she said. Police arent just sitting there and randomly watching people, but if you were to go missing or there is a question about something that happened, they would be able to pull that footage.

Donations are tax deductible. To make a donation before or after the Oct. 19 event, visit https://lacrossecityvisionfoundation.org/project/safe-cam-project.
GULFPORT, Miss.  Since 1942, sailors assigned to the U.S. Navys Construction Force have been building and fighting around the world. Constructionman Christopher Ramsden, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, is one of those sailors.

I joined the Navy to learn valuable skills and serve my country, said Ramsden.

Eighty years ago, members of Navy Construction Battalions were fittingly nicknamed Seabees, a play on the C and B initials. They are responsible for building military bases and airfields, supporting humanitarian efforts and conducting underwater construction projects.

Ramsden, a 2014 Sauk Prairie High School graduate and 2019 graduate of University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, currently serves as a builder with Naval Construction Training Center at the headquarters for naval construction forces in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Serving in the Navy means Ramsden is part of a team that is taking on new importance in Americas focus on strengthening alliances, modernizing capabilities, increasing capacities and maintaining military readiness in support of the National Defense Strategy.

We are surrounded by water, said Ramsden. It is important to keep our borders safe before anyone gets here. Keeping shipping lanes open is important so commerce can stay free.

With more than 90% of all trade traveling by sea, and 95% of the worlds international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize the importance of accelerating Americas advantage at sea.

Maintaining the worlds best Navy is an investment in the security and prosperity of the United States, as well as the stability of our world, said Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of Naval Operations. The U.S. Navy  forward deployed and integrated with all elements of national power  deters conflict, strengthens our alliances and partnerships, and guarantees free and open access to the worlds oceans. As the United States responds to the security environment through integrated deterrence, our Navy must continue to deploy forward and campaign with a ready, capable, combat-credible fleet.

Ramsden and the sailors they serve with have many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during their military service.

My proudest accomplishment is being top of my training class, said Ramsden. I tried hard to know the curriculum, and I feel like it is something I can be proud of.

As Ramsden and other sailors continue to train and perform missions, they take pride in continuing an 80-year legacy and serving their country in the United States Navy.

Serving in the Navy means that I contribute to the protection of my country and the benefits we all share, added Ramsden.
Pending final approval by the Republican-controlled Legislature, voters next year could be asked to approve a pair of state constitutional amendments that supporters say would tighten elections administration but opponents say could dampen voter participation.

One would bar the use of private funds to help administer elections. The other would declare that only a United States citizen could vote.

Key to whether either measure passes is how the questions are pitched to voters, with advocates for each side wanting to ensure wording favorable to their position appears on the ballot.

And that could hinge on the outcome of a case now before the Wisconsin Supreme Court involving another amendment voters approved that has nothing to do with elections.

That case revolves around whether a ballot question for a constitutional amendment that sought to enhance the rights of crime victims in Wisconsin was properly worded when voters overwhelmingly approved it two years ago.

Lawyers representing the Wisconsin Elections Commission and groups that support the amendment are cautioning the Wisconsin Supreme Court against interfering with legislative proposals. But lawyers for liberal groups want the high court to reject the amendment, saying the ballot question didnt sufficiently describe the potential negative repercussions for people accused of crimes.

This is our state Constitution that were amending; its a big deal, said Mel Barnes, an attorney at the liberal group Law Forward. And while the Legislature obviously has discretion to formulate the question, there are  baked into the Constitution  the safeguards to make sure that theyre doing it correctly and that voters arent being misled.

Marsys Law

The contested measure, known as Marsys Law, was approved across party lines by the Legislature in 2019 and put on the April 2020 ballot. A referendum formally adding the language to the Constitution was approved by about 75% of Wisconsin voters but later challenged by the Wisconsin Justice Initiative, along with a group of defense attorneys and now-retired state Sen. Fred Risser, who disputed the validity of the question put to voters.

Supporters of the amendment say it gives alleged victims the same rights as the accused. Opponents say it could undermine the rights of defendants, who are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The question voters saw on their ballot stated: Shall section 9m of article I of the constitution, which gives certain rights to crime victims, be amended to give crime victims additional rights, to require that the rights of crime victims be protected with equal force to the protections afforded the accused while leaving the federal constitutional rights of the accused intact, and to allow crime victims to enforce their rights in court?

A Dane County judge ruled in late 2020 that the statewide ballot question inadequately spelled out the effect the amendment would have on the rights of people accused of crimes. He said voters would have been better informed had the question been broken into two parts  one addressing greater rights for victims and another on the diminishment of the rights of the accused.

Dane County Circuit Court Judge Frank Remington also noted that while the ballot question said victims rights will be protected with equal force as those accused of crimes, the amendment altered the Constitution to say the rights of crime victims should be protected by law in a manner no less vigorous than the protections given to those accused of crimes. He called the discrepancy misleading.

Ultimately, Marsys Law added 16 new rights for victims while eliminating a reference in the Constitution to a fair trial for the defendant.

Tangled in courts

About a year after Remingtons ruling against the amendment, a three-judge panel of the state District 3 Court of Appeals asked that the state Supreme Court bypass the appeals court and decide the case, citing its statewide importance, the novelty of some of the questions the appeal asks and the lack of significant legal authority on other questions.

With the case now before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, lawyers for the Wisconsin Justice Initiative, along with the ACLU of Wisconsin and group Law Forward, said that ballot questions must reference every essential element of the proposed measure.

But attorneys for the state Department of Justice, representing the Wisconsin Elections Commission, say the question communicated the amendments essential purpose. Unless the ballot question presented an entirely different question from the amendment, then the question wasnt misleading, they said in court files. They added that the Legislature has broad discretion over wording and exercised it properly in this instance.

Wisconsin Supreme Court justices appeared poised to uphold Marsys Law based on their conduct during oral arguments in early September, UW-Madison Law School associate professor Robert Yablon said.

But it was a lot less clear exactly how they would articulate the standard that will apply (to ballot questions) going forward, he said. And the way that they do that will have effects for these future amendments.

Proposed amendments

Barnes said a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling rejecting the argument that ballot questions should reference every essential element of the proposal could increase the likelihood that the two constitutional amendments that could be on the ballot as soon as next year would be posed in a misleading way to voters.

One proposed amendment, SJR 101, would bar the state from receiving private funds to help administer elections. Republicans proposed it in response to private election grants provided to cities in 2020 by the Chicago-based Center for Tech and Civic Life that they say were used to unfairly increase turnout in the Democratic strongholds of Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha and Racine.

Another, SJR 32, would amend the state Constitutions provision allowing that Every United States citizen age 18 or older who is a resident of an election district in this state is a qualified elector of that district to state that Only a United States citizen could vote in that district. That measure is meant to head off initiatives in other states to allow noncitizens to vote in some local elections.

Both proposed amendments received legislative approval for the first time earlier this year. The Senate and Assembly must pass constitutional amendments in two successive sessions before going to voters in a referendum. The governor cannot veto such a measure.

If the constitutional amendments receive legislative approval a second time, an attorney with the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau would then draft the ballot questions for them. The legislative office that introduced the resolutions can provide input on drafting the question, Legislative Reference Bureau senior legislative analyst Staci Duros said.

If the signal from the Wisconsin Supreme Court is that the Legislature just has very broad discretion in its wording choices, and the courts will be very deferential in assessing those choices, then that could incentivize the Legislature to word it in a way that they view as being very favorable, Yablon said.

Neutrality sought

For example, Republicans could frame the private funding question to suggest such funding impedes fair elections, whereas Democrats might prefer wording that suggests blocking the funds could make it harder for local officials to administer elections.

State Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Green Bay, who agreed that the wording on the Marsys Law ballot question was incomplete, said he would want to phrase his ballot question about prohibiting private election funding in a neutral way.

I understand how framing can be persuasive, so when Im presenting an argument, I do want to be persuasive, I suppose, said Wimberger, whos also a lawyer. But as far as the framing of the question on the ballot ... I would want the framing of this thing to be as neutral as possible to avoid sort of a collateral attack on it. So it stands on its merits or it doesnt.

He also said he hopes the Wisconsin Supreme Court sets some standard for crafting ballot questions.

I hope theres the appropriate level of restriction placed on the Legislature so that there cant be semantic overload in the question to deceive voters, but also not so restrictive as to make ballot measures virtually impossible, he said. So the courts have got to strike some sort of a balance and I dont know what that is, but it does have to be balanced between those two interests.

If the court allows legislators broad discretion in crafting ballot questions, Wimberger said, it could lead to a worst-case scenario where voters approve an amendment without realizing its intention because of the language used in the ballot question.

Its straightforward

Sen. Roger Roth, R-Appleton, hasnt considered how the constitutional amendment he proposed regarding noncitizens voting in elections would be worded on the ballot, according to Roth spokesman Matt Henkelsaid.

The constitutional amendment is straightforward and uncontroversial, Henkel said. It ensures that only U.S. citizens vote in Wisconsin elections.

Roths and Wimbergers arent the only proposed amendments that voters may see on upcoming ballots.

Legislative Republicans earlier this year passed for the first time a constitutional amendment, SJR 84, that would prohibit the governor from allocating any federal dollars without first securing legislative approval. They passed another, AJR 107, which would direct courts to consider past criminal records when setting cash bail.
A conservative activist is pushing officials to remove thousands of people from Wisconsins voter rolls, claiming that holes in the states database have allowed some people found by a court to be incompetent to vote remain on the voting rolls.

But the claim by Wisconsin Voter Alliance president Ron Heuer conflated people under a court-ordered guardianship, many of whom can vote, with the much smaller subset of those who have had their voting rights removed, a Wisconsin Watch review has found.

The initiative and others like it alleging other improprieties in election administration prompted the Wisconsin Elections Commission to issue guidance to election clerks earlier this month cautioning them against acting hastily on emails from third parties.

On Sept. 27, Heuer emailed the states more than 1,800 county and municipal clerks warning there are some 15,000 Wisconsin residents under a court-ordered guardianship but noting that fewer than 1,200 were listed in WECs voter roll file as incompetent.

Heuer concluded the true number of incompetent voters is underreported and thus the whole system is vulnerable to elder voting abuse.

But the information he cited was misleading.

To gauge how many people might be incompetent, Heuer requested guardianship numbers in each county between 2016 and 2021. Based on responses from about a third of the states district courts  and using a per-capita projection  he came up with the 15,000 estimate.

However, the numbers include everyone placed under a guardianship  even though not all of them have lost their right to vote. Also, some are dead and others may never have been registered to vote, so they dont appear in the public voter roll file.

WEC keeps incompetent voter data in a non-public file where local clerks can review it periodically to update registration information, WEC spokesperson Riley Vetterkind said.

It is possible you may find voters who, despite being adjudicated incompetent by a court, registered, continue to be registered, or voted in an election(s), Vetterkind said, although he declined to estimate how many. These cases are unfortunately a product of the limitations that state law currently places on the process for centrally compiling adjudicated incompetent records.

Vetterkind acknowledged the system for tracking incompetent voters could be improved, although he said it would require legislation to ensure they are tracked the same as other ineligible voters.

Due diligence

In its warning to clerks Oct. 3, WEC said it welcomes the input of third parties who wish to help maintain the accuracy of Wisconsins elections and active voter registrations. But it warned that private groups may represent partisan political viewpoints, provide incomplete evidence, make incorrect characterizations of the law, or rely on hearsay.

The letter noted, for example, that the appointment of a guardian or a finding of limited competency are not, by themselves, sufficient grounds to remove a persons right to vote.

Due to the confidentiality surrounding individual cases  a finding of incompetence would not show up on the states online court database, for example  third-party claims are unlikely to be accurate and should be validated through official sources, the letter said.

The letter also warned against taking at face value other claims such as that voters have moved, have listed a P.O. box as their address or are not indefinitely confined, since such statements often dont hold up on closer inspection.

Put simply, election officials should perform their due diligence before taking action to inactivate a voter record, the letter said. Inactivating a record based solely on the allegations of a private party is unwise and may violate the law.

Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell said he is reviewing the 1,013 ineligible voters in Dane County listed as incompetent in the WECs files after a sample of 20 included two who were still listed as active voters  one of whom voted after the court ruling. That person was adjudicated in November 2018 and voted in April 2019, but has not voted since, McDonell said.

Were going to review our data and make sure its accurate, McDonell told Wisconsin Watch.

Case spurs inquiry

Helping fuel the concern over ineligible voters is the case of Sandra Klitzke, a resident of the Brewster Village nursing home in Outagamie County, who voted in the November 2020 and April 2021 elections, even though a court had removed her right to vote in February 2020.

On March 31, the Thomas More Society filed a complaint with WEC on behalf of Klitzke and her daughter, Lisa Goodwin, who stated she could not explain why the WisVote voting records would have indicated that my mother voted in 2020 or 2021.

Normally the county register in probate mails notification of an ineligible voter to the WEC, according to Jennifer Moeller, president of the Wisconsin Register in Probate Association. The WEC then updates its information and notifies the local clerk, who is the only official authorized in Wisconsin to deactivate a voters registration.

Its unclear why Klitzkes name was not switched to ineligible in the WEC voter file, although it appears to have been an administrative error. Court records related to Klitzkes guardianship information are confidential under state law.

Town of Grand Chute Clerk Kayla Filen, who was not clerk at the time, confirmed her office did not deactivate Klitzkes registration until April 2022.

Klitzke had been registered as an indefinitely confined voter dating back to 2007 and had voted as recently as 2017 before the 2020 election, Filen said. Indefinitely confined voters automatically receive absentee ballots without having to request them, Filen said.

A Wisconsin Watch review of Klitzkes absentee ballot envelopes from 2020 and 2021 show them both signed in a shaky hand. In the 2020 election  when the WEC suspended the states special voting deputy program in nursing homes because of the pandemic  an employee at the county-owned facility had signed as a witness.

In 2021, two witnesses from the town of Grand Chute signed the envelope, reflecting the normal process of special voting deputies witnessing nursing home voting.

Heuer said many people have come forward with stories of loved ones with cognitive disabilities voting. His group has filed public records lawsuits in Brown, Crawford, Juneau, Kenosha, Lafayette, Langlade, Marquette, Ozaukee, Polk, Taylor, Vernon, Vilas and Walworth counties to obtain the names and addresses of everyone under guardianship.

Disability Rights Wisconsin opposes the release of the names of incompetent ineligible voters and lobbied WEC to shield them in the public voting file, said Barbara Beckert, Disability Rights Wisconsins external advocacy director.

During the pandemic, Beckert said her organization reminded nursing homes across the state that federal guidelines require them to affirmatively support the right of residents to vote.

Why arent we concerned about the vast majority of people who live in these facilities who have the right to vote and who might not be able to exercise it? Beckert asked.
Crimean Bridge to Russian Mainland Hit by Explosion and Fire

Oct. 8, 2022 (EIRNS)In what appears to be another case of attempted sabotage of critical economic infrastructure, an explosion and fire hit the Kerch Strait Bridge linking Crimea to southern Russias Krasnodar region. Today, at 6:07 am, a truck was blown up on the motorway section of the Crimean Bridge from the Taman Peninsula, which caused seven fuel tanks of a train traveling to the Crimean peninsula to go up in flames. Two motorway sections of the bridge have partially collapsed. The arch over the land part of the bridge has not been damaged, Russias National Anti-Terrorist Committee said in a statement, reported Sputnik. The cause of the explosion is now being investigated. Suspiciously, the explosion, which security cameras caught on video, occurred just as a train that included tank cars carrying diesel fuel was passing on the railroad bridge going in the opposite direction.

Imagery of the incident shows the collapsed spans are only on one side of the motorway, leaving the other direction apparently intact, while several tank cars on the rail bridge were burning. So far, three deaths have been reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the formation of a government commission to investigate the incident and deployed Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov and Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev to the scene. The commission will also include the heads of the Krasnodar Region and Crimea, as well as officials from the National Guard, the Federal Security Service and the Interior Ministry, Peskov said, per the statement also on the Presidents website.

The speed of the Russian emergency response is impressive. The fire on the railroad bridge was reportedly extinguished within two hours. The Transport Ministry announced that it was putting the Kerch Strait ferries back into service, with the first vessel to arrive in the terminal in Kerch for loading by 8:30 a.m. local time (05:30 UTC). The intact motorway was reopened to vehicular traffic by midday, although at reduced capacity, and a test train ran successfully over the railroad bridge, which apparently suffered no structural damage, sometime in the early evening.

The cause of the explosion remains to be determined, but the Kiev regime is not only gloating about it, since theyve long hated the bridge, but is practically taking credit for it. Crimea, the bridge, the beginning, Mykhailo Podolyak, a top advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, captioned a photo, in English, of the damaged bridge on Twitter. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled.

The reaction of the Kiev regime to the destruction of civilian infrastructure testifies to its terrorist nature, Maria Zakharova wrote (in Russian) on her Telegram channel. And a second post (in Russian) reading: Poland, through the mouth of former Foreign Minister Sikorski, thanked the United States for undermining the gas pipeline. Estonian Foreign Minister Reinsalu congratulated the Ukrainian special forces on the operation against the Crimean bridge.

Murders, sabotage, destruction, provocations and stagingthe criminal logic bound the NATO regimes with mutual responsibility.
Rescue and recovery operations are continuing in areas affected by the storm in southwestern Florida. Several school systems in the area cannot yet say when they will be ready to reopen.

Some schools are without power and are still examining the damage from Ian. Officials are also trying to find out how many teachers and other employees will not be able to return to work.

Experts say long-term school shutdowns can have a harmful effect on students.

In a week or two, well have forgotten about Hurricane Ian. But these districts and schools and students will be struggling months and years later, said Cassandra R. Davis. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina.

Floridas Department of Education said recently that 68 of the states 75 school districts were open for in-person classes, with two more expected to reopen soon.

Abbie Tarr Trembley is a mother of four in Sarasota. She told The Associated Press that her youngest child, a 9-year-old boy, asks each day when he can go back to school. Every morning hes like, Mom, is it a school day? Is it a school day? she said. Trembley added, Every morning, Im almost in tears.

The hurricane damaged her house and the family lost power for three days. She was thankful the damage was not worse. But she has begun to worry about the effects on her children and their education. Her son already repeated first grade to help him make up for school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Online learning has increased in recent years for schools dealing with natural disasters and the coronavirus pandemic. But researchers have said studies show that online learning over long periods can be difficult for children.

The University of North Carolinas Davis has studied how Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018 affected student learning in the southeastern U.S. She said research suggests some elementary students continued to fall behind in school up to two years after a storm. Students who had wealthy parents or were in districts with healthy budgets were more likely to recover faster, the research showed.

Workers in affected areas are repairing damage inside schools. But for now, officials say flooding on some streets has made it unsafe for students and families to reach the area. School leaders are also trying to find out which teachers and employees will not be able to return when schools reopen.

Some schools will be closed for up to a week, while others will take longer to reopen.

Trembley said she had heard that when schools do start back up, classes will take place online. But she hopes that is not the case. "Theres no way that I can assist a 9-year-old with schoolwork and continue my job, she said.

A study found that when Hurricane Katrina hit the southern U.S. in 2005, some students faced displacement for a very long time. In some cases, it took six months for children to be resettled. This led to a drop in test scores in that first year, said Bruce Sacerdote, an economist at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. He added, Not only do they have to move their home, but theyre even out of school for some time.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

__________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

district  n. an official area that is separated for a particular purpose

tears  v. drops of water that come out of a persons eyes when they cry

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Experts often tell students to center their efforts on a narrow field to get a job after school. But recent research into Nobel Prize winners suggests that wider interests are important.

One of the winners of this years Nobel Prize in Chemistry was Danish scientist Morten Meldal. He received the award with two other chemists for their work on click chemistry. Click chemistry describes when scientists create materials, such as polymers, that join molecules together even in living things.

Meldal is 68 years old and works at the University of Copenhagen. When describing his career, Meldal said he started out as an engineer but changed to chemistry because, he wanted to understand the world.

In a discussion with the Nobel Prize organization, he talked about his co-winner, Carolyn Bertozzi of Stanford University. He said she has such a broad knowledge of both chemistry and biology and she knows how to utilize her knowledge in a very exquisite way.

Meldals experience and the way he sees things may come as a surprise to students. They might believe they have to center their work and school lives in one field to be successful.

But a study from professors at Michigan State University shows that is not always the case.

Michele Root-Bernstein and Robert Root-Bernstein published their study this spring in the Creativity Research Journal. They said that a large number of Nobel Prize winners can be described as polymaths.

Polymaths are people who have many different interests in both their work and personal lives. Sometimes they are called Renaissance men or women. That is another way of describing a person who knows a lot about many different fields.

The writers looked at past Nobel Prize winners and their students. They decided that when students of winners go on to win Nobel Prizes, some of what they learned from their teachers is how to live a life with many interests. They are, in a way, learning how to be creative.

Having many interests, the Root-Bernsteins wrote, permits scientists to look for creative ways to solve problems. In fact, one important part of science is not discovering answers, but recognizing problems that need to be solved.

The prize winners, the Root-Bernsteins said, transfer skills, techniques and materials from one field to another.

They said Alexis Carrel won his Nobel Prize in medicine in 1912 by using techniques he learned from the clothing business. He realized that people who used thread to make and fix clothing had a skill that could be used in operations to put new organs into peoples bodies.

In 1978, a professor from Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania won the Nobel Prize in economics. His name was Herbert Simon. He worked in many parts of the university during his career and supported projects in computer science, artificial intelligence, psychology, philosophy and economics.

Outside of work, he played piano, wrote music, painted, made drawings and played chess.

In a book he wrote about his life, Simon said: I can rationalize any activity I engage in as simply another form of research

One winner in medicine  Christiane Nusslein-Volhard  said in 2003 that she is very curious and I like to understand things. She won her prize in 1995 for work she did on genetic controls in the early development of the embryos of insects and fish. But during some parts of her life, she made games called puzzles, drew pictures and wrote a cookbook.

In 2017, she told young scientists to avoid following the mainstream and move out of their study areas in order to be independent and original.

The Michigan State professors study creativity. They found that most professionals are not like the prize-winners. The prize-winners are special in that they regularly look for the chances to learn new things, even outside of their jobs.

Nobel winners are nine times more likely to have experience in working with wood, metal or in the arts than most scientists. The writers also found that even those who win in a field like economics have experience in other areas. Some of the economics winners studied math, physics and astronomy before doing their economics research.

The Michigan State researchers say that the Nobel winners have an open mind about their life experiences. Unlike many people who spend long hours at work and give up some of their outside interests, Nobel winners believe their hobbies are important to creativity.

Dario Fo won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1997. He talked about drawing and painting as a way to solve problems that came up in his writing. When Im having difficulty with a play, I stop writing so I can draw out the action in pictures, he said.

The researchers say that, even among people who do not win big prizes, those with many interests are often successful. They pointed to a 2012 report about students who study two major fields in college. That study plan is called a double major.

The writers, from Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, said double majors are often more creative and more interested in starting their own businesses than those who centered on only one study area.

Other researchers have found that having an outside activity that makes you think can be help predict future success in a job. Some of those activities include playing chess, performing music or creating art.

Im Jill Robbins. And Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a story first published in The Conversation and material from The Associated Press.

Quiz - Study: Nobel Prize Often Goes to Creative Thinkers, Not Specialists Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

_______________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

click n. the short, sharp sound made often by something fitting into something else correctly

broad adj. wide, including many things

utilize v. to use, to make use of

exquisite adj. finely done, very beautiful or delicate

technique n. a way of doing something using special knowledge or skill

transfer v. to move from one place to another

thread n. a long piece of material that is used to sew cloth or tissue

artificial intelligence n. a field of computer science that aims to give machines the ability to think like humans

rationalize v. to think about or describe something in a way that makes it seem correct

engage in v. (phrasal) to do

curious adj. to have the desire to learn more about something

mainstream n. the thoughts, beliefs and choices that are accepted by the largest number of people

original adj. the first example of something; something unlike other things

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Medicare helps tens of millions of Americans get necessary healthcare coverage in retirement. With coverage available at age 65 for most participants, the various parts of Medicare work together to provide comprehensive coverage for multiple types of healthcare needs. Under the traditional Medicare program, Part A offers hospital and inpatient-care services.

Medicare Part A sees minor changes each year, and the government agency that administers the program recently announced what's new for 2023. Here's what participants can expect.

What Medicare Part A offers you

Medicare Part A coverage comes into play when you require a hospital stay or need to go to a skilled nursing facility. Under typical coverage, patients get coverage for medically necessary hospital stays, giving them a semi-private room and the medical treatment, services, tests, and prescription drugs needed to address the patient's condition. Patients also qualify to receive meals during their stays.

Medicare Part A is intended to provide the healthcare needed to resolve adverse health conditions fully. Stays of two days or more qualify for coverage, with the federal government financing extremely long stays, in many cases.

It's important to understand that Medicare Part A doesn't cover long-term nursing-home stays. However, skilled nursing care does qualify, although for inpatient-facility costs to be covered, patients typically need to have had a related hospital stay of at least three days. As with hospital stays, Medicare's intent with its skilled nursing-care coverage is to address conditions and get participants back to full health.

Patients can also get access to some other services under Medicare Part A. These include home hospice care for terminally-ill patients, as well as home-provided care for other conditions when it's medically necessary.

Medicare Part A costs

One big benefit of Medicare Part A is that most people are eligible to participate without having to pay a monthly premium. If you or your spouse paid into the Medicare program via payroll withholding for at least 10 years, you generally won't have to pay for Part A coverage.

Some people who don't have 10 full years of work history will have to pay monthly premiums. Those working between 30 and 39 quarters will pay $278 per month in 2023, up $4 from 2022. Those with less than 30 quarters of eligible work history have to pay $506 per month, higher by $7 from year-earlier levels.

If you need to use your Part A coverage during the year, there are additional costs under the program. A deductible of $1,600 for 2023 applies upfront before Medicare starts to cover costs. That's $44 higher than it was in 2022.

There are also copayments for many Part A services. After the deductible is met, Medicare provides full coverage for the first 60 days of a hospital stay. From the 61st day to the 90th, the copayment is $400 per day, up $11 from 2022. On the 91st day and beyond, you have 60 lifetime reserve days for which you'll pay $800 per day in 2023, $22 higher than in 2022.

The cost structure for skilled nursing-facility stays is similar. Copayments are $0 for the first 20 days, and then from the 21st day to the 100th day, patients have to pay $200 per day. That's up by $5.50 per day from 2022. Beyond the 100th day, Medicare no longer offers coverage.

Take advantage of Medicare Part A

Retirees always have to take healthcare costs into consideration as a key expense in their retirement planning. Medicare Part A does a great job of covering many of those costs, but it doesn't cover everything. By getting to know the program better, you can more accurately plan for your overall finances in retirement.

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Heres another troubling pandemic surge.

Idahos school immunization opt-outs rose sharply.

And this has nothing to do with the COVID-19 vaccines  not directly, anyway. Here, were talking about parents who opted their kids out of other childhood immunizations: for diseases such as measles, polio, whooping cough and chicken pox. The state has been recommending most of these vaccines for years, long before the pandemic.

Its been a tough sell for years. Idahos immunization rates have long been among the lowest in the nation. But when the opt-out rates surged over the past two years, that means the immunization rates fell even further.

This could have serious implications for parents and students, if an outbreak occurs later this school year. And for school administrators  who have spent more than two years juggling in-person learning against a global public health crisis, and are no doubt yearning for a more back-to-normal 2022-23.

What happened over the past two years?

While sketchy, the states numbers are nonetheless eye-opening:

In 2019-20, just before the pandemic, 86.5% of the states kindergarten, first- and seventh-grade students were immunized. That percentage actually increased a bit the following year, but in 2021-22, the immunization rate dropped to 80.2%.

This declining rate puts Idaho barely above the 80% threshold believed to offer herd immunity against polio  a childhood disease that had appeared all but extinguished until July, when New York health officials reported the nations first case in almost a decade. Idahos current immunization rate also falls way below the 95% threshold needed to ward off a measles outbreak.

The immunization rate is even worse for 12th-graders. The state recommends a meningococcal vaccine, but in 2021-22, only 55.4% of 12th-graders were immunized.

Before the pandemic, immunization opt-outs covered 7.9% of kindergarten, first- and seventh-grade students. After surging in 2020-21, the opt-out rate came in at 9.7% last school year. But that improvement is of little comfort to Sarah Leeds, manager of the Department of Health and Welfares Idaho Immunization Program. We still believe that 9.7% is too high.

Other students fell through the cracks  in increasing numbers. Before the pandemic, the state had incomplete immunization records for about 3,200 kindergarten, first- and seventh-grade students. That number has nearly doubled, topping 6,300 last year. These children are attending school  but school administrators have no way of knowing if theyre unimmunized, and more likely to contract or spread a contagious disease.

Several factors could have contributed to these trends, Leeds said. Hunkering at home during the pandemic and school shutdowns, parents could have simply fallen behind on other child immunizations. An influx of newcomers might have been a factor, creating even more gaps in Idahos immunization database. Parents might have opted out on immunizations  which they can do simply by sending a note to their childs school  because it was easier than making a vaccination appointment or corraling immunization records.

And while the states immunization guidelines are silent on the COVID-19 vaccine, the COVID controversy probably was a factor as well. As skeptics questioned the safety and effectiveness of the COVID vaccines  despite strong evidence that the vaccines reduce rates of death and serious disease  this skepticism extended to other, established vaccines.

I dont think it helped, by any means, Leeds said.

What we dont know

Normally, the states childhood immunization database is exhaustive: breaking down vaccination numbers by district, school and grade level, and pinpointing counties with high opt-out rates. These detailed breakdowns have generally shown higher opt-out rates in North Idaho and parts of central Idaho  and lower rates in eastern Idaho.

But due to staffing shortages, the Department of Health and Welfare has not drilled down into last school years numbers, so it doesnt have school-level data, Leeds said. (Idaho Education News has requested this data when it is available, and will follow up.)

And it will be a while before this years immunization numbers come into focus  at the state or local level. School-level data is collected on Nov. 1.

While local data is hard to come by, two of Idahos largest school districts say more of their parents are opting out of immunizations  and more parents arent bothering to turn in complete health records.

West Ada health services supervisor Tracey Garner says it comes down to a long list of factors. Some parents dont trust the medical community. Others cant schedule their kids in for a well-child checkup, an immunization requirement. Newcomers dont always know Idahos immunization guidelines; for example, California transplants were never asked to immunize their kids for hepatitis A, but that vaccine is on Idahos list of recommended immunizations.

In Coeur dAlene  in the middle of North Idahos opt-out ground zero  those numbers are climbing. And when parents dont turn in their kids immunization data, or formally ask for an exemption, school nurses try to fill in the holes in the data. They email, call and text parents for records, often to no avail.

Our greatest challenge has always been obtaining immunization records in our district, said Leanne Bullamore, the districts health services director.

By and large, most Idahoans believe in vaccines

Public schools are required to accept all students, regardless of immunization status. That would only change during a disease outbreak. At that point, schools can close their doors to students who arent immunized.

Ultimately, state officials and local school administrators can do little more than encourage parents to get their kids immunized  not just to curb the spread of infectious disease, but to ensure that their children can attend school without interruption.

In Boise, that means immunization drives. The district held a back-to-school immunization clinic in August, in partnership with Central District Health. And even though the influenza shot isnt on the states list of recommended vaccines, the district will offer flu vaccine clinics at 27 schools.

At the state level, Health and Welfare is trying to make it easier for parents to track immunization data.

A smartphone app, Docket, will allow parents to access their kids immunization registry, and email the information to schools. The hope is that school nurses and principals will have a more complete picture of immunization status, while parents can schedule vaccinations that might otherwise be forgotten.

While trying to streamline the process, Health and Welfare is also trying to instill a sense of urgency. The department will step up its efforts to promote the importance of vaccinations.

By and large, most Idahoans believe in vaccines, Leeds said. Were trying to really kind of encourage that that is the social norm. The minority I think is very vocal.

Based on the past two years of immunization numbers, however, that vocal minority has grown.
In a Supreme Court brief it filed this week, The Onion claims it was founded in 1756 and has a daily readership of 4.3 trillion. The brief describes The Onion as the single most powerful and influential organization in human history, with interests in shipping, strip mining, deforestation and animal testing as well as journalism.

The case that prompted The Onions brief is no less ridiculous than the satirical websites patently preposterous puffery. Last April, a federal appeals court said a man could not sue police officers who had arrested him for making fun of them because they could have reasonably thought their petty vendetta was consistent with the First Amendment.

The spoof of the Parma, Ohio, police departments Facebook page that Anthony Novak created in 2016 was not subtle. It included a job notice that said the department is strongly encouraging minorities to not apply, a post advertising a police abortion van for teenagers, a warning that Parma had made giving homeless people food a crime so they would leave our city due to starvation and an announcement of our official stay inside and catch up with the family day, during which anyone venturing outside between noon and 9 p.m. would be arrested.

Novaks parody, which was online for just 12 hours, prompted 11 calls to the police departments nonemergency line. Based on that reaction, Novak was arrested and prosecuted for violating a broadly worded state law against using a computer to disrupt, interrupt, or impair police services  a felony punishable by up to 18 months in prison.

A jury promptly acquitted Novak, perhaps recognizing that the logic underlying the charge against him would justify prosecuting anyone whose online criticism provoked phone calls or protests that incommoded the police in any way. But after Novak sued seven police officers for violating his First Amendment rights, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit ruled that the defendants were protected by qualified immunity, which shields cops from liability unless their alleged misconduct violated clearly established law.

The 6th Circuit cited two reasons why police might have reasonably believed that Novaks spoof did not qualify as constitutionally protected speech. Novak had deleted comments describing the page as fake, which he thought ruined the joke, and he had reposted a police department warning about the ersatz account, which he thought made the joke funnier.

When the case against Novak was presented to a grand jury, Detective Thomas Connor claimed the people who called about the parody honest to God believed it was the departments official Facebook page. But after Novak sued Connor, the detective admitted that was not true.

Even if a few especially credulous or inattentive people were fooled, the Institute for Justice notes in its petition asking the Supreme Court to review the 6th Circuits decision, that would not matter under the First Amendment. As the appeals court itself noted at an earlier stage of the case, the law requires a reasonable reader standard, not a most gullible person on Facebook standard.

The court initially recognized that the First Amendment does not depend on whether everyone is in on the joke. The Onion amplifies that point in its brief supporting Novaks petition, saying, a reasonable reader does not need a disclaimer to know that parody is parody.

That approach, The Onion explains, would rob parody of its rhetorical power. The technique relies on first tricking people into thinking its real, then revealing the joke by piling absurdity on absurdity.

Because parody mimics the real thing, the brief notes, it has the unique capacity to critique the real thing. Hence it should be obvious that parodists cannot be prosecuted for telling a joke with a straight face.

Whats obvious to most (but not all) Onion readers is not obvious enough under the 6th Circuits understanding of qualified immunity. That would be funny if the implications for freedom of speech were not so serious.
The pandemic is over, but the purge continues, Stephen Crampton, senior counsel for the conservative Thomas More Society told me.

We were talking about Zach Loesch, a Coast Guard aviation survival technician  a real hero about to lose his job because he wont betray his deeply held beliefs.

As Hurricane Ian walloped Florida, Loesch kicked through a house wall to rescue a disabled woman and her husband. Then he went back to get her wheelchair. He also rescued a bunch of dogs and cats.

President Joe Biden called to Loesch and other rescuers to thank them Friday.

But afterward, Loesch told Breitbart that he will have to leave the Coast Guard in 30 to 60 days  because he wont get vaccinated for COVID.

In September 2021, Biden issued an executive order mandating that federal workers be vaccinated.

The order wasnt practical given staffing shortages in essential services.

In a nod to reality and the legal system, the mandate has been whittled down and postponed, but it still exists for members of the armed forces  the very people who sacrificed their personal safety to protect others.

This makes no sense: Biden is holding onto the military vaccine mandate even after he said the pandemic is over.

And even after the vaccines effectiveness has not lived up to the hype. (Thats not a hit on the vaccine developers. They tried but have not hit the mark they had hoped to achieve.)

The list of vaccinated individuals who got COVID includes Biden and the first lady.

After the Loesch phone call, the White House released a readout that reported Biden had asked Loesch and others if they needed any additional support that he can provide to accelerate successful rescues; they indicated they have gotten what they need to execute their vital mission.

Loesch obviously thinks the government could not dismiss him, and that would be helpful, but he told Breitbart he didnt think it was appropriate to ruin his talk with the president by mentioning his pending dismissal.

Loesch added, 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 also disclosed that he had applied for a religious exemption  and been turned down.

He appealed. He was turned down again.

The Thomas More Society has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of Coast Guard members who object to the mandate because they believe the vaccines were developed with fetal cell lines. Their reasoning, to me, is irrelevant. Its their right to adhere to their deeply held beliefs that should be honored here.

Like other branches of the military, the Coast Guard is facing a considerable recruitment shortfall. Americas national security is as perilous as Ive ever seen. Yet the Biden administration is willing to lose good men and women over a vaccine that hasnt stopped the spread of COVID.

Asked during Tuesdays press briefing if Biden would reconsider the military vaccine mandate in light of his talk with Loesch, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded in her usual foggy fashion. KJP said Biden has the deepest respect for the Coast Guard and suggested press ask the Coast Guard, even though the mandate is a Biden policy, and said that, Its not something that I would comment from here.

Who believes the government when they say anything these days? Crampton asked. They have lost all credibility with the American public.
Sometimes people cant help but do the right thing. Even in politics.

You start out wanting to do something snarky. You want to poke someone in the eye. Embarrass them.

You dont care who you hurt in the process. All that matters is scoring major points at someone elses expense.

And so you fire away. Take that, ya sad-sack loser. Thatll teach you not to mess with the big boys. Boo-yah.

But hold on a minute. What if the attempted humiliation of your enemy was actually a pretty good idea? Maybe it just needs a little polishing. Maybe it could be helpful to everybody.

Well, thats not the reaction you wanted at all. There you are, trying to be a partisan bad boy, and you turned out to be a bridge-crossing, hand-shaking, problem-solving bipartisan good guy.

How embarrassing. What will happen to your Q-score? Whatll Tucker Carlson say?

As youve heard, a few weeks ago Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott spent some of his states tax revenue to bus two loads of migrants to the front porch of Vice-President Kamala Harris. During the same week, Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis spent his own states tax revenue to fly more Texas migrants to Marthas Vineyard in Massachusetts. Both incidents were designed to embarrass liberal enclaves. Instead, communities responded, providing emergency housing, food, and health care to their unannounced guests.

The original goal of those Red-meat governors was to provide hardy-har-har, shoe-on-the-other-foot video of sputtering liberals unable to cope with the tiniest doses of what Texas deals with every day.

Nevertheless, I think Governors DeSantis and Abbott are on to something that should have begun years ago. I think when you strip away the snarkadmittedly a big askyoull find DeSantis and Abbot doing the right thing: for Texas, for the migrants, and for America itself.

Its pretty simple really. We have all these people showing up at our borders claiming refugee status. Under US law they are entitled to a court hearing to determine whether their claims have merit.

But the courts, like everything else in our supply-chain-dependent world, are badly backed up. So migrants have to wait. And wait. And wait.

Meanwhile, Governor Abbott has complainedloudlythat Texas is mighty dad-gum big, but it aint that big. There arent enough camps, cells, and food caterers in the Lone Star State to meet the crushing influx of migrants.

Governor Abbott happens to be right. His state is now expected to produce instant and ever-expanding infrastructure for tens of thousands of human beings who deserve a few basics while waiting for the court hearings to which they are legally entitled.

Fortunately, America is a big country. Were the fourth largest nation in the world by land mass, the third largest in population, and number one in economic strength. We have the room, we have the resources, and we have people in both red and blue states willing to help, so long as theyre not overwhelmed, which, if the migrants are intelligently dispersed, they wont be.

In the process, its worth remembering that the stereotypical depiction of migrants as drug-dealing rapists has long since been disproved. The vast majority want nothing more than to work and send money home. And they are willing to do the tough, physical, dirty-work jobs that most of us have decided are beneath our social standing.

They also often have taxes deducted from their paychecks for benefits that, being non-citizens, they will never receive.

So why not spread them out across our mountains, prairies and alabaster cities and let them temporarily fill the jobs were not going to accept anywayunless youre ready for a character-building gig as a chicken processor or dairy barn cleaner.

So thanks, Greg, and thank you too, Ron, for the good idea. We could have done without the snark, but I guess these days thats unavoidable.

Nevertheless, your creative idea may spark a new era of Americans working together. But if it does, it will happen because We the People tell the political paparazzi in Washington, on the airwaves, and in the darker corners of the internet, that we see through the deliberately divisive games they play at the expense of us all.
One particularly noisy piece of the GOPs current culture war bunkum is critical race theory. For 60 years, critical race theory has been a little-known field of study by academics, examining racisms central role in shaping our society. In the last few years though, a covey of right-wing operatives has seized the phrase, shrieking that critical race theory is a liberal mind-control plot being pushed by a cadre of diabolical K-12 schoolteachers. The scaremongers warn that the goal of critical race theory is to demonize and replace White society with un-Christian multicultural rule.

Its a patently kooky bugaboo, of course  thats not what critical race theory is, nor is the subject even taught in our schools, much less being spread in a cosmic plot. But that hasnt stopped power-hungry witch hunters like Floridas Gov. Ron DeSantis, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas and (witchiest of all) former President Donald Trump from actually issuing executive edicts BANNING schools from teaching a subject that  Hello!  they are not teaching.

So... how did such a nonissue rise to the tippy-top of the Republican political agenda? Fake news. For the past couple of years, thousands of articles have run declaring that critical race theory is infiltrating public education, appearing repeatedly in the Miami Courant, Houston Republic, San Francisco Sun, Chicago City Wire, Kalamazoo Times, St. Louis Reporter, Philly Leader, Wisconsin Business Daily and scores of other local papers from coast to coast.

Never heard of these dailies? Thats because none of them are real, local or even paper. All of the above are right-wing propaganda fronts, just a few of some 1,300 hyperpartisan websites owned and run by Metric Media, a bogus news fabricator. MMs faux local news sites spew out a gusher of articles every month, trumpeting the big lie of a massive critical race theory conspiracy. Many of the articles are automated with no authors byline. The sites, designed to mimic the looks of real journalistic reporting, create the impression of a spreading national crisis in public education.

Judd Legum, the progressive digger who publishes the excellent Popular Information newsletter, reports that just in the first 10 months of last year, 11,988 of these anti-critical race theory articles appeared on Metric Medias Florida sites, with another 10,096 running across Texas, giving political cover for the shamelessly demagogic GOP governors in both states who were exploiting the nonexistent critical race theory crisis.

This is not innocent campaign gamesmanship, but politically cynical, crazy BS thats causing real, extensive harm. Teachers are being fired (or quitting in disgust), sane school board members are literally being assaulted by deluded parents, schoolkids are being fed raw ideological ignorance and elections are being perverted.

Last years gubernatorial race in Virginia was narrowly won by Republican Glenn Youngkin, a son of privilege and Harvard elite who became a multimillionaire Wall Street predator. He was going to lose, until his handlers turned him into an unscrupulous anti-critical race theory attack dog, fomenting parental fear and racism, while also rallying the right-wing hard core with repeated, inflammatory promises to sweep all teaching of critical race theory out of Virginia classrooms.

But, golly, it was not actually taught in any of the states public schools. To help Youngkin dodge this inconvenient fact, the Central Shenandoah News, Fredericksburg Leader, West Nova News, and 25 other fake local news sites in Virginia fueled panic during the election by fabricating 4,657 articles spreading the lie that critical race theory was dominating school curricula. While these papers have no subscribers and no significant online readership, they allow campaigns and front groups to use these spurious political claims in speeches, mailers, ads, etc.  laundering them as facts by simply saying: ...as reported in the Virginia Daily Deceptor.

With Youngkin riding critical race theory fear into the governors office last year, expect hyperactive copycat campaigns in Florida, New Hampshire, Ohio, Texas and elsewhere this year, with Metric Media and other newspaper pretenders pumping out critical race theory sludge to poison the waters. Indeed, the lie has become its own political industry, with such billionaire extremists as the Koch brothers Donor Trust Network pumping money into it. Also, an astroturf front called Fight for Schools is stoking the paranoia and community factionalism by pushing parents to confront teachers and launch recall campaigns against school board members who wont join the McCarthyesque crusade against an imaginary conspiracy.

We simply must have actual local newspapers (widely available and affordable, either in print or online) that have the community commitment and journalistic resources to do the job of nurturing truth and democracy. Otherwise, were ceding news to the shams, scams and democratic deterioration that is inevitable under hedge-fund profiteers and networks of partisan hacks, both of which are already becoming dominant across wide stretches of Americas media landscape. Journalism is not a private commodity to be controlled by a few for their personal profit or political advancement; it is an essential public resource, key to democratic self-government. And America should start investing in it as such, providing adequate public funding for local, independent watchdog reporting.
Today is Sunday, October 9, the 282nd day of 2022. There are 83 days left in the year.

In the Henry Bulletin in 1922: Martinsville is congratulating itself upon the enterprise of one of its leading ladies outfitting establishments and is looking forward with excited interest to an event absolutely new in Martinsville in the activities which appeal to the interest especially of the ladies of the community. The event is the elaborate Fashion Show to be staged by C.W. Holt & Co., on Thursday and Friday October 5th & 6th.

Also 1922: Miss Atkins section of the Freshman Class in the High School had a most satisfactory picnic at the Lanier Farm on Wednesday afternoon. This class has a reputation for giving the very best picnics, it being recalled that its members had a thoroughly complete and enjoyable picnic while they were members of the Grammar School last year.

1947: WASHINGTON (AP)  President Trumans drive for American self-rationing to head off starvation in Europe went into high gear today amid hints that the administration may take more drastic action if necessary. Leon Henderson, wartime boss of prices and rationing, denounced the Presidents buy wisely, eat sensibly, waste nothing program as one which falls tragically short of the demands of a world crisis. He asked that Congress by convened and food rationing resumed quickly.

1972: The Henry County School Board Thursday agreed to expand Mt. Olivet Elementary School because of overcrowded classroom conditions. Branch Rives, division superintendent, said the school is using the library, teachers lounge and a clinic as makeshift classrooms.

1997: The body of Axton businessman Archie W. Vipperman was found this morning, the day after his small airplane collided with another plane in rural Moore County, N.C., a North Carolina medical examiner said he was told.
World War I, known as the Great War, was won 104 years ago by the combined forces of the U.S., France and Great Britain through an intense and bloody series of assaults on entrenched German troops in the autumn of 1918.

One American unit leading that assault in the Argonne Forest was the 77th Infantry or Statue of Liberty Division composed of young men from the streets of New York City. Just a week before the offensive, the 77th was heavily reinforced by about 476 Montanans transferred in from their replacement division.

"The Lost Battalion" is the name given to nine remarkable companies of the 77th Division, some 554 men including about 59 Montanans, surrounded and isolated by German forces during their attack in the Argonne Forest. On Oct. 2, the Battalion, commanded by Maj. Charles W. Whittlesey, launched an assault into the Argonne, under the belief that French forces and two American units were supporting their flanks.

As the battalion drove forward, they broke through German lines and advanced so rapidly into the Argonne Forest that they outpaced the forces on their flanks. Soon, the battalion was deep in German territory  lost to allied support.

But the Lost Battalion was by no means lost  they knew right where they were in their seemingly untenable position, and so did the Germans who had them surrounded.

The Whittlesey battalion, found themselves positioned on a steep, heavily wooded slope in the Charlevaux Valley. The nine trapped companies, A, B, C, E, G, and H of the 308th, K of the 307th Infantry, and C and D of the 306th Machine Gun Battalion and its parent 77th Division were composed of three dozen nationalities from all walks of life on the streets of New York. Remarkably, many Montanans were mixed in these melting pot companies.

For the followingly six days, with scarce ammunition, food, and supplies, but an abundance of courage and a leader who simply refused to surrender, these Yanks fought valiantly against attacking Germans. Communications were also a problem, and at times they were bombarded by their own artillery. As every runner dispatched by Whittlesey either became lost or ran into German patrols, carrier pigeons became the only method of communicating with headquarters.

Meanwhile other companies from the 307th and 308th Regiments sought desperately to locate and break through German lines to bring relief.

Finally, on Oct. 8, other Yanks broke through German lines to rescue the defiant but desperately weakened survivors of the Lost Battalion. Twenty-four Montanans were among the 197 Killed in Action including Otto J. Schultz of Somers, who was captured and died of wounds. Seventeen Montanans were wounded. Eighteen more Montana men were among the 194 rescued, although four would die of wounds and one of pneumonia in the aftermath.

A Montanan among the survivors, Pvt. James G. Irvin of Billings, Company D, 308th Infantry, later related his ordeal in the Great Falls Tribune:

His firsthand account of the experiences of the gallant little detachment of the 77th division . . . reveals some interesting sidelights . . .

Irvin was close to Maj. Whittlesey, commander of the detachment, when the American who had been taken prisoner by the Germans and released to carry the message back to his comrades requesting they surrender, delivered the message. The widely heralded reply accredited to Whittlesey, in which he is supposed to have told the Germans in stentorian tones to Go to hell never was uttered, Irvin says, although the sentiment therein expressed was carried out.

What Major Whittlesey did remark, says Irvin, was addressed to the message bearer and uttered in a low voice. It was: I ought to shoot you for bringing this kind of a message.

As a matter of fact, the bearer of the message nearly was shot by mistake by Irvin, who was stationed several rods away from where the detachment lay partly concealed, by hastily thrown up breastworks and the rank undergrowth. Irvin observed the messenger approaching and waiting for him to announce himself.

The guard had his rifle leveled on a patch of moonlight across a path which the messenger was traveling. If the stranger made no sound before reaching the patch of moonlight, Pvt. Irvin intended to fire. He knew better than to make known his own presence for fear the visitor might be a German, and several enemy raiding parties had already tried to storm the position where the Americans lay.

By the merest chance, the messenger divined the presence not far off of his comrades and hailed them just before he stepped into the patch of moonlight on which I had my rifle leveled. He passed safely through the lines.

Major Whittlesey appeared highly displeased at the messenger and rebuked him severely. The messenger then took his place among us.

For some time after arriving at our rendezvous we were under fire of both our own (French) and the enemy artillery. We lost several of our men from this source. Major Whittlesey sent back all the carrier pigeons we had with us with messages to our artillery to cease firing on that point. I was only a few feet away when the major sent back the last pigeon. All the others, apparently, were killed before reaching their destination, for the shells from our guns kept falling in the vicinity. As the major adjusted the message to the leg of the last pigeon (named Cher Ami), he remarked:

Now then you little devil, if you dont get through, I dont know whats going to happen to us.

The bird got through safely, we learned later, and the artillery fire lifted. That last message also resulted in our rescue.

Cher Amis message read: We are along the road paralell (sic) to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heavens sake stop it.

As Cher Ami took flight to fly to home base, the Germans saw him rising out of the brush and opened fire. Within seconds, he was shot down but managed to take flight again. Cher Ami arrived back at his loft at division headquarters 25 miles to the rear in just 25 minutes, helping to save the lives of the 194 survivors. He had been shot through the breast, blinded in one eye, and had a leg hanging only by just a tendon. Army medics saved his life. Cher Ami, the hero of the 77th Infantry, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Croix de Guerre by the French.

Irvins account continued:

 . . . Where the detachment of the 77th was surrounded (was) called . . . the pocket, there was a small spring which furnished the only fresh water the Americans could reach. The German artillery had the exact range of the spring and German outposts had a clear view of the spot. Whenever one or more Americans tried to reach the spring, the enemy laid down a barrage. It was here the Lost Battalion suffered its heavy casualties, Irvin said. Machine guns manned by Germans were stationed on three sides of the American position and a constant storm of lead was directed on the spot. The little band was nearly famished when found.

(Few of the) men who composed the detachment were taken out alive. A majority went directly to a hospital and remained there several weeks recuperating. Irvin and a half dozen others volunteered for duty the following day and resumed the advance, but the Billings man was forced by weakness to drop out.

I marched until I couldnt stand up any longer, carrying the regulation pack which a soldier takes into the front lines. This pack weights 110 pounds. I stumbled along for a couple of miles and suddenly everything went black. When I woke up I was in a hospital, and I was still there when the armistice was signed.

In the aftermath of their horrendous experiences, some men suffered what we would now call PTSD.

For survivor Pvt. Joe Prusek, a young homesteader from Melville, Sweet Grass County, the effects proved fatal. In the terms of the times, Prusek suffered from the effects of shell shock and a general nervous breakdown caused by his experiences with the Lost Battalion.

He killed himself in a cabin at his homestead. When the sheriff arrived at the scene four days later he found Pruseks dog faithfully tending over the body of his master. Since his death, the dog apparently had never relaxed his vigilance. When the sheriff arrived, the dog would circle around the body at intervals, then take his position near the head of his dead master.

Note: For more about Montanans in World War I, see historian Ken Robisons books World War I Montana: The Treasure State Prepares and Montanans in the Great War: Open Warfare over There. For names and more information about the Montanans in the Lost Battalion see: https://bit.ly/3SY5NF8

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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.

Sen. Daines is Montana's only member in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee where this bill is assigned. Sen. Daines has the power to help or hinder conservation legislation. We are fortunate to have a Montana senator on this committee representing natural resources for Indian country. But we were disappointed to hear Sen. 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 Sen. 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.
Yet again, the authoritarians in the Montana Legislature are marching lock step with the Montana GOP, ignoring Montana law to favor more big government interference in our lives. If they bothered to crack open the Montana Constitution or maybe consult with a lawyer that has some familiarity with Montana law, they would find this:

40-6-701.Interference with fundamental parental rights restricted  cause of action. (1) A governmental entity may not interfere with the fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of their children...

To spread fear to sustain the authoritarian stronghold of Montanas government, the Legislature, led by Matt Regier, passed LR-131, which puts to a statewide vote the propaganda-driven desire to interfere with our privacy, professional medical judgment, and the fundamental right to parent. LR-131 require[s] medical care to be provided to infants born alive after an induced labor, cesarean section, attempted abortion, or another method. LR-131 is fraught with problems leading to devastating outcomes for Montana families. I am no medical expert; however, I assisted a group of physicians in writing a pre-term delivery policy that reflected medical science, was consistent with Montana law, and allowed parents to determine what healthcare was appropriate for their children born with fetal anomalies incompatible with life.

The process was heart-wrenching. I learned about fetal anomalies I did not know existed, and as a mother, I found myself grieving for other mothers who had to endure labor knowing their child would not survive longer than a few hours. One of those fetal anomalies I remember was anencephaly, a congenital disability where a child is born without parts of a brain and skull. It affects 1 in every 4600 babies born in the United States. No cure for anencephaly exists; children born with the defect die shortly after birth, currently while being cradled and comforted in their parents arms. If LR-131 passes, those parents will no longer be able to comfort their dying child after birth. Instead, a physician will be mandated to provide futile, painful, and medically unethical resuscitation efforts or else face 20 years in prison.

LR-131 violates virtually every Republican principle of less government and honoring parental rights imaginable. LR-131 deliberately attempts to scare Montanans into believing that elective abortion up to the moment of birth is legal when the same has been illegal for decades. Elective abortion in Montana is permitted up to viability; thereafter, it is banned with criminal consequences.

Babies born via miscarriage or induced labor due to fetal anomalies incompatible with life after 20 weeks gestation are provided with birth and death certificates. Simply put, Montanans and Montana law recognize that a viable fetus is a baby, as are babies delivered with terminal conditions. And with advancements in medicine, viability occurs earlier in pregnancy than ever before, thus placing hard dates on when elective abortion can occur actually extends the time frame for elective abortion.

Montana law as it currently reads is effective and moves with advancements in medical science, not arbitrarily with legislative politics. So the scare tactics embedded in LR-131 are political propaganda issued by authoritarians to gin up support for a boogie man that doesnt exist in Montana. The consequence of LR-131 is cruel and unusual punishment imposed on babies and their parents who need to grieve, who need to cradle and comfort their dying children, and who need caregivers to provide dying children with compassionate care instead of futile and barbaric procedures that do nothing but prolong the agony of death.

Vote no on LR-131, or the next missive we will get from authoritarian legislators with zero medical background will be a mandate that physicians treat cancer with Gogi juice.
Iredell County experienced explosive growth between 2010 and 2020, gaining over 27,000 residents. This trend is projected to accelerate over the next few decades with Iredell County expected to grow from its current population of about 185,000 to 195,000 by 2025, and to 275,000 by 2050.

This growth is most pronounced in the southern portion of the county. Between 2010 and 2020, Mooresvilles population surged by 53% from 32,000 to 50,000, while Troutmans population swelled by 55% from 2,400 to 3,700. According to the towns data, Mooresville has over 18,000 residential units either under construction, pending board action, or do not require board approval but are not yet under construction. Troutman has almost 6,000 residential units either under construction or approved for construction, including the massive Wakefield at Barium development, with another 1,500 residential units being proposed. Its been reported that the planning department in Troutman issued 25 residential permits during a mere three-day period in March of this year and is on track to issue over 450 permits for the year. Troutmans population will likely double, twice, at least, over the next decade.

This type of growth is simply not sustainable, and its obvious. Look no further than the infrastructure crisis created in both towns. Traffic is routinely at a standstill on N.C. 150 in Mooresville, and the situation appears to worsen continually. Similar congestion plagues various areas in Troutman. Our state legislature contemplated challenges posed by irresponsible development, and it created a law to help deal with those challenges. In 2005, North Carolina amended its Zoning Enabling Statute (G.S. 160D-107) to expressly provide cities and counties the authority to institute a moratorium. Since its passage, according to a survey conducted by UNCs School of Government in 2009, 17% of cities/counties had reported enacting a moratorium. Those results would be higher today, as a handful of cities/counties enacted a moratorium in 2021 alone. One of those was the town of Cornelius, which voted unanimously to impose a moratorium on residential development for a period of 9 to 12 months to address rapid growth and inadequate infrastructure. The vote came immediately after four pro-growth commissioners were voted out in November 2021.

A moratorium is critically needed to pause large scale population growth so that we can address overcrowding, the traffic crisis in Mooresville, assess traffic effects from two new distribution centers in Troutman, and to assess the sufficiency of schools and infrastructure in those areas. More specifically, we need a moratorium on all residential development above 10 units for a period of 12 months in the unincorporated areas surrounding Mooresville and Troutman, and the same or similar moratorium within the municipal limits of both Mooresville and Troutman. In conjunction with the moratoriums, the Town of Mooresville should develop a task force to conduct an expedited review of the traffic problems plaguing N.C. 150 in Mooresville. The N.C. 150 road widening project has been delayed to 2025, at least, leaving Mooresville residents to suffer worsening traffic conditions until the latter part of this decade. This is entirely unacceptable. Your locally elected leaders, including State Sen. Vickie Sawyer, who ironically is co-chairman of the State Senates Transportation Committee, have failed us on this issue. This task force should not be composed of locally elected leaders whove proven incapable of developing a solution, but with planning board members as well as private citizens qualified to contribute to a solution.

For our neighbors to the north, this type of growth will not stop with Troutman  Statesville will be next. The moratoriums Ive described will hopefully have the effect of causing some developers to look north, which could provide the revitalization that many in Statesville have sought, while at the same time showing those developers that the unmitigated growth that was allowed to occur to the south will no longer be tolerated.

Make no mistake, getting this passed wont be easy. There is a well-entrenched old guard clinging to power at both the county and municipal level. They take to local radio stations or board meetings to air their grievances with anyone that has the audacity to suggest that business as usual isnt working. They offer a multitude of excuses as to why the status quo is our only option. In short, we need new leadership at all levels of local government. Ending business as usual will require voting most, if not all, of our local incumbents out over the next several election cycles. With early voting set to begin soon, ask your local candidates, from state senator to county commissioner to school board, what their position is with respect to the over development of our community. When a candidate tells you they support smart growth, or balanced growth, or responsible growth, but cant tell you what that means, you then know who not to vote for. Over the next two years, there will be elections for Mooresville Commissioners, Troutman Town Council members, county commissioners, and school board members. Its time to replace the career politicians with those willing to tackle the problems we face. Its time for a moratorium.
Mid-November, 2013  Jonas Ridge

I am sitting on the deck of my moms home in Rose Hollar on a swing my sister Danielle and I bought for her on Mothers Day years ago  drinking a cup of Nescafe instant coffee and listening to roosters crow across the road at Roger and Bettys. The air is smoky from a massive wildfire that is raging just a few miles away in the Table Rock area of Linville Gorge. We learned later that thousands of acres have burned.

Inside the house, my mom is dying. The doctor has told Danielle and me that, Its just a matter of time, but time has lost its relevance. A social worker from hospice has advised us that everything will go smoother if we can just surrender to what is happening. Those are wise words, I know, but, for now, a part of me seems to float above the world and another to be moving around in a world where time has stopped. All I know is that for as long as she is alive, I will do all that I can to help, and I will pray for Gods help when she dies.

Nov. 18, 2013  Reins Sturdivant Funeral Home, Newland

A quiet comes over me when my husband Larry closes the door  at my request  and leaves me alone for a few minutes in the visitation room. My moms casket is covered with a blanket of pink roses and around it are the bouquets of fresh flowers and peace lilies from folks who loved her. Once again, I feel I have stepped outside of normal time. The silence in the room is profound, and I have no idea how long I am there, but then, out loud, as though God is standing just across the room from me, I say, I know Im not supposed to ask for signs, but please can you just let me know that my mom is OK? Please. Then, just the silence again.

Nov. 19, 2013  At home in Morganton, the morning of my moms funeral

As I am getting dressed, I notice a book on my dresser  a gift from a friend. Beside the book is a deck of Native American Totem Cards, or Spirit Animal cards. I dont remember when I last looked at the book or had the cards out, but here they are on my dresser. I dont understand why, but I feel compelled to pick up the deck. I shuffle the cards a few times and pull out one: an eagle. Below the image is this message: Eagle is the power of the Great Spirit, the connection to the Divine. Eagle is close to the heavens where the Great Spirit dwells. I stand for a few moments with the card in my hand, then, again, feeling as though I need to know more, I pick up the book and read. Native Americans believe that each of us has an animal guide whose wisdom can help us on our lifes journey. They believe, too, that seeing an animal, especially in an unexpected place or time, may be a message to us to remember that animals power and use it in our lives. This thought comforts me.

1 p.m.  My moms house, after the funeral

A group of my closest family members and friends have come back to moms house after the service. They are here to support Danielle and me and to help us remember mom before she became so sick. While they laugh and tell stories, I step outside on the deck for fresh air. As soon as I am outside, I see my cousin Betty walking toward me as fast as she can. Roger, her husband, is behind her holding something in his hands, but I cant make out what it is.

Roger and I just saw two eagles fly over your moms house, she says. The words come at me, but I cant really process them. But she goes on, We think they came from across the mountain. We watched them circle over the roof two times and then they flew down the hollar toward the Parkway. We couldnt believe what we were seeing, but Roger got his binoculars. But, Debra Jean, they were bald eagles and they were here just seconds ago.

I feel so lightheaded and dizzy that I have to sit down to try to wrap my head around what Betty has told me. I know that Roger is a lifelong hunter and that he knows what he has seen. I know, too, that I have told no one about my prayer the night before or about finding the eagle in the deck of cards that morning. Roger, meanwhile, is still scanning the skies for the birds, but they have gone. Then, he heads in to tell the folks inside what he and Betty have seen. While Betty and I sit on my moms swing, I tell her about the prayer and the card.

No one knew, I say, except God and me.

At that moment I felt wrapped in a blanket of love.

Two eagles had flown over my moms house.

5 p.m. that same day  back in Morganton

When Larry and I arrive home later that afternoon, a car we dont recognize is sitting in our driveway. When we pull in, Jennifer, one of my public speaking students, emerges from the drivers seat. My students have collected money to buy the card and they have all signed it, she tells me. Then, she says, Ms. Rose, I stood at the card counter and looked and looked for just the right card for you, and this is the one I kept coming back to.

She hands me the card. When I open the envelope, I feel something akin to a jolt of electricity run through my body. The picture on the card is the same one as the eagle totem card. The message on this card, however, is a verse from Isaiah 40:31: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
CONOVER  Conover police are looking for multiple suspects in connection with a fatal shooting.

Sunday morning around 10 a.m., Conover officers were called to Catawba Valley Medical Center in reference to a person suffering from gunshot wounds.

Isaiah Knight, 24, of Conover, died at the hospital, Conover police said in a news release. Conover police said Knight was taken to the hospital in a personal vehicle. Knights family said one of his friends drove him to the hospital after the shooting.

Conover police determined Knight was shot on the 100 block of Eighth Avenue SW in Conover. Knights mother, Pearl Smith, said the shooting occurred in front of her 97-year-old mothers house. Knights cousin, Chelsea Powell, said Knight had gone to the grocery store for his mother then was going over to check on his grandmother.

They took my son. Somebody took my son away from me, Smith said. I have no idea who did it.

Smith said Knight would have graduated from Winston-Salem State University in December. Powell said Knight had plans for his future. He wanted to travel and leave North Carolina, Powell said.

Whoever done this, you have to be a coward to take somebodys life like that, Smith said. Theres nothing worth taking somebodys life away. Whoever did it, Id like to know why.

Conover Police Chief Eric Loftin said the department was able to identify a suspect vehicle that had multiple people inside. Loftin said security camera footage at neighboring residences helped identify the vehicle.

Conover police are looking for a red Cadillac SRX SUV that has damage to the drivers side rear window, Loftin said.

No other suspect information was available as of 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Conover police asked that anyone with information related to the shooting contact the department at 828-464-4698.
How can we draw the reader into a discussion of homelessness in a way that resonates with the individual and leads to acts of kindness and compassion? The question challenges us as we work to develop a community of understanding and a solution-driven conversation for Butte and Southwestern Montana. It helps to think of all the ways in which one can become homeless. Natural disasters, like the hurricane that devastated parts of Florida and South Carolina last week, result in a sudden and potentially large number of people without homes. A shift in the housing market, where housing prices rise at a faster pace than income can price people out of housing and onto a family members couch or into campers and shelters. In these cases, communities, the Red Cross, state governments, and the federal government begin work on immediate solutions for people without housing.

It seems harder for our country to respond to homelessness when it is related to poverty. That slow and insidious dark spot on the American dream. When poverty is the cause of homelessness, and not an obvious external force like nature or the global economy, we tend to condemn the individual as a failure, inherently flawed, or somehow indecent. In this, we struggle to find feelings of compassion, especially when homelessness is accompanied by substance use and mental illness. We struggle to see the trauma and cries for help through our lens of assumed upward mobility for all if one would only try harder and behave in a decent way.

The circumstance of poverty has its path. Some are born into it. For others, a medical or mental health event, or loss of a job trigger an economic decline. For others, a disability restricts income and relegates a person to a life of poverty. Childhood and adult trauma lead to addiction and a life of poverty and homelessness for many others. Whatever the path, the climb out of poverty is steep in the U.S. Poverty is in many ways an external force in that no person really chooses it, as we sometimes perceive. Political and economic forces often present barriers to upward mobility. American children born into poverty are less likely than those in several other industrialized nations to move out of poverty and upward mobility continues to be diminished as wealth, more than ever, is in the hands of the few.

With all the factors contributing to homelessness in the world, in Butte and Southwestern Montana, the number of people experiencing literal homelessness increased by 363% since 2020, going from 32 to 148. The pandemic and its economic side effects were no doubt factors. The Southwest Montana Continuum of Care Coalition has worked for several years to develop a system of care for people experiencing homelessness. At the core of this approach is housing first, a compassionate, trauma-informed approach that asserts all people deserve safe housing regardless of their circumstance. This approach calls upon us to resist the judgement that people who are poor and homeless are not worthy of a decent life and a home. Instead, it invites us to value their lives and give love and compassion, a healing act in itself.

Also at the core of the communitys approach is the provision of a soft-landing in the absence of housing. The Butte Rescue Mission provides a safe place for holistic and spiritual healing as families and individuals work toward the goal of permanent housing. Emergency and supportive shelter services are critical to the local system of care. The Butte Rescue Mission, Action Inc., and all members of the Continuum of Care are partners in a system of love and kindness.

As we approach World Homeless Day, celebrated on Oct. 10, we invite all of Southwest Montana to ponder their views about poverty and homelessness. We invite you to you contribute to solutions and reserve judgement. We invite you to be generous with your kindness, love, and compassion, if not every day, even just on Oct. 10.
Kanye West has explained his thinking behind his decision to dress himself and several Black models in "White Lives Matter" shirts earlier this week.

West, who legally changed his name to "Ye," told Fox News host Tucker Carlson that he wore it because "it's the obvious thing."

"The answer to why I wrote 'White Lives Matter' on a shirt is because they do," West said during the interview that aired Thursday.

The artist/designer/provocateur has been facing backlash since he sported the shirt during a surprise catwalk event held during at Paris fashion week.

West recalled a text conversation he had with his dad about the controversial statement.

"I said, 'I thought the shirt was a funny shirt; I thought the idea of me wearing it was funny.' And I said, 'Dad, why did you think it was funny?' He said, 'Just a Black man stating the obvious.'" West told Carlson.

When Carlson pushed West on why he thinks people consider that a controversial statement, West said that it's because he's not acting in a way the media thinks he should act.

"Because the same people that have stripped us of our identity and labeled us as a color, have told us what it means to be Black," West said.

The Anti-Defamation League categorizes the phrase "White Lives Matter" as a "hate slogan" used by White supremacist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan.

It's just the latest incident that has resulted in criticism, and West also addressed some of that.

In 2016, he met with then President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York City, and two years later West visited him at the White House and wore a MAGA hat.

Both of those events caused major outrage, and West told Carlson he "started to really feel this need to express myself on another level when Trump was running for office and I liked him."

He said he was told by multiple people "that if I said I liked Trump that my career would be over, my life would be over."

"They said stuff like people get killed for wearing a hat like that, they threatened my life," West said. "They basically said I would be killed for wearing the hat."

The Grammy winner also covered other topics, including being anti-abortion, his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and his thoughts on higher education in the Black community.

The conversation was part of a larger interview featured on Carlson's show. More of the interview will be aired Friday evening, Carlson said.

The-CNN-Wire

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HOPKINTON, Iowa (AP)  Standing beside a patch of fresh basil at her daughters house in Hopkinton, Jill Wagener demonstrated the proper way to harvest the delicate herb.

You have to pick basil like you pick tea  pinch and drop, because it bruises so easily, she said, carefully holding up a handful of small green leaves.

Jill knows her way around basil. She has spent more than two decades growing the herb and perfecting a family recipe for basil balls, which are highly concentrated, butter-based balls flavored with herbs that can be used in cooking a variety of dishes.

This year, she and her adult daughters, Kayla Wagener and Samantha Koppes, launched Basil Street Creations and began selling the basil balls, fresh basil and related products at Dubuque Farmers Market.

Moms been doing this for over 20 years, and we finally decided that we were going to try this and sell the basil balls for everyone else, Samantha told the Dubuque Telegraph Herald.

Jill Wagener has always been obsessed with basil, according to her children, and many dishes in the Wagener household when Kayla and Samantha were growing up featured fresh basil.

However, they missed the herb during the winter and struggled to find a way to keep it fresh for any length of time after the growing season had concluded.

You cant freeze it, because it ruins it. You could dehydrate it, but it does lose its freshness, Kayla said. (Making basil balls) was a way for us to keep basil to add to our meals throughout the year.

Kayla and Jill grow the basil and other herbs, including garlic chives, rosemary and sage, at their homes. However, they must prepare the basil balls in a certified commercial kitchen to maintain proper food licensing, so the process takes place in the kitchen of the Hopkinton Fire Department, where Kayla volunteers as an emergency medical technician.

As Kayla placed a handful of basil leaves on the kitchens counter on a recent afternoon, Samantha and Jill pulled colanders and a food processor from nearby cupboards.

We pick (the leaves) off one by one, and then they have to be carefully cleaned, Samantha said.

She explained that the basil leaves gently are rinsed with water two to three times in a colander before being mixed with the other ingredients, which vary according to the flavor of the ball but always include butter, olive oil and lemon. The balls then are packaged in double-sealed bags and frozen.

The balls come in nine flavors, including lemon basil, rosemary sage, garlic chive and roasted garlic basil, which Kayla said is the business top seller.

Jill, Kayla and Samantha said the basil balls can be used to flavor almost any type of food, from pastas and vegetables to seafood and steaks. One ball serves about four to five people.

As soon as you have the heat off, thats when the basil ball goes in, Jill said. You just roll it around and let the heat melt the butter into it.

At the farmers market, the family also has offered fresh basil and a variety of flavored breads baked with the basil balls, as well as lemon basil lemonade made with fresh basil.

As cooler temperatures arrive, the family is preparing for the end of their growing season.

Were on our last harvest now because basil is a tropical plant, Jill Wagener said in late September. It doesnt tolerate much under 75 degrees. It gets a little bent out of shape.

They plan to launch online sales of Basil Street Creations products during the winter and have begun selling the balls at TADA Meats in Maquoketa, with hopes to expand their sales to other area stores as well.

Tammy Adrian, co-owner of TADA Meats, said the basil balls pair well with the products her business offers and gives customers more options to cook their meats.

The people that know what (the basil balls) are really like it and enjoy that we have it available, Adrian said. Its going over well. I think its good for local businesses to help each other out.

Basil Street Creations plans to return to the Dubuque Farmers Market next year, as well. Kayla said the family has found a supportive environment among the other vendors at the market and have enjoyed sharing their products with customers.

From repeat people to the new people each week, everyone has been very receptive to trying something new, and they all seem to like the idea, Kayla said.
Are you an extremist? A threat to our democracy? If you voted for President Trump and supported his policy of Making America Great Again, according to President Biden, it seems you are.

On September 1, 2022, at Independence Hall, President Biden charged,

"Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our Republic." "MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution. They do not believe in the rule of the law. They do not recognize the will of the people. They refuse to accept the results of a free election."

The following Thursday, Biden added in a tweet, "Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are a threat to the very soul of this country."

On Thursday, prior to Mr. Bidens speech, his spokesperson, Karine Jean-Pierre, explained the Presidents view of Trump voters:

The way that he sees it, is the MAGA Republicans are the most energized part of the Republican Party. This is an extreme threat to our democracy, to our freedom, to our rights.

Who exactly are the Make America Great Again Republicans? In both the 2016 and 2020 elections, Mr. Trumps platform was: Make America Great Again! In 2020, 74,223,369 Americans voted for Mr. Trump. Werent his voters, at the same time, voting for and endorsing Trumps MAGA platform?

So, who exactly is Mr. Biden labeling as extremists when he charges MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution? They do not believe in the rule of the law?

Is he referring to the 74 million voters who voted for Mr. Trump? Or is he referring to the relative handful of January 6th fools who broke into the Capitol?

Note Jean-Pierres explanation of the presidents remarks the MAGA Republicans are the most energized part of the Republican Party. Was she talking about the Capitol rioters? If so, arent almost all of them at the present either in jail awaiting trial or in prison? If Mr. Biden is indeed referring only to the January 6th fools, why not explicitly say so? Why label 76 million people who voted to Make America Great Again as extremists? Semi-fascists?

But then, criticism of Trumps supporters has a long history. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton used the phrase "basket of deplorables" to describe half of Trumps supporters.

But Donald Trump and his supporters are not the only extremists. Mr. Biden would include the six Supreme Court Justices who voted to overrule Roe v. Wade. Following the Dobbs decision, Mr. Biden condemned the six-judge majority and their ruling, labeling it as

a realization of an extreme ideology and a tragic error.  This is an extreme and dangerous path the court is now taking us on.

And, of course, if the six justices who returned the abortion question to the states are extremists, it must follow that Americans who oppose all or some abortions are also extremists. Jean-Pierre faithfully jumped in, and broadened the attack to include pro-lifers:

When you are not with what majority of Americans are, then you know, that is extreme. That is an extreme way of thinking."

But if a May Gallup poll, and recent PEW poll are accurate, under Jean-Pierre's definition, it would seem the pro-abortion side is the minority, and therefore, the extremists.

Nor are parents who oppose school board policies spared being labeled extremists. Indeed, their fate is worse. The Heritage Foundation, in a commentary by John Malcolm, details how even parents of school children have been labeled extremists and domestic terrorists for opposing mask mandates and the teaching of critical race theory.

In a Sept. 29 letter to President Biden, the president and the interim executive director and chief executive officer of the National School Boards Association claimed that Americas public schools and its education leaders are under an immediate threat.

Citing a spate of disturbances at school board meetings, "by individuals who were upset about mask mandates and critical race theory curricula,  and stating that such incidents were impacting the delivery of educational services to students and families, the letter requested Biden to deploy the Justice Department, the FBI (including its national Security Branch and Counterterrorism Division), the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Secret Service (including its National Threat Assessment Center) to combat the supposed threats.

The letter stated, without providing support, that extremist hate organizations were showing up at school board meetings, and that these protests should be characterized as equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes."

The letter demanded that federal law enforcement authorities should employ the full array of tools at their disposal, including the Patriot Act, against these perpetrators of domestic terrorism.

President Bidens platform was that, if elected, he could heal the nation; bring Americans together again. He was a man who would work across the aisle. Were those just campaign promises? With all his name-calling, its as if he has forgotten that he won the 2020 election, and as if he is still running against Donald Trump? If indeed he has had a stellar two years as president, why isnt he ballyhooing his triumphs?
Jehovahs Witnesses resumed their trademark door-to-door ministry in September ending a two-and-a-half-year suspension of the work, said a news release.

The decision to resume their door-to-door ministry marks the complete restoration of all pre-pandemic in-person activities for the nearly 1.3 million Jehovahs Witnesses in the 12,000 congregations in the United States, said the release.

Houses of worship (called Kingdom Halls) reopened on April 1, witnessing in public places resumed on May 31, and in-person conventions are planned for 2023.

Napans David and Tina Becker said they are eager to visit the familiar neighborhoods of Napa and reconnect with people in their community.

"We may have spoken on the phone with some or written them letters, but we missed that personal interaction," said David Becker.

The suspension of the public ministry was a proactive response by the organization to keep communities and congregants safe. The move was also unprecedented. Jehovahs Witnesses had been preaching from house to house without interruption for more than 100 years through an economic depression, two world wars and global unrest, but COVID-19 demanded a different response.

The pandemic forced Jehovahs Witnesses to quickly pivot to virtual meetings and conventions while conducting their ministry exclusively through letters, phone calls and virtual Bible studies. This has led to growth in meeting attendance and the number of congregants, with more than 400,000 newly baptized Witnesses joining the ranks of 120,000 congregations globally in just the first two years of the pandemic, said the release.
When I married Cheryl, I moved into a home with a floor-to-ceiling living room bookcase stuffed to the gills. I was impressed. What a voracious reader, this woman.

In 2018, we decided to redo the living room. This meant dismantling the towering literary edifice. The books filled 26 boxes. We put them in the garage, crowding Cheryls car on two sides.

The redo had many phases. The replacement of a 19th century doorway with a cute window. The installation of a gas fireplace. The retexturing of the walls and ceiling. The laying of new wool carpeting.

We were close to the finish line when COVID struck and the living room got converted into Cheryls home office.

Those boxed books in the garage? Largely forgotten.

Recently I did a sly thing in hopes of reviving the project. Without notifying Cheryl, I hauled all 26 boxes onto the porch, creating an eyesore.

Cheryl was not amused.

But my strategy worked. Cheryls builder brother came to Napa for a day. He reworked the bookcase to fit around a window, not a doorway. Our century-old redwood wall is terribly bowed, he groused.

Cheryl made it her job to finish the installation. New shelves needed sanding and staining to look like redwood. She finished after Labor Day.

The next weekend we spent eight hours dusting off spiders and sorting through the contents of the 26 boxes. For reasons that baffled me, we now had way more books that we had shelf space.

Why so many John le Carre spy stories? Did I ever intend to read all of Ray Bradbury? And Tracy Kidders Strength in What Remains. I got my copy during Kidder mania some years ago, but never read it.

Cheryl looked coldly on Erma Bombecks At Wits End and Rachel Carsons Silent Spring. And just how many do-it-yourself guides do you need to build backyard decks and skylights?

I was charmed by some of my rediscoveries, such as my Inspector Maigret mysteries. Ill read them again. And Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon  I cant wait to see America again through his discerning eye. Same with Faulkner and Hemingway.

The real gems in the Courtney collection touched upon my roots. In 1942, a young U.S. Army nurse, Louise A. Courtney of Holly Spring, Mississippi, pasted her nameplate in The New Book of Etiquette. She was preparing to be the perfect wife when her husband, my father, came home from war.

Another heirloom, The Wars of England and Scotland, printed in 1870 and once owned by J.G. MCormack of Pultenytown, Scotland. Im presuming he was my paternal great-grandfather.

And his presumed daughter, Helena Maud MacCormack Courtney, wrote To dear Kevin from Gram inside the cover of A Book of Famous Explorers, the 1901 edition. Grammy died 63 years ago. This book, never read, is my only physical connection with her.

Cheryls most cherished keeper: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn  a young girls coming of age story that she read over and over in adolescence.

Included in our stash were three copies of James Conaways Napa, The Story of an American Eden. An important book about the founding of the modern Napa Valley wine industry, for sure, but THREE copies? And I havent read a one all the way through.

Ultimately, we donated a trunk-load of books to the Friends of the Napa Library.

The reinstalled bookcase is an impressive thing. Not the Great Library of Alexandria, but unsurpassed for its personal importance. We made sure to leave shelf space for books to come.

Some of these books are my best friends. They are who I once was and who I am now and who I want to become.
Hubble takes beautiful image of turbulent stellar nursery

Hair straighteners may increase risk of uterine cancer

Head of Germany's national cybersecurity agency fired amid reports of ties to Russia

Spanish minister: EU is far from solution to energy crisis

UAE: OPEC+ decision has no political motive

Opposition to David Price: Right to self-determination is the right of people of Artsakh to survive

Iran is ready to negotiate with Ukraine to resolve ambiguities

Deputy Speaker of Armenian National Assembly: 47 PACE deputies made written statement condemning Baku's aggression

Lapid will discuss Kiev request for Israeli systems with Kuleba

Morawiecki: Poland is not afraid of losing EU funds

Armenian President meets with Sofia Mayor

Speaker of Armenian National Assembly to Norway FM: Withdrawal of Azerbaijani Armed Forces from Armenia is a priority

First posters of fifth season of 'The Crown' are available

Nikol Pashinyan receives delegation headed by Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt

Iran responds to Borrell's garden and jungle statement: EU needs to accept realities or it will continue to wither

Pashinyan: No one can accuse Armenia of evading its obligations

Congressman: U.S. was not active in terms of security in Armenia, but now situation is changing

Indian defense company Solar group says it has received orders from Armenia for 'Pinaka' missiles

Price: U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan will not be used for offensive purposes against Armenia

Bloodborne Kart: Racing arcade game based on cult game will take players to 'The Hunter's Dream'

Military expert assesses possibility of new hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Russian Embassy: Armenians' attitude towards Russians who moved to Armenia remains very friendly

Clarification by Price: What Could Armenian-American military cooperation look like?

Armenian Defense Minister visits DEFEXPO exhibition in India

President of Artsakh talks about results of discussions held in Armenia

Borrell angers UAE with his comparison of world outside Europe to 'jungle'

Public Council formed in Artsakh

China Daily: Party's anti-graft efforts generate fruitful outcomes

Price: We demand that Azerbaijan return to its initial positions

Aghajanyan: This visit should be seen as another stage in dynamic development of Armenian-American relations

Yerevan Open: Mamikon Gharibyan shares first place

Ukraine will officially ask Israel for transfer of air defense systems

Head of National Assembly Commission: 2023 state budget turned out to be biggest in Armenia's history

Turkey conducts test launch of its own ballistic missile over Black Sea

Google will do away with sub-screen fingerprint scanner: what technology will be used in future smartphones and tablets?

Students of Brusov State University hold protest outside building of Ministry of Education and Science of Armenia

Netflix delays release of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle documentary

Armenia MFA: Yerevan has always openly and publicly stated its position on dialogue with Turkey

Military exercises of IRGC Ground Forces on border with Azerbaijan continue for second day in Iran

Blinken accuses China of violating status quo on Taiwan

Armenian Foreign Minister: We see Azerbaijan's unconstructive behavior

Izvestia: European banks stop accepting SWIFT-transfers from Russia

Mirzoyan calls on Cavusoglu to speak for himself

BioNTech: Cancer vaccine may be available by 2030

Norwegian FM visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex and pays tribute to victims of Genocide

Mirzoyan: We need to understand to what extent CSTO recognizes this aggression against Armenia

Barcelona's transfer goals

MFA: Armenian authorities apply to OSCE to send observers to border with Azerbaijan

NYT: Conflict between Turkey and Greece may cause split of NATO

Ararat Mirzoyan Details of peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan were presented to Norwegian FM

Ezra Miller faces up to 26 years in prison

Price of gas in Europe drops to almost $1,200 per 1,000 cubic meters for first time since June

Samsung introduces world's fastest LPDDR5X DRAM memory

Armenian Defense Minister meets with his Indian counterpart

Why are children more likely to suffer from dry eye syndrome?

First images of damage to Nord Stream are published

BTS members drafted into army

Erdogan's spokesman: Meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy is impossible now

Peskov redirects question of drone purchases from Iran to Russian Ministry of Defense

Secretary of Armenian Security Council presents consequences of recent Azerbaijani aggression to Brazilian ambassador

Cryptopay stops working with Russian clients: Which crypto-exchanges are still operating in Russia?

Trial of Robert Kocharyan and Armen Gevorgyan is held in Yerevan

IAEA chief says he wants to meet with Putin again

Pashinyan: Azerbaijan creates fake news on ceasefire violations by Armenia

Bella Hadid stars in new Swarovski campaign

Doctors create drug against sleep apnea

Zuckerberg's metaverse does not live up to expectations. Why is Horizon Worlds uninteresting to users?

Bono says he and his family received death, kidnapping threats during career

US House of Representatives members visit Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan

Taliban, Iran border guards fire at each other

Another high treason exposed in Armenia

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijan armed forces violate ceasefire in Sotk-Kutakan sector

World oil prices on the rise

Apple to release 10th-generation iPad, iPad Pro 2022 today

Trump slightly ahead of Biden in New York Times poll

Some details of Marie Antoinette series revealed

Armenia defense minister heads for India

Newspaper: Karabakh dissatisfied with President's Yerevan visit, meeting with Armenia PM

Azerbaijan fires toward Armenia positions at night

Zelenskyy: Ukraine needs much more modern air defense systems

Ballon d'Or: Man City named club of the year

Karim Benzema is winner of Ballon d'Or

Liz Truss is called upon to resign

EU to review relations with China

White House accuses Iran of lying

Poland may not receive 75 billion euros in regional aid from EU

Each person's hearing is provided by 'microscopic accordion'

Crash of SU-34 in Yeysk captured on video

SJC: Criminal case will be initiated against judge Arusyak Aleksanyan

Germany fines Telegram more than 5 million euros

Scholz instructs ministers to prepare to extend operation of Germany's remaining three nuclear power plants

Under-23 World Championship: Gevorg Tadevosyan reaches final

Cure for accelerated repair of damaged liver is found

Two people killed in Yeysk after military plane crashed

Saudi Arabia rejects U.S. accusations of supporting Russia amid war in Ukraine

Only candidate for post of military prosecutor of Armenia is named

Under-23 World Championship: Malkhas Amoyan reaches final

Expert: Iran is preparing for scenarios in form of attacks on Azerbaijan and sending troops to Artsakh

Pyunik stronger than Ararat-Armenia

German intelligence service opposes Chinese company's investment in Hamburg port
After the latest round of military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited Baku, where he met with President Ilham Aliyev and Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov.

Although Gantz's office published a notice stating the purpose of the trip was security and diplomatic matters, it seems Gantz's visit to Baku had other motives, IRNA reported.

"Since the beginning of the first Nagorno-Karabakh war, the Republic of Azerbaijan was one of the main buyers of weapons from the occupying regime in Palestine, which bought anti-tank missiles of the type "Spike-AR" and "Spike-LR" from the Israeli company "Rafael" and received mortars. Caliber 120 mm is from the "Albite System" company of Israel. Since 2010, the Republic of Azerbaijan has purchased "Spike" type anti-tank missiles from Tel Aviv and purchased Israeli drones at different times. These weapons have been used many times against the Armenian army and people in the Nagorno-Karabakh war. Although Israel is one of the most important suppliers of weapons to the Republic of Azerbaijan, the purpose of Gantz's visit to Baku cannot be simply to sell more weapons," the author noted.

Azerbaijan had been buying anti-tank Spike missiles and Israeli drones from Tel Aviv since 2010. These weapons were used repeatedly against the Armenian army and people during the Nagorno-Karabakh war. Although Israel is one of the most important arms suppliers to Azerbaijan, the purpose of Gantz's visit to Baku cannot simply be to sell more weapons.

In a statement from Gantz's office, one of the goals of the Baku trip is to discuss changes in the Middle East after the signing of the compromise agreements, known as the Abrahamic accords, as well as the development of Tel Aviv's relations with Ankara. In this context, the future of Israel's relations with Turkey, as well as Azerbaijan's presence and participation in this process, could also be one of the focuses of talks between Tel Aviv and Baku during the trip. Solving the problem of the isolation of Armenia and Russia in the Caucasus and helping to stabilize Baku's position for the possible occupation of certain areas of the Syunik region of Armenia under the pretext of opening a transit corridor can also be seen as one of the focuses of Baku's negotiations.

The Zionist regime is one of the main factors of tension in Karabakh and is trying to maintain the fire of war and change the geopolitics of the region in line with its interests. It seems that the main purpose of the visit of the Israeli defense minister to Azerbaijan on behalf of Turkey is to provoke Baku to attack the Syunik region of Armenia. Meanwhile, the Zionist regime is secretly negotiating with Nikol Pashinyan's government to improve relations with Armenia as part of its hypocritical policy.

For the time being, the Azerbaijani authorities should beware of Israel's bellicose provocations and not expose themselves to a new war in the Caucasus. According to the Islamic Republic of Iran, negotiations are the only solution to the disagreements between Baku and Yerevan, and changing the official borders in the Caucasus will cause new security threats. The phone conversation between Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran and Zakir Hasanev, Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan and the emphasis on the need for a peaceful solution to the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia can be analyzed in this context.

This conversation regarding the recent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is of particular importance and in connection with the actions of Azerbaijani forces to occupy the Jermuk heights, which is near the Iran-Armenia border, it was necessary to remind the Azerbaijani Defense Minister that Iran maintains its principled position against any changes in the borders in the South Caucasus, including the common borders between Iran and Armenia.

At the same time the emphasis of General Bagheri on the need for a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Baku and Yerevan is also a sign of Iran's interest in establishing peace, stability and security in the region, under the shadow of which friendly relations will be established and stronger and more effective economic cooperation will take shape.

The position of the Azerbaijani Defense Minister in this conversation that Baku has no claims to the territory of Armenia and that the problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan can be solved through dialogue and friendship, and also that assurances that Baku has no intention of carrying out military operations on the occupation of Armenian territory is a positive position, the realization of which will neutralize the provocations of the Zionist regime in the Caucasus, including the creation of disruptions in relations between Tehran and Baku.
Head of Germany's national cybersecurity agency fired amid reports of ties to Russia

Spanish minister: EU is far from solution to energy crisis

UAE: OPEC+ decision has no political motive

Opposition to David Price: Right to self-determination is the right of people of Artsakh to survive

Iran is ready to negotiate with Ukraine to resolve ambiguities

Deputy Speaker of Armenian National Assembly: 47 PACE deputies made written statement condemning Baku's aggression

Lapid will discuss Kiev request for Israeli systems with Kuleba

Morawiecki: Poland is not afraid of losing EU funds

Armenian President meets with Sofia Mayor

Speaker of Armenian National Assembly to Norway FM: Withdrawal of Azerbaijani Armed Forces from Armenia is a priority

Nikol Pashinyan receives delegation headed by Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt

Iran responds to Borrell's garden and jungle statement: EU needs to accept realities or it will continue to wither

Pashinyan: No one can accuse Armenia of evading its obligations

Congressman: U.S. was not active in terms of security in Armenia, but now situation is changing

Indian defense company Solar group says it has received orders from Armenia for 'Pinaka' missiles

Price: U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan will not be used for offensive purposes against Armenia

Military expert assesses possibility of new hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Russian Embassy: Armenians' attitude towards Russians who moved to Armenia remains very friendly

Clarification by Price: What Could Armenian-American military cooperation look like?

Armenian Defense Minister visits DEFEXPO exhibition in India

President of Artsakh talks about results of discussions held in Armenia

Borrell angers UAE with his comparison of world outside Europe to 'jungle'

Public Council formed in Artsakh

China Daily: Party's anti-graft efforts generate fruitful outcomes

Price: We demand that Azerbaijan return to its initial positions

Aghajanyan: This visit should be seen as another stage in dynamic development of Armenian-American relations

Ukraine will officially ask Israel for transfer of air defense systems

Head of National Assembly Commission: 2023 state budget turned out to be biggest in Armenia's history

Turkey conducts test launch of its own ballistic missile over Black Sea

Students of Brusov State University hold protest outside building of Ministry of Education and Science of Armenia

Armenia MFA: Yerevan has always openly and publicly stated its position on dialogue with Turkey

Military exercises of IRGC Ground Forces on border with Azerbaijan continue for second day in Iran

Blinken accuses China of violating status quo on Taiwan

Armenian Foreign Minister: We see Azerbaijan's unconstructive behavior

Izvestia: European banks stop accepting SWIFT-transfers from Russia

Mirzoyan calls on Cavusoglu to speak for himself

Norwegian FM visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex and pays tribute to victims of Genocide

Mirzoyan: We need to understand to what extent CSTO recognizes this aggression against Armenia

MFA: Armenian authorities apply to OSCE to send observers to border with Azerbaijan

NYT: Conflict between Turkey and Greece may cause split of NATO

Ararat Mirzoyan Details of peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan were presented to Norwegian FM

Price of gas in Europe drops to almost $1,200 per 1,000 cubic meters for first time since June

Armenian Defense Minister meets with his Indian counterpart

First images of damage to Nord Stream are published

Erdogan's spokesman: Meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy is impossible now

Peskov redirects question of drone purchases from Iran to Russian Ministry of Defense

Secretary of Armenian Security Council presents consequences of recent Azerbaijani aggression to Brazilian ambassador

Trial of Robert Kocharyan and Armen Gevorgyan is held in Yerevan

IAEA chief says he wants to meet with Putin again

Pashinyan: Azerbaijan creates fake news on ceasefire violations by Armenia

US House of Representatives members visit Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan

Taliban, Iran border guards fire at each other

Another high treason exposed in Armenia

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijan armed forces violate ceasefire in Sotk-Kutakan sector

World oil prices on the rise

Trump slightly ahead of Biden in New York Times poll

Armenia defense minister heads for India

Newspaper: Karabakh dissatisfied with President's Yerevan visit, meeting with Armenia PM

Azerbaijan fires toward Armenia positions at night

Zelenskyy: Ukraine needs much more modern air defense systems

Liz Truss is called upon to resign

EU to review relations with China

White House accuses Iran of lying

Poland may not receive 75 billion euros in regional aid from EU

Crash of SU-34 in Yeysk captured on video

SJC: Criminal case will be initiated against judge Arusyak Aleksanyan

Germany fines Telegram more than 5 million euros

Scholz instructs ministers to prepare to extend operation of Germany's remaining three nuclear power plants

Two people killed in Yeysk after military plane crashed

Saudi Arabia rejects U.S. accusations of supporting Russia amid war in Ukraine

Only candidate for post of military prosecutor of Armenia is named

Expert: Iran is preparing for scenarios in form of attacks on Azerbaijan and sending troops to Artsakh

German intelligence service opposes Chinese company's investment in Hamburg port

Fire area at crash site of Su-34 in Krasnodar territory is 2,000 sq. m.

EU approves military training mission for thousands of Ukrainian servicemen

Supersonic Su-34 fighter-bomber crashes in Krasnodar territory

Elon Musk on likelihood of World War III

EU Commission intends to propose 'dynamic' natural gas price cap this week

Dmitry Medvedev: Supplies of weapons to Ukraine will ruin relations between Russia and Israel

Charles Michel welcomes rapid deployment of EU mission on Armenian border

Swiss MPs horrified by consequences of Azerbaijani aggression: We support Armenians

European Union announces new sanctions against Iran

Tehran Times: Iran remains vigilant about developments in South Caucasus region

Natural gas supply to Armenia will be temporarily suspended

Daily Beast: Biden must stop next Armenian Genocide before it's too late

Pashinyan: Azerbaijan is looking for pretext to launch new military aggression against Armenia

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
Hakan Fidan, head of Turkey's National Intelligence Agency (MIT), met with the Iraqi Turkmen Front earlier this week, raising questions from Iraqi opposition politicians over his visit in mid-September, Ahval writes.

Fidan's visit to the capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region, Erbil, on Oct. 4 coincided with the killing of Kurdish figure Nagihan Akarsel in a shootout in Sulaymaniyah province, the Kurdish website Medya News reported.

The Iraqi coordination structure, an opposition body made up of Shiite parties, has called for an investigation, and a member of the structure, Turki Sedan, said the visit was organized without notifying Iraq's central government.

Turkey and Iran have a one-sided policy toward Kurdistan, the news website Bianet reported, citing Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Lahur Talabany. Talabany called on the central government and international institutions to oppose Turkey's shelling of residential areas.

According to an earlier Rudaw report, the head of Turkish intelligence made another visit to the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Sept. 10, where he met with the chairman of the Iraqi Sunni Alliance, Hamis Hancher, in Baghdad. They reportedly discussed the ongoing political crisis in Iraq and Turkey's military operations in Iraqi territory against the Kurdistan Workers' Party.

According to Firat News, Fidan also met with Iraqi President Barham Salih and Prime Minister Mustafa al Kadhimi the same weekend, discussing Ankara's demands for more support from the Iraqi government in its military incursions and operations.

The Yazidi community in Iraq's Sinjar region then condemned Fidan's visit, saying it coincided with a Turkish drone strike on the village. There are no reports of casualties from the incident, but witnesses say the drone targeted one car in particular. Iraqi MP Arif Humami called for an investigation into Fidan's encounters.
The European Commission plans to urgently prepare several different options for limiting natural gas prices in an effort to ease the energy crisis, but EU diplomats have warned that the timetable may not be realistic, Bloomberg writes.

The leaders intend to agree on specific plans during a meeting at a summit in Brussels. After a meeting of European heads of state in Prague, there is a growing consensus that measures are needed to combat rising energy prices, but there is still little specificity. Several countries have warned the EU that it needs to act quickly or the bloc's solidarity will be jeopardized as countries begin to go their own way.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said earlier that she would use the letter sent to EU countries as a road map for proposals. Options include negotiating a decent price corridor with reliable suppliers, measures to curb prices in the overall market and a way to limit the impact of gas on electricity prices.

Several EU diplomats have warned that the timetable is extremely ambitious and that it will be very difficult for countries to coalesce around specific details by the next summit.

There are concerns that the restriction could limit Europe's ability to attract LNG from Asia and the U.S., a key reason the plans have been delayed so far.

According to a document reviewed by Bloomberg News, the most detailed plan for how the cap might work involves a corridor or range around the cap that would allow prices to fluctuate. The price range would be reviewed regularly to reflect the level of other key energy benchmarks, such as crude oil, coal and gas prices in North America and Asia.

According to the European Federation of Energy Traders, setting a price cap could exacerbate the energy crisis.

Other measures that are gaining momentum include a joint procurement platform that would seek to strengthen the negotiating position of member states that buy gas and ensure lower prices. Rising electricity prices also need to be addressed with proposals to cap the cost of gas used for power generation and a new benchmark linked to the cost of LNG in Asia.
While the international community, including the EU, turns a blind eye to Turkey's belligerence, it rewards the aggressor, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said, warning that such tolerance will lead to a military confrontation between NATO allies Greece and Turkey, Cyprus Mail reports.

According to him, nothing else can explain Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's behavior.

Drawing parallels with Russia and Ukraine, he said there can be no forgiveness for a country that illegally invades another, violates international law and all principles of European values and ideals.

It should be understood that as long as the international community, as long as the EU  and I say this boldly  turn a blind eye, accept or tolerate Turkish behaviour it is like rewarding the bully who wants to be seen as a victim, Anastasiades said.

The behaviour of Mr Erdogan cannot be explained otherwise. It is the tolerance of Europe that allows it. Otherwise, he would not have had the audacity before the UN, but also at yesterdays meeting in Prague to show that he does not seek the solution of any problems in a friendly way with the neighbouring states on the basis of international law.

Double standards do not promote international law, but promote international injustice, he said, warning that if the international community remains inactive, there was a risk of a new war between EU member states, Nato allies, and that is when they will realise that their tolerance has brought disaster.
The National Cancer Institute recently awarded more than $7.9 million to support a new Radiation Oncology-Biology Integration Network (ROBIN) center at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University and the Cleveland Clinic. The ROBIN Genomic-TME-Temporal Dynamics Center will seek to uncover the genetic and environmental factors, as well as the timing and interactions, that influence the effectiveness of radiation-based combination therapies.

The Winship-Cleveland Clinic team is one of three teams that received the ROBIN center award, which is a testament to the team-based approach Winship pursues to solve complex cancer problems, says principal investigator David S. Yu, MD, PhD, radiation oncologist and member of the Cell and Molecular Biology research program at Winship Cancer Institute, the Jerome Landry, MD, Chair of Cancer Biology and director of the division of cancer biology in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Emory University School of Medicine.

Radiation therapy is a bedrock of cancer treatment, with about two out of every three patients with cancer receiving it. Yet, despite its widespread use, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms and biology of response to radiation remains poor, says Timothy Chan, MD, PhD, chair of the Center for Immunotherapy and Precision Immuno-Oncology at the Cleveland Clinic, who serves as contact principal investigator of the ROBIN center. The ROBIN center will enable us to develop more effective radiation and immunotherapy combinations and better understand how these approaches work.

Highlighting the interdisciplinary teams of researchers behind the ROBIN program, Michael Graham Espey, PhD, MT, chief of the NCIs radiotherapy development branch, says, There is strong potential for synergies to develop that will uniquely maximize team-science approaches between clinicians, radiation and cancer biologists, medical physicists and computational scientists towards our common goals as a network to understand the biological basis of radiation responses and develop ways to predict and improve benefit for cancer patients.

Understanding what makes combination treatments effective

Although radiotherapy, alone or in combination with other treatments, is used to treat about two-thirds of all cancer patients, the mechanisms driving response and resistance are poorly understood.

New efforts to improve treatment for many cancer types focus on using combination therapies in which radiation is used with drugs that affect the whole body, underscoring the importance of understanding what makes them effective.

The central hypothesis behind the ROBIN studies is that specific genetic and immunologic mechanisms underlie sensitivity and resistance to radiation-based combination therapies. Some of the most promising new biologics being studied for use with radiation are antibody-drug conjugates, immune cells that are chemically joined with a chemotherapy drug to deliver the drug directly to the cancer cells, and immune checkpoint inhibitors, a type of drug that blocks proteins made by some cancer cells or immune system cells, such as T cells. Each of these approaches enhances the anti-tumor effects of radiation.

Using an innovative molecular characterization trial testing radiation plus antibody-drug conjugates in bladder cancer, and radiation plus immune checkpoint inhibitors in head and neck cancer, ROBIN will seek to characterize the mechanistic drivers underlying these next generation radiotherapy-based combinations.

ROBINs objective is to rigorously dissect mechanisms of efficacy and resistance to the most promising radiation-based combinations: (1) radiation plus antibody-drug conjugates, and (2) radiation plus immune checkpoint blockade, and compare these to present standard of care, the chemotherapy drug cisplatin plus radiotherapy. Its goals are to leverage new insights in disease pathogenesis to improve the outcomes of radiation-based multimodal therapy.

Yu says the ROBIN center will help us better understand mechanisms underlying efficacy and resistance to radiation and the most promising radiation-based combination therapies, including with immune checkpoint inhibition based on clinical specimens collected from patients. He adds that this research may lead to new insights into improving patient outcomes.

A major focus at Emory is to understand the molecular foundations of patient response to radiation and immunotherapy in a trial run by Molecular Characterization Trial co-leader Nabil F. Saba, MD, FACP, the Lynne and Howard Halpern Chair in Head and Neck Cancer Research at Winship Cancer Institute and professor and vice chair in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Emory School of Medicine.

Key Winship and Emory University research partners include: project co-leader Zachary S. Buchwald, MD, PhD, Winship radiation oncologist and research member and assistant professor, Emory Department of Radiation Oncology; project co-leader and Cross-Training Core co-leader Xiaofeng Yang, PhD, DABR, Winship research member and associate professor, Emory Department of Radiation Oncology; and Translational Core co-leader Haydn T. Kissick, PhD, Winship research member and assistant professor, Emory Departments of Urology and Microbiology and Immunology.

They are joined by co-investigators Rafi Ahmed, PhD, co-leader, Cancer Immunology Research Program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, and professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine; Manoj Bhasin, PhD, MS, Winship research member and acting associate professor, Departments of Pediatrics and Biomedical Informatics, Emory University School of Medicine; Daniel Lubin, MD, Winship research member and assistant professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine; and Jeffrey Switchenko, PhD, MS, Winship research member, scientific director of Winships Biostatistics Shared Resource and assistant research professor, Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University.

The ROBIN center is supported by National Cancer Institute award number 1U54CA274513-01.
Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is a fundamental guideline: Nigerian scholar

The Communist Party of China (CPC) in the 20th century successfully led China, the worlds most populous country, to free itself from the oppression of colonialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalist monopolism and established a socialist system, making outstanding contributions to the liberation of people all over the world, especially those living in the developing world. The reform and opening up initiative marked another giant leap forward for the CPC, transforming China from backwardness to the second largest economy in the world. China was also the first developing country to wage a decisive battle against and eradicated absolute povertyover the years, numerous development miracles of the country have stunned the world.

While celebrating these glorious achievements, its important to note that since entering the 21st century, and especially since the second decade, the changing dynamic of the CPC, China and the world has posed new governance requirements for the CPC. At the same time, to continue Chinas development miracles, the Chinese people must continue emancipating their mind, seeking truth from fact, and exploring new governance approaches from its own realities.

The 18th CPC National Congress in 2012 was a landmark congress as it sorted out the real challenges China faced and drew the blueprint of governance for the next stage, kicking off a new decade for the CPC. After the Congress, under the leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the CPC has made remarkable achievements in many areas, including strengthening internal discipline, boosting high-quality socio-economic development, and promoting the democratization of international relations, which highlighted the importance of the CPCs scientific and democratic governance to Chinas modernization and to world peace and development. In this process, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era was formed, as a fundamental guideline, it has reflected the CPCs exploration in modernizing its governance system and capacity at home on the one hand, and actively participating in global governance on the other. It is for this reason that the Thought was established as the guiding ideology of the entire Party at the 19th CPC National Congress, and the new compass for the CPC in governing the country.

Discipline within the Party is the prerequisite for Chinas governance reforms in the new era. History has shown with countless cases that any person or political party that sits on the laurel its achievement in the past will eventually be abandoned. Some African political parties that led the African people to victory in their struggle against imperialism and colonialism lost their ruling positions because their ideas or organizations degenerated and were eventually phased out over the course of Africas transformation and development after the Cold War. As the leading core of Chinas modernization drive, the corrupt and privileged few within the CPC must be promptly eliminated so as to enhance the Partys credibility in the society. After the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has vigorously intensified the self-discipline of the Party and addressed this issue through self-revolution. By removing disciplinary offenders from the leadership ranks, Party organizations at all levels have been strengthened. The CPC has demonstrated to the world its courage to face problems head-on, its determination to solve them and its wisdom to reflect on them, and thats how the firm foundation is reconsolidated for the CPC to lead the nation forward. Changes within the Party helped match the Partys governance capacity and system with the requirement of Chinas development, which has also set the stage for greater development in other critical areas.

Chinas sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development demonstrates its strong resilience in the new era. Eradicating absolute poverty is not only a common challenge for developing countries, but also an important target of the UNSDGs. Although many developing countries, including some in Africa, have been able to maintain relatively stable economic growth, there is a serious disconnect between growth and development and a weak resistance to risks, which highlights the need for sustainable and inclusive development. One of the key transformations powered by the 18th CPC National Congress was that high economic growth was geared towards high quality growth. Under the new development model, economic growth is synchronized with livelihood improvement, environmental protection, social equity and justice, as well as coordinated regional development. Inclusive development has enabled every individual, group and region to become a witness, participant and beneficiary of socio-economic progress, and thats why China managed to build a moderately prosperous society in all aspects. The sustainability of development has enhanced Chinas ability to withstand and manage internal and external risks. Chinas steady socio-economic growth was not halted by either the unilateralist actions of some western countries, or the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Quite on the contrary, Chinas achievements are bound to inject more momentum to global recovery in the post-Covid era and contribute to the human quest for peace and development.

Chinas win-win approach in global governance demonstrates the image of China as a responsible power in a changing world. At present, western powers are wielding the stick of unilateralism and protectionism for geopolitical gains, and Covid-19, climate change, terrorism and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have added to the uncertainty of the world. The conventional global governance system has increasingly proven to be unfriendly to developing countries. As the world stands at the crossroads, President Xi Jinping described the changing dynamic as unprecedented changes of the century and has introduced the cure of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Global Development Initiative (GDI) in building a community of shared future for all. Unlike the western thinking of competition, confrontation and zero-sum games, Chinas proposals are centered on equality and win-win cooperation, which embody the traditional Chinese philosophy of peace and benevolence. The fact that Chinas proposals have been welcomed and supported by Africa and the developing world highlights the significance of Chinese wisdom in promoting South-South cooperation and North-South dialogue.
Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa was given a ceremonial military reception called the "Honor Cordon" at the US Department of Defense on October 4, just a little over a week after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar received the same during his recent visit. Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken just hours before the latter hosted Jaishankar to a working dinner at his residence. And Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif met US President Joe Biden at a reception the latter hosted in New York for visiting dignitaries from the member nations of the UN for the annual General Assembly meetings. The meeting was mostly a meet-and-greet that lasted no more than a few minutes, but it was infinitesimally longer than anything his predecessor Imran Khana managed with Biden; the two never met or spoke on phone and Khan capped this lack of a relationship with unfounded accusations that Biden engineered his ouster. The US and Pakistan are mending their longstanding relationship that in its 75 years has scaled dizzying heights - the US declaring Pakistan a "Major Non-NATO Ally" and plumbed subterranean depths, when then US President Donald Trump accused Pakistan of "deceit" and "lying", and shut down all security aid. "The new government in Pakistan created new opportunities for the two sides to explore greater cooperation. The environment had become prohibitively toxic during the end of the Imran Khan era, because of Khan's baseless accusations of a US conspiracy to oust him," said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert with Wilson Center, a top US think tank. "The floods--as horrible as they have been--did provide a silver lining as they provided a new spark for cooperation." But Kugelman cautioned against leaping to conclusions. "I don't think we should overstate the new momentum in relations, as encouraging as it's been in recent weeks. The ship may have been righted but the waters are still choppy and the skies are murky. The relationship's future is still unsettled. It's unclear if there is scope for continued security cooperation, especially related to counterterrorism in Afghanistan," he said. A former White House official who dealt with South Asia said that the two sides are indeed fixing the relationship that "is both important and longstanding". But the official noted that Indias must not read this in zero-sum terms, the improvement in US ties with Pakistan doesn't come at the cost of US ties with India. Many in India have reacted angrily, for instance, to the massive $450 million package proposed by the Biden administration for the maintenance of Pakistan's fleet of 52 F-16s fighter jets and see in it a slap on the wrists for India for its stand on the Russian invasion of Ukraine (India continues to buy massive amounts of discounted crude from Russia, which, the west believes, helps Moscow withstand sanctions). "The US doesn't do foreign policy like that," the official said, scoffing at those in India who believe the F-16 package has something to do with India. India has protested - both Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have publicly attacked it, although without linking it to Ukraine tensions. The Biden administration has shown no signs of a rethink on it and there is also no move to stop it yet in the US Congress, whose go ahead is needed for the proposal to go through. A move by the Obama administration in 2016 to sell eight F-16s to Pakistan at subsidised costs was killed by bipartisan opposition from both parties and in both chambers. In another sign of a relationship on the mend is the absence of the cautionary appeal from the US from readouts of conversations and exchanges between the two sides - that Pakistan should act decisively against all terrorists and punish the Mumbai attacks masterminds who are all in Pakistan. It my have to do with the fact that Pakistan has met and fulfilled all conditions imposed by the Financial Action Task Force, a global watchdog against terror financing and money laundering. --IANS yrj/vd ( 691 Words) 2022-10-09-20:34:01 (IANS)
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is looking at a phased implementation strategy to unveil the central bank digital currency (CBDC). It has made this observation in a concept note on CBDC prepared by RBI's fintech department. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the launch of CBDC in her budget speech, informing that it would be unveiled in the current fiscal itself. "RBI has been exploring the pros and cons of introduction of the CBDCs for some time. As there are multiple compelling motivations for the introduction of CBDCs, RBI is currently engaged in working towards a phased implementation strategy, going step by step through various stages of pilots followed by the final launch, and simultaneously examining use cases that could be implemented with minimal or no disruption," the note said. CBDC, across the world, is in conceptual development or at pilot stages. Therefore, in the absence of a precedence, extensive stakeholder consultation along with iterative technology design must take place to develop a solution that meets the requirements, it said further. RBI however noted that CBDC holds a lot of promise by way of ensuring transparency and low cost of operation, among other benefits and has the potential to expand the existing payment systems to address the needs of a wider category of users. The central bank further said that while the intent of CBDC and the expected benefits are well understood, it is important to identify innovative methods and compelling use cases that will make CBDC as attractive as cash if not more. Elaborate planning is needed in terms of scope, cost and timelines to ensure the timely roll out of different phases of CBDC introduction, the RBI note said further. "Depending on the different use cases, multiple technological options shall be tested and based on the outcomes, the final architecture shall be decided. As per recommendations of the internal Working Group (WG) set up by Reserve Bank in October 2020, RBI is exploring the option of implementation of account-based CBDC in wholesale segment and token-based CBDC in retail segment vide a graded approach," it informed. Elaborating on details of the phased implementation of CBDC, the note said that first a prototype as per the recommendations of the WG would be prepared and technical requirements would be specified to technology partners. The idea then would be tested in an operationally controlled environment to examine its functionality, including the design, deployment plan and success criteria. After this, test cases would be performed with both positive and negative scenarios to examine its durability and document the results. These test results would then be finalised to design the prototype. Once this is done, large scale pilot tests would be conducted with a diverse and larger user base. "This will help RBI understand the potential use of the CBDC in a diverse country like India. The results and learnings of the pilot need to be carefully evaluated and must be incorporated into the final design of the CBDC," the note said. --IANS ans/pgh ( 517 Words) 2022-10-09-19:18:04 (IANS)
Actor Nayanthara and her filmmaker husband Vignesh Shivan, who tied the knot four months ago in a dreamy wedding, have welcomed twin babies into their family. The news was shared by Vignesh on his Instagram handle where he shared pictures of his twin newborns named Uyir and Ulagam. In the images, the duo was seen kissing the feet of their babies. He captioned the post by writing, "Nayan and Me have become Amma and Appa. We are blessed with Twin Baby Boys. All Our prayers, our ancestors' blessings combined with all the good manifestations made, have come 2gethr in the form Of 2 blessed babies for us. Need all ur blessings for our Uyir and Ulagam. Life looks brighter and more beautiful. God is double great." https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjfm3Gqv_Ti/ Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan married in Chennai on June 9, 2022. It was an intimate wedding with only their close friends and select guests, including Shah Rukh Khan, AR Rahman, Suriya and Rajinikanth, in attendance. Meanwhile, on the work front, Nayanthara will be seen starring in director Atlee's next action thriller film 'Jawaan' along with Shah Rukh Khan. The upcoming film is all set to hit the theatres on June 2, 2023. (ANI)
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, popularly known as KCR, betrayed the state and changed TRS' name to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on the advice of 'Tantriks'. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) was formed to realise the Telangana sentiment... at that time, it was said that funds, water and appointments (jobs) are the priorities for Telangana statehood ambition, the Union Minister said. "It was also stated that there will be social justice and women empowerment. But, for four years from 2014 to 2018, there was not a single woman minister in TRS government. Even after TRS's re-election, for almost a year, there was no woman minister. Apparently, women were not given representation in the Cabinet on the advice of some Tantriks," Sitharaman said. The Minister said that when Telangana state was formed in 2014, it was a revenue surplus state. "Today, Telangana state has borrowings of Rs 3 lakh crore with debt to GSDP ratio touching almost 25 per cent. "On water, Kaleswaram project was supposed to have been completed with a budget of Rs 40,000 crore but this has shot up to Rs 1,40,000 crore without a proper explanation on reasons for escalation. On the third promise of jobs, TRS government has not kept its promise and betrayed people. On all three fronts of funds, water and jobs, the TRS government has totally failed," said Sitharaman. The Minister said that KCR, on the advice of Tantriks and numerologists, stopped going to the Secretariat, did not induct women for many years in his cabinet and now has changed party's name to BRS on Tantrik's advice. "After failing and betraying people of Telangana, Telugu language, he has now launched BRS as a national party. The new party is doomed to fail," she added. --IANS kvm/pgh ( 316 Words) 2022-10-08-22:38:01 (IANS)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday his party will win the upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka hands down. The Gandhi scion, who is currently leading the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka, said: "I am pretty certain that the Congress party will win the elections hands down." Answering a question on in case of fractured mandate in Karnataka, will the Congress party join hands with the regional party JD-S, he maintained that these are questions that are better answered by CLP leader and Congress party in Karnataka. "But, this question you can ask to both of them (BJP and JD-S)," Rahul Gandhi said. "In my experience, over the last few days I have spoken to many. What I have been hearing from them is that they are tired of corruption, 40 per cent commission that this government is taking. They are also disturbed by the price rise and level of unemployment Karnataka is facing," he explained. Talking on the opposition of the Congress party to the National Education Policy (NEP), he said: "We are opposing NEP because it is an attack on the ethos of our country, it distorts our history. "We are opposing it because it concentrates power in the hands of few people, it takes away power and centralizes the education system and we want a decentralised education system that reflects our history, tradition and language," Rahul Gandhi said. Answering a question on divisions within the Congress party in Karnataka, he said: "We are not a fascist party. We are a party that believes in discussion, conversation and are perfectly happy to have different viewpoints in the party." He noted that the party understands that in order to win elections, "we have to work together as a team and that is exactly what is happening". Commenting on the ban on PFI, he stated, "I have been saying speech after speech, it does not matter which community they come from, spreading hatred and violence is in India is an anti-national act and we will fight anybody who spreads hate and violence." --IANS mka/pgh ( 357 Words) 2022-10-08-23:04:01 (IANS)
"I have promised (UP CM) Yogi Ji that before the end of 2024, we will make the road infrastructure of Uttar Pradesh equivalent to that of the USA: Nitin Gadkari said at the 81st Annual Session of the Indian Roads Congress in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow.

"I have promised that there will be road projects worth Rs 5 lakh crores in Uttar Pradesh before the end of 2024. I'm announcing projects worth Rs 8,000 crores today," he stated.

"There is no shortage of money with the government for the construction of good roads," he added.

According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Gadkari urged all stakeholders 'Vishwakarmas', people behind the development of road infrastructure, to ensure fast-paced integrated and sustainable infrastructure development in the country with ecological preservation, technology, innovation, safety and quality construction of the roads.

"This 3-day session of IRC will be a great opportunity for engineers, professionals, and road sector experts from India and foreign countries to come together and make efforts towards safer and sustainable roads furthering Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 5 trillion dollar economy," he had added.

Gadkari also held a review meeting at Chief Minister's residence in Lucknow.

All the ongoing and proposed National Highway projects in Uttar Pradesh were discussed in detail in the meeting.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was also present on occasion. (ANI)
"The accused was arrested and sent to judicial custody," said Dumka DIG Sudarshan Prasad Mandal.

"An SIT has also been formed," he added.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the bereaved family.

The Jharkhand CM announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakhs through a tweet and expressed grief saying, "I am deeply grieved by the death of a daughter in Dumka's Jarmundi. I pray that the deceased's soul rests in peace and that her family gets the strength to bear the situation. The perpetrator is under police arrest. I have announced Rupees 10 lakh compensation for the deceased's family."

The 19-year-old girl was set ablaze by the accused on Thursday night, after which she succumbed to her burn injuries on. Her family is waiting for performing the last rites after the post-mortem is done.

Earlier in September, a class 12 girl Ankita, also succumbed to her injuries after being burnt alive while sleeping for turning down a proposal in Dumka. (ANI)
India has seen a great revival of Buddhism in the country under Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, said a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk as the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) celebrates Abhidhamma Day today. Abhidhamma Day, a Theravada Buddhist tradition which celebrates Gautama Buddha's descent from heaven after teaching his mother the Abhidhamma, will take place today. Some prominent monks from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan will assemble in India's Uttar Pradesh to celebrate the event. Buddhist monk Waskaduwe Mahindawansa Mahanayake Thero of Sri Lanka, who is also participating in the event, said, "Today on the eve of the full moon, we, the international Buddhist community, have gathered in India to celebrate this important festival tomorrow. Especially under the Modi government, we see a great revival of Buddhism in India. Buddhism is about compassion and happiness." He recalled PM Modi's message at the United Nations and hailed India's mission "to save the planet from conflict and violence" through the principles of Buddhism."We saw PM Modi recently mentioning at the UN that India has given Buddhism to the world to save the planet from conflict and violence. We all appreciate this global mission. We thank the IBC and the government of India for inviting us here in UP to participate in this much important event," the monk added. PM Modi, together with Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, in May this year, participated in the "Shilanyas" ceremony for the construction of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage at a plot in Lumbini belonging to the IBC. Moreover, a Buddhist Circuit under the Swadesh Darshan Yojana by the Ministry of Tourism has seen the development of 5 projects worth Rs.325.53 crore. The "Buddha Purnima Express" special train has also been started by IRCTC to facilitate travel within the Buddhist Circuit. Abhidhamma Day is celebrated on the full moon of the seventh month of the Burmese lunar year which starts in April and coincides with the end of the (first) Rains Retreat and the Pavarana festival. To mark the auspicious day, the IBC, in collaboration with Gautam Buddha University (GBU), Greater Noida, is organizing the International Abhidhamma Divas. It was at Sankassiya, presently known as Sankisa Basantapur, Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh where the Sakhyamuni descended from the celestial domain of the thirty-three divine beings (Tavatimsa-devaloka) to Sankassiya after teaching Abhidhamma Pitaka (a basket of ultimate things) to his mother. The Chief Guest at the event will be Dr Ashin Nanissara (Sitagu Sayadaw), Chancellor, Sitagu International Buddhist Academies, Myanmar.The participation of the Chief Minister of UP, Yogi Adityanath, Chancellor, Gautam Buddha University as the Guest of Honour is yet to be confirmed. The Abhidhamma Divas, last year was organized at Kushinagar at Mahaparinirvana Temple, where the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi was the Chief Guest. He also inaugurated the international airport at the Buddhist pilgrimage town. According to the Theravada tradition, it is believed that this day is blessed as the Buddha had gone to heaven to teach Abhidhamma Pitaka (a basket of ultimate things) to his mother.The teaching took three months after which Buddha came back to Earth. His followers too mark the three-month time by staying at one place and praying. It is known as the three-month rainy retreat - Varshavaas or Vassa - for the Buddhist monks and nuns. The place is documented by the Asokan marker - Asokan Elephant Pillar signifying the importance of the place and of the event. It is noted in the Buddhist texts that after teaching Abhidhamma to the Devas and his mother as witness, he descended here. Eminent monks from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, ambassadors based in India and other diplomats representing various countries will also take part in the Abhidhamma Divas. This is the third Flagship program of the IBC; the other two being Buddha Purnima and the Asadha Purnima. Other highlights of the day's event include a panel discussion on the 'Significance of Abhidhamma', a book launch- titled 'Recent Development in the studies of Abhidhamma in India', a screening of the film on IBC's project in Lumbini and the day concludes with a cultural programme by students of Buddhist Universities. IBC is a Buddhist umbrella body that serves as a common platform for Buddhists worldwide. It is headquartered in New Delhi, India. Established under the patronage of the supreme Buddhist religious hierarchy, it currently has a global membership of over 320 monastic and lay organisations, including world bodies, national and regional federations, monasteries, international organizations and institutions. United by the motto, "Collective Wisdom, United Voice", IBC aims to make Buddhist values and principles a part of the global discourse by presenting a united Buddhist voice on issues that concern all humankind. The IBC stands for transparency, inclusiveness and a balanced representation of various traditions, gender and emerging Buddhist communities in Africa, the Caribbean and South America. Praised by followers of Buddha Dharma from around the world for including both Sangha and laity in its governing structure, IBC has been hailed by the international media as a forward-looking, credible and action-oriented World Buddhist umbrella Body. The IBC also stands for the preservation, development and promotion of Buddhist heritage, both tangible and intangible worldwide, especially the holy sites like Bodh Gaya in India, where Buddha attained Enlightenment, as well as many others. To gather the collective wisdom of Buddhists around the world to speak with a united Buddhist voice; to make Buddhist values part of global engagement while working to preserve and promote Buddhist heritage, traditions and practices. (ANI)
In a major breakthrough in the UKSCC scam, three senior government officials were arrested by the Uttarakhand STF in connection with the case, said the officials on Saturday. The arrested accused have been identified as RBS Rawat( former chairman), secretary Manohar Kanyal, former controller of examination RS Pokharia were arrested on Saturday in the investigation of rigging in the VPDO recruitment examination conducted by Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSCC) in 2016. This is being termed the biggest action so far in the recruitment examination case. The investigations were underway since 2016 and gained pace after Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami's intervention. The state chief taking note of the incident said that not a single guilty would be spared. "Those who play with the future of our sons and daughters are behind bars in the UKSSSC recruitment scam, only. Investigation agencies are doing their job. No one guilty of killing the rights of the youth of Uttarakhand will be spared. The government is ensuring that all future recruitment examinations are clean and transparent," said CM Dhami. He also set the record straight and said," We will take the strictest action against the accused. Be it this case or another. No one will dare dream to do anything against the law forget doing it." The case pertains to a written exam conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSC) in December 2021. This was one of the major examinations conducted by the commission for 854 posts across 13 departments. However, there were widespread allegations that there were irregularities in the conduct of the test. Following these allegations, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami called for a probe and strict action against those guilty. Following this, the secretary of the commission was removed from the post. A Special Task Force (STF) was also constituted to investigate the alleged irregularities. (ANI)
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has asked RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to "not fret" as the Muslim population was "rather declining" in the country, asserting that Indian Muslims were the ones using contraceptives the most. His remarks came days after Bhagwat had called for a comprehensive population policy to ensure that the rising population do not become a burden but can be used as a resource. "Don't fret. The Muslim population is not increasing. It's rather falling... Who's using condoms the most? We are. Mohan Bhagwat won't speak on this," Owaisi said. Addressing the annual RSS Vijayadashmi festival, Bhagwat called for a "comprehensive policy on population" and said that it should be applied equally to all. "Population control and religion-based population balance is an important subject that can no longer be ignored... So a comprehensive population policy should be brought and should be equally applicable to all. Only then rules pertaining to population control will yield results," he had said. Owaisi also called out the recent viral video where minorities were purportedly beaten by officials on the streets. "You could have taken them to the police station. But you chose to rip off their esteem and hit them directly in the streets. In a nation of 133 crores where 30 crores Muslims exist, the dignity of a Muslim is lesser than a streetside dog," he added. On October 5, the RSS chief inaugurated the annual Dussehra celebrations and stressed on the application of the population policy equally. "It is true that the higher the population, the greater the burden. If the population is used properly, it becomes a resource. We also have to consider how many people our country can feed and support after 50 years. Population imbalance leads to changes in geographical boundaries," said Bhagwat. He also advocated giving equal rights to women in all places. "Considering a woman as the mother is good, but restricting them to closed doors is not good. There is a need to give equal rights to women to take decisions everywhere. All the work that the mother power can do that man cannot do, they have so much power. And therefore it is important to enlighten, and empower them and give them the freedom to work and give equal participation in the work in this way," he said. "Power is the foundation of peace. The presence of a woman chief guest has been discussed a long time," the RSS chief added. Bhagwat said that the government's policies are leading the country towards self-reliance. "The government is pursuing policies which lead towards self-reliance. Bharat's importance and stature increased in the community of nations. In the sphere of security, we are becoming more and more become self-sufficient. Our economy is getting back to the pre-pandemic levels, which is expected to rise further. The sportspersons are also bringing laurels to the country," he said. Talking about the importance of the mother tongue in education, Bhagwat said that English as a language is "not necessary for a career". "English is not necessary for a career. A career is built from different things. The government is paying attention to this by way of the New Education Policy (NEP). But do parents want their children to be taught in their mother tongue? Or chasing so-called financial gain or career, do they want their wards to become a part of a blind rat race? When expecting the government to institute the promotion of mother tongue, we should also consider whether we sign our names in our mother tongue or not," he said. (ANI)
Five people were electrocuted after they reportedly came in contact with a high-tension wire during a procession.

Praying for peace to the departed souls, Adityanath expressed his deep condolences to the bereaved families.

The government directed the district magistrate and senior police officers to reach the spot. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate a two-day conference of the superintendent of police at Golaghat district of Assam on Sunday. Amit Shah who is on a three-day visit to the state is ready to inaugurate the third two-day conference of the superintendent of police around 4.30 pm on Sunday along with the chief minister of Assam Himanta Biswas. The SP conference is scheduled to be held at the Police Training Centre at Dergaon in Assam's Golaghat district. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Friday chaired a review meeting over the Assam floods in Guwahati. Amit Shah on Friday asserted that Assam must come up with a long-term plan which would provide protection from floods for decades to come. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), nearly 8.9 million people in the state have been affected by the flood and landslides that struck Assam this year. Later, on Sunday the Union Minister addressed the regional meeting on drug trafficking and national security, along with the DGPs and officers of north-eastern states emphasizing the target of making India 'drug-free'. "Our honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target of 'Drug-free India' on the occasion of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. All the government departments and government agencies are working towards it. But, it is also our responsibility to make sure that our PM's target is completed", Amit Shah addressed. "Today, only you all saw how we destroyed 40000 kg of drugs. The Home Ministry had set a target of destroying 75,000 kg of drugs but we have already destroyed 1,50,000 kg of drugs," Shah said. "But, just stopping the drug smuggling is not enough, we have to find the entire nexus and everyone involved in it. We have to work in the top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top manner to solve the problem," he added. The Home Minister called for cooperation among the northeastern states and assured of taking further steps to solve the problem. The SP conference to be inaugurated by Shah will be the third two-day such conference in the state. Earlier, the second two-day SP conference was held at Duliajan in Assam's Dibrugarh district in January this year. The first SP conference was held at Kaziranga in June last year. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived at Kamakhya temple in Assam on Sunday. Shah was seen offering prayers as the state chief Himanta Biswa Sarma accompanied him. Earlier on October 8, the Union Home Minister stressed on making India drug-free and called for cooperation among the northeastern states for solving the drug problem. Other than Amit Shah, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy were also present at the meeting. While addressing the meeting Shah said, "Our honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target of 'Drug-free India' on the occasion of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. All the government departments and government agencies are working towards it. But, it is also our responsibility to make sure that our PM's target is completed.""Today, regional cooperation is being held on illegal smuggling and national security. Earlier, we held a summit in Chandigarh with the northern states from Kashmir to Delhi. Similarly, today we have brought all the north-eastern states together for the fight against drugs," Shah said. The former BJP President called out Afghanistan and Myanmar as the two main hotspots of drug smuggling and said that drugs and anti-national activities are "two sides of the same coin". "Afghanistan and Myanmar are the two hotspots of drug trafficking. It affects the north and the northeast region of the country the most. So, we have to fight the disease at its entry point only. There is a close link between drug smuggling in India and anti-national activities in India. These are two faces of the same coin and without making a drug-free India we can't think of a terrorism-free India," Shah said. The Home Minister further emphasized the need to use technology and target the nexus in a top-to-bottom approach. "Today, only you all saw how we destroyed 40000 kg of drugs. The Home Ministry had set a target of destroying 75,000 kg of drugs but we have already destroyed 1,50,000 kg of drugs," Shah said."But, just stopping the drug smuggling is not enough, we have to find the entire nexus and everyone involved in it. We have to work in the top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top manner to solve the problem," he added.The Home Minister called for cooperation among the northeastern states and assured of taking further steps to solve the problem. "In 2019, we decided to prepare a four-tier system to combat drugs, starting from the village and Zila levels to the state level. I urge all the Chief Ministers to hold state-level meetings as soon as possible and would urge all the chef executives and DGPs to ensure meetings at the lower levels," Shah said. "We have to make the best use of use technology. We have to use drone mapping and laboratory tests to find out the drug smuggling across the region. Whatever further steps we have to take will take," he added.The MP from Gandhinagar also urged the public to come forward with their complaints regarding the problem of drugs in the country. "Our approach is very clear towards drugs. Those who consume drugs are victims and those who smuggle drugs are the culprits. The culprits will face stiff legal action and the victim will slowly be brought back into the mainstream with due process," Shah said, "We have created multiple helplines and portals for the public as well. We have also strengthened our agencies in the fight against drugs. We urge the public also to come forward regarding any complaint related to drugs. Only then, can we achieve this difficult target," Shah said furtherThe Union Home Minister also presented some data showing related to seizures and arrests made in the fight against drugs. "I would also like to present some data here, comparing the period of 2006-2013 and 2014-2022. While 1297 cases were registered in 2006-2013, 3172 cases have been registered in 2014-2022. Total arrests in the two periods have been 1363 and 4888. Seizures in the two periods have been 1.5 lakh kg and 3 lakh kg. While drugs worth 768 crores were seized in the first tenure, more than 20,000 crores have been destroyed in this tenure, as we have targeted high quality and expensive drugs as well," Shah said. Home Minister Amit Shah further said that the data shows that we are succeeding, but for achieving our target fully, we need complete cooperation among the states. They should meet regularly and share the progress regarding the investigation against drugs. (ANI)
The incident happened on the day of Dussehra when the woman had come to see the fair near the local Ramlila ground and fell into an open sewer, as per the police.

According to the police, a woman was reported to have fallen into the sewer, after which the police pulled her out and by the time she was taken to the hospital, she was already dead.

The police have started investigating the matter.

Meanwhile, the police are probing whose negligence led to this death and what was the reason for keeping the sewer open. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday extended greetings on Valmiki Jayanti. Valmiki Jayanti is observed on October 9 every year. The day marks the birth anniversary of Maharishi Valmiki who is credited with writing the original Ramayana during the lifetime of Lord Ram. PM Modi also shared a video along with a message on a micro-blogging site. "Happy Valmiki Jayanti to the countrymen," tweeted PM Modi. The celebrations marked the streets of the nation today. The Uttar Pradesh government will celebrate the birth anniversary of Sage Valmiki in a 'grand' manner across the state. Earlier on October 7, the officials informed that various events have been planned for celebrations in Uttar Pradesh, including the continuous recital of the Ramayana at all temples of Lord Rama and Hanuman as well as at all places associated with the epic along with the lighting of lamps or 'deepdan'. To celebrate the 'Valmiki Jayanti' with great enthusiasm, preparations are being made at the development block level. In pursuance of the objective of the government, the District Magistrate in Gorakhpur has issued detailed guidelines to the CDO, all SDMs, Deputy Director Buddhist Museum and Regional Tourism Officer. Principal Secretary, Mukesh Kumar Meshram issued directions in this regard to all divisional commissioners and the district magistrates asking them to ensure that Valmiki Jayanti is celebrated on a grand scale throughout the state. The officials were asked to arrange for the lighting of lamps or 'deepdan' as well as the continuous recital of the Ramayan for 8, 12 or 24 hours and organise similar other events at all places and temples related to Maharishi Valmiki on his Jayanti. The preparations for the events to be held on Valmiki Jayanti were reviewed by the nodal officer nominated by the government on the evening of October 8. (ANI)
As the prices of gold in the market are rising, jewellery markets in Rajkot are thronged with people ahead of Dhanteras on Sunday. Dhanteras, which marks the beginning of the five-day festival of lights, is considered a propitious day to buy and bring in new metal items, especially metals like gold and silver. People are gathering at marketplaces to buy gold or silver. Jewellery shops in Rajkot, Gujarat are filled with customers who want to buy gold and silver items ahead of Dhanteras. The shop owners have noted a price rise in the prices of Gold. While speaking to ANI, Ashok- the owner of Radhika Jewel Company Ltd., said that the increased price of gold is still much less than the price in the international market. "The rise in the price of the gold in the market is due to the continuous depreciation of the Indian rupee in the market", he added. "Suppose the price of gold becomes 1,850 US dollars in the international market, then the price of gold can also cross Rs 58,000." Ashok further said. Another shop owner told ANI that the rate of gold in the Indian market depends upon the rate going on in the international market. At least within the last fortnight, the price has increased by Rs 1,500-2,000. Asked about the impact of the prices in the sale of gold at the time of festivals around the corner, he said that Diwali is an auspicious festival for Hindus and their family. During Diwali, people receive a bonus and people buy gold no matter the rise in the prices. A regular customer of Radhika Jewellers, Rajkot, Nancy Chauhan, told ANI that ladies like to buy gold jewellery. Price rises or falls, ladies buy gold. "Buying the gold is an investment", Nancy added. Dhanteras is observed on the 13th lunar day of Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) in the Vikram Sambat Hindu calendar month of Aaswayuja in the Amaavasyanta Luni-Solar Calendar. Literally, Dhanteras means 'dhan' or wealth, while 'teras' is the 13th day of the moon cycle wherein people offer prayers to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday extended his greetings to the nation on the occasion of Eid Milad-un-Nabi. "Best wishes on Milad-un-Nabi. May this occasion further the spirit of peace, togetherness and compassion in our society. Eid Mubarak," tweeted PM Modi. Eid Milad-un-Nabi is celebrated annually to commemorate the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad and is observed in the month of Rabi-ul-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic lunar calendar, which commences with the sighting of the moon. The occasion also marks the death anniversary of the Prophet. One of the most important parts of Eid Milad-un-Nabi is to celebrate the life of the Prophet, his teachings, sufferings, and his character, as he even forgave his enemies. Muslims celebrate the occasion by wearing new clothes, offering prayers, and exchanging gifts. Earlier on Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath extended warm greetings to the people of the state on the occasion of Eid-e-Milad Un Nabi and expressed hope that this festival will give new inspiration to enhance peace and harmony in the society. In his congratulatory message to the people of the state, Chief Minister said, "This festival is celebrated on the birthday of Prophet Hazrat Mohammad. I hope that this festival will give new inspiration to increase peace and harmony in the society." The Chief Minister has appealed to the people to organize programs on the occasion of Eid-e-Miladun Nabi, taking all precautions in view of COVID-19 infection. Eid-i-Milad-ul-Nabi, also known as Mawlid or Eid-e-Milad, is celebrated with enthusiasm by Muslims across the world. (ANI)
BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain on Sunday slammed the AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi over the latter's remarks on population and said that the Telangana leader wanted to create a controversy. "Asaduddin Owaisi has become 'Bayan Purush', he wants to create a controversy. A low population is beneficial for society," said Hussain. His remarks came after AIMIM chief Owaisi asked RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to "not fret" as the Muslim population was "rather declining" in the country, asserting that Indian Muslims were the ones using contraceptives the most. The BJP leader also cleared his take on the population and said, "The more the population grows the bigger the problem it creates. That should be kept in mind." A war of words started after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat called for a comprehensive population policy to ensure that the rising population do not become a burden but can be used as a resource. "Don't fret. The Muslim population is not increasing. It's rather falling... Who's using condoms the most? We are. Mohan Bhagwat won't speak on this," Owaisi said. Owaisi also called out the recent viral video where minorities were purportedly beaten by officials on the streets."You could have taken them to the police station. But you chose to rip off their esteem and hit them directly in the streets. In a nation of 133 crores where 30 crores Muslims exist, the dignity of a Muslim is lesser than a streetside dog," he added. On October 5, the RSS chief inaugurated the annual Dussehra celebrations and stressed on the application of the population policy equally. "It is true that the higher the population, the greater the burden. If the population is used properly, it becomes a resource. We also have to consider how many people our country can feed and support after 50 years. Population imbalance leads to changes in geographical boundaries," said Bhagwat. He also advocated giving equal rights to women in all places. "Considering a woman as the mother is good, but restricting them to closed doors is not good. There is a need to give equal rights to women to take decisions everywhere. All the work that the mother power can do that man cannot do, they have so much power. And therefore it is important to enlighten, and empower them and give them the freedom to work and give equal participation in the work in this way," he said. "Power is the foundation of peace. The presence of a woman chief guest has been discussed a long time," the RSS chief added. Bhagwat said that the government's policies are leading the country towards self-reliance. "The government is pursuing policies which lead towards self-reliance. Bharat's importance and stature increased in the community of nations. In the sphere of security, we are becoming more and more become self-sufficient. Our economy is getting back to the pre-pandemic levels, which is expected to rise further. The sportspersons are also bringing laurels to the country," he said. Talking about the importance of the mother tongue in education, Bhagwat said that English as a language is "not necessary for a career". "English is not necessary for a career. A career is built from different things. The government is paying attention to this by way of the New Education Policy (NEP). But do parents want their children to be taught in their mother tongue? Or chasing so-called financial gain or career, do they want their wards to become a part of a blind rat race? When expecting the government to institute the promotion of mother tongue, we should also consider whether we sign our names in our mother tongue or not," he said. (ANI)
Lt. Governor VK Saxena has approved the proposal to exempt 314 applications of hotel and restaurant owners, online eateries, medicines, and other essential commodities, to be able to operate on 24x7 basis in the National Capital, starting from next week. Such applications were pending since 2016. The LG has directed that notification to this effect should be issued within seven days. The decision, providing exemption under Sections 14, 15 and 16 of the Delhi Shops and Establishment Act, 1954, is expected to boost employment generation and promote a positive and favourable business environment that is a prerequisite for economic growth. The decision will also provide a fillip to the much desired 'night life' in the City. Exemptions under Sections 14, 15 and 16 of the said Act enables commercial establishments to operate on a 24X7 basis, subject to certain conditions that entail welfare of labour and security etc. Approving the proposal, the Lt. Governor took a very serious view of and flagged issues of inordinate delay, adhocism, randomness and unjustified discretion on part of the Labour Department in disposing the applications made by establishments for these exemptions. It may be noted that out of total 346 pending applications, 18 applications of 2016, 26 applications of 2017, 83 applications of 2018, 25 applications of 2019, 04 applications of 2020 and 74 applications of 2021 had not been processed by the Labour Department on time. "These applications, were kept pending for no reason even as just 02 applications, one of 2017 and another of 2021 were processed and sent for approval, in a display of unexplained discretion on part of the Labour Department, which strongly indicated the prevalence of corrupt practices," stated the LG. "This shows a complete unprofessional attitude and lack of due diligence on the part of the Labour Department and amounted to the Department having adopted a 'pick and choose policy' in processing such applications. Such a system may also lead to corrupt practices. Further, inordinately delayed processing of such routine applications also negatively affects the confidence/sentiments of the business community at large," he added. The LG also pointed towards the fact that it took repeated observations and persuasion from the LG Secretariat for the Labour Department to put in place a Digital Mechanism for the receipt of applications. This the LG said, showed reluctance on part of the Labour Department in adopting simple technological interventions that improved the regulatory framework for 'Ease of Doing Business'. The LG has strictly advised that such applications are disposed of within a prescribed timeline so that a conducive investor-friendly business environment and positive confidence could be instilled in the entrepreneurs and business community of Delhi at large. The LG has also directed the Labour Department to ensure that such delays do not occur in future, a mechanism be developed for transparent and effective monitoring, reasons of pendency be ascertained, responsibility be fixed and suitable action be taken against the erring officials. (ANI)
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla took a dig at Rajasthan's Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government on Sunday after the incident of an old woman's legs chopped off took centrestage in the state. He had further said that the law and order situation has collapsed in the state. He had also flayed the state government over the incident of molestation of a girl student in Jaipur, terming it as the complete failure of the state government. While speaking to ANI, Poonawalla recalled the two incidents and said that whether it was the incident in Jaipur relating to a girl student in a government women's hostel being molested against which women took to the streets and protested amidst heavy rains on Saturday night or the shocking incident of a 108-year-old woman in Jaipur, whose feet were chopped off by ruthless robbers to loot her silver rings. "It is evidently clear that no woman is now safe under the Gehlot regime", Poonawalla underlined. Attacking on Congress Party's slogan- Ladki Hoon Lad Sakti Hoon- amid UP Elections this year, Poonawala said that today women are now saying 'Ladki Hoon To Kya Bach Sakti Hoon'. "Gehlot government only focused on 'Satta Bachao' not 'Beti Bachao'. Criminals, rapists, and rioters have got emboldened in Rajasthan", Shehzad said further. He also recalled the several misogynistic and pro-rape statements hailed from Rajasthan and called it a government of rapists and criminals. He questioned the selective silence of Priyanka Vadra and said, "Will Priyanka Vadra demand action against Ashok Gehlot or does she stands with the victims? Why hasn't she visited them? Priyanka Gandhi was silent on the recent gang rape of a minor by 8 men who blackmailed her and released the video and also on the acid attack in Jaipur in two girls. Why this selective approach to women's issues"? Poonawalla underlined. A 108-year-old woman's legs were chopped off by miscreants to steal her silver rings in Jaipur on Sunday. This incident took place just after a girl was molested in a government women's hostel in the capital city of the state. Recently, another incident happened in the state where a Dalit woman was gang-raped and held captive for days in Ajmer. (ANI)
"Rattled Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has taken lessons of hate from Shakhas. He must learn history of India to understand the contribution of Congress in the Independence of India and liberation of Goa," Patkar said.

Patkar's remarks came in response to CM Sawant's statement in Karnataka's Udupi.

CM Sawant had said that if Congress would have undertaken Bharat Jodo Yatra in 1947, Goa could have been liberated early.

"What can you expect from a person who is born in 1973 and has spent his time in Shakhas taking lessons of hate, communal conflicts and divisive politics?" asked Amit Patkar.

He said that Pramod Sawant is "obsessed" with Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Swayampurna Goa. He alleged that their foundation was based on the "Fake in India" mission under "Jumla Raj" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose educational qualification of MA in entire Political Science is a mystery, alleged Patkar.

"I advise the Chief Minister to read books like "My Experiments with Truth" by Mahatma Gandhi, "Discovery of India" by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and other books on the Independence Movement and Liberation of Goa. This will help him enlighten himself with true knowledge of history and will also save him of embarrassment," said Patkar.

The GPCC president further said Rahul Gandhi is walking to "Unite India" and spread the message of communal harmony, peace and unity in the country.

"Lakhs of people are joining him every day in the historic march. This march is going to be a turning point in Indian politics, Patkar said. (ANI)
The Uddhav Thackeray camp of Shiv Sena submitted a list of three names and symbols for the upcoming Andheri East Assembly constituency bypolls to the Election Commission. Amid a row over Shiv Sena's 'Bow and Arrow' symbol claim, the Election Commission (EC) on Saturday froze the symbol barring both the rival camps in the party from using it in the upcoming Assembly bypoll slated for November 3. Following this, the Thackeray faction on Sunday submitted the options of 'Trishul', 'Rising Sun' and 'Torch' as symbols for the party to the Election Commission. Further, the Thackeray camp suggested three names -- Shiv Sena (Balasaheb Thackeray), Shiv Sena (Prabodhankar Thackeray) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) for the upcoming bye-elections. "Our party's name is Shiv Sena, if ECI gives any of the names related to Shiv Sena including 'Shiv Sena (Balasaheb Thackeray)', 'Shiv Sena (Prabodhankar Thackeray)' or 'Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)', that would be acceptable to us," Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) MP Arvind Sawant told media persons. Meanwhile, the Shinde faction hit out at the rival Thackeray camp, saying it would not get any votes and was busy seeking public sympathy. Minister in Chief Minister Shinde's cabinet Deepak Kesarkar said, "They (Uddhav faction) have not done anything in the past 2.5 years. People would not vote for them, thus they are seeking sympathy. ECI is a constitutional authority, we should keep its respect, not insult them over Twitter." "We have all the documents and we have a majority. We will get justice and the symbol as well," added Kesarkar. Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday called Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led-faction Shiv Sena as "traitors" after the Election Commission (EC) froze the symbol barring both the rival camps in the party from using it in the upcoming Assembly bypoll slated for November 3. "Boxed traitors today have done a despicable and shameless act of freezing the Shiv Sena's name and symbol. The people of Maharashtra will not tolerate this. Will fight and win! We are on the side of truth! Satyamev Jayate!" Aaditya Thackeray tweeted in Marathi. Notably, EC passed the interim order saying in Andheri East bye polls, neither of the two groups shall be permitted to use the symbol "Bow and Arrow", reserved for "Shiv Sena". The Commission's ruling came amid the ongoing symbol war between the Uddhav Thackeray camp and rival Eknath Shinde camp. In its order, the Commission said, "In order to place both the rival groups on even keel and to protect their rights and interests, and going by the past precedence, the Commission hereby makes the following Interim Order, to cover the purpose of the current Bye-elections and to continue till the final determination of the dispute in the matter in terms of Para 15 of the Symbols Order:- Neither of the two groups led by Eknathrao Sambhaji Shinde (Petitioner) and other led by Uddhav Thackeray (Respondent) be permitted to use the name of the party Shiv Sena simplicitor." "Neither of the two groups shall also be permitted to use the symbol "Bow and Arrow", reserved for "Shivsenal'; Both the groups shall be known by such names as they may choose for their respective groups, including, if they so desire, linkage with their parent party Shivsena; and Both groups shall also be allotted such different symbols as they may choose from the list of free symbols notified by the Election Commission for the purposes of the current bye-elections," added the Commission. Eknath Shinde took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on June 30 earlier this year. This came after a faction of Shiv Sena under Shinde shifted the alliance to Bharatiya Janata Party BJP from MVA. Since then, Maharashtra has been witnessing a tussle between both the factions of Sena as to who is the real inheritor of the legacy of Bal Thackeray. (ANI)
A non-government organisation has freed a mentally ill woman who was kept in chains by her family members for the past 35 years in Firozabad's Tundla in Uttar Pradesh. The woman has been admitted to the mental hospital in Agra for treatment. The NGO Seva Bharati, under the leadership of Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Anjula Mahour, helped the woman. Her family members had learnt about her illness when she was 17 years old and had kept her in chains. According to the villagers, she was fed by the family through a crack in the door and was provided with water for her bathing through the window. The woman has been admitted to the mental hospital in Agra for treatment. (ANI)
As per the preliminary information, initially three persons-- technician Kundan Patil, worker Vishnu Pail, and Junio Engineer Vivek Dhumale-- were injured in the explosion and were taken to the National Burns Hospital in Airoli.

Investigating Officer Suhas Chauhan informed that the JE Vivek Dhumale has succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment.

Further details are awaited. (ANI)
Amid the row over symbol between the two rival factions of Shiv Sena, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Sunday came out in support of the Shinde camp saying the Election Commission (EC) should give the 'Bow and Arrow' symbol to the rebel group while taking the final call over the matter. Speaking to ANI, Athawale said, "The symbol of Shiv Sena has been frozen for the Assembly bye-election of Andheri east. After that, I feel that Eknath Shinde group should definitely get the symbol of Shiv Sena's 'Bow and Arrow'. Election Commission has to decide on the basis of merit and when the decision will be taken later. Eknath Shinde will definitely get the symbol of Shiv Sena." Union Minister said that Uddhav Thackeray's political ambition is responsible for freezing the symbol of the party. "Uddhav Thackeray ji is responsible for the freeze of Shiv Sena's symbol because he had formed the government with NCP and Congress by betraying the BJP and became the Chief Minister. In the run for chief ministership, he had done a lot of damage to his party and now ended up facing a ban on using the party's original symbol." Athawale also objected to Shiv Sena's demand for 'rising sun' as party's symbol in the upcoming bypolls. He said that 'Rising Sun' was earlier the Republican Party of India's (RPI) symbol so this should not be alloted to the Thackeray group. "Arvind Sawant, who is the MP of the Thackeray faction, has given three symbol options to the Election Commission, in which Trishul, Mashaal (torch) and Rising Sun are there. Trishul and Mashaal are fine but the 'Rising Sun' should not be given to the Uddhav Thackeray group because it was the symbol of RPI. We are going to write to the Election Commission about the matter," the Union Minister added. The Uddhav Thackeray camp of Shiv Sena submitted a list of three names and symbols for the upcoming Andheri East Assembly constituency bypolls to the Election Commission. Amid a row over Shiv Sena's 'Bow and Arrow' symbol claim, the Election Commission (EC) on Saturday froze the symbol barring both the rival camps in the party from using it in the upcoming Assembly bypoll slated for November 3. Following this, the Thackeray faction on Sunday submitted the options of 'Trishul', 'Rising Sun' and 'Torch' as symbols for the party to the Election Commission. Further, the Thackeray camp suggested three names -- Shiv Sena (Balasaheb Thackeray), Shiv Sena (Prabodhankar Thackeray) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) for the upcoming bye-elections. "Our party's name is Shiv Sena, if ECI gives any of the names related to Shiv Sena including 'Shiv Sena (Balasaheb Thackeray)', 'Shiv Sena (Prabodhankar Thackeray)' or 'Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)', that would be acceptable to us," Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) MP Arvind Sawant told media persons. Notably, EC passed the interim order saying in Andheri East bye polls, neither of the two groups shall be permitted to use the symbol "Bow and Arrow", reserved for "Shiv Sena". The Commission's ruling came amid the ongoing symbol war between the Uddhav Thackeray camp and rival Eknath Shinde camp. In its order, the Commission said, "In order to place both the rival groups on even keel and to protect their rights and interests, and going by the past precedence, the Commission hereby makes the following Interim Order, to cover the purpose of the current Bye-elections and to continue till the final determination of the dispute in the matter in terms of Para 15 of the Symbols Order:- Neither of the two groups led by Eknathrao Sambhaji Shinde (Petitioner) and other led by Uddhav Thackeray (Respondent) be permitted to use the name of the party Shiv Sena simplicitor." "Neither of the two groups shall also be permitted to use the symbol 'Bow and Arrow', reserved for "Shivsenal'; Both the groups shall be known by such names as they may choose for their respective groups, including, if they so desire, linkage with their parent party Shivsena; and Both groups shall also be allotted such different symbols as they may choose from the list of free symbols notified by the Election Commission for the purposes of the current bye-elections," added the Commission. Eknath Shinde took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on June 30 earlier this year. This came after a faction of Shiv Sena under Shinde shifted the alliance to Bharatiya Janata Party BJP from Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Since then, Maharashtra has been witnessing a tussle between both the factions of Sena as to who is the real inheritor of the legacy of Bal Thackeray. (ANI)
Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that the era of insurgency can be said to be history in Assam, adding that processes have been initiated to reach a permanent solution to Assam's boundary dispute with Arunachal Pradesh. Stating that insurgency was a major issue in the Northeast that was hindering the progress of the region on multiple fronts, the Chief Minister lauded the efforts of Union Home Minister Amit Shah for steps taken to resolve it. "Owing to the Home Minister's focus on the subject, the era of insurgency can be said to be history in Assam now, the Chief Minister said as he attended the second and final day of the 70th Plenary of the North Eastern Council (NEC), at the Assam Administrative Staff College, Khanapara. The Chief Minister also stated that permanent peace in the Northeast would provide a new fillip to the region's growth momentum. Union Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah, who is also the Chairman of the Shillong-headquartered statutory advisory body, was also present at the occasion. "The Assam Chief Minister also spoke upon the measures being taken to reach an amicable settlement to the inter-state border disputes in the Northeast, adding that 50 per cent of Assam's boundary dispute with Meghalaya has already been resolved. Processes have been initiated to reach a permanent solution to Assam's boundary dispute with Arunachal Pradesh," the Chief Minister added. Addressing the Plenary, the Assam Chief Minister spoke upon multitudes of issues crucial for inclusive and sustainable growth and the development of Assam in particular and the Northeastern region in general. Stressing the need to tackle the menaces of narcotics and flood in the State, the Chief Minister stated the deliberations on the two issues at the Plenary would go a long way in effectively and efficiently dealing with them. Sarma stressed the need for collective efforts of the governments of Northeastern states for reaching a final and permanent solution to the border settlement. The Chief Minister added that initiatives such as Udan Scheme have lent new momentum to the communication scenario in the Northeast. Improving the air-connectivity scenario between the states of the Northeast would be a huge boost for the region in general, the Chief Minister added. Dr Sarma added the need for a museum in Assam to highlight the ethnic, and cultural artefacts and products of the States of the Northeast. The Chief Minister assured the North Eastern Council (NEC) of all cooperation, including allotment of land, from the government of Assam, if the regional statutory advisory body comes up with a concrete plan for such a museum. Today's Plenary was also attended by Minister of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) G Kishen Reddy, Minister of State for DoNER BL Verma, Assam and Nagaland Governor Professor Jagdish Mukhi, Governors and Chief Ministers of the States of the Northeast, along with a host of other senior dignitaries. (ANI)
Congress leader and MP Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said that he is fighting the Congress Presidential polls because the condition of the country is bad. "I want to fight because the condition in the country is bad. Modi and Shah are doing politics where there is no place for democracy. Agencies like CBI and ED are weakening. To fight them I need to have power. That is why, on the recommendation of delegations, I am fighting the polls," Kharge said while addressing a press conference. The Congress leader also requested the support of all the delegates in the Congress Presidential polls. "I have come here ahead of the Congress elections. I want to request all the Congress delegates for their help and support. I decided to fight the elections after their support and so far I have been getting a tremendous response. I will be meeting and interacting with all the delegates," Kharge further said. Kharge further illustrated his political career by saying he has been in politics since his student days and has served in various posts. "I have been in politics since my student days. I have been a member of the Block Congress Committee, an MLA, an MP, a Minister and then reached Rajya Sabha. I have also been the Opposition Leader in Karnataka assembly and then I was made Opposition Leader in Rajya Sabha," Kharge said. Kharge said that he resigned from the post of Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) for following the one person one policy. "I followed one person one post policy, that is why I left my Rajya Sabha LoP post. I would also like to clarify that the Udaipur Declaration will be implemented with help of all." Responding to the allegation that delegates are making favourable statements, Kharge said, "Delegates are expressing their own views. Delegates can make (such comments). They are not office bearers. There are 9,300 delegates." Shashi Tharoor and Mallikarjun Kharge are up against each other in the race for the post of Congress President. Digvijaya Singh pulled out from the race earlier 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)
The camp was organised in association with Jaipur-based NGO, Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) from October 7 to 9 at Uddan School, Durgmulla Garrison in Kupwara district.

According to PRO (Defence) Srinagar, over 350 people benefitted from the camp.

"The beneficiaries were provided with 20 wheelchairs, 162 hearing aids and 28 different types of crutches. In addition to the equipment, a team of prosthetics technicians was also present, who assessed amputees and the specially-abled and fitted artificial limbs to 23 beneficiaries. 141 calipers where also provided to individuals affected by Polio and other deformities," the statement reads.

This was the second time that a camp for specially-abled persons was organized at such a large scale in the Durgmulla area of Kupwara District.

Local citizens visited the camp from remote areas of Machil, Keren and Tangdhar regions as well as remote villages of Warsun and Awoora of Kupwara.

The citizens felt the Camp was a great step towards amelioration of the conditions of the disabled persons in North Kashmir. (ANI)
Joint inspection teams work in concord to speed up grain export from Ukraine

Xinhua) 08:18, October 09, 2022

A team of representatives from the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) inspects the first grain-laden ship leaving Ukraine on the northwestern entrance of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkiye, Aug. 3, 2022. (Turkish Defense Ministry/Handout via Xinhua)

In late July, the United Nations (UN) and Turkiye brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative to allow volumes of commercial food exports from three Ukraine ports to transit through a safe maritime humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea, in a bid to mitigate the global food crisis.

Under the initiative, the JCC was established in Istanbul with representatives from the UN, Russia, Ukraine, and Turkiye to carry out safety inspections for cargo ships from and to the Ukrainian ports.

by Zeynep Cermen

ISTANBUL, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- A small boat carrying a multilateral inspection team approached the grain-laden vessel Moonlight from Ukraine that anchored here in the port of Istanbul in the Marmara Sea on Saturday.

Donning hard hats, life jackets, and other safety equipment, the eight-membered Joint Coordination Center (JCC) team carefully boarded Moonlight via a pilot ladder to give the cargo ship a close inspection.

The Panama-flagged vessel left the Black Sea port of Odessa in Ukraine on Sept. 25, carrying 6,000 tons of soybean.

Once granted a green light from the JCC, it would leave the Turkish anchorage and continue its route to the destination port in Georgia.

In late July, the United Nations (UN) and Turkiye brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative to allow volumes of commercial food exports from three Ukraine ports to transit through a safe maritime humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea, in a bid to mitigate the global food crisis.

Under the initiative, the JCC was established in Istanbul with representatives from the UN, Russia, Ukraine, and Turkiye to carry out safety inspections for cargo ships from and to the Ukrainian ports.

"We have to inspect ballast tanks, the void spaces, the chain locker machine room, the bridge, cruise quarters, and so that takes a lot of time," Christian Santos, a UN member of the team on Moonlight, told Xinhua.

"Another part of that (the inspection) is obviously to ensure that all the documents regarding the crew list, cargo manifest, and levels of consumption of fuels are also in order," Santos explained.

Since its establishment, the JCC has inspected 591 vessels, namely 306 inbounds and 285 outbounds by Friday, allowing 6.4 million metric tons of grain and foodstuffs to export from the Ukrainian ports, the center said in a statement.

According to the Turkish Defence Ministry, four to five inspection teams are usually on the field, each examining almost four vessels per day.

It takes two to four hours for a team to finish inspecting a single vessel, said Santos, noting that the team has to make sure that all the safety requirements are met as per the agreement.

"It depends on the state of readiness of the masters and the crew and also the different configuration of the vessels," he added.

"The length of this vessel (Moonlight) is about 100 meters," said Santos. "As you look at larger bulk carriers, they can transport up to 50,000 metric tons, and they're anywhere from 265 to 300 meters in length, and obviously, cargo hold spaces are a lot larger."

According to Baris Doster, a Turkish journalist and geostrategist, the JCC has been working in concord and doing a perfect job to "speed things up."

"The center established under the facilitative coordination of the United Nations seems functional and effective in this regard ... Does it cure the problems, even to a certain extent? Yes, it does," Doster told Xinhua in an interview.

Despite the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, a consensus had still emerged between the two countries in solving issues of humanitarian concerns, such as food supplies, according to Doster.

Santos also hailed the teams' concerted efforts to facilitate grain exports from Ukraine to other parts of the world.

"We work together to ensure that once all the safety requirements are met, the vessels are able to transit and transport the grains, foodstuffs, and other commodities out of the ports," he said shortly before continuing the inspection on Moonlight.

"I think that all the participants of different teams understand that there is a mission that needs to be accomplished," he noted. Enditem

A team of representatives from the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) gets on the first grain-laden ship leaving Ukraine for inspection on the northwestern entrance of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkiye, Aug. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Shadati)

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Troops of the Red Shield Division of the Indian Army rescued five passengers and the driver of a passenger carrier which caught fire on NH 515 near Rayang area in Dhemaji district of Assam on Saturday. According to the Indian Army, the passengers under shock and trauma were moved to a safe location and traffic congestion building up near the site was restored to normalcy. "The prompt response by the team from Red Shield Eagles ensured timely evacuation of civilians and dousing of fire which otherwise could have led to grave injuries to the passengers," the Army said in a statement. The response of the team has gone a long way in reaffirming the faith of the local populace in the Indian Army towards Nation Building and assistance to the locals, it added. (ANI)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, who was elected as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president for the second time unopposed on Sunday, said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will go to any extent to win the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. "The party should win all the 39 Parliamentary constituencies in the state and the lone seat in neighbouring Puducherry as well," he said. In his address at the DMK's 15th general council meeting, Stalin told the party leaders and workers to be ready to defeat BJP and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in the Parliamentary election. "We have to be ready to face BJP and AIADMK lies and start working on both committees from now for the Parliamentary election. Finish this work within the next two months," Stalin said after he was elected as DMK President. The Chief Minister said that he is confident that the DMK is permanently going to be the ruling party in Tamil Nadu. "We can't be careless as we won in the State Assembly Election and formed the government. We have to be careful to maintain this victory. Permanently we have to keep this victory. I don't have any doubts that hereafter DMK is permanently going to be the ruling government in Tamil Nadu," he said. The Tamil Nadu CM said that this Parliamentary election victory would be the base for a 100 per cent win in the next State assembly election. "Spread awareness about our ideology among youngsters. Create awareness about our government's achievements among people. These are very important as General Election is nearing. We have to win all 40 constituencies and should play an important role in national politics. No one should be careless about this in any way. This Parliament election victory would be the base for a 100 per cent win in the next State assembly election," said the DMK chief. Accusing the BJP of trying to do politics by instigating the religious and spiritual sentiments of the people, he said since the people of Tamil Nadu never mixed politics and spiritualism, the BJP is now breathless in the state. "Don't forget that the BJP will go to any extent to win the Parliamentary election. BJP doesn't have anything to list out their achievements. So they are defaming our party. The BJP is trying to play politics with religion and spiritualism. But in Tamil Nadu BJP is struggling to breathe as Tamil People never mix politics and spiritualism," he said. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said that the BJP using AIADMK and creating inter-party issues for them. "After Jayalalithaa's demise without a strong leader AIADMK is so weak and they are now split into four teams. AIADMK doesn't have any ideology other than being against DMK. That's why today they seem very weak," the DMK chief said. He asked the DMK leaders and workers to be ready to face BJP and AIADMK lies. "We have to be ready to face BJP and AIADMK lies. Start working on both committees from now for the Parliament election. Finish this work within the next two months," he added. Stalin was elected as DMK President for the second time unopposed. Similarly, Duraimurugan as DMK General Secretary and TR Balu as DMK Treasurer were also elected again unopposed. DMK MP Kanimozli was nominated for the post of DMK Deputy general secretary which was vacant since last month. (ANI)
Congress Presidential candidate and MP Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday claimed that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is "scared" of Rahul Gandhi's "rising popularity" due to Bharat Jodo Yatra. "Many people are associating themselves with Rahul Gandhi. BJP is scared after seeing Bharat Jodo Yatra. As Rahul Gandhi's popularity is increasing, these people's (popularity) is reducing," Kharge said. Earlier today, Kharge had said that he is fighting the Congress Presidential polls because the condition in the country is very "bad" and he wants to "fight" them. "I want to fight because the condition in the country is bad. Modi and Shah are doing politics where there is no place for Democracy. Agencies like CBI and ED are weakening. To fight them I need to have power. That is why, on the recommendation of delegations, I am fighting the polls," Kharge said. Shashi Tharoor and Mallikarjun Kharge are up against each other in the race for the post of Congress President. Digvijaya Singh pulled out from the race earlier 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 last date for withdrawal of nominations is October 8. Voting will take place on October 17 and the election results will be declared on October 19. The MP from Wayanad is currently leading Bharat Jodo Yatra- the 3,500-km march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, covering as many as 12 states. The Yatra started from Kanyakumari and will end in Kashmir the next year by covering 25 km every day. According to Congress, the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' is being held to combat the divisive politics of the BJP-led Centre and to awaken the people of the country to the dangers of economic inequalities, social polarisation and political centralisation. Notably, all the party MPs, leaders and workers along with Rahul Gandhi are staying in containers. Sleeping beds, toilets and ACs are also installed in some of the containers. The arrangements have been made keeping in view the intense heat and humidity with the change of places. The Congress suffered a debacle in the assembly polls held earlier this year and the Yatra is seen as an attempt to rally the party rank and file for the upcoming electoral battles. (ANI)
As a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Skill India Mission to boost career opportunities and practical training, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is organizing Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Melas (PMNAM) on October 10 at 280 locations across the country. According to the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, several local businesses have been invited to be part of the Mela to provide local youth with the opportunity to shape their careers through apprenticeship training. "Participating companies will have the chance to meet potential apprentices on a single platform and choose applicants on the spot. Apprenticeship Melas are held on the second Monday of each month to increase the employability of India's youth. Following the completion of the programmes, the company which is providing the training is likely to hire the student as an employee, the ministry said. The participants can register for the Mela by visiting https://www.apprenticeshipindia.gov.in/ and to find the Mela's nearest location. To be eligible to apply, the students must have a 5th-12th grade pass certificate, a skill training certificate, an ITI Diploma, or a graduate degree to participate. Those who have already enrolled have been requested to reach the venue with all the relevant documents. Expressing his views on the Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Mela, Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said, "Apprenticeship training facilitates 'learning by earning' and 'learning by doing', combining formal education with hands-on experience and improving links between industry and training institutions. Moreover, the Apprenticeship Melas have a significant impact on the expanding numbers of apprenticeships and their successful execution across the country." He also said that upgrading the Apprenticeship Act 1961 not only ensured that the programmes provide additional job opportunities for talented individuals, but also there is a smooth transition from school to work life for young adults, who join the workforce. Apprenticeship Melas will be hosted in the country every month, wherein selected individuals will receive a monthly stipend in accordance with government criteria for gaining new skills. Apprenticeship is considered the most sustainable model of skill development, and it has been getting a big boost under Skill India Mission. More than 22 plus lakhs active apprentices have been engaged till date. The government is striving to train 1 million youth per annum through apprenticeship training and to fulfill this mission, PMNAM is being used as a platform to increase the participation of establishments and students. It is also providing awareness to the youth on various opportunities existing across the participating companies. (ANI)
A cattle smuggler was killed in an encounter with Border Security Force (BSF) near the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal's Nadia on Saturday night. According to BSF, the incident took place in the area of Border Out Post Bishnupur on Saturday at midnight when BSF troops noticed 15-20 cattle smugglers coming towards them from the Bangladesh side. Another group of smugglers from the Indian side was helping them to cross the cattle. To move the smugglers away from the area, the jawans also fired in the air. After coming closer, when the troops challenged them, instead of going back, the smugglers surrounded the troops and attacked them using sharp-edged weapons and sticks. In retaliation, the jawans fired aerial shots but the smugglers still did not leave the area and kept on attacking. Eventually, sensing the imminent threat to their lives, a jawan fired one more round to save his colleague that hit the smuggler, said BSF. After this, BSF said the remaining smugglers fled from the spot towards Bangladesh, leaving their companion in an injured condition. The jawans also seized a buffalo from the spot. The smuggler, who was injured due to the fire of jawan, succumbed to his injuries shortly after. The body of the smuggler and confiscated buffalo were handed over to Krishnaganj police station for further legal action. BSF said smugglers often do deadly attacks on troops. The Spokesperson of the South Bengal Frontier stated that when smugglers do not get success in their wrong intention, they attack the jawans, due to which jawans have been seriously injured many times. Jawans take stringent measures to protect themselves and government property as well as to prevent smuggling, as a result of which smugglers have to face dire consequences. (ANI)
The Centre has made efforts in the last 8 years to bring peace and enhance connectivity in North East, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday while presiding over the 70th Plenary Meeting of the North Eastern Council in Guwahati. He said, "The Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made many efforts in the last 8 years to bring peace to the North East, for enhancing connectivity and giving priority to the development of the region." Shah also said that financial discipline by the northeastern states is necessary to make India the second largest economy in the world. The Home Minister pointed out three major roadblocks to the development of Noth East. "There have been three major roadblocks to the development of the North East for decades - violence by extremist groups, lack of rail, road and air connectivity and lack of thrust on development of the Northeast by previous governments," Shah said. "Everyone in the country considers the languages, cultures, cuisines and costumes of the North East as its heritage and the Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is striving to preserve and promote the identity of this region," Shah further said. The Home Minister further claimed that after finding the root cause of all the problems of the North East, the Government of India has made many efforts to solve them. "The Indian economy is currently ranked fifth in the world and financial discipline by the Northeastern states is necessary to contribute to making it second in the world," Shah said at the meeting. He also urged the Chief Ministers of North Eastern States to make full use of NESAC for flood control, irrigation, tourism, afforestation and agriculture and to appoint a nodal officer for NESAC in their States for its maximum and better utilization The Home Minister said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to important campaigns like flood-free and drug-free North East. "The Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes that all-round development of the country is possible by taking all the languages of India together and a provision has been made in the new National Education Policy that primary education should only be in the mother tongue," Shah said. "Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is giving priority to natural agriculture and digital agriculture and for certification of natural products, the process to form a Multi-State cooperative society by merging Amul and 5 other cooperative societies have been started," Shah further said. He claimed that more than 500 laboratories have been made across the country to certify the quality of soil and natural products. "The process of forming a multi-state cooperative society by merging Amul and five other cooperatives for certification of natural products has also started. After certification of these products, this cooperative society will also ensure their export, so that the profit will go directly to the bank accounts of the farmers," Shah said Highlighting the importance of natural farming and digital farming Shah said that natural farming and digital farming are a matter of priority for the government of India. "I would like to request to keep the North Eastern States free from the use of single-use plastic for environmental protection. The Purpose of hydropower plants is not only to generate energy but can also be used in flood prevention. Besides the ideal use of 271 wetlands, it can also help in preventing floods," Shah said at the meeting. (ANI)
Jammu and Kashmir government is working on a multipronged strategy for the revival and holistic development of the Sericulture sector across Jammu and Kashmir. According to an official release, the futuristic roadmap for holistic growth of agriculture and allied sectors will help in ensuring product quality as well as quantity with a boost in global demand. "Jammu and Kashmir government is working on area expansion under mulberry plantations to increase leaf availability for rearers. The Forest Department and Sericulture Department are working jointly for achieving Jammu and Kashmir's green mission and creating avenues of market infrastructures to provide a platform and facilitate the cocoon growers in selling their produce in their vicinity," the statement reads. Recently at an event, Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha urged all those who are associated with silk industry to come out of the past and look for the future. "Our prime objective is to make the lives of farmers associated with this dream fabric better and to ensure uniqueness, beauty and ingenuity, which are the hallmark of J&K's crafts, dominate the global market," the LG said. Sinha said that under the guidance of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, the Government endeavours to provide training, technology inputs, IT tools and other infrastructure support required for the transformation of sericulture. The Government is taking various measures for making this sector viable. There is a need to safeguard skills handed down from generation to generation and make this sector financially more attractive. It further said that the Government is giving importance to the adoption of the latest technological advancements in silk to reduce the dependence on imported silk. "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 Kashmir's Pampore," it said. To cater to the research, training and extension needs of Jammu and Kashmir, Central Silk Board (CSB) has set up the Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute (CSR&TI) at Pampore, to revive earlier activities of the CSB in Jammu and Kashmir. The institute is actively involved in Research & Development and human resource development through its network of two Regional Sericulture Research Stations (RSRS) and 8 Research Extension Centers, of which one RSRS at Jammu, two RECs at Barnoti and Lamberi are functioning. Besides, P4 Basic Seed Farm (BSF) Manasbal in Jammu and Kashmir is catering to R&D and extension needs. High-yielding silkworm hybrids like Dun 17 x Dun 18, Dun 6 x Dun22, SH6 x NB4D2, SOH1 and improved mulberry varieties like S140, S146 and PPR1 have been developed by CSR&TI, Pampore to increase the farmers' income through sericulture. CSB is promoting a bivoltine production program by extending technical support through 6 clusters (including 2 mega clusters), besides extending the state of the art of soil testing facilities. Due to the continuous efforts of the Institute and technology intervention, the average yield of bivoltine cocoons has been enhanced significantly. Notably, the Silk Samagra Yojana launched in 2017-18 under the guidance of the PM has proved to be a game-changer in making sericulture sustainable by supporting the country's as well as Jammu and Kashmir's silk industry in an integrated manner. Jammu and Kashmir administration has increased the revolving fund from Rs 70 lakh to Rs 3.50 crore. In Silk Samagra Phase-I, about 900 silkworm rearers directly benefited and about 618 rearing houses were also established. Central Silk Board has allocated Rs 35 crore for Jammu and Kashmir under Silk Samagra Phase-II benefitting around 27,000 families involved in sericulture across the Union Territory. (ANI)
People's Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not appointing someone from Jammu as the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory and asked if no one from the region deserved to hold this post. Mufti also reminded BJP that they promised to make a Chief Minister from Jammu. "They said to the people of Jammu that they will make a Chief Minister from Jammu. BJP could at least have made a Lieutenant Governor from Jammu but instead, they made a person from Uttar Pradesh as the LG of J-K. Didn't anyone from Jammu deserve to be the LG?" asked PDP Chief while addressing the one-day convention at Jammu. On October 5, former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti claimed that she was under house arrest and was prevented from attending a wedding in Pattan town in the Baramulla district when Union home Minister was on a 3-day visit to the UT. "While HM is going around Kashmir beating drums of normalcy, I am under house arrest for simply wanting to visit Pattan for a worker's wedding. If an ex-CM's fundamental rights can be suspended so easily, one can't even imagine the plight of a commoner," Mufti wrote on Twitter. Srinagar Police, however, refuted the allegations and said that they have not placed any restrictions and she is free to travel. Earlier on October 4, Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Jammu. While addressing the public, Shah responded to the demands that the Centre should talk to Pakistan, Shah said that he would prefer to talk to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir rather than talking to the neighbouring country. Shah said that the "Peoples' Alliance for Gupkar Declaration model" (PAGD) had presented the youth of the region with stones, closed colleges and machine guns in their hands, whereas Prime Minister Narendra Modi's model has brought them education. The Union Home Minister offered prayers at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra. Meanwhile, Shah met people from different communities including Gujjar-Bakarwal, Rajput, Pahari, and Jammu Sikh community. He also held a meeting with senior officials to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir the following day. This is the second visit by Amit Shah to Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 by the Modi government in August 2019. (ANI)
A new auditorium was unveiled in the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research at Hindu College in the national capital, according to an official statement on Sunday. Acting as a feather in the cap of the college at the University of Delhi, the auditorium, named as Sushila Devi Auditorium gifted by the Ratanlal Foundation, has a capacity of 250, which is located on the third floor of the research centre. Chief Secretary of Delhi, Naresh Kumar, who was present on the occasion, lauded the contribution of the college in nation-building and expressed hope that the college would use the auditorium's infrastructure for the betterment of students. "Hindu College has contributed to the nation and beyond, through its everlasting efforts to society and nation-building," he said. He lauded the alumnus of Hindu College Ajay K Gupta as a noble soul for gifting the auditorium to the college. "CMD of Tradex group Ajay K Gupta congratulated the College on the opening of the new auditorium. He commended the college Principal and teachers for their efforts toward holistic growth in all ways, including that of resources, exposure, and social empowerment," said a release by the college. Prof Anju Srivastava, during the dedication ceremony of the auditorium, laid down the features offered by the auditorium and said that the features would make academic activities like lectures and classes more interactive among the students and professors. "Prof Anju Srivastava emphasized the savvy features offered by the auditorium such as the wide fan layout which amplifies the optimization of space and lighting to increase connectivity between the audience and speakers. All of these would make academic activities like lectures and classes more interactive and effective among the students and professors," said the release. Former Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Vinod Rai extended his gratitude to all the members of the Hindu college. "Sushila Devi, bringing up her children, did a remarkable job of contributing her efforts to other children of the country, he asserted. This kind of infrastructure which we see here is a requisite in every auditorium," he said. Judge of Delhi High Court, Justice Manmohan said, "Society has to learn the art of giving. In India, this concept has not gone on, but Ajay K Gupta has done this with a large heart". (ANI)
"Che Guvera sacrificed his life to fight against imperialism and build a new era of socialism on the foundation of social justice and equality. He had an unwavering love of humanity and an unbreakable revolutionary spirit. My salutes to #Che Guvera on this day of his martyrdom," he tweeted.

The Kerala Chief Minister, currently on official tour of Europe, also stated that the revolutionary and iconic Marxist leader was a universal symbol of struggle against exploitation and oppression.

The CPI-M's Kerala unit, in a tweet, said: "Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, known to the masses simply as Che Guevara was brutally murdered by CIA- backed Bolivian armed forces on October 9, 1967."

" Red Salute to the master of guerilla warfare, military theorist, incomparable leader, fearless soldier, and a staunch Marxist."

The iconic revolutionary has a lot of followers in Kerala and in almost all campuses of Kerala, the SFI has painted the walls with Che's image.

--IANS aal/vd

( 190 Words)

2022-10-09-20:58:03 (IANS)
Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan announced to launch of 'jail bharo tehreek' (fill the prison movement) against the ruling coalition of Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Addressing a public gathering in Mianwali on Saturday, he warned the federal government against threatening the PTI supporters of detention, reported The Frontier Post. Noting that he would sacrifice his life for 'real freedom' of the country, Imran Khan said, "We are not scared of getting arrested as I would soon announce a Jail Bharo Tehreek (prison movement)," adding that millions of people are ready to fill your jails. Speaking of the much-awaited long march, Imran Khan said that his party has far better plans than the government for the protest, reported The Frontier Post. "All plans of the 'imported' government against PTI would fail and they would be forced to announce elections," he claimed. He urged the people of Mianwali to prepare for the final call, saying that no nation can prosper without absolute independence, reported The Frontier Post. The former prime minister noted that it was good to hear that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an investigation into an alleged cypher, which according to him, led to his government ouster. 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. 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. Khan further said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was calling for an inquiry into cypher for the past six months, adding that they even forwarded the letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) for investigation, reported The Frontier Post. 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. Based on then-envoy Asad Majeed's meeting with State Department official Donald Lu, the cypher has been at the centre of PTI's claim that the US conspired with elements within Pakistan to dislodge Imran from office. Imran Khan pointed out his government's performance, saying that the country's economy was recovering during PTI's tenure. "The economic survey pointed out that country's economy was recovering for the first time in 17 years," he added. The PTI chief added that PML-N vice-president Maryam Nawaz before leaving for London held a press conference and blamed him for the case against her, reported The Frontier Post. "I urge you to speak the truth. I did not file a case against you. The case was registered in light of Panama papers," he added. (ANI)
Senior Official of Parliament told ANI on the condition of anonymity that a Parliamentary delegation led by Deputy Chairman Rajya Sabha will depart today for Kigali Capital of Rwanda to participate in the 145th Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to be held from 11-15 October.

"12 Member delegation including Deputy Chairman Rajya Sabha Harivansh, Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma, Secretary General Rajya Sabha P C Mody, Lok Sabha MP Diya Kumari, Vishnu Dayal Ram and other MPs and officials of Parliament will attend IPU assembly," an official of Parliament told ANI

Sources from Parliament further told ANI that this year, issues such as gender sensitive-parliament, women empowerment, food security and climate change, cyber security, migration of persons due to war, achieving stainable development goal (SDG), response to growing hunger and famine will be discussed during 5 days Assembly at Kigali Rwanda.

"Under Harivansh's leadership, the Indian delegation shall present and defend views and efforts made by India on these matters," sources said

Inter-Parliamentary Union is an association of all the Parliament of the world in which contemporary issues facing humanity are discussed and future road maps are decided.

Earlier, Harivansh went to Jakarta along with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to attend the 8th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit.

At the summit, Harivansh spoke on 'Social Inclusion, Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment at the G20 Parliamentary Speaker's meeting on Friday in the Jarkarta Capital of Indonesia.

In Jakarta, Deputy Rajya Sabha Chairman met his South Korean counterpart Kim Young Joo and emphasized the importance of the overall relationship between India and the Republic of Korea. (ANI)
Iran's security forces on Saturday intensified their crackdown over anti-government protests resulting in the death of two persons. In Sanandaj, security forces shot and killed a driver in his car, while in one of the schools in Saqqez, two teachers were injured, according to the Iranian human rights group Hengaw. Another protester was shot in the abdomen by IRGC security forces and died, Hengaw said. "Students in the schools in Sanandaj and Saqqez started the protests. Then, government forces started an attack on one of the schools in Saqqez," Azhin Sheikhi, from Hengaw told CNN. Iran's security forces shot at protesters and used tear gas in the Kurdish cities of Sanandaj and Saqez in fresh protests as weeks of nationwide demonstrations gathered momentum. Widespread strikes are taking place in Saqez, Diwandareh, Mahabad, and Sanandaj, said Hengaw. The Norway-registered Hengaw human rights organization has been monitoring human rights violations in Iran's Kurdish region, where the protests began three weeks ago, following the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurdish woman, while in the custody of the morality police. Saqez is also her hometown. Meanwhile, protests also continued in other locations across the country on Saturday including Tehran, Karaj, Esfahan, Shiraz, Kerman, Mashhad, Tabriz and Rasht, reported CNN. Speaking at Alzahra University, an all-girls institution in Tehran, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi commented on the latest riots across the country. "The enemy thought that they could follow their desires inside the university, unaware that our students and professors were awake and would not allow the enemy's false dreams to come true," Raisi said according to a statement issued by his office. Social media video showed protests at the same university with women chanting "Death to the oppressor, whether it be the Shah or the Supreme Leader." It was unclear if the protest took place while the president was at the university, reported CNN. Video provided to US-funded Radio Farda also showed riot police beating up a young woman in Tehran. Total death toll figures since protests kicked off vary from government, opposition groups, international rights organizations and local journalists. An Iran-focused human rights group based in Norway, IranHR, tallied the number of deaths since the protests started across Iran at 154. Human Rights Watch said as of September 31, Iranian state-affiliated media placed the number of deaths at 60. (ANI)
China's Zero-Covid policy and its sporadic lockdowns are pushing multinational firms from its lands to different countries, a media report said citing the report of the European Union Chamber of Commerce. Recently, in September, the EU Chamber of Commerce released a report that China had become less predictable, less reliable, and less efficient, resulting in several multinational firms considering shifting their operations out of China to other markets, Financial Post reported. According to a European Chamber of Commerce survey, 50 per cent of western firms reported that business in China had become more politicised in 2021 than it was in earlier years. "Increasing number of European businesses are putting China investments on hold and re-evaluating their positions in the market as they wait to see how long this uncertainty will continue, and many are looking towards other destinations for future projects," Vice President of the European Chamber Bettina Schoen-Behanzin was quoted by Financial Times as saying. In 2022, the shift of multinational companies from China shows that there is a decline in trust, according to Financial Post. On October 3, American tech giant Google (local time) announced that it was shutting down the Google Translate service in mainland China, citing low usage in the country, as per reports. "We are discontinuing Google Translate in mainland China due to low usage," Google said in a statement cited by The Hill. Earlier, several media reports said that the Hong Kong version of the translation service is not accessible in the area without a virtual private network. With this Google's announcement, the American tech giant was also added to the list of other companies that left China. Amazon, LinkedIn, Yahoo, and Microsoft are some of the companies that pulled out their operation in China. Amazon launched Kindle, an e-readers app with much fanfare in China in 2013. Stacked with millions of e-books of all interests, Kindle soon became a fad among Chinese nationals, reported Financial Post. By 2019, it occupied 65 per cent of China's booming e-book market. According to ABCNews, over 506 million Chinese users were reported to have accessed Kindle in 2021. Despite this, in June 2022, Amazon announced shutting down its e-bookstore in China next year. Similarly, LinkedIn, a social network of America's multinational technology company, Microsoft, announced shutting down its social network in October 2021, stating that complying with the Chinese state was becoming more challenging for it. All the listed companies have left China with no promise of coming back to the country in the foreseeable future, according to the Financial Post. (ANI)
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Saturday warned of 2.7 million malaria cases in flood-hit Pakistan in 32 districts by January 2023. The organization urged international community "do a lot more" for flood-hit Pakistan. Cholera, measles and dengue outbreaks are among other diseases, reported Geo News. Declaring Pakistan floods as Grade 3 Emergency, WHO expressed its concern over the second wave of disease outbreaks grasping the flood-stricken areas of Pakistan, The News reported. WHO's representative in Pakistan Dr Palitha Mahipala said that they were expecting 2.7 million malaria cases in 32 districts by January 2023. Speaking about malaria, Dr Mahipala said 32 districts of Sindh and Balochistan were "worst-affected" due to malaria where thousands of cases were daily being reported and added that they were fearing 2 million malaria cases by December and around 2.7 million cases by the end of January 2023 from these districts, reported Geo News. "In order to prevent mortality due to malaria, WHO is providing rapid diagnostic kits and anti-malarial medicines worth USD 2.5 million while technical support is also being provided to the federal and provincial governments to deal with malaria outbreaks. As larvicidal preventive measures are not possible in flood-affected areas, prophylactic treatment and post-exposure treatments are being arranged to treat malaria patients", he maintained. "As (WHO) director general had warned earlier, the second disaster in the shape of outbreaks of water and vector-borne diseases has begun in the flood-hit areas of Pakistan," said Dr Mahipala. He said that there are outbreaks of Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) in 46 flood-affected districts while malaria outbreaks are being reported in 32 districts, reported Geo News. Moreover, cholera, measles and dengue outbreaks are among the other diseases which can lead to great loss if not paid immediate attention, he told reporters at a briefing at WHO Country Office in Islamabad, reported Geo News. Terming the approaching winter as the third major challenge in the flood-affected areas, Dr Mahipala said the combination of water and vector-borne diseases and harsh winters could become extremely lethal for the millions of flood-affected people who are living along hundreds of kilometres of roads in Sindh and Balochistan. He maintained that WHO has declared the Pakistan floods as a Grade 3 Emergency, the highest level, which means all three levels of the organisation -- the country and regional offices, as well as headquarters -- are involved in the response. He added that WHO has appealed for USD 81.5 million to deal with disease outbreaks and to provide basic health services to the people at risk, reported Geo News. Acknowledging the outbreaks of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases including cholera and typhoid in the flood-affected areas, the representative said malnutrition was another serious challenge for the health authorities as mal-nourished children could become easy prey to infectious diseases and added that special campaigns were being launched to vaccinate as many children as possible in the affected districts, reported Geo News. Responding to a query regarding the provision of clean drinking water to the affected people, he said WHO had provided 4 million aqua tablets that can make water germ free and suitable for drinking while they have established two filtrations in Sindh, adding that they would provide 1000 small filtration plants in the flood affected areas, of which 100 would be procured and installed very soon. He further informed that WHO has started working on the renovation of 78 health facilities in the flood-affected areas, adding that WHO has pledged to renovate 200 of the most damaged health facilities in the flood-affected areas, reported Geo News. (ANI)
A cleric of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) has asked his followers to attack Ahmadi pregnant women to "make sure that no new Ahmadis are born". A video has emerged on social media showing a speech by TLP cleric Muhammad Naeem Chattha Qadri calling on his supporters to carry out attacks against pregnant Ahmadi women to "make sure that no new Ahmadis are born." He insisted that "there is but one punishment for blasphemers, decapitation." The preacher said should the attacks not be successful, "those babies who are being born should be killed," according to a report in Bitter Winter, a magazine on religious liberty and human rights. Writing in the magazine, Massimo Introvigne, an Italian sociologist of religions, said the TLP is notorious for its attacks against religious minorities, including Christians and Ahmadis. According to the report, Qadri also warned police against attempting to interfere with TLP's religious cleansing of the Ahmadis. "Those of you who are from the police, or if there is any DPO (District Police Officer) or DC (Deputy Commissioner) or SHO (Police Station house officer) must understand that we cannot be stopped." On August 12, Naseer Ahmad, a 62-year-old Ahmadi father of 3, was stabbed to death at the main bus stop in Rabwah, a city with an Ahmadi majority, by a TLP activist who went there to "create an incident" with the Ahmadis, reported Introvigne. The TLP has also targeted Pakistani Sunni Muslim politicians accused of being "soft on the Ahmadis." The Ahmadis are a persecuted religious minority in Pakistan through specific laws that make them second-class citizens. They are also reportedly prevented from voting and holding office. Their right to propagate and practice their religion is legally denied. Ahmadis are routinely prosecuted for blasphemy, which carries extremely harsh punishment including the death penalty. Many Ahmadis have been falsely accused of blasphemy and executed, reported Al Arabiya Post. (ANI)
Iran's state-run television was hacked by protesters on Saturday during a live broadcast, disrupting coverage to display an anti-government message amid ongoing unrest across the country. Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that the 9 p.m. newscast by the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN) under Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) was hacked for a few moments by anti-revolutionary elements, reported CNN. According to the pro-reform IranWire outlet, which shared a clip of the incident that took place when Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was attending a meeting in the southern city of Bushehr. The now viral clip of the incident shows IRIB/IRINN services was interrupted with a video of a cartoon mask with a beard and heavy brows against a black backdrop, reported CNN. The video of the mask was followed by a screen showing a photo of Khamenei with a target superimposed on his face alongside photos of Nika Shahkarami, Hadis Najafi, Mahsa Amini, and Sarina Esmailzadeh - all young women who have died in Iran in the last month. Amini, 22, died after being detained by the morality police. The other three, two of them just teenagers, died in the protest movement that has erupted since Amini's death. Alongside the photos on the screen was a message that read, "Join us and rise up" and "The blood of our youth is dripping from your grip," along with the social media handles for the hacker group Edaalat-e Ali, which translates to Ali's Justice, reported CNN. The image remained on screen for several seconds. Edaalat-e Ali appeared to take credit for the hacking, posting the clip on their social media account saying, "On the request of people, we fulfilled our promise and did the unthinkable to free Iran," reported CNN. Nationwide protests have gripped Iran for weeks following the death of Amini after she was taken into custody by the government's morality police for apparently not wearing her hijab properly. Her death has sparked violent clashes between demonstrators and authorities, reportedly leaving scores dead. Total death toll figures since protests kicked off vary from government, opposition groups, international rights organizations and local journalists. An Iran-focused human rights group based in Norway, IranHR, tallied the number of deaths since the protests started across Iran at 154. Human Rights Watch said as of September 31, Iranian state-affiliated media placed the number of deaths at 60. (ANI)
At least four people were injured after unidentified motorcyclists hurled a hand grenade on the Sariab Road of Pakistan's Quetta at a security check post on Saturday night, a local media report said. The police official said that four civilians, who were walking on the side of the road when the attack took place, were injured and two of them were taken to the hospital, Dawn reported. "We have received four injured in the trauma centre," said Dr Wasim Baig, a hospital doctor. Security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation and took some suspects for interrogation. No organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack, reported Dawn. Earlier, on October 7, three people were injured after unidentified attackers hurled a hand grenade in the Hayatabad suburb of Pakistan. The incident took place in Phase-1, Hayatabad where unidentified attackers threw a grenade into a house and the subsequent explosion wounded three people who were later rushed to a nearby hospital, Dawn reported. Hayatabad, where the explosion took place is a suburb on the western outskirts of Peshawar, the capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. According to Dawn, a house in the same township had been attacked with a grenade a few days ago, injuring one person. Meanwhile, one person was injured in a cylinder blast in the Industrial Estate of Hayatabad Friday evening. The highest number of terror incidents in Pakistan this year was recorded in September, said an Islamabad-based think tank, as it pointed to the resumption of attacks by the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The number of terror attacks increased in September compared to August this year, the Dawn newspaper reported citing the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS). September witnessed 42 militant attacks with an increase of 35 per cent compared to August. The Pakistani think tank also observed an increase of 106 per cent in violence in erstwhile FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). In August this year, the think tank said the militants carried out 31 attacks across Pakistan, where 37 people were killed and 55 others injured. "Peace negotiations with the TTP remained in limbo during the month but due to fear of target killing, the top leadership of the group, including its head Mufti Noor Wali, went into hiding. A series of target killing incidents happened in August in which some senior TTP commanders were killed in Afghanistan," PICSS was quoted as saying by Dawn. Global security agencies say there's a high threat of terrorism and sectarian violence throughout the country. (ANI)
Baloch National Movement Germany has organised a protest in Germany against the enforced disappearances of Baloch people by the Pakistan Army including the recently abducted Faheem Baloch. The protest was held on October 8 in Berlin. Asghar Ali, the President of the BNM Germany Chapter while speaking to the participants said that in the last two decades Pakistan Army and other law enforcement agencies abducted thousands of Baloch political and social activists. "We are facing atrocities at the hand of Pakistan. The families of the Baloch missing persons have been protesting for the release of their loved one but Pakistani forces even has snatched the even right of demonstration," he said. He added that the arrest of three-year-old Mahroz Baloch by Sindh police is an indication of how Pakistan is treating Baloch. Meanwhile, human rights activists and various student bodies in Pakistan staged a protest and demanded the immediate release of all the missing persons including Faheem Baloch. On the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) organised a protest outside the press club, Dawn reported. The protesters held placards bearing pictures of several missing persons, the places they disappeared from and the dates of their disappearance. Meanwhile, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) member, Parveen Naz said that Faheem was part of their rights body and had been publishing the Sada-i-Balochistan magazine. According to several reports, innocent Baloch are killed in fake encounters and their mutilated bodies are found in remote places. An annual report of the Human Rights Council of Balochistan, which is an organisation that documents human rights violations in the province, has said that students remain the main target of these kidnappings both in Balochistan as well as in other regions of Pakistan. In July, Pakistani security forces forcibly abducted 45 persons including 10 students. Fifteen people were released later while the whereabouts of 35 people remain unknown. July witnessed an increase in the cases of killings as compared to the previous months. Human Rights Council of Balochistan documented 48 cases of killings, including five women while fourteen bodies remained unidentified. (ANI)
Dawn reported that the incident occurred on Sunday morning in the Diamer district of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir region.

Quoting a police sub-inspector at Special Branch Chilas, Taj Muhammad, the publication said that the roof of a house collapsed in the Bonar Das area of the city, burying the man's family members, including his wife, four daughters and four sons under rubble.

He said local volunteers rushed to the scene soon after they heard the noise of the roof caving in and tried to retrieve the people. After a two-hour rescue effort, they managed to recover the bodies one by one -- but dead.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the death of nine people in the incident.

"We share the grief of the bereaved family and extend our condolences to them," the premier said in a tweet. He also prayed for the departed souls, Dawn reported.

Meanwhile, a major fire broke out at the third floor of the Centaurus Mall in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Sunday. No casualties have been reported so far, as per local media.

However, Capital Development Authority (CDA) confirmed that the fire is under control. (ANI)
Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan, who is on his official visit to the United States interacted with the Indian community in Atlanta and invited them to attend the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas next year. "Happy to interact with the vibrant & dynamic Indian community in Atlanta. Glad to listen to their success stories and thanked them for being a vital bridge between India & USA. Appreciated their feedback. Invited them to attend 17th PBD in Indore from January 8-10, 2023," he tweeted. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on 9th January every year to mark the contribution of the Overseas Indian community to the development of India. January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate this occasion since it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa, led India's freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. Meanwhile, during the 5th-anniversary commemoration of the India-UN Development Partnership Fund in New York on October 8, Muraleedharan said that India has prioritised cooperation over conflict, coexistence over convictions, sharing over receiving and plurality over hegemony. "In the past five years, the fund and the footprint of its activities have grown by leaps and bounds. Today, India and the UN in their collective collaborative efforts through these funds are setting new benchmarks for South-South cooperation. India has prioritised cooperation over conflict, coexistence over convictions, sharing over receiving, plurality over hegemony," he said. He also said that fund reflects India's philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or The World is One Family. Muraleedharan is in the United States. At the UNSC debate over peace and security in Africa, MoS highlighted that a violence-free Africa is necessary to prevent external forces including terrorists exploiting the resource-rich region. Those "guilty of aiding and supporting terrorism" in different parts of Africa and simultaneously exploiting the resources must be held accountable by the international community, he added. (ANI)
A prominent mall in Islamabad which caught fire on Sunday was sealed off till further investigation on the structural capability of the building, district officials said. On Sunday, a major fire broke out on the third floor of Islamabad's Centaurus Mall. The fire was brought under control after two hours. "In the wake of recent fire incident and in exercise of powers conferred under Civil Defense Rules 1951 and other enabling provisions of law, the premises of Centaurus Mall, Islamabad is hereby sealed with immediate effect," the office of the district magistrate of Islamabad said in an order posted on Twitter. The order of the district magistrate said municipal authority in Islamabad is requested to constitute a committee to determine the structural capability of the building/tower. "Furthermore, Capital Development Authority is requested to constitute a committee to determine the structural capability of the building/tower. The shopping mall along with all residential towers will remain sealed till the report of the committee," the order added. The order requested Islamabad Police is requested to cordon off above mentioned area in order to ensure public safety till further orders. Earlier on Sunday, residential apartments in the building were evacuated and fire brigade staff were busy putting out the fire even as plumes of smoke rose from the building, according to Dawn. Video of the fires making round on the internet showed plumes of smoke coming out from the tower. In some videos, people could be seen trying to escape using the mall's escalators. Taking note of the incident, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had ordered relevant institutions and authorities to take immediate action. "It is very unfortunate that this incident happened in this well-known business centre. I pray that there is no loss of life. Condolences and sympathies for the financial losses of the victims," he tweeted in Urdu. (ANI)
Terrorists killed in a clash with Pakistani security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Swat district, were in contact with militants in Afghanistan, according to Pakistani media reports. Pakistani agencies revealed that terrorist Anis received special training for bomb manufacturing in Afghanistan's Kunar province, The Express Tribune reported on Sunday. Another terrorist Ali Syed, who was involved in the Swat attack, also went to the neighbouring country in 2018. The Pakistani daily said the country's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has the records of both terrorists travelling to Afghanistan. Anis, who also got trained at a camp in Mansehra, remained in contact with the TTP Swat commander after returning from the neighbouring and planned for terrorist activity in Swat, according to the Tribune report. This comes amid growing concerns over the resurgence of activities by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) across several provinces in Pakistan. Last week, the Pakistani senators from both the ruling party and the opposition raised issues about the heightened risk of terrorist attacks by the banned outfit. Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani said that a call had been made to take parliament on board regarding the situation of infiltration by the TTP in Pakistani regions, especially the ones near the border, the Dawn newspaper reported. "It is the right of the people to know under what conditions dialogue with the group was held and on which point it ended and what threats the country is facing that the ministry is forced to use the alert," he said. Earlier, other senators had also expressed concern over the increase in terrorist attacks. Pakistan's State Minister for Law Shahadat Hussain conceded that terror activities had witnessed a sharp increase, and stated that members of security forces were geared up to curb the menace. The highest number of terror incidents in Pakistan this year was recorded in September, said an Islamabad-based think tank pointed to the resumption of attacks by the outlawed TTP. The number of terror attacks increased in September compared to August this year, the Dawn newspaper reported citing the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS). September witnessed 42 militant attacks with an increase of 35 per cent compared to August. The Pakistani think tank also observed an increase of 106 per cent in violence in erstwhile Fata and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). In August this year, the think tank said the militants carried out 31 attacks across Pakistan, in which 37 people were killed and 55 others injured. (ANI)
Former President Donald Trump allegedly told his lawyers he was willing to return the classified materials found in his Mar-a-Lago residence for files he believed would expose the FBI's probe into his 2016 campaign's ties to Russia. As National Archives officials pushed for Trump to return the files he had taken with him to Florida, he floated the idea to his lawyers that they should cut a deal with the department, the Daily Mail of London and other media outlets reported quoting a New York Times dispatch. Trump didn't specify what files he wanted; he told his attorneys that there were documents that could "prove" the FBI's investigation was a "hoax". Trump's team, however, never acted on the idea because the government had a right to take back the documents Trump had brought with him to Mar-a-Lago. Gary Stern, the top lawyer for the National Archives, began demanding Trump return the classified files from Mar-a-Lago in a letter in 2021. "It is also our understanding that roughly two dozen boxes of original presidential records were kept in the residence of the White House over the course of President Trump's last year in office and have not been transferred to NARA, despite a determination by White House Counsel Pat Cipollone in the final days of the administration that they need to be," he wrote as per the Times report. Stern continued to hound Trump's team to return the documents throughout the year, and sources told the Times that Trump repeatedly claimed to his legal team that there was "nothing of consequence" inside the boxes, the Mail said. Alex Cannon, a Trump lawyer, was reportedly worried that the files Trump took might contain documents sought in the January 6 inquiry or be classified material, which Trump's team did not have the proper security clearances to look after. It was when Cannon began pushing for the boxes to be returned in late 2021 that Trump pitched his idea of trading the documents for materials in the Russia probe. The FBI raided Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate on August 8, retrieving 11,000 documents. Among the files taken were confidential records that Trump and his team did not have the clearance to hold or look over, the Mail said. The documents recovered required such a high level of clearance, FBI agents and even senior members of President Joe Biden's administration were not allowed to view them, according to an explosive report from The Washington Post. Cannon believed Trump had files sought after by the January 6 Senate Committee, and testified before the committee in June this year. The former President has long contended that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation over claims Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election was a hoax made up by the FBI. After a nearly two-year investigation, Attorney General William Barr announced that Mueller did not uncover any evidence that the Trump campaign conspired with Russians to influence the 2016 election. Though Mueller did not exonerate Trump on the question of whether or not he obstructed justice in the case, he didn't find enough evidence to recommend any such charges. Mueller deferred the decision to Barr who said he didn't see grounds for an obstruction case against the President. Barr said Mueller did refer some aspects of his investigation to other offices - likely including federal prosecutors for the Southern District of New York - but the Attorney General said that they had seen the last of the indictments from the special counsel. Mueller's investigation did result in indictments for 34 individuals - seven of whom have been convicted so far - including some senior members of the Trump campaign (although none of the charges involved a conspiracy between the campaign and Russians). However, in 2019, Mueller concluded that Trump and his campaign did not collude with Russians in order to improve his chances of beating Democrat Hilary Clinton, who faced scrutiny over her email servers. She was also cleared as having made a serious mistake by FBI Director James Comey but having transferred no classified documents on her private emails. Comey was subsequently fired by Trump for not halting the Russia investigations even as he said the President was not under investigation but he only cautioned against the Russians could leverage material against him. His deputy was also fired. The Deputy Attorney General resigned and Mueller also resigned after months of conflict with Trump over the issue. After fellow Trump lawyer Eric Herschman warned the former President that he could face legal troubles if he kept the documents, Trump reportedly went through the files in December. Although officials from the National Archives retrieved the boxes at Mar-a-Lago, they believed Trump was still in possession of more, the Mail said. Trump allegedly told Cannon to pass on a message to the officials that everything had been returned, but Cannon refused. --IANS ash/vd ( 824 Words) 2022-10-09-22:22:01 (IANS)
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  Six people were injured and one person was killed at a Tampa bar Sunday morning after a fight broke out at closing time, according to Tampas police chief.

Chief Mary OConnor said the shooting happened at around 3 a.m. at the LIT Cigar & Martini Lounge on North Franklin Street.

According to police, the shooting stemmed from a fight between two groups of people that spilled into the street.

OConnor said that based on information from witnesses, the suspect left the bar and got a gun before firing into the crowd. She said there could be another suspect in the case, although it is unknown if there were multiple gunmen.

The suspects clearly have a disregard for human life, she said during a Sunday morning press conference. They opened fire into a crowd of people that werent doing anything more than celebrating right out here on Franklin Street.

The one fatality was a California man who was visiting Tampa for a wedding. The other six victims, four men and two women, were taken to area hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.

Were currently working with witnesses to develop leads, OConnor said. We have not made any arrests as of yet, but again, we are working with an extreme sense of urgency on this.

Were not going to sleep until we have something concrete to put these violent criminals where they belong, she added.

OConnor said there is no public threat at this time.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Mass protests across Iran following a 22-year-old womans death while being held by the countrys morality police have killed at least 185 people, according to a human rights group.

Iran Human Rights said the deaths include at least 19 children, with the highest number occuring in the Sistan and Baluchistan province, which is located in Irans southeast.

The protests began after the death of Mahsa Amini, who died while in custody of Irans morality police allegedly for too loosely wearing her hijab. The country requires women to wear a headscarf that completely covers their hair in public.

Aminis family said she was severely beaten while in custody, although Iranian officials have said she died from a heart attack, sparking protests across the country for weeks that have involved some women burning their hijabs and publicly cutting their hair.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the founder of the Norway-based Iranian human rights group, called for the formation of a United Nations international mission to prosecute and hold accountable leaders who perpetrated the alleged deaths.

The group said protesters have been killed in 17 of Irans 31 provinces, with large numbers reported in the Mazandaran, Gilan and Western Azerbaijan provinces.

Iran Human Rights said the deaths were especially pronounced on Sept. 30, when people gathered in the city of Zehedan after Friday prayer to protest against the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl by a city police chief.

Other groups have reported the death count from that protest, dubbed Zahedans Bloody Friday, as high as 90.

Iran Human RIghts said four citizens were also shot and killed on Oct. 3 from a military helicopter in north Zahedan while driving in an open-roof car.

It is important to note that efforts to verify many of the reported deaths are hindered by security issues and the internet shutdown, the group said in its statement. As such, many of the reported killings are still under investigation and the exact number of those killed is higher.

Story continues

The protests seek to push back on what demonstrators see as the morality polices heavy-handed enforcement of Irans dress code and violent treatment of young women.

The morality police stepped up their enforcement under Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner who started in office last year after the departure of a more moderate, term-limited president who oversaw a more lax enforcement.

Afghanistan, under Taliban control, is the only other nation to actively enforce a similar law. Saudi Arabia and other countries have softened enforcement of dress restrictions in recent years.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Two people including a University of Georgia student are recovering after being shot early Saturday morning less than one mile from campus in Athens.

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

Police told Channel 2 Action News around 2:12 a.m. officers were on their way to respond to a fight when a person stopped them and stated a shooting had just happened near the 200 block of West Clayton Street.

When officers got to the scene they found two people with gunshot wounds, a 30 year old man and a 22 year old woman, who police said is a student at UGA.

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Both victims are expected to survive and witnesses were able to identify the suspect to police.

Corey Austin, 24, was arrested and charged in connection to the incident.

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Bad leadership, toxic social norms, and unclear job roles are driving toxic workplace cultures. Malte Mueller/Getty Images

About one in nine Americans think their workplace is toxic, according to MIT research.

Bad leadership, toxic social norms, and unclear job roles are driving toxic work cultures, per the research.

"It's really an epidemic of toxicity," Charlie Sull, a researcher on the study, told Insider.

Around 30 million, or one in nine, US workers experience their workplace as toxic, according to research conducted by MIT Sloan School of Management.

"It's really an epidemic of toxicity," Charlie Sull, one of the two researchers who conducted the study, told Insider. "This is something that affects tens of millions of people in America alone."

According to his research, three main factors can create these toxic cultures within organizations  bad leadership, toxic social norms, and poorly designed job roles.

To identify these key drivers of toxic workplace cultures, Charlie Sull, along with senior MIT lecturer Donald Sull, analyzed 1,000 previous studies and used data from more than four million employee Glassdoor reviews.

Charlie Sull spoke to Insider to break down how these three factors can manifest in a workplace.

Toxic social norms

Within a company, certain behavior can become normalized among employees.

A mild example of a toxic social norm, Sull said, is a workplace where employees don't care about getting to meetings on time.

"If everyone in the organization is disrespectful of people's time and no one cares about being on time. That's unhealthy and a social norm that can contribute to toxicity," Sull said.

"A downright toxic norm," he said, "is, for example, employees thinking it is ok to shout if they disagree with something."

Workplace social norms are often established and maintained by leaders or managers.

But Sull added that his research indicated some workplace social norms can take on a life of their own, independent from the leader who started them.

"Social norms can persist even if the leaders who originally started them are long gone," he said.

Story continues

"We've seen cases where a toxic culture was created 10 or 15 years ago and that generation of leaders has since departed but nevertheless, the social norms that they helped start have persisted."

Toxic leadership

Senior leadership may set the rules for the rest of the organization, but Sull's research found that middle management also has a part to play in creating workplace culture.

"If you have leaders at either one of these two levels exhibiting unhealthy social norms, such as disrespectful or abusive norms, favoritism, or racial and gender inequity, this is going to have a very negative impact on your culture," he said.

In large organizations, toxic cultures often exist in sub-cultures. These pockets of toxicity can be created by abusive managers who encourage unhealthy social norms within smaller teams, according to Sull's previous research.

"The top team doesn't necessarily have to be toxic," Sull said. "They can foster a toxic culture by apathy or ignorance or incompetence."

Poorly designed jobs

When an employee's job role is badly designed it can lead to excessive workloads. This results in uncertainty and an abundance of busy work.

When job roles aren't well defined, employees can end up confused about what responsibilities and tasks their jobs include or who their manager is. This can be stressful for workers and lead to burnout.

"If your role is inherently ambiguous, that's another driver of the kind of work design that leads to toxicity," he said.

Employees need to feel empowered to manage their work for a healthy work culture to flourish, according to Sull.

"If employees are micromanaged and they don't have the autonomy to do their job, that can also lead to distress and toxicity," he said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO  SATURDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2022 21:27

In the city of Vasylivka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, about 6000 cars are waiting at the checkpoint to leave for the territory controlled by Ukraine; people are spending more than 10 days living in their cars.

Source: Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov, on air during the national joint 24/7 newscast

Quote: "As of this morning, there were 6000 cars in Vasylivka (this is the only city that connects the temporarily occupied territory to the territory controlled by the government of Ukraine [of Zaporizhzhia Oblast - ed.]).

The Russians are taunting our people, because this morning they let about 100 cars go through to the last checkpoint. People were crying with happiness that they might soon be in Zaporizhzhia [city], but right on the so-called plate, they turned them around and said that Saturday and Sunday are days off, and they continue to taunt our people."

Details: Fedorov added that people have been living in their cars for more than 10 days and cannot leave for Zaporizhzhia.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Viewing insider transactions for International Business Machines Corporation's (NYSE:IBM ) over the last year, we see that insiders were net sellers. This means that a larger number of shares were sold by insiders in relation to shares purchased.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

Check out our latest analysis for International Business Machines

International Business Machines Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the insider, Robert Del Bene, for US$222k worth of shares, at about US$139 per share. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. It's of some comfort that this sale was conducted at a price well above the current share price, which is US$119. So it is hard to draw any strong conclusion from it. The only individual insider seller over the last year was Robert Del Bene.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$135k for 1.08k shares. But they sold 1.60k shares for US$222k. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

I will like International Business Machines better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Insiders At International Business Machines Have Bought Stock Recently

Over the last quarter, International Business Machines insiders have spent a meaningful amount on shares. Specifically, Independent Director David Farr bought US$125k worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any sales whatsoever. This is a positive in our book as it implies some confidence.

Insider Ownership Of International Business Machines

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. International Business Machines insiders own about US$85m worth of shares. That equates to 0.08% of the company. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

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What Might The Insider Transactions At International Business Machines Tell Us?

It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchase. On the other hand the transaction history, over the last year, isn't so positive. The more recent transactions are a positive, but International Business Machines insiders haven't shown the sustained enthusiasm that we look for, although they do own a decent number of shares, overall. So they seem pretty well aligned, overall. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. To help with this, we've discovered 2 warning signs (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in International Business Machines.

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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JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African state utility Eskom said on Sunday it would resume rolling power cuts from Monday till Wednesday during night-time to attend to unplanned breakdowns and replenish generation capacity.

The beleaguered state utility, which is reliant on aging coal-fired power plants that frequently break down, has been implementing rolling blackouts in the country - locally called load-shedding - for more than a decade.

The crisis has worsened this year with the high cost of diesel and lack of its availability in the international market.

"To the extent possible, Eskom will endeavour to limit load-shedding to night-time to have minimal impact on the economy and population," the utility said in a statement, adding that it would implement around two hours of power cut from 1600 local time (GMT 1400) till midnight.

"The loadshedding will be used to replenish emergency generation reserves during the night to bolster generation capacity."

Till mid September, Eskom had already implemented more than 100 days of power cuts with several major cities seeing blackouts of more than six hours lately.

Frequent voltage surges on restoration of power have also led to a multitude of local faults in cables and transformers leaving some localities in the commercial capital Johannesburg without power for days.

Eskom currently has 5487 megawatts (MW) on planned maintenance, while another 14,061 MW of capacity was unavailable due to breakdowns, the company said.

It has around 45000 MW of installed capacity.

(Reporting by Promit Mukherjee;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
By Nick Carey

LONDON (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc said on Monday it will invest more than 1 billion euros ($974.8 million) over the next five years in electric vans, trucks and low-emission package hubs across Europe, accelerating its drive to achieve net-zero carbon.

The retailer said the investment was also aimed at spurring innovation across the transportation industry and encouraging more public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs).

The U.S. online retailer said the investment would help its electric van fleet in Europe more than triple from 3,000 vehicles to more than 10,000 by 2025.

The company did not say what percentage of its European last-mile delivery fleet is electric today, but said those 3,000 zero-emission vans delivered over 100 million packages in 2021.

Amazon said it also hopes to purchase more than 1,500 electric heavy goods vehicles - used for "middle-mile" shipments to package hubs - in the coming years.

Although a number of large logistics firms - including package delivery companies United Parcel Service Inc and FedEx Corp - have committed to buying large numbers of zero-emission electric vans and trucks, there are still not many available for purchase.

A number of startups are racing to bring electric vans or trucks to market and are facing increasing competition from legacy manufacturers like General Motors Co and Ford Motor Co.

Amazon's largest electric van order is for 100,000 vehicles from Rivian Automotive Inc through 2025.

The company said that alongside EVs, it will invest in thousands of chargers at facilities across Europe.

The retailer said it will also invest in doubling its European network of "micro-mobility" hubs from more than 20 cities today.

Amazon has used those centrally located hubs to run new delivery methods including electric cargo bikes or on-foot deliveries to cut emissions.

The company plans to achieve net-zero carbon by 2040.

($1 = 1.0259 euros)

(Reporting by Nick Carey in London; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Sheriff Robert Milby in his office in Lyons, N.Y., Sept. 15, 2022. (Lauren Petracca/The New York Times)

LYONS, N.Y.  Robert Milby, Wayne Countys new sheriff, has been in law enforcement most of his adult life, earning praise and promotions for conscientious service. But recently, Milby has attracted attention for a different approach to the law: ignoring it.

Milby is among at least a half-dozen sheriffs in upstate New York who have said they have no intention of aggressively enforcing gun regulations that state lawmakers passed last summer, forbidding concealed weapons in so-called sensitive areas  a long list of public spaces including, but not limited to, government buildings and religious centers, health facilities and homeless shelters, schools and subways, stadiums and state parks, and, of course, Times Square.

Its basically everywhere, said Milby, in a recent interview in his office in Wayne County, east of Rochester. If anyone thinks were going to go out and take a proactive stance against this, thats not going to happen.

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On Thursday, a U.S. District Court judge blocked large portions of the law, dealing a major blow to lawmakers in Albany who had sought to blaze a trail for other states after the Supreme Court in June struck down a century-old New York law that had strictly limited the carrying of weapons in public. Between the court challenge and the hostility of many law enforcement officers, New Yorks ambitious effort could be teetering.

The judge, Glenn T. Suddaby, agreed to a three-day delay of his order to allow an emergency appeal to a higher federal court. But even before Suddaby ruled, a collection of sheriffs from upstate New York were already saying they would make no special effort to enforce the law, citing lack of personnel, an overbroad scope and possible infringements on the Second Amendment.

Nationwide, conservative sheriffs have been at the front line of an aggressive pushback on liberal policies  often framing themselves as constitutional sheriffs, or as self-declared arbiters of any laws constitutionality. Sheriffs in other states have also been part of efforts to prove a fallacious conspiracy theory that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election.

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In New York, dissent has walked a fine line between loud complaints and winking resistance, including pledges of selective  and infrequent  enforcement.

I have to enforce it because I swore to uphold the laws, but I can use as much discretion as I want, said Richard C. Giardino, the Republican sheriff in Fulton County, northwest of Albany. If someone intentionally flouts the law, then theyre going to be handled one way. But if someone was unaware that the rules have changed, then were not going to charge someone with a felony because they went into their barbershop with their carry concealed.

Such criticism has been heard from Greene County, in the Hudson Valley, to Erie County, home to Buffalo, the states second-largest city, as well as from groups like the New York State Sheriffs Association, which called the new law a thoughtless, reactionary action that aims to restrain and punish law-abiding citizens.

We will take the complaint, but it will go to the bottom of my stack, said Mike Filicetti, the Niagara County sheriff, who appends a Ronald Reagan quote to his emails. There will be no arrests made without my authorization and its a very, very low priority for me.

The law took effect Sept. 1, and, at least anecdotally, has been used only sparingly since. Jeff Smith, the sheriff in mostly rural Montgomery County, west of Albany, said his office has had no calls for enforcement of the new law, noting that almost every household in his jurisdiction had some sort of gun.

Smith, a Republican, said he understands the motives of lawmakers to quell violence and mass shootings, but that the gun law inadvertently targeted lawful gun owners.

The pendulum swung way too far, he said.

An element of the New York law makes it a crime to carry a firearm onto any private property, including homes, unless there is clear and conspicuous signage indicating that the owner allows such weapons. Some sheriffs have printed their own signs and distributed them to gun-friendly businesses and residents.

I dont think you could find one case in this country, in United States history, where a sign said SCHOOL ZONE NO GUNS PERMITTED, and it stopped an active shooter, said Giardino.

For supporters of the law, the opposition is insincere, considering that sheriffs demands for law and order are often coupled with complaints that the state is in disarray, that crime is rampant and that the Legislature has empowered lawbreakers.

To turn around and say, For the laws that we dont like, or we may disagree with politically, we will refuse to enforce, to me is the height of hypocrisy, said state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, a Brooklyn Democrat who voted for the bill.

John Feinblatt, the president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said sheriffs werent just endangering the public, they were also endangering their colleagues in law enforcement.

Myrie added that if sheriffs are angry, they should direct their ire at the Supreme Court, noting that the majority decision in the case, New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, was written by Justice Clarence Thomas, an avowed conservative  and specifically noted a historical basis for restrictions in sensitive places.

Kelly Roskam, the director of law and policy at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, said that the Supreme Court left many unsettled questions that lower courts must address. One particular challenge is a lack of clarity in the courts test for constitutionality: whether a sensitive place is identical to or sufficiently similar to one that existed at the time of the Second Amendments adoption in the late 18th century.

We face different problems with firearms than those who ratified the Constitution did, she said. Youre likely to see challenges to these laws, and different judges will come to different conclusions.

The nation has a long history of banning guns in certain places, said David Pucino, the deputy chief counsel at Giffords Law Center, which seeks to stem gun violence, with dozens of states restricting concealed weapons in places like airports, courthouses and locations that serve alcohol.

The statements that weve been seeing here are ideological statements, Pucino said of the sheriffs. And thats not an appropriate basis for a sheriff to enforce or not enforce laws.

The dispute evinces a larger rift between Democratic lawmakers in Albany  heavily represented by downstate liberals  and more conservative law enforcement and elected officials upstate. The schism was intensified by the pandemic, with some sheriffs defying COVID-19 occupancy rules for Thanksgiving dinners in 2020, while other Republican county officials refused to abide by mask mandates in schools.

The people who are doing this, a lot of them are New York City legislators and they dont have a clue, said Todd Hood, the sheriff of Madison County, east of Syracuse, who says that firearms are what made our country great.

There are different people up here, said Hood, a Republican. Its run totally different.

Jeffrey A. Fagan, a law professor at Columbia University, said that Albany lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, performed a critical test of the Bruen decisions limits, even if the law is overturned.

What New York did in response to Bruen was just about as strong or any other state in the country, he said. The governor and the Legislature were sticking their chins out in service of making a very important point.

For her part, Hochul says she and her staff consulted with a raft of state and county law enforcement officials before the gun bills passage. It was an intense process, but it was necessary, Hochul said in late August, on the eve of the law taking effect.

The rollout was not without hiccups, including concerns from some military re-enactors who have canceled events out of fear of running afoul of the new law. Officials in Adirondack Park, the 6-million-acre swath of greenery and small towns in the states North Country, also pressed Hochul on whether guns would be allowed there.

For his part, Milby, a Republican elected in November, reiterated that his officers, fewer than 100 in a county of nearly 100,000 people, would not be actively pursuing offenders of the new law, although they would respond to calls about concealed weapons if they came in.

More than anything, he said his office is getting an awful lot of calls from residents confused by the law, many of whom are very pro-Second Amendment.

Its basically been clear as mud since Sept. 1, he said.

And as for who was to blame, Milby said the opinions in Wayne County were crystal clear long before Thursdays decision.

Theres a very strong sentiment in this county that the governor has just thumbed her nose at the Supreme Court, in whats being touted as an unconstitutional conniption fit, he said. Shes absolutely overstepped.

 2022 The New York Times Company
T.J. Miller shared an honest review of his "Deadpool" co-star Ryan Reynolds, stating he has no interest in working with the actor again.

In an interview on "The Adam Carolla Show," the 41-year-old actor explained, "I love him as a comedian, but I think after he got super, super famous from the first Deadpool, then he  yeah, things kinda changed."

Miller went on to say the two had a contentious moment on set, where Reynolds took riffing a little too far, and was seemingly disparaging of Miller. "We had a really weird moment  really weird moment on Deadpool, where he said Let's do one more take,'" Miller recounted.

Reynolds portrays the titular role, while Miller plays his side-kick Weasel. "And then as the character, he was, like, horrifically mean to me. But to me. As if  I'm Weasel," Miller said. "He was like, 'You know what's great about you, Weasel? You're not the star  but you do just enough exposition that it's funny, and then we can leave and get back to the real movie.'"

T.J. Miller, who appeared in the first two "Deadpool" movies, shared his opinions on Ryan Reynolds and his marriage to Blake Lively, and why he won't work with the actor again. Gotham/Slaven Vlasic

RYAN REYNOLDS HAS AN ADORABLE REACTION TO BLAKE LIVELY'S 2022 MET GALA LOOK

He said the moment on set was incredibly uncomfortable  not just for him but for the entire crew. "Everybody was like, Why is Ryan doing this?'" he told the media personality.

Miller said "No, I would not work with him again," when asked if collaborating with Reynolds in the future was a possibility, only for him to backtrack and say that he could change his mind as he has in the past with other collaborators.

The "Silicon Valley" actor went on to share his opinions of the Canadian actor, calling him "really nice" but also saying, "I think hes kinda an insecure dude."

Ryan Reynolds has been married to Blake LIvely for 10 years. The couple is expecting their fourth child together. Gotham/GC Images

BLAKE LIVELY SLAMS INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT AFTER IT SHARED 'DISTURBING' PHOTO OF HER AND RYAN REYNOLDS' DAUGHTERS

While he mentioned only meeting his co-stars equally famous other half once, Miller had something to note of Reynolds' relationship with wife Blake Lively.

"I think both of them, their public image is very well curated," he said of the pair, who have been married for 10 years and are expecting their fourth child together.

Story continues

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Ryan Reynolds is pictured alongside the cast of 'Deadpool,' Ed Skrein, Morena Baccarin, and T.J. Miller. Slaven Vlasic

I dont wish them any ill-will," he continued, "I just think he doesn't like me and I thought it was weird how he expressed that." Earlier in the interview, Miller went so far as to say "I think it's weird that he hates me."

A representative for both Reynolds and Lively did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Ryan Reynolds is pictured alongside the cast of 'Deadpool,' Ed Skrein, Morena Baccarin, and T.J. Miller. Slaven Vlasic

Miller, who has no plans to return for a third "Deadpool" installment, has had his fair share of controversies in the past. The actor was accused of sexual assault, which he adamantly denied.

He was also arrested in 2018 for calling in a fake bomb threat while riding an Amtrak train, but federal charges were dropped, per Deadline, due to previous brain surgery.
KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO  SUNDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2022, 16:55

Davyd Arakhamia, the chairman of the Sluha Narodu [Servant of the People] party and former chairman of the Ukrainian negotiating team with Russia, said that Ukraine is currently prepared to negotiate with Western countries, but only about joining NATO as soon as possible.

Source: Arakhamia on Telegram; Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the Head of the Office of the President, on Twitter

Details: Arakhamia was responding to Vasile Dincu, Minister of Defence of Romania, who called on Western countries to negotiate with Russia for peace.

Quote from Arakhamia: "We, in turn, are prepared to negotiate with Western countries, but only about our early accession to NATO.

This is the only topic which we can discuss at this time, and Russia is superfluous to these negotiations.

Our collective security and the strength of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are the only guarantee of peace on the European continent. Therefore, the Wests negotiating efforts should be directed at this matter."

More details: In turn, Mykhailo Podoliak has published his proposals to the "peacekeepers".

Quote from Podoliak: "A question for the peacekeepers. Do you want to negotiate? The algorithm is simple:

View photos / videos of mass graves. Ask the Kremlin to withdraw its armies immediately from the sovereign territory of Ukraine. Set up a tribunal and demand the extradition of Russian war criminals.

Less fantasy means more reality."

Background: Earlier on 9 October, Vasile Dincu, Minister of Defence of Romania, said that negotiations with Russia are the only way to achieve peace in the Russian-Ukrainian full-scale war.

Dincu stated that "the countries of the world, NATO, and the United States" must negotiate security guarantees for Ukraine and peace with Russia, since "the political class in Ukraine at the moment cannot afford to allow an unfair loss of territory."

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






Gabriel Martinelli (centre) gave Arsenal an early lead (Adam Davy/PA) (PA Wire)

Arsenal produced a fine display to see off Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium and return to the top of the Premier League on Sunday after Manchester Citys comfortable victory over Southampton had seen them take pole position.

Leicester slumped to defeat again to remain in the bottom three, while Cristiano Ronaldo reached another landmark with his 700th club goal as Manchester United came from behind to win at Everton.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at five things we learned from all the weekends action.

Gunners march on as Liverpool falter again

Arsenal laid down another marker as they battled to a hard-earned 3-2 win over Liverpool, regaining top spot from Manchester City. It is now just one defeat all season  and with no draws  for Mikel Artetas emerging side, who continue to answer the toughest of questions and have given Gunners fans genuine hope they can mount a sustained title challenge. For Liverpool supporters, though, another league defeat leaves them 14 points off the pace and looking anything but contenders.

Ronaldo makes more history

700  



The one and only Cristiano Ronaldo  pic.twitter.com/dP6tgD31a8  Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 9, 2022

After looking to move on from last weekends derby demolition by neighbours City, Erik ten Hags side got back on track with a Europa League win at Omonia Nicosia on Thursday night. Cristiano Ronaldo spurned the opportunity to chalk up yet another impressive personal milestone in Cyprus when he struck a post with a chance he usually would calmly dispatch. However, any suggestions Ronaldos eye had been taken off the ball by continued speculation over his future were swiftly dispelled just before the break at Goodison Park when, having come off the bench, he coolly slotted in club goal number 700.

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City not just all about Erling

Manchester City coasted past Southampton 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday to keep the pressure on at the top of the table. All of the pre-match hype had been about how many goals Erling Haaland would chalk up, having scored back-to-back hat-tricks in his last two home Premier League games. In the end, one was all the Norway frontman added to his tally  which now stands at 20 for City in all competitions. But when you have the likes of Joao Cancelo, Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez also ready to weigh in with goals, opposition defences cannot just keep an eye on where the prolific Norwegian might pop up next.

Potter up to his old tricks

Graham Potter might be only a few games into his Chelsea reign, but there are plenty of signs it will prove a smooth transition of power. A battling 2-1 win at Crystal Palace  never an easy place to go  was followed up by successive 3-0 wins over first AC Milan in the Champions League and then managerless Wolves. Sterner challenges await for the former Brighton boss, but, given the manner of the start by deep-thinker Potter, he could just be in it for the long haul.

Pressure back on Rodgers

No sooner had under-fire Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers allowed himself to hope his team had turned a corner with a morale-boosting 4-0 win over East Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest on Monday night, then the bubble burst with a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth  and after having taken the lead. Rodgers remains defiant he is the right man to take the club forward, but how much longer the owners give him, with fans already restless, remains to be seen.
A man with an ax tried to get inside Upson Elementary School Friday afternoon but left because the doors were locked. Duval County Public School police shot him in a confrontation a short while later.

A man armed with an ax who was shot by Duval County Public Schools police after trying to get inside a school had just completed mental health treatment and been released from probation, court records show.

Schools Police Chief Greg Burton confirmed the critically wounded man is 37-year-old Eric David Hurley, according to Times-Union news partner First Coast News.

The situation began about 2:40 p.m. Friday at Ruth N. Upson Elementary School in Murray Hill when he was spotted with a large ax and unable to get into at least two locked school doors. The campus was placed on lockdown, and the man left but was soon located by school police outside a nearby church, Burton said.

The suspect refused to drop the ax and came toward one of the officers and was shot, the chief said.

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It wasn't known immediately why he went to the school or his intent, and Burton couldn't confirm some reports that he swung the ax at parents and chased some in the parking lot arriving to pick up their children.

Hospitalized, Hurley was absentee-booked on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, trespassing on school property with a weapon and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, according to jail records.

Probation had just been terminated

Three days earlier Hurley completed Duval County Mental Health Court. A judge then terminated his probation for a 2018 felony auto theft case where police said they recovered "a small hatchet," court records show.

Hurley's Ingleside Avenue address  as listed by the Florida Department of Corrections  is roughly two blocks away from the elementary school.

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In his 2018 theft of a vehicle from a car dealership, the arrest report said officers found a hatchet inside a backpack in the stolen Nissan that was recovered outside a Brunswick, Ga., motel.

School shooting: Active shooter response 'playbook' unveiled by Clay County schools, police in wake of Uvalde

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He had approached an employee on the dealership lot after the business was closed and said needed a car and had a gun, according to the arrest report. When the employee went to get him a key, Hurley stole the Nissan.

Following a court-ordered psychological evaluation, a judge ruled he was incompetent for trial and committed him to a state hospital. Hurley underwent a series of Mental Health Court reviews, according to court records.

The results were not available, but after being found competent Hurley pleaded guilty to grand theft auto on Sept. 28, 2020. He was placed on five years of supervised release, according to court records.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Ax-wielding man at Jacksonville school identified as Eric Hurley
Pedri broke the deadlock in the first half (Joan Monfor/AP) (AP)

Barcelona moved back to the top of LaLiga with a 1-0 win over Celta Vigo at the Nou Camp.

Real Madrid had retaken first place on Saturday after beating Getafe.

Pedri set Barca on their way when he broke the deadlock in the 17th minute after slotting home from close range after a cross from the left was blocked, but fell straight at his feet.

Early in the second half, Oscar Rodriguez missed the chance to equalise for Celta Vigo before Jorgen Strand Larsen saw his goal ruled out for offside.

Barca keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen made a fine save from Iago Aspas late on with the Celta forward also striking the post during stoppage time as Barca held out and moved level on 22 points with their title rivals.

Real Sociedad sit sixth after Brais Mendezs first-half goal secured a 1-0 home win over Villarreal, while strugglers Cadiz and Espanyol drew 2-2.

In the Bundesliga, Union Berlin kept themselves top of the table with a 1-0 win at Stuttgart, who finished with 10 men.

Well, Unioner, that was fantastic. It was hard fought, but you have made us all so proud. The fans were amazing, how you travelled all that way... None of you ever stopped. And now... Bloody hell, there's breathing space at the top. Eisern Union!!!! pic.twitter.com/m02idpS491  1. FC Union Berlin (@fcunion_en) October 9, 2022

Paul Jaeckels header finally broke the deadlock with 15 minutes left, before Stuttgart forward Serhou Guirassy was sent off for a second caution during the closing stages.

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Freiburg sit second, now two points off the top, after a late goal from Kevin Schade secured a 2-2 draw at Hertha Berlin.

Borussia Monchengladbach recorded a first Rhein derby win in four attempts as they beat 10-man Cologne 5-2.

Marvin Friedrich put the hosts ahead, only for Florian Kainz to swiftly respond with a 31st-minute penalty.

The Cologne midfielder was then sent off just before half-time for a second yellow card, with Ramy Bensebaini converting from the resulting spot-kick.

Lars Stindls 25-yard drive made it 3-1 early in the second half with Bensebaini turning home a fourth goal.

Denis Huseinbasic reduced the deficit with seven minutes left, but Marcus Thuram scored Monchengladbachs fifth in stoppage time.

Napoli made it five straight Serie A victories as they won 4-1 away at struggling Cremonese to move back top.

Matteo Politanos penalty had given Napoli the lead midway through the first half, but Cremonese equalised through Cyriel Dessers soon after the restart.

A towering header from Giovanni Simeone restored Napolis advantage, with Hirving Lozano and Mathias Olivera both scoring in stoppage time.

Udinese fought back from 2-0 down with goals from Gerard Deulofeu and Nehuen Perez to earn a 2-2 home draw against top-four rivals Atalanta, who now sit two points behind Napoli.

We're happy with the win - we know we can play better than we did today, but the three points were the most important thing."



 - Chris Smalling#ASRoma #RomaLecce pic.twitter.com/QpSJlR8iZ2  AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) October 9, 2022

Chris Smalling and Paulo Dybala, from the penalty spot, were on target as Roma beat 10-man Lecce 2-1, with midfielder Morten Hjulmand sent off during the first half.

Strugglers Verona suffered a fourth straight league defeat as they controversially went down 2-1 at Salernitana.

Boulaye Dia scored a stoppage-time winner after which both sides were reduced to 10 men as tempers boiled over.

In Ligue 1, Lorient moved to within a point of leaders Paris St Germain after they won 2-1 at bottom club Brest.

After PSG were held to an unexpected goalless draw by Reims on Saturday, Lorient took full advantage to record a sixth straight league victory, coming from behind with a brace from Terem Moffi.

Lens failed to make up ground on the top three after a 1-0 defeat at Lille, while Monaco won 2-0 at Montpellier to sit fifth and Rennes beat strugglers Nantes 3-0.
Photo credit: Car and Driver

Screens are becoming the defining element in automotive interiors. They are the focal point of the software-defined vehicle, and infotainment is the automotive arenas most hotly contested frontier.

And yet with technology so democratized and affordable, nearly every automaker has access to the brightest screens and quickest processors, which means spending big bucks on a luxury vehicle no longer guarantees the hottest infotainment hardware on the block. This is compounded by the fact that the software tying the entire effort together is often shared, too. Google's Android Automotive OS, for example, counts Ford, Volvo, Stellantis, BMW, and Honda among its flock, while Linux (Red Hat), and Blackberry (ONX) have made extensive in-roads in offering operating systems to various vehicle builders. Companies such as Apple are even threatening a full take-over by scheming to install its iOS straight from the factory.

Theres a battle between automakers and software operating-system suppliers for control of the dashboard. As standardization increasingly becomes the order of the day, how can a car company preserve and polish its brand?

Best and Brightest

Key to the entire infotainment enterprise is the internal software design team. Most automakers have transitioned from relying entirely on third-party software suppliers into considering bits-and-bytes a core competency in Detroit, Stuttgart, and Tokyo, with varying results.

Photo credit: Marc Urbano - Car and Driver

General Motors's software-defined vehicle division, for example, now counts 6000 employees under its banner. "We're going after the same talent as Google, Apple, and Meta," says Gary Cygan, the company's director of software-defined vehicle product management. "The types of people and skill sets that you want for vehicle infotainment is the same as what you want for consumer electronics."

Dr. Michael Hafner, vice president of MB.OS and MBUX at Mercedes-Benz, points out that the German automaker has been writing software for its drivetrain and vehicle control systems in-house for more than 20 years. It has since broadened that effort to infotainment. "All vehicle companies are going deeper into software, but to differing degrees," he says. "Which modules you have to own, versus where you can partner or use something off the shelf is likely to remain fluid, maybe forever."

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This mixing-and-matching between a third-party code and in-house interfaces represents the skirmish line in the infotainment wars. Design teams flex their muscle by creating a visual, interactive layer on top of a potentially shared software infrastructure that the driver sees as unique to the brand.

"We have two different products," explains Haris Ramic, Google's lead project manager for Android Automotive OS. "The first is the operating system, which ships without any Google apps such as Maps or the Play store. The second is our service layer, which focuses on integrating those apps into the infotainment setup."

While it's possible to combine these two products, a number of automakers, including Stellantis, only make use of the open-source version of Google's OS. "It's up to the automaker to decide whether to partner with Google for additional services or not," Ramic adds.

Volvo sits at the other end of the spectrum and incorporates numerous Google serviceseasily recognizable from the world of mobile phonesinto its infotainment system. As a result, Volvo's infotainment setup dramatically differs from those of the Stellantis brands. This is in spite of the fact that both automakers employ the same operating system.

"We customize every layout and button, every flow from one screen to the next, and the appearance of the visual 'skin' we lay over top of it," says Vince Galante, global head of user experience at Stellantis.

Differences in the Details

Companies with multiple brands, such as Stellantis, GM, and Toyota, face the additional challenge of infotainment differentiation between nameplates. "We have squads dedicated to each brand, working alongside a global Stellantis group," says Galante.

Overlap is unavoidable, but there are numerous tricks designers deploy to better define the user experience for a given brand. Toyota and Lexus products often share the same on-screen layout and back-end hardware, according to Charan Lota, Toyota's group vice president for connected technologies, but Lexus focuses more on detail and hard-edged presentation versus the bulkier, "playful" design found on the dashboard of vehicles such as the Tundra pickup.

Photo credit: Marc Urbano - Car and Driver

Similarly, GMs move to bigger, wraparound screens in the likes of the Cadillac Escalade and Lyriq stands in contrast to the more modest displays in the companys lesser models. Systems also deliver unique animations specific to off-road features found in trucks such as the GMC Canyon AT4X. "Animations are important, but physical touches throughout the cabin are coming through more than perhaps was highlighted in the past between brands," says Liz Gelfusa, the company's senior manager of branded partnerships.

Building the Brand

The end goal of any automaker, says John Wall, head of Blackberry's QNX division, is to create a distinct software ecosystem for each car. "That's the differentiator on the modern market, and a way to keep a car fresh with regular updates," he continues. "Brand is extremely important to every automaker we've ever worked with. It's one of the tensions that's regularly encountered when automakers partner with third parties."

Those updates, increasingly accessed via over-the-air wireless networks, require that automakers build tomorrow's cars, trucks, and SUVs on a platform that facilitates this type of future growth. At Mercedes-Benz, for instance, a mishmash of competing hardware specifications and software systems in the past made it difficult to keep the infotainment system of its cars state-of-the-art after delivery. Its new MB.OS, which sits on top of base-level software sourced from Linux and QNX, allows for quicker, standardized updates and feature roll-out.

A similar philosophy guides the General Motors Ultifi platform, which is poised to reach the market in 2023, and Toyota is also knee-deep in facing a similar challenge. "Our vehicles tend to last forever. I've got a 2001 Lexus in my garage at home," says Toyotas Lota. "When we look at future-proofing our hardware, we have to ask ourselves 'what we can push to this system OTA eight years from now while still maintaining security?'"

Photo credit: Apple

When Will Apple and Google Take Over?

Despite Apple's ambitions to impose a native iOS experience on drivers, there's little interest from automakers in completely giving over the dashboard to a third party.

"I struggle with this idea ever being implemented," says QNX's Wall. "Maybe a start-up EV automaker that's trying to make a really cheap vehicle will let Apple have the entire car, but as we move from [internal combustion] to EVs, the interior experience becomes so important as drivetrain and suspension fade, and for traditional brands, that's a tough sell."

There's also the question of whether customers would rather have a Mercedes-Benz that looks and feels like an iPhone, or one that looks and feels like a Mercedes-Benz, per Dr. Hafner, suggesting that the latter is more in line with owner expectations.

To their credit, some current supplier partners have downplayed their interest in assuming a larger role. "Google's perspective is to look to how we can provide commonality, save costs, and enable a brand to shine," says Ramic. Just as software may have once not been a core competency of the automotive world's biggest names, there are also those who consider it a stretch to assume companies that made their name with phones and laptops are able to dive in and dominate on the highway.

"Apple CarPlay and Android Auto provide a great user experience, but there's so much complexity to manage and orchestrate in a modern vehicle, and it's not an easy task," says Lota. "We have to be mindful when we talk about 'giving up the dash' because it's not just infotainment we're discussing. The safety of the vehicle going down the road belongs to Toyotacyber security, tooand I just don't see a third party yet ready to take on that responsibility."

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Ohios 1st Congressional District has long been Steve Chabot country.

The Republican lawmaker has represented the Cincinnati area district in the southwest corner of Ohio for all but two years since first winning the seat in 1994.

But thanks in part to redistricting, Chabot is fighting for his political life in Novembers elections, even as his party is likely to regain the House majority it lost in the 2018 midterms.

Chabots district is one of a handful controlled by Republicans that Democrats aim to flip from red to blue as they try to hold onto their razor-thin majority in the House. And Democrats, while mostly playing defense, are pouring resources into a few GOP controlled seats across the country.

BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE: THESE DEEP BLUE SEATS COULD TURN RED IN NOVEMBER

FILE photo of Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio. (Photo by Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images) Getty Images

Challenging Chabot is Democratic nominee Greg Landsman, a Cincinnati city councilor

"Its the worst district hes [Chabot] ever run in," Landsman told Fox News. "Its now the entire city of Cincinnati, which is very problematic for him."

Amid a rough political climate for incumbents of either party, Landsman highlighted some of the voters hes talked with say Chabots been in Congress "too long."

THESE 11 SENATE RACES WILL DETERMINE WHICH PARTY CONTROLS THE MAJORITY NEXT YEAR

Landsman out raised the longtime incumbent during the first six months of this year, and some top nonpartisan political handicappers rate the race as a toss-up. Both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the re-election arm of the House Democrats, and the House Majority PAC, the top outside group backing House Democrats, have poured resources into the district to support Landsman.

"I think that they see this for what it is, which is a very winnable race and big pickup opportunity and critical of maintaining the majority," Landsman said of the help hes receiving from national Democrats.

Jon Conradi, a Chabot campaign consultant, highlighted that the congressman "has a demonstrated track record of winning incredibly tough fights and this one will be no different. Chabots campaign has knocked on nearly 100,000 doors and hes out in the community working incredibly hard and talking with voters every day."

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Republicans argue that Landsman is too liberal for the district.

"Landsman would be a rubber stamp for tax-and-spend agenda of Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden that have led us to this point. We can't afford their radical policies any longer," Chabot recently argued on Twitter.

And the congressman is spotlighting his ability to deal with Democrats, tweeting that "I work across the aisle to deliver results for the working families of #OH01. That's why I've consistently been ranked one of the most effective members of Congress."

CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2022 MIDTERMS POWER RANKINGS

But Democrats point out that Chabot was one of the 147 House Republicans who voted on Jan. 6, 2021  following the attack on the U.S. Capitol  against certifying now-President Bidens 2020 election win over then-President Donald Trump.

Among the other House Republicans facing rough re-elections are Reps. Don Bacon in Nebraskas 2nd Congressional District, Yvette Herrell in New Mexicos 2nd District, David Valadao in Californias 22nd District, and Mike Garcia in the Golden States 27th District.

"Democrats are going to flip seats across the battlefield because weve got candidates with a track record of delivering that voters can rely on," DCCC spokesperson Chris Taylor touted.

And Taylor argued that "Republicans are running scared because their candidates just dont pass the smell test."

But Michael McAdams, communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, which is the DCCCs counterpart, charged that "Democrats offensive opportunities have been decimated by their candidates' radical stances such as working to defund the police and advocating to eliminate the oil and gas industry."
President Biden's decision to pardon thousands of Americans who faced federal marijuana possession charges will not apply to members of the military.

A White House official made clear Friday that Biden's move does not apply to Uniform Code of Military Justice offenses, meaning service members charged under military law for similar crimes would not be extended the same benefit, according to a Military.com report.

Biden announced the pardons on Thursday, saying they would cover about 6,500 Americans who were federally charged with simple possession of marijuana.

"As I often said during my campaign for president, no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana," Biden said in the announcement. "Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit."

BIDEN PARDON FOR SIMPLE MARIJUANA POSSESSION WONT APPLY TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden serve food to soldiers and their families at Fort Bragg. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

None of the Americans facing simple possession charges are currently in federal prisons, while people charged with other crimes would not be covered by the order.

The president does have the ability to alter some UCMJ punishments, though any large change to the rules that govern the conduct of service members would require action by Congress. Although UCMJ allows for service members to be dishonorably discharged, be docked pay, and face two-year jail sentences for marijuana possession, punishments in practice are often far less severe.

While the move may not apply to current service members, it could help make up some of the shortfall in military recruiting. Candidates hoping to join the armed services have been disqualified for past marijuana convictions, but the pardon means there is a chance those applicants could now qualify.

However, the vast majority of marijuana cases are prosecuted at the state level, a reality Biden addressed during his announcement.

"I'm calling on governors to pardon simple state marijuana possession offenses," Biden said. "Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely for possessing marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either."

The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Recent changes in the Thrift Savings Plan give savers more investment options, more electronic tools and easier access to their accounts.

Heres what you need to know:

In addition to the traditional TSP funds, theres a new mutual fund window that offers thousands of mutual fund choices.

But there are costs:

$55 annual fee

$95 annual maintenance fee

$28.75 fee per trade

Any additional fees and expenses that the individual mutual fund may have.

That adds up to at least $179 a year, if you make just one trade a year. These fees apply just to the new mutual fund window and are being imposed to avoid indirectly increasing costs for TSP participants who dont use the mutual fund window, according to the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, which administers the plan. The costs for TSP funds have traditionally been lower than most other investment programs.

This Coast Guardsman became a millionaire with his Thrift Savings Plan

If you choose to invest through the mutual fund window, your initial investment must be at least $10,000, and you cant invest more than 25% of your total account in the mutual fund window.

That means you must have at least $40,000 in your TSP account. That may be at the nine or 10 year mark of service for enlisted members who are contributing 5%; and for officers, maybe at year six, according to JJ Montanaro, a certified financial planner who is relationship director on the Military Affairs team at USAA.

The higher expense ratios of the mutual funds can be off-putting, but if thats what youre trying to do, and as long as you do it the smart way, then I dont think those expenses are prohibitive, Montanaro said. The stated goal is that providing this option isnt going to increase the cost for the rest of the folks in the TSP.

Theres always the option to invest in mutual funds elsewhere, in an IRA, for example, or outside a retirement account.

Among other changes:

Theres a new TSP mobile app available for download in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store,

Participants can use features such as electronic signatures; receiving payments through direct deposit to your bank account or by check.

Theres access to a virtual assistant through the website or on the mobile app.

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Investors must remember that the thousands of mutual funds available havent been vetted by the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, said Gerri Walsh, president of the FINRA Investor Education Foundation. She suggest investors use FINRAs fund analyzer, a tool that provides information about the fund, its objectives and the costs.

You can see the impact a higher expense ratio will have on the value of your account if youre considering similar mutual funds, she said. Fees add up. None of us can control what happens in the market, and we cant control the performance.

But we can control our costs. So if you are investing through the mutual fund window, you will set up separate accounts through TSP, and then youll have those choices available. And to help you determine which choices are right for you, you might consider using the fund analyzer tool.

The tool is available at FINRA.

For detailed information about the changes, visit the TSP site.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday hailed a "shared approach and shared priorities" with Chile under President Gabriel Boric, one of a string of leftist leaders recently elected in Latin America.

This was Blinken's first visit to Chile, with which the United States historically has had close ties, on a regional trip that started on Monday in Colombia and will take him next to Peru.

Items on the agenda included regional security and migration.

Hailing the United States and Chile's "shared approach and shared priorities," Blinken said the countries would strive together for "building more equitable and inclusive economies... dealing with the issues that are front and center in the lives of our people."

The three countries on Blinken's itinerary had all recently elected leaders on the left of the political spectrum, which in Latin America has traditionally been strongly anti-American.

Asked about this, Blinken said: "my own sense is that what motivates electorates is the desire to see their governments actually address their concerns and produce concrete results."

If they fail, he added: "chances are they'll be voted out."

In Santiago Wednesday, Blinken met 36-year-old Boric, elected in December at the head of a leftist-alliance that includes the Communist Party, as well as his Chilean counterpart Antonia Urrejola.

American officials state privately that they are encouraged by Boric's first steps as president, which have included backing a new constitution to replace the one inherited from the era of US-backed dictator Augusto Pinochet.

Blinken also addressed disagreements on regional issues.

In June, Boric was among Latin American leaders to criticize Washington's decision not to invite Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela -- all under US sanctions -- to a Summit of the Americas held in Los Angeles.

"We have to come together to have better development of our nations," the Chilean leader said at the time, adding that "exclusion is not the way."

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"We have to hold the Cuban government to account just as we would any other government for denying the Cuban people those rights. We may have different approaches on the best way to do that," Blinken said on Wednesday.

Urrejola said they also discussed Venezuela, including stalled talks in Mexico on resolving the country's political and economic crises.

The dialogue held under the auspices of a contact group of European and Latin American countries, was suspended by Venezuela last October.

Urrejola said she hoped the group could "resume talks with the government of (Nicolas) Maduro, as well as with the Venezuelan opposition," adding that the goal was for "Venezuela in 2024 having free and democratic elections."

Blinken will travel to Lima next to attend the annual meeting on Thursday of the Organization of American States.

lb/pb/pa/yow/mlr/bfm
The Russians killed at least 20 residents of Sviatohirsk during the occupation period

The deceased civilians had been buried in impromptu graves in the towns streets and courtyards.

Read also: Three monks killed by Russian shelling of Sviatohirsk Lavra in Donbas

"During the Russian occupation and the fighting for Sviatohirsk, the dead were buried in the streets and (building) yards, read captions to a video of the reburial work posted by Kyrylenko on YouTube.

All the bodies of the reburied have been identified and properly laid to rest, the captions read.

The National Guard confirmed the liberation of Sviatohirsk from Russian occupation on Sept. 12.

Read also: Russia guilty of war crimes in Ukraine, UN report says

Russian troops shelled the recently liberated Sviatohorsk with rockets on Sept. 17.

One person was killed and a child injured in the enemy attack on the town.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Oct. 8Boulder police are asking the public to help them find a missing 14-year-old girl who was last seen Sept. 30.

Chloe Campbell was last seen at the Boulder High football game that night, according to a police news release. She is described on flyers her family have posted around town as standing 5-foot, 6-inches tall, weighing 120 pounds and having blue eyes. In the picture displayed on the flyer, she has dark blonde hair. The flyer states that she was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, a purple top and blue jeans.

Investigators say they have received some information from friends who seem to have heard from Chloe and there have been some reported sightings of her in the Boulder area, but no one in her family has spoken with her since Sept. 30, according to the release.

Friends have received messages they believe could be from Chloe stating she is safe with a family in Arizona and does not want to come home, but the release states that police have been unable to verify the messages are from the girl or are true.

While the case does not reach the criteria for an Amber Alert, investigators are becoming more concerned about the girl's safety because they believe she has no access to money or her medication. She may be with an adult male, the release stated.

Anyone who has seen Chloe or who has information should call Boulder dispatch at 303-441-3333. Anonymous tips can be made by calling 1-800-THE-LOST and refencing case No. 146-2673.
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Sunday that allies have suggested he increases the number of justices in the Supreme Court if he is reelected, according to remarks broadcast on social media.

The Supreme Court has 11 members, and Bolsonaro says the move could help level the playing field at the country's highest body of justice.

"This suggestion was put before me," Bolsonaro said during an interview with YouTube podcaster when asked about the proposed changes.

The far-right Brazilian president has been at odds with the Supreme Court for most of his tenure in office.

Last year, the Supreme Court approved an investigation into Bolsonaro's unfounded accusations that Brazil's electronic voting system is open to fraud, a move which he claimed was "unconstitutional."

Separately, the Supreme Court authorized a probe into Bolsonaro for posting documents to social media from a sealed police investigation related to the hacking of the country's federal election court.

The president's critics have denounced the proposal as a threat to Brazilian institutions, citing a similar move by the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in 2003.

Bolsonaro said whoever wins Brazil's presidential election will have a right to appoint two more names to the Supreme Court.

As such, he said his decision on whether to propose more members to the body has not been made, adding the plan would require negotiations with Congress.

Bolsonaro is facing off against leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in an Oct. 30 presidential runoff, with most polls showing the challenger with a narrow lead.

(Reporting by Maria Carolina Marcello; Writing by Ana Mano; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
Two of the four lanes of the Crimean bridge collapsed in several places, British intelligence said

On Oct. 8, a fire broke out on the Crimean bridge, the only link between Ukraines Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula and mainland Russia. The Russians use the rail link in particular to transfer reinforcements and supplies for their invasion force in Ukraine.

Read also: Panic grips Ukraines Russian-occupied Crimea after explosion damages Kerch road and rail bridge

The bridge is partially destroyed, traffic has been blocked by the accident, the UK intelligence assessment read. In Russia, they said at first that a tanker with fuel was on fire, although later they said that a truck was blown up.

Two of the four lanes of the bridge collapsed in several places for a distance of about 250 meters. Most likely, traffic will be restored on the other two lanes, but capacity will be seriously reduced, UK intelligence reckons.

The extent of damage to the railroad tracks is unknown. However, any serious disruption of its throughput capacity is highly likely to seriously affect Russia's already 'strained ability' to sustain its forces in southern Ukraine.

Read also: Psychologist explains how Crimean bridges destruction may affect Russian society

During the full-scale invasion of Russia, the railway section of the Crimean Bridge has played a key role in transporting heavy equipment to the southern front, the UK Defense Ministry said.

This incident will likely affect (Russian dictator) Vladimir Putin very much. It happened just a few hours after his 70th birthday, he personally sponsored and opened the bridge, and the projects contractor was his childhood friend Arkady Rotenberg, the report says.

Recently, Viktor Zolotov, former bodyguard of the Russian dictator and currently the commander of the Russian National Guard, publicly guaranteed the safety of the bridge.

Read also: Russia will search for a Ukrainian link, play down importance of Crimean bridge attack, says expert

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin ordered to create a government commission in regard to the emergency situation on the occupied peninsula. In the evening of Oct. 8, the occupiers said that they had allegedly restored traffic on the Crimean Bridge, but restrictions remain.

Story continues

According to NV sources in law enforcement, the blowing up of the Crimean Bridge was a special operation by Ukraines SBU security service. The SSU said they will only comment on their role or the role of any state body of Ukraine in the event after Ukraines final victory.

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the President's Office, suggested that the explosion on the bridge could have been part of an internal struggle between Russian security forces.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Rapper Kanye West speaks during his meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 11, 2018. (AFP via Getty Images)

On the heels of having his Instagram restricted after sharing anti-Semitic posts, Kanye West has now violated Twitters rules with an anti-Semitic tweet thats since been removed and promtped calls to permanently ban him from the platform.

Hes also been locked from using the platform.

Late on Saturday night, Mr West shared a tweet that declared he was going to go death con 3 on Jewish people and alleged that he wasnt Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew. The tweet was removed by Twitter and replaced with text that said it violated the Twitter Rules, linking back to the companys platform use guidelines.

Many Twitter users were quick to lambast the rapper for being anti-Semitic while others called on Twitter to ban him from posting.

Stop excusing Kanye West with mental health problems. He needs a permanent ban for his antisemitic tweet and to be fully exiled for spreading this hateful rhetoric, wrote writer Monisha Rajesh.

Congressman Ritchie Torres wrote: Kanye West: if you see yourself at war with Jewish people, then you are, by definition, Antisemitic. Shame on you and your enablers like Tucker Carlson.

That anti-Semitic tweet and death threat from Kanye West shouldve been enough for Twitter to suspend him permanently. Its so bad I dont even want to share a screenshot, wrote developer Christopher Bouzy.

One user simply said, I hope they ban Kanye off twitter too while another asked: Why is his account still up?

In a statement to The Independent on Sunday, a Twitter spokesperson confirmed that Mr Wests account has been locked due to a violation of Twitters policies.

The Independent has contacted representatives for Mr West for comment.

Earlier this weekend, West shared a post on Instagram that suggested that Sean Diddy Combs was being controlled by Jewish people. The post, which was quickly condemned by the American Jewish Committee as dangerous, was taken down by Instagram for violating our policies and placed a restriction on the account.

A Meta spokesperson told The Independent on Saturday that they may place restrictions on accounts that repeatedly break our rules, for example, we may temporarily restrict them from posting, commenting, or sending DMs.
By Arshad Mohammed and Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -China's ambassador to the United States thanked Elon Musk for proposing a special administration zone for Taiwan, while Taiwan's de facto ambassador to Washington reprimanded the billionaire saying its "freedom and democracy are not for sale."

"Taiwan sells many products, but our freedom and democracy are not for sale," Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan's de facto ambassador to Washington, tweeted on Saturday. "Any lasting proposal for our future must be determined peacefully, free from coercion, and respectful of the democratic wishes of the people of Taiwan."

China's ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, stressed Beijing's call for "peaceful reunification and 'one country, two systems'" for the island in a tweet on Saturday while thanking Musk.

Days after floating a possible deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine that drew condemnation in Ukraine, Musk suggested tensions between China and Taiwan could be resolved by handing over some control of Taiwan to Beijing.

"My recommendation . . . would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, probably won't make everyone happy," Musk told the Financial Times in an interview published on Friday.

Musk was responding to a question about China, where his Tesla electric car company operates a large factory.

Beijing, which claims Taiwan as one of its provinces, has long vowed to bring Taiwan under its control and has not ruled out the use of force to do so. Democratically ruled Taiwan's government strongly objects to China's sovereignty claims and says only the island's 23 million people can decide its future.

In tweets posted on Saturday, the Chinese ambassador wrote: "I would like to thank @elonmusk for his call for peace across the Taiwan Strait and his idea about establishing a special administrative zone for Taiwan."

Story continues

"Actually, Peaceful reunification and One Country, Two Systems are our basic principles for resolving the Taiwan question ... and the best approach to realizing national reunification," he added.

"Provided that China's sovereignty, security and development interests are guaranteed, after reunification Taiwan will enjoy a high degree of autonomy as a special administrative region, and a vast space for development," the ambassador wrote.

China has offered Taiwan a "one country, two systems" model of autonomy similar to what Hong Kong has, but that has been rejected by all mainstream political parties in Taiwan and has very little public support, especially after Beijing imposed a tough National Security Law in Hong Kong in 2020.

(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed and Kanishka Singh; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Lincoln Feast.)
The United States should "rethink" arms sales to Saudi Arabia, following the kingdom's support for Russia in the war against Ukraine, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Sunday.

"For years, weve looked the other way as Saudi Arabia has chopped up journalists, has engaged in massive political oppression, for one reason: We wanted to know that when the chips were down ... the Saudis would choose us instead of Russia," Murphy said on ABC's "This Week." "Well, they didn't."

He added, "There's gotta be consequences for that."

Murphy's comments followed a decision announced last week by OPEC+ countries, including Saudi Arabia, to cut production by 2 million barrels of oil per day starting next month. That move is seen as favoring Russia, which is largely using its income from oil production to fuel the war against Ukraine; reduced production will raise prices.

Saudi Arabia has made a "strategic error," Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"At best, they made a decision that didnt help the rest of the world. At worst, they align themselves with Putin. We have a problem," Slotkin said.

The United States could restrict arms sales, reconsider the OPEC+ oil cartel's immunity from lawsuits, or rethink its troop presence and security relationship in Saudi Arabia, Murphy said.

"I think its time to admit the Saudis are not looking out for us," he said.

Asked about President Joe Biden's recent meeting with the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, Murphy said he wouldn't criticize an American president for meeting with another world leader. However, he added, the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia is broken.

"It's clear we that didn't get as much as we needed to out of that meeting," Murphy said.

OPEC+'s move to cut oil production prompted some Democrats to sharply criticize the kingdom last week.

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"Its time for our foreign policy to imagine a world without their alliance," Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) tweeted Thursday, citing higher oil prices, the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and "unanswered questions about 9/11."

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), for his part, tweeted in favor of American independence Wednesday, in response to the OPEC+ decision.

Congress should "come to the table to pass comprehensive, bipartisan permitting reform," Manchin said, pushing a key legislative proposal he was unable to get passed last month.
Photo: Contributed

In the environment Ive occupied for four decades, it has never been this unstable and unsafe, this disabled and distrusted.

Our craft of journalism is facing a heightened physical threat, in part incited politically and enabled technologically, just for trying to do its job.

And we are not alone. The political system we scrutinize, imperfect but essential to our stability, is increasingly attacked and polarized. The reckless pitch of our political conflicts, assisted by the often anonymous and cowardly harm across social media, has reached unthinkable levels in this country.

We have long had political war rooms to discredit opponents during campaigns, but we have lately entered a stage in which it does not seem outrageous to endanger those in public life. Some of this we hear about, so much of it I suspect we dont.

Recently, it was a social media post threatening the sexual assault of the wife of the federal Conservative leader.

On a local (Vancouver) level, a strategist for the OneCity municipal party mused online about linking a rival to pedophilia as a way to get at him.

A couple of weeks earlier it was a visceral in-your-face rant to the federal Liberal finance minister.

A few months back, it involved anger and physical menace of a campaigning federal NDP leader.

In the last election, for the first time in memory, the prime ministers campaign stops were cancelled out of public safety concerns.

Our public health leader in this province  our public health leader, for heavens sake  requires a security detachment.

Now, it isnt as if some of this reputational mess isnt self-inflicted. It was disheartening last week, for instance, to moderate a Vancouver mayoralty debate in which the most passion onstage  indeed, about the only passion  erupted over whether candidate Ken Sim was lying in asserting Vancouver would face a tax on driving and whether Kennedy Stewart was lying about his intentions to unfurl that tax. Their focus wasnt on who had the best idea, but who could best call the other a liar.

This is what has degenerated politics at times: The manifesting of bogeymen, whether its the right-of-centre saying a left-of-centre leader wont tell people about a tax, or the left-of-centre earlier saying a right-of-centre leader wont tell people about his plan to curtail human rights.

After all, phony wars and make-believe menaces work because manufacturing fear is the ultimate short-term weapon in politics and media. Long-term, though, it disgraces them.

And if youre wondering, yes, the media coverage of the mayoralty debate featured  what else?  the road tax argument. Journalism can self-inflict its problems at times, too.

No doubt, the media needs to accept responsibility for our legacy of limited inclusion and recognition in contributing to public discourse. Quite correctly, many feel their voices havent been heard, so it is not unexpected that their emotions will at times come out sideways as they search for validation. For a variety of reasons, the pandemic has produced more new enemies than friends of media.

The larger question is whether our leadership will honour its duty to defend even flawed institutions like the press as an integral element of a functioning democracy.

Earlier in September the new Conservative leader was hectored by a reporter at a news conference (who later apologized). Rather than defuse the situation or rise above it, Pierre Poilievre saw an opportunity for political sport, vilifying the journalist as a Liberal who invaded the event and converting the episode within hours into a fundraising plea to bypass media, as if somehow the truth was really his to offer. This game is not only silly but dangerous in what it signals as acceptable. He ought to understand he is not alone in facing personal peril; if he already does, then what he did is even more worrisome.

It took many clear, targeted threats to journalists  particularly to women and persons of colour  for news organizations earlier this month to write the prime minister to plead for measures to combat abuse, harassment and hatred.

The letter was long due. The presence of fake news and the casual vilification of responsible media have primed the pump for a broadened ignorance and subsequent cynicism about the reliable press. The prime ministers response to the letter was heartening in its commitment to deal with the most serious of the problems, and of course he faces his own regular threats that we seem to have accustomed ourselves to and even accepted as a price of leadership.

The hyper-partisan quality of our discourse is reflected in strong public sentiment that politics are more divisive than unifying. People see the other side not as merely holding different opinions but as threats to our individual or collective rights, our environment or our socio-economic agency. The days of courteous, civil agreeing to disagree are gone. Rage is all the rage, liberated by technology in which a licence to say what you wish is confused with a more serious freedom to express.

Literature suggests online networks actually encourage moral outrage; the more it is expressed, the more it draws supportive likes from its audience, thus reinforced and encouraged.

Lost in this melee is what influence this climate has on anyones willingness to participate in public life. When the public is emboldened by Twitter to anonymously expel bile, when ones private life is subjected to the microscope, when there appears little room for decorum in the arena, why would anyone trade for that life?

What we are left with are haggard recipients of incessant complaint and increasing disdain, whether in public life or in the craft that chronicles it, yet we strangely wonder why.

Enough, already. There has to be room for our better selves here.

Kirk LaPointe is publisher and editor-in-chief of BIV and vice-president, editorial, of Glacier Media.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Vice President Kamala Harris reiterated again this week her position that Americans do not have to "abandon their faith" to support abortion rights which several faith leaders who spoke with Fox News Digital objected to.

"I say this, one does not have to abandon their faith or their beliefs to agree that the government should not be making that decision for her," Harris said this week. "It's literally that basic."

Harris has made similar statements in recent months as the Supreme Court debated, and ultimately overturned Roe v. Wade, including in July when she said , "Its important to note that to support a womans ability, not her government, but her, to make that decision does not require anyone to abandon their faith or their beliefs."

Dr. Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church of Farmersville in East Texas and president of the Southern Baptist Convention, told Fox News Digital that its "sometimes difficult to know what politicians like Harris actually want Christians to do with their faith when it comes to politics.

BIDEN DOJ INDICTS 11 PRO-LIFE ACTIVISTS FOR BLOCKING ACCESS TO ABORTION CLINIC

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Democratic National Committee Women's Leadership Forum in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. Leigh Vogel/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"If we fail to apply the teachings of our faith to questions like immigration or Herschel Walkers behavior or Donald Trumps behavior in the way that she thinks we should, we wind up being scolded and encouraged to let our faith shape our moral and political decisions more aggressively," Barber said.

"But when it comes to questions like abortion, she is willing to offer instruction about how we should divorce our faith from our moral and political decisions. I choose to let the teachings of Jesus instruct me about how to apply my faith. I show respect for our Vice-President by praying for her and by loving her as my neighbor, and I show respect for the fellow human beings waiting for their chance to be born by opposing their slaughter in the abortionists chamber."

WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS KAMALA HARRIS' HURRICANE RELIEF 'EQUITY' REMARKS

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McKayla Wolff left and Karen Wolff, joined hands as they rallied for abortion rights at the capitol in St. Paul, Minn Jerry Holt/Star Tribune

Bishop Robert Barron, bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota, and founder of Word on Fire: Catholic Ministries, told Fox News Digital that abortion is an "objective evil" and a "willful destruction of human life" that should not be determined by a "consultative process."

"If there is a choice to be made, it seems to me, that fidelity to Christ would obligate a Christian to advocate for saving life, rather than destroying life," Barron said.

"Perhaps the Vice President was talking about a different faith than the one that was once for all delivered to the saints, as Jude wrote," Brent Leatherwood, President for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, told Fox News Digital.

BIDEN SAYS ABORTION RESTRICTIONS BEYOND THE PALE' IN LATEST MIDTERMS PITCH

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a surprise visit to the site of a shooting which left seven dead in Highland Park, Illinois, KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images

"That faith speaks of the precious dignity bestowed upon each individual at conception, their immeasurable worth, and why it is necessary for the state to wield its authority to save defenseless lives. To characterize it otherwise is to be discussing a different faith altogether."

Leatherwood continued, "Christians seek the wellbeing of our neighborsboth born and prebornand, as a result, believe our laws should help people live and flourish. So the question isnt about abandoning what we know to be right and true, but whether we will abide by it in all that we do, regardless of the consequences."

Rev. Lawrence R. Rast Jr., president of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and a former Lutheran pastor, told Fox News Digital that the vice president's comments "trivialize the importance of one's faith for making difficult decisions."

"She does this by deflecting the issue to the question of whether the government can limit choices for individuals," Rast said. "Within the context of faith, however, this is not a question of government directive, but rather a question of biblical teaching and its implication for personal life choices. The Scriptures clearly teach that life is sacred from conception until natural death. And thus one cannot reconcile the Christian faith with the willful killing of children."

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

President Biden has faced criticism in recent months for his strong support of abortion despite being a practicing Catholic. Last month, the White House declined to say whether the president supports any limits on abortion
JERUSALEM, Israel  A controversial Israeli politician this week fired back at a report claiming Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said that his potential role in a new Israeli coalition government would damage U.S. relations with the Jewish state.

The news website Axios reported that during a Sept. 5 meeting between Menendez and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the New Jersey lawmaker said he has "serious concerns" about a coalition government with "extremist and polarizing individuals like [Itamar] Ben-Gvir." Israelis go to the polls next month.

According to the Axios article, a source said, "People who were in the room saw how p---ed off Bibi [Netanyahu] got" in response to Menendezs comments.

The controversial far-right Israeli politician in question is Itamar Ben-Gvir. His party has been gaining in the polls and could finish as high as third or fourth place in the upcoming election.

ISRAEL CALLS FOR NEW ELECTIONS ONE MONTH BEFORE BIDEN VISIT

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Ben-Gvir, the leader of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Strength) party said, "I am deeply concerned by reports that Senator Menendez has aimed incorrect and mistaken criticisms at the millions of Israelis who will soon vote in favor of a center-right government and me personally."

He continued, "Everyone knows that the senator is a true friend of Israel and a champion of the U.S.-Israel relationship, and more importantly, he is a man of integrity. Therefore, my sense is that he would not have made the statements reported had he been correctly informed of the positions I hold, as well as those I do not hold."

Ben-Gvir has faced criticism for tearing the Cadillac emblem off of Yitzhak Rabin the then-Israeli prime ministers car in 1995 and stating, "We reached Rabins car, we will get to Rabin, too." Israeli extremist Yigal Amir, then 25, assassinated Rabin in the same year.

Critics have painted Ben-Gvir as a right-wing extremist for his connections and support of far right-wing elements in Israel, including the late Rabbi Meir Kahane whose ultra-nationalist party was outlawed from running in subsequent elections for inciting racism against Arabs. Kahane was assassinated by a terrorist in Manhattan in 1990.

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In a recent interview with the Associated Press Shuki Friedman, an expert on Israels far right described Ben-Gvir as being "a populist demagogue  he interviews well, he is good on camera, and he has had plenty of screen time that has given him legitimacy," noted Friedman of the Jewish People Policy Institute.

ISRAEL, LEBANON INCH CLOSER TO RESOLVE MARITIME DISPUTE AS TERROR GROUP THREATENS OVER DRILLING

Israeli right-wing Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir in Jerusalem. (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Ben-Gvir told Fox News Digital, "The enemies of a strong Israel besmirch me, calling me and my party racist. But the truth is that we are anti-racist; we are fighting against the racist antisemitism fomenting within the boundaries of our homeland. We believe that Israel needs to uproot terror organizations such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, just as the United States defeated al Qaeda. Like millions of Americans, we believe that peace comes through strength and that Israels policies should be based upon the firm enforcement of our right to sovereignty and self-defense."

In response to the warnings from Menendez, Netanyahu said at a press conference last week in Tel Aviv, "I would have expected them to warn us of a government that depends on the Muslim Brotherhood who support terrorism and Ahmad Tibi and Ayman Odeh. Odeh said that [Hassan] Nasrallah (Hezbollah) is a hero, after that is it any wonder that Lapid ran to sell him the gas of the citizens of Israel?"

Netanyahu was referring to Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid who is the midst of working through a controversial gas deal with Lebanon. Ahmed Tibi and Ayman Odeh are Israeli Arab politicians.

A spokesperson for Menendez declined to comment in response to a Fox News Digital press query. The U.S. State Department did not answer a media query.

However, Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., who is considered pro-Israel, tweeted, "As Israel heads toward another election in November, I urge Israeli political leaders from all sides of the political spectrum to ostracize extremists like Ben-Gvir whose outrageous views run contrary to Israels core principles of a democratic and Jewish state."

While supporters of Ben-Gvir claim he has reformed his ways, his appeal has not spilled over into the center of Israeli politics, according to professor Tamar Hermann, a senior researcher for the Israeli Democracy Institute. "He [Ben-Gvir] is still a pariah in the center [and] on the left." Hermann also noted that he was legitimized by Netanyahu and other politicians on the right.

Hermann said Netanyahu helped to mainstream Ben-Gvir during the last election by pushing the idea that "this man can become a member of the Knesset," and this legitimization by the former prime minister was "critical in the eyes of all people who vote." "Ben-Gvir is not at the far end of Israeli politics because of the radicalization that has happened" after May 2021, said Hermann.

During May 2021, Hamas terrorists launched rockets into the Jewish state while Arabs rioted in Israeli cities, which included arson attacks on synagogues. According to Hermann, the events of May 2021 sparked a radicalization among Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews.

RIOTS ERUPT IN PARTS OF ISRAEL AS TENSIONS FLARE

Ben-Gvir has significant support among the ultra-orthodox, mainly Sephardi voters, who are "very enthusiastic" about his message that "appeals to chauvinistic views of Jews in the state of Israel," said Hermann. "They are looking for a strong leader."

In late August polls from Israel's three major TV networks revealed that Ben-Gvir's party could secure between eight and nine seats in Israel's parliament if elections were conducted straight away. The dramatic rise of Ben-Gvir in the election process has not rolled back since the August poll, according to Israeli public opinion experts like Hermann.

Bezalel Smotrich, the chief of the Religious Zionist Party, which formed a voting block with Ben-Gvir, told the Israeli media that Ben-Gvir has positioned himself to be a senior minister in the next government.

"I hope we will be the third-largest party in the state of Israel," said Smotrich.

An election campaign poster in 2021 for far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) with images of party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir behind Benjamin Netanyahu, the former Israeli prime minister. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

When asked about the reported row Yishai Fleisher, Ben-Gvir's spokesman for English-speaking media told Fox News Digital, "I think a strong, Jewish, proud, national, patriotic Israel is good for the U.S.-Israel relationship. Everybody understands the challenges of jihadism and erosion of national identity. That is what Ben-Gvir represents, and the people of Israel think that way."

Fleisher said Menendezs concerns are not justified: "Moreover, it does not feel quite right that there is this air of meddling. What will help is mutual support, mutual trust and mutual respect for each others democratic processes. Just like Israel wants to see a strong U.S., I am sure the American people want to see a strong Israel."

Fleisher who is also spokesman for the Jewish community of Hebron, a city close to where Ben Gvir resides, also said that his candidate had later apologized for the Rabin incident, adding that Ben-Gvir has matured.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
New clashes were reported on Tuesday in an Ecuadoran prison where 15 people died in a riot the day before, the state prison administration authority said.

Violence in Ecuador's prisons, where drug gangs vie for power, is often carried out with knives and sometimes involves beheadings. The unrest has left more than 400 prisoners dead since February 2021.

"There has been a new incident" in the Latacunga prison in the center of Ecuador, around 60 miles (100 kilometers) southeast of Quito, the SNAI prison authority told reporters.

The prison authority had to send in tactical units to re-establish control following Monday's riot that left at least 15 inmates dead and 33 injured.

SNAI said the most recent clashes took place in a medium-security part of the prison that houses 4,300 inmates and is one of the largest in the country.

The authority said "detonations" had been heard but that police were "containing" the inmates. No deaths have been reported.

Administrative personnel were evacuated from the prison, said SNAI.

Following Monday's massacre, worried relatives waited outside the prison on Tuesday hoping for information on their loved ones.

"I'm looking for my brother Carlos Bravo. I got here at 6:00 am," one tearful woman who did not give her name told AFP.

"They told me to come and fetch my brother. I don't know anything, there's no list (of the dead), no-one has told me anything."

A force of 600 police and military personnel entered the prison on Monday to try to retake control from the rioters, authorities said.

- Riot sparked by inmate attack -

Monday's riot was allegedly provoked by the murder of Leandro Norero, a 36-year-old suspected drug trafficker known by the alias "El Patron" (the boss).

Norero, who had become one of the leaders of a group of inmates, was arrested last May for allegations of money laundering, in an operation in which $6.4 million, 24 gold bars, firearms and ammunition were allegedly seized.

"From what we can tell, Leandro Norero would be among the victims," said SNAI assistant director Jorge Flores.

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The prosecutor's office said on Twitter it was working to identify the dead.

Website GK said Monday's riot broke out after an attack "against Norero and his security, at least six prisoners," quoting unnamed inmates.

Norero, who was also wanted by Peru, was allegedly a member of the Los Chone Killers gang.

Other gangs such as Los Choneros, Los Lobos and Los Tiguerones also have a major presence in Ecuador's prison system, from where gang leaders manage the drug trafficking trade.

Norero's murder could spark further clashes, the interior ministry saying said, adding "we have to be careful."

The country's overcrowded prisons contain about 35,000 inmates, many of them members of gangs linked to drug trafficking.

A government committee noted in April that Ecuadorian prisons "are considered warehouses of human beings and torture centers."

Bordered by Colombia and Peru, the world's largest cocaine producers, Ecuador serves as a departure port for drug shipments, primarily to the United States and Europe.

In a bid to improve the living conditions in Ecuador's prisons, President Guillermo Lasso launched an inmate census in August.

During a television interview on Monday, he offered "a message of condolence and solidarity with the families of those who died today in (the prison)".

sp/vel/yow/bc/bgs
BOSTON (AP)  DJ Uiagalelei broke free up the middle for 40 yards before he tripped himself up and crashed to the turf  13 yards short of the end zone.

No matter, the Clemson quarterback finished the job with his arm on the next play.

I thought for a second I'd be gone, Uiagalelei said after leading No. 5 Clemson to a 31-3 victory over Boston College on Saturday night. And then reality hit.

Uiagalelei threw for 220 yards and three touchdowns, running for 69 more to help Clemson (6-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) break the game open in the second half. He might have scored on a third-and-3 from the Clemson 47 with about five minutes left  if he could have stayed on his feet.

Instead, he connected with a wide-open Brannon Spector in the middle of the end zone to ice it.

Forty yards? Wow! offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter said, giving his quarterback a high-five in the postgame news conference.

The Tigers scored touchdowns on back-to-back possessions sandwiched around halftime to turn a 3-3 game into a runaway. Meanwhile, BC (2-4, 1-3) went three-and-out and punted four times in five series, with only halftime interrupting the streak.

Beaux Collins caught four passes for 58 yards, including a 10-yard score. He also grabbed a 20-yard throw to set up Uiagaleleis 38-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Ngata to end a five-play, 73-yard drive that made it 17-3 early in the third quarter.

Phil Jurkovec completed 19 of 40 passes for 188 yards, spending much of the game scrambling behind BCs makeshift offensive line.

The defense controlled the night, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. They just controlled the night. They kept them out of the end zone.

THE TAKEAWAY

BC was good enough to stay with the Tigers for almost a half. The Eagles led in virtually every category at the break  except converting red zone chances. But Clemson showed in the second half why it is the No. 5 team in the country.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Clemson should easily hold onto its No. 5 ranking.

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CLOSE FOR A WHILE

A week after trailing North Carolina State 10-6 late in the first half in what turned into a 30-20 victory, Clemson could manage just a 3-3 tie until the final minute of the first half.

The Tigers pinned BC inside its own 10, and then forced a punt. Antonio Williams fielded the ball near midfield and ran it back 20 yards to the BC 28. Will Shipley ran it in from the 1 to make it 10-7.

BC went three-and-out to start the second half, and Clemson moved quickly, following a 20-yard pass to Collins with a 38-yard score to Ngata that made it 17-3.

BCs only sustained drive of the third quarter brought them to the Clemson 22, but Etinosa Reuben blocked Connor Lyttons field goal attempt. Uiagalelei led the Tigers to the BC 10, and Uiagalelei hit Collins on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 24-3.

O-LINE TROUBLES

Clemsons pass rush was a problem for Jurkovec all night, sacking him four times and hurrying him on 13 other plays. It also forced two fumbles; BC recovered one, but Payton Page jumped on the loose ball after Barrett Carter and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. knocked it loose in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers took over on the BC 23 but came away without points when B.T. Potters 42-yard field goal attempt was wide left.

Boston College started the season with all new offensive linemen and had five different starting lineups in its first five games.

RED BANDANNA

The Eagles wore their special uniforms with red bandanna trim in the memory of Welles Crowther, a former BC lacrosse player who died helping to rescue people from the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Crowther was identified by those he saved by the red bandanna he always had with him.

The uniforms had bandanna patterns in the numbers and along the stripe on their pants. Instead of the players' names, the backs of the jerseys all said FOR WELLES.

This game is bigger than anything, more than anybody knows," cornerback Jason Maitre said.

BC fell to 4-5 in the annual tribute game. The Eagles have not beaten a ranked team at all since beating No. 9 Southern California in the first Red Bandanna Game in 2014.

UP NEXT

Clemson: Visits Florida State on Saturday.

Boston College: Has a week off before playing at Wake Forest on Oct. 22.

___

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
Columbia University Irving Medical Center and its affiliate, NewYork-Presbyterian, reached a settlement of over $165 million to be distributed to women who accused former gynecologist Robert Hadden of sexual abuse or misconduct.

The agreement was announced on Friday by the two hospitals, which said in a statement that the money would be distributed to 147 of Hadden's former patients.

In 2021, both hospitals agreed to make a $71 million compensation fund for 79 people who were patients of Hadden.

Hadden was convicted in state court on sex-related charges in a state court in 2016 and surrendered his medical license, but wasn't given prison time. He's also being federally charged on eight criminal counts and is accused of taking women across state lines to sexually abuse them between 1993 and 2012.

NYC OFFICIALS SAY MAN JUMPED FROM 29-STORY LUXURY HOTEL IN TIMES SQUARE

Dr. Robert Hadden apears in Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014. Hadden, a former Columbia Presbyterian gynecologist, is charged with allegedly fondling and performing oral sex on patients between September 2011 and June 2012 at his Washington Heights and Upper East Side offices. Photo by Jefferson Siegel/NY Daily News via Getty Images

His accusers include Evelyn Yang, the wife of former presidential and New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang. She alleged that Hadden abused her in 2012, and went public with the allegations in 2012.

In a statement, Columbia University Irving Medical Center said that it regrets the pain that Hadden's patients went through.

"We deeply regret the pain that Robert Haddens patients suffered and hope that these resolutions will provide some measure of support for the women he hurt. All those who came forward should be commended. We are committed to the safety and dignity of every one of our patients and have adopted policies to ensure they are protected and empowered while in our care," the hospital said.

NYC JUDGE RULES ON POLYAMOROUS RELATIONSHIPS: PERHAPS 'TIME HAS ARRIVED'

The statement added that the Columbia University Irving Medical Center's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology "has revised existing policies, adopted new ones and expanded resources to earn and maintain patients trust."

Marissa Hoechstetter, who also accused Hadden of sexual misconduct, told the Associated Press that a law signed by Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in May will help "countless other Hadden survivors."

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The law expanded a one-year window for reporting sexual abuse.

"Were not done yet with the reckoning for Haddens actions and the institutions coverup," Hoechstetter said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Boats are stacked up at the Port Sanibel Marina in Fort Myers, Fla., on Sept. 29. (Steve Helber / Associated Press)

The buildings? Demolished.

The roads? Ruined.

The landscape? Scarred, just like the lives of far too many residents who have lost everything.

When a climate-change-fueled Hurricane Ian recently made landfall in southwest Florida, bringing high winds and flooding to some of the same wealthy enclaves that have endured previous hurricanes, readers had a question for us.

We had, after all, just published a series of columns urging California to reconsider blindly rebuilding every impoverished mountain town that burns down in a wildfire  knowing that, with climate change, flames will surely strike again in a few short years.

Why, these irked readers wanted to know, is urban Florida any different from rural California?

"They have hurricane disasters which most likely cost billions of dollars," went one email, "yet they keep rebuilding only to have the same disaster again."

He's right. And we agree, it's really not all that different. Or, at least, it shouldn't be.

Even President Biden made this point last week after taking a helicopter ride to survey the damage in and around Cape Coral and Fort Myers, including the once-posh and now-trashed barrier island of Sanibel. Hurricane Ian, he declared  a grimacing Gov. Ron DeSantis off to one side  has "finally ended" the discussion about whether climate change exists.

"A lot of people around the country are going through similar disasters, Biden told reporters, comparing it to states in the West, including California, where wildfires have "burned everything right to the ground."

Some readers saw our argument as coastal elites picking on rural mountain people, and we understand that. But we see high risk is high risk, no matter where it is, and that must factor into the calculations of whether to rebuild and how to rebuild after a disaster.

Consider that Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 4 storm in almost the exact same spot that Hurricane Charley did in 2004. Ian was twice as big as Charley, though, and sent a record-high storm surge through neighborhoods on the mainland and on barrier islands, all sitting at precarious elevations right around sea level.

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At last count, more than 100 people  ranging in age from 19 to 96, but mostly elderly  have died in Florida alone, the majority by drowning in the floodwaters that inundated land on both sides of the Caloosahatchee River. Ian is now the second-deadliest storm to hit the mainland U.S. in the 21st century behind Hurricane Katrina.

Still, despite the risks and the challenges and the cost, which will surely run into the tens of billion of dollars, many residents want to rebuild.

The dream of living near the water is strong. Im here and so I get it. Im one of them, Bill Spikowski, a planning consultant who lives in Fort Myers, told our Times colleague Jenny Jarvie. I dont know if anybodys willing to throw it away right now. I think its gonna hang on as long as it can. And then one day, if it cant, it cant.

There's a similar sentiment in Greenville, the small town in the rural northern Sierra Nevada that we wrote about in our series after spending several days there over the summer. It was leveled by last year's Dixie fire, so far the second largest wildfire in California's history.

The 300 or so people who want to move back insist they can rebuild safely. Climate scientists are skeptical, though, because as with so much of high-risk Northern California, it's likely that another severe wildfire will scorch Greenville in the coming years as the West becomes hotter and drier.

Whatever risk tolerances that we collectively decided were acceptable, for whatever reason, in whatever context, are no longer valid, Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, told us. "Because we built our towns, we built the infrastructure, people built their homes, in a particular historical context that no longer exists."

A sign is posted outside the rubble of a home destroyed by the Dixie fire in Greenville, Calif., on Sept. 24. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

In this way, climate change has become the great equalizer, ravaging red states and blue states alike. But it's this nation's hodgepodge of self-serving public policies that has increasingly made climate change a driver of inequity.

Most Americans who are at risk for disasters aren't rich. They are middle class and poor, often elderly and people of color, seeking out a bit of paradise, sometimes without truly understanding the risks.

This was definitely the case in Greenville. We met as many residents who had retired to the rural stretch of Plumas County for the beauty, as we did people who couldn't afford to live anywhere else. And even before the Dixie fire, the town had shrinking population of about 800, no real economy and a poverty level above the statewide average.

These same trends largely hold true even in urban Florida. As a couple of native Ohioans who spent plenty of summer vacations in the Sunshine State, we can attest to the high number of retirees and Midwestern families looking to escape the cold for six months out of the year, putting their limited dollars into timeshares and condos.

Sanibel Island is more of an exception.

Before Hurricane Ian blew through, it was where the wealthy owned homes alongside the working class. So beautiful, it's where celebrities went on vacation, from Denzel Washington to Eric Clapton.

Now the causeway bridge that connects the island to the mainland is gone. And building codes for hurricane safety, implemented since many of the older, now demolished houses were built, will raise cost of rebuilding. Echoing a cycle of displacement we've seen after wildfires in Northern California, theres a real possibility that only people of means will be able to return to their lives on Sanibel.

William Butler, an associate professor at Florida State University who specializes in climate gentrification, predicted that real estate speculators with monied clients could soon pressure working-class people who didn't have insurance to sell their water-logged properties.

If they do and Sanibel becomes unaffordable, some of the richness of what made that place kind of cool is sanitized, and it gets lost, Butler said. Its just a bunch of big houses on stilts overlooking the ocean.

The wealthy can afford disasters. They can afford to lose property. But for the average person  particularly the average person without insurance  disasters can bring about financial destruction and displacement, which is usually offset by public tax dollars.

A causeway to Florida's Sanibel Island is damaged after Hurricane Ian on Sept. 29. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press)

It's an unsustainable model that raises as many economic questions and quandaries as it does moral ones. And it adds another layer to the fear that poor rural areas will one day get passed up for rebuilding in favor of wealthy urban areas.

Urban planners, government officials and developers know the dangers and likely consequences of building and rebuilding in high-risk places. But in many cases, they are simply ignoring the risks  for votes, for economic development or for other reasons that have nothing to do with a responsible future or even common sense.

Instead, cities and states continue to invest in places where climate change makes it increasingly likely that homes and businesses will get wiped off the map.

In California, it's the millions of people who live and are moving into the wildland urban interface, driven by a longstanding shortage of affordable housing in urban areas.

In Florida, it's the hundreds of thousands of people who live the Cape Coral-Fort Myers region  up more than 600% between 1970 and 2020  while federal researchers predict that sea levels will rise as much as 18 inches in the Gulf Coast by 2050.

And yet, it's a sign of the times that, even in the red state of Florida, a discussion about whether to rebuild and how to rebuild after Hurricane Ian is happening.

Sen. Marco Rubio recently acknowledged on ABC News that Sanibel Island will be uninhabitable for the foreseeable future. I think our priority now is to identify the people that remain on Sanibel who wanted to stay there, but eventually have to come off because theres just no way to continue with life there, he said.

Florida's other Republican senator, Rick Scott, talked about building codes and the dangers of manufactured homes on NBCs Meet the Press."

Biden was even asked to weigh in, telling reporters: You have to ask, should you rebuild in this spot or that spot? Thats a local decision.

We know that "managed retreat" is largely a political nonstarter in Florida, as it is throughout much of America. But we're glad that Florida is at least having this conversation  and wish that California would, too.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is not running for president, signed a climate pact recently with Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, remarking at a press event that, "we have to do things radically different."

He promised that he would put on a "West Coast offense, not defense," against climate change, and he's made some impressive steps. But when it comes to the hardest one, the discussion of how and where we will live in the future, his silence leaves us hoping he learns a thing or two from Florida.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
It was Saturday night, and the crowds were beginning to arrive at Uncle Vinnies Comedy Club in Point Pleasant Beach, a seaside town in New Jersey.

Comedians Ariel Elias and Gianmarco Soresi were standing at the back of the club, watching patrons enter, when they noticed a group of about 20 people take their seats. The group appeared to be celebrating a birthday, with some wearing stereotypical Mexican-themed costumes, and they looked to be a few drinks in when they arrived at the BYOB club.

Soresi said he turned to Elias and jokingly predicted the group would probably get thrown out for being too rowdy. I was like, I hope they get thrown out during your set instead of mine, Soresi recalled. Sure enough, it was worse than either of us could have possibly imagined.

As Elias performed her opening set around 9:30 p.m., she delivered her usual material about body image and being a woman. The audience seemed to be having a good time, but she decided to open it up for a Q&A  something Elias does to elicit laughs and work the crowd.

Thats when a woman in the rowdy group raised her hand and asked something Elias wasnt ready for: Did you vote for Donald Trump?

Um, fuck, Elias recalled to BuzzFeed News of what she thought in that moment. I think it was mostly just like, Why are you asking me this? What's your endgame here?

As video of the encounter shows, the crowd seems uncomfortable with the politics question, and Elias does her best to bat it away with a joke: Why would you ask me that knowing Im the only Jew in this room? Are you trying to get me killed?!

So you voted for Biden? the woman yells back.

I dunno. What does it matter? Elias responds.

Yes, you did! the heckler replies. I could just tell by your jokes you voted for Biden.

I can tell by the fact that youre still talking when nobody wants you to that you voted for Trump, Elias responds, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

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As the woman complains that the club owner was asking her to stop talking, Elias asks the crowd to make some noise if they want the woman to shut up, and shes soon met with more very loud cheering.

But then, as Elias tries to steer the show back on course and begins a story about getting an IUD, a beer can is launched onstage, landing with a thud against the brick wall behind her.

Oh my god! people in the crowd shout.

You cant do that!

Are you fucking kidding me?!

Elias told BuzzFeed News that she saw the can as soon as it landed  but then made a very fast decision.

At first I was in shock. Did that really just happen? she said. And then I saw the beer can and I was like, I mean, I have to drink this. Like, there's nothing else I can do with this. This is the only way to recover. I have to drink it.

So I drank it!

As the crowd continues to reel in shock and outrage, Elias lifts the beer can above her head and drinks what was left inside to applause  and then she continues her set.

To answer the most obvious question, yes, I did pick up what was left of the beer and chug it. https://t.co/y6T0AWC1kQ 04:57 AM - 09 Oct 2022

Elias said she was overcome with adrenaline, but she was determined to finish her set  if only to hit her final punchline, which is printed on some of the merchandise she sells after her show. I was like, Well, I mean, I still want to make extra money tonight, so I have to do the joke! she said.

When she did finally get offstage, Soresi hugged her and asked if she was OK, and then Elias called her husband so she could hear a comforting voice. She said one member of the rowdy group also came to apologize on behalf of their friends, while another gave her $20.

Club owner Dino Ibelli told BuzzFeed News that the heckling woman and her male partner, who he said was the one who threw the can, quickly left the venue, but Ibelli said that he had been in touch with local police on Sunday morning after he was able to identify the patrons.

An official from the Point Pleasant Beach Police Department told BuzzFeed News that investigators were at the club Sunday afternoon to collect evidence, which Ibelli said included security footage.

Soresi, meanwhile, said he was in awe of Elias for her composure  and her comedy.

There's this idea that the brave comedian is the one saying the thing we're all thinking, and Im like, just take a look at this video if you want to see what real bravery looks like as a comedian, he said.

Asked how she was feeling on the day after the incident, Elias said she is still on edge.

I definitely still have some adrenaline, she said. I took two sips of coffee this morning and I was like, That was a mistake.

But one positive has been the incredible response she received from a bunch of more famous comedians after she posted the clip online, where it soon went viral.

Ariel wasnt even doing political material. The drunk heckler was craving what every MAGAt craves  grievance and revenge. And theyll alter the reality before their eyes to get it. You SOUND like you voted for Biden. https://t.co/rDCF9Cmoc1 05:08 PM - 09 Oct 2022

For all yall who want to make fun of comics for saying we didnt sign up to be physically attacked and put on a pedestal, take a peekie poo. @Ariel_Comedy youre a class act. https://t.co/dJSahKnJDL 05:48 PM - 09 Oct 2022

Umm...SO MANY things to say about this but the big take away is that @ariel_Comedy is super funny and total class. https://t.co/twi2CBKr5K 07:02 PM - 09 Oct 2022

five stars for this flawless performance @Ariel_Comedy https://t.co/gPmNlmX9d5 05:37 PM - 09 Oct 2022

I've been at this for a long time, said the comedian of 11 years. It feels nice to have any positive recognition. Maybe it softens the blow  no pun intended  a little bit.
In 2021, AeroVironment acquired Arcturus UAV, which makes the Jump 20 drone, seen here. (AeroVironment)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Army is poised to launch a competitive prototyping effort for a tactical drone after selecting AeroVironments Jump 20 earlier this year as an interim option. And according to Army aviation leaders, the pool of competitors appears significantly larger than when competition began in 2019.

In 2018, the Army began considering requirements for a replacement for the Textron-made Shadow drone. The aircraft is widely used, but is one of the most accident-prone unmanned aerial systems in the services inventory. It is also difficult to deploy and has a loud engine, allowing for easy detection.

By 2019, the service narrowed the pool of competitors to two: a Martin UAV-Northrop Grumman team and Textron Systems AAI. Martin UAV supplied its V-Bat system, while Textron offered its Aerosonde HQ.

Shortly after, the Army added two more aircraft for evaluation: L3Harris Technologies FVR-90 and Arcturus UAVs Jump 20. In 2021, AeroVironment acquired Arcturus for $405 million.

For about a year, operational units evaluated the four different tactical drones, culminating in a rodeo in spring 2021 at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Two units received Arcturus offering, while the other systems went to one unit each. That approach was based on the number of systems readily available and the services desire to get platforms to five units.

Martin UAVs V-Bat drone. (Northrop Grumman)

At the Fort Benning rodeo, all five units tried each offering to compare them.

Although the demonstrations were a critical portion of that to inform the requirements, they werent necessarily going to be used as source selection, Maj. Gen. Robert Barrie, the Armys program executive officer for aviation, told Defense News in a recent interview.

Demonstrations wrapped up in the first half of 2021, but it took until August 2022 for the Army to select one company to build an initial tranche of systems. The service was working through requirements, an acquisition strategy and waiting for congressionally approved funding.

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The Army in August awarded AeroVironment an $8 million contract to pay for one Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System, which includes six air vehicles, ground data terminals and ground control stations. The system will go to a single brigade combat team.

Increment 1 ... really represents the current state of industry regarding performance capabilities that are going to get us rapidly deployable, runway independent, expeditionary, [a] vertical takeoff [capability], Barrie said ahead of the Association of the U.S. Armys annual conference. Increment 1 allows us to field a capability today thats available.

Increment 2, in which the Army prepares for a competitive prototyping phase, builds on that with all of those current demonstrated capabilities, [but] its going to increase range, [and] its going to incorporate a scalable control interface, which [gives] the ability for multiple soldiers in multiple places to be able to control an Increment 2, Barrie said.

The second increment should also offer upgraded sensor capability  specifically an enhanced laser designator, he added. The system is expected to offer more interoperability through manned-unmanned teaming, for example, and provide an improved controller interface.

Additionally, he noted, the second increment must enable organic maintenance of the system so the Army can break ourselves of contractor logistics support.

Following the Increment 2 competitive process, which will involve multiple vendors, the Army plans to choose a winner and buy its system in larger quantities than in Increment 1.

It will be an incremental downselect [process] to maximize all of the competition, Barrie said.

Maj. Gen. Walter Rugen, who manages the Armys future vertical lift technology development, said five units went through one of the longest soldier evaluations the Army has ever done, and by the end were pretty much demanding that technology.

Because of that demand, the Army decided to progress in an incremental fashion, providing a unit immediate capability, but then competing to pursue what the service considers to be a truly transformational capability, Rugen said.

The incremental approach and a competition for a second increment are meant to help the Army get the best value for the best capability, according to Barrie.

One could argue: OK, [AeroVironment] won  therefore they have a leg up. The other side is, we have well understood costs and capabilities and limitations with those systems, Barrie added. So as we go into a competitive environment, we will know very well what their system can do, and well be able to compare it against other systems.

Asked whether to expect more industry participation this time around, Barrie said: 100%, yes. In fact, I know we have a bigger pool.

He wouldnt provide a specific timeline on the Increment 2 prototyping effort, but said decisions will come in fiscal 2023.

According to FY23 Army budget documents, the service plans to enter FTUAS Increment 2 competitive prototyping in the first quarter of FY23 and wrap it up in the first quarter of FY25. The Army is slated to make a rapid fielding decision in the second quarter of FY25 and to hold an operational evaluation in the third quarter of FY25. The system is planned to then enter full-rate production in the second quarter of FY26.
L.A. City Council candidates Traci Park, left, and Erin Darling seek to represent a coastal district that includes Venice. (Francine Orr, Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

An increasingly vitriolic battle to represent the Westside on the Los Angeles City Council roared to new levels of intensity Friday, as attorney Erin Darling charged that his opponent, lawyer Traci Park, had moved to defend racism in a case where she represented the city of Anaheim against a city employee who accused a supervisor of using the "n-word."

Park responded by accusing Darling of descending into "sleazy smear tactics," and said she had "no choice but to respond." She slammed Darling for representing a host of unsavory criminal defendants, including one who faced a gun-possession charge, after initially being accused of raping his victim at gunpoint in a public bathroom just hours after he was released from jail.

The salvos from the two candidates, a month before election day, marked a pronounced escalation of the contest to represent Council District 11, which stretches from Pacific Palisades to Los Angeles International Airport. Darling, 41, and Park, 46, previously had focused mostly on the issues of homelessness, public safety and the environment.

The two have been a study in sharp contrasts. Darling is a onetime Green Party member. Park is a former Republican. Park wants to expand the Los Angeles Police Department. Darling has called for more mental health workers. Darling opposed the citys anti-camping ordinance. Park supported it.

The legal careers of the two Democrats had remained somewhat in the background before Thursday, when Spectrum News 1 reported on a 2020 case in which Park  a partner in the firm Burke, Williams & Sorenson  defended the city of Anaheim after a Black employee accused a fleet supervisor of using the "n-word" and other offensive taunts.

Legal papers filed in the case show that Park sought to have a judge dismiss the case, arguing that plaintiff Andrew Harrell's lawyers had not provided specific enough information about the discrimination they claimed their client suffered.

"The only thing close to a specific allegation is the allegation that [the supervisor] had used the 'n-word' in front of Plaintiff," Park's brief in the case says. "However, further details on his use of the word, including any context, date or frequency, are absent. While an allegation of the use of this single word is serious, plaintiff does not allege the term was ever directed at him or that he was targeted with its usage."

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Park's filing added that "not every utterance of a racial slur in the workplace violates" discrimination laws. She said the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that "for harassment to be actionable, it must be sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the conditions of the victims employment and create an abusive working environment."

An Orange County Superior Court judge rejected Parks arguments and let the case proceed, according to court orders shared with The Times by the Darling campaign. Quoting the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the judge described the n-word as "perhaps the most offensive and inflammatory racial slur in English  a word expressive of racial hatred and bigotry."

The judge said Harrell's lawyers' amended lawsuit "sufficiently alleges a claim for harassment." Harrell ended the dispute with Anaheim last year, accepting a settlement payment. His attorneys did not respond to a request for comment.

Its never OK to defend racism, even in court, Darling said in a statement Friday. The use of this racist slur has no place in our workplaces and Traci Parks actions to defend racist employers is inexcusable."

Park called it "outrageous" for Darling to suggest that she had defended racist language. As a contract attorney for the city of Anaheim, she said she merely investigated the allegations made by Harrell to determine their veracity and to recommend to the city how to respond.

"I do not condone the use of racially charged language, or harassing or discriminatory conduct, under any circumstances," Park said. She called Darling a "failing candidate, whose message is not resonating with CD 11 voters and who has no plan to address catastrophic problems created by his biggest supporter, [retiring Councilman] Mike Bonin."

Park said she had never intended to raise Darling's legal history, until he sought to demonize hers. She said she did no more or less in the Anaheim case than other lawyers responding to similar litigation.

Both campaigns presented The Times with summaries of cases handled by their opponent.

Darlings camp bashed Park for defending the city of Hemet when a police officer was accused of kicking a man in the face during an arrest; the city of Alhambra when a firefighter accused it of abridging his free speech rights, and a giant cargo shipping company, Dynamex, that was accused of misclassifying employees, resulting in a loss of pay and benefits.

Park said she was a junior associate 16 years ago when she briefly worked on two procedural motions in the Dynamex case. An attorney on the opposing side of that case, representing workers, confirmed that Park played a peripheral role.

Park's campaign said that in Darling's work as a federal public defender and in private practice, he represented an MS-13 gang member accused in a machete murder; about a dozen individuals involved in a methamphetamine ring; a man convicted of a sexual abuse against a teenage victim, and parents trying to retain custody of their children when the adults were accused of running a prostitution ring in their home.

In an interview, Park focused on a 2016 case in which an alleged gang member named Edgar Alexander Lobos was charged with assaulting a woman in a public bathroom in Lincoln Heights, just hours after his jail release.

The Park campaign's summary included legal briefs in which Darling tried to get evidence against Lobos, then 27, thrown out of court in a federal gun-possession charge. Darling's motion asked that a search and interview of Lobos both be deemed inadmissible because he said they were conducted illegally.

His brief argued, in part: "Here, police officers did not have probable cause to believe Mr. Lobos committed any offense as it has not established that the complaining witness identification of Mr. Lobos was reasonably trustworthy."

Darling's actions came after rape and other felony charges against Lobos were dropped in Los Angeles Superior Court. The Venice-based lawyer defended Lobos in the federal weapons case tied to the alleged rape, according to a brief that he filed in the case.

Lobos pleaded guilty in 2017 to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 77 months in prison.

"Instead of accepting a woman's statement  who was traumatized by being raped in a bathroom in a public park with a gun to her head  [Darling] attacked her credibility  It's disgusting," Park said in an interview.

Darling said he was proud to be a criminal defense lawyer who represented indigent defendants.

He rejected Park's take on the Lobos case as "categorically false," adding: "I represented my client in a federal case in which he was charged with being a felon in possession of a gun, nothing else. I never saw this woman, never questioned her and never attacked or criticized her. All state charges for any kind of sexual violence against my client had been dropped at the time I wrote the motion to suppress [evidence]."

"In the motion to suppress," Darling continued, "I questioned the police's failure to properly execute a photo lineup in questioning my client. He went to prison for the gun. He was not convicted of any sexual assault, and those charges were not the case in which I was the lawyer."

Activists on opposing sides of the CD 11 race weighed in with their opinions about the legal fracas.

Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles tweeted out a message saying it was "alarmed by the clear anti-Blackness displayed by City Council candidate Traci Park" in the Harrell vs. Anaheim case.

Freddy Escobar, the president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, accused Darling of "playing the race card in an attempt to deflect from the failed policies which have decimated the Westside."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
IRYNA BALACHUK  SUNDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2022, 16:18

The Russian media Meduza called the Crimean Bridge, damaged by the explosion on 8 October, one of the most protected places in the world - it is allegedly guarded from the ground, from the sky, from the sea, and even from underwater and space.

Source: [Latvia-based Russian media outlet] Meduza

Details: According to the publication, the entrances to the Crimean Bridge on both sides are guarded by special units of the Rosgvardiya (their task is to inspect cars entering this crossing for explosives and illegal cargo, but it should be noted that their inspections were carried out randomly).

According to the statements made by the Russian Ministry of Transport, vans and trucks are illuminated with the help of special systems that can allegedly "detect even a nut in the interior of the car or see what the driver took with him for lunch."

Observation points were also set up on the bridge.

It is reported that in the event of an emergency, a special rapid response team has orders to arrive on the scene within a few minutes to clear the scene of an accident and investigate what has happened.

The Rosgvardiya [The National Guard or Rosgvardiya is the internal military force of Russia] is allegedly assisted by special border control FSB forces and anti-sabotage groups working both on land and water.

According to the publication, small mobile boats of several missions patrol the coastline of the city: anti-sabotage boats of the Grachonok type (equipped with machine guns, grenade launchers or even Igla missile systems), boats of the Mangust project (equipped with machine guns and missiles, but they are mainly used for interception of ships and inspection).

In addition, it is reported that, if necessary, BK-16 amphibious boats (the same missiles, machine guns and 19 paratroopers on board), Afalina and Sargan motor boats can be used.

To protect the bridge from ramming, special cylindrical concrete fortifications have been built in front of its piers, which will prevent ships from sailing too near to the piers of the crossing.

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From land, the ships are supported by the Bal coastal missile complex, equipped with anti-ship missiles with a range of up to 260 kilometres, and the modern complex Bastion with cruise missiles Onyx.

Also, according to Meduza, the bridge is also protected under water - to prevent mining or undermining of the bridge supports, military divers and special groups of the Black Sea Fleet are constantly in action. And the Plavnik water area control system supposedly can detect a person at a distance of 2 km, and a ship at a distance of 3 km.

Special sound traps - the Amulet-P system - also support the protection of the bridge.

In addition to divers and traps, specially trained dolphins are allegedly involved in the protection of the Crimean Bridge.

Russia allegedly monitors the bridge from the special satellite Kosmos-K. And the sky above the crossing is regularly patrolled by Russian Su-27 fighters and Il-38 anti-submarine reconnaissance aircraft.

On the ground, the city is protected by anti-aircraft systems with different ranges: the S-400 Triumph missile system and the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft system.

It is also reported that radar systems are involved in the protection of the bridge: Podsolnukh (Sunflower) (it is located in Crimea and is able to detect targets at a distance of 450 km) and Voronezh-DM station (covers a distance of 6 thousand km).

The Russian media notes that, according to the BBC's calculations, 700 million rubles [approximately $11 million US dollars] were spent in 2022, plus another 618 million [almost $10 million US dollars] - on various technical security systems.

According to the Russian media outlet, the guarding of the railway part of the bridge has cost a similar amount.

Background:

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Photo: Youtube/file photo

South Korea says North Korea has fired a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters, the latest in a barrage of weapons tests in recent days.

South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff says the launch was made early Sunday but gave no further details like how far the weapon flew.

The Japanese government also says North Korea has fired a possible ballistic missile.

The launch, the Norths sixth round of weapons tests in two weeks, came hours after the United States and South Korea wrapped a new round of naval drills off the Korean Peninsulas east coast. The drills involved an U.S. aircraft carrier.

North Koreas military warned Saturday that the U.S. redeployment of the aircraft carrier near the Korean Peninsula is causing a considerably huge negative splash in regional security.
NextShark

Multiple Asian women have reportedly come forward to accuse a Chinese American cosplayer and her boyfriend of luring them into sexual relations through supposed opportunities for collaborative work. Cosplayer and influencer Kat Wong, who describes herself as just an Asian girl making silly content, came under fire on Twitter last week after actor, director and host Gina Darling revealed that multiple women have reached out to her with such allegations. Multiple women in the Asian community have reached out to me about @katkwo4tweets and her BF allegedly trying to trick them into having sexual relations with them under the guise of collaborating on cosplays, OF (OnlyFans) and modeling, Darling tweeted.
Oct. 9For the second straight week, the University of New Mexico failed to capitalize on a big, early lead and lost to Wyoming, 27-14, in front of an announced crowd of 14,226 Saturday night at University Stadium.

UNM jumped out to a 14-0 lead against the Cowboys (4-3, 2-1 Mountain West), much similar to last week when the Lobos built a 17-0 lead only to lose to UNLV 31-20. New Mexico (2-4, 0-3 MW) suffered its third straight loss. The Lobos started from their own 1 after with just under three minutes left. UNM quarterback Miles Kendrick later threw a pick-six with 69 seconds left when Wyoming's Cam Stone ran back an interception for 38 yards for the final score.

UNM played without wide receivers Geordon Porter and Luke Wysong and running backs Sherod White and Christian Washington. They were held out because they did not meet the standards and expectations of the team, UNM coach Danny Gonzales said after the loss.

"Nobody is treated any differently on this team," Gonzales said. "So when they don't do what is expected of them there's consequences."

Gonzales would not elaborate on the reason why the four were held out.

"They're good players," Gonzales said. "It hurts your team. Are we going to win that game with them? I don't know. We played the game with the guys who were available that meet the standards and expectations of our team and proud of the ones who fought. We need to coach them better to give them a better chance to be successful."

The Journal requested an interview with Porter on Wednesday, but he was not available because he had a schedule conflict due to classes, UNM Athletics said at the time.

Porter and Wysong are the Lobos' top receivers and Wysong also returns punts, while Washington is UNM's main kick-off returner.

Wysong's absence showed in the third quarter, especially, when wide receiver Andrew Erickson muffed a punt that helped set up the Cowboys' go-ahead field goal when John Hoyland connected from 27 yards out for a 17-14 lead.

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The Lobos scored on their first two drives, mixing in sophomore transfer quarterback Justin Holaday (Fresno City College) and used up-tempo to keep the Cowboys off balance, much like last week when UNM used quarterback CJ Montes.

UNM's opening drive proved to be its longest drive of the season in terms of time, as they used 7 minutes, 8 seconds off the clock. The Lobos used 16 plays to go 75 yards on the drive and Kendrick capped it with a 10-yard touchdown run.

Holaday scored on the Lobos' next drive, running it in from 8 yards out. He scored on a designed run up the middle.

UNM churned out 105 rushing yards in the first quarter but didn't find as much success in the second quarter, when the Lobos had just 23 yards on the ground.

Still, UNM was in position for a 45-yard field goal with five seconds left in the first half, but George Steinkamp's attempt bounced off the upright.

The Lobos struggled on offense after the first quarter.

Gonzales was asked if Kendrick gives the Lobos the best chance to win.

"I'll have to evaluate the tape and watch," Gonzales said. "I don't think he played well enough tonight to give us the best chance to win. We'll have to watch the tape and evaluate to see if he's the one that gives us the best chance to win, and if he is he'll be the starting quarterback next week against New Mexico State."

UNM freshman safety Jer'Marius Lewis, who started for the first time, ran back a punt return 36 yards to the Wyoming 12-yard line. UNM later went for a 22-yard field goal on 4th-and-3 from the Wyoming 7-yard line that could've tied the score at 17. But Steinkamp had his field-goal attempt blocked because it was a low kick.

UNM sophomore quarterback Isaiah Chavez, who led the Lobos to wins over Wyoming the past two seasons, did not make the dress list, Gonzales said after the game. When asked about Chavez's status, Gonzales said Chavez remains on the team.

Sophomore linebacker Alec Marenco suffered a knee injury that Gonzales feared could be a torn ACL.

Wide receiver Bobby Wooden, who had 2 catches for 16 yards, did not play in the second half because of a rib injury. He'll be week to week, Gonzales said.

"It was a great college football game until the final three minutes when we made too many mistakes," Gonzales said. "It's who we are. We need to coach them better so that we don't create a divide."
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP)  Paxton DeLaurent threw three touchdown passes  two of them to Ryan Flournoy  to spark Southeast Missouri State to a 34-20 victory over Tennessee Tech on Saturday.

DeLaurent's touchdown passes spanned the second and third quarters and helped Southeast Missouri State (5-1, 2-0 Ohio Valley Conference) turn a 13-all tie into a 34-13 lead heading into the final quarter.

Jeremiah Oatsvall connected with Davin Dyal for a 7-yard score to pull Tennessee Tech (1-4, 0-2) even at 13 with 2:44 remaining in the first half.

DeLaurent needed five plays to regain the lead for the Redhawks, tossing a 12-yard scoring strike to Flourney with 1:03 left. Trai Hodges picked off Oatsvall and returned it 49 yards to the Golden Eagles' 26-yard line. Two plays later DeLaurent hit Johnny King for a 7-yard score with 10 seconds left for a 27-13 halftime lead.

DeLaurent's final touchdown throw was a 4-yarder to Flournoy for the only score of the third quarter.

DeLaurent completed 22 of 33 passes for 266 yards. Flournoy caught five passes for 101 yards. Geno Hess carried 13 times for 88 yards and a touchdown.

Oatsvall completed 27 of 48 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions. Bradley Clark had the other touchdown catch for the Golden Eagles.

___

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
The Democratic Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was arrested Saturday evening for allegedly driving while intoxicated and causing an accident.

Mayor Thomas Henry is in his fourth term as mayor and was first elected in 2008. A statement from his office apologized for the incident and clarified that no one was hurt. Henry, 70, is running for a fifth term against Republican Tom Didier, a member of the city council.

"I want to apologize to the residents of Fort Wayne and my family for the poor decision I made to get behind the wheel of a vehicle after drinking at a local function. I accept full responsibility for my actions. Im relieved that no one was hurt in this incident," Henry's statement read, according to local media.

"The Fort Wayne Police Department handled this situation with professionalism and followed all of the correct procedures and protocols," it continued.

INDIANA POLICE: FOUR FATAL SHOOTINGS IN GARY WERE NOT RANDOM OR GANG-RELATED

GARY GRADUATION SHOOTING: 3 INJURED AFTER MULTIPLE GUNMEN OPEN FIRE AT CEREMONY IN INDIANA

Police released Henry on Sunday morning. The Allen County Sheriff's Office has not released specific details regarding the mayor's arrest, and the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Didier also released a statement on the incident, calling for the community to pray for Henry's family.

"I have known the Henry family for much of my life. Cindy Henry actually was one of the first people to encourage me to run for public office. These relationships go beyond politics. I would encourage everyone to pray for them and all those involved in this accident and I hope that no one was seriously harmed," Dider wrote, according to Wane.com.

Indiana Police officers gather at a crime scene. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) getty images

Henry is the longest-serving mayor in Fort Wayne's history.
Oct. 8ALBANY  COVID and influenza have been on opposite trajectories over the last couple of months, with coronavirus numbers falling but flu cases ticking up. There is some concern among the medical community, though, of a "twindemic" where both start tracking upward during the fall and winter.

During the first year of the pandemic, flu numbers were down significantly, attributed in part to the masking and social distancing that were initiated. With those protocols being mostly abandoned, the fear is that the population could be ripe for a vigorous flu season.

Over the months of August and September and up through Oct. 3, Phoebe Putney Health System diagnosed 241 positive flu cases and 918 for COVID-19 at its outpatient clinics. An additional 50 patients tested positive at the Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital emergency room for influenza, and seven patients were hospitalized during that time period.

"With people doing less masking and being more socially active, we expect the numbers to go up this year," Dr. James Black, Phoebe's interim chief medical officer, said.

After falling to less than 10 new flu cases per week in late August and early September, the number of positive flu tests increased to 49 for the week ended Sept. 26 and 96 the following week.

"The amount of flu activity in the community is definitely ramping up," Black said. "There is concern that if there is a rise in COVID numbers, we could have additional respiratory patients. (And) having one doesn't keep you from getting the other.

"We're just keeping an eye out and sending the message to get vaccinated. Either one of these organisms can cause illness and hospitalization."

While influenza follows a seasonal pattern that sees it peak in the spring or winter, COVID spikes can come seemingly randomly.

One factor that has been linked to some of the COVID increases is holiday gatherings, when people come together. The holiday season that kicks off with Thanksgiving and ends with New Year's Day also comes during the time that flu activity is high.

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Between Aug. 1 and Oct. 3, Phoebe administered 1,664 flu vaccines at outpatient clinics and 1,976 Phoebe employees were vaccinated.

"Some people are hesitant about getting vaccinations of any kind," Black said. "There are people who are OK with traditional vaccinations, but are resistant to the COVID vaccination. We're trying to address concerns to make them comfortable with that decision.

"If people have concerns about vaccination, we encourage them to reach out to their primary care provider and get the answers."
Kenya's former president Uhuru Kenyatta, a key player in African Union-led efforts to bring peace to Ethiopia, said Friday he would be skipping negotiations expected to begin this weekend, raising doubts over whether the talks would go ahead.

The bid to resolve the nearly two-year conflict comes as fierce fighting grips northern Ethiopia after a resurgence in late August shattered a five-month truce and halted aid into war-torn Tigray.

The AU has invited the warring sides to talks in South Africa that were scheduled to start on Saturday, mediated by the bloc's Horn of Africa envoy Olusegun Obasanjo, South Africa's former deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Kenyatta.

AU Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat said in a statement Thursday he had "full confidence in... the distinguished panel members to ensure constructive engagements and dialogue between the parties towards a sustainable, inclusive negotiated settlement to the conflict".

But in a sign of the challenges confronting the process, Kenyatta said in a letter to Faki he would not be attending the South Africa talks "due to conflicts in my schedule".

"However, in the interim and as you consider the possibility for another date for the peace talks, I would be grateful to receive further clarity on the structure and modalities of the talks, including but not limited to the rules of engagement for all the interlocuters invited," he wrote.

Kenyatta, who left office in August, also said the "immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities" should be put high on the agenda.

Both the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which have been at war since November 2020, said on Wednesday they were ready to take part in the negotiations.

But TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael protested that the regional authorities were not consulted before the invitation was issued, and sought clarification on what other parties would be involved, what role the international community would play and logistics such as air travel and security for their negotiating team.

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Representatives of the AU, the Ethiopian government and the TPLF did not respond to AFP's requests for comment following Kenyatta's announcement.

- Air strikes -

Fighting has escalated in recent weeks on multiple fronts in northern Ethiopia, with several air strikes hammering Tigray.

A senior official at the region's biggest hospital said there had been a deadly drone attack on Friday on the town of Dengolat about 30 kilometres (20 miles) south of Tigray's capital Mekele.

"Total number of casualties not yet known. We have received 42 victims, five of them have died," Kibrom Gebreselassie, chief executive director at Ayder Referral Hospital in Mekele, said on Twitter.

AFP was not able to independently verify the report as access to northern Ethiopia is severely restricted and Tigray has been under a communications blackout for more than a year.

In addition to cutting aid to Tigray, which is facing crippling shortages of food, fuel and medicine, the latest upsurge in combat has drawn Eritrean troops back to the battlefield in support of Ethiopian forces, raising alarm in the international community.

In the face of the deepening conflict, the United States said its special envoy to the region, Mike Hammer, would be making his second visit to Ethiopia in as many months to seek a halt to the fighting.

Hammer, who met Kenya's newly elected President William Ruto in Nairobi on Friday, has warned that Eritrea's presence was only adding to the complications of ending the conflict in Africa's second-most populous country.

The war, which erupted in November 2020, has killed untold numbers of civilians, driven several million from their homes and triggered a deep humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia.

All parties in the conflict have also been accused of grave abuses against civilians, and the UN Human Rights Council on Friday voted narrowly to extend the mandate for an investigation mission by a year, despite Addis Ababa's opposition.

In its first report issued last month, the Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia said it had found evidence of widespread rights violations and that there were "reasonable grounds to believe that, in several instances, these violations amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity".

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SHANGHAI  After 12 years, Dover Street Market Beijing officially closed its Taikoo Li Sanlitun location on Friday.

According to the stores official WeChat account, Dover Street Market Beijing will be relocating to WF Central, a luxury shopping mall complex close to the Forbidden City. The new store is set to open in November.

More from WWD

In partnership with Hong Kong retailer I.T, Dover Street Market Beijing opened in 2010 under the name I.T Beijing Market. As Dover Street Markets only retail outpost in China, the all-white, four-story glass building became a landmark presence in the Taikoo Li Sanlitun North District.

Dover Street Market Beijings Taikoo Li Sanlitun location.

The stores brand selection and visual identity stayed in line with the Dover Street Market franchise. The only difference was the Beijing store was directly linked to a Bape store, an I.T flagship brand, on its ground floor.

In 2018, the store changed its name to Dover Street Market Beijing. The name switch was aimed at making Beijing a part of the DSM community, and it was not only a business decision, Adrian Joffe, chief executive officer of Dover Street Market, told local media at the time.

According to an I.T spokesperson, the WF Central Dover Street Market Beijing will be slightly bigger than the Taikoo Li Sanlitun one, which spans over 23,680 square feet.

Opened in 2018, WF Central is the first luxury shopping mall in the touristy Wangfujing area. It is home to luxury brands such as Dior, Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Saint Laurent. It also houses the first Serpentine Pavilion overseas.

Taikoo Li Sanlitun declined to reveal the next tenant for the building. According to Xiaohongshu, the popular social commerce platform, Louis Vuitton is set to take over the location and open a Louis Vuitton Maison, the equivalent of a major flagship.

Louis Vuitton has three Maison stores in China, located at Beijings China World Mall, Shanghais Plaza 66 and Chengdus Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li.

Click here to read the full article.
A man crashed his vehicle into the garage of a Sarasota home, killing one woman and injuring two others, Sarasota Police said in a press release on Saturday.

The crash happened around 11:30 p.m. on Friday in the 3100 block of Courtland Street in Sarasota.

Witnesses told officers that six women were inside the garage during the crash.

Three of the six women were injured; one died on the scene and the other two were taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital and treated for minor injuries, the release said.

The driver of the vehicle was a 29-year-old Sarasota resident named Jorge Luis Williams Denis.

He has been detained and now faces charges of vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter, driving without a valid license that resulted in death and driving without a valid license that resulted in serious bodily injury (three counts).

Denis is being held without bond at the Sarasota County Jail.

The crash is under investigation by the Sarasota Police Department Traffic Unit.
(Getty Images)

Elon Musk has overtaken Jeff Bezos to become the worlds richest person, having seen his wealth rise from $25 billion to nearly $200bn in less than a year.

The billionaire polymath is best known as the boss of electric car company Tesla and private rocket firm SpaceX, however he also heads brain-tech startup Neuralink and The Boring Company, which aims to solve traffic in cities by digging tunnel networks.

Before any of these ventures, Musk gained notoriety in Silicon Valley as the co-founder of online payments platform X.com, which went on to become PayPal.

Each new project has been financed, at least in part, by funds generated from previous business successes, with each new effort becoming ever more ambitious.

Ultimately, Musk hopes to transform humanity into a multi-planetary species by establishing a self-sufficient colony on Mars, while simultaneously solving some of the biggest challenges back on Earth, including climate change and the perceived threat from advanced artificial intelligence.

After overtaking Bezos on 7 January to claim the title as the worlds richest person, Musk reiterated his pledge to use his wealth for what he believes is the greater good for the world.

(The Independent)

You should ask why I would want money. The reason is not what you think. Very little time for recreation. Dont have vacation homes or yachts or anything like that, he stated in a short Twitter thread republished from 2018.

About half my money is intended to help problems on Earth and half to help establish a self-sustaining city on Mars to ensure the continuation of life (of all species) in case Earth gets hit by a meteor like the dinosaurs or WW3 happens and we destroy ourselves.

Musk also donates periodically to charity, putting out a call on Twitter this week for ideas on ways to donate money that really make a difference.

In May 2020, Musk tweeted that he planned to sell almost all physical possessions  a promise he delivered on before 2021 by selling three of his California homes for a combined total of $41 million.

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He has since moved to Texas, where he will pay no state income taxes, in order to be closer to the development of SpaceXs Mars-bound spacecraft Starship.

In 2018, Musk revealed that he planned to finance SpaceXs Mars plans by selling a major stake in Tesla at some point in the future. At the time, Tesla shares were worth around $60. Today, they are worth close to $900.

Teslas fortunes have largely driven Musks own net worth, which is now equivalent to the annual GDP of a small-to-medium sized country.

(The Independent)

If Musks wealth was ranked alongside the GDP of every country in the world, he would be the 50th richest country in the world, according to figures from the International Monetary Fund.

Calculated in another way, if Musks net worth was distributed evenly among all 328 million citizens in the US, each person would receive roughly $600  the same amount the US government handed out as a stimulus check during the pandemic.
Brian Glendinning, pictured with daughters Lexi Glendinning (left) and Heidi Glendinning (right), was arrested in Iraq when he arrived to start a new job. (SWNS)

A British father-of-three was arrested in Iraq as he arrived to start a new job and faces being extradited to Qatar where he could face two years in prison.

Engineer Brian Glendinning was arrested when he arrived at Basra airport last month to start a job at a BP oil refinery.

The 43-year-old, from Kincardine, Fife, is now facing extradition to Qatar, where he is accused of owing a debt to Qatar National Bank.

Glendinning's family have launched a campaign to bring him home and are trying to raise 40,000 to fund legal fees to help get him released.

Brian Glendinning (right) with his family - (L-R) brother John, mum Meta, and brother Lee. (SWNS)

They said the construction engineer took out a 20,000 loan from the bank in 2016 while he was working in Doha, but struggled to keep up the monthly repayments after he lost his job due to ill health.

He was sentenced to two years in prison in 2019 for not repaying the loan, but his family say he had no idea.

Read more: Police cordon off popular football pub after 'suspicious packages' found

He was arrested and detained on an Interpol Red Notice from Qatar when he arrived in Iraq and later appeared in court where a judge ordered him to be transported to Baghdad.

He has been in jail in Baghdad since 25 September while he awaits a further court hearing.

His family fear he will be extradited to Qatar where he would face two years in jail but are hoping Qatar will drop the case, given the forthcoming football World Cup.

Father of three Brian with wife Kimberly. (SWNS)

Glendinning's father John, 64, said: "Brian took a job in Doha in 2016 as an engineer so he opened a bank account up.

"He met a bank salesman at his hotel who sold him a loan for 20,000.

"Brian had been making repayments on the loan but he had to take some sick leave as he was struggling with his mental health.

"He wasnt able to go back to work and his contract was terminated.

"When Brian flew into Basra airport because he was due to start a new job at a BP oil refinery, he was immediately arrested and detained.

"He appeared in court a few days later but the judge ordered him to be transported to a prison in Baghdad which is where he is now.

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"He arrived there on September 25 and is still waiting to appear in court.

"We are already 30,000 in legal fees, I gave 6,300 and I sold my car.

"The biggest fear is that he will be extradited to Qatar but we are hoping with the World Cup coming up they will decide to just cut ties with Brian over this.

"If he is extradited they will jail him for two years and then insist he pays the remainder of the loan, but they will add loads of interest.

"If he couldnt pay it they would just keep hold him in prison and make him work to pay it off."

Brian Glendinning, pictured with son Bailey Glendinning, now faces potentially being extradited to Qatar. (SWNS)

Interpol expert Radha Stirling, founder of IPEX, who is working with the family to get Glendinning home, said: "The bank deliberately activates wrongful Interpol Notices as a debt collection tactic akin to extortion.

"They wait for a customer to be arrested and hope the parents will dispose of assets and pay the debt themselves.

"The bank usually asks for substantially more than what was owed, knowing parents will pay anything to keep their children out of jail.

"It works for them but makes a mockery of Interpol and extradition courts.

"Its a human rights issue and clearly highlights Qatars intimate relationship with Interpol.

"With the World Cup coming up, Qatar should be mindful of rights attacks towards foreigners."

The family's GoFundMe page to raise funds for legal fees can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-brian-from-qatar-jail?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer.

A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said: "We are providing support to a British man who has been arrested in Iraq and are in touch with the local authorities."
Photo: Brendan Kergin / Vancouver Is Awesome. Police believe the crossbow attack in Vancouver was targeted.

A man is recovering in a hospital after being shot in the chest with a crossbow in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

In a pair of tweets, the Vancouver Police Department says a man was attacked and shot with a crossbow bolt on Saturday, Oct. 8, seriously injuring him.

"The victim was shot in the chest and is being treated at hospital. At this point, we believe the victim was targeted," states the VPD.

Police are still investigating the incident; noting the "attacker fled the scene." The investigation is focused at the intersection of Carrall and Hastings streets.

Update: The victim was shot in the chest and is being treated at hospital. At this point, we believe the victim was targeted. Our investigation is centred around the encampment at Carrall and Hastings. https://t.co/7YJrKmdV7K Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) October 9, 2022





Vancouver Is Awesome has reached out to the VPD for more information on the incident and will update this story.
Patients at hospitals in Tigray have faced a lack of medicine and equipment when they have come to be treated

A lack of basic medicine is killing patients in Ethiopia's Tigray region, which is the epicentre of a 23-month civil war and is under blockade. Both sides have agreed to peace talks in South Africa, and a doctor pleads for the humanitarian crisis to be one of the first issues addressed.

Short presentational grey line

Dr Fasika Amdeslasie speaks in a matter-of-fact voice, but what he has to say is devastating.

"We have a lack of anaesthesia drugs, lack of intravenous fluids, lack of antibiotics and so you see complications arising [with] the patients and you see them dying helplessly - your arms folded," the surgeon says on a WhatsApp call using a rare satellite internet connection from the Tigrayan capital, Mekelle.

The patients are helpless but the doctors are too.

Nevertheless, there is barely a hint of emotion as Dr Fasika, who works at Mekelle's main Ayder Hospital, relates the impact of the conflict in Tigray on the region's health service.

For most of the past two years Tigray has been isolated from the rest of the world.

Fighting started in November 2020 when federal Ethiopian forces tried to wrest control of the region from the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). An effective blockade began when the TPLF mounted a counter-offensive and recaptured much of Tigray in June 2021.

Tigrayan troops were welcomed back to Mekelle in June 2021 but that is when the region was cut off from the rest of the world

Deliveries ground to a halt, banking services stopped and telephone connections were largely cut making it almost impossible to phone anyone up. The UN says that currently 5.4 million people - around three-quarters of Tigray's population - need some kind of food aid as the fighting has disrupted supplies.

The sick are not exempt, even though they are not directly involved in the conflict.

Some drugs and other vital equipment have come through the World Health Organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross - but their arrival has been sporadic and supplies stopped completely when fighting resumed in August, ending a five-month humanitarian ceasefire.

"We don't have medicine for our patients, we don't have surgical materials to do surgery, we don't have vaccines to vaccinate children, we don't have insulin to give to diabetic patients," Dr Fasika tells the BBC's Newsday programme, listing the impact the last 16 months have had.

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"So all kinds of patients are suffering. We are telling them to return home without treatment."

Drugs to treat cancer patients have not been available at all and they cannot get radiotherapy as the equipment for that is in the federal capital, Addis Ababa. Travelling there is impossible.

"Basically cancer patients are doomed to die," says the 41 year old, who was once the dean of the medical school.

'Patients do not have time'

Medics have also had to watch those suffering from kidney failure deteriorate as supplies for dialysis have only come through intermittently.

"The last arrival was June and there has been a complete blockage since August and now this week we are running out of materials for the 25 patients we have," according to Dr Fasika.

He says that 90 kidney patients have died "in front of the doctors" and he wonders what will happen to the 25 who remain.

Regarding diagnosis, the hospital laboratory lacks the chemical reagents vital for the tests, meaning that often doctors cannot tell what is wrong with patients.

Added to this, the unreliable electricity supply and the absence of fuel for the generators means that the hospital can go days without power.

"I have run out of emotion because it is a living reality, I am just describing what I face daily"", Source: Fasika Amdeslasie, Source description: Surgeon, Ayder Hospital, Image: Fasika Amdeslasie

Throughout the grim catalogue of what he and his fellow medics are dealing with, Dr Faseka's even voice does not reveal the weight of what he is describing.

"I have run out of emotion because it is a living reality, I am just describing what I face daily.

"We are protecting ourselves emotionally. We will not know how much burden we are carrying until we are relieved. Otherwise it's a natural defence mechanism not to think about it - you don't dwell there and you do what you have to do."

But the doctors and nurses themselves are also having to deal with the fact that, as federal employees, they have not been paid since May last year. Dr Fasika gets sent money from friends and family abroad, but this comes at a price as money changers charge a high commission for having to smuggle the cash into Tigray.

"This hospital is my life," Dr Fasika says, explaining what motivates him despite the difficult conditions.

"Professionalism calls you. If you can go and talk to patients and counsel them and do what you can, then that's the most important thing. Not only me but all the professionals here."

When it comes to possible peace talks between the federal government and the TPLF, Dr Fasika shies away from getting involved in the politics.

But he is worried that as the talks are a political process they will be drawn out as the different sides debate the details.

"The talks may take time, but our lives, the children's lives and the patients' lives may not have that time. So I wish they do things on the humanitarian situation first.

"Humanitarian law has to be respected. Why does it fail in Tigray when it is not failing in Ukraine? Is it because we are not important people?"

More on the Tigray crisis:
Investing in stocks inevitably means buying into some companies that perform poorly. Long term Air Canada (TSE:AC) shareholders know that all too well, since the share price is down considerably over three years. Regrettably, they have had to cope with a 62% drop in the share price over that period. The more recent news is of little comfort, with the share price down 24% in a year. On the other hand the share price has bounced 5.1% over the last week.

While the stock has risen 5.1% in the past week but long term shareholders are still in the red, let's see what the fundamentals can tell us.

View our latest analysis for Air Canada

Air Canada isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually expect strong revenue growth. That's because it's hard to be confident a company will be sustainable if revenue growth is negligible, and it never makes a profit.

Over the last three years, Air Canada's revenue dropped 44% per year. That means its revenue trend is very weak compared to other loss making companies. With no profits and falling revenue it is no surprise that investors have been dumping the stock, pushing the price down by 17% per year over that time. Bagholders or 'baggies' are people who buy more of a stock as the price collapses. They are then left 'holding the bag' if the shares turn out to be worthless. It could be a while before the company repays long suffering shareholders with share price gains.

The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

It's good to see that there was some significant insider buying in the last three months. That's a positive. On the other hand, we think the revenue and earnings trends are much more meaningful measures of the business. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts

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A Different Perspective

We regret to report that Air Canada shareholders are down 24% for the year. Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 4.0%. However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 7% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Air Canada better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Air Canada .

Air Canada is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on CA exchanges.

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 Sharon Bernstein

(Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's pardon for thousands of Americans convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law has profound impact, experts and individuals say, even if it affects fewer people than similar state and local initiatives. Biden has called on governors to issue similar pardons regarding state marijuana offenses.

WHO IS AFFECTED?

Biden's pardons announced Oct. 6 affect about 6,500 people convicted of cannabis possession at the federal level. None remain in prison. Without a felony on their record, they won't be tripped up when applying for a job or trying to rent an apartment. Research by the American Civil Liberties Union has shown Black Americans are nearly four times as likely as whites to be arrested for marijuana possession.

WHO ISN'T

Biden's pardon does not affect some 3,000 people convicted of higher level marijuana crimes who remain in federal prisons, and as many as 30,000 who are still in prison in several states, according to the advocacy group the Last Prisoner Project. Those numbers do not reflect people with convictions for marijuana possession at the state level, although approximately 2 million marijuana convictions have been expunged or pardoned by states where the drug is now legal.

SPEAKING OF THE STATES

Biden has called on governors to give similar pardons in their states, where most possession cases are prosecuted.

Kevin Sabet, an opponent of marijuana legalization who runs the group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, said in an interview that he thinks Biden's pardons could serve as a model for governors in conservative as well as a few liberal states who oppose decriminalizing pot but agree that users should not go to prison.

Marijuana is now fully legal in 19 U.S. states and allowed for medical use in 37. Most states that have legalized marijuana have also moved to expunge the records of nonviolent offenders or issue pardons.

But thousands of people continue to be arrested for marijuana offenses annually. Data is hard to come by, but NORML estimates that about 350,000 people were arrested for marijuana-related offenses in 2020, of which roughly 91% were for possession offenses only. According to the ACLU, of the 8.2 million marijuana arrests in the U.S. between 2001 and 2010, 88% were for just possessing marijuana.

(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Donna Bryson and Leslie Adler)
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was greeted with chants of "get lost" from female students while he visited a university and condemned the protests that resulted from the death of a young woman while she was in custody for failing to properly wear a headscarf.

A video posted on Twitter by the activist 1500tasvir website showed what it said were women students chanting "Raisi get lost" and "Mullahs get lost" as the president visited their campus. Another social media video showed students chanting: "We don't want a corrupt guest," in reference to Raisi.

Raisi addressed professors and students at Alzahra University in Tehran, reciting a poem that equated "rioters" with flies, as nationwide demonstrations entered a fourth week in response to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody last month.

The protests erupted Sept. 17, after the burial of Amini, a Kurdish woman who died in the custody of Iran's feared morality police. Amini had been detained for an alleged violation of strict Islamic dress codes for women. Since then, protests spread across the country and were met by a fierce crackdown, in which dozens are estimated to have been killed and hundreds arrested.

IRANIAN JOURNALIST DELIVERS FIERY MESSAGE AS MAHSA AMINI PROTESTS GROW: WOMEN ARE ASKING 'WHERE IS BIDEN?'

Ebrahim Raisi on the day of the Islamic republic's presidential election. Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Two people were reportedly killed as the protests continued across the country on Saturday.

The United States said last month it will sanction Iranian security officials in response to Amini's death.

IRAN PROTESTS: DEATH TOLL CONTINUES TO CLIMB, AS REPORTER WHO FIRST HIGHLIGHTED AMINI'S DEATH IS ARRESTED

"In response to this and other human rights violations in Iran  including the violent suppression of peaceful protests  the United States is imposing sanctions on Irans Morality Police and senior security officials who have engaged in serious human rights abuses, pursuant to Executive Order 13553," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

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"The Morality Police, an element of Irans Law Enforcement Forces (LEF), arrests women for wearing inappropriate hijab and enforces other restrictions on freedom of expression. The Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is further designating Haj Ahmad Mirzaei and Mohammad Rostami Cheshmeh Gachi, both of whom are senior officials in the Morality Police."

Protesters have spoken out against the Iranian regime across the world including in the Netherlands where thousands of people gathered on Saturday and sang in solidarity with the Iranian protesters.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Florida police arrested six looters in Fort Meyers on Saturday for allegedly stealing high-end sneakers and other items from an outlet mall.

According to Lee County's Sheriff's Office, Carlos Reyes Carmenates, 33, Mirna Abstengo Quesada, 33, Roberto Didier Enamorado Reyes, 30, Daymase Varona Reyes, 35, Alain Banzo Dieguez, 19, and a Hispanic teenager who is 14 years old traveled from Broadway Avenue to the outlets.

HURRICANE IAN IN FLORIDA SPURS FRANTIC MESSAGES ABOUT MISSING LOVED ONES AND WRECKED HOMES

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno referenced the incident Saturday during a briefing on Hurricane Ian recovery efforts alongside Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

I have been very clear, the Governor has been very clear that we are a law and order state." Marceno said Saturday afternoon. "We've had very little looting incidents."

The Sheriff said that Lee Coutny has had a total of nine looting incidents in the aftermath of Hurricae Ian.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The suspects were booked into the Lee County Jail, all facing charges of burglary.
A school police officer in Jacksonville shot an ax-wielding man who tried and failed to enter an elementary school after police caught up with him, and he refused to drop his weapon.

Duval County Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene told News 4 Jax that the incident occurred around 2:48 p.m. on Friday, and Ruth N. Upson Elementary School went into lockdown when the man approached the school. A school safety assistant initially turned the man back and followed him a short distance but did not leave the campus in order to ensure that the school remained secure, Burton told reporters.

"Police officers from the Duval County School Police Department were on the way. As the subject then left the school, he made his way towards a church where he was then encountered by the police officers," DCPS Police Chief Greg Burton said.

"As the subject came towards one of the police officers, the officers gave him verbal warnings to drop the ax, kept giving him verbal warnings to drop the ax," Burton continued.

TEXAS POLICE CHIEF ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY SOLICITING A MINOR FOR PROSTITUTION

The man did not comply and instead threatened the officer, which prompted the officer to shoot "at least one time." The man was in critical condition following the confrontation.

PURDUE UNIVERSITY SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING ROOMMATE CLAIMS HE WAS BLACKMAILED

Families received two notifications regarding the incident as it occurred: The first message informed families that the school initiated its lockdown procedures due to a "suspicious person allegedly carrying an axe outside of the school," but that all students and staff were safe. The second message informed parents that the school had "lifted the code red for dismissal."

Mayor Lenny Curry tweeted out an update to say he had been in contact with Greene and that he was "grateful everyone at the school is safe and headed home with their families."
A shooting in Florida left seven people shot with one dead outside a bar.

The shooting happened outside the LIT Cigar & Martini Lounge in Tampa, Florida, just before 3 a.m. on Sunday when a large fight broke out, according to FOX 13.

According to Tampa Police Chief Mary OConnor, the suspect exited the bar, obtained weapons, and went back to the establishment.

OConnor said that shots were fired by at least one person when the fight spilled over to the street.

TEXAS MOM SENTENCED TO LIFE AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO MURDER OF BEDRIDDEN DAUGHTER SHE LEFT ALONE TO GO PARTY

The one person killed was from California visiting Tampa for a wedding.

Two women and four men were taken to local hospitals and have non-life threatening injuries.

TACOMA MALL SHOOTING ERUPTS IN PARKING LOT, SUSPECTS FLEE

The police chief said that the suspects have a "disregard" for human life.

"The suspects clearly have a disregard for human life. They opened fire into a crowd of people that werent doing anything more than just celebrating out here on Franklin Street, so its a disturbing set of circumstances," OConnor said. "Three oclock in the morning, alcohol and guns are not a good combination."

People with information about the incident are being asked to call the Tampa Police Department at 813-231-6130.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  Daba Fofana ran for 113 of his 159 yards and three touchdowns in the first half to help Navy cruise to a 53-21 victory over Tulsa on Saturday.

Freshman Nathan Kent broke loose off a reverse for a 70-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter for Navy. It was Kent's first collegiate play. Fofana added scoring runs from 47, 15, and 11 yards in the second quarter as Navy built a 36-14 lead at halftime.

Navy (2-3, 2-1 American Athletic Conference) rushed 69 times for 455 yards and completed just 2 of 8 passes for 35 yards. Vincent Terrell Jr. added 93 yards rushing and a score. Kent finished with 70 yards.

Davis Brin tossed a pair of touchdown passes in the first half that included a 76-yarder to Keylon Stokes for Tulsa (2-4, 0-2). Malachai Jones also made a leaping, two-handed grab between two defenders while falling into the end zone in the first quarter. Brin was 20-of-31 passing for 284 yards. Stokes had seven catches for 152 yards.

__

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Former Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone. AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Michael Fanone said Kevin McCarthy told him he couldn't "control" GOP "fringe" over Jan. 6 views.

In an interview with CNN's Don Lemon, Fanone recounted his disappointment after meeting with the GOP leader.

The former Metropolitan Police officer's book, "Hold the Line," will be released on Tuesday.

Former Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police office Michael Fanone in a recent interview said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told him that he couldn't "control" the fringe members of the GOP regarding their opinions of the January 6, 2021, riot at the United States Capitol.

Fanone  who served as a Metropolitan officer for roughly 20 years before resigning from the force last December  told CNN anchor Don Lemon on "Don Lemon Tonight" that it was he was shocked by the California Republican's inability to reign in members of his party who were downplaying and minimizing the events of January 6.

The former officer  who is now an on-air contributor to the network  informed Lemon that after leaving a meeting with McCarthy last year, he felt "disillusioned and depressed."

"He didn't really say a whole lot of anything. There really wasn't a lot of substance to the conversation outside of the fact that I asked for some specific things, and one of them being that he would denounce members of the party that were downplaying and denying the reality of January 6  the reality of Donald Trump's involvement with January 6. And he wouldn't agree to do so," Fanone said.

He continued: "And even more so, he said that he couldn't control these fringe members of his party, which I thought was pretty shocking coming from somebody who calls himself Leader McCarthy, being the leader of the House GOP."

Fanone remarked that he felt a sense of "indifference" as he sought to get accountability for the attack, during which he was beaten unconscious and tased on his neck. He also suffered a mild heart attack and a traumatic brain injury.

"The fact that I sat there in a room, having been a victim of the violence that day sitting next to the mother of a dead police officer  that being Brian Sicknick  and seeing a person who chose his political future and what he thought would be best for his party rather than to show some level of compassion or empathy for the people that were sitting in front of him," Fanone said of McCarthy.

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"To him, we were an inconvenience," he added.

Officer Sicknick, who was a member of the Capitol Police force, suffered two strokes and passed away on January 7, 2021. The Washington, DC, chief medical examiner ruled that he died of natural causes.

US Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, Washington Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone, Washington Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges and US Capitol Police Sgt. Harry Dunn watch a video of rioters during the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2021. Andrew Harnik-Pool/Getty Images

Since last year, Fanone has been critical of McCarthy's actions after January 6.

In May 2021, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California tweeted that Fanone had been "hung up on" by McCarthy's staff, a claim that the GOP congressman's office denied.

McCarthy at the time expressed interest in speaking with Fanone, whom he met with the following month, alongside Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn.

However, Fanone walked away feeling dissatisfied with the experience.

"I asked McCarthy to denounce the Republicans that voted against the Gold Medal bill that would recognize and honor my coworkers and colleagues that fought to secure the Capitol on January 6," Fanone told reporters at the Capitol at the time.

The then-officer also requested that McCarthy reject the comments of GOP Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia, who argued that calling January 6 an insurrection was a "bald-faced lie."

When Fanone was asked at the time if McCarthy had agreed to his requests, he replied: "Not in my mind, no."

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Fanone lit into McCarthy, calling him a "weasel."

"I think at night, when the lights are turned off, Abe Lincoln and Ronald Reagan have some pretty choice words to say about the fact that they have to hang on Kevin McCarthy's wall," Fanone told the publication.

Insider reached out to McCarthy's office for comment.

Fanone's forthcoming book, "Hold the Line: The Insurrection and One Cop's Battle for America's Soul," will be released on Tuesday.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Former U.S. President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower to meet with New York Attorney General Letitia James for a civil investigation on August 10, 2022 in New York City. ( James Devaney/GC Images

Glenn Kirschner said that Trump is a "classified documents terrorist" and called for his arrest.

"Arrest the classified documents terrorist and put an end to our long national nightmare," Kirschner told MSNBC.

A recent report revealed the DOJ believes that Trump has not turned over all White House documents.

Ex-federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner dubbed Trump a "classified documents terrorist" and called for his arrest amid his ongoing spat with the Department of Justice over keeping sensitive documents in his possession.

During an appearance on MSNBC's "The Katie Phang Show" on Friday, Phang asked Kirschner about a recent report from the New York Times that revealed that the agency believes the former president is still stashing some White House documents.

"If you're still at the DOJ, Glenn, what's the next move?" Phang asked. "And if you do find out that he does more documents, do we think that an indictment would come even more quickly for Donald Trump?"

"Katie, how could it not? The federal government, the National Archives negotiated with Donald Trump," Kirschner responded. "I'm gonna call him what he has proven himself to be at this point, he's a classified documents terrorist."

The Katie Phang Show (@katiephangshow) October 7, 2022

"The government asked for them back, he refused to give it. The government subpoenaed them back, he refused to give them all back," he continued. "The government got a search warrant and executed it at Mar-a-Lago and got a bunch more documents, and now the reporting is that he's still unlawfully retaining and concealing additional documents."

Kirschner 's comments come after DOJ official Jay I. Bratt approached Trump's defense team, informing them that they think he has not turned over all the material, The Times reported. Thousands of documents, some labeled classified, were seized from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate during the search in August.

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Trump initially denied the accusations against him, saying that "it was all declassified," adding that "everyone ends up having to bring home their work from time to time."

The Department of Justice is investigating whether Trump broke three federal laws, including the Espionage Act, according to Insider's Sonam Sheth and C. Ryan Barber.

"If I could say just one thing to my friend and former colleague Jay Bratt, it would be to arrest the classified documents terrorist and put an end to our long national nightmare," Kirschner told MSNBC.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A man who allegedly sexually assaulted a 16-year-old Lane Tech High School student at a Wendys restaurant near the school was detained by school staff and security until police got there on Thursday afternoon, prosecutors said.

Emmanuel Ortega-Garcia, 32, appeared Saturday before Cook County Judge Maryam Ahmad after being charged with criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse, Cook County court records show. Bond information was not immediately available.

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Thursday about 3 p.m., Ortega-Garcia and the victim, a 16-year-old girl trying to get to school, were on the same northbound CTA bus. That was when he began trying to talk to her and asked her about her interests, prosecutors said.

After allegedly touching her leg inappropriately, she exited the bus at the Addison stop. Suddenly, Ortega-Garcia was walking behind her, asking her if he could tag along, prosecutors said.

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She didnt answer and he followed her to a nearby gas station, walking closely behind her, which was captured on video surveillance.

The girl decided to go to Wendys because she knew two staffers and would be able to ask them for help. Once there, she learned her friends were not working so she sat down in a booth and he slid into the same booth and sat directly across from her, prosecutors said.

Alarmed, the quick-thinking student shot a video of his face and alerted a friend at Lane who contacted the assistant principal and security who hustled to Wendys, where Ortega-Garcia had moved closed to her and sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said.

He stood up when school security and the assistant principal burst into the restaurant and they detained him until police got there and arrested Ortega-Garcia, prosecutors said.

Chicago Public Schools representatives and Lane Tech staffers did not immediately comment.

Ortega-Garcia is due back in court on Oct. 14.
Four men from Colombia have been sentenced for a drug money laundering scheme with more than $1 million involved.

Gilberto Lopez-Giraldo, Raul Lopez-Giraldo, Guillermo Escobar, and Alexander Duque-Casanova have been sentenced for participating in a more than $1.4 million drug money laundering conspiracy involving major cities from across the United States to Cali, Colombia.

Illegal drug proceeds provide the critical lifeblood for drug traffickers, said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. Our office is committed to disrupting the ability of international drug cartels to profit from their illegal activities by seeking to evade law enforcement detection through money laundering operations conducted within the United States.

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

These criminals thought their scheme would go undetected and they could profit from their criminal activities, but they were wrong, said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama.

According to Buchanan, the men were members of a money laundering crew based in Colombia, who coordinated the collection of money from drug traffickers in cities across the United States, including Atlanta, Chicago, and New York.

The group laundered the money through a network of bank accounts in the United States and elsewhere, according to a news release.

The Department of Justice said the money from these accounts was used to purchase electronics and other goods in the United States and then resold on the black market in Colombia. The purpose of this scheme was to secretly convert the drug money collected in the United States into Colombian pesos for drug trafficking organizations, according to the news release.

During the investigation, the defendants and their co-conspirators orchestrated the collection of drug profits totaling about $1,496,817, according to the release.

During an undercover operation on November 21, 2012, investigators received $149,980 in U.S. currency from two conspirators who arrived in a truck in the parking lot of a store in Duluth, Georgia. The money was wrapped in bundles and hidden in a box inside a garbage bag. Agents conducting surveillance of the meeting followed the truck from the parking lot to a residence in Norcross, , which was later determined to be a methamphetamine conversion lab.

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The defendants were later indicted on five counts of money laundering in the Northern District of Georgia, and, with the cooperation of Colombian officials, arrested and extradited to the United States. On March 7, 2022, the defendants pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and received the following sentences:

 Gilberto Lopez-Giraldo, 51, of Cali, Colombia, has been sentenced to five years, 10 months in prison.

Raul Lopez-Giraldo, 40, of Cali, Colombia, has been sentenced to five years in prison.

 Guillermo Escobar, a/k/a Memo, 54, of Cali, Colombia, has been sentenced to six years, six months in prison.

 Alexander Duque-Casanova, 48, of Cali, Colombia, has been sentenced to three years, 10 months in prison.

The Court adjusted the sentence of each defendant downward by 12 months from these terms of incarceration to account for the length of time the defendants spent in custody in Colombia, while awaiting extradition to the United States.

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Most Read from Bloomberg

Frances premier and more than a dozen government ministers are visiting Algeria, the latest drive to rebuild ties with the North African nation thats a major gas supplier for Europe.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and officials including the finance, foreign affairs and interior ministers are due to arrive Sunday for the two-day trip, according to Agence France-Presse. Talks will focus on economic cooperation, it said.

The trip comes less than two months after President Emmanuel Macron visited the former French colony in a bid to reset relations after years of tensions. Macron in 2021 criticized what he called the countrys political-military system, prompting Algeria to at one point close its airspace to French military planes and recall its ambassador to Paris.

OPEC member Algeria was already Europes biggest gas provider after Russia and Norway, with demand for its energy rising on the continent as Russian supplies have declined.

While officials downplayed the role of energy in Macrons visit, French utility Engie SA was later said to be in talks with Algeria on an increase in gas. Italy, meanwhile, is boosting Algerian imports and has agreed to pay more for the commodity, seemingly managing to secure sufficient alternative supplies from North Africa to make up for any shortfalls this winter.

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IRYNA BALACHUK  SUNDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2022, 13:33

France has provided Ukraine with more than 1,000 tonnes of aid in total, including fire rescue vehicles, ambulances, medical equipment and pontoon bridges. As of 14:30 Kyiv time, the cargo has already reached the Romanian city of Suceava.

Source: Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, on Telegram

Quote from Tymoshenko: "More than 1,000 tonnes of aid from France is already in the Romanian city of Suceava. The transfer of cargo to Ukraine continues."

Details: According to the official, Ukraine will receive:

fire rescue vehicles;

ambulances, which allow medics to carry out examinations in field conditions;

medical equipment;

equipment for rescuers;

food;

over 200-metre-long pontoon bridges.

Tymoshenko added that pontoon bridges will allow Ukraine to restore civilian infrastructure and ensure communication and transportation, specifically in the liberated territories.

The Office of the President thanked "French and Romanian friends for their help and support."

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne arrived in Algeria on Sunday with a top-level delegation for a visit aimed at improving ties with the former French colony and major gas exporter.

Her two-day trip along with 16 ministers -- over a third of her government -- comes just six weeks after President Emmanuel Macron concluded a three-day visit that sought to end months of tensions with Algiers.

Prime Minister Aimene Benabderrahmane welcomed the delegation at the capital's main airport.

Borne is expected to sign deals on economic cooperation, including energy -- although deliveries of natural gas to France are "not on the table", according to her office.

She was set to lay a wreath Sunday at a monument to martyrs of Algeria's eight-year war for independence, and visit a cemetery for French nationals who lived in Algeria during France's 132-year rule, which ended in 1962.

Ties between the North African country and its former colonial ruler had seen months of tensions after Macron last year questioned Algeria's existence as a nation before the French occupation, accusing the government of fomenting "hatred towards France".

But during his visit in August, Macron and his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune drew a line under the spat.

On Sunday, the two spoke on the phone and confirmed their "satisfaction with the positive direction" of ties, Tebboune's office said.

Borne is also set to meet Tebboune, and is expected to sign several agreements with premier Benabderrahmane.

In an interview with news website Tout Sur l'Algerie (TSA), she said the visit would focus on "education, culture, the ecological transition and the economy".

"More cooperation will be a source of growth for our two countries," Borne said.

- Gas supplies to Europe -

The contentious subject of the two countries' history, particularly during the war, will not feature prominently on her agenda.

During Macron's visit, the president had announced the creation of a joint commission of historians to examine the colonial period, including the war. France says the panel is still being set up.

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Macron has ruled out a state apology for acts committed during the colonial period.

Borne and her cohort are the latest in a string of top European officials to visit Algeria, Africa's top natural gas exporter, in search of alternatives to Russian energy supplies since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Algeria's Sonatrach signed a $4-billion oil and gas production deal with Italian, French and US majors in July, but experts have cast doubt over Algeria's ability to ramp up capacity in the short term.

In her interview with TSA, Borne noted that France does not depend heavily on natural gas.

But she said Paris wants to develop joint projects in the sector with Algeria "to increase the efficiency of its gas production capacity, which will increase its export capacity to Europe".

The European Union's energy commissioner Kadri Simson is also expected in Algiers on Monday and Tuesday.

are/par/lg
Deshawn Morgan was immersed in Chicagos West Side gang culture before he was even out of grade school, dealing drugs at age 12 and rising in the ranks of the Mafia Insane Vice Lords.

Along the way, Morgan told a federal jury last week, he befriended key players in the complex hierarchy of gang factions in the citys Austin and West Lawndale neighborhoods. His testimony provided a rare glimpse at the kind of gang conflicts that often drive Chicago violence.

He earned respect by hewing to a strict street code against snitches. He got shot and shot others, was charged with murder in his 20s only to beat the case at trial, and later ordered the slaying of a friend he believed was cooperating with law enforcement.

But Morgan said he was never really interested in being a kingpin, the man at the top with all the heat and pressure that went with it. A self-described master manipulator, he testified Thursday that he was much more comfortable being the guy behind the guy, as one lawyer put it, making moves for himself, not because of any particular gang allegiance.

Morgan, now 40, told his harrowing life story at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, where two of his longtime associates in the Wicked Town gang, Donald Lee, 40, and Torance Benson, 30, are on trial on racketeering conspiracy charges.

Prosecutors alleged the gang, a faction of the Traveling Vice Lords, was responsible for a string of murders, attempted murders, robberies, assaults and drug trafficking stretching back more than 20 years.

Morgan, who pleaded guilty to racketeering in July, was a crucial witness for prosecutors trying to tie several acts of violence to Wicked Town, including the brutal, execution-style slayings of Donald Holmes Jr. and Diane Taylor in a car on West Arthington Street in 2018.

Attorneys for Lee and Benson, meanwhile, have painted Morgan as an opportunistic liar and sociopath who is willing to do or say anything to benefit himself, even if means hurting or killing others.

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At one point during cross-examination Thursday, attorney Lisa Wood, asked Morgan, You dont care about hurting other people, do you?

No, maam, Morgan replied, before qualifying that by saying it wasnt his goal to bring physical harm to others.

So, you do care? Wood shot back.

Yes, maam, Morgan said.

Morgan admitted in a plea agreement with prosecutors that he was directly involved in three murders, two attempted murders, drug trafficking and a vicious assault on a fellow jail detainee last year.

He had faced mandatory life in prison if convicted. But in exchange for his testimony, prosecutors have said they will recommend a sentence of 25 to 35 years behind bars.

Morgan, an avid gambler, was shooting dice in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, 2018, when he received a text message from a gang associate, Darius Murphy. The message, which was shown to the jury Thursday, included a screenshot of an overnight breaking news story from the Chicago Tribune about the double murder on Arthington Street.

Morgan said he later spoke briefly on the phone with Murphy, but said he hung up because he didnt want to talk about murders when authorities might be listening.

The next day, Morgan testified, he met in person with Murphy, who described in detail how hed lured Holmes to a meeting outside his apartment, how Holmes had unexpectedly shown up with Taylor driving the car, and how hed fired bullets into each of their heads just seconds after jumping into the back seat.

He told me he killed em, Morgan told the jury. He told me (Holmes) had a girl with him, and he killed her too.

The shooting had been put into motion by Morgan, who weeks earlier had grown suspicious that Holmes, his longtime friend and drug-trafficking associate, had been cooperating with law enforcement, Morgan testified.

He said his suspicions were heightened after he was pulled over by police in November 2017. Later, after he introduced Holmes to a high-ranking Wicked Town member Marquel Russell, police promptly raided Russells house.

Id sent him to get some drugs from (Russell), and right after that, (his) house got raided, Morgan testified.

Prosecutors have said Morgans hunch was wrong. Although Holmes had previously worked as a cooperating source for law enforcement, at the time of the murders he was actually was under a court-approved wiretap as part of a separate federal investigation.

But Holmes was marked for death anyway, Morgan said. He devised a plan to have Murphy lure Holmes to a meeting under the guise that he was going to give him a gun and cash that Morgan owed him, according to Morgan. Murphy then enlisted a second person, Demond Brown, to help him do the job

Jurors on Thursday watched video surveillance footage from a nearby hot dog stand showing Holmes, 29, and Taylor, 31, arriving at the meeting place in a dark-colored Jeep Cherokee.

A figure could be seen approaching the passenger side and getting in the vehicle before it takes off and then suddenly stops. The person then jumps out and runs into an apartment building, where prosecutors say Murphy was living.

The jury was also shown graphic crime scene photos depicting the aftermath of the shooting. Holmes body was still seated in the front passenger side of the Jeep. Resting on Holmes shoulder was the body of Taylor, her wig cap exposed and blood pooling on the mat in front of her feet. Both had been shot in the head multiple times, according to testimony.

Months later, Murphy and Brown were in Cook County Jail on unrelated charges when they were recorded by a friend who was secretly cooperating with police, prosecutors alleged. In the recordings, Murphy allegedly described in detail how Holmes had tried to take the gun and cash from him through the open passenger side window, but he insisted on getting in the car.

I say, Naw, man. I get in the back seat. ... Pow! Pow! Murphy was quoted as saying. His (expletive) tried to bail out, I grabbed her by the back of her wig. I said, Where you going? Pow! Pow!

Morgan testified Thursday that Lee was upset with him when he heard about the slayings  but not because the deaths werent justified.

He said it was a dumb idea to have them do it in front of (Murphys) house, Morgan said.

Morgan said he paid Brown and Murphy for the hit with cash and a gun, and also gave Murphy some new shoes because his had blood all over them.

The day after the slayings, Brown purchased a used Buick LeSabre for $900 in cash and drove to Minneapolis, where he traded the 9 mm handgun used in the murders for a different firearm, according to prosecutors. The murder weapon was recovered in February 2018 when a different man was arrested by police in Milwaukee with the gun in his possession.

In the recordings made by a cooperator in the county jail, Brown allegedly said he believed Morgan still owed him money since they ended up having to kill two people instead of just one.

It was never supposed to have went how it went, Brown said in one conversation in September 2018, according to court records.

The next month, the gang member again recorded Murphy in jail talking about his role in the killings. He said he didnt know Holmes from a can of paint and said the hit was all Morgans idea.

After his arrest in 2021, Lee was asked by an agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives whether he believed Holmes deserved what he got.

Yes, you know why? Because Don Don signed up on the dotted line, Lee replied in the video-recorded interview. These streets aint giving pardons. ... He ratted. So yes, sir, I do believe that.

Murphy and Brown both pleaded guilty to racketeering earlier this year, admitting in plea agreements that they each participated in at least seven murders between 2014 and 2018, including the slayings of Holmes and Taylor.

Both Murphy and Brown said they were blessed in to Wicked Town in their early teens and helped the gang traffic heroin and cocaine around its base in the 500 block of North Leamington Avenue, according to their plea agreements.

Morgan, meanwhile, told the jury that he never actually joined Wicked Town, though hed been friends with Lee and other longtime members for years and often did business with them. He testified that some of the younger members of the gang, including Benson, had a penchant for shooting people during armed robberies without provocation.

They basically started shooting everybody they robbed. There really wasnt no reason for it, Morgan said.

Morgan also linked Lee to the December 2002 slaying of Ernest Pee Wee Moore, a shooting that prosecutors alleged was a crucial step in Lees ascension to the top of the Wicked Town gang.

Morgan said Moores father was a longtime friend of his and Lees. Shortly after the shooting, Lee confided in Morgan that he felt uneasy being around the father, according to Morgans testimony.

Morgan also recalled another conversation he had with Lee about the murder of John Forehead Johnson, the then-leader of a rival gang faction who prosecutors alleged was killed by Lee in June 2003, solidifying his control over Wicked Town.

During a trip to the Gurnee Mills mall, Lee was excited to tell Morgan that hed killed Johnson with a gun that had come from Johnsons gang.

He killed Forehead with his own gun, Morgan told the jury. He was just laughing and joking about it.


The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is testing what appears to be bones found on Broughton Street Saturday morning.

A construction crew Saturday morning found small objects that appear to be bones on the intersection of Broughton Street and Bull Street.

Missing infant: Chatham County Police continue search for missing 20-month-old Quinton Simon

Chatham County news: Sen. Jon Ossoff shines spotlight on death in Chatham County jail during bipartisan investigation

Bianca Johnson, public information officer for the Savannah Police Department, said they have not determined if the bones are human or animal remains and have been turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for testing.

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: GBI is testing what appears to be bones found on Broughton Street
A Georgia woman faces a felony assault charge for allegedly beating another woman with her gun Friday morning in Beaufort, according to the Beaufort County Sheriffs Office.

Alisha Delaney, 34, of Decatur, Georgia, was charged with first-degree assault and battery, driving under the influence, unlawful carrying of a pistol, drug possession and driving under suspension, jail records show.

At around 2:30 a.m. Friday, deputies from the Beaufort County Sheriffs Office were called to a home on Joe Frazier Road by a woman who reported she was assaulted. When deputies got there, the woman told them she and Delaney were acquaintances and were at a local bar nearby earlier in the night, according to Maj. Angela Viens, a spokesperson with the sheriffs office. The two were bickering at the bar and the argument escalated when Delaney dropped the woman off at home. The woman told police Delaney beat her with her gun before driving off.

Police found and charged Delaney shortly after, Viens said.

Delaney was released from the detention center in Beaufort Friday and an attorney for her had not yet been appointed, court records show.

When we publish mugshots

The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette publishes police booking photos, or mugshots, in the following instances:

In situations where a public figure or someone in a position of public trust is arrested

In cases where there is an immediate and widespread threat to public safety

In cases where the arrested person is accused of a crime reporters have evidence to believe involved numerous, unknown victims

Reporters will avoid using mugshots as lead images for online articles in order to limit their circulation on social media, except in cases where the public is served by the immediate identification of the accused. Reporters and editors may use discretion in situations that dont meet the criteria outlined in this policy but still present a compelling reason to publish a mugshot.
EUROPEAN PRAVDA  SUNDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2022, 11:00

On Sunday, Jaroslaw Nagy, Slovakia's Defence Minister announced the transfer of two Zuzana 2 self-propelled artillery units to Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda, citing Nagy

Quote by Nagy: "To celebrate the 70th birthday of aggressor Putin, we presented another gift. Two more brand-new Zuzana 2 howitzers are already in Ukraine (and there will be even more)," Nagy wrote on Twitter.

"Over the weekend, Putin received several gifts, so we are also joining in. And once again, we wish Ukraine all the best and good luck," the head of the Slovakian Defence Ministry added on Facebook.

In early June, Ukraine and Slovakia signed a contract for the supply of eight self-propelled howitzers Zuzana 2. In August, it was reported that Slovakia handed over 4 self-propelled Zuzana guns to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and they are already being used at the front.

On 2 October, it was revealed that Denmark, Norway and Germany had signed an agreement with Slovakia; the countries jointly decided to make a financial contribution to Slovakia's production and transfer of Zuzana 2 self-propelled artillery systems to Ukraine.

The Zuzana 2 is an 88 self-propelled artillery system based on the previous version of the Zuzana; it has the same 155 mm calibre, but comes with a shorter barrel.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan criticized southern governors who have sent migrants to other states.

Hogan specifically called out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who flew and bused migrants.

Hogan, a potential 2024 contender, called for a "bipartisan common sense solution" on immigration.

Maryland's Republican Gov. Larry Hogan criticized Governors Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott for their "terrible idea" of relocating migrants from southern states.

Despite opposition, governors from Florida and Texas have flown and bused migrants to northern cities and states, including New York City, Washington, DC, and Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts.

"I thought it was a mistake to basically do publicity stunts of busing people from the border into other states," Hogan said during a speech last week at the "Politics & Eggs" event in Manchester, New Hampshire.

During his keynote speech, he discussed the need for a "bipartisan, commonsense solution" that secures the border and finds "a pathway to citizenship," suggesting migrants could be the answer to America's labor shortage by doing jobs that "Americans don't want to do."

"I think the federal government is failing in that regard, but I thought it was a mistake to basically, I think, do publicity stunts of busing people from the border up to other states," Hogan said, adding that some migrants dropped off in Washington, DC, have crossed into Maryland.

Hogan added that DeSantis was inspired to fly migrants to northern states after Abbott started busing them in April.

"Gov. DeSantis, who had nothing to do with the issue, after Gov. Abbott was doing it in Texas, he went to Texas and grabbed 50 people and sent them to Martha's Vineyard as a publicity stunt," Hogan said. "I think it's a terrible idea. Let's address the problem rather than trying to get on TV. It is not a serious discussion or a good solution."

Hogan will finish his second and final term as Maryland's governor in January and has said he wants to be "in position" to run for president in 2024, should he choose to, Insider previously reported.

Read the original article on Business Insider
ATLANTA (AP)  Darren Grainger threw for a pair of touchdowns and Tucker Gregg ran for two scores and Georgia State held off Georgia Southern 41-33 on Saturday.

The Panthers (2-4, 1-1 Sun Belt Conference) built a pair of 17-point leads at 27-10 and 34-17 before Georgia Southern (3-3, 0-2) closed to within four when Kyle Vantrease threw a 15-yard scoring pass to Khaleb Hood with 7:29 left in the third quarter, Five minutes later, Vantrease threw a 24-yard touchdown to Amare Jones and the extra-point was blocked to reduce the deficit to 34-30. The Panthers countered, and Tucker Gregg's 33-yard scoring run sealed it.

Gregg ran for 111 yards on 22 carries, and Jamyest Williams totaled 129 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. With 335 yards rushing, the Panthers have run for 200-plus yards in 12 of the last 14 games.

Grainger has accounted for 34 touchdowns in 16 starts (30 passing, four rushing) since taking over the starting role in the third game last year.

Vantrease threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns but tossed four interceptions.

Georgia State has won three in a row over Georgia Southern and holds a 6-3 series lead, which began in 2014.

___

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A criminal complaint alleged this semi-automatic assault pistol was part of the payment in a murder-for-hire plot that led to the execution-style slayings of a suspected police informant and his girlfriend in 2018. (U.S Attorneys Office)

Deshawn Morgan was immersed in Chicagos West Side gang culture before he was even out of grade school, dealing drugs at age 12 and rising in the ranks of the Mafia Insane Vice Lords.

Along the way, Morgan told a federal jury last week, he befriended key players in the complex hierarchy of gang factions in the citys Austin and West Lawndale neighborhoods. His testimony provided a rare glimpse at the kind of gang conflicts that often drive Chicago violence.

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He earned respect by hewing to a strict street code against snitches. He got shot and shot others, was charged with murder in his 20s only to beat the case at trial, and later ordered the slaying of a friend he believed was cooperating with law enforcement.

But Morgan said he was never really interested in being a kingpin, the man at the top with all the heat and pressure that went with it. A self-described master manipulator, he testified Thursday that he was much more comfortable being the guy behind the guy, as one lawyer put it, making moves for himself, not because of any particular gang allegiance.

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Deshawn Morgan pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, admitting he participated in three murders and two attempted murders, as well as drug trafficking on behalf of the Wicked Town street gang. (Chicago Police Department)

Morgan, now 40, told his harrowing life story at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, where two of his longtime associates in the Wicked Town gang, Donald Lee, 40, and Torance Benson, 30, are on trial on racketeering conspiracy charges.

Prosecutors alleged the gang, a faction of the Traveling Vice Lords, was responsible for a string of murders, attempted murders, robberies, assaults and drug trafficking stretching back more than 20 years.

Morgan, who pleaded guilty to racketeering in July, was a crucial witness for prosecutors trying to tie several acts of violence to Wicked Town, including the brutal, execution-style slayings of Donald Holmes Jr. and Diane Taylor in a car on West Arthington Street in 2018.

Attorneys for Lee and Benson, meanwhile, have painted Morgan as an opportunistic liar and sociopath who is willing to do or say anything to benefit himself, even if means hurting or killing others.

At one point during cross-examination Thursday, attorney Lisa Wood, asked Morgan, You dont care about hurting other people, do you?

No, maam, Morgan replied, before qualifying that by saying it wasnt his goal to bring physical harm to others.

So, you do care? Wood shot back.

Yes maam, Morgan said.

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Morgan admitted in a plea agreement with prosecutors that he was directly involved in three murders, two attempted murders, drug trafficking and a vicious assault on a fellow jail detainee last year.

He had faced mandatory life in prison if convicted. But in exchange for his testimony, prosecutors have said they will recommend a sentence of 25 to 35 years behind bars.

Morgan, an avid gambler, was shooting dice in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, 2018, when he received a text message from a gang associate, Darius Murphy. The message, which was shown to the jury Thursday, included a screenshot of an overnight breaking news story from the Chicago Tribune about the double murder on Arthington Street.

On Feb. 1, 2018, Darius Murphy texted this screenshot of a Chicago's Tribune breaking news story about a double slaying to fellow gang member Deshawn Morgan. (U.S. Attorneys Office / HANDOUT)

Morgan said he later spoke briefly on the phone with Murphy, but said he hung up because he didnt want to talk about murders when authorities might be listening.

The next day, Morgan testified, he met in person with Murphy, who described in detail how hed lured Holmes to a meeting outside his apartment, how Holmes had unexpectedly shown up with Taylor driving the car, and how hed fired bullets into each of their heads just seconds after jumping into the back seat.

He told me he killed em, Morgan told the jury. He told me (Holmes) had a girl with him, and he killed her too.

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The shooting had been put into motion by Morgan, who weeks earlier had grown suspicious that Holmes, his longtime friend and drug-trafficking associate, had been cooperating with law enforcement, Morgan testified.

He said his suspicions were heightened after he was pulled over by police in November 2017. Later, after he introduced Holmes to a high-ranking Wicked Town member Marquel Russell, police promptly raided Russells house.

Id sent him to get some drugs from (Russell), and right after that, (his) house got raided, Morgan testified.

Prosecutors have said Morgans hunch was wrong. Although Holmes had previously worked as a cooperating source for law enforcement, at the time of the murders he was actually was under a court-approved wiretap as part of a separate federal investigation.

But Holmes was marked for death anyway, Morgan said. He devised a plan to have Murphy lure Holmes to a meeting under the guise that he was going to give him a gun and cash that Morgan owed him, according to Morgan. Murphy then enlisted a second person, Demond Brown, to help him do the job

Jurors on Thursday watched video surveillance footage from a nearby hot dog stand showing Holmes, 29, and Taylor, 31, arriving at the meeting place in a dark-colored Jeep Cherokee.

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A figure could be seen approaching the passenger side and getting in the vehicle before it takes off and then suddenly stops. The person then jumps out and runs into an apartment building, where prosecutors say Murphy was living.

The jury was also shown graphic crime scene photos depicting the aftermath of the shooting. Holmes body was still seated in the front passenger side of the Jeep. Resting on Holmes shoulder was the body of Taylor, her wig cap exposed and blood pooling on the mat in front of her feet. Both had been shot in the head multiple times, according to testimony.

Months later, Murphy and Brown were in Cook County Jail on unrelated charges when they were recorded by a friend who was secretly cooperating with police, prosecutors alleged. In the recordings, Murphy allegedly described in detail how Holmes had tried to take the gun and cash from him through the open passenger side window, but he insisted on getting in the car.

I say, Naw, man. I get in the back seat. ... Pow! Pow! Murphy was quoted as saying. His (expletive) tried to bail out, I grabbed her by the back of her wig. I said, Where you going? Pow! Pow!

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Morgan testified Thursday that Lee was upset with him when he heard about the slayings  but not because the deaths werent justified.

He said it was a dumb idea to have them do it in front of (Murphys) house, Morgan said.

Morgan said he paid Brown and Murphy for the hit with cash and a gun, and also gave Murphy some new shoes because his had blood all over them.

The day after the slayings, Brown purchased a used Buick LeSabre for $900 in cash and drove to Minneapolis, where he traded the 9 mm handgun used in the murders for a different firearm, according to prosecutors. The murder weapon was recovered in February 2018 when a different man was arrested by police in Milwaukee with the gun in his possession.

In the recordings made by a cooperator in the county jail, Brown allegedly said he believed Morgan still owed him money since they ended up having to kill two people instead of just one.

It was never supposed to have went how it went, Brown said in one conversation in September 2018, according to court records.

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The next month, the gang member again recorded Murphy in jail talking about his role in the killings. He said he didnt know Holmes from a can of paint and said the hit was all Morgans idea.

After his arrest in 2021, Lee was asked by an agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives whether he believed Holmes deserved what he got.

Yes, you know why? Because Don Don signed up on the dotted line, Lee replied in the video-recorded interview. These streets aint giving pardons. ... He ratted. So yes, sir, I do believe that.

Murphy and Brown both pleaded guilty to racketeering earlier this year, admitting in plea agreements that they each participated in at least seven murders between 2014 and 2018, including the slayings of Holmes and Taylor.

Both Murphy and Brown said they were blessed in to Wicked Town in their early teens and helped the gang traffic heroin and cocaine around its base in the 500 block of North Leamington Avenue, according to their plea agreements.

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Morgan, meanwhile, told the jury that he never actually joined Wicked Town, though hed been friends with Lee and other longtime members for years and often did business with them. He testified that some of the younger members of the gang, including Benson, had a penchant for shooting people during armed robberies without provocation.

They basically started shooting everybody they robbed. There really wasnt no reason for it, Morgan said.

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Morgan also linked Lee to the December 2002 slaying of Ernest Pee Wee Moore, a shooting that prosecutors alleged was a crucial step in Lees ascension to the top of the Wicked Town gang.

A bullet-riddled car sits at the intersection of Hubbard Street and Lamon Avenue, where 21-year-old Ernest "Pee Wee" Moore was slain on Dec. 23, 2002, allegedly by members of the Wicked Town gang. (U.S. Attorney's Office/Chicago tribune)

Morgan said Moores father was a longtime friend of his and Lees. Shortly after the shooting, Lee confided in Morgan that he felt uneasy being around the father, according to Morgans testimony.

Morgan also recalled another conversation he had with Lee about the murder of John Forehead Johnson, the then-leader of a rival gang faction who prosecutors alleged was killed by Lee in June 2003, solidifying his control over Wicked Town.

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During a trip to the Gurnee Mills mall, Lee was excited to tell Morgan that hed killed Johnson with a gun that had come from Johnsons gang.

He killed Forehead with his own gun, Morgan told the jury. He was just laughing and joking about it.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
A Texas teenager shot his sisters boyfriend and ran from the scene, but his grandmother didnt let him get far, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

The 16-year-old boy was doing drugs with her sisters 21-year-old boyfriend, at his apartment in southwest San Antonio near Lackland Air Force Base, around 6 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 9, SAPD said in a release.

They got into an argument and the teenager shot his sisters boyfriend in the right thigh with a pistol, the release said.

The teen ran away from the apartment but after a few minutes his grandma turned him in to police, bringing him to a substation on the citys south side, along with the handgun he allegedly used in the shooting, SAPD said.

He was arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful carry of a firearm.

The victim was taken to a hospital, but police did not say what condition he was in.

An investigation is underway.

Stepfather killed in fight with men dropping off teen stepdaughters, Texas cops say

Man pretending to be student assaults girl in school bathroom, Missouri officials say

Man kills woman by throwing her off of highway overpass, Missouri cops say

Woman stabs boyfriend during fight over her OnlyFans account, Texas cops say
Egypt and Greece on Sunday said a deal allowing Turkish hydrocarbon exploration in Libya's Mediterranean waters was "illegal" as Athens said it would oppose it by all "legal means".

On Monday, Turkey said it had signed a memorandum of understanding on exploration for hydrocarbons in Libya's seas with the authorities in Tripoli.

"This agreement threatens stability and security in the Mediterranean," Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said in Cairo, where he met his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.

The deal follows an agreement Turkey signed three years ago with Tripoli that demarcated the countries' shared maritime borders.

Greece, Egypt and Cyprus believe the 2019 agreement violates their economic rights in an area suspected to contain vast natural gas reserves.

"We will use all legal means to defend our rights," Dendias added.

He said Tripoli "does not have the necessary sovereignty over this area", and that the agreement is therefore "illegal and inadmissible".

Shoukry charged that the mandate of the authorities in Tripoli has "expired" and that "the government of Tripoli does not have the legitimacy to sign agreements".

A rival Libyan administration in the war-torn country's east -- which since March has been attempting to take office in Tripoli and also argues the government's mandate has expired -- has rejected the accord.

Monday's deal builds on an agreement signed between Ankara and a previous Tripoli-based administration in 2019, at the height of a battle for the capital after eastern-based military chief Khalifa Haftar attempted to seize it by force.

The delivery of Turkish drones to Tripoli-based forces shortly afterwards was seen as crucial in the victory over Haftar, who was backed at the time by Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

The question of rights to Libya's vast hydrocarbon resources has become more urgent this year as global energy prices have soared.

The European Union has denounced the 2019 maritime border deal, while France has said the recent agreement was "not in accordance with international law".

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CAIRO (AP)  Egypt's and Greece's foreign ministers met Sunday in Cairo following controversial maritime and gas deals that their shared rival Turkey signed with a Libyan leader, officials said.

Cairo and Athens have strengthened ties in recent years, including cooperation in developing energy resources, combating terrorism, and signing new maritime border agreements with Cyprus.

At a joint news conference, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shukry, focused on the memorandums of understanding between Turkey and Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the leader of one of two competing governments in divided Libya. He said such agreements were a threat to regional stability.

The deals, signed last week in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, include the joint exploration of hydrocarbon reserves in Libyas offshore waters and national territory.

Dendias slammed the deals as illegal, saying they infringed on Greek waters.

Turkey seeks to take advantage of the turbulent situation in Libya in order to further destabilize the Mediterranean region and establish regional hegemony, He said. No one can ignore geography. No one can create a virtual world.

The Egyptian foreign minister, meanwhile, said Dbeibah's government has no authority to conclude such deals, given that its mandate expired following Libya's failure to hold nationwide elections in December last year.

He called for the U.N. to take a clear position on the legitimacy of Dbeibahs government, saying the international body should not keep silent.

Dendias said the two ministers also discussed developments in the Aegean Sea, in reference to tensions with Turkey over the alleged deployment of dozens of U.S.-made armored vehicles by Greece to the Aegean islands of Samos and Lesbos.

There were no immediate comments from Turkey or Dbeibah's government.

Libya has been mired in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The country has been ruled by rival governments for most of the past decade. There are now two administrations claiming legitimacy: Dbeibahs in Tripoli and another parliament-appointed government chaired by Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha.

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Jalel Harchaoui, a Libya expert with the Royal United Services Institute, a defense and security think tank, said Turkeys deals with Dbeibahs government, which have little legal value, were meant to provoke Greece.

The agreements were part of the politics of hyper-nationalistic assertiveness that a weak, unpopular" President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pursuing ahead of June 2023 elections, he said.

Erdogans government exploited Dbeibahs weakened position after Turkey helped him defend his position in Tripoli during deadly clashes in August that were part of Bashagha's efforts to install his government in the capital, Harchaoui said. Turkey has troops and allied Syrian mercenaries on the ground in the Libyan capital.

The Libyan prime minister defended the deals, saying they would help the North African country pursue oil and gas exploration in our territorial waters with the help of neighboring countries.

Turkeys agreements with Dbeibahs government came three years after another controversial agreement between Ankara and a former Tripoli government. That 2019 deal granted Turkey access to a contested economic zone in the gas-rich eastern Mediterranean Sea, fueling Turkeys pre-existing tensions with Greece, Cyprus and Egypt over drilling rights in the region.
As he, for the second time, seeks to become a United States senator, Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman claims that he only got involved in politics to fight crime in his city, Braddock PA, after two of his students were gunned down. Fetterman, so he implies, is not interested in status or money. He just wants to help people. The truth is, however, that Fetterman spent his entire adult life deliberately creating a narrative that he would use to achieve his ambition of getting elected to the United States Senate.

After growing up in York and earning an MBA in Connecticut, Fetterman moved to Western Pennsylvania, where, through AmeriCorps, he helped students prepare to take the GED test, while also working for an insurance company. Then, a couple of years later, Fetterman left Western Pennsylvania to pursue a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government, before returning to Western Pennsylvania and running for mayor of Braddock.

Obviously, Fetterman did not go to Harvard just so that he could serve as mayor of Braddock, which paid only $150 a month. If Fetterman, selflessly, just wanted to help underprivileged students learn to read, why didnt he pursue an education program at West Chester? Why didnt he become a reading specialist? Why did Fetterman go to Harvard to study government if he had no interest in becoming a career politician? How did he end up in Braddock, anyway? He is not even from there. Fetterman moved to Braddock to launch his political career because a Bernie Sanders liberal would find much greater success, politically, in Braddock than in York. With the help of his parents who gave him $54,000 in 2015, Fetterman put everything he had into serving as mayor and at developing his political narrative, instead of working for a living.

For a man who just wants to help his city and Pennsylvania, John Fetterman shows tenacious ambition. After unsuccessfully running for the United States Senate in 2016, Fetterman ran for lieutenant governor in 2018, and now, he is running for the United States Senate, again.

He relentlessly attacks his opponent, Dr. Oz. In one attack ad, Fetterman claims that Dr. Oz, a white heart surgeon, would not last two hours in Braddock, which has a predominantly Black population (70.83% in the 2020 census).

Though it is not Braddock, Dr. Oz recently walked along Kensington Avenue, the epicenter of the opioid crisis in Philadelphia, and encouraged inflicted individuals to seek help, while Fetterman campaigned from his home near Pittsburgh  six hours away  by running expensive television advertisements in the Philadelphia region, barking, (Dr. Oz is) not one of us!.

Much of Fettermans campaign urges Pennsylvania voters to reject Dr. Oz because he is not from here. Of course, this claim ignores the fact that Dr. Oz attended college in Philadelphia, his wife is from Bryn Athyn, and that he bought a house in Montgomery County. Ironically, according to Fettermans argument, nobody in Southeastern Pennsylvania should vote for Fetterman because he, himself has never lived in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Braddock is about a six-hour drive from here. Even if we ignore the fact that Dr. Oz now lives in Montgomery County, which he does, Dr. Ozs New Jersey house is probably less than two-hours away  three times closer to us than Fettermans house.

While Dr. Oz has strong connections to Southeastern Pennsylvania, Fetterman has none. John Fetterman is not one of us.

Michael Baluk lives in Warminster.

This article originally appeared on The Intelligencer: Guest Opinion: Oz more connected to Southeastern PA than Fetterman
A Republican Senate nominee told supporters that womens reproductive choices belong to lawmakers at the state level.

Don Bolduc, the GOP Senate candidate for New Hampshire, made the controversial remarks at a town hall on Wednesday in Auburn, the HuffPost first reported.

That is the best way, I think, as a man, that women get the best voice: at the state level, not at the federal level, said Mr Bolduc, a 60-year-old retired Army brigadier general.

Mr Bolduc doubled down on his comments, adding: [The choice] belongs to the state. It belongs to these gentlemen right here, who are state legislators representing you.

He then pointed out to Jason Osborne and Jess Edwards, two of New Hampshires state representatives.

Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan leads the polls against Mr Bolduc in New Hampshire by eight points.

She needs to get on board with the Supreme Court[s] decision, Mr Bolduc said about Ms Hassan during the town hall, according to HuffPost.

New Hampshires abortion laws ban abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy with exceptions for fatal foetal diagnoses and when the mothers life is in danger.

The Washington Post reported that Mr Bolduc was not the first Republican option for the race, but with just five weeks left until Election Day on 8 November, GOP PACs are pouring millions into his campaign. Individuals under 18 are required to present parental consent.

Mr Bolduc has been outspoken about his conservative views and had previously said he believed Donald Trump won the 2020 election. He has since backtracked from his previous remarks and told the Post that Biden is the legal president.

The Independent has reached out to Mr Bolducs campaign for comment.
Vice President Harris urged Texas Democrats to fight like we never have before at a fundraiser on Saturday evening as she railed against Republican-led pushes to enact voting and abortion restrictions.

Speaking in Austin, Harris condemned a sweeping overhaul of Texass voting procedures last year signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) that places new restrictions on drive-through voting and mail-in ballots, increases voter identification requirements and mandates the state check voter rolls monthly to identify non-citizens who improperly registered, among other provisions.

There is a lot that we need to deal with, Harris told supporters. And I believe that when you know what you stand for, you know what to fight for. And while extremist so-called leaders trumpet the rhetoric of freedom, they attack the very foundations of freedom. And one of those people is the governor of this very state.

The legislation came amid former President Trumps pushing of unfounded claims of mass electoral fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Republicans have touted the legislation as restoring integrity in the electoral process, but Democrats, including Harris on Saturday, portrayed it as one of many measures nationwide that disenfranchise voters.

When your governor and other extremist so-called leaders were pushing S.B. 1, a full-on attack on voting rights, Democratic members of the Texas legislature left this state in principled protest, Harris said. And Im sure theyre out campaigning right now, but I want to say that those legislators came to the White House because they knew  and if any of you are here, you knew  that this is not only a Texas fight, this was a national fight.

The vice president also lambasted Abbott and other Republicans nationwide for enacting restrictions on abortion in the wake of the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

They believe government, not women, should make decisions about their own bodies, Harris said. Well, we do not. We do not. We trust the women of America. We trust the women of Texas.

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She also took aim at Sen. Lindsey Grahams (R-S.C.) proposal to ban abortion nationwide at 15 weeks, which has garnered some support from within his party, while drawing concerns from others who say the issue should be left to states.

Harris reiterated President Bidens call to end the filibuster, the 60-vote threshold required for most legislation in the Senate, to allow for Democratic action on abortion and voting rights legislation.

We will not allow archaic Senate rules to stand in the way  its called a filibuster  of protecting these two freedoms, Harris said.

She said with two more Democratic seats in the Senate, the party can codify Roe v. Wade into federal law and pass voting rights legislation that previously failed, a veiled reference to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), who have opposed filibuster carveouts.

Harris applauded the thousands of women who registered to vote in Texas since the courts abortion decision, urging them to support the states Democratic nominee for governor, Beto ORourke, and other candidates hoping to flip House seats blue in November.

So, in the next 31 days, Texas Democrats, let us fight like we never have before, because when we fight, we win, Harris said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The second trial of Harvey Weinstein will get underway this week in a Los Angeles courtroom, in a case that figures to be more sprawling and complex than his first trial in New York.

The trial is expected to last up to two months, as Weinstein faces testimony from nine sexual assault accusers  up from six in New York. Jury selection begins on Monday and is expected to take at least two weeks, as both sides seek to screen out jurors who may be prejudiced by ubiquitous pre-trial publicity.

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Weinstein, 70, is already serving a 23-year sentence after being convicted of rape and sexual assault two years ago. The New York Court of Appeals has agreed to hear his case, but a conviction in Los Angeles  where he faces up to 140 years behind bars  could effectively guarantee that he never goes free.

The Los Angeles trial will resemble the first trial in many ways. One of the Los Angeles victims, Jane Doe #2, even testified as a supporting witness in New York. The prosecution is expected to argue that Weinstein used his power and the promise of career advancement to lure women to hotel rooms, where he sexually assaulted them. The defense is expected to argue that the women are lying and that some of them carried on consensual relationships with Weinstein afterwards.

Weinstein is facing 11 charges relating to five women, which span from 2004 to 2013. The women will be referred to as Jane Does 1 through 5 in court, though their identities may become clear once the trial is underway.

Jane Doe 1 is an Italian model who alleges that Weinstein raped her at her hotel during the L.A.-Italia film festival in February 2013. Prosecutors have already begun taking testimony from two witnesses related to her allegations. A limo driver, Alfred Baroth, testified in February that he brought Weinstein from the airport in Van Nuys to the festival, and later took him to the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. The woman alleges that Weinstein showed up late that night at the Mr C. hotel, which is adjacent to Beverly Hills, and forced his way into her room.

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Prosecutors also took testimony last week from Pascal Vicedomini, the producer of the festival. Vicedomini appeared via Zoom, and spoke through an Italian interpreter. The questioning extended for several hours, and was videotaped with the idea of potentially playing it for the jury.

Vicedomini was said to have introduced Jane Doe 1 and Weinstein, though he appeared not to remember much of the encounter. He was also asked if Jane Doe 1 had asked him to help return Weinsteins jacket, which he had supposedly left in her hotel room after the alleged attack. Vicedomini had no memory of that either.

I dont know what jacket youre talking about, he said.

Judge Lisa B. Lench allowed four additional women to testify as so-called prior bad acts witnesses. Such testimony was used in Weinsteins first trial and in the trials of Bill Cosby. The prosecution wanted to call 15 women to testify, though the judge excluded 10 of those witnesses, including Daryl Hannah and Rose McGowan. An additional witness  known in court only as Miss I.  changed her mind and decided not to testify, leaving the prosecution with only four.

The jury is also expected to hear from friends and confidants of the accusers, with whom they would have shared their allegations contemporaneously.

Complicating matters for the defense, Universal will release She Said  a feature film about the two New York Times reporters who broke the Weinstein scandal five years ago  in the middle of the trial. The film, produced by Brad Pitt and starring Zoe Kazan and Carrie Mulligan, will debut on Thursday at the New York Film Festival, and will be released in theaters on Nov. 18.

This is guaranteed to be a big deal in the public consciousness, argued Mark Werksman, one of Weinsteins lawyers, in seeking a delay in the case in August.

Lench denied the request, saying she would instruct the jurors not to watch the film.

I dont think theres going to be a time when there isnt media coverage with regard to this case, she said.

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#Every1KnowsSome1. This hashtag, used to promote Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), has become even more real to me in the past few weeks.

As people have stopped me in the community and posted on social media to congratulate me on my retirement as executive director of Centre Safe, Ive realized, once again, how connected we are in Centre County. It has been a lovely way to celebrate 25 years spent working with amazingly dedicated staff and volunteers as we work to empower survivors of domestic and sexual violence and eliminate that violence from our lives and communities. We have also had the support of the community, precisely because everyone knows someone whose life has been impacted by domestic or sexual violence.

During Domestic Violence Awareness Month each October, Centre Safe creates multiple displays called An Empty Place at the Table. The displays are tables, set with dishes and flatware in place-settings. And at each place is a small card describing someone whose life was lost through domestic violence. The place settings, some in long tables, some as individual settings, are a stark reminder that too often, domestic violence leaves and empty place at the table. Where once sat a beloved family member  a mom, a child, a sister or brother, a neighbor or a friend  now there is only an empty place. Domestic violence robs all of us of those we love.

As my colleague, Dawn McKee, has set up the Empty Place at the Table displays in the local YMCAs and single place settings at houses of worship, retail shops and libraries, inevitably someone will ask what it is all about. When Dawn explains, those who asked almost always tell of a family member or friend whose life was impacted by violence. Everyone knows someone.

I am so proud of the work weve done together these past 25 years as a community to address and end domestic violence. Weve collaborated to educate schools and workplaces about the impact of domestic violence and how best to respond if someone discloses that theyve been a victim. Weve worked with law enforcement and health care providers and the justice system to improve the response to victims so they will feel safer coming forward and asking for help. Weve worked to create safe places for supervised visitation and custody exchanges and to provide free legal assistance for victims. Weve provided shelter and expanded the housing available to those fleeing violence in their homes.

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But there is more to do. There are still too many families where violence is the norm, too many friends, neighbors and co-workers who are unsure of how to respond so they say nothing. For too many victims and survivors, financial independence, safe housing and self-sufficiency remain beyond reach.

So the work will continue, with new leadership and new energy. Jennifer Pencek will begin her tenure as the new executive director of Centre Safe (and the author of this column!) in November. I know that she will find connections and community support just as I have over the years in this work. And Centre County will continue to support victims/survivors in new and creative ways. Because domestic and sexual violence impact all of us. #Every1KnowsSome1

Anne K. Ard is the longtime executive director of Centre Safe, Centre Countys domestic violence/rape crisis center, 140 W. Nittany Ave., State College. She retired at the end of September.
Herschel Walker Senate GA - Credit: The Washington Post via Getty Im

The woman who accused Herschel Walker of paying for her abortion in 2009 is now revealing that the Republican senate candidate from Georgia urged her to have a second one.

On Friday, Walkers ex-girlfriend told New York Times that Walker asked her to terminate her pregnancy in 2011, but she refused, kept the baby, and ended her relationship with Walker. She also claims that Walker has been absent from the childs life.

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As a father, hes done nothing. He does exactly what the courts say, and thats it, she told the newspaper. He has to be held responsible, just like the rest of us. And if youre going to run for office, you need to own your life.

The Times confirmed details with custody records in New York family court and interviewed the womans friend, who corroborated the ex-girlfriends details. The newspaper also corroborated The Daily Beasts account that Walker paid her $700 as reimbursement for a $575 abortion, along with a Get well card that read, Pray you are feeling better.

Later Friday, the Daily Beast reported that Walkers wife and ex-girlfriend had exchanged text messages, further undercutting Walkers claim the he did not know who his accuser was. A spokesperson for Walker did not immediately respond to Rolling Stones request for comment. (The woman told The Daily Beast earlier this week that Walker had fathered her child.)

Walker has refuted the womans account of the 2009 abortion, calling the her claim a flat-out lie and saying that he had no idea who the woman is.

Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich, and other Republicans have defended the candidate following the Beast investigation. You know, hes been through a long, tough period. He suffered a lot of concussions coming out of football, Gingrich told Fox News.

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Back in June, Walker admitted to having two secret children after noting in a 2020 interview that a fatherless home is a major, major problem. (He allegedly has four children total.)

Trumps pick for Senate in Georgia riled other family members with his denials. His son Christian Walker spoke out after the abortion news broke, taking to Twitter on Monday to lambast his father, who didnt heed the warnings from Christian and others in his family that he should not run for office because we all knew (some of) his past.

On Tuesday, the younger Walker alleged in a video he posted on Twitter that his father lied about not paying for an abortion, and more. Everything has been a lie, Christian said. He added: Family values people: He has four kids, four different women, wasnt in the house raising one of them. He was out having sex with other women. Do you care about family values?

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Profile: 74-yr-old CPC member dedicated to community service

Xinhua) 08:33, October 09, 2022

FUZHOU, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Five decades after she began her career as a community worker in Fuzhou City in east China's Fujian Province, Lin Dan remains committed to serving the local residents with undiminished enthusiasm.

"If you put in your all, you'll be able to do the job to everyone's satisfaction," said Lin, 74, who was elected as a delegate to the upcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and is a recipient of the July 1 Medal, the highest honor in the Party.

Lin, who is also the Party chief of the Junmen Community, initiated the residents' talkfest to strengthen community governance.

These meetings, held around the 10th of every month, are joined by lawmakers, political advisors, government officials and resident representatives.

Issues ranging from individual household problems to public safety and infrastructure development of the neighborhood are discussed here.

For instance, electric vehicle owners in the community once faced a dearth of charging piles. After delegates reached a consensus on the number and location of charging piles during a talkfest, it took only three days to build additional piles in the area.

Jiang Wanfang, a local resident, shed light on a similar instance of efficient community governance by recounting how the problem of water shortage was fixed.

"We used to experience frequent water supply outages in the building I live in. The issue was discussed at the talkfest and the community representatives negotiated with the water supply company to solve the problem," Jiang said.

To ensure the well-being of the elderly and children, Lin and her fellow community workers established a community canteen for the elderly, a childcare center and a retirement home, making the community a warm and inclusive abode.

Lin comes to the elderly canteen at 11 a.m. every weekday to help those who have difficulty in moving freely.

There are more than 1,200 people aged 60 and above in Junmen. Some of them live alone and find it hard to cook on their own. The community canteen has not only relieved the elderly of the burden of cooking but also made it possible for them to eat a meal with two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes for just 10 yuan (1.4 U.S. dollars).

After wrapping up her work at the canteen, Lin goes to the childcare center. The center provides children with weekday meals and homework support at a monthly cost of 880 yuan per child.

"I will always strive to enhance community services and continue to work in the interest of the Party and the people," Lin said.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Dave, from left, Aubrey, Brooke and Gage Appel stand Oct. 7, 2022, in front of their house in Plainfield, which is decorated with a floating Max Mayfield character from "Stranger Things." The family's Halloween decorations went viral on TikTok, attracting thousands of visitors to the house. (H. Rick Bamman/for the Chicago Tribune)

A Stranger Things character will continue to float midair outside a home in Plainfield for the rest of October after the owners decided to keep their viral Halloween display, despite opposition from a neighbor who was so incensed by the sudden influx of spectators that he chased some of them off with a bat.

After homeowners Dave and Aubrey Appel shared a TikTok video in mid-September of the preparations for their Halloween decorations, which included the character Max Mayfield, played by actress Sadie Sink on the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, levitating above their yard, more than 1,000 people visited the home over the first weekend of October, Aubrey Appel said.

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But by that Sunday evening, some of the visitors were heckled by a neighbor with a bat, raising safety concerns and forcing the family to turn off the light of their display and remove Max to avoid more people from gathering, she said.

We did go over to their house to talk to them, they were fearing for their lives, basically acting like there was looting and a home invasion, Appel said.

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Though the family considered shutting down the display for the rest of the Halloween season following the incident, they opted to keep it after conversations with other neighbors, their homeowners association and local authorities.

People visit the Appel family's "Stranger Things" Halloween display featuring the character Max Mayfield floating in midair on Oct. 7, 2022, in Plainfield. (H. Rick Bamman/for the Chicago Tribune)

The Appels Halloween display is one more added to the list of homes in Illinois that have made headlines for their extravagant holiday decorations that most find amusing or entertaining. But some neighbors find the displays a nuisance because of the visitors they can draw, causing traffic or safety concerns.

[ Massive Tinley Park holiday lights display that helps raise money for charity draws irritation from neighbors ]

But despite some complaints from annoyed neighbors, many Chicago suburbs dont seem to have specific guidelines that limit homeowners from a putting up a certain amount of decorations in their front or backyard, according to various homeowners and suburban officials interviewed by the Tribune. In most municipalities, the sole limitation is that the public pathways arent blocked by the decorations  unless the houses are part of a homeowners association that may dictate otherwise.

So when police arrived at the Appels home, the family wasnt ordered to take down the display, Aubrey Appel said. The family considered putting the display away for good, to avoid more issues and for the safety of both neighbors and visitors, she said.

On Sunday we went to bed thinking: Were not doing this. This is not what we wanted to bring to our community. We didnt want to put anyones life at risk coming to see it, she said. But there was so much support from visitors and neighbors saying, Dont worry about one person.

The support from the public to keep the display encouraged Appel and her husband to seek a meeting with Joliet City Manager James Capparelli for some guidance.

We wanted to make sure that we werent doing anything incorrect or illegal, she said.

Turns out they werent.

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In an email statement from Sgt. Dwayne English of the Joliet Police Department, he said the decision to open or close the display rests solely with the homeowners, since it is on their private property. The Joliet police also added that officers will patrol the area while the display is active to keep both neighbors and visitors safe.

The Joliet Police Department is aware of the popular and viral response to the Stranger Things display, the statement said. We recognize that such a response may create an inconvenience for residents of this neighborhood. Those who wish to visit the display are encouraged to be mindful of where they park, and to respect the property of others.

Aubrey and her family, all Halloween lovers, said they began creating larger Halloween displays about four years ago. This year, they spoke to their neighbors about the expected crowds, she said.

They all understood, Aubrey said.

Miles away, in Naperville, Nick Thomas was reminded of the journey of his own famous Halloween house, which went dark after 15 years in 2015, when his homeowners association modified its guidelines to allow homeowners to decorate only 50% of their yards.

[ Naperville Halloween house's popularity sparked its demise ]

Complaints about the traffic and noise created by the celebrated house decorations led the Ashbury Homeowners Association board to pass a rule limiting a persons holiday decorations to 50% of the yard, excluding lights, and restricting the display to 30 days before and after the holiday.

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After that rule was passed, Thomas opted to stop decorating his home entirely.

It felt terrible. My decorations are still in storage seven years later, Thomas said. All because of a few neighbors, I feel for the family in Plainfield.

Though Thomas decided to stop his displays after his homeowners association added the decoration rule, Naperville has no specific regulations, said Linda LaCloche, communications director for the city.

The only thing we really regulate is the right of way  the public sidewalk and parkway  things cannot block the sidewalk or create a safety hazard, LaCloche said.

Thomas said he still hopes to one day put up his display again. But for that, he would have to move, he said.

I put up the fight once and I lost, Thomas said.

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The story has been different for Bob Szajkovics, who has made his house and front yard in Homer Glen into a Christmas spectacle for nearly 12 years.

In all those years, a single neighbor has asked him to turn down the music, he said with a laugh. In Homer Glen, there are no specific regulations when it comes to holiday decorations, Szajkovics said.

But hes learned of other homeowners who have had to limit or take down their decorations after causing traffic or blockages when visitors gathered by the houses. Szajkovics is a part of an online forum of people who decorate their houses for the holidays.

Its sad because it is only a month out of the year. It brings people together, helps to lift the sprit, but because of a couple of neighbors complaining, the village told them they shouldnt do it, Szajkovics said.

This December, he plans to keep the tradition going. Christmas is his daughters favorite holiday, he said. She has special needs and she could listen to Christmas music all year, he said.

The very first year that he added more lights with synchronized music to the front yard, he did it for her, and it made her so happy that he decided to gradually add to the display year after year, he said.

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larodriguez@chicagotribune.com
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast; Getty

An upcoming high school production of Jesus Christ Superstar has ripped a North Carolina town apart, with critics blasting it for peddling a so-called LGBTQ+ agendaand students countering that their outrage is just the tip of an anti-trans, homophobic iceberg.

According to students at Central Academy of Technology and Arts, a magnet school in Monroe, a gender-neutral production of Jesus Christ Superstar was announced over the summer. An Instagram page for the schools theater program advertised the rock opera with the official logo of Jesus Christ Superstar, the profile of two angels in the shape of a horseshoe, taken from its 1970 album release.

2023 CATA Musical Reveal, read the since-deleted post that was later reshared on a Union County community gossip page. We have officially received the rights to produce an all-gender cast [Jesus Christ Superstar] where anyone can play any role.

Students told The Daily Beast that the high school put up another post in September that announced auditions and used the Jesus Christ Superstar logo superimposed over CATAs initials, which looked similar to the Progress Pride flag. The letters were in a rainbow colorblock design and transitioned into white, baby pink and blue, brown, and black.

Congratulations to everyone who submitted an audition, the post, also since deleted, read. We are incredibly proud of you and very much enjoyed watching your songs and dance videos. Thank you all for the time you put into these auditions.

On Sept. 25, after the initial round of auditions, the account posted a callback list for shortlisted students. The gender or sex of the role did not determine which student would get the part.

Ordinarily, the production would likely have hit the stage without a hiccup. CATA has a nationally renowned arts program and a thriving theatre and arts community, Union County Public Schools assistant superintendent of communications and community relations Tahira Stalberte told The Daily Beast.

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During the 2021-22 school year, students performed Heathers: The Musical, a play about teenage self-discovery that focuses on the need to fit in with the popular crowd, rebellion, bullying, and even suicide. CATA won regional awards for its production and, according to students, there were never any complaints despite the musicals dark content.

Jesus Christ Superstar, an opera that demands a wide range of vocal abilities, is a modern rendition of the story of Jesus last week before his crucifixion that incorporates rock songs to serve as allegories for the current social climate. Multiple productions around the world have utilized nonbinary casting.

But what students didnt count on was the involvement of Moms for Liberty, an ultra-conservative national organization that has pushed book bans, attacked teachers from diverse backgrounds, and fought face mask and vaccine mandates under the guise of parental rights.

Members from the Union County chapter of Moms for Liberty were quick to voice their horror at the gender-diverse casting and the fact the schools logo had been colored rainbow and was being used to advertise the show.

CATA mom here, a parent posted in the chapters private Facebook group, according to screenshots provided to The Daily Beast by another person in the group. Ive been quiet long enough. Im struggling with this new logo and this years play featuring a gender inclusive cast of Jesus Christ Superstar. WHY? Ive emailed my concerns. If you feel led, please do so too. There is power in numbers!

So a girl can play Jesus and a boy can play Mary?! Heck. To. The. No!!! another member of the Moms for Liberty Facebook group commented. This is beyond disappointing. Union County parents need to speak out about this BS, even if their children arent directly impacted.

In screenshots reviewed by The Daily Beast, Union County Public Schools board member Gary Sides, also a member of the group, responded that the situation would be handled.

Update, it IS BEING handled, he later wrote.

Central Academy of Technology and Arts

According to multiple students who spoke to The Daily Beast, thats when the issue spiraled into an ugly campaign against LGBTQ+ community membersspearheaded by district administrators.

When I originally saw that we were doing gender-neutral casting [for Jesus Christ Superstar], I was excited about the opportunity, CATA Medical Academy 12th grade student Evie Fraker told The Daily Beast. [Now,] it feels like CATA and Union County as a whole are taking a huge step backward in terms of inclusivity and making every student and staff member feel safe.

On Sept. 27, CATA principal Kevin Beals sent a letter to staff members reminding them that the use of pronouns in emails and any classroom displays of support for marginalized communities were banned.

[W]e have been asked to remind all staff members that our classrooms and professional social media accounts must remain free from any content that could be discriminatory or viewed as promoting some individual, group or agenda, Beals wrote in a letter to staff. We have been asked to demonstrate neutrality in all posts, displays, and lessons.

He continued: We have been told that the inclusion and use of pronouns in staff email signatures and classrooms is not permissible, and that they should be removed from [district]-owned accounts.

Furthermore, Beals added, any displays or concepts that could reasonably give rise to the appearance of sponsorship, approval, or endorsement should be removed from classrooms. This is all part of what the district views as professional standards, with neutrality being the key.

Stalberte told The Daily Beast the theater groups Instagram post with the rainbow logo wasnt approved and included inappropriate additions to the schools official logo.

In a statement, she added that employees have been expected to abide by district email standards for more than a decade, which include font color, style, and size; an educators title; location; and phone, fax, and cell numbers. The standards cannot be altered in any way, and nothing associated with religion, politics, or personal philosophies should be included.

Stalberte insisted the district school board did not discriminate against students in accordance with Title IX.

Still, students felt the timing of the school boards decision to double down on those policies was suspicious, coming right after Sides involvement.

Students [did] not notice this policy being enforced until the controversy stemming from our musicalafter the drama was incited on the Facebook group, CATA junior Brody Martin told The Daily Beast in an email. Basically, their neutral stance is just a way of pushing their ideals onto the school system, and it could potentially be damaging to those currently in the closet or those who dont have familial support.

One amazing thing about this show is the fact that its completely gender non-discriminatory. Yet teachers and admin are receiving backlash for this, 11th grade student Gabby Laatz said in an email to The Daily Beast. Its difficult to watch as a queer student. In regards to the statement of neutrality, I feel like they are telling me my identity is not professional.

Another student, ninth-grader Blake Hudson, told The Daily Beast that teachers had previously been advocates when it came to her own process of self-discovery, and they had helped champion her emotional well-being. But with the interference of district officials, she was afraid other students may not be able to have the same life-changing teacher-student relationships.

For me, its like students need to have help finding their voice and need people to look up to, Hudson said. I went to the school counselor, I went to my teacher, and they helped me find my voice.

Most-Banned Author in America Calls BS on Parents Concern

Sides did not return The Daily Beasts request for comment, nor did the Union County chapter of Moms for Liberty. Stalberte, the district spokesperson, said, If students have concerns or anything, we certainly encourage them to talk with their principal or counselors, but they are truly supported.

As the row intensified, community members started an online petition demanding the district be held accountable for discriminating against students based on their gender. It accused the board of demanding neutrality only when it suited their agenda, not when it came to their own members espousing religious events like campus Bible studies.

What should be an incredible opportunity for ALL students to participate in musical triumph and development has, instead, turned into a culture war now [a]ffecting all teachers in the district, the petition read.

A small band of concerned parents (to be noted, none of whom have children involved in the musical nor in this particular arts program) from extremist national organization Moms for Liberty reached out to board members to decry the choice to have a gender-neutral casting of this play.

The petitioners demanded that board members not overstep their duties with specific schools, that policies concerning education about gender and identity be overturned, that the Pride flag not be considered an offensive or political symbol, and that the school board attend a Title IX education course.

We know that there should be no limits on what our youth can accomplish, especially arbitrary ones. We know that everyone in our community deserves to feel safe and supported so that we all may achieve our greatest potential, the petition ended.

For many residents, the episode just scratched the surface of deeper issues, as Union County is no stranger to the censorship of LGBTQ+ communities. During Pride events in June, a drag queen story hour was canceled after the organizer and his family received threats, according to CBS 17 Raleigh. WSOC-TV 9 reported that a public library also backed out of Pride events. In August, a local restaurant held a drag show that drew protesters vowing to keep these demons away from our children, Fox 8 Greensboro reported.

I hope that the school board realizes that neutrality isnt an option to create safe environments and the real answer should be inclusivity! Laatz said in an email. I feel all they are doing is punishing teachers for wanting to make their students feel safe and welcome in order to push THEIR agenda.

But despite the seemingly ongoing setbacks, Union County Public Schools said CATAs production of Jesus Christ Superstar will not be canceled.

The cast list of the show, which will premier in March 2023, was posted Saturday. Jesus will be played by a male and female student.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Don't ask New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill what position he really plays.

Look, I just work here and do what they ask, the 32-year-old Hill said with a grin after one of the most memorable days of his unconventional, six-year, NFL career.

Hill ran for three touchdowns, including a 60-yarder in the fourth quarter, and threw for another score, and New Orleans snapped a three-game skid with a 39-32 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

My mindset is that, Man, Im going to take advantage of every opportunity," Hill said. "I felt like I was going to get more opportunities this week and so I did my part to make sure I was prepared.

Hill completed the only pass hes attempted this season for a 22-yard score to fellow tight end Adam Trautman. His other running TDs went for 8 and 9 yards.

In past seasons, Hill has been a backup and fill-in starter at QB, but also has lined up at a variety of skill positions and played on special teams. This season, he's remained a special teams regular and has had the bulk of his production on offense intermittently lining up under center for designed QB runs  even though he's listed at a tight end.

Against the Seahawks, he rushed for 112 yards on nine carries.

His performance today, it's hard to match  all the stuff that he can do and all the stuff he was able to do to help us, said Saints quarterback Andy Dalton, who started his second straight game for the injured Jameis Winston. He's special.

Alvin Kamara returned from his rib injury and provided New Orleans (2-3) a boost with 103 yards rushing and 91 yards receiving, highlighted by his 54-yard gain on a screen pass.

We really wanted to get him going and there's a lot of explosive plays from him, said Dalton, who completed 16 of 24 passes for 187 yards with one TD pass and one interception.

The game was marked by big plays and dramatic momentum swings. There were six lead changes, five touchdowns that spanned 35 or more yards and even 56-yard field goals by each team.

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Geno Smith's exceptional first season as starter for Seattle (2-3) continued, but was not enough to overcome a defense that has allowed at least 27 points four times, including 39 or more twice.

We had our chances and all kinds of opportunities to get it done and too many things went wrong, said Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said, who noted his particular displeasure with New Orleans 235 yards rushing on a day when the Saints passing game was bound to be hampered by the absences of receivers Michael Thomas (foot) and Jarvis Landry (ankle).

We knew their offense was going to be built around Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill," Carroll said. "They ran it down our throat and thats unacceptable.

Smith passed for 268 yards and three scores, hitting DK Metcalf for a 50-yard TD and Tyler Lockett for touchdowns of 35 and 40 yards.

The Seahawks took a 32-31 lead when Kenneth Walker rushed for a 69-yard TD. But the Saints went back in front for good on Hill's long run shortly after.

We know that we have a talented roster and we just made some silly mistakes that caused us to lose some football games, Hill said, lavishing praise on the offensive line. This was a game where everybody was playing really well and we were doing the right things.

RARE PERFORMANCE

Hill is just the third NFL player since 1970 to rush for 100 yards and three TDs while also passing for a score in a game, according to ESPN Stats and Information. The others were LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005 and Miami's Ronnie Brown in 2008. Hill also became the first Saints since Archie Manning in 1977 to rush for three TDs and pass for one in a game.

GLARING ERRORS

Three touchdowns were set up by fumbles or a turnover on downs.

The first came when Seattle punter Michael Dickson rolled right to make a rugby-style kick, but aborted and was tackled at his own 13, setting up Hill's second TD run.

We were just changing the launch point. It was something we had been working on in practice for a long time," Carroll said. "It got really cloudy upfield like we dont expect it to and he felt like he had to duck and he was hesitant to kick the ball.

Kamara's fumble, recovered by Seattle cornerback Tariq Woolen, set up Smith's first scoring strike to Tyler Lockett 7 seconds before halftime.

Metcalf's third-quarter fumble, forced by linebacker Pete Werner and recovered by defensive tackle David Onyemata at the Seattle 31, led to Chris Olave's 16-yard TD.

INJURIES

Seahawks: Running back Rashaad Penny left the game with an ankle injury that Carroll described as serious. Defensive tackle Al Woods, a menacing presence for much of the first half, left the game with a knee injury. Right guard Gabe Jackson left with a hip flexor and receiver Penny Hart left with a hamstring injury.

Saints: Olave appeared to be briefly knocked unconscious when he his head was slammed into the turf during his TD catch and he did not return. Cornerback Marshon Lattimore had an abdomen injury in the fourth quarter. Return specialist Deonte Harty left with a foot injury.

UP NEXT

Seahawks: Host Arizona on Oct. 16.

Saints: Host Cincinnati on Oct. 16.

___

More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Kaspers Hot Dogs, set to reopen in Oakland before 2023, will feature permanent artwork honoring the Black Panther Partys legacy in the community and beyond.

An art installation commemorating the Black Panther Party is to be permanently featured at a historical Oakland hot dog restaurant formerly frequented by members of the activist group.

Kaspers Hot Dogs, first opened in the Temescal neighborhood of North Oakland in 1943 and scheduled for reopening by years end, will highlight the Black Panther Partys legacy and roots in the rapidly gentrifying area where party co-founder Huey P. Newton was born and raised, per the San Fransisco Chronicle.

In this Aug. 13, 1971 photo, Bobby Seale, chairman of the Black Panther Party, addresses a rally outside the party headquarters in Oakland, California, urging members to boycott certain liquor stores. (Photo: AP)

Temescal is additionally the founding site of the party. As previously reported by theGrio, the Black Panther Party was active in the community and launched initiatives including free breakfast for children and a newspaper. The group also had a 10-point program focused on freedom, employment, an end to war, and housing for Black people.

Kaspers, named after founder and Armenian immigrant Kasper Koojoolian, has for years stood abandoned since the restaurant closed in 2003 due to repair expenses. It was reportedly one of Huey P. Newtons favorite childhood spots, and served several other party members, politicians, actors and musicians.

Everybody used to come in that place, Harry Yaglijian, Koojoolians grandson, told the Chronicle. When the Panthers were prominent, (Huey Newton) used to come in.

This fall, it is slated to begin serving Chicago-style hot dogs again after new owners purchased it with the intent to renovate and reopen the historic building, per Berkeleyside.

Former Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton speaks to reporters in Oakland, California outside the courthouse in March 1979. (Photo: Sal Veder, AP/File)

Outside the restaurant will be permanent artwork honoring the Black Panther Party created by the Temescal Roots Project, organized by the Temescal Telegraph Business Improvement District in partnership with the Made in Color creative agency and the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, per the Chronicle.

In the coming months, the groups will co-host community discussions and workshops around Oakland to brainstorm ideas for the installation with residents, artists, historians, local business leaders and more, the outlet reported.

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Fredrika Newton, widow to the late Huey P. Newton and former Black Panther Party member, told the Chronicle that until now, the city has not installed any permanent artworks honoring the full group, its mission and history in the community.

Its not a history thats widely known, Fredrika told the outlet, adding that the ongoing displacement of longstanding residents in Temescal makes it all the more urgent that there are local markers to celebrate that history and the young men and women who made supreme sacrifices to serve that community.

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The post Hot dogs with a slice of history: Black Panther party installation to open in Oakland appeared first on TheGrio.
Hurricane Ians wrath had barely subsided in Florida when advertisements for day laborers started popping up on phones across New York through online platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp.

The Spanish-language messages appeared to target recently arrived immigrants and asylum seekers who were desperate for work and had nowhere else to turn.

Advocates said they are worried the migrants are becoming targets of fly-by-night businesses eager to exploit people for hard work and low wages.

This looks and smells like human trafficking, said Ariadna Phillips, a New York community organizer with South Bronx Mutual Aid.

They recruit them with these very flashy photographs, saying, 'You're going to make a bunch of money' and 'We're going to give you this great apartment to live in,'" Phillips added.

But when the workers arrive, it's a different story.

Less than two weeks after Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida and devastated dozens of communities, Phillips said she has already heard from several laborers whose wages have been docked to pay for their room and board. They told her that was not part of their agreement with the company.

Some of the people who were recruited had been in the United States for only a week, she said.

"I tell them to stay in New York because that's where they're going to be the safest," Phillips said. "We're a sanctuary city, and Florida was already trying to send people to Martha's Vineyard."

Gov. Ron DeSantis flew two planes of immigrants to the wealthy Massachusetts enclave last month as part of an effort to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations, his communications director, Taryn Fenske, said in a statement at the time.

On Tuesday, DeSantis said at a news conference that three of four people arrested last week for "ransacking" communities following Hurricane Ian were illegal immigrants who should be immediately deported.

"They should not be here at all," he said.

His office did not return a request for comment.

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On Friday, DeSantis encouraged Florida debris companies to hire locally.

"Many Floridians in Southwest Florida have had their businesses and livelihoods impacted by the storm and are looking for work  the private sector can help them get back on their feet by hiring locally for the length of recovery, which will support the local economy for at least the next six months," he said in a statement.

Experts say immigrants are much more likely to be victims of labor exploitation or suffer disproportionate economic devastation following a natural disaster.

"Not only are migrants the first to be affected by these extreme weather events, but they tend to be the first who try to rebuild," said Ariel Ruiz Soto, policy analyst with the Migration Policy Institute.

Immigrant workers from Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala historically comprise the backbone of the recovery workforce that flocks to regions hit by natural disasters, he added. They helped to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Houston after Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

A worker shovels sand out of a living room in Longport, N.J., after it was carried in by surge from Superstorm Sandy, on Nov. 2, 2012. (Patrick Semansky / AP file)

In a survey of 361 construction day laborers following Harvey, 72% were immigrants who had entered the country illegally, nearly half from Mexico and most of the remainder from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, according to 2018 study co-written by Soto.

Average hourly wages for day laborers ranged from $12 to $14 an hour, and 26% of respondents reported wage theft in the month following Harvey. Many also described not receiving information about job hazards or protective gear.

"These workers are more likely to be working under the table or for companies who are more likely to overlook rules," Soto said, exposing them to potentially dangerous work conditions.

In New York, work advertisements targeting immigrants offered $15 hourly rates, per diems, transportation to and from job sites, overtime and even accommodations, said Phillips of South Bronx Mutual.

One posting reviewed by NBC News included photos of furnished apartments or hotel rooms, complete with full kitchens for cooking meals. Another advertisement written in Spanish and posted by a Florida construction company asked interested workers to contact it through WhatsApp or Telegram and provide their name, age, country of origin and ability to travel.

A third by the same company said it was looking for 300 workers in Fort Myers, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Cape Coral and Port Charlotte.

Phillips said she has spoken with about a dozen immigrants who received the advertisements, and several reached out to her Tuesday through New Yorks mutual aid community. They had been roaming the streets of Queens for hours, soaked by heavy rain and carrying all their belongings, in search of buses that were reportedly taking laborers to Florida for work opportunities in building trades.

Remembering "horror stories" of immigrants not being paid for work or being deported following previous natural disasters, Phillips rushed to Queens. She helped dissuade a handful of immigrants from traveling to Florida and encouraged them to instead seek help from local shelters and organizations.

Several attempts to reach the company promoting work opportunities were unsuccessful.

"Promises are often not kept to these workers," said Saket Soni, executive director of Resilience Workforce, a New Orleans group that advocates for and monitors migrant workers following natural disasters. "I am concerned they are being recruited through fraud."

In the days following Ian, Resilience Workforce deployed staff members to Florida to observe work conditions on the ground. They were in contact with hundreds of laborers who had made their own way to places like Fort Myers, which bore the brunt of Ian's lashing, and waited outside Walmart and Home Depot in search of work.

Sacha Feinman, communications director of Resilience Force, said he personally witnessed workers "putting themselves in danger," including roofers who were not wearing safety gear and several workers sleeping inside a truck in a parking lot.

"Its real," he said of worker exploitation. "It exists. It operates in the shadows."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A male African Cheetah named Dark is released at his enclosure at the Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad, India, Saturday, May 12, 2012. Mahesh Kumar A./Associated Press

Cheetahs are being reintroduced to India after being declared extinct in the country in 1952.

The reintroduction effort is aimed at creating a viable population of wild cheetahs.

Some experts are critical of the plan, saying it's more like a large "zoo" than a wild population.

In mid-September, eight African cheetahs were airlifted from Namibia and brought to India, marking the first time the big cat stepped foot in the wild in the country since being declared extinct more than 70 years ago.

The reintroduction, which was years in the making, was celebrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on whose 72nd birthday the cats arrived, as well as by other cheetah advocates and scientists.

"When the cheetah will run again  grasslands will be restored, biodiversity will increase and eco-tourism will get a boost," Modi, who released the cats into their temporary enclosure, said, adding: "Along with these cheetahs, the nature-loving consciousness of India has also awakened with full force."

However, some big-cat experts told Insider while they support the idea of reintroducing wild, free-ranging cheetahs to India, the current effort seems more like a marketing stunt  one that's not sufficiently based in science.

Saving cheetahs from extinction

Cheetahs, the world's fastest land animal, were once widespread in India. They were declared extinct in the country in 1952 as a result of hunting and habitat loss.

"It is the only large mammal that India has lost," S.P. Yadav, secretary of India's National Tiger Conservation Authority, said, according to The New York Times. "It is our moral and ethical responsibility to bring them back."

Cheetah populations worldwide are also on the decline, with the total number in the wild estimated to be about 6,500, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The big cats now occupy just 9% of their historical range. The vast majority of the remaining cheetahs are in Africa, while a small amount of the critically endangered Asiatic cheetahs, the same subspecies that used to prowl India, remain in Iran.

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"To save cheetahs from extinction, we need to create permanent places for them on Earth. India has areas of grassland and forest habitat, which are appropriate for this species," Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, which has helped coordinate the reintroduction, told The Washington Post.

The relocated cheetahs include five females and two males between the ages of two and six. The eight cheetahs were dropped off at Kuno National Park, south of New Delhi, where they are being quarantined and observed. The plan is to release the cheetahs into the larger national park, where they can prey on animals like deer and antelope, within a matter of months.

The reintroduction plan, which is estimated to cost about $11 million, aims to establish a viable, free-ranging population of cheetahs. The plan involves ultimately relocating around 50 cheetahs to the country in the coming years.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi watching a cheetah after it was released in an enclosure at Kuno National Park, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Press Information Bureau via Associated Press

A 'larger version of a zoo'

There are major challenges with reintroducing a large predator to an ecosystem it has been absent from for decades. The cheetahs could face conflict and competition for food with other predators, like leopards, and there may not be enough natural prey to sustain the planned population size.

Arjun M. Gopalaswamy, a wildlife and statistical ecologist who researches big cat and large mammal ecology, told Insider that as the plan currently stands, there's not enough space for the cheetahs.

Gopalaswamy noted a paper he published in the journal Ecography in 2020 that found the density of a cheetah population, or the number of cheetahs per the amount of space, to be one per 100 sq km. The amount of space set aside for India's cheetahs is 750 sq km. With those numbers, the area would be large enough for only 7-8 cheetahs, not the dozens that are planned.

"This simply means that the Cheetah Introduction Action Plan has overestimated the number of cheetahs India's reserves can hold by several fold," Gopalaswamy, who is the founder and chief scientist of Carnassials Global, which provides science consulting to governments and NGOs, said.

He added that he supports reintroduction efforts, but that the current plan in India "appears to rely almost completely on the cheetahs and their charisma" and that instead, he would like to see "a fully science-based approach."

K. Ullas Karanth, the emeritus director of the Bangalore-based Centre for Wildlife Studies, agreed that the current plan was not grounded in science and told Insider it "will not lead to a restoration of a viable population of wild cheetahs, sustaining itself naturally in the long run."

Karanth said the population would be augmented by bringing in additional cheetahs and other animals in order to boost the supply of available prey. Such a system, he said, "cannot be called reintroduction at all."

"That would be simply a captive population of cheetahs in a larger version of a zoo," he said, calling it "largely a gimmick and a colossal waste of money."

Karanth noted that cheetahs have naturally low reproduction rates and even in the best habitats in Africa the vast majority of cheetahs die before reaching breeding age. He said in India the cheetahs will face denser populations of humans and livestock, dogs, and predators like leopards, making their survival even more challenging.

"I think the Indian bureaucracy and the 'foreign experts' have sold a 'creaky used car' to the gullible Indian public, media, and political leadership," Karanth said.

Some conservationists have also noted that effort would be better spent trying to first save cheetah populations where they are already established but on the decline, before focusing on reintroduction.

Still, proponents of the project are optimistic. Yadvendradev V. Jhala, dean of the Wildlife Institute of India and the lead scientist of the reintroduction effort, pointed to the success India has had in boosting other big cat populations, such as tigers.

"The cheetah is a magnificent animal, it's a big magnet for ecotourism," Jhala told National Geographic. "If you bring in cheetah, the government will put funds into rehabilitating and rewilding these systems, and all the biodiversity will thrive."

Marker, the founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, believes that despite potential challenges, she believes the big cats can adapt, noting her group has spent 12 years consulting with the Indian government on how to reintoduce the cheetahs.

"Cheetahs are very adaptable and [I'm] assuming that they will adapt well into this environment," she told AFP. "So I don't have a lot of worries."

Have a news tip? Contact this reporter at kvlamis@insider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider
An Indiana County man is facing charges after police said he made methamphetamine and dumped the chemical waste and paraphernalia at five different locations in the region.

According to Pennsylvania State Police, a trooper noticed a large black garbage bag in the woods near Stewart Hollow Road in Buffington Township back in November 2019. The bag was in an embankment around 20 feet off of the road.

The officer cut open the bag and found a yellow plastic bag that had an acid generator with a tube coming out of the lid inside of a gallon zip-close bag inside, police said. There were also several spent acid generators and several spent one-pot vessels in the garbage bag.

Other similar garbage bags with items used to make meth inside were found in the area, state police said.

In total, the Pennsylvania State Police Clandestine Laboratory Response Team (CLRT) seized from this dumpsite 65 plastic bottles containing a white substance, six clear sandwich bags with black tape, six empty Drano boxes, one Drano bottle, 12 empty cold compress boxes, one Nordic Ice compress bag, and one cut Energizer lithium battery, police said.

Over the course of three years, police found more meth dumpsites along several Indiana County roads, including Lower Laurel Road and Mack Road in Buffington Township and Spruce Grove Road in Cherryhill Township.

Among items seized at the five dumpsites were a total of approximately 160 plastic bottles suspected to be one-pot vessels and approximately 375 plastic bottles suspected to be acid generators. Additional items seized from the five dumpsites included an empty Coleman camp fuel container, a lye container, and empty cold compress packages.

The dumpsites were believed to be related because of the unique packaging of the one-pot vessels and acid generators, as well as how the items were disposed of, police said. Items from the sites were tested and revealed the presence of meth.

In January 2020, while investigating along Lower Laurel Road, troopers identified 38-year-old David R. Burk, from Strongstown, as a suspect after finding a Walmart receipt from 2017 and confirming with the store that Burk was the purchaser.

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Burk is charged with five felony counts relating to operating a methamphetamine laboratory; depositing, storing, disposing of chemical waste; possessing phenylpropanolamine, etc. or a precursor substance with intent to unlawfully manufacture; manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver; and causing catastrophe. Burk was also charged with three misdemeanor counts relating to knowingly possessing ephedrine; possession of a controlled substance; and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Burk was arraigned on Oct. 6 before Magisterial District Judge Susanne V. Steffee and was released on a $500 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 18 at 10:30 a.m.

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The Department of Justice seal NurPhoto / Getty Images

The Justice Department charged Mark A. Rissi, for leaving threatening voicemails to an election worker.

Rissi called himself a victim of the 2020 election and threatened to "hang" and "lynch" the election official.

Rissi's case is part of the DOJ's Election Threats Task Force, which was launched to investigate threats against election workers.

A man in Iowa was arrested on Thursday after he left threatening voicemails to an Arizona election official, saying he was going to "hang" them for the 2020 election, the Department of Justice announced.

Mark A. Rissi, 64, sent voicemails in 2021 to an unnamed Arizona election official with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in Arizona protesting the 2020 election results and threatening to hang the official, according to a statement by the DOJ.

According to the DOJ, Rissi left a voicemail on September 27, 2021, which called him a "stupid lying commie" and threatened to "lynch" the official.

"We're going to hang you. We're going to hang you," the voicemail said, according to the DOJ.

Rissi left another voicemail on December 8, 2021, with the Office of the Arizona Attorney General telling the official that he and his family were victims of the 2020 election, according to the DOJ.

"I'm a victim of a crime. My family is a victim of a crime. My extended family is a victim of a crime. That crime was the theft of the 2020 election. The election that was fraudulent across the state of Arizona," the voicemail said, according to DOJ.

The voicemail went on to threaten the official to "do your job" or they "will hang."

"We will see to it. Torches and pitchforks. That's your future," the voicemail said. "Do your job."

According to the DOJ announcement, Rissi is charged with two counts of making a threatening interstate communication and one count of making a threatening telephone call.

Rissi's case is part of the DOJ's Election Threats Task Force, which was launched in 2021 to address violent threats against election workers and officials.

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Following the 2020 election results, former President Donald Trump declared that election fraud occurred in Maricopa County, where Biden had won, and called for an "audit," Insider's Camila DeChalus previously reported.

When organizers of the troubled GOP-led election audit in Maricopa County, Arizona, finally released results from the months-long recount in September, the findings confirmed that President Biden beat Trump fairly in the largest county in the once-solidly red state, Insider's Erin Snodgrass previously reported.

But despite the additional proof of Biden's success, the controversial "audit" actually played a role in increasing the level of doubt surrounding the historic presidential election, according to a subsequent poll.

Political violence is expected to increase ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, and experts warn of harm to election workers.

Adrian Fontes, the former recorder of Maricopa County, told Insider earlier this year that there are real fears election workers will be physically assaulted or even die during the 2022 general elections.

"I'm concerned that it will cost human lives just to have elections in America," he told Insider's Camila DeChalus. "Elections administration is the one piece of critical infrastructure in the United States that cannot be skipped. We cannot underfund it, we cannot understaff it. And we have to make sure that it's protected."

Read the original article on Insider
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)  Trevor Lawrence came to Jacksonville as a generational quarterback prospect. Hes starting to look like another first-round mistake by the Jaguars.

One week after a five-turnover performance at Philadelphia, Lawrence delivered another stinker in a 13-6 loss to AFC South rival Houston. The former Clemson star and the top pick in the 2021 NFL draft showed little resilience after last weeks game or the worst interception of his young career.

This one stings, and everybody feels it in there as you should, Lawrence said. Its a division game. Its a game where we feel confident and thought we had a good plan. We just didnt execute it, and weve got to do better.

It starts with Lawrence. He completed 25 of 47 passes for 286 yards and two interceptions against the Texans (1-3-1), who won their ninth straight in the series. His most troubling pass came on the opening drive of the second half.

On second-and-1 at the Houston 7-yard line, Lawrence rolled right and threw directly at cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. Lawrence could have thrown the ball away. He could have tried to run for the first down. He could have made any number of better decisions for the Jaguars (2-3). He didnt, and Stingley got the first pick of his career.

It prompted more question about Lawrence, who has eight touchdown passes and eight turnovers this season.

Maybe the most telling part was how Lawrence responded to the interception in the end zone. He completed 10 of 23 passes for 91 yards from that point on, with another interception on the final play of the game. Jacksonvilles second-half drives ended with an interception, a turnover on downs, a punt, a turnover on downs and an interception.

Weve got to all look in the mirror and be accountable, Lawrence said. Myself, Ive got to look at things that Ive got to do better. Obviously, the turnovers. Cant let that happen.  We talked about in the locker room. Told the guys we cant all have an off day on the same day. You can have one, pick him up and you go make a play for him. Thats fine, but we all just got to be better.

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Lawrence didnt get as much help as he could have from those around him. Zay Jones, Evan Engram and Travis Etienne dropped passes, and Jacksonville's offensive line had some issues.

High-priced receiver Christian Kirk, who made plays all over the field in the first three games, was mostly missing for the second straight week. He finished with one catch for 5 yards.

I dont worry about Trevor, Kirk said. Hes so mature in just his approach, his mentality and the way he goes about things. Hes already critical on himself. I know hes going to do everything in his power to be the best that he can be and putting this team in the best position to win so I dont worry about him at all.

Kirk blamed some of the woes on the flow of the game.

Its tough when you get in games like that. Its low scoring and were not really in a rhythm, he said. Its natural for all of us to press a little bit, and thats OK because we want to win football games and were all going to do individually what we can do to try to make plays and try to make things happen. I think at times we were all there.

But the spotlight, for better or worse, is on Lawrence.

Weve just got to continue to keep throwing, coach Doug Pederson said. Keep putting him in situations like that. He's going to get better. Im not worried about that all. We have a lot of faith and trust in him, and he can definitely do the job. Weve seen it this season. Weve just got to keep working on it.

___

More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://apnews.com/hub/pro-32 and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
WASHINGTON  The U.S. Army is looking to air- and ground-launched platforms, such as drones, to more effectively wage electronic warfare, amid a Pentagon push to modernize arsenals and the expectation that long-held technology investments are set to pay off.

Officials involved in the effort point to two experiments: air-launched effects, or ALE; and ground-launched effects, or GLE. By outfitting them with kit capable of jamming, spoofing or collecting intelligence, the platforms could help deter and neutralize technologically advanced adversaries, such as China and Russia, during a conflict.

Ground to space, rear to deep: From a threat standpoint, we have to be prepared to operate in that entire range, Brig. Gen. Ed Barker, the deputy program executive officer for intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors, said during an Aug. 30 event at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. As we operate in this environment, we have to be enabling the larger Army priorities.

Air-launched effects are relatively low-cost drones or payloads catapulted midair by larger aircraft, either crewed or uncrewed. They are meant to detect, disrupt, deceive or destroy, and can sync with a larger family of battlefield tools. The Army considers them a crucial piece of the future vertical lift effort meant to overhaul the helicopter fleet. The service is expected to spend billions of dollars in the next five years on both the future long-range assault aircraft and the future attack reconnaissance aircraft, according to fiscal 2023 budget justification documents.

Coordination on air-launched effects between the electronic warfare camp and aviation officials is in the early stages.

We have some tech maturity investments happening next year in ALE, and were going to share it, Mark Kitz, Barkers boss and the leader of Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors, said at the same August event. Theyre going to do sort of the vehicle piece, and were going to do some electronic warfare prototyping. And were going to integrate that together. So thatll be a partnership.

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The prototyping will shape the roles each community plays, or to whom the most work falls.

The Terrestrial Layer System is the Armys next generation tactical vehicle-based system that delivers signals intelligence, electronic warfare and cyberspace operations capabilities to deny, degrade, disrupt or manipulate enemy signals. (Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors)

If were just going to buy commercial technologies to integrate, I think aviation could probably handle all of that, Kitz said. If were going to do some unique things, or some exquisite target or exquisite sort of EW, well do it as a partnership.

Already, the service is tinkering. The Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team, a group focused on replacing legacy Army aircraft, worked with air-launched effects during the 2021 iterance of Project Convergence, a large-scale Army demonstration. During that exercise series, officials want to propel the Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept by putting cutting-edge tech to the test in demanding conditions. In addition, at an earlier Edge 21 exercise, air-launched sensors were used to collect and distribute real-time information.

The Army has studied air-launched effects for years. In 2020, the Armys Combat Capabilities Development Command published a related request for information detailing a future battlefield rife with highly lethal and complex targets.

Those targets, the documents stated, will include networked and mobile air defense systems with extended ranges and long- and mid-range fires systems that will deny freedom of maneuver.

Even less mature are the ground-launched effects, which Kitz said lack actual requirements. Early stage experimenting with the ground-launched systems coupled with industry consultation could inform the path forward.

Were just looking at doing some prototyping to figure out: OK, what types of effects, what types of collection, could we get? he said. Very small. Theres not a ton of power. So what could we actually deliver? These are the types of things that were asking industry: What can you do?

Kitz has yet to be involved in a GLE industry day, an indication of the endeavors infancy.

Electronic warfare in the wild

Air- and ground-launched effects are part of a grander vision for U.S. electronic warfare. EW, as it is known, is a fight for control of the electromagnetic spectrum, relied upon for weapons guidance, communications, situational awareness and more. While EW lacks the bluster of bursting bombs or thundering tanks, it can be pivotal, considering the sensitive digital portfolio of modern militaries.

The Army is rethinking its networks, sensors and EW armory after decades of counterterrorism operations in the Middle East  a period when electronic systems were at less risk of harassment, and when U.S. and allied troops engaged forces outfitted with less-advanced gear.

A U.S. Army paratrooper uses electronic warfare equipment at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, on July 28, 2020. (Spc. Mathew Pous/U.S. Army)

The U.S. Defense Department is preparing for potential fights against China and Russia. The two world powers have constructed anti-access and area-denial infrastructure in an attempt to counter U.S. strengths and keep at bay forces or weapons that could overwhelm.

Really, what the Army is asking for electronic warfare is: How do you deliver an integrated architecture that will help me operate in the air and on the ground? And how can electronic warfare enable some of those future operations, whether thats a [future attack reconnaissance aircraft], whether thats an [optionally manned fighting vehicle], whether thats long-range precision targeting, in terms of long-range sensing? Kitz said. All of that sort of integrated architecture is what were attempting to deliver.

PEO IEW&S tests and fields a variety of defense kit, including navigation suites, missile warning systems and biometric tools. The offices reach is long, and its portfolio touches everything from the sights on an Abrams tank to identity access of somebody driving on the Redstone Arsenal, Barker said.

Among other Army EW pursuits are programs known as the Terrestrial Layer System-Brigade Combat Team, or TLS-BCT; the Terrestrial Layer System-Echelons Above Brigade, or TLS-EAB; and the Multi-Function Electronic Warfare-Air Large, or MFEW-AL. Each serves its own purpose.

The service in July awarded a nearly $59 million contract to Lockheed Martin to furnish prototypes for TLS-BCT. In August, the Army inked separate deals with Lockheed and General Dynamics Mission Systems for TLS-EAB concepts and demonstrations.

The self-contained MFEW-AL pod is made by Lockheed, too. Together, the trio will provide to soldiers a bevy of electronic warfare, signals intelligence and cyber capabilities.

The Army is developing force structure, developing doctrine, developing training  whether its leader, individual or collective training, William Utroska, a leader at PEO IEW&S, said Aug. 30. And at the same time, were trying to develop systems to address our needs from an EW and cyber perspective.

Air Force may put Angry Kitten in planes for electronic warfare edge

The Air Force is similarly doubling down on its EW portfolio, after spending years asleep at the wheel, according to Gen. CQ Brown, the chief of staff.

The service is now organizing a campaign to identify deficiencies, requirements and funding sources, said Lt. Gen. Leah Lauderback, the deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and cyber effects operations.

We are nowhere near where we need to be with that, she said Sept. 20 at the Air Force Associations Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. We are just starting the sprint. Its with the acquisition community, its with the operational community.

Lessons from Ukraine

Given the Armys need for flexibility and readiness, backed by a philosophy known as multidomain operations, Kitz does not expect to buy massive quantities of rigid gear. Instead, the executive officer thinks small batches of upgradeable, alterable kit will be the correct choice.

I dont think were going to ever be in a situation where were going to buy thousands of ALEs, he said, because the threat is going to continually change.

A prime example is in Ukraine, where even six months ago, the environment looked very different than it looks now, Kitz said. Both cyberwarfare and electronic warfare have played roles in the bloody Russia-Ukraine conflict, leaving government websites paralyzed, command-and-control methods jeopardized, and GPS signals jammed.

A Ukrainian soldier holds radios during heavy fighting on the front line in Severodonetsk, in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, on June 8, 2022. (Oleksandr Ratushniak/AP)

Ukraines defense minister in July said the military was providing U.S. and other friendly nations with information about Russian tactics, including the use of electronic warfare.

We are asking you to listen to Ukraine and act now. We have been warning our partners about everything that has come to pass, Oleksii Reznikov said at an Atlantic Council event. Russia has to be defeated on the battlefield. Ukraine has proved that this is possible.

Such information can influence what the U.S. sends to the front lines in Eastern Europe  like the electronic jamming equipment Pentagon officials in May said they would dispatch. It can also shape what the U.S. Army, specifically, invests in back home.

We have got to be able to have systems or capabilities that can adapt, Kitz said. What were trying to understand in these prototyping activities is: How can we get to an adaptable system?
Jennifer Lawrence shot to superstardom a decade ago after the release of The Hunger Games," followed by a series of career-defining films, including 2012's "Silver Linings Playbook," 2013's "American Hustle," and 2015's "Joy." But Lawrence has experienced firsthand that with great fame comes great pressure.

Lawrence reflected on this period of her career at the BFI London Film Festivals Screen Talk series on Oct. 8, Variety reported. The 32-year-old actor opened up to British TV presenter and radio host Francine Stock about the success of the first film in the Hunger Games franchise and how its prominence in pop culture affected her personally, as well as the course of her career.

I think I lost a sense of control, she explained. Between The Hunger Games coming out and winning the Oscar [for 2012s Silver Lining Playbook], I became such a commodity that I felt like every decision was a big, big group decision.

She went on to say that it's hard to reflect on the years that followed because of the "loss of control" she experienced.

Ten years after the franchises debut and winning best actress at the 2013 Academy Awards, Lawrence said that she has been able to regain her own sense of identity at this point in her career and that acting feels "personal" for "the first time in a long time."

Later this month, Lawrences newest project "Causeway" will premiere in theaters and stream on AppleTV+ in November. The movie is a psychological drama that stars Lawrence as a soldier, which A24 describes as an intimate portrait of a soldier struggling to adjust to her life after returning home to New Orleans in a description on its official website.

Jennifer Lawrence is starring in the upcoming psychological drama

When speaking to Vogue for her October cover story, Lawrence said she didnt know what drew her to Causeway at first, before adding, I think I was just off-the-bat drawn to the rhythm. I like a fast-paced Marvel movie as much as the next person. But I do miss the slow melody of a character-driven story.

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During the London Film Festival, Lawrence drew comparisons between her experience working on her newest film to working on the 2010 film Winters Bone, stating that Causeway felt akin to her own diary pages.

Lawrence started to work on Causeway in 2019 before the start of the Covid pandemic, which ultimately paused the project. In the three years since the inception of the movie, the Red Sparrow star experienced a few personal milestones of her own.

The actor tied the knot with gallerist Cooke Maroney in October 2019. Amid the pandemic, the newlyweds went on to welcome their first child together, a son named Cy.

When she was pregnant with her first child, Lawrence gave a rare insight into her personal life during an interview with Vanity Fair in November 2021.

If I was at a dinner party, and somebody was like, Oh, my God, youre expecting a baby, I wouldnt be like, God, I cant talk about that. Get away from me, you psycho! But every instinct in my body wants to protect their privacy for the rest of their lives, as much as I can," Lawrence expressed.

During her interview for the October 2022 Vogue cover story, she also opened up about life as a new mother, explaining, The morning after I gave birth, I felt like my whole life had started over. Like, Now is day one of my life. I just stared. I was just so in love.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
The son of Chinese immigrants who got his start in politics by offering cheap printing jobs for newcomer candidates, Randy Jue has established himself as an intuitive adviser to several winning campaigns. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Randy Jue shuffled through a heap of papers on the desk inside his Bridgeport business until unearthing a detailed map of Chicagos 11th Ward, where he spotted opportunity.

The son of Chinese immigrants who got his start in politics offering cheap printing jobs for newcomer candidates, Jue has established himself as an intuitive adviser to several winning campaigns, some of them by people of color.

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Now looking over the map of the newly drawn 11th Ward  famous for producing five mayors in the 20th century  Jue spotted something that could give an advantage to Chicagos newest Asian American politician, Ald. Nicole Lee.

Randy Jue, see at his printing business in Chicago in September, has consulted with Asian Americans looking to enter politics. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

This is actually the secret sauce, said Jue, a volunteer consultant to Lees campaign, as he pointed his pencil at a precinct abutting his business. Theres like a hundred homes there, right? But theres only five people on this block that vote. So instead of knocking on all those doors, we want to only take those people that really vote.

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The scene at Athena Design Group  where Asian Americans were even dreaming of increasing their foothold in Illinois politics  was almost unfathomable to Jue at one time. But the landscape has changed significantly and in the 2022 general election at least 22 Illinoisans of Asian descent are running for office in November, from county commissioner to state representative to U.S. senator.

That could herald the states largest Asian American caucus ever and reflects a national trend of Asian Americans getting elected to public office.

In Chicago, Jue said he noticed the groundswell began when city leaders promised to establish the first Asian-majority ward during the once-a-decade redrawing of the City Councils electoral map.

People rally to promote a redistricting map in Chinatown Square last November in Chicago. The city got its first majority-Asian ward from the once-a-decade redistricting. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

That it was the 11th Ward, which encompasses the Bridgeport and Chinatown neighborhoods, spoke volumes: It was the power center of and once home to the Daley family that produced two mayors, father Richard J. and son Richard M. Mayors Michael Bilandic, elected in 1977; Martin Kennelly, elected in 1947; and Edward Kelly, elected in 1933, also hailed from that wards organization.

In March, Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed Lee as the citys first Chinese American City Council member, replacing former Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson, a member of the powerful Daley clan who this year was convicted of felony tax fraud. Lee is now running in the Feb. 28 local election to retain the seat.

Its good to see more Asian people at the table, Jue said. Asians have been locked out of this for a long, long time, especially here. This is the 11th Ward, the most famous ward politically in Chicago.

Nicole Lee is seen after being sworn in as the new 11th Ward alderman and first Asian American woman in Chicago City Council history on March 28. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

Jue has also consulted for Hoan Huynh, whos running to represent portions of the North Side in the Illinois House and who would be the legislatures first Vietnamese American representative if elected.

Jue and others who spoke with the Tribune said the current wave of Asian Americans engaged in politics is decades in the making and speaks to the organizing prowess of their community leaders. They also noted recent topics in the news  such as the rise in anti-Asian attacks and 2020 U.S. census figures showing Asians are the fastest-growing racial group in Chicago, Illinois and the country  demonstrate the urgency for more political representation.

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Maybe if we had Asians there (in office), we wouldnt have had the Chinese Exclusion Act, right? Or internment camps, Jue said of U.S. policies that restricted Chinese immigration starting in the late 1800s and that forced the relocation of Japanese Americans during World War II. Thats why I think we should try to help each other out, to move an agenda.

Going against the establishment

Inside the Buena Park bar where Huynh was hosting a general election campaign kickoff, the self-described progressive, who turns 33 this week, wasnt shy about his identity as a Vietnamese refugee.

Speaking to a diverse throng of supporters  a fitting encapsulation of the North Sides 13th District, home to an ethnically varied constituency that includes an enclave of Vietnamese and Chinese immigrants around Argyle Street  Huynh credited his success to one thing: the promise of America.

Hoan Huynh, Democratic candidate for Illinois House District 13, center, greets former Gov. Pat Quinn during a campaign event at the Holiday Club on Sept. 17, 2022, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

Businessperson Randy Jue, center, talks with former Gov. Pat Quinn during a campaign event for Illinois House candidate Hoan Huynh. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

Only in the United States of America can a refugee from Vietnam come here, have access to opportunities and be able to be the Democratic nominee in this great state, this great city. Lets make sure that those opportunities are accessible for all of us, said Huynh, who makes a point of noting on his campaign website that his name is pronounced Hahn Win.

Just three months earlier, the political newcomers path to victory seemed more tenuous. His Democratic primary opponents included Eileen Dordek, the former board chair of the pro-abortion rights Personal PAC who was endorsed by heavy hitters such as Gov. J.B. Pritzker, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and a slew of other Democrats. The only elected official willing to support Huynh back then was state Rep. Theresa Mah, the first Asian American elected to the General Assembly in 2016.

Huynh said his eventual triumph, which he attributed to intensive face time with district residents, was a victory for all of us who have been left behind, have been discounted. He faces Republican Alper Turan on Nov. 8.

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Hoan Huynh, left, the Democratic candidate for Illinois House District 13, listens to prospective voter Tai Nham Chung, 93, during a campaign event on Sept. 17 in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

Seong-Ah Cho, field director for the Asian American Midwest Progressives, which did support Huynh, was blunter in acknowledging what they said were the racial dynamics behind the political establishment taking Dordek, who is white, more seriously.

Its sort of like deep-seated, right? This sense of whos the safe bet, Cho said. Unfortunately, that aligns often with who is white, who has connections.  Thats a big part of why people discount when theres a person of color first-time candidate who maybe doesnt have the same amount of money but actually is more representative of the community.

In Naperville, a different political leaning

Paul Leong, Napervilles first Chinese American city councilman, has the same stump speech each time he speaks to a crowd of Asian Americans, who make up the western suburbs largest racial minority at one-fifth of the population.

Leong  also the Republican nominee for the Illinois Houses 81st District race  rattles off statistics many of them have likely heard already: Asian Americans have some of the highest salaries. They are among the most-educated Americans. And they lead highly successful professional lives, Leong said.

So, he would ask, why arent more of them stepping up in politics?

Ive been shouting this for years, and I hope its having some effect, Leong said. What is the phrase? If you dont have a seat at the table, you will end up on the menu. And thats where we are, and we need to make sure our voices are heard.

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Vying to unseat Democratic incumbent Anne Stava-Murray in his statehouse race, Leong styles himself as fiscally conservative and socially moderate. But he acknowledged that the Republican Party, including its leader in former President Donald Trump, has not made many inroads with Asian Americans, who remain more likely to vote Democrat.

Chinese American values have a huge overlap with conservative values in terms of working hard, being frugal, emphasizing education and so on, Leong said. (But) its a very difficult sell. I hear things like, China is the enemy.  What they should say is that, Of course, when I say China, I mean the Peoples Republic of China, as opposed to our many fine Chinese Americans.

Nevertheless, Leong believes Asian Americans have recently become a local political force in the conservative realm due in part to their grassroots mobilization against a 2020 referendum to allow recreational marijuana stores in Naperville.

Although the referendum passed, Leong called that the turning point.  This has really emboldened Asians to participate more in the political process, because they saw that they were able to express themselves without a lot of blowback. And in the future, I think that moment will be the moment that they became a political force.

Leong then brings up what Asian American plaintiffs suing Harvard University allege in a lawsuit was a pattern in how admissions scored them: Asian students are lacking in courage and likability.

My pushback on that is, thats what politics is, Leong said. You have to have the courage to lead, and you have to basically win a popularity contest, so you have to be likable.  We can operate outside of the stereotypes.

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Back when suburban U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi was a young man, running for office didnt seem realistic because of his name.

That hesitation continued following the Sept. 11 attacks, which struck South Asian and Middle Eastern communities in America with a twofold fear of terrorism as well as of xenophobic backlash. Krishnamoorthi, who is Indian American, recalled noticing many cars with American flag bumper stickers happened to belong to families that looked like his.

Illinois U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi once thought a future in politics was unrealistic because of his name. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

But a year later, he began working for an Illinois politician with another unusual name: Barack Obama. Seeing him ascend to the U.S. Senate and later become the countrys first Black president spurred Krishnamoorthi to reevaluate his own potential.

It was kind of an awakening for me that perhaps running for office actually is a possibility, Krishnamoorthi, who is seeking reelection in November, said. That the people of Illinois and, for that matter, the United States, theyre good and decent people who look beyond the color of your skin.

Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Schaumburg first elected to Congress in 2016, faces Republican Chris Dargis at the ballot box next month in the 8th District.

Reckoning with anti-Asian violence

Down in the slower paced, more homogenous towns of central Illinois, Sharon Chung didnt plan on drawing attention to her Korean ancestry when she took office in 2018 as the first Asian American elected to the McLean County Board. In some ways, thats still the case when shes campaigning as the Democratic nominee for the Illinois Houses new 91st District, an open seat that was redrawn this year to bring together more Democratic-leaning voters.

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Sharon Chung took office in 2018 as the first Asian American elected to the McLean County Board. (Sharon Chung campaign)

I try not to make it a thing, Chung said. Its very obvious Im Asian. I dont need to draw attention to the fact that Im Asian.

But then a gunman went on a shooting spree across Atlanta-area spas in March 2021, killing eight people, six of them women of Asian descent. The massacre was seen by many Asian Americans, including Chung, as a targeted attack on their community after a trying year of reports of increased violence against Asian Americans amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

So at the end of a board meeting the next month, Chung read a speech castigating County Board Chairman John McIntyre for not signing a grassroots organizations letter of solidarity with the Asian American community.

To add insult to injury, when asked to sign onto a statement denouncing the violence and supporting Asians in our community, the chairman of this very board didnt sign on, Chung had recited. That is the bare minimum one should do as an elected official in our community. The bare minimum.

Chung said that she and McIntyre, who did not respond to a request for comment, no longer speak. For the most part, Chung said she sticks to issues such as abortion access and economic relief on the campaign trail against Republican opponent Scott Preston. But the historic nature of a potential November victory propelling her to becoming the General Assemblys first Korean American representative is not lost on her.

I never wanted to be a figurehead, Chung said. But if Im using my position and my voice to speak out about injustices or whenever I see where people can do better, then why not? Thats why Im here.

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John Durham, special counsel assigned by the Trump administration to examine the origins of the investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign's ties to Russia, in Washington on May 17, 2022. (Samuel Corum/The New York Times)

WASHINGTON  John H. Durham, the Trump-era special counsel, set off political reverberations last year when he unveiled a lengthy indictment of an analyst he accused of lying to the FBI about sources for the so-called Steele dossier, a discredited compendium of political opposition research about purported ties between Donald Trump and Russia.

But the trial of the analyst, Igor Danchenko, which opens Tuesday with jury selection in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, now appears likely to be shorter and less politically salient than the sprawling narrative in Durhams indictment had suggested the proceeding would be.

In an 18-page order last week, the judge overseeing the case, Anthony J. Trenga of the Eastern District of Virginia, excluded from the trial large amounts of information that Durham had wanted to showcase  including material that undercuts the credibility of the dossiers notorious rumor that Russia had a blackmail tape of Trump with prostitutes.

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Certain facts Durham dug up related to that rumor do not qualify as direct evidence as they are not inextricably intertwined or necessary to provide context to the relevant charge, Trenga wrote, adding that they were substantially outweighed by the danger of confusion and unfair prejudice.

In that and other disputes over evidence, Trenga, a George W. Bush appointee, almost always sided with Danchenkos defense lawyers. Durham, they said, had tried to inject irrelevant issues into the trial in an unnecessary and impermissible attempt to make this case about more than it is.

Trengas ruling has pared down the larger significance of the trial, which is likely to be Durhams final courtroom act before he retires as a longtime prosecutor. The grand jury that Durham has used to hear evidence has expired, suggesting he will bring no further indictments.

Durham is also writing a report to Attorney General Merrick Garland, who succeeded the Trump administration official who appointed him as special counsel, William Barr.

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The dossier, which is at the heart of the Danchenko trial, attracted significant public attention when BuzzFeed published it in January 2017. Trump and his supporters frequently try to conflate it with the official Russia inquiry or falsely claim that it was the basis for the FBIs investigation.

But the FBI did not open the investigation based on the dossier, and the final report by the special counsel, Robert Mueller, did not cite anything in it as evidence. The FBI did cite some claims from the dossier in applying for court permission to wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser with ties to Russia.

The dossier grew out of opposition research indirectly funded by Hillary Rodham Clintons presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Their law firm, Perkins Coie, contracted with the research firm Fusion GPS, which subcontracted research about Trump business dealings in Russia to a company run by Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence agent.

Steele in turn subcontracted to Danchenko, a Russian-born analyst living in the United States, who canvassed people he knew, including in Europe and Russia. Danchenko verbally relayed what the analyst later called raw intelligence  essentially uncorroborated gossip  to Steele, who drafted the dossier.

A bureau counterintelligence analyst determined Danchenkos identity and the FBI first spoke to him in early 2017, during which he said he had not seen the dossier until BuzzFeed published it. Its tenor was more conclusive than was justified, he said, and he portrayed the blackmail tape story as mere rumor and speculation.

Danchenko talked to the FBI for hours about what he had gathered, and court filings by Durham disclosed that the bureau formally deemed him a confidential human source.

An inspector general report revealed in late 2019 that Danchenkos interview had raised doubts about the credibility of the dossier and criticized the bureau for failing to tell that to a court in wiretap renewal applications that continued to cite it. The report essentially portrayed Danchenko, whom it did not name, as a truth-teller, and the FBI as deceptive.

But after further investigation, Durham accused Danchenko of deceiving the FBI  including by concealing that a public relations executive with ties to Democrats, Charles Dolan, had been his source for a minor claim involving office politics in the Trump campaign. That assertion made its way into the dossier.

At the trial, Danchenkos defense will apparently be that the FBI asked him whether he had ever talked to Dolan about information in the dossier and that his somewhat equivocal denial was true: They had instead communicated by writing about that topic.

Defense lawyers had asked Trenga to throw out the charge, arguing that the particular statute Danchenko had been charged with covers only affirmative misstatements, not misleading omissions. The judge has characterized that issue as a close call but let it go forward, while suggesting he could revisit the question later.

Durham had also wanted to present striking but inconclusive evidence: In the summer of 2016, when Danchenko went to Moscow to gather rumors like the one about a purported sex tape, Dolan was staying at the hotel where the tape had supposedly been filmed three years earlier  and toured the suite where Trump had stayed.

But Dolan told Durhams team that he had never heard the tape rumor until BuzzFeed published the dossier, and Durham did not claim that Dolan was a source of the rumor. The judge excluded that information from the trial as irrelevant to the false statements Danchenko is charged with making.

Durham also brought four false-statement charges against Danchenko related to accusations that he lied to the FBI about a person he said had called and provided information without identifying himself.

Danchenko told the FBI he believed the caller had probably been Sergei Millian, a former president of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce, but Durham contends that is a lie and Danchenko never believed that.

Like Steele, Millian is abroad; he refused to come to the United States to be a witness at the trial. The judge has also ruled inadmissible two emails Millian apparently wrote about Danchenko in 2020 denying that he talked to Danchenko.

The emails lack the necessary guarantees of trustworthiness as the government does not offer direct evidence that Millian actually wrote the emails, and, even if he did, Millian possessed opportunity and motive to fabricate and/or misrepresent his thoughts, the judge wrote.

After Durham was assigned to investigate the Russia investigation in the spring of 2019, Trump and his supporters stoked expectations that Durham would uncover a deep state conspiracy against him and charge high-level FBI and intelligence officials with crimes.

But instead, Durham developed two cases on narrow charges of false statements involving outside efforts to uncover links between Trump and Russia. One was against Michael Sussmann, a lawyer with Democratic ties who was acquitted of lying to the FBI when he shared a tip about possible connections between Trump and Russia. Another was against Danchenko.

Durham filled court filings with copious amounts of information seemingly extraneous to the charges, while insinuating that Democrats had conspired to frame Trump for colluding with Russia.

While that was not the theoretical conspiracy Trump and his supporters at outlets like Fox News had originally focused on, Durhams filings provided fodder for them to stoke grievances about the Russia investigation. But judges in both cases have proved skeptical about putting much of that material before a jury.

In both instances, however, Durhams earlier filings had already made that information public.

Danchenko was the subject of a counterintelligence investigation more than a decade ago, after the FBI received a tip that he had made a remark that someone interpreted as an offer to buy classified information. He had also had contact with someone at the Russian embassy believed to be an intelligence officer. The bureau closed the case in 2011 without charging him.

Danchenko  who made his name as a Russia analyst by bringing to light evidence that President Vladimir Putin of Russia likely plagiarized parts of his dissertation  has denied being a Russian agent and said he has no memory of the purported remark. For now, the judge has barred Durhams team from introducing details about that inquiry, although prosecutors can tell the jury that there had been one.

In an interview last month with the conservative Washington Examiner, Barr suggested that despite the special counsels limited achievements in the courtroom, the investigation was a success from another point of view.

I think Durham got out a lot of important facts that fill in a lot of the blanks as to what was really happening, Barr said, adding that he expected the Danchenko trial will also allow for a lot of this story to be told, whether or not hes ultimately convicted.

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Jurgen Klopp insisted Liverpool are not in the title race this season as his concerns deepened over new injuries to important duo Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz (Adam Davy/PA) (PA Wire)

Jurgen Klopp conceded Liverpools title hopes were over after Sundays 3-2 defeat at Arsenal, where the visitors woes were compounded by injuries to Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz.

Bukayo Saka scored the winner from the penalty spot to send the Gunners back to the top of the Premier League, with Liverpool now trailing the leaders by 14 points.

The visitors had earlier come from behind twice, first Darwin Nunez cancelling out Gabriel Martinellis first-minute opener and then substitute Roberto Firmino levelling up on 53 minutes after Saka had made it 2-1 in first-half stoppage time.

The result left Liverpool in 10th place, with only two wins from their first eight games, and Klopp claimed his side  who took last seasons title race to the final game, only to be denied by Manchester City  were no longer contenders.

We are not in the title race. Its naive to sit here and think that we are nearly there, the German said.

We have problems at the moment but, of course, (they are) the team in form, the leader of the table, but (we had) massive problems today.

We are not in the title race. It's naive to sit here and think that we are nearly there

Jurgen Klopp

I think even in a really bad situation for us, with early changes and things like this, there are real problems and that is the truth for us.

However, the Liverpool boss believes the system being played was not to blame for their recent mixed fortunes in the top flight.

I think the goals we conceded have nothing to do with the system, Klopp said.

Do I have deeper concerns? Yes, of course I am not happy, how can I (be)?

We are in a tough moment and we want to get through this together. Thats what we are working on.

Jurgen Klopp confirmed Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz will require scans on the respective injuries they sustained at Arsenal on Sunday.  Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 9, 2022

Klopp has already dealt with a number of injury concerns this season but matters worsened at the Emirates, with both Diaz and Alexander-Arnold leaving the field before the start of the second half.

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Going in at half-time, now we have additional problems. Luis Diaz, we had to change before (half-time) obviously; its something with the knee, not good, really not good.

He will have a scan and we will know more, I do not know about the extent, he said.

But on top of that Trent, its really bad as well with the ankle, twisted ankle. Not good. Trent, in seven years, has never gone off when he could have played on, he had too much pain, (there was) a slight swelling immediately so he will have a scan.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said his side would enjoy their current position after victory saw them overtake City and reclaim top spot in the table.

At the moment, enjoy where we are, and play with the courage and the belief that we played with in the second half and go step by step, he said.

Just thank you so much to the boys and our supporters for experiencing an afternoon like this. Its what our profession is about, to live days like this and I really enjoyed it  especially the way we won.

On the atmosphere in north London, Arteta said: Ive never seen it like this.

You cannot imagine how much it helps the players and how much it gives them. One of the nicest things weve done since we are together here is to unite everybody and make them feel like you are going to experience something together.
The Lexington Police Department is investigating the shooting a juvenile and older woman that occurred on Cotton Grove Road on Saturday afternoon, Oct, 8, according to police reports.

Officers with the Lexington Police Department are investigating the shooting of a 63-year-old woman and a juvenile on Saturday afternoon.

According to a press release, officers responded to Cotton Grove Road at 2:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, concerning a 63-year-old female with a gunshot injury. While investigating this incident, officers received another call from Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist  Lexington Medical Center about a juvenile male with a gunshot wound.

During the initial investigation, officers discovered both victims are related to the call for help on Cotton Grove Road.

If you want to stay up to date with what is happening in Davidson County, please support local news by subscribing to The Dispatch.

Injuries to the juvenile appear to be non-life-threatening. However, the females injuries are serious.], the press release states.

Lexington Police Department is actively investigating this incident. Anyone with information about thisshooting and investigation, please call Lexington Police at (336) 243-3302 or Lexington Area Crime Stoppers at(336) 243-2400.

Jill Doss-Raines is The Dispatch trending topics and personality profiles senior reporter and is always looking for tips about businesses and entertainment events, secret and new menu items, and interesting people in Davidson County. Contact me at jill.doss-raines@the-dispatch.com and subscribe to us at the-dispatch.com.

This article originally appeared on The Dispatch: Lexington Police officers looking fr information about shooting of juvenile, older woman
A rural Kansas man was injured Saturday after his brother allegedly stabbed him when they argued over a sandwich, according to the Miami County, Kansas Sheriffs Office.

Deputies responded to a residence in the 32000 block of Lone Star Road in Paola, where they learned the brothers allegedly fought when one brother ate the others sandwich, said Undersheriff Matthew Kelly, a spokesman for the sheriffs office, in a news release.

When the argument became physical, one brother allegedly stabbed the other in the leg, Kelly said. The victim was taken by personal vehicle to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, according to the sheriffs office.

Deputies located and arrested the suspect, who is being held in Miami County Jail, Kelly said.

The incident remains under investigation.
Ye, formally known as Kanye West at Paris Fashion Week. Stephane Cardinale - Corbis / Corbis via Getty Images

Kanye West is locked out of his Twitter account following his antisemitic comments, Buzzfeed News reported.

Twitter confirmed to Buzzfeed that West violated the platform's policies.

Ahead of the lockout, West tweeted that he will go "death con 3" on Jewish people.

Kanye West's Twitter has reportedly been locked following the rapper's antisemitic rants over the weekend.

"The account in question has been locked due to a violation of Twitter's policies," a spokesperson confirmed to Buzzfeed News on Sunday.

Twitter's decision comes after West ranted about Jewish people on Saturday in a tweet that was removed by the social media platform for violating its guidelines. The rapper tweeted that he was "going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE," adding, "I can't be anti-Semitic because black people are actually Jew also."

The tweet continued: "You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda."

The tweet was one Ye's first on the platform since 2020 and came after his Instagram account was restricted. Shortly after returning to Twitter, the fashion designer posted a photo showing him with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg with a caption: "Look at this Mark. How you gone kick me off Instagram."

Elon Musk, the billionaire tech giant in negotiations to purchase Twitter, replied to the tweet, which included a blurry of Ye and Zuckerberg, welcoming West back to the platform.

West has been under fire for antisemitism following his remarks on a Fox News interview with Tucker Carlson accusing Jared Kushner, who is Jewish, of brokering the Abraham Accords for personal profit, as Insider's Joshua Zitser reported.

The "Hurricane" rapper also shared a screenshot of what appeared to be a text exchange between him and music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs in a now-deleted Instagram post. He claimed he was going to use the Bad Boy Records founder "as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me."

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Multiple Jewish groups denounced Ye's comments, including The American Jewish Committee. The advocacy group blasted the rapper for using Jewish stereotypes and urged him to "make a point without using antisemitism."

Last week, West faced criticism from activists and celebrities after he sported a "White Lives Matter" shirt during his Yeezy fashion show in Paris. A photo posted online of West rocking the shirt with conservative pundit Candace Owens was met with immediate backlash, including from actor Jaden Smith who reportedly walked out of his YZYSZN9 show, and Ahmaud Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones.

Model Gigi Hadid also called out West after he attempted to discredit a Vogue editor, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who called his "White Lives Matter" shirts "pure violence" and "hugely irresponsible."

Read the original article on Insider
Kanye Wests latest rant on social media has caused Twitter to take action against the rapper. West sparked controversy on Saturday when he went to Twitter to post a hateful message against Jewish people, BuzzFeed News reports.

Im a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up Im going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE, West tweeted. The funny thing is I actually cant be Antisemitic because Black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.

After the tweet remained on the platform for a few hours, Twitter blocked the post and replaced it with an automated message, saying This tweet violated the Twitter Rules.

A Twitter spokesperson then spoke to BuzzFeed News on Sunday, saying The account in question has been locked due to a violation of Twitters policies.

A day earlier, West bashed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for also placing restrictions against him on Instagram.

Look at this Mark How you gone kick me off instagram You used to be my nigga pic.twitter.com/YQzjw01jur  ye (@kanyewest) October 8, 2022

West faced consequences on Instagram after he posted screenshots of text messages he sent to Sean Diddy Combs. West, who was outraged after Diddy called him out for wearing an All Lives Matter shirt earlier in the week, expressed antisemitic views when he exchanged texts with the rapper.

This aint a game. Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me, West wrote. I told you this was war. Now gone get you some business.

Kanye West just posted this text message exchange with Diddy pic.twitter.com/vvwsZYo5vO  Paradigm.news (@readparadigm) October 7, 2022

The American Jewish Committee issued a statement against West, saying his words have consequences.

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The control theme seeks to falsely portray Jews as secret puppet masters ruling over others, the committee wrote on Twitter. Ye needs to learn that words matter.

Kanye Wests week has consisted of:  Incoherent rants laden with racist and antisemitic undertones made on the countrys top cable news program.  Anti-Jewish posts shared with his 18 million followers on Instagram. These posts are dangerous and here's why:  American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) October 7, 2022

The committee also said West made other hateful comments when he appeared on Fox News this week.

He accused Jared Kushner, who is Jewish, of orchestrating the Abraham Accords to make money,' the committee said. The greed theme has led to a long list of Jewish stereotypes, such as being money-oriented or controlling the worlds finances.
Kanye Wests return to Twitter was short-lived after the company removed an alarming tweet and locked the rapper out of his own account for violating its policies.

Hours after Meta deleted antisemitic content from Wests Instagram page and placed a restriction on his account, Twitter took down a post from the musician and fashion designer that said he was going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE. He appears to be referring to the U.S. armed forces defense readiness condition DEFCON 3.

Im a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up Im going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE, West wrote on Saturday night. The funny thing is I actually cant be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.

Wests account has since been locked due to a violation of Twitters policies, a Twitter spokesperson confirmed to multipleoutlets.

heres kanyes anti-semitic tweet that was removed by twitter pic.twitter.com/krQGuNPXKh  Marlow Stern (@MarlowNYC) October 9, 2022

The tweet no longer appears on Wests account with a notice from Twitter reading that the post violated the Twitter Rules.

However, other concerning tweets from Wests weekend Twitter spree remain on his page.

Who you think created cancel culture?  ye (@kanyewest) October 9, 2022

The Donda rapper, who legally changed his name to Ye last year, returned to Twitter Friday after nearly two years.

West had been incessantly posting on Instagram since sparking controversy over the White Lives Matter T-shirts he displayed during a Paris show for his Yeezy fashion line, which has drawn fierce criticism within the fashion industry and beyond.

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Meta, Instagrams parent company, restricted his account after West shared screenshots of an alleged text conversation with Sean Combs on Friday, in which he insinuated that the rapper was being controlled by Jewish people alongside the caption Jesus is Jew.

Instagram deleted the post from Wests page and placed a restriction on the account. A Meta spokesperson said West violated its rules and guidelines, but did not specify which content was specifically removed or how long he would not be able to post on the platform, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Upon his return to Twitter, West took aim at Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the actions taken with his account, writing, Look at this Mark How you gone kick me off instagram alongside a photo of the two appearing to sing together.

Look at this Mark



How you gone kick me off instagram



You used to be my nigga pic.twitter.com/YQzjw01jur  ye (@kanyewest) October 8, 2022

He received a warm welcome on Twitter from the companys possible future owner, Elon Musk, who replied to Wests post about Zuckerberg with the message: welcome back to Twitter, my friend!

Wests recent comments have been condemned by advocacy groups, including the American Jewish Committee, which blasted him for making incoherent rants laden with racist and antisemitic undertones in a video on Friday.

The groups post specifically mentioned Wests dangerous exchange with Combs, as well as his recent interview with Tucker Carlson, in which he claimed former presidential adviser Jared Kushner, who is Jewish, negotiated peace treaties in the Middle East during Donald Trumps administration for the sole purpose of making money.

I just think it was to make money, West said of Kushners work in the region. I dont know ... I just think that thats what theyre about is making money. I dont think that they have the ability to make anything on their own.

The behavior exhibited this week by @kanyewest is deeply troubling, dangerous, and antisemitic, period, the Anti-Defamation League wrote on Friday. There is no excuse for his propagating of white supremacist slogans and classic #antisemitism about Jewish power, especially with the platform he has.

Its unclear what further actions Instagram and Twitter will take or how long he will be locked out of both accounts.

Back in March, Wests Instagram account was suspended for 24 hours for violating the companys policies on hate speech, bullying and harassment after he used a racial slur to describe The Daily Show host Trevor Noah.

This article has been updated to include details about Twitter locking Wests account.
Activists and agriculture lobby groups on Thursday urged Kenya's government to reverse its decision to lift a long-standing ban on genetically modified crops as the country struggles with a crippling drought.

The government of newly elected President William Ruto on Monday allowed the open cultivation and import of GM crops, saying it was in response to the drought -- the worst to hit the country in 40 years.

But activists protested the move, raising concerns over the safety of GM foods in a joint statement signed by nearly a dozen groups, including Greenpeace Africa.

"Food security is not just (about) the amount of food but the quality and safety of food," the statement said.

"Our cultural and indigenous food have proved to be safer, with diverse nutrients and with less harmful chemical inputs."

Kenya, like many other African nations, banned GM crops over health and safety concerns and to protect smallholder farms, who account for the vast majority of rural agricultural producers in the country.

However, the East African powerhouse had faced criticism over the ban including from the United States which is a major producer of GM crops.

On Monday, a statement issued by Ruto's office said the decision was "a progressive step towards significantly redefining agriculture in Kenya by adopting crops that are resistant to pests and disease."

It said the cabinet had considered expert views and technical reports, including by Kenya's National Biosafety Authority, the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization, before arriving at a decision.

- 'Curtails freedom' -

But the activists said the move was made without public participation and that it "essentially curtails the freedom of Kenyans to choose what they want to eat, or not."

"We demand that the ban be immediately reinstated and an inclusive participatory process be instituted to look into long-term and sustainable solutions to issues affecting food security," they said.

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They added that the lifting of the ban opened the market to US farmers using sophisticated technologies and highly subsidised farming that risked putting small-scale farmers in Kenya out of business.

Agriculture is the backbone of Kenya's economy, contributing over 20 percent to GDP.

Ruto, a former chicken seller turned millionaire businessman, was elected to the top job in August on a promise to turn around Kenya's stuttering economy and tackle inflation.

Within weeks of taking office in September, he halved the price of fertilisers to improve crop yields in the midst of the drought that has affected 23 of 47 counties.

Four consecutive rainy seasons have failed in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, an unprecedented climatic event that has pushed millions across the Horn of Africa into extreme hunger.

ho/amu/rox
L.A. City Councilman Kevin de Leon and Council President Nury Martinez confer at an Oct. 4 meeting. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

A leaked audio recording of three members of the Los Angeles City Council and a top county labor official punctuated by racist comments and derisive remarks about colleagues has rocked Los Angeles politics just a month before a key election.

The conversation includes Council President Nury Martinez, who is Latina, saying a white councilman handled his young Black son as though he were an accessory" and describing the child as like a "changuito," or little monkey.

She also said, F that guy... Hes with the Blacks while discussing Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascon, among other incendiary comments on the tape.

The recording, first reported on Sunday by The Times, has sparked outrage, apologies and a legal threat over revealing the contents of the audio. Here is what we know about the recording so far.

What is the origin of the tape?

The conversation took place in mid-October 2021.

Audio of it was posted on Reddit by a now-suspended user several days ago.

Wow, you know it happens, but when you actually hear it, its unbelievable, the now-suspended Reddit user said in text accompanying the audio, according to a screenshot reviewed by The Times. The labor movement is in bed with City Hall.

It was recorded "on LA County Federation of Labor property," according to Julie Gutman Dickinson, a lawyer representing the L.A. County Federation of Labor.

The participants do not appear to know they are being recorded.

It's unclear who made the recording or whether there was anyone else in the room at the time.

Who was present during the conversation?

Martinez, Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Leon and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera were present during the conversation.

As City Council president, Martinez holds one of the most powerful positions in local politics, leading the city's 15-member legislative body. De Leon, a former leader of the California Senate, was elected to council in 2020 and ran in this year's mayoral primary, finishing third. Cedillo lost a June primary election, and his council term ends in December.

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Herrera heads the politically prominent Federation of Labor  a coalition that represents more than 800,000 union members and spends big on behalf of its favored candidates at City Hall.

What was the focus of the conversation?

The group appears to have been meeting to discuss the citys once-a-decade process of redrawing council district boundaries, which was underway at the time.

The conversation focused heavily on council members frustration with maps that had been proposed by the citys 21-member redistricting commission, as well as the need to reelect Latino council members. Martinez and De Leon were especially frustrated with proposals for taking economic assets, such as Van Nuys Airport and USC, out of heavily Latino council districts.

The wide-ranging, roughly hourlong conversation also includes discussion of Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas indictment and what should happen with his council seat, talk of upcoming council races, derisive remarks about council colleagues and numerous racist comments.

What has the political fallout looked like?

By Sunday afternoon, politicians and candidates in the Nov. 8 election had begun calling for Martinez to step down from her post  or resign altogether. Bonin, Councilmembers Paul Koretz and Nithya Raman and Councilmember-elect Eunisses Hernandez  who will soon fill Cedillo's seat  have called on Martinez to resign.

The timing of the leak is hugely significant, coming a month before a pivotal city election. Martinez has endorsed a number of candidates in the Nov. 8 contest, including the mayoral bid of U.S. Rep. Karen Bass.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
MOSCOW (Reuters) -The Kremlin on Sunday praised OPEC+ for agreeing production cuts that had successfully countered the "mayhem" sown by the United States in global energy markets.

The OPEC+ decision to cut oil production despite stiff U.S. opposition has further strained already tense relations between President Joe Biden's White House and Saudi Arabia's royal family, Reuters reported on Saturday.

The White House pushed hard to prevent the output cut. Biden hopes to keep U.S. gasoline prices from spiking again ahead of midterm elections in which his Democratic party is struggling to maintain control of the U.S. Congress.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was very good that such "balanced, thoughtful and planned work of the countries, which take a responsible position within OPEC, is opposed to the actions of the U.S.".

"This at least balances the mayhem that the Americans are causing," Peskov said, according to Russian news agencies.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said a decision by OPEC+ to cut oil production was "unhelpful and unwise" for the global economy, the Financial Times reported.

Peskov said that the United States had begun to lose its composure over the OPEC decision and was even trying to push additional volumes of its reserves into the market.

"They are trying to manipulate with their oil reserves by throwing additional volumes into the market. Such a game will not lead to anything good," Peskov said.

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
Vehichles zip by along a four-lane stretch of Sauk Trail between Park Forest and South Chicago Heights past a historical marker that was placed by the roadside in 1933 but no longer offers ready access. (Paul Eisenberg / Daily Southtown)

Long ago, a mound jutted up from the flood plain flatlands surrounding the Des Plaines River in what is now a mostly industrial area on the southwest side of Joliet.

It was a significant feature and guidepost for travelers plying the Illinois waterway in the earliest days of recorded history, and a mainstay on maps for decades. Some speculated it was a creation of the mound building civilization that had populated these lands for centuries, best known for its world class city at Cahokia.

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Subsequent digging didnt turn up valuable artifacts, but instead revealed valuable gravel and sand deposited during the ice age, and a short-lived company made quick work of Mount Joliet, dispersing its innards for use in roadways and other projects as the modern development of the region began in earnest in the second half of the 1800s.

In 1971, the Will County and Illinois State Historical Societies commemorated the leveled mounds former significance with a historical marker.

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Around the turn of this century, I wrote for Star Newspapers about an effort by Joliet librarians to locate the Mount Joliet marker, which like the mound itself, had gone missing. If it had been made of bronze, as many were, it was likely stolen and recycled. By 2006, it had been returned or replaced in a less recyclable plastic format.

It doesnt tell the whole story, markedly leaving out the mounds impact on people for thousands of years before those early European explorers put it on a map. But the marker remains a physical reminder of an element of the past that was quarried away offering a starting point for those who would like to learn more.

Another feature used by centuries of travelers in the area has survived to the present day. In fact, besides giving river navigators a guide point, Mount Joliet may have been one of the landmarks as well along the Great Sauk Trail, an ancient roadway connecting the Mississippi River to what is now the Detroit area.

Its retained the Sauk Trail name from Frankfort to the Indiana state line, and lent its name to the town of Sauk Village along the way. But it looks nothing like it once did, now with sections alternately lined by homes and businesses and other portions that have become speedy highways.

A granite boulder historical marker is set back from the roadway without access along a wooded stretch of Sauk Trail that is four lanes with a 45 mph speed limit. (Paul Eisenberg / Daily Southtown)

Along a wooded stretch between Park Forest and South Chicago Heights, a large boulder sits in an infrequently mowed clearing. The speed limit along the section is 45 mph, though vehicles often travel significantly faster as there are no nearby cross streets. A high curb prevents vehicles from pulling off at the clearing for further investigation, and no sidewalks facilitate pedestrian access to the monument, which was placed there in 1933 by the Sauk Trail Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.

You cant even go and visit it, said Sharron Hanson, of Crete, the Sauk Trail Chapters registrar. Where do we park? How do we get in there? The path doesnt even go near it.

The chapter, which was founded in 1926, partnered with the Chicago Heights Centennial Commission to place the monument there.

Chicago Heights had only been a city since industrialists in the 1890s transformed the sleepy community of Bloom into a burgeoning steel town. Rather than the citys centennial, a bronze plaque affixed to the large granite boulder commemorated the areas first permanent white settlers, such as Adam Brown, who claimed land in 1833 near the intersection of Sauk Trail and Chicago Road in modern South Chicago Heights. The boulder itself was situated on the former farm of John McCoy, who settled there a year after Brown and whose land eventually became part of Sauk Trail Woods Forest Preserve.

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The contemporary publicity surrounding the monument may have been to its detriment.

The bronze marker was almost immediately stolen, Hanson said, and the boulder reverted to being just a big rock for 30 years as the adjacent Native American trail grew into a busy thoroughfare with the development of Park Forest in the 1950s.

In 1965, the Chicago Heights Historical Society, along with the Sauk Trail DAR, decided to rectify the situation with the installation of a replica metal plaque. According to a 1966 report in the February edition of the national Daughters of the American Revolution magazine provided by Hanson, the new plaque was dedicated once again amid fanfare, with an American Legion color guard ceremony, invocation, and speechifying by Chicago Heights and Cook County Forest Preserve officials.

Soon after, the plaque, with its list of 15 settlers, was pried off again and was never recovered.

A granite boulder placed in the 1930s along Sauk Trail east of Park Forest has two sets of holes where bronze plaques were once embedded in it and subsequently stolen. The current engraving commemorates an "Indian & Pioneer Campground" on the site as well as the 50th anniversary of the Sauk Trail Chapter National Daughters of the American Revolution. (Paul Eisenberg / Daily Southtown)

A decade later, as America was celebrating its bicentennial, it was time to try again as the Sauk Trail Chapter was also celebrating its 50th anniversary.

This time they took a wiser approach, foregoing bronze and engraving the granite boulder itself. That last effort also showed a growing awareness that the 1830s settlers were only the latest people to work this land and travel this ancient pathway.

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Rather than white settlers, the boulder now commemorates the Site of Indian & Pioneer Campground while noting the Sauk Trail Chapters 50th anniversary.

Historian and author Larry McClellan, of Crete, said the campground likely alludes to John and Sabra McCoy, whose homestead was just across the road. They established a campground along the trail to accommodate travelers a century before motels became commonplace.

The McCoys had a good rapport with Indigenous peoples in the region, he said, in an era when distrust and misgivings ruled most such relationships.

Later, the McCoy family extended shelter, at their campground as well as their home, to people fleeing enslavement traveling along what became a crucial corridor for freedom seekers, McClellan said.

The Sauk Trail Chapter of the DAR is preparing to celebrate its 100th year in 2026, though Hanson said the group has had its ups and downs. With an estimated 88 members, the group still meets for monthly program at St. Pauls church in Monee, many of which deal with local history.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

But she said theyre trying to recover their own past.

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We dont have lots of history preserved from over the years, Hanson said. People kept a lot of the history in their homes, and it never got passed on. Were trying to reassemble stuff.

But theyve attracted members from a wide region, from St. John, Indiana, to Mokena; from Harvey to Peotone.

There are no plans yet to make the Sauk Trail boulder part of the chapters centennial celebration. For one thing, its a very difficult place to visit.

And as historical markers go, theres not much information on that boulder anymore. But like the sign at the former Mount Joliet, that big rock can be an entry point, a starting line for those curious about the long, bumpy history of the south suburbs. And the 1976 etching on the boulder is a better entry point than the original list of settler names.

Mirroring historic chronology, it puts Indigenous people there first.

Landmarks is a weekly column by Paul Eisenberg exploring the people, places and things that have left an indelible mark on the Southland. He can be reached at peisenberg@tribpub.com.
A portion of a map that erases the borders Colonial powers drew, and shows instead the Indigenous territories, treaties and languages of North America. Native Land Digital, CC BY-SA

Many events these days begin with land acknowledgments: earnest statements acknowledging that activities are taking place, or institutions, businesses and even homes are built, on land previously owned by Indigenous peoples.

And many organizations now call on employees to incorporate such statements not only at events but in email signatures, videos, syllabuses and so on. Organizations provide resources to facilitate these efforts, including pronunciation guides and video examples.

Some land acknowledgments are carefully constructed in partnership with the dispossessed. The Burke Museum at the University of Washington in Seattle describes this process:

Tribal elders and leaders are the experts and knowledge-bearers who generously shared their perspectives and guidance with the Burke. Through this consultation, we co-created the Burkes land acknowledgement.

That acknowledgment reads:

We stand on the lands of the Coast Salish peoples, whose ancestors have resided here since Time Immemorial. Many Indigenous peoples thrive in this placealive and strong.

Land acknowledgments have been used to start conversations regarding how non-Indigenous people can support Indigenous sovereignty and advocate for land repatriation.

Yet the historical and anthropological facts demonstrate that many contemporary land acknowledgments unintentionally communicate false ideas about the history of dispossession and the current realities of American Indians and Alaska Natives. And those ideas can have detrimental consequences for Indigenous peoples and nations.

This is why, in a move that surprised many non-Indigenous anthropologists to whom land acknowledgments seemed a public good, the Association of Indigenous Anthropologists requested that the American Anthropological Association officially pause land acknowledgments and the related practice of the welcoming ritual, in which Indigenous persons open conferences with prayers or blessings. The pause will enable a task force to recommend improvements after examining these practices and the history of the fields relationship with American Indians and Alaska Natives more broadly.

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We are three anthropologists directly involved in the request  Valerie Lambert of the Choctaw Nation and president of the Association of Indigenous Anthropologists; Michael Lambert of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and member of the Association of Indigenous Anthropologists; and EJ Sobo, an American Anthropological Association board member charged with representing interests such as those of the Association of Indigenous Anthropologists. Wed like to further illuminate this Indigenous position, not from the associations perspective but from our perspective as scholars.

What was once yours is now ours

No data exists to demonstrate that land acknowledgments lead to measurable, concrete change. Instead, they often serve as little more than feel-good public gestures signaling ideological conformity to what historians Amna Khalid and Jeffrey Aaron Snyder have called  in the context of higher educations diversity, equity and inclusion efforts  a naive, left-wing, paint-by-numbers approach to social justice.

Take, for instance, the evocation in many acknowledgments of a time when Indigenous peoples acted as stewards or custodians of the land now occupied. This and related references  for example, to ancestral homelands  relegate Indigenous peoples to a mythic past and fails to acknowledge that they owned the land. Even if unintentionally, such assertions tacitly affirm the putative right of non-Indigenous people to now claim title.

This is also implied in what goes unsaid: After acknowledging that an institution sits on anothers land, there is no follow-up. Plans are almost never articulated to give the land back. The implication is: What was once yours is now ours.

Additionally, in most cases these statements fail to acknowledge the violent trauma of land being stolen from Indigenous people  the death, dispossession and displacement of countless individuals and much collective suffering. The afterlives of these traumas are deeply felt and experienced in Indigenous communities.

But because non-Indigenous people are generally unaware of this trauma, land acknowledgments are often heard by Indigenous peoples as the denial of that trauma. This perspective is reinforced by a tendency to cast Indigenous peoples as part of prehistory, suggesting that the trauma of dispossession, if it happened at all, did not happen to real or wholly human people.

Further, land acknowledgments can undermine Indigenous sovereignty in ways that are both insidious and often incomprehensible to non-Indigenous people.

For example, non-Indigenous people tend to seek local Indigenous affirmation of their acknowledgment performance, such as by arranging for a conference blessing or Welcome to Country ritual. Such rites often feature the voices of people who, in Indigenous Studies scholar Kim TallBears words, play at being Indian  that is, those who have no legitimate claim to an Indigenous identity or sovereign nation status but represent themselves as such.

Actor Iron Eyes Cody, left, with President Jimmy Carter in 1978, built a decadeslong career on pretending to be Cherokee. He was of Italian descent. AP Photo/Peter Bregg

Sovereignty and alienation

Appropriation of American Indian and Alaska Native identity by individuals who are not members of sovereign tribes, referred to as pretendians by actual American Indians and Alaska Natives, is endemic. Actor Iron Eyes Cody, for instance, built a decadeslong career on it despite his Italian heritage.

Demographic data suggests that pretendians outnumber real American Indian and Alaska Natives by a ratio of at least 4 to 1. In some cases, pretendians persist in their claims in the face of clear documentation to the contrary.

When non-Indigenous people allow pretendians authority regarding land acknowledgments and blessing ceremonies, it irreparably harms sovereign Indigenous nations and their citizens. The most threatening message communicated by these acts is that American Indian identity is a racial or ethnic identity that anyone can claim through self-identification. This is not true.

American Indian identity is a political identity based on citizenship in an Indigenous nation whose sovereignty has been acknowledged by the U.S. government. Sovereign Indigenous nations, and only these nations have the authority to determine who is and is not a citizen, and hence who is and is not an American Indian or Alaska Native.

Anything less would undermine the entire body of Indian Law, undoing tribal sovereignty. As Rebecca Nagle of the Cherokee Nation explains in This Land, American Indians and Alaska Natives would effectively cease to exist.

And so, particularly when they perpetuate misunderstandings of Indigenous identities, land acknowledgments done wrong are heard by Indigenous peoples as the final blow: a definitive apocalyptic vision of a world in which Indigenous sovereignty and land rights will not be recognized and will be claimed never to have really existed.

Respect and restoration

Land acknowledgments are not harmful, we believe, if they are done in a way that is respectful of the Indigenous nations who claim the land, accurately tell the story of how the land passed from Indigenous to non-Indigenous control, and chart a path forward for redressing the harm inflicted through the process of land dispossession.

What many Indigenous persons want from a land acknowledgment is, first, a clear statement that the land needs to be restored to the Indigenous nation or nations that previously had sovereignty over the land.

This is not unrealistic: There are many creative ways to take restorative measures and even to give land back, such as by returning U.S. national parks to the appropriate tribes. Following from this, land acknowledgments must reveal a sincere commitment to respecting and enhancing Indigenous sovereignty.

If an acknowledgment is discomforting and triggers uncomfortable conversations versus self-congratulation, it is likely on the right track.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation has a variety of fascinating free newsletters.

It was written by: Elisa J. Sobo, San Diego State University; Michael Lambert, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Valerie Lambert, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Read more:



The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The family of deceased Los Angeles Police Department Officer Houston Tipping is suing the city for wrongful death.

Tipping died from a spinal injury caused during self-defense training, according to a coroner's report.

"They used that training as a cover to kill him in retaliation for his whistleblowing activity," Lawyer Bradley Gage told NPR.

The family lawyer of a Los Angeles Police Department officer who was killed during training is suing the city after he says that the officer was targeted for investigating a gang rape by his fellow officers.

"They used that training as a cover to kill him in retaliation for his whistleblowing activity," attorney Bradley Gage told NPR.

Gage alleged that LAPD officer Houston Tipping, 32, was assaulted during a self-defense training after submitting reports of a female victim who claimed that she was raped by four LAPD officers, according to NPR.

He also said one of the officers who were part of the training that killed Tipping was included in the report, according to NPR.

Tipping died three days after he suffered a spinal injury during the self-defense training on May 26, according to the report.

Lizabeth Rhodes, LAPD Director of the Office of Constitutional Policing and Policy, said during a meeting on Tuesday that Tipping was role-playing as an uncooperative "suspect" and charged an unnamed student officer as part of the training.

The officer dropped Tipping on his head, which according to the coroner's report, caused a spinal injury, resulting in him going into cardiac arrest and dying three days later, according to Rhodes.

LAPD officials stated in their report that there was no video or audio recording of the training and that many of Tipping's injuries to his ribs resulted from attempts to revive him at the academy with a CPR machine, a LUCAS device.

Gage told CBS Los Angeles that the training academy's automatic CPR machine was never used in the room at the time of the incident.

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"The problem with that is other medical reports show the LUCAS device was never used," Gage told CBS Los Angeles.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore said that Gage's allegations are baseless, according to KTLA 5.

"He's made other baseless allegations in this unfortunate tragedy," Moore told KTLA 5.

Rhodes said on Tuesday's meeting that the training scenario was not a "mob attack, as has been alleged," but an exercise between two people.

"The coroner's office determined that this was an accident, as did the department," Rhodes said. "It was a tragic accident and again we express our condolences."

Bradley Gage and the LAPD did not immediately respond when reached for a comment

Read the original article on Insider
With temperatures expected to dip across Wisconsin this weekend as a cold front moves in from Canada, it may be time to get out flannels and turn on the furnace, but what about breaking out snow shovels?

Not yet, despite a few expected flakes in northern Wisconsin Friday morning. Most of Wisconsin could see periods of snowier than usual weather later in the winter, according to AccuWeather's long-range winter forecast.

Mild start to winter until the calendar flips to 2023

Accuweather's winter weather forecast predicts that large parts of Wisconsin will see periods of snowier weather than normal for the winter of 2022-2023, on Sept. 19, 2022.

According to the prediction, one of the strongest weather patterns affecting us this winter will be La Nina, a phenomenon where water around the equator in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean is cooler than normal.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts this winter will be the third in a row influenced by La Nina. Essentially, that means there's a greater likelihood of wetter, colder weather in the northern United States, and warmer, drier weather in the South.

So, before winter wraps up, Wisconsin  especially in the north  could see more snowier periods than usual, according to AccuWeather's winter highlights map.

More: 'Triple dip' La Nina is on the way. Here's what it means for weather in the US

More: What is La Nina? Does it bring more snow? How climate pattern could affect US weather.

A typical wintertime La Nina pattern across North America. While the Pacific Northwest tends to be wetter-than-average, the southern tier of the U.S. is often unusually dry.

Still, even with La Nina present, AccuWeather also predicts the Midwest won't see regular blasts of cold air and snow until mid-winter, around January and February.

Once the cold weather arrives, however, it could be rough. According to AccuWeather's senior meteorologist Paul Pastelok, "February is the month to watch for the polar vortex to usher in brutally cold Arctic air across the Rockies and most of the central U.S."

More: Why is it so cold? How the polar vortex brings record low temperatures and winter storms

More: What is the polar vortex? In-depth look at how it can affect winter weather in the US.

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Around the same time, according to the prediction, the path of storm systems could change, bringing heavier snow to the eastern Great Plains and the mid-Mississippi Valley and potentially splashing precipitation onto Wisconsin.

But these forecasts could be altered by one more unusual factor. The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai volcano in January in the Pacific Ocean shot a massive cloud of water, steam and ash into the atmosphere, increasing the amount of water vapor in the stratosphere by 5%.

This, according to NASA, might even be enough to temporarily raise the Earth's temperature, since water vapor traps warmer air onto the Earth's surface as a blanket would.

However, Pastelok had "lower confidence" that this would substantially change the winter forecast.

More: Tonga volcano eruption was the biggest in over a century and it reached space, studies say

Seasonal predictions have their limitations

The Old Farmer's Almanac and AccuWeather both forecast a colder winter for Wisconsin, though they differ on where more snow will fall. Both organizations say they use weather data from previous years in order to make their predictions.

Still, while AccuWeather touts its winter forecast as one of the "most highly anticipated seasonal outlooks," the prediction also states that the weather pattern scheme influencing this winter is "one of the most complicated and dynamic" in recent history.

What that means is, while forecasts have gotten better, and while experienced meteorologists and computer models can determine long-term patterns, the weather this winter is still very much subject to change.

Contact Rebecca Loroff at 920-907-7801 or rloroff@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @RebeccaLoroff.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Large parts of Wisconsin could see a snowier winter, AccuWeather says
By Marafaele Mohloboli

MASERU (Reuters) - A recently founded party led by a millionaire diamond magnate looked set on Sunday to win Lesotho's parliamentary election, having secured enough for a simple majority, according to preliminary results from the election commission.

By Sunday afternoon, results from the Oct. 7 vote were in for 49 out of a total of 80 constituencies. The Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) party, formed by Sam Matekane in March, had secured 41 seats, the minimum required to reach a simple majority.

The current ruling party All Basotho Convention (ABC), which has run the country of 2.14 million people since 2017, was faring badly with no seats won so far, the tally showed.

The Democratic Congress (DC), the main opposition party and member of the coalition government, is running a distant second to the RFP in the race, having secured at least six seats.

A victory for the RFP paves the way for a change in government in a southern African country marred by political upheaval, stalled reforms under the ABC and widespread exasperation of people over political wrangling, corruption and policy paralysis.

RFP has promised to usher in a new era of governance and prosperity in the country by exploiting its natural resources and its commercial competitiveness, drawing from its founder's experience in running businesses.

The party has also promised to strengthen the state institutions.

Lesotho is a small land-locked mountain kingdom that is ringfenced by South African Drakensberg range on all sides. It has close ties with its neighbour commercially and has often relied for its military support to quell coups and political unrest.

Lesotho's national assembly comprises a total of 120 seats, of which 80 are subject to 'first-past-the-post' voting, meaning whoever gets the maximum number of seats wins the election.

The remaining 40 seats are allocated using the proportional representative system, under which voters cast vote for a party instead of a candidate and the party is assigned seats in the parliament in proportion to the votes won.

(Reporting by Marafaele Mohloboli and Promit Mukherjee; Writing by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
Weyerhaeuser owes its employees health care

Weyerhaeuser employees in Eugene and Springfield have been on strike for three weeks because the company is trying to cut health insurance for them and their families.

Weyerhaeuser boasted to shareholders that it raked in record profits  of almost $3 billion  last year. Those profits were made from Oregon trees and on the backs of Oregon woodworkers. When the economy was bad, employees made sacrifices to help Weyerhaeuser through the recession. But now that business is booming, instead of sharing the wealth with the people who produce their products, the company wants to make their lives harder.

As a school board member, I know that in all our classes from kindergarten to high school, we teach students about the fundamental principles of fairness and mutual respect. If, as parents and educators, we then treat the disgraceful behavior of companies like Weyerhaeuser as something acceptable, we give all our kids an education in hypocrisy, saying that fairness is only for inside the classroom.

As a company that has benefited for so long from the work of people in our community, the least Weyerhaeuser owes its employees is to maintain affordable health care for their families at a time of record profits.

Gordon Lafer, Eugene (Opinions are his own and dont reflect the school district)

Weyerhaeuser the problem, not the solution

More than 1,000 union workers are on strike and now are losing their access to health care because Weyerhaeuser wants the employees to pay more to the health insurance company. Some may say the union members are selfish for wanting more wages, but can they be condemned for wanting access to health care for themselves and their families?

Weyerhaeuser and other companies have weaponized health care. It holds a double-edged sword: wages and health care. The company is making the employees pay for the rising cost of health care, which is not the fault of the employees. Meanwhile the health insurance companies are laughing all the way to the bank while everyone else suffers.

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The real enemy here is the health insurance companies. Why doesnt Weyerhaeuser attack the health insurance companies instead of its own employees? At least it could join with the union to demand that we have a universal health care system so no matter where you work or how much you make, you get health care.

Or is Weyerhaeuser simply doing this for control of the workers? If it is doing that it, shame on Weyerhaeuser for being the problem instead of the solution.

Lou Sinniger, Elmira

Goodbye to a lake

Today I swam in a small, clear lake surrounded by forest, huge trees of different species and an understory of wildflowers and huckleberries. Id like to return every summer and bring my grandchildren when they are a bit older. But I was there to say goodbye.

If Forest Service plans go ahead, the lake will be next to miles of clear-cut forest: the Flat Country timber sale. More than 3,115 acres out of the 4,400-acre sale is mature and old-growth forest. This year President Biden ordered his administration to save older forests for their crucial carbon storage. The importance of these forests in protecting wildlife and water is also widely acknowledged, along with their resistance to wildfire. And Flat Countrys watershed, the McKenzie, is only beginning to recover from the 230,000-acre Holiday Farm fire two years ago. So why is this Trump-era sale going ahead? More loss and devastation, damage that will last for generations, just to make money for timber companies.

There is some hope. Rep. Peter DeFazio has spoken out against the Flat Country timber sale. Ask Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden to be courageous and join him; ask the Biden administration to withdraw the sale.

Kate Gessert, Eugene

Can we turn America around?

When we dont know history, we are doomed to repeat it. Carle Zimmerman researched the similarities of ancient civilizations and what caused their downfall. The United States is following in their footsteps.

In his book, Family and Civilizations, he compiles his research. Here is a brief overview from Amazon:

In this unjustly forgotten work Zimmerman demonstrates the close and causal connections between the rise and fall of different types of families and the rise and fall of civilizations, particularly ancient Greece and Rome, medieval and modern Europe, and the United States ...

"Originally published in 1947, this compelling analysis predicted many of todays cultural and social controversies and trends, including youth violence and depression, abortion and homosexuality, the demographic collapse of Europe and of the West more generally, and the displacement of peoples.

Can we turn America around? If we dont, our country, and our freedoms, will disappear.

Janetta Overholser, Cottage Grove

Kotek is for reproductive and bodily autonomy, not the others

No one is free unless they control their health, lives and futures. Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has taken away our constitutional right to abortion, the midterm elections are more important than ever to determine whether Oregon will remain a safe haven for abortion access.

In the governors race, the choice is clear: Tina Kotek trusts us to make our own decisions about our bodies. She is a proven progressive who has never wavered from her commitment to reproductive freedom.

In fact, when Donald Trump was elected, Kotek championed the nations most progressive reproductive health policy and passed it into law. Thanks to the Reproductive Health Equity Act, abortion rights are safeguarded in Oregon.

But rights are meaningless if you cant afford to access them. The act also expands coverage for reproductive health care to thousands of Oregonians, regardless of their citizenship status, type of insurance or gender identity.

The Reproductive Health Equity Act has made a huge difference in my life. I am able to get birth control pills and Plan B for free. Last year I got the Nexplanon implant  also for free. I know my reproductive health is taken care of, thanks to Tina Kotek.

Molly Newhard, Springfield

Ignoring harm and damage

As I listened to charities decrying a ban on fireworks in Eugene, I was struck by what seemed like hypocrisy. On one hand, they were upset that their cash flow for helping others would be diminished, yet they ignored the harm and damage done to people, buildings, our pets and forests from these fireworks. If youre going to try to help people, shouldnt you be also keeping them safe? I donate monthly to help feed those in need, but would never buy fireworks that could make someone homeless. These charities need to find other sources of revenue. In addition, more policing needs to be done to stop illegal fireworks, which we see going flying in the air around us every July 4.

Jan Hobbs, Eugene

Are we surprised decriminalizing drugs was a disaster?

A now-retired psychologist, I developed and evaluated substance abuse prevention and early intervention programs for school districts, offender diversion programs and alcohol harm reduction programs in seven states, several under NIH research grants.

So, I wonder why anyone in the field expected decriminalization to reduce addiction or overdoses. Decriminalization simply eliminates long-term criminal records stigma  most importantly, obstacles to future employment. And people dependent on anxiolytic and antidepressant agents rarely want treatment for what provides them transient relief.

In scientific investigation, comparability of the control and treatment conditions independent of the intervention is elemental. Oregons confessed failure compared variables pre-2020 with 2020-22. Did any other societal-level, mental health-relevant changes occur simultaneously? Like continuously amplified COVID-19 anxiety? Shutdowns? Masked faces? Muffled voices? Six-foot distancing? Empty streets? Massive Main Street to Wall Street wealth transfer?

Thousands of small businesses and associated livelihoods were destroyed including establishments providing public sociability  Oldenburgs third place between work and family found across all human societies, a daily source of psychologically essential interpersonal strokes so named by Dr. Eric Berne.

We have near-universal, monumental losses: employment-based self-esteem, friends and family who disagree, student achievement, trust in government institutions, media, medicine, optimism.

And very bad science.

Jack Dresser, Springfield

Lesley for west Lane County

Lane County is home to some of Oregon's most treasured landscapes  especially on public lands we can all enjoy. From the coastal dunes, through the Siuslaw National Forest, to streamside forests and valley farms, the lands and waters of western Lane County supply our drinking water, clean our air, shelter wildlife and salmon and offer some of our favorite places to fish, hunt, camp and hike.

They draw new residents and businesses, bring in tourist dollars and provide our livelihoods. We need elected officials who value our forests, farms and streams for all they provide and who listen to the people who live on the land and use science and facts to inform their decisions.

On this November's ballot, Dawn Lesley is the clear choice for West Lane County commissioner who will consider these values and voices to ensure that the forests and streams that help our communities thrive are protected, restored, and valued. Please vote!

Chandra LeGue, Eugene

How does Skarlatos know whats best for womens health care?

One of Alek Skarlatos campaign TV ads states that he will protect womens access to health care. Since Skarlatos is on record stating that he supports the repeal of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court and believes that Planned Parenthood should not receive federal funds, Im not clear on how he is protecting a womans access to health care. In reality, he is in favor of limiting a womans access to health care.

Apparently Skarlatos believes that he knows what is best for a womans health. It seems that he will protect access to health care for women who he deems appropriate. Does he think that he has the right to dictate what and where a woman should be allowed to access her health care? So, whats his plan to protect womens access to health care? Is he offering transportation to our appointments at clinics that he thinks we should be allowed to use and that offer procedures that he thinks are good for us?

Skarlatos, I dont need your protection. In fact, womens health care needs to be protected from politicians like you! Teresa Dobles, Eugene

Letters should be 200 words or fewer and sent with the writers name, address, and daytime phone number via e-mail to rgletters@registerguard.com. Letters may be edited for length and clarity, and maybe published in any medium. We regret that owing to the volume of correspondence we cannot reply to every letter.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Letters to the editor: The problem that is Weyerhaueser
Times reporter Doug Smith rides into the backcountry in the Sequoia National Forest on July 6. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: Reporter Doug Smith's story on his return to the Sierra Nevada stirred in me the kind of emotion that pulses down into my knees.

I've seasonally backpacked in the Sierra for decades, beginning with my graduate school days at UC San Diego. Like Smith, I've come to recognize that aging closes the window of physical strength (and, perhaps, mental acuity) to travel the backcountry.

I now view every season as one more clip from the ribbon of time that I have left to be out there. These moments create sadness but also gratitude for the times I've had.

Thanks to Smith for reminiscing.

Greg Odorizzi, Lafayette, Colo.

..

To the editor: After reading Smith's piece, I had to wait a couple of hours to respond. It was so beautifully written and evocative.

My six siblings and I were often taken to the area Smith described to camp and hike back in the late 1950s and 60s. We left Mom's ashes in the area and hope she is happy back in her element.

What wonderful memories Smith has; thanks to him for sharing them. His piece was a great read for that first day of October. I can smell the campfire and coffee as I sit with my eyes closed.

Lee Gardner Dewey, San Marcos

..

To the editor: Wow, did Smith's piece stir up some emotions in me. They were unexpectedly strong as I read about places that I had hiked and camped in the Golden Trout Wilderness and beyond.

While I never worked in the Sierra like Smith, I've hiked as much as possible. I've been fortunate to cross the Sierra, hike in circles and take all other kinds of trips. A few times, we ventured to other mountain ranges, leaving me with the impression that the Sierra Nevada are unparalleled in their beauty, wilderness quality and incredible granite panoramas.

As with Smith, time has caught up and I'm no longer backpacking. The day hikes are shorter and my husband now carries the lunch and other stuff. Still, I long for those great times leaving the highways behind to hike into the wilderness, where every concern is about the here and now.

Ann Dalkey, Redondo Beach

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
STORY: Many at the event waved Iran's pre-1979 lion and sun flags, the national symbol prior to the revolution that brought Islamists to power, as well as pictures of Amini.

One unidentified demonstrator said the British government should speak up and make a stand to be with the people of Iran.

Amini's death in September has ignited weeks of nationwide demonstrations, marking the biggest challenge to Iran's clerical leaders in years.

Other demonstrations in solidarity with the women of Iran have taken place around the world.

The Iranian government has described the protests as a plot by Iran's enemies including the United States, accusing armed dissidents - among others - of violence in which at least 20 members of the security forces have been reported killed.

Rights groups say more than 185 people have been killed, hundreds injured and thousands arrested by security forces confronting protests.
Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) as an investment opportunity by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple!

We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for Service Corporation International

The Method

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$403.5m US$486.2m US$457.3m US$440.9m US$432.5m US$429.2m US$429.4m US$432.0m US$436.4m US$442.0m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Est @ -5.94% Est @ -3.58% Est @ -1.92% Est @ -0.76% Est @ 0.05% Est @ 0.62% Est @ 1.01% Est @ 1.29% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 5.9% US$381 US$434 US$385 US$351 US$325 US$305 US$288 US$274 US$261 US$250

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$3.3b

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After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (1.9%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 5.9%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = US$442m (1 + 1.9%)  (5.9% 1.9%) = US$11b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$11b ( 1 + 5.9%)10= US$6.5b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is US$9.8b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$60.0, the company appears about fair value at a 3.0% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

dcf

Important Assumptions

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Service Corporation International as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 5.9%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.925. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Looking Ahead:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. For Service Corporation International, there are three relevant elements you should look at:

Risks: To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Service Corporation International (including 1 which can't be ignored) . Future Earnings: How does SCI's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every American stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Laura Waring eventually secured a seat 13 hours after her original flight was cancelled. Justin Sullivan / Staff / Getty

A man was arrested after assaulting flight attendants on a plane from Miami to DC, according to an affidavit.

Cherruy Loghan Sevilla is accused of breaking the bathroom door and yelling obscenities on the plane.

Sevilla admitted that he consumed psilocybin before boarding the flight, according to the statement from an FBI agent.

A man was arrested after being accused of breaking the bathroom door and attacking flight attendants on a flight while high on magic mushrooms, according to an affidavit viewed by Insider.

The incident happened on Tuesday, Oct. 4, on a United Airlines flight from Miami, Florida, to Washington, DC. The affidavit, which cited "victims, witnesses, and passenger video footage," said that about one hour into the flight Cherruy Loghan Sevilla displayed "disturbing" and "uncontrolled behavior."

Sevilla is accused of opening the aircraft bathroom door while another passenger was inside and breaking "a small plastic piece" off of it, according to the statement of probable cause from FBI Special Agent Daniel Markley. He walked throughout the plane getting into fellow passengers' personal space, as well as "clapping loudly near the cockpit and yelling obscenities."

After attempts from flight attendants to make Sevilla sit down, he started to have an outburst and laid on the floor of the plane, according to the affidavit. When a flight attendant instructed Sevilla to sit down he attacked and assaulted her by "grabbing and twisting her right breast."

Other flight attendants and a law enforcement officer tried to restrain him, however, he was resisting, the affidavit said. During this time, Sevilla is accused of also twisting the arm of another steward. He was eventually handcuffed and monitored for the remainder of the flight.

According to the affidavit, Sevilla was transported to the FBI office at Dulles International Airport upon landing. He later told an agent that he had consumed psilocybin before boarding and could recall being disruptive on the plane. The document noted that it was not his first time taking the magic mushroom, and he was apologetic for his behavior.

Story continues

In a statement to NBC News, United Airlines championed their employees for professionally handling the situation.

"We also followed up with our crew members to make sure they were ok," the airline told the outlet.

Read the original article on Insider
PNW appoints Gude as NiSource-Meyer Charitable Foundation Professor

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) named Veera Gnaneswar Gude as the NiSource-Meyer Charitable Foundation Professor of Energy and the Environment following approval Friday by the Purdue University Board of Trustees.

Gude joined the Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering at Purdue Northwest as a professor of Civil Engineering and director of the PNW Water Institute in Fall 2022. Previously, he had a distinguished career at Mississippi State University.

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Gude is a highly active and productive researcher in the environmental engineering field with significant national visibility. He has an impressive reputation for his work on energy-water-environment nexus, renewable energy and resource recovery from waste streams. He has published (authored and/or edited) eight books, over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, 39 peer-reviewed conference proceedings, 20 book chapters and holds two patents.

Gude holds a bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering Technology from Osmania University in India; a masters of Environmental Engineering from National University of Singapore; and a doctorate of Environmental Engineering from New Mexico State University.

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IU Northwest receives $3 million grant to increase retention and graduation rates

Indiana University Northwest was recently awarded a $3 million grant from the Developing Hispanic Serving Institution (DHSI) Program at the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The award will be distributed to IU Northwest at $600,000 per year for the next five years.

INVEST (INspiring, Valuing, and Empowering Success Together) has three primary goals  improving retention and graduation rates; enhancing instruction; and building a culture of student success through strong leadership  delivered through three strategic components:

Student success interventions : Implementing programs, including a summer bridge course, a financial literacy module, and career exploration resources, to support students who experience lower levels of student success.

: Implementing programs, including a summer bridge course, a financial literacy module, and career exploration resources, to support students who experience lower levels of student success. Academic and student service investments : Developing active learning classrooms, creating a Student Success Center to integrate support services, and establishing an Office of Student Success to build a culture of success and assessment.

: Developing active learning classrooms, creating a Student Success Center to integrate support services, and establishing an Office of Student Success to build a culture of success and assessment. Professional development: Building faculty and staff excellence through professional development and resources to improve teaching and learning that optimizes student outcomes.

Franciscan Health Foundation Gala set for Oct. 29 at Field Museum

After cancelling in 2020 due to COVID-19 and hosting a virtual event last year, the Franciscan Health Foundation is pleased to announce the return of the annual gala, live and in-person, at The Field Museum in Chicago.

The Franciscan Health Foundation Gala will take place from 6-11 p.m. on Oct. 29 at The Field Museum, 1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. The event will feature a cocktail hour, four dinner stations, live music by the Connexion Band, dancing, a silent auction and fellowship. The Field Museum will also open its exhibits, allowing guests to explore during the celebration.

The silent auction is open to the public and participants do not need to attend the Gala to bid on auction items. The Franciscan Health Foundation is accepting donations for the silent auction through Oct. 14. Auction items can be viewed and bid upon online at https://qtego.net/qlink/franciscanhealth.

All of the proceeds from the event will be used to support the Community Health & Wellness Fund in the Northern Indiana and South Suburban Chicago Foundations.

Gala tickets are $300 each for the public, $250 for Franciscan Health co-workers at the director level or below. The registration deadline is Oct. 14. Registration is available online at https://www.franciscanhealthfoundation.org/2022Gala.
A man was arrested after police noticed a dog with a stab wound to its neck.

Pittsburgh police say officers were sent to an apartment complex at around 4:00 p.m on Reifert Street in Knoxville after blood was found in a hallway.

Court documents say police found blood on the carpet in an apartment and on the wall and door frame.

Officers swept the apartment but found no victims. They said they found more blood inside and a large kitchen knife with dried blood on it.

Police then received another call about a man causing a disturbance at the McDonalds on Brownsville Road.

When police arrived they found Trendon Mobley.

Police said Mobley was with a dog that had stab wounds and lacerations on its neck. The dog was taken to Animal Care and Control for emergency veterinary care.

The man was taken into custody and police said he later confirmed he lived in the apartment they were previously searching.

Court documents say Mobley told police he swung the knife at the dog because it bit him but police say there was no indication on his body that he was bitten.

Veterinarians later told police the dog had suffered extensive blunt force trauma to its head.

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A man was killed in an east Charlotte shooting early Sunday, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.

Around 1 a.m., officers responded to an armed robbery call for service in the 1900 block of Eastway Drive, CMPD said in a news release. At the scene, officers found a male who was fatally shot, the release said.

The victims name has not yet been released.

No other information was released, and investigators have not identified a suspect.

Police urge anyone with information about the homicide to call the CMPD homicide unit at 704-432-8477 or anonymously on the Crime Stoppers tip line at 704-334-1600.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO  SUNDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2022 17:23

Soldiers of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynskyi have seized the Kornet anti-tank missile system (ATGM) in the south of Ukraine; the invaders abandoned it during the retreat.

Source: Naval forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on Telegram

Quote: "Russian lend-lease continues the deliveries to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Among the latter is the Kornet ATGM.

The Ruscists were forced to leave this "unmatched weapon" for the servicemen of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynskyi. When they saw the Marines advancing on their positions in Ukraines South, they ran their best shoes as far as possible into their deep rear out of fear."

Details: The Navy added that the Marines are generous warriors, and they will definitely return these missiles to their owners, having burned several hostile tanks with them.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images

In Bethesda, Marylandone of Americas most affluent communitiessome of its residents live atop and park their cars on a Black American cemetery that has existed for more than a century.

For decades, the white residents of the area were largely unaware of the cemetery. Yet despite its existence being known today, the city government seems to prefer the truth to remain buried so that it can sell the land, including the remains of Black Americans, to developers for more than $50 million.

A cemetery that was more than a cemetery

In 1911, the descendants of formerly enslaved Marylanders built Moses Macedonia African Cemetery, and ever since it had been a vital piece in Bethesdas predominantly Black community along River Road.

The community was a great place to live during this time. We were a big happy community. Everybody loving everybody, said Harvey Matthews, who grew up on River Road in the 1950s.

How Gentrification Brings Over-Policing for D.C.s Black Residents

Matthews has fond memories playing hide and seek at Moses Macedonia African Cemetery, which neighbored his childhood home and was not far from Macedonia Baptist Church, where he is still a member. But the threat of racial violence and terror was never far away.

For River Roads Black community, the cemetery had also become its playground because the segregated public parks were off limits. Yet by the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Black communitys tranquility had been shattered by the growing presence of the Ku Klux Klan, and in just over a decade almost all traces of the Black community had been erased.

In response to the civil rights movement, the 1950s witnessed the third iteration of the KKK, but unlike the previous two iterations, this version of the KKK was decentralized and hyperlocal. Racist white Americans wore KKK hoods and robes, and terrorized Black communities without the need of a centralized organization. Despite the collapse of the KKK in the 1940s, it was reborn a decade later because its racist philosophy of terror still burned bright within segregationist Americans.

Story continues

Matthews family moved away from River Road in 1959 to escape the KKK.

Some of the same Montgomery County police officers, who were supposed to protect you, were the same people you saw when you got a peak at the Klansmen at night. We had no one to turn to for help, said Matthews to The Daily Beast. It was pure hell. You just had to live through it and pray that you would not lose your life.

A few hundred people gather outside Macedonia Baptist Church in a rally and march to try to preserve African American heritage on Feb. 12, 2017 in Bethesda, MD. Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images

In the 1960s, after the intimidation from the KKK, various government policies that priced out Black residents, and unscrupulous developers that tricked Black people into giving up their land, the Black community on River Road had disappeared. Soon thereafter, white Marylanders moved in and built Westwood Towers apartments upon Moses Macedonia African Cemetery.

Black Leaders Should Focus on Economic Mobility, Not Crime

During construction, all of the gravestones were bulldozed, and then as the foundation for the apartment complex was being dug, body parts were discovered.

Since the developers had always known that they were building upon a cemetery, the discovery of deceased Black bodies was more of an inevitable nuisance, rather than a deterrent or justification to stop construction. Instead of relocating the bodies, or engaging in countless other humane actions, the developers decided to encapsulate the bodies in asphalt and build a parking lot upon them.

For more than 50 years, residents in a luxurious apartment complexwhere rent can exceed $5,000 a monthhave been parking their cars and living on top of a Black cemetery.

Fighting for their ancestors

Right now, every day. Cars are parking on top of those bodies, Steven Lieberman, a partner at the law firm Rothwell, Figg, told The Daily Beast. I think most people would agree that thats a desecration.

Lieberman is representing the descendants of those buried in the Moses Macedonia African Cemetery and other community leaders (including Matthews) in a lawsuit against the Montgomery County Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC) over control of the land.

Additionally, his clients have also created a nonprofit called the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition (BACC) that has been raising awareness of this American atrocity and fighting to preserve the bodies of their ancestors.

In August 2021, on behalf of his plaintiffs, Lieberman filed a complaint in the Maryland circuit court to compel the HOC to comply with Maryland laws and not sell Westwood Towers to developers. Those Maryland laws require land ownersprior to selling the land of a cemetery or burial groundmust get approval from the court to do so. This approval process normally constitutes hearing the perspectives of the representatives of the deceased, and then the court determines a fair remedywhich can include blocking the sale.

In this case, the HOC attempted to ignore the statute and sell the cemetery to the highest bidder. In the summer of 2021, the HOC accepted a bid of $51 million from Charger Ventures LLC, and expected to complete the sale as early September 2021, prior to Lieberman and BACCs intervention.

On Oct. 25, 2021, Circuit Court Judge Karla N. Smith upheld the preliminary injunction to stop the sale, but the HOC appealed the decision and on Oct. 6, 2022, the HOC presented its case before a three-judge panel at the Maryland Court of Special Appeals for overturning the judges decision and selling the property. A decision is expected to be announced in the coming months.

An apartment building soars over a parking lot, believed to have been built over an African American cemetery, in Bethesda, MD on Jan. 27, 2017. Historians and activists fear that the areas history is literally being paved over by rampant development. Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post via Getty Images

For us, justice is that the land is transferred back to the descendent community and that the land would be used to build a museum and sacred space, Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, the president of the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition, told The Daily Beast. [The museum and sacred space] would be used for teaching future generations about both the genocide and erasure of the community and its culture, and the theft of land on River Road; and also the culture, history, accomplishments, and significance of the River Road community.

Four Lessons Georgia Democrats Can Learn From the History of Black Self-Governance in America

In her 2021 decision, Judge Smith stated that The Court cannot ignore that the Plaintiffs, African Americans, are seeking to preserve the memory of their relatives and those with whom they share a cultural affiliation. Nor can the Court ignore that as early as the 1930s when construction began in the River Road community, the deceased have been forgotten, forsaken, and their final resting places destroyed or, at a minimum, desecrated.

Following Judge Smiths decision, Charger Ventures LLC canceled its plans to purchase Westwood Towers because the deal could not be completed at the agreed upon time. However, they told the Bethesda Beat in November 2021 that Charger continues to express its strong interest in resuming negotiations to purchase the property.

According to Lieberman, the HOC is making an incredibly cruel argument in this case because they are claiming that due to the lack of gravestones or other documentation, the descendants cannot prove that their ancestors are buried there.

Yet even if the descendants could prove that their ancestors are in the cemetery, the HOC is also arguing that the descendants cannot prove that they are buried on the parcel of land that became the parking lot for Westwood Towers and, instead, their remains could reside on the adjacent properties that include a Starbucks, a Giant Food grocery store, a shopping mall, and a Whole Foods.

In essence, the HOC is attempting to use the desecration of Black bodies and graves from the past, as a justification for desecrating them in the present.

Marsha Coleman-Adebayo holds a protest sign during a meeting of Montgomery County Planning Board meeting in Silver Spring, MD on Feb. 16, 2017. Bill Turque/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Based on this barbarous argument, it is possible that this year a Maryland court may approve the sale of land housing the remains of hundreds of Black Americans in the name of economic growth, gentrification, and profit at the expense of Marylands Black residents and their ancestors.

But this court case only tells a fraction of the story of the Black residents of River Road, and the generational erasure of Black life in the name of white wealth.

Maryland still wont reckon with its slavery shame

In the 1800s, River Road was mostly plantations, and the land was worked by enslaved Africans. By 1860, nearly 13 percent of Marylands population was enslaved.

Despite being a slaveholding state, Maryland sided with the Union during the Civil War, while continuing to practice slavery. In fact, since the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 specifically referred to the Confederate states, the law did not take effect in Maryland. In 1864, Maryland held a constitutional convention, and abolished slavery in their new constitution.

During the 1800s, the plantation owners along River Road created a mass grave where all of them would dispose of the bodies of enslaved Africans. The location of this mass grave is not far from Westwood Towers and, in 2020, it was sold to a developer to create a self-storage facility. Currently, it is a large open pit next to a McDonalds, and both the government and developers claim to have not found any human remains. But BACC members insist they have proof that their ancestors are buried there, and that many of the remains that have been found in this mass grave are those of children.

Marylands New Black Leaders Must Leave The Wire Mentality in the Past to Move Forward

River Road continues to tell the story of the normalized displacement, terror, desecration, and erasure that often befalls Americas Black community in the name of white wealth.

From chattel slavery to Jim Crow and into the present, the struggle to preserve Black life and culture when confronted by white wealth and business development continues to plague American society. River Roads Black community tells the story of this struggle and the terror inflicted upon Black Americans, yet still today some Marylanders would prefer to erase this historyand keep business going as usual, while Black families are re-traumatized.

My mom, my dad, my grandparents, and the ones who have gone on to glory before me, they cant stand up there. They fought their fight back then. Im still here. Im still alive. I have my health and strength, said Matthews. I will fight like hell, as long as I have breath in my body, until this situation is resolved.

The Daily Beast has reached out to both Charter Ventures LLC and the Maryland HOC for comment. As of publication, neither party has responded.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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SAN DIEGO (AP)  Jack Browning kicked three field goals, including the go-ahead 26-yarder with 7 seconds to play, and San Diego State beat Hawaii 16-14 Saturday night.

Dedrick Parson scored on a 22-yard run to cap a seven-play, 80-yard drive and give give Hawaii its first lead of the game at 14-13 with 1:19 to play and, after the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, the Aztecs took possession at their own 35. Jalen Mayden was 5-for-5 passing for 50 yards as San Diego State quickly moved to the Hawaii 7 and then called timeout to set up for Browning's winner.

Browning made a 45-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the second quarter for San Diego State (3-3, 1-1 Mountain West Conference) and Mayden threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Byrd that made it 10-0 with 10:58 remaining in the third.

Hawaii (1-5, 0-1) answered less than 3 minutes later when Brayden Schager hit Zion Bowens  who finished with nine receptions for 108 yards  for a 66-yard touchdown catch-and-run.

Browning made a 30-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter that gave the Aztecs a 13-7 lead.

Mayden finished 24-of-36 passing for 322 yards.

___

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
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty

Over the past year, a number of prominent ministers and pastors have faced public disgrace. Jeremy Foster, the former leader of Hope City Church in Houston, Texasthe fastest growing church in Americaresigned in January when it emerged he was engaged in an affair. In March, Brian Houston, the co-founder and global pastor of the celebrity-endorsed Hillsong Church, resigned from his position after it emerged that complaints had been made about his conduct towards two women. And just last month it was revealed that Father Richard Murphy, an Irish-born priest who lived in Florida and died in 2020, had allegedly embezzled $1.5 million.

Corruption in the clergy is nothing new. From selling indulgences in medieval Europe to peddling sham healings in 19th-century America, there are many grifters who have made money off of God. Sexual abuse, harassment, and misconduct aside, profiteers remain a problem. What might come as a surprise is the realization that the phenomenon is nothing new.

The problem of a potentially fraudulent minister was more acute in antiquity than it was today. The social world of the ancient Mediterranean was governed by the cross-cultural principle of hospitality: you were supposed to extend generosity to strangers. In religious terms this was because celestial beings sometimes hid in human form as beggars or travelers, but in general hospitality was about a network of trust that kept people safe. Given that travel was the only way to deliver goods and messages, it was a civilizational building block. When you married these general rules about being nice to strangers to the Christian principle of treating your fellow Christians as family, there was a lot of pressure for people to welcome traveling ministers into their homes.

Were the Ancient Romans Obsessed With Dick Pics?

For a certain kind of person, however, this also presented an opportunity. An entrepreneur might be able to leverage these rules and regulations into not just free room and board, but also cold hard cash. Starting towards the end of the first century, therefore, Christians started to legislate around the problem. What happens if someone shows up, unannounced, and tells your community that they are a prophet? How do you decide if the person is a messenger of God or just someone out to make a quick buck.

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One text, composed around the end of the first or beginning of the second century and known as the Didache or the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, tackles the problem head on. At the time that it was written, the church was still finding its feet. It was a religious movement on the go, with preacherssometimes personal acquaintances of Jesustraveling the Empire. They used Roman roads to establish small assemblies of Jesus followers in urban areas dotted around the Mediterranean. Some of them had flashy spiritual giftsthe ability to prophesy, to heal, or to speak in tonguesand some were just enormously charismatic. The problem was one of authenticity. As anyone following the story of Anna Delvey or the Tinder Swindler knows, charm is also the chief skill of the confident trickster.

The solution offered by the Didache is a series of guidelines for evaluating self-proclaimed apostles, prophets, or religious teachers. The first is fairly straightforwarddo they know the basic tenets of Christian belief and follow the same sort of liturgical rituals? Its not so bad to supplement traditions, but those who contradict received tradition should be shunned. While some wandering ministers might have claimed ties to religious heroes, these claims were difficult to authenticate. Its not as if one could pick up a phone and find out if they had really interned with St. Peter. It was easier, therefore, to ground the authenticity of an individuals claim to leadership in their conduct. Did they acquit themselves in the manner befitting men of God? Did they have the right spiritual habits?

Then theres the financial issue. If a new arrival is in transit and wants to stay a single night, then he should be welcomed like Jesus, but if he wants to stay longer than two days, things start to get sticky. No one likes a freeloader. If they stay too long, then they have to get a job.

When a traveling apostle left the community, they were to be given nothing except for bread. This is striking because the audience of the Didache, like many early Christians, seemed to have practiced a sort of strong philanthropy or loose socialism: if a fellow Christian needed something then you should give it to them. This rule did not apply to potentially fraudulent traveling preachers. Apostles, according to the Gospels, should not carry purses or be amassing wealth (Mark 6:8; Matt. 10:8). According to the Didache, Christian leaders were supposed to practice what Aaron Milavec has called a kind of radical homelessness and trust that God would look after them. It was a bit of a red flag for an itinerant missionary to ask for funding.

So far, so good but there was one arena where the rules might go out the window and that was prophecy. What if a minister was overcome by the Holy Spirit and began to prophesy? And what if, in the midst of religious ecstasy, the prophet asked for money, food, a private jet or luxury mansion? The Didache has some strong feelings: anyone who asked for material possessions was blaspheming against the Spirit and was a fraud. The Gospels specify that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was an unforgivable sin.

Its worth noting that, in antiquity, the problem of fraudulent religious experts was not only a Christian one. The Roman writer Juvenal reports that there was a Judean High Priestess working on the streets of Rome who claimed to be able to interpret oracles and the law (given that ancient Judaism does not appear to have permitted female priests, some details of her biography feel far-fetched). The Syrian writer Lucian of Samosata devoted a whole workAlexander the False Prophetto trashing the wonder-worker Alexander of Abonoteichus. Lucian writes that Alexander had dispatched representatives to foreign countries to advertise the shrine he had established to the snake-god Glycon. Though Lucian depicts this oracle as nothing more than a glorified sock-puppet, Alexander was a genuine ancient celebrity. The risk of frauds was everywhere.

Does an Ancient Ring Found in a Shipwreck Depict Jesus Christ?

While the guidelines in the Didache might seem a little austeredont people have to eat?they certainly safeguard Christian communities from predatory pastors looking to exploit their good will. A study by Todd Johnson, Professor of Mission and Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, reported that in 2013 Ecclesiastical Crime accounted for $37 billion worldwide (approximately six percent of giving to churches worldwide). As criminal justice expert Walter Pavlo put it for Forbes, Fraud is thriving in U.S. churches. Perhaps if modern churches were a little more careful about evaluating the financial and personal conduct of their leaders, they wouldnt find themselves in such difficulties.

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Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called President Joe Biden's warning of "Armageddon" amid nuclear threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin "reckless."

"When you hear the president talking about Armageddon as a random thought just using it at a fundraiser, that is a terrible risk to the American people if he truly believes that he ought to be out talking to us in a serious way," Pompeo said on "Fox News Sunday."

Pompeo added that it would have been better for the Biden administration to be diplomatic in warning Putin to understand the ramifications of nuclear weapons.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Putin has issued veiled warnings that he could use nuclear weapons to defend Russia. His most recent comments came late last month, as he issued a call-up of troops, adding Russia would use all the means at our disposal to protect his country.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Capitol Hill on April 21, 2021.

Biden said at a fundraiser Thursday that the risk of nuclear weapons at Armageddon is at the highest level since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. He warned that Putin's threat is real because his real "because his military is  you might say  significantly underperforming."

Consequences for Russia: 'Catastrophic consequences for Russia' if Putin uses nukes, top US official says: Ukraine updates

White House National Security Council coordinator John Kirby defended Biden's comments on ABC News' "This Week" on Sunday, adding that the president was "accurately reflecting the fact that the stakes are very high right now," referring to Putin's threat of nuclear weapons.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pompeo: Biden's 'Armageddon' remark was 'reckless'
TALLINN, Estonia  Early retirement is a strange way to describe a 44-year-olds acceptance of a new government role, but for Mikk Marran, Estonias spymaster, it feels a lot like that. As of next month he will no longer helm Valisluureamet, the Baltic states foreign intelligence service, which, long before Vladimir Putins faltering invasion of Ukraine, was at the forefront of assessing the threats and capabilities of a resurgent and revanchist Russia.

Seven years, its a long time, Marran tells me from his modest office in a modern new building contained within a small fortress complex in the Rahumae district of Tallinn, the countrys capital. The other day I calculated how many CIA directors Ive met during my term as a director: four, plus two MI6 directors. Im the most senior foreign intelligence chief in the circle right now. And I'm probably the youngest still.

Estonia shares a 183-mile border with Russia. Roughly twice the size of New Jersey, with just 1.3 million people, a quarter of them ethnic Russians, it has long occupied a frontline position in the Wests new Cold War with Moscow. Every year it catches and convicts Russian spies or disrupts Russian-orchestrated operations on its soil. Since the new Cold War turned hot in February, Estonias Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has been an outspoken champion of Ukraines military victory, and her government has put its money where its mouth is: Nearly 1% of Estonias gross domestic product has been spent on security assistance to Kyiv in the form of Javelin anti-tank missiles, howitzers and more. Less well-advertised is how integral Estonian intelligence has been in helping Ukraine outmaneuver Russia on the battlefield, in ways seen and unseen.

Demonstrators with Ukrainian and Estonian national flags gather for a rally in support of Ukraine, in Tallinn, Estonia. (AP/Raul Mee)

According to one former high-ranking U.S. intelligence officer, Estonia punches far above its weight on Russian affairs. The respect for Marran and his service in the U.S. intelligence community is quite palpable. He is regularly invited to officials homes when he visits the United States, a privilege not accorded to directors of other allied services.

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Marran was appointed director in January 2016 at age 37, having held virtually every role in Estonias defense sector prior to that, from desk officer to permanent secretary of the Ministry of Defense  to which the Valisluureamet is subservient  to head of foreign espionage. Given the neighborhood Estonia is in, that has meant a singular focus on spying on a single adversary. The bigger intelligence services all have Russia houses, Marran says. We are a Russia house. Eighty-five to 90% of what we monitor is our nextdoor neighbor.

Marran hardly wears the years of a turbulent tenure, one that has seen Russian election interference campaigns, a spate of Russian assassinations and sabotage operations on NATO soil, and multiple Russian wars in the Middle East, North Africa, and now Europe. Clean-shaven, well-tailored, and immaculately groomed, he cuts a conspicuously different figure  more hedge fund manager than intelligence chief  from his more mature counterparts, particularly the Americans. Notable CIA directors have recently included David Petraeus, the gaunt four-star general subsisting on little sleep and one meal a day; Leon Panetta, the jowly, bespectacled egghead and walnut farmer; and now Bill Burns, with his nimbus of white hair and wispy pencil mustache, almost embodies a recovering matinee idol  a wintry Errol Flynn. Having met Marran occasionally over the past seven years, I realize this is the first time Ive ever seen him without a tie on.

He is leaving three years shy of his allowed decade for a seemingly counterintuitive assignment: chairman of the board of Estonias State Forest Management Center, a state-owned, for-profit environmental company. Marran applied for the corporate gig thinking hed never get it but come in second or third. When he got the job, he knew hed regret it if he didnt accept.

One of Valisluureamet's intelligence reports from 2018. (Screenshot: valisluureamet.ee)

Most people in the worlds second oldest profession tend to continue in a similar vein in the private sector, capitalizing on the knowledge and connections theyve acquired. They join prestigious law firms, private intelligence firms or corporate due diligence shops. Forestry seems a curious offramp, not that a flat woodland nation doesnt require plenty of upkeep in that department. As Estonia is basically covered with forests, I will be responsible for a third of the territory of the country, more than half of the forests of Estonia.

I ask if there isnt a metaphor buried somewhere in this professional homecoming, given that Marran has been in charge of keeping tabs on every place but Estonia for so long. Or perhaps he thinks its mission accomplished after a career of warning the West, often in vain, of Putins dark designs for Europe. He admits to feeling more than a little vindicated by recent events.

We tried to inform our partners and different leaders many, many years ago, he says. But, of course, some of them thought that we are typical schizophrenic Balts who just scream about Russia. So I dont know whether they didnt believe us or whether they didnt want to believe us, but now everything is on the table.

Marran has overseen people who have been in Valisluureamet for almost 30 years, nearly the entirety of its existence, since Estonia became independent again following the collapse of the Soviet Union, which invaded the Baltics in 1940 as part of a deal between Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler to carve up Eastern Europe. I have never met an Estonian who doesnt somehow consider their collective trauma of the not-too-distant past as part of their identity: the Stalinist deportations of grandparents or parents, the suppression of Estonian culture, and the ever-present fear that someday, if they are not careful, it might all return. If Ukraines war is existential, Estonias espionage is, too.

Our people understand the [Russian] mindset, they still have the language capabilities and they can put the puzzle pieces together, I think, in a better way than anyone else in the world, Marran tells me. I would say that we also re-educated, or educated, some of our partners. Now its more of a discussion and comparing notes between different services. So its a nice feeling.

Soldiers board a military plane in an undisclosed French city to take part in Operation Thunder Lynx, in which 100 paratroopers were deployed above Estonian territory. (French Army via AP)

As is the fact that the West is more united than it has ever been in the last 30 years or so. And the man to thank for that resides in the Kremlin. Putin has helped us by coming up with new incentives or ideas that are totally crazy from the European point of view, Marran says.

This is certainly true up to a point, but Putin still curries influence with far-right ideologues in Europe, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. And Europe is still widely dependent on Russian oil and gas. Putin aims to whittle away at European consensus on sanctions and his own geopolitical isolation by exacting prohibitively high costs for them. Its the one war of attrition he may still be capable of winning. Energy prices are set to rise even higher this winter, now that OPEC has joined with Russia in agreeing to cut its daily production levels by 2 million barrels.

Marran, though, is sanguine. He believes Europe can and will weather an especially cold winter. Our populations have been warned already that its going to be difficult and expensive, but we need to survive because its a war situation. He is fond of the refrain used to justify Estonias outsize military assistance to Ukraine that every Russian tank destroyed in Ukraine is one less Russian tank that could someday invade Estonia. Valisluureamet also provides real-time actionable intelligence on Russias war machine with seemingly less hesitation than other Western services. Every bit and piece we collect that might help Ukraine, we just give it to them.

Behind this reflexive assistance lies moral obligation wedded to utilitarianism wedded to a unique form of survivors guilt: Ukraines profound misfortune, and dramatic battlefield success, has unintentionally bolstered Estonias security. Putins war is flailing so badly that few observers think he could invade another neighbor anytime soon, let alone a NATO member. He recently yanked as many as 24,000 of the 30,000 soldiers formerly stationed along Russias western flank to replenish crippling personnel losses in Ukraine, losses that Kyiv estimates to be in excess of 60,000. Furthermore, NATO is far more alive to the day-one requirements of any invocation of its Article V collective security clause than it has been in the past. President Biden recently reiterated that the U.S. military would defend every inch of NATO land. This includes Estonia, a member since 2004, and long considered a tripwire state in any hypothetical Russian attack, given its proximity to Russia.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meets with troops at an airbase in Tallinn, Estonia. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP)

The worlds largest military alliance is in good shape in the region, Marran affirms, noting that Western troops now train daily with Baltic ones. NATO is also set to expand, again thanks to Putin, with the anticipated accession of Sweden and Finland. This twinned membership will transform the Gulf of Finland into what he calls an internal NATO lake. The broader Baltic Sea, which houses some of Russias most strategic sealanes and ports, is set to be fully ringed by NATO members.

Valisluureamet publishes a yearly unclassified report filled with insights on Russian military maneuvers, intelligence services and cybersecurity operations, an Estonian bailiwick ever since a crippling 2007 cyberattack that was widely attributed to Russian hackers. These reviews are said to be read religiously at CIA. Chapter one of the 2022 edition, published on Feb. 15, less than two weeks before Putins invasion of Ukraine, was titled Russia is Ready for War.

On Ukraine, Valisluureamet has been more bullish from the outset on Kyivs chances to withstand a Russian war of conquest than were many other intelligence services in NATO, which anticipated the collapse of Ukraines conventional army, the loss of its air force and a recourse to partisan warfare. That assessment fed directly into policymaking  namely, the reluctance of the Biden administration to equip Ukraine with the heavy offensive Western firepower it now sends in waves of billion-dollar security assistance packages. But even now the White House has its limits; it has refused to directly dispatch long-range artillery missiles out of fear that they might be used to hit targets inside Russian territory and escalate the war.

Marran believes this U.S. barrier is misguided. I think the West should kind of get over this self-limitation that we should limit the weapons systems or ammunition to 80 kilometers or 40 kilometers. Keep in mind, all the NATO arms sent there are now being tested in wartime. So we have a self-interest in giving Ukraine what they ask for. But Im convinced well get there, eventually. We are light years from where we were on Feb. 24.

Ukrainian soldiers fire at Russian positions from a U.S.-supplied M777 Howitzer in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. (AP/Efrem Lukatsky)

Estonia has been closely advising Ukraines intelligence services since 2014, the year of Russias initial invasion and occupation, and the dividends of that advice are now demonstrable on the battlefield. In the past several weeks Ukraine has recaptured more than 4,000 square miles of terrain, not only in the northeast of the country but now also in the south. Russian frontlines are collapsing in Kherson, whose provincial capital was the first major population center to fall to Moscow in the opening days of the war. And despite Putins heralded annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, his army is losing ground in all four districts to simultaneous Ukrainian combined-arms offensives. Just yesterday, Ukraine somehow partially collapsed the Kerch Bridge  one of Putins prize projects  which connects Russia to occupied Crimea.

The more Russia is defeated, the louder the chorus of voices grows advocating Ukraine negotiate the terms of its conditional surrender. Everyone from Elon Musk to Pope Francis has lately urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to enter into negotiations with Moscow. But the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians are against any ceasefire that entails giving their land to an invading force that theyre pushing farther back every day.

Marran cautions that advising Ukraine to enter peace negotiations is strategically backward. It is our job as intel services to give correct information assessments to our leadership. And our assessment is that we shouldnt push Ukraine to any negotiations because that will send a message to Putin that things will go his way, and he will start slicing the sausage.

But what of the worst-case scenarios now being advanced in the West, such as Putins potential use of a tactical nuclear weapon or some other nonconventional means of halting or reversing Ukraines advances? Biden recently told the crowd at a New York Democratic fundraiser, We have not faced the prospect of armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis. The cliche in U.S. foreign policy discourse that a cornered Putin is a more dangerous Putin. Marran sees it in reverse. I would say that it is better for us to see him in the corner than outside of it, where hell have more options to deal with the West. I think thats what hes hoping for. I would let him stay in the corner.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a videoconference. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

As to the nuclear option, a grim contingency for which Estonia could easily suffer more of the literal and figurative fallout than many other European countries, Marran isnt panicking. In fact, he exhibits calm. First of all, I am quite sure that all the major services are following the situation in Russia around the nuclear depots. Second, NATOs nuclear posture is ready to deal with that scenario. Third, I would say that even China and India will have a quite harsh response, at least rhetorically, in case Russia detonates a nuclear bomb. Putin will risk losing his only friends if he does that.

Estonias assessment of Ukraines defensive potential closely tracked with that of Ukraines own estimation of itself. Right up until the bombs started falling nearly eight months ago, many in Kyiv at high levels of government refused to acknowledge that Putin would pull the trigger, although in hindsight they were arguably wrong for the right reasons. They calculated that this would be a calamity for the Russians. Might Kyiv one day serve as the destination capital for Western intelligence officers seeking to be tutored in Ukraines tradecraft rather than the other way around?

Marran sees parallels with Estonias post-Soviet trajectory, but ranks Ukraines potential as even higher thanks to its more recent and hard-won sacrifices. Ukraine was still cooperating a bit with the Russian services before 2014, when Russia invaded and illegally annexed Crimea, he says. So basically, they still know the people and they still know the procedures, and so its much easier for them to understand the Russian way of doing things, collecting intel information. In that sense, they could even have a better experience than we do. When the war ends, I think that there will be a long line of intel services who want to learn from Ukraine.

A U.S. military fighter jet participates in a NATO practice mission near Tallinn, Estonia. (Mindaugas Kulbis/AP)

How will the war end?

Ukraine is going to win, Marran says without hesitation. They have to win because for Ukraine, its an independence war. Its not just a regional conflict, and thats why they are highly motivated. Though he is less certain of when, exactly, that victory will come.

By running raw manpower into the meat grinder of war, Putin can prolong the fighting. My father was fond of the expression Nado, Fedya, nado, Marran says, quoting a line from the hit 1965 Soviet comedy Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures. Literally it means its necessary, Fedya, its necessary, but it connotes a sense of implacable stubbornness in the face of extreme adversity.

The Russians are like this, and we shouldnt underestimate their ability to press on when others would give up. The first conscripts who will arrive, or have already arrived, at the war zone are the easiest targets for Ukrainians, but itll likely be a kind of a Darwinist cycle of events. The ones that survive the first months will learn how to do the job and theyll become better soldiers because Nado, Fedya, nado.
While appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! during its stint in Brooklyn, Ukrainian-born actress Mila Kunis was booed by the show's audience.

On the program to promote her new Netflix thriller, "Luckiest Girl Alive," Kunis began lamenting over a near wardrobe malfunction, as she did not have a bra or underwear to go with her outfit, which featured a transparent dress.

Kimmel, who typically tapes his show from Los Angeles, said to Kunis, "You seem like you could be a New Yorker, but you're not a New Yorker, right?"

As the 39-year-old began to answer, she was immediately taken aback by someone in the crowd booing her, to which she retorted, "What? Who booed?"

MILA KUNIS, ASHTON KUTCHER RAISE OVER $30M FOR UKRAINE, AIM FOR NEW GOAL: 'PLEASE DON'T STOP DONATING'

Mila Kunis appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and was booed by fans in Brooklyn. Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images

The actress was a good sport about it, joking with Kimmel, "What's wrong with your audience? Very New York of you, very New York."

She discussed her emigration to the United States as a child from Ukraine and how she ventured through New York to secure proper citizenship. She recounted staying in a hotel in Brooklyn where she had her first burger and Coca-Cola for the first time, but much to the audience's chagrin, no pizza.

Mila Kunis discussed emigrating from Ukraine at a young age with her family. During the process, she went through New York City and had her first burger and Coca-Cola. Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images

MILA KUNIS OPENS UP ABOUT HOW SHE AND ASHTON KUTCHER DEALT WITH HIS HEALTH SCARE: 'JUST POWER THROUGH'

Kunis did, however, grow up on Los Angeles pizza, as her father was a delivery man in the city.

"Just to get another boo," she said, "It was Domino's pizza." She was swiftly met with intense disappointment from the crowd. "This is like a symphony of boos and ahhs," she laughed.

As a final dagger, the mom-of-two revealed that she didn't even like pizza, which horrified the crowd as well as Kimmel.

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Mila Kunis stars in a new Netflix film, "Luckiest Girl Alive" adapted from a novel with the same name, written by Jessica Knoll. Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix

She shared that the ultimate irony was that her husband Ashton Kutcher bought her a pizza oven for their anniversary, requiring her to make pizza all the time.
Montgomery County will be holding a fall job fair at Sinclair Community College today.

The job fair will take place from noon until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, October 18th in Building 12 at Sinclair on 444 W. Third St.

>>Dayton Public Schools superintendent named Ohio Superintendent of the Year

Nearly 100 local employers will be featured, according to a spokesperson for the county.

There will be staff available to review resumes, print additional copies of resumes, as well as offer other assistance to job seekers, according to a press release.

You can register for the fair on the Ohio Means Jobs website.




Indiana Appeals Court Bailiff Samantha Crowe holds a sign during the courts Appeals on Wheels program at Portage High School in Portage, Indiana Thursday October 6, 2022. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

It is so great to be back, said Portage High School graduate and Judge of the Indiana Court of Appeals Nancy Harris Vaidik, who came home to hear an oral argument Thursday afternoon at her alma mater as part of a program called Appeals on Wheels. I got a tour of the school from a great group of students. I had never seen the school beyond the gym or auditorium. When I went to Portage, we were at what is now Willowcreek, said Vaidik.

Joining Judge Vaidik were two other Northern Indiana natives, Judge Terry Crone from South Bend, and Judge Elizabeth Tavitas from Munster. The three judges heard the appellate case of Crabtree vs. State of Indiana in the Portage High School auditorium.

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This is our traveling oral argument and civil education initiative, said Anne Fuchs, Communications Director for the Indiana Court of Appeals. Its an opportunity to connect with students and other organizations throughout the State. You can see a real case in real time, and learn how the judicial system works.

Indiana Appeals Court Judge Nancy Vaidik asks a question during the courts Appeals on Wheels program at Portage High School in Portage, Indiana Thursday October 6, 2022. Students in social studies, government and civics classes were invited to watch the program. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

Portage High School Government teacher, Phil Mulroe, was instrumental in getting Appeals on Wheels to Portage High School. Its one thing for me to talk about what happens, but it is another for the students to actually see in person how this works, said Mulroe.

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The case involved the suppression of evidence found in a hotel room and whether the entry into the hotel room was improper, and the police officers had probable cause to enter. (Crabtree v. State of Indiana 21A-CR-2752)

Prior to the start of the oral argument, Ms. Fuchs reminded students to turn off cell phones, remove hats and hoodies, and stay quiet, just like they would if they were in an actual Courtroom. On the stage in the auditorium were four tables: one for the three judges, one for the Appellants/attorney for Ms. Crabtree, one for the States Attorney, and one for the Bailiff.

Students and staff watch during the Indiana Appeals Courts courts Appeals on Wheels program at Portage High School in Portage, Indiana Thursday October 6, 2022. Students in social studies, government and civics classes were invited to watch the program. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

It was cool to see the attorney try to persuade the Judges to see things like he sees them, said senior Mark Norris. You really have to know your stuff and be confident to get up there and talk like that.

You can tell how intelligent they are, they kept everyone engaged in what was going on. The lawyers keep each other on their toes, said senior Emerson Ross.

Indiana Appeals Court Judge Nancy Vaidik, center, takes a question along with fellow judges Elizabeth Tavitas and Terry Crone at Portage High School during the courts Appeals on Wheels program in Portage, Indiana Thursday October 6, 2022. Vaidik is a graduate of Portage High School. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

Senior Brooke Trinidad was impressed by the attorneys: You can see how much they love their job, and they did not get scared, even though the Judges were asking a lot of questions

Following the sound of the gavel ending the hearing, the three judges came out to the front of the stage to address the students and answer any questions they had, as long as they did not specifically refer to the case.

Appellate Counsel Zach Stock during the Indiana Appeals Courts Appeals on Wheels program at Portage High School in Portage, Indiana Thursday October 6, 2022. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

Their ruling will be available in approximately 60 days.

It will be fun to refresh the website waiting to read the decision and talk about it in class, said Mulroe.
BANGKOK (AP)  Heavy seasonal rains again pounded much of Thailand on Sunday, causing continued widespread flooding, particularly in the northeast and central regions.

In the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani, almost 20,000 people have been moved into 85 temporary shelters as floodwaters overwhelmed more than 1,000 villages, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported.

The provincial Chamber of Commerce estimated 5 billion baht ($133 million) of economic damage from the flooding, as residents complained that they received little assistance for their plight, which saw floodwaters penetrate central urban areas.

More than 200,000 households in total in 54 provinces have been hit by floods over 10 days until Saturday, according to the disaster agency.

Flooding is a seasonal problem in Thailand but this year it has been exacerbated by the remnants of Tropical Storm Noru, which swept through in the last week of September, and the southwest monsoon in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.

Authorities recently warned that the capital, Bangkok, and other provinces along the Chao Phraya River could face severe threats as the volume of water flowing from upstream is more than can be contained in the river and dams.

As the major dams reach their capacities, the authorities are forced to release water, which in turn raises levels in rivers downstream.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Sunday said President Biden was right to raise the risk of nuclear conflict with Russia after the president last week warned of the Kremlins escalating threats as armageddon.

Bidens remark came days after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened the West with using tactical nuclear weapons as the country attempts to annex four Ukrainian territories, saying it is not a bluff.

I think the president is right to raise the risk of nuclear conflict, because Vladimir Putin is increasingly getting pushed into a corner, Murphy told CNN State of the Union co-anchor Jake Tapper.

This war is going incredibly badly for him, the mobilization that he has undertaken has backfired, Murphy, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said.

Putins annexation of the four territories, located in Ukraines east and south, came after Ukrainian forces saw success in a counteroffensive that reclaimed thousands of square miles of territory.

Putin responded by calling up 300,000 reservists to bolster Russias military operation while simultaneously making the nuclear threats.

Biden during a Democratic fundraiser on Thursday referenced Putins recent comments, saying we have not faced the prospect of armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Murphy on CNN said he agreed with Biden administration officials who have publicly stressed there are no signs that Russia is imminently moving to use its nuclear arsenal, but the Connecticut Democrat warned that Putin is a dangerous man.

I think Joe Biden is right to just get this country ready for the fact that you are dealing with an incredibly dangerous human being in Russia, Murphy said. The wars going badly, and you just cant predict what hes going to do next.

Putins escalating rhetoric comes as he increasingly faces some resistance from within Russia following the countrys failures in Ukraine.

Thousands of Russian nationals attempted to flee the country on flights or through land borders after Putins partial mobilization announcement, including two who arrived on a boat in Alaska last week claiming asylum from being drafted.

Since the Kremlins annexation, Ukrainian forces have continued making gains in the territory Russia now lays claim to, causing further embarrassment for the Russian president as the war in Ukraine continues through its eighth month.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Days after weighing in on the Ukraine war, tech billionaire Elon Musk suggested establishing a special administrative zone around the self-governing island of Taiwan in a new interview, angering Taipei while earning a thank-you from Beijing.

In an interview with the Financial Times published Friday, Musk discussed how a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would disrupt the global economy and his electric car business, Tesla, which has a factory in Shanghai.

Musk said his recommendation would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable.

That probably wont make everyone happy, he said in the interview. And its possible, and I think probably, in fact, that they could have an arrangement thats more lenient than Hong Kong.

Hong Kong won independence from England in 1997 and is governed under the one country, two systems rule, allowing it to ostensibly operate independently from China. In the past two years, however, Beijing-backed leaders have orchestrated a brutal crackdown on dissent in the city-state.

Musks comment on Taiwan drew the ire of several Taiwanese lawmakers over the weekend.

Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Wang Ting-yu wrote in a Facebook post that individual independent companies cannot take their ownership as a joke, according to the Taipei Times.

So why should they casually pass off the democratic freedoms, sovereignty and way of life of 23 million Taiwanese? the lawmaker wrote. It is not acceptable for Ukraine, and Taiwan certainly will not allow it.

Other lawmakers criticized his comments as tone deaf and said Taiwan needs to protect its sovereign rights amid threats of a Chinese invasion, which became more pronounced in August after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) traveled to the island in a show of support and provoked Beijing.

Musks Taiwan proposal  which came just days after he offered a similarly controversial solution on how to end the war in Ukraine, suggesting Kyiv cede some territory and agree to never join NATO  was greeted more enthusiastically by China.

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Qin Gang, the Chinese ambassador to the U.S., tweeted that he would like to thank [Elon Musk] for his call for peace.

Actually, Peaceful reunification and One Country, Two Systems are our basic principles for resolving the Taiwan question, the ambassador wrote.

Musk, who has activated Starlink satellites in Ukraine to provide internet access amid the war, told the Financial Times that Beijing sought assurances he would not roll out the Starlink service in China.

President Biden has repeatedly made diplomatic waves in recent months with his pledges to send U.S. troops to help defend Taiwan in case of a Chinese invasion.

U.S. officials have insisted that the administration stands by the One China policy and the Taiwan Relations Act, which acknowledges Taiwan is a part of China but allows America to maintain ties and help defend the island nation.

The U.S. Senate passed a bill out of committee last month that would authorize $4.5 billion to Taipei over the course of four years and designate the country as a major non-NATO ally.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
By Andres Gonzalez, Svea Herbst-Bayliss and David Randall

LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Elon Musk's $44 billion Twitter takeover saga comes with all the drama necessary to be immortalised in case studies for future captains of industry, as the tycoon's on-off pursuit of the social media platform and unique management style make for a union like no other.

The chief executive of electric car maker Tesla Inc performed a U-turn by proposing to buy Twitter at the agreed price having spent months trying to get out of the deal, just as a Delaware Court was getting ready to rule on the standoff.

"This is unique in many cases," said Arturo Bris, Professor of Finance and Director of IMD World Competitiveness Center. "It is definitely a business school case study. Because it's about poison pills, breakup fees, lawsuits, hostility."

While there are examples of acrimonious or hostile takeovers such as AOL-Time Warner and Sanofi-Aventis-Genzyme, here the world's richest man - who has long used his own Twitter account to press for more freedom of speech - is working to impose his will on another corporation.

Musk's attempt to take over Twitter is "a gift to professors and students", said Joshua White, a professor at Vanderbilt University, calling the situation "unprecedented".

UNIQUE STYLE

"Frankly I hate doing mgmt stuff," Musk wrote in a text message to Twitter Chief Executive Parag Agrawal in the run up to making an offer for the company, according to legal documents related to the battle.

"I kinda don't think anyone should be the boss of anyone," he wrote, while another message noted he could "interface way better with engineers who are able to do hardcore programming than with program manager/MBA types".

While the messages reflect his unusual approach to running a business, taking control of Twitter will mean managing it, at least initially. Musk has said he would take the reins as CEO but only until he finds a new executive with expertise in the media industry.

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"What is to come is unclear," said Donna Hitscherich, a Columbia Business School professor.

Musk did not respond to a request for comment on the challenges of running the company after such a contentious deal. Twitter declined to comment.

Academics and analysts say Musk should focus on restructuring the social media company's business model after second-quarter revenue dropped amid the court battle and a weakening digital advertising market.

Musk has hinted at wanting to turn Twitter into what he called an "everything app" like the wildly popular WeChat in China which offers everything from banking to chatting. That will be difficult, analysts said, especially in the United States where consumers are already well served by multiple services.

Whether or how Musk pulls it off remains to be seen. What analysts and academics can agree on is that considerable energy and momentum could be sapped by what they forecast will be heavy turnover among Twitter's staff and senior management.

Musk spent months criticising the company's management and complaining about salaries, what he perceived as political bias and automated 'bot accounts' - of which he thinks there are many more than Twitter estimates.

Addressing employees directly in June, he said there needed to be "rationalisation of headcount and expenses" while stressing that staff, who currently have relatively free rein to choose where they work, should lean towards working in an office.

One thing is for sure: Musk is going to receive huge attention and scrutiny as he figures out how to run Twitter. Success or failure, it will be an instant business school classroom staple, experts say.

"I'm really, really looking forward to the end," said Bris. "So I can teach this case in class."

(Reporting by Andres Gonzalez, Svea Herbst-Bayliss and David Randall; additional reporting by Sheila Dang and Hyun Joo Jin; Editing by Matt Scuffham, Megan Davies, Kirsten Donovan)
Republican Rep. Don Bacon, up for reelection in a competitive seat in Nebraska, said Sunday he supports a federal abortion ban "on principle" after 15 weeks  reflecting a difference from a common Republican position for decades, that abortion should be decided at the state level.

"The voters get to decide. They get to decide by selecting representatives at the state and the federal level," Bacon said on NBC's "Meet the Press," when asked by host Kristen Welker about his current position that the issue should be decided federally. "But on principle, I believe in the humanity of the unborn child."

Abortion rights advocates have argued that a 15-week abortion ban proposed by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) reveals that Republicans would pass a national ban if given the chance, rather than leave the issue up to the states, as the recent Supreme Court decision Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization makes possible. Republicans have found themselves straddling a fine line on the subject.

Graham's bill divided Republicans when he presented it last month, with some maintaining that the issue should be left up to the states. It also came at a moment in which abortion has been seen as politically disadvantageous to Republicans, who are trying to win back majorities in the House and Senate in November.

Bacon acknowledged it's unlikely the Senate will be able to pass Graham's bill  or any pro-abortion rights legislation, for that matter  given the 60-vote threshold for passing most legislation. For that reason, "most of these decisions are going to be made at the state level," Bacon said.

The Nebraska congressman also said he supports Herschel Walker's campaign for Senate in Georgia "for policy positions." Walker, who is running in a close race against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and opposes abortion rights, faced allegations last week that he paid for a girlfriend's abortion, along with attacks on him by his son, Christian Walker.

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"Herschel needs to come clean and just be honest," Bacon said of the abortion allegations, which Walker has denied. "We also know that we all make mistakes and its just better, if this actually did happen, say, 'I'm sorry.'" POLITICO has not independently confirmed the allegations, reported by the Daily Beast.

However, Bacon added, "This is ultimately going to come down to positions."

POLITICO has listed Bacons own reelection race against state Sen. Tony Vargas as a toss-up. Bacon received 51 percent of the vote in his race two years ago.
No. 1 Alabama escaped with a 24-20 win over Texas A&M on Saturday night despite four turnovers and two missed field goals.

Texas A&M got to the Alabama 2-yard-line with three seconds left thanks to a pass interference call in the end zone on what would have been a game-sealing interception. But Haynes Kings pass to the right pylon was high and wide and incomplete.

King was looking for freshman Evan Stewart, who was in single coverage at the goal line. Stewart had made an amazing catch in double coverage earlier in the drive and had been A&M's best wide receiver throughout the game.

It was a call that didn't thrill Heisman winner and former Texas A&M star Johnny Manziel.

One of the worst calls Ive ever seen in my life. You have one play to beat the #1 team in the country and thats what we run  Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) October 9, 2022

The Crimson Tide didnt have star quarterback Bryce Young on Saturday night. Young missed the game after spraining the AC joint in his right throwing shoulder in Week 5 against Arkansas. He warmed up in full uniform but didn't throw any passes during pregame routines. That gave Jalen Milroe the start, and he fumbled twice in the first half and also threw an interception.

A&M could have pulled the upset easily if it wasnt for the same offensive struggles that have plagued the Aggies all season long. A&M did a good job capitalizing on Alabamas turnovers  the game was tied 14-14 after A&M turned short fields from Milroe fumbles into touchdowns  but was unable to sustain much other offensive success.

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King threw for 253 yards  the most hes thrown for against an FBS opponent this season. But he needed 46 passing attempts to achieve that yardage total and completed just 25 of them with two touchdowns and one interception. A&M averaged less than five yards per play as it struggled to get anything going on the ground. King was also pressured consistently by Alabamas defensive line. The Tide had over a dozen quarterback hurries in the game.

That defensive effort was needed because of Alabamas offensive struggles. Milroe was just 12-of-19 passing for 111 yards and Alabama had to do most of its damage on the ground. The Tide rushed for 288 yards to A&Ms 70 as Jahmyr Gibbs rushed 21 times for 154 yards and Milroe had 83 rushing yards himself.

The game looked a lot like the 2021 matchup between the two teams did. A&M won that game with a field goal as time expired after scoring 10 points in the final three minutes of the game. The Aggies got a heroic performance from backup quarterback turned starter Zach Calzada a season ago as he was great over the final minutes of the game.

But while A&M closed the deal a season ago, it couldnt do that in 2022 despite Alabamas struggles. Will Reichard missed two second-half field goals as 10 of Alabamas drives failed to end with points.

Alabama fans are sure hoping that Young is healthy enough to return it what could be an epic matchup with Tennessee in a week. The Vols are 6-0 after beating LSU and itll be the first matchup with both teams ranked in the top 10 since 2016. Alabama won that game in Knoxville 49-10 as part of an ongoing 15-game win streak in the series. Nick Saban has never lost to Tennessee in his Alabama tenure. If Young doesnt return in a week, that streak could be in serious jeopardy based on how well the Vols are playing.
Lora Brooks has lived on her boat at the Fort Myers Yacht Basin since July 2017. It's her only home that she shares with her two cats, Nemo and Mimi.

She was told Friday morning she needs to leave her home on the water in downtown Fort Myers and find somewhere else to stay because the marina was deemed unsafe and uninhabitable.

Everyone, including the nearly 40 people whose boats are their primary residences, was told to leave the area Friday morning by officials including code enforcement, fire marshal inspectors and police.

"I have no place to go," Brooks said. "I feel hopeless, angry. They said that the boats can stay but we cannot.

Lora Brooks, left, is a liveaboard at the Fort Myers Yacht Basin and does not want to leave despite the city claiming the marina is severely damaged and uninhabitable on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022.

"You spend your tax dollars on stuff that's supposed to maintain your surroundings," she added. "You pay your rent to people that are supposed to keep up your surroundings and keep your home area safe. And then you're let down and told you just gotta go."

Weathering the storm: Boat residents have harrowing night weathering Hurricane Ian at the Fort Myers Yacht Basin

In a letter being handed to residents and boat owners, City Attorney Grant Alley said as the property owner, the city couldn't safely allow the marina to be open due to the dangers or during damage assessment.

Residents on Friday morning blamed the city and Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson and said the marina hadn't been properly maintained nor had the city hired a dock manager.

"We get hurricanes here, bad hurricanes all the time," Brooks said. "They should have been better prepared for this and they should have made sure that their residents were better prepared."

Ft Myers Police and Firefighters informing the residents and boat owners that they must leave the Ft Myers Yacht Basin, while residents are strongly opposed to leaving their boats. Friday, Oct. 7, 2022.

But Anderson told The News-Press it would be the same if any other property was severely damaged.

"It's no different than any other house that is deemed not to be safe or inhabitable. We can't stand by and let people live in unsafe conditions like that," Anderson said.

"It's just a devastating storm," he added. "A lot of people have been affected and we're doing our best to keep the city safe and recovering."

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Redevelopment plans: 'The cost ... is going to go up': Plan to redevelop Fort Myers Yacht Basin draws opposition

The letter given to residents claimed the marina lacked water, electricity, safe conditions for navigating the waterways and harmful environmental impacts. It said hazards included the fire department not being able to access resources it would need in case of a fire and distressed boats sinking or continuing to sink.

The city did not give a timeline for how long residents would be displaced. Anderson said the Federal Emergency Management Agency at the Gulf Coast Church of God, 9550 Six Mile Cypress Parkway, would be able to assist residents.

But Brooks is concerned about how she'll get to work and where she'll sleep at night.

"I live paycheck to paycheck," the 62-year-old said. "I need a home. I need a place for me and my cats."

Ft Myers Police and Firefighters informing Lorelle Justice that all boat owners they must leave the Ft Myers Yacht Basin, while residents are strongly opposed to leaving their boats. Friday, Oct. 7, 2022.

The marina is its own community. Everyone takes care of each other. They cleaned up storm debris and got water connections set back up.

It's filled with people Lorelle Justice calls family. She's lived aboard her 27-foot boat at the Yacht Basin since 2018.

"I picked this marina out of several options. We take care of each other. I don't think any of us have loved the marina more than we do now," she said.

"I feel devastated. Abandoned."

Contact Ashley White at adwhite@theadvertiser.com or on Twitter @AshleyyDi.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers deems Yacht Basin unsafe, tells residents to leave boats
BERLIN (Reuters) - German police said it had not excluded political motives in the suspected sabotage of communication cables on Germany's rail network on Saturday but that there was no sign of any involvement by a foreign state or terrorism.

A spokesperson for the Berlin criminal police bureau said on Sunday that it was still investigating the sabotage of radio communication cables in Berlin and Herne in North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW), which halted all rail traffic in northern Germany for around three hours on Saturday.

Germany's federal police has handed the case over to Berlin and NRW criminal police bureaus.

This is not the first time there have been attacks - often linked to leftwing extremists - on the communications system of state rail operator Deutsche Bahn, although it is the biggest one in recent years.

Fears have grown since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines of targeted assaults on Germany's critical infrastructure.

(Reporting by Markus Wacket; Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and his attorney general are pushing the GOP-led state legislature to decriminalize possessing small amounts of marijuana following President Biden's recent pardon of thousands who were convicted for the same offense under federal law.

"Conviction of simple possession can mar people's records for life and maybe even prevent them from getting a job," Cooper told a Friday task force meeting on racial equity and criminal justice. "The General Assembly didn't pass your recommendations on this last session, but I believe they should. North Carolina should take steps to end this stigma."

The governor established the task force in June 2020 amid the riots that took place nationwide in the wake of George Floyd's death.

BIDEN'S PARDON OF MARIJUANA OFFENSES WON'T APPLY TO MILITARY

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper appears before President Biden speaks to guests during a visit to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University on April 14, 2022, in Greensboro. Allison Joyce/Getty Images

The 24-member panel of law enforcement officers, attorneys, civil rights advocates and state officials recommended in their 2020 report that North Carolina state legislators replace the misdemeanor charge for possessing up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana with a civil offense akin to a traffic infraction. The Republican-controlled North Carolina General Assembly did not act on the task force's recommendation.

Under current North Carolina law, possession of more than 0.5 ounces is punishable by up to 45 days in jail and up to $1,000 in fines, without exemptions for medical use. Possession of more than 1.5 ounces is classified as a felony.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein echoed the governor's position.

"People should not have a federal criminal record for something that is legal in an increasing number of states," Stein said last Thursday. "Let's act, and let's get it right. That means decriminalizing adult use, expunging past convictions for simple possession, and including strong protections for kids, no advertising, state-controlled sales and putting N.C. farmers first."

DEMOCRAT-RUN TOURIST TOWN IN NORTH CAROLINA SEES VIOLENT CRIME SPIKE AS POLICE DWINDLE: PERFECT STORM

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Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper greets then-presidential nominee Joe Biden at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Oct. 18, 2020, in Morrisville, North Carolina. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Cooper, who cannot seek re-election in 2024 because of term limits, also said he has asked lawyers to examine state law to determine if North Carolina can and should take further action to pardon such marijuana-based convictions. The North Carolina state Constitution provides the governor near-absolute pardoning power.

Following his pardon last week of thousands of Americans who faced federal marijuana possession charges, Biden called on governors to issue similar pardons for those convicted of state marijuana offenses, which comprise most possession cases. He acknowledged that drug charges disproportionately affect people of color.

"As I often said during my campaign for president, no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana," Biden said. "Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit."

No one is presently in federal prison for "simple possession" of the drug, the White House said, but the president hopes his pardon will assist thousands in overcoming potential obstacles to renting a home or getting a job. His pardon did not include those convicted of possessing marijuana with intent to distribute.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP)  Tyler Van Dyke more than got back on track. It still wasn't enough for Miami to knock off Drake Maye and North Carolina.

Maye passed for 309 yards and two touchdowns, one of them a 74-yarder to J.J. Jones, as North Carolina overcame a huge effort by Van Dyke to beat Miami 27-24 on Saturday and move atop the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division.

Josh Downs had a receiving touchdown and Omarion Hampton ran for another score for North Carolina (5-1, 2-0 ACC).

Its amazing how hard young people fight to win a football game," North Carolina coach Mack Brown said. Ive often said, whoever makes scoreboards is just not fair. Miami didnt lose the game. They just ran out of time."

Van Dyke completed 42 of 57 passes for 496 yards  the second-most in Miami history, behind Stephen Morris' 566 in 2012  and three touchdowns for Miami (2-3, 0-1).

KeyShawn Smith, Henry Parrish and Colbie Young had the touchdown receptions for the Hurricanes, who scored 10 points in the final 28 seconds of the first half to get within 21-17. Will Mallory had eight catches for 115 yards for Miami.

We're all about the work and the lumps that come with it and it stinks and it's painful to deal with," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. But you know what? That's what we're here for, and gladly ready for whatever comes with it to make sure we get it back to a certain level. And that's what we're going to do."

It ended up as Miami's third straight loss, and the first time since 2007 that the Hurricanes have gone three consecutive games without ever holding a lead.

It didn't lack for late-game drama.

Down 27-24, Miami initially appeared to recover an onside kick with about 2 minutes left; Al Blades Jr. dove along the sideline to knock the ball inbounds and the Hurricanes seemed poised to take over. The play was overturned by replay, which saw that Blades had stepped out of bounds and therefore couldnt touch the ball.

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North Carolina punted the ball back to Miami with 1:14 left, but Van Dyke was picked off with 8 seconds remaining.

How about that defense? They made some big plays," Maye said.

Caleb Hood rushed for 74 yards on 13 carries for the Tar Heels, who have won four straight over Miami for the first time. Jones' way-too-easy score capped a game-opening 95-yard drive, and Hampton's score finished off a 99-yard drive that was bolstered by a 52-yard pass from Maye to Antoine Green.

Miami struggled to run the ball  41 yards on 23 carries  but not converting on three key chances was even worse.

The Hurricanes had first-and-goal from the North Carolina 2 in the second quarter, got one yard on three carries and then saw Van Dykes fourth-down heave fall incomplete. In the third quarter, after intercepting Maye for the second time the Hurricanes drive stalled near midfield after going for it on fourth down. And in the fourth quarter, Jaylan Knighton got enough yards to convert on fourth-and-1 at the North Carolina 26  but fumbled the ball away.

Critical errors typically tell the tale of a game like this," Cristobal said.

The Heels went 81 yards in 17 plays, and Noah Burnette's chip-shot field goal put North Carolina up 27-17 with 4:10 remaining. Van Dyke found Young from 16 yards out to get Miami a field goal with 2:20 left, but the Hurricanes got no closer.

We're headed in the right direction," Van Dyke said. I believe that. I really do."

THE TAKEAWAY

North Carolina: It was the first time that North Carolina had two touchdown drives of at least 95 yards in the same game since Aug. 31, 2019. That day, the Tar Heels had them  a 95- and 98-yarder, to be specific  in a 6:01 span of the fourth quarter on the way to rallying past South Carolina 24-20.

Miami: The Hurricanes are 2-3 for the second consecutive year; the last time that happened in back-to-back years was 1978 and 1979.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

At 2-0 in the ACC and 5-1 overall, North Carolina will likely get on the radar of more AP Top 25 voters. But getting into the poll on Sunday might be tough; the Tar Heels had just the 37th-most poll points this week, and appeared on only two ballots.

UP NEXT

North Carolina: Visit Duke on Oct. 15.

Miami: Visit Virginia Tech on Oct. 15.

___

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.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP)  Tyler Hoosman's 14-yard touchdown run put North Dakota ahead and Cole Davis' punt-block score gave the Fighting Hawks a cushion they would need as they rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Youngstown State 35-30 on Saturday night.

Hoosman spun off a defender, avoided another and ran through a final tackler to score with under 10 minutes left and a 28-24 lead for UND (4-2, 3-1 Missouri Valley Football Conference). Just over a minute later, Penguins punter Paddy Lynch couldn't handle the snap but tried to get his kick off only to have it blocked and returned 3 yards by Davis to go up by 11.

Youngstown State's Jaleel McLaughlin scored on a 4-yard run with 5:49 remaining to trail by five after a two-point pass attempt failed. The Penguins got the ball back at their own 44 after a short punt with just under four minutes left. Youngstown State reached the UND 29 but a blitz resulted in a sack and the Penguins could only get 10 yards on a fourth-and-16.

Hoosman rushed for two touchdowns and Tommy Schuster threw to Isaiah Smith for another. Schuster threw for 292 yards, increasing his career total to 5,492, most in the Fighting Hawks' Division I history. He passed Keaton Studsrud (2014-17) at 5,452.

Mitch Davidson passed for 280 yards and two touchdowns for Youngstown State and Jaleel McLaughlin added 138 yards on 14 carries.

___

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
Nyck de Vries enters Formula One with AlphaTauri from next season (David Davies/PA) (PA Wire)

Nyck de Vries hailed Max Verstappens role as big brother in landing his fellow Dutchman a seat in Formula One.

The 27-year-old was announced ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix as a driver for AlphaTauri from next season having impressed while racing for Williams as a stand-in driver earlier this year.

Now he has a permanent seat, replacing Alpine-bound Pierre Gasly, de Vries as achieved his goal of reaching F1.

He credited compatriot and close friend Verstappen with helping him make the breakthrough, having previously won titles in Formula 2 and Formula E.

Max and I have a great relationship, he said.

Obviously, we are from a similar era, he is a little bit younger than me but we grew up in karting, we are both Dutch and the way he was approaching racing with his father, driving around in a van though Europe, I think was very much like ours.

Even though he's a little bit younger, it almost felt like he has acted as my older brother

Nyck de Vries on Max Verstappen

We live to for the sport and we respect each other a lot as drivers, although he is a world champion, and the best in our sport at the moment Im there.

Even though hes a little bit younger, it almost felt like he has acted as my older brother, we had dinner after the Monza event together in Monaco and we talked about the possibilities and opportunities.

That resulted in having a conversation with Dr Helmut Marco (motorsport advisor to Red Bull), we met that same week in Austria.

Ive always listened to people around me and knowledge is very important in this industry and I think sometimes you see people holding that cause very close to the chest.

FIA FORMULA 2 CHAMPION 19  pic.twitter.com/yMhZDCnSHU  Nyck de Vries (@nyckdevries) September 28, 2019

But if you dont give you dont get and its important to share information to know whats going on. and that was very much that kind of conversation.

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De Vries showed his racing pedigree while karting alongside the likes of George Russell, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon and Gasly.

But, while his peers were already making the grade in F1, de Vries was taking a different path  admitting he had thought his chance may have passed him by.

I will admit that there were certain times in my career that I thought it was very unlikely for me to still get a chance (in F1), he said.

Especially when I won Formula 2 and moved into a different direction in Formula E.

It was not a kind of a common path towards Formula One but somehow I always kept the kind of foot in the door and I think what really defines my career is that Ive always taken every opportunity that came my way and came down my path.

Now, though, de Vries can call upon his past experiences and believes he will enter F1 better prepared than if he had landed a seat as a younger driver.

Of course Im still lacking a little bit of Formula One experience, he added.

There are quite a lot of tracks on the calendar which are still unknown for me but in terms of the maturity and overall racing experience, I have gained a lot.

All the racing I have been doing in the last years, in endurance and in Formula E, have prepared me in the best possible way in every area.

In every other sport you practice your sport every day, in racing you dont. It is quite limited so I was always in the favour to race and I think that has definitely prepared me, as much as I can be, for what is coming.
Ohio Task Force 1 (OH-TF1) was officially demobilized Sunday morning and will be returning home from Floridas Gulf Coast.

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The rescue team was conducting missions in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, according to a press release from Ohio Task Force 1s spokesperson.

OH-TF1 helped clean up the destruction in various different ways such as;

Rescued a handful of people from precarious situations

Evacuated dozens of people and pets

Checked on people who were sheltering in place

Assisted local officials in searching for missing persons

Conducted over 4500 house-by-house searches

Recorded data on structure damage and hazards for authorities

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The rescue teams safe arrival into Ohio has yet to be announced, the spokesperson said.




The Alder Creek sequoia grove, near Springville, Calif., in the aftermath of the Castle fire in 2020. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

In downtown L.A., in the parking lot of the Automobile Club of Southern California, sits a quaint monument, one century old. Its a cross section of a giant sequoia, propped on its side, with arrows pointing to tree rings marking era-defining events. Meanwhile, in the Sierra Nevada, thousands of crown-scorched sequoias stand dead as de facto monuments of climate change. With both kinds of de-immortalized Big Trees, Californians can see connections between civilizational time and the temporal condition called the Anthropocene.

The AAA timeline at West Adams Boulevard and Figueroa Street was one of many derived from a single fallen tree in Sequoia National Park. Starting in 1923, the parks superintendent freely supplied slabs to educational institutions, as long as recipients paid shipping. With each 1.5-ton piece, the National Park Service sent interpretive instructions, including a list of historical events  though no guidance on finding the correct corresponding rings.

By handpicking pivotal moments, curators revealed prejudices. The most variable tag was the penultimate one, for which they turned to whatever appeared to be the latest world historical happening before the felling of this particular mammoth tree  World War begun or Automobile Club founded.

The earlier tags repeated themselves. I know because I obsessively tracked down 25 cross sections  mostly giant sequoias, plus a few coast redwoods  installed throughout the country in the first half of the 20th century. The following events appeared with greatest frequency:

 American Revolution/Declaration of Independence (22)

 Discovery of America by Columbus (21)

 Pilgrims/Mayflower (14)

 Norman Conquest/Battle of Hastings (13)

 Magna Carta (12)

 First/Second/Last Crusade (12)

 Charlemagne crowned (11)

 Civil War begins/ends (10)

 Leif Erikson/Vikings in America (10)

 Muhammad born (10)

 Fall of Rome (9)

These timelines  artifacts of white supremacy  condensed a civilizational narrative: A divinely ordained course of empire moves westward from the Old World to the New, from Christian Rome to Reformation England to the twice-born U.S. republic, with its empire of liberty serving as the endpoint of progress, the final stage in historical time.

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In this wooden enforcement of collective memory, famous men carry the banner of advancement. The prominence of Vikings reflected the eugenical valorization of the Nordic race, as well as the efforts of Scandinavian immigrants to claim American heritage. Muhammads salience is also explicable. WASPy curators would have preferred a marker at AD 0  Jesus Christ born  and, indeed, some went ahead and added the Nativity. Honest ones knew that sequoia slabs available to museums were not quite old enough to be coeval with Christ, and they accepted the prophet (tagged at AD 570) as an Abrahamic placeholder.

These timelines ignored Californias precolonial past. The supposed Point Reyes landing of Sir Francis Drake occasionally merited mention, as did the founding of Spanish missions, but the Golden State before conquest was literally timeless. The privileging of fixed points in linear time nearly guaranteed the erasure of Native histories, irreducible to dated or datable events. The only Indigenous peoples who sometimes got matched to tree rings were Maya and Aztecs, calendrical peoples who comported with Western ideas of civilization.

The generation of land managers who pinned these tags to sequoia slabs also instituted, with corresponding certitude and racism, the policy of fire suppression in the Sierra Nevada. They attributed a dearth of young sequoias  a fire-adapted species with flame-released cones  to the savage pyromania of California Indians. They mocked Piute forestry. Suppression became such a shibboleth that Congress in 1922 forbade the use of Sequoia National Park's firefighting funds for precautionary fires, later known as prescribed or controlled burning.

In 1967, federal land managers began to reverse the suppression policy and designated Sequoia National Park as a flagship experiment. The appearance of sequoia seedlings, then saplings, testified to the efficacy of prescribed burning. Famous groves got the treatment first. Unfortunately, the slowness of the process  years of planning, followed by waits for weather windows and political windows  prevented rangers from burning the whole park once, or even all its ancient groves once, before megadrought began in 2000.

The ongoing aridification is epochal. Using tree rings as proxies for snowpack and summer soil moisture, scientists have determined that this 20-plus-year period is the driest in southwestern North America since AD 800. They attribute nearly half the intensity to anthropogenic forces. In other words, humans heat-trapping emissions have turned a normal drought into a 1,000-year drought. Speaking historically, and truthfully, anthropogenic is a euphemism for the Global North, especially the British Empire and the United States.

The same post-1960s generation that adjusted fire policy began to revise the California redwood timelines on display at reserves and museums. In response to multiculturalism, the lineup of historical events became more politically correct, though no less androcentric. Today, in a post-truth period of extreme partisanship  a conflagration for U.S. democracy  one could imagine an executive order to ban critical race theory from national parks, or just the opposite, a Sacramento directive to California state parks to inscribe replacements for the Mayflowers landing and the Gold Rush: 1619, arrival of the first enslaved Africans in Virginia; 1846, onset of the California genocide.

In 2021, amid a record fire season, the California Legislature passed two bills designed to encourage controlled burns throughout the state, following the historical example of Native peoples, including participation of cultural burning liaisons. This would-be pivotal moment came too late for many sequoia groves in the southern Sierra.

There are good fires, bad fires and terrifying fires. With snowpack melting sooner and faster, and with associated declines in soil moisture and summer humidity, lightning sparks can become superhot infernos that scorch instead of rejuvenate fuel-loaded ecosystems. In the span of one human lifetime, Californians may be witnessing forests of millennial giants convert to chaparral.

Tagged on a timeline, 2020-2021 can be grimly summarized: 1 in 5 elders of the planet's superlative plant, a supremely fire-resistant species, goes up in flames. In reaction to this unprecedented mortality, the U.S. Forest Service announced emergency action to reduce fuel loads in groves in its jurisdiction. In July, the manageable effect of the Washburn fire on Yosemites iconic Mariposa Grove  which the park service had treated for decades with prescribed burning  reinforced the wisdom of this move.

But local efforts cannot stop planetary processes. Unless the Biden administrations Inflation Reduction Act is the first of many future climate bills, no amount of backfiring, sprinkling or foil-wrapping will alter the long-term outlook for big old trees. In the Sierra, they will disappear except for a limited number of intensely managed groves  de facto botanical gardens, or tree museums.

As the drying of California goes on, could cohorts of dead sequoias become lasting monuments of warning about historical hubris? The connected struggles for climate action and civil society will tell. In an optimistic scenario, a political majority in the U.S. will reform old habits of temporal thinking and respond to the demise of emblematic elderflora without invoking the rise and fall of civilizations, or any kind of end times.

In the past, so much harm has been done by those possessing certitude about the inevitable outcome of history. No one has ever known how the timeline ends, and that enduring uncertainty should be reason for hope in action.

Jared Farmer is a professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania, and the author of "Elderflora: A Modern History of Ancient Trees." @geohumanist

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Anne C. George is ISO New Englands vice president of external affairs and corporate communications.

A recent piece from the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) propagates inaccuracies and mischaracterizations about ISO New England and the regional power system ("17 years and still waiting for fixes to New England power grid," Commentary, Sept. 25). Spreading falsehoods about the very real reliability risks facing New England does nothing to solve them.

Even after the ISO has corrected their misstatements, CLF feels compelled to further its baseless claim that because the region has not seen widespread controlled power outages, they wont happen. This argument is as specious as it is illogical. Texas, which experienced widespread outages in 2021, hadnt seen the type of power stress they saw until they did. As we saw there and other parts of the country, the past simply is not prologue, and we would be derelict if we did not speak up when we have concerns.

For those not familiar with ISO New England, we are the independent nonprofit entity responsible for maintaining a reliable power system for New Englands 15 million residents. We do this by operating of the regions bulk power grid, administering the regions wholesale markets, and by planning for the future. We do not own, operate, or develop energy infrastructure. We do not have any financial stake in the electricity markets.

Were regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and conduct our work in accordance with federal law, which requires wholesale electricity markets to be open to all types of resources that can generate power or reduce demand, such as energy efficiency.

For the past two decades, ISO New England has raised concerns about fuel supply issues and their impact on electricity supply during periods of extreme cold weather. We have explained there are insufficient natural gas pipelines in the region to support both electricity and home heating in these times. We have explained that when these constraints materialize, many generators must turn to an increasingly volatile global supply chain for liquefied natural gas or oil to produce electricity.

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The war in Ukraine has created even more competition for these fuels and raised concerns that there will not be sufficient supplies in New England to meet demand during extended cold spells.

As active industry participants, CLF understands this and yet continues to promote without evidence that there will be clean energy resources available quickly enough and in sufficient quantities to solve the immediate challenges we face. Renewables will help once built, but developing large energy projects in New England remains difficult. Dating back to Cape Wind and Northern Pass, the region has seen fully-funded projects felled by permitting and legal issues. More recently, offshore wind projects have faced delays, while the fate of a proposed transmission line in Maine remains in doubt.

Waving away these concerns, as CLF and others like to do, is reckless and dangerous. Ensuring the power system remains reliable as we decarbonize requires confronting hard truths and making tough choices.

ISO New England and utilities around the region recently issued a statement about the regions reliance on imported LNG and the need to reduce our dependence as soon as possible, but this move must be done in a reliable manner  because when reliability suffers, the clean energy transition suffers.

To fight climate change, New England needs a steady hand focused on a reliable clean energy transition. Were proud to play that role.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: George: Concerns over region's power supply and outages are justified
Editor's Note: This column has been updated to include Sarah Botstein and Lynn Novick as co-creators and directors of the PBS documentary The U.S. and the Holocaust.

Americans have long trusted Ken Burns to tell our stories: The Civil War, baseball, jazz, national parks, the Vietnam War and country music.

This trust in Burns in this moment of universal mistrust is an important part of what we bring to the PBS series The U.S. and the Holocaust, which Burns co-created and directed with Sarah Botstein and Lynn Novick. Burns has focused on hard stories before such as the Civil War and Vietnam. But this is perhaps the hardest to hear, especially for worshippers of the so-called Greatest Generation and American exceptionalists in general.

Brent Harold

The story we like to remember of that terrible era, what most of us grew up thinking, the story told in so many movies in the years after World War II, is how we saved the world from the horrors of Hitler and fascism. The Nazis were the bad guys and we were the good guys. It is that self-congratulatory story that Burns, Novick and Botstein's film is meant to correct.

Yes, once we entered the war after Pearl Harbor, we were crucial in winning it and saving what was left of Europe's Jews. But the story is not nearly so clear-cut. As Burns, Novick and Botstein make clear, for years we refused to allow the immigration of refugees fleeing Hitler's genocide and left them to their fate.

Immigration: Lawyers for Civil Rights explain lawsuit filed on behalf of Martha's Vineyard migrants

Despite newspaper reports making clear much of what Hitler was doing to Jews in the 1930s and even as the Final Solution began to take shape, antisemitism was as widespread here as anywhere, as evidenced in polls opposing immigration and showing that the majority of Americans thought the Jews had it coming.

Prestigious Americans such as Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh and his sweet wife, Anne Morrow, and Catholic Father Coughlin's hugely popular radio broadcasts, were supportive of Hitler's rise in the 1930s and even into the war.

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The PBS Holocaust documentary is much the same told in Philip Roth's novel Plot Against America (2004). In Roth's counter-factual novel popular hero Lindbergh actually wins the 1941 election over Franklin Delano Roosevelt and widespread antisemitism has America looking a lot like Germany of the 1930s until we are saved by the bell, as it were, by the Pearl Harbor attack.

Stalemate: Why immigration reform has been so elusive over the years

Since we know the real history of the period, what actually happened  that Roosevelt won that 1941 presidential election and kept pushing for the U.S. to come to the aid of our allies and defeat the fascists  why bother telling the counter-history?

The answer is: because the counter-history is in many important respects truer history than the version we, as victors, have told. ('History is written by the winners.  Winston Churchill.)

We have long been used to being told the importance of remembering the story of the Holocaust as a cautionary tale, lest we forget the depth of depravity in theory all humans are capable of. Holocaust denial is a crime in many countries.

Forbidden fruit?: Here's a way to join Cape Codders in reading banned books

But the documentary is not just about what they did, an ocean away, but of what we did, our failure. Our role in the Holocaust.

It's a very hard story to hear, to watch. In fact, I'm surprised the extremist GOP, our white supremacists, Tucker Carlson and the rest of the Right in this country have not loudly boycotted or attempted to ban The U.S. and the Holocaust.

Why have the anti-Critical Race Theory people not been out in force declaring the series, like the truth about the slavery chapter of our story, unacceptably bad for our morale? Or just dismissed as fake news? (My foray online turned up nothing of the sort on the first couple of Google search results pages.)

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It speaks reassuringly of the health of what's left of our troubled democracy that the PBS series has taken front and center for a few days to be watched by millions.

Burns, Novick and Botstein are not content to leave implicit the parallels between their story and our current drift toward fascism. The series ends with 2017 footage of the torch-carrying Charlottesville mob shouting, "Jews will not replace us," and of the 2018 attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. A clip of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol shows a man in a "Camp Auschwitz" sweatshirt.

Housing crisis: Where are the most affordable homes for purchase on Cape Cod? Geography plays a role

The history of this time has not been written. There are no foregone conclusions. In the middle of it, still creating it (part of the problem or part of the solution, as Eldridge Cleaver, famously put it), without the benefit of hindsight, we don't know how this will turn out.

But with an election coming up that may well play a huge role in establishing the next chapter in this story, the timing of the PBS Holocaust series could not be more appropriate.

Brent Harold, a Cape Cod Times columnist and former English professor, lives in Wellfleet. Email him at kinnacum@gmail.com.

Gain access to premium Cape Cod Times content by subscribing. Check out our subscription offers.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: PBS Holocaust film tells of the U.S. failure to help Jews
It started when he bought a boat from a guy named Barney.

Of course, the guy spelled it Bjarni and it wasnt an ordinary boat. In 985, Bjarni Herjolfsson had been sailing from Iceland to visit his parents in their new summer place in Greenland when he was blown off course and saw land further to the west. He didnt pursue it but sailed back to his folks, and nobody paid much attention to his story.

But when Leif Erickson bought the boat, he listened to Barneys fish story about a vast land to the west and left Iceland in about 996 with a crew of 35 to search for it.

Cynthia Stead

After landing at "Helluland," or Flat-Stone Land, now regarded as having been Labrador, and "Markland," or Wood Land, possibly Newfoundland or Maine, Leif Eriksson sailed south and finally came to Cape Cod, or "Vinland," as the original washashore.

They found wild grapes to make wine, the salmon and cod were plentiful, and the water was fresh. As the saga says, The nature of the country was, as they thought, so good that cattle would not require house feeding in winter, for there came no frost in winter, and little did the grass wither there. Day and night were more equal than in Greenland or Iceland.

More: Dig archaeology? Cape Cod Museum of Natural History offers island walk with expert

Eriksson and the crew spent the winter here, at a place they named Leifsbud-ir, returning to Greenland the following year, 1001. Leif never came back, although his brother Thorvald spent time on Cape later  another family spending time on the Cape as a vacation.

The Cape has several Viking sites. A few years ago, the replica Viking longboat, the Islendingur came to the Cape as part of a four-month reenactment of Ericksons trip. The crew, with former Icelandic Ambassador Einar Benediktsson, asked to visit some of these locations.

For instance, there is a rock with Viking carvings and runes in a cellar in Provincetown. The rock is so big that the cellar hole and foundation were built around it instead of trying to move it, so the carvings were not only saved but preserved from the elements.

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At the northern end of Bass River, there are holes carved out to moor a boat. There is no doubt among scholars that Leif Erickson was the first European to arrive in North America, and many believe that he came to Cape Cod as well.

More: Photo gallery: Wampanoag Cultural Celebration in Falmouth

Today is Leif Erickson Day. Since the Norse traditions are oral instead of written, the date probably has no significance in Ericksons life. We have no idea when his birthday is. His birth year is only deduced from other events in the Grnlendinga saga, or the "Saga of the Greenlanders," the idyll that tells of Viking adventures. Oct. 9 was chosen as that was the date a Norwegian ship, the Restauration arrived in New York in 1825, marking the beginning of organized immigration by Norwegians to the United States.

Well celebrate a different holiday this weekend, Columbus Day. Every year, there are essays and demonstrations about the European conquerors whom Columbus was the vanguard for.

Native American demonstrators state Columbus began the genocide of indigenous peoples, and exploitation of resources in this hemisphere and also was the first person to initiate the transatlantic slave trade in this hemisphere. They ask why Columbus Day is even a holiday, as the notion of "discovering" a people and culture that had been established for centuries is an insult. And of course, he never actually set foot in North America.

But since Oct. 9 is Leif Erickson Day, why not celebrate that holiday instead?

More: Will question about Bourne seal impact town flag restoration?

Celebrate a European visitor, who was so friendly with the native people, the Skraelings, that when other less enlightened, Europeans came, later on, Native Americans werent initially fearful. Stories about the friendly conduct of the blonde-haired men in the long boats had been passed along through time.

The first European visitors to Cape Cod took the land and people as they found them  they didnt pass ordinances to prevent Skraelings from keeping lobster pots in their front yards, or demand trash pickup at new granite curbs like subsequent washashores. Lets celebrate a visitor instead of a conqueror after gold and glory, who knew that the best visitors were ones who went home without plundering the place. Happy Leif Erickson Day!

Cynthia Stead is a columnist for the Cape Cod Times and can be contacted at cestead@gmail.com.

Gain access to premium Cape Cod Times content by subscribing. Check out our latest offers.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Leif Erickson Day is celebrated on Oct. 9, he did not come to conquer
If you want to know who really controls Horizonte Minerals Plc (LON:HZM), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 37% to be precise, is institutions. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

Because institutional owners have a huge pool of resources and liquidity, their investing decisions tend to carry a great deal of weight, especially with individual investors. Therefore, a good portion of institutional money invested in the company is usually a huge vote of confidence on its future.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Horizonte Minerals.

View our latest analysis for Horizonte Minerals

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Horizonte Minerals?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

We can see that Horizonte Minerals does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Horizonte Minerals' earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Horizonte Minerals is not owned by hedge funds. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is La Mancha Investments S.A R.L. with 14% of shares outstanding. La Mancha Holding S.a R.L. is the second largest shareholder owning 14% of common stock, and Orion Resource Partners holds about 11% of the company stock.

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To make our study more interesting, we found that the top 5 shareholders control more than half of the company which implies that this group has considerable sway over the company's decision-making.

Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. There is some analyst coverage of the stock, but it could still become more well known, with time.

Insider Ownership Of Horizonte Minerals

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves.

I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own less than 1% of Horizonte Minerals Plc. It seems the board members have no more than UK423k worth of shares in the UK246m company. Many investors in smaller companies prefer to see the board more heavily invested. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 31% stake in Horizonte Minerals. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Private Equity Ownership

With a stake of 25%, private equity firms could influence the Horizonte Minerals board. Some might like this, because private equity are sometimes activists who hold management accountable. But other times, private equity is selling out, having taking the company public.

Public Company Ownership

Public companies currently own 7.1% of Horizonte Minerals stock. It's hard to say for sure but this suggests they have entwined business interests. This might be a strategic stake, so it's worth watching this space for changes in ownership.

Next Steps:

I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Be aware that Horizonte Minerals is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...

If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

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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Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in central China's Hubei Province celebrated its 70th anniversary on October 6.

At the anniversary celebration, Li Yuanyuan, Party secretary of HUST, said that during the past seven decades, HUST has brought up more than 700,000 talents of various kinds for the country.

President of HUST You Zheng said over the past 70 years, the university has trained a large number of high-quality graduates who work hard and make great contributions in their respective work. They include academicians, winners of the highest national science and technology awards, and models of the times.

In the last five years, the number of HUST graduates has remained at around 15,000 per year.

Situated in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province, HUST is a comprehensive research university.
The return to in-person classes for students from the Pittsburgh Oliver Citywide Academy has been extended and new safety precautions will be put in for when they come back.

Students began learning remotely after a teacher was allegedly raped by a 15-year-old student who is now facing charges.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Student charged after assaulting teacher at a Pittsburgh school, police say

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Target 11: Student who allegedly raped teacher accused of previous assault

Students were originally supposed to return to classes on Oct. 10.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Pittsburgh school continuing remote learning after student accused of assaulting teacher

The decision to continue remote learning was requested by the schools staff. The students will now return on Oct. 17.

Teaching was switched from in-person to online in an attempt to give students time to recover from any trauma related to the assault and to take care of their mental needs.

We need to give our OCA team time to prepare for the return of in-person learning as they balance the need to take care of each other while planning in between providing students the valuable instruction they need, said Superintendent Wayne N. Walters. We know that if our staff are not at their best, it becomes even more challenging for staff to help our children perform at their best.

The school will have several safety precautions in place for when students return. Those new precautions are:

1. A revised enrollment process will be in place which will require documentation from previous schools and settings.

2. A new adult partnering system for staff.

3. An additional security guard was assigned to the building.

4. New radios will be given to all classrooms to attempt to increase communication in emergency situations.

5. Separate entrances designated for use by staff, students and visitors to limit the use of multiple doors.

6. Therapeutic Crisis Intervention training for new staff members.

7. Intentional planning for restorative practice circles.

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8. Augmented counseling and other students support services for when students return.

School officials say they will hold a parent-teacher conference day on Oct. 14.

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IRYNA BALACHUK  SUNDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2022, 10:24

A Russian prisoner of war has recounted being given two days of training [before being sent to fight in Ukraine - ed.], fighting in Kharkiv Oblast and how his platoon was defeated by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in just one minute.

Source: Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) on Telegram

Quote from the SSU: "The life cycle of a [Russian] conscript is as follows: 12 days, then captivity. A large number of recently conscripted Russians have been captured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the counteroffensive on the eastern front. Some of them have fought for a total of 12 days."

Details: One of the captured soldiers, a resident of the Udmurt Republic, said that his military training lasted only two days. Meanwhile, tank crews are given no more than 10 days of training. He believes that it is impossible to prepare soldiers for war in such a short amount of time.

The Russian soldier said that he arrived in the town of Millerovo in Rostov Oblast (Russia) on 13 September. From there, his group of troops set out for Donbas (though for some reason they ended up in Kharkiv Oblast). By 25 September, he was captured by the Ukrainian forces.

Quote from the Russian soldier: "We saw well-armed, well-trained people. Every other person had a portable radio, all had thermal imaging devices and night vision scopes They eliminated our entire platoon in one minute. Twenty people were killed in one minute."

Details: The soldier believes that Russia will continue "conscripting cannon fodder", deploying troops in Ukraine without any training.

He said that he decided it was "better to be in prison and alive than dead and under Ukrainian soil."

In its post, the Security Service of Ukraine stressed that Russian occupiers can surrender by calling the hotline on +380665803498 o +380931192984.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  An early Sunday shooting outside a bar in downtown Tampa, Florida has left one person dead and six wounded, police said.

The Tampa Police Department said in a news release that the shooting occurred about 3 a.m. Sunday outside the LIT Cigar & Martini lounge. Two groups that had been arguing inside the club continued their confrontation outside when one person began shooting.

One man was killed and six people were taken to hospitals with non-life threatening injuries, police said. No arrests had been made as of Sunday afternoon and police have not released identities of those involved.

This is senseless violence. Theres no reason why anyone should lose their life over a fight at a bar, said Tampa police Chief Mary OConnor. We are working diligently to follow up on leads and find those responsible.
Police tape blocked off several streets Saturday as authorities continued an investigation into a kidnapping and sexual assault at an Excelsior Springs house.

Timothy Haslett Jr., was arrested Friday and charged with first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree assault in Clay County Circuit Court.

A malnourished victim apparently broke free from the home early Friday morning, screaming for neighbors to help her, police said.

When we made contact with her, it was readily apparent that she had been held against her will for a significant period of time, said Excelsior Springs police Lt. Ryan Dowdy.

Police in Excelsior Springs continued their investigation of a kidnapping and sexual assault of a woman who reportedly escaped Friday from a home in the 300 block of Old Orchard St.

The victim, who is from the Kansas City metropolitan area, was transported to a hospital and was in stable condition. Her family had joined her at the hospital, Dowdy said Friday evening.

Police on Friday and into the weekend focused their investigation on a home in the 300 block of Old Orchard Street. The woman had told police that there were possibly two other victims, though police declined to say if other victims were suspected or had been located.

A cadaver dog was brought out to search the property Friday, but police declined to comment on any findings. A truck was moved into an evidence area and neighbors reported witnessing the removal of a blue barrel from the basement into the yard, which was placed under an evidence tent that had been set up Friday.

Police asked for the community to be patient as they continued to search the Old Orchard Street home so they could get justice for the victims and make sure that she is taken care of and that this case doesnt fall by the wayside, Dowdy said.

On Saturday afternoon, Excelsior Springs Police Chief Greg Dull said in a news release that there were numerous items in the residence that have to be sorted through and it is a slow, painstaking process. The investigation was ongoing and additional charges could be forthcoming if evidence of additional crimes is uncovered, he said.

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Excelsior Springs neighbors and the community at large continued to await news of any findings stemming from the investigation as it entered its second day.

Among them was Susan White, who said she hardly got any sleep Friday night through Saturday morning as flashing red and blue lights from police vehicles shone through her bedroom window.

She and her family have lived across the street for two years. But theyve been part of the community for three decades, and her now-grown children were educated in Excelsior Springs schools.

She and other neighbors have spent the past day in a state of worry, wonder and disbelief.

Its just so crazy, White said. She was in the house and we didnt even know.

That could have been me, she added. That could have been my daughter.

Over recent weeks, Excelsior Springs had seen its share of crime and violence  including a police shooting where a man was killed and an officer was wounded, and another fatal shooting across town that left a mother of five dead. Residents have told The Star those events have been a troubling sight for the small, suburban community.

Its a small town, White said, adding: Weve been here forever, and the past month and a half for this town has been absolutely nuts.
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.
Oct. 9Police have released photos of two male suspects who allegedly assaulted two women during an earlier this week.

The two suspects arrived at a residence in the 6000 block of Kalanianaole Highway at about 6 :30 p.m. Wednesday, CrimeStoppers and the Honolulu Police Department said in a news release today.

One of the suspects allegedly brandished a firearm and assaulted a woman watering plants in the yard, police said.

The other suspect allegedly entered the residence and assaulted a second woman before tying her hands together with a zip tie. She was able to escape and call police.

The suspects fled in a white BMW SUV with a sunroof and a black Chevy Colorado truck with an extended cab.

Police are investigating the first-degree robbery and are asking for the public's assistance in locating the suspects.

One of the men is described as being in his 40s, about 5 feet, 7 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches in height, with a medium build, fair complexion and light-colored eyes. He was last seeing wearing a white shirt and pants and white and gray shoes.

The other suspect is possibly in his 30s and is 5 feet, 6 inches to 5 feet, 9 inches tall. He has a medium build, a light complexion and short black hair. He was last seeing wearing a gray shirt, black pants and shoes and a multi-colored hat with "Reckless " printed on the front, police said.

Anyone with information about the incident are asked to call CrimeStoppers at 808-955-8300. Anonymous tips can be sent to or via the P3 Tips App.
The Daily Beast

Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty and Courtesy of FamilyWhat started as a routine check on Keshawn Thomas, a 27-year-old Black man who was sleeping, intoxicated, in his green Camaro at a gas station in Albuquerque, ended when cops fired 16 shots and killed him.All three policemen who fired shots that day claimed to have seen Thomas holding a gun that was later found in the cab of his car with a single bullet in the chamber. Police can be seen retrieving a weapon after the shooting in b
Pope Francis ripped the treatment of migrants arriving in Europe as disgusting, sinful and criminal on Sunday.

The popes remark, which occurred during the canonization of a bishop known as the father of migrants at the Vatican, came days after Italy elected a right-wing government to power that rose in part on migration issues.

Indeed, the situation of migrants is criminal, the pope said, according to The Associated Press.

They are left to die in front of us, making the Mediterranean the largest cemetery in the world, he continued. The situation of migrants is disgusting, sinful, criminal. Not to open the doors to those who are in need. No, we exclude them, we send them away to lager, where they are exploited and sold as slaves.

Pope Francis, who is the son of Italian immigrants, has prominently discussed migration issues during his papacy.

On Sunday, he described how some migrants are killed while crossing the Mediterranean Sea or are returned to Libya and put in camps he likened to Nazi concentration camps, according to The Associated Press.

Do we welcome them as brothers, or do we exploit them? the pope said during the ceremony.

Giorgia Meloni, who appears poised to become Italys next prime minister, has called for a naval blockade to prevent boats of migrants from arriving from North African shores.

Melonis center-right coalition also includes Lega, an anti-immigrant party that won 9 percent of the vote in the recent national elections.

Franciss comments on Sunday at the Vatican, which is surrounded by Italy, came as he canonized Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, a 19th-century bishop known for his work supporting migrant rights. The pope also canonized a 20th-century man who ministered to the sick in Argentina in the ceremony.

The pope told the thousands of attendees gathered that the two individuals remind us of the importance of walking together, The Associated Press reported.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
VATICAN CITY (AP)  Pope Francis on Sunday denounced Europe's indifference toward migrants risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea as he elevated to sainthood an Italian bishop and Italian-born missionary whose work and life paths illustrated the difficulties faced by 19th Century Italian emigrants.

Francis departed from prepared remarks to slam Europe's treatment of migrants as disgusting, sinful and criminal. He noted that people from outside the continent are often left to die during perilous sea crossings or pushed back to Libya, where they wind up in camps he referred to as lager, the German word referring to Nazi concentration camps.

He also recalled the plight of Ukrainians fleeing war, which he said causes us great suffering.

 The exclusion of migrants is scandalous, Francis said, generating applause from the faithful gathered in St. Peters Square for the canonizations of Don Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, an Italian bishop who founded an order to help Italian emigrants in 1887, and Artedime Zatti, an Italian who emigrated in 1897 to Argentina and dedicated his life as a lay-worker there to helping the sick.

Indeed, the situation of migrants is criminal. They are left to die in front of us, making the Mediterranean the largest cemetery in the world. The situation of migrants is disgusting, sinful, criminal. Not to open the doors to those who are in need. No, we exclude them, we send them away to lager, where they are exploited and sold as slaves.

He urged the faithful to consider the treatment of migrants, asking: Do we welcome them as brothers, or do we exploit them?

The pontiff said the two new saints remind us of the importance or walking together.

Francis said Scalabrani showed great vision, by looking forward to a world and a Church without barriers, where no one was a foreigner." And the pontiff called Zatti a living example of gratitude who devoted his life to serving others after being cured of tuberculosis.

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Scalabrini founded the Missionaries of Saint Charles Borromeo, known as the Scalabrian Fathers, and the Missionary Sisters of Saint Charles Borromeo Scalabrians, to minister to the many Italians who left their homeland due to what he wrote were the combined effects of an agricultural crisis, social change, a poorly managed economy, exorbitant taxation and the natural desire to improve ones condition.

Disturbed by statistics on Italian emigration that swelled to 84,000 in 1884 alone, Scalabrini wrote that the mass emigration and separation of families would help strew white the lands of America with their bones.

He died in 1905 in Piacenza, where he was bishop, and was beatified in 1997 by St. John Paul II. Pope Francis dispensed with the canonization requirement of Scalabrini having a miracle attributed to him after his beatification.

The order he founded currently operates 176 missions around the world, including 27 migrant shelters and 20 schools and centers for children.

Francis, himself the son of Italian immigrants to Argentina, has recalled being inspired by Zattis life while he was Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina, saying the number of men entering the Catholic order increased after he prayed for the late bishop's intercession.

Zatti was one of eight children born to a farming couple in northern Italy that emigrated to Argentina in 1897 when he was a teenager.

After entering the Salesian order at age 20, Zatti fell ill with tuberculosis and was sent to a Salesian-run hospital in northern Patagonia to be treated. He made a vow to serve the sick and poor for the rest of his life, if he recovered. Zatti went on to work in the same hospital for 40 years, working as a nurse, in the pharmacy, and later as an administrator.

His fame for treating the ill attracted the sick from all over Patagonia. Zatti was known to travel the city of Viedma with his bicycle with a medical case to help the sick. The pontiff on Sunday also recalled an occasion when Zatti was seen removing a dead patient on his own shoulders from the hospital, to prevent the sick from seeing the body.

Zatti died in 1951, and was beatified in 2002. Paving the way for canonization, Francis signed the decree recognizing Zattis intercession in the healing of a man in the Philippines who had suffered a brain bleed.

____

Barry reported from Milan. Francesco Sportelli in Rome and Gianfranco Stara in Vatican City contributed.

___

Follow AP's coverage of global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
An animation showing an elderly man reading a poem on a hilltop.[Photo/CGTN]

Why did ancient Chinese artists have such a deep love for landscape paintings? The answer may be found in the most acclaimed work of Fan Kuan, considered the finest painter of this genre from the Song Dynasty.

Fan was one of the most famous painters in the Northern Landscape Painting School during this period. The mountains rendered under his brushstrokes were majestic and craggy, different from those presented under the "Southern School," which used smoother lines to portray the elegant landscapes south of the Yangtze River.

In Fan's landscape painting, viewers can see a real mountain and the philosophical idea that humans, rather than ruling the world, coexist with other living creatures in nature. The idea is well embodied by his magnum opus, "Travelers Among Mountains and Streams." The cultural program "China in Poetry and Painting," produced by China Media Group, draws on innovative filmmaking techniques to create an immersive landscape. In one instance, an elderly man wearing a bamboo hat is shown encountering a caravan of donkeys while ambling along a rustic path - going above and beyond what was possible to show in the painting itself.

Collected by the Taipei Palace Museum, the work "Travelers Among Mountains and Streams" was much lauded by Chinese artist Dong Qichang during the Ming Dynasty as "the best painting from the Song Dynasty." As the 2.06-meter-high hanging scroll unfolds, the classic Chinese perspective of three planes becomes evident  far, middle, and near.

The towering mountains make up the bulk of the picture, creating an imposing effect. A waterfall as slender as silk falls from the heights above, breaking the silence of this dignified scene. Below the mountains are gentle slopes, gurgling rivers, and luxuriant trees. Not far away, a team of business merchants carrying cargo walks along the river. Like raindrops, huge stones are rendered with jagged outlines and filled with dabs of the brush. This technique was used in Chinese landscape painting to highlight the hardness of the rock and the eternal nature of the mountains, according to Fan Di'an, dean of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

According to Professor Wu Jian at Zhengzhou University, in Fan Kuan's early years he modeled the works of Jing Hao and Li Cheng. But later he realized that nature was the best teacher if he wanted to truly master the art of landscape painting. As such, he spent the rest of his life as a recluse living in the rugged mountains in Huayuan, Shanxi, devoting himself to observing nature. Fan finally developed his own landscape painting style  using bold brushwork as powerful as cast iron, which is well embodied in "Travelers Among Mountains and Streams."

According to Professor Kang Zhen of Beijing Normal University, Fan Kuan's landscape paintings are seldom merely representations of mountains and waters as they appear to the human eye. Instead, they are expressions of the mind and heart of the individual artist. By painting his human subjects at such a diminutive scale compared to the size of the mountains, Fan expressed his worldview that mankind only represents a tiny part of the vast cosmos. Also, human lives are relatively short, whereas mountains are static and eternal. With this work, Fan reached the peak of his landscape painting art, standing on the shoulders of past masters to blaze a new trail and leave an enduring legacy with his influence on Chinese art.
OLENA MAZURENKO  MONDAY, 3 OCTOBER, 2022, 01:53

Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President, has said that Ukraine is watching Finland and Sweden, countries that are fast-tracking to NATO without a Membership Action Plan, and it also wants to join the Alliance under a similar procedure.

Source: Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President during the national joint 24/7 newscast

Quote: "Two countries - Sweden and Finland - are moving towards NATO without a Membership Action Plan [MAP]. Ukraine is following this process closely and has seen that in fact, when it comes to what is impossible without a MAP, it turns out that it is possible. Ukraine is taking these realities into account, and Ukraine took those realities into account when it applied on Friday. Ukraine is also not averse to following this path."

Details: Zhovkva also noted that the statement of the presidents of 9 European countries should be interpreted as support for Ukraine's membership in NATO.

He said that in this statement, they referred to the Alliance Summit in Bucharest in 2008, and not to the application for NATO membership that Ukraine submitted a few days ago.

Quote: "It's simple. Indeed, a decision was made at the Bucharest Summit which has not disappeared anywhere, where it is written that Ukraine will become a member of NATO. The word someday does not appear in it. It says: Ukraine will become a member of NATO, the first stage or one of the stages should be providing it with a Membership Action Plan."

He noted that the Bucharest Summit statement had been confirmed at the Madrid Summit (2022) when a corresponding provision was repeated in NATOs new strategic concept for the next 10 years , namely that Ukraine will become a member of NATO.

Background:

On Friday 30 September, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had signed an application for accelerated accession and called on Western partners to implement the security guarantee proposals prepared by Ukraine, which were set out in the Kyiv Security Compact.

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Prince William and King Charles III walk behind the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Prince William became the Prince of Wales after his father, King Charles III, ascended to the throne.

Outlets reported that Prince William hopes to change aspects of the role.

William wants to do away with the "never complain, never explain" policy, according to The Mirror.

Prince William became the Prince of Wales in September after his father held the role for more than 64 years.

King Charles III named William the Prince of Wales following Queen Elizabeth II's death. WPA Pool/Getty Images

One day after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III gave his first speech as monarch and announced that some members of the royal family would adopt new titles.

His eldest son, William, would become Prince of Wales and his wife Kate Middleton would become Princess of Wales. William is the 22nd Prince of Wales after Charles III, the longest-serving royal to hold the title for 64 years.

But as he steps into the role, outlets including The Mirror and The Sun reported that William plans to tweak certain aspects to make it his own.

William plans to have a scaled-down investiture ceremony  unlike his father, King Charles III.

Prince William will reportedly have a smaller investiture ceremony. Samir Hussein/ Hulton Archive/Getty Images

According to The Mirror, William is differentiating himself from past monarchs by passing on a lavish investiture ceremony. An investiture ceremony refers to when a person who has been awarded an honor receives the award, in person, from a member of the royal family.

Regarding the British throne, the ceremony typically entails a monarch presenting the Prince of Wales with items usually associated with the title, The Mirror reported. King Charles III had a large ceremony in 1969 at Caernarfon Castle, but William likely won't.

A royal source told the outlet that there are "no plans for any kind of an investiture like the Prince's father had."

William is scaling down his staff and getting rid of strict business attire.

William reportedly allows his staffers to dress casually while at the office. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

The Sun reported in May 2022 that Prince William and Kate wanted to modernize the British monarchy. One way they're doing this is by employing just half of the staffer's King Charles III relied on during his time as Prince of Wales, the outlet reported.

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According to Valentine Low's book, "Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown," William told his staff they don't have to wear suits while in the office. One member of the household told Low that "he wants to keep it casual."

"The kids run around the office, and he does not want it to be stuffy. If we have important meetings, or are going to Buckingham Palace, then of course we [wear suits]," a royal source told Low. "It started with casual Fridays, but then William told them that if they did not have important people coming in for meetings, they could dress casually."

William is stepping back from the royal family's long-held "never complain, never explain" policy.

William and Kate hope to modernize the British monarchy. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Another change William plans to implement is to ditch its "never complain, never explain" mentality, according to The Mirror.

In March 2022, the royal couple embarked on a controversial Caribbean tour during which they visited Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas  all three of which are Commonwealth countries. William and Kate faced backlash over the tour, with protests about colonization erupting in Belize and Jamaica.

A source told The Sun: "They were bruised by attacks that their Caribbean trip harked back to the colonial age. In future they will rip up the rule-book and do things 'The Cambridge Way.' They're trying to work out what that will look like."

William and Kate are working on deepening the trust with the people of Wales.

William and Kate visited Wales soon after becoming the Prince and Princess of Wales. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty images

The Mirror reported that William and Kate hope to strengthen ties with the people of Wales following their new titles.

"Right now the Prince and Princess of Wales are focused on deepening the trust and respect of the people of Wales over time," a royal source told the outlet.

On September 27, the couple traveled to Wales for their first public appearance as the Prince and Princess of Wales.

"Their Royal Highnesses are looking forward to spending more time in Wales over the coming months and years, taking the time to strengthen their relationship with communities in all parts of Wales," Kensington Palace said in a press release.

Read the original article on Insider
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks to the media after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo/Associated Press, File

A blast on a crucial bridge caused celebrations in Ukraine and calls for revenge among Putin allies.

The Kerch bridge is an important supply route between Russia and the Ukrainian peninsula.

Putin allies, blaming Ukraine, have called it a "terrorist attack" and demanded a response.

Allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin are calling for a swift response after an explosion on a crucial bridge linking the Crimean peninsula to mainland Russia.

The Kerch bridge collapsed Saturday at around 6 a.m. local time after a truck explosion set off fuel tankers while a train was crossing, Russian officials said.

Putin immediately ordered the source of the explosion to be investigated, but some in Russia quickly blamed Ukraine. Some Ukrainian officials offered subtle hints that they may have been behind the blast, which occurred the morning after the Russian president's 70th birthday, but Ukraine has not formally taken responsibility.

The bridge provides a road and rail connection between Russia and Crimea, the Ukrainian territory that Russia illegally annexed in 2014. It serves as a key supply route for transporting essential goods like fuel and equipment to Russian forces, which are already said to be struggling as they try to ward off more Ukrainian counteroffensives.

The bridge also held personal significance to Putin, who oversaw its opening in 2018 by driving a truck across it in a symbolic show of the connection between Crimea and Russia.

The explosion on Saturday has been called a humiliation for Putin due to both the strategic and symbolic significance of the bridge, and has opened him up to additional public criticism over his handling of the war in Ukraine.

Some of his allies have publicly demanded retaliation, certain that Ukraine was behind the blast.

Sergei Markov, a politician and former adviser to Putin, called the explosion of the bridge a "terrorist attack" in a Telegram post and said it showed "the US and its Ukrainian proxy regime will move the red line further and further," Politico Europe reported.

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"No response from Russia? Even further. And again? Even further," he wrote, urging Moscow to respond.

The explosion was also called a "terrorist attack" by Konstantin Dolgov, a member of Russia's parliament, according to Politico Europe. He called it "another sinister manifestation of the terrorist nature of the puppet Kyiv regime," adding: "Terrorists must be treated unequivocally!"

The calls for revenge come as Putin and the Russian military have faced increasing criticism in recent weeks, including from members of his inner circle, according to reports.

Though Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the attack, the explosion of the bridge was celebrated by Ukrainians.

Read the original article on Business Insider
ROMAN PETRENKO  SUNDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2022, 14:56

Russian President Vladimir Putin is encouraging his Belarusian counterpart Aleksandr Lukashenko to openly participate in the war against Ukraine, Defence Intelligence reports.

Source: Ukrinform, state-run news agency, citing Vadym Skibitskyi, representative of the Chief Intelligence Directorate

Quote from Skibitskyi: "We see measures that are being taken by the Russian Federation to force the leadership of Belarus to join in an open war. Meetings between Putin and Lukashenko, where this issue is discussed, are constantly being held, and Putin is trying to force Lukashenko to make this decision.

Military intelligence reports that as of October 9, there are 6 battalion tactical groups concentrated near its border. These are mechanised battalions as well as battalions of airborne troops of the so-called Command of Special Operations Forces.

How long this situation will last depends on how events develop at the front and, in general, how events develop in Russia's war against our state."

Background:

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported that Belarus had summoned the Ukrainian ambassador and accused Ukraine of allegedly preparing an attack on the territory of Belarus. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine considers this a possible part of the Russian provocation plan.

Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas connected Belarus's accusations of Ukraine's alleged preparations for attack to a change in Russia's tactics in the full-scale war.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday accused Ukraine of an explosion that damaged the Kerch Bridge, which connected Russia to annexed Crimea, and called the incident a terrorist act.

Theres no doubt it was a terrorist act directed at the destruction of critically important civilian infrastructure of the Russian Federation, Putin said in a Sunday meeting with the chairman of Russias Investigative Committee. And the authors, perpetrators, and those who ordered it are the special services of Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that the Russian president will convene with his Security Council on Monday in a meeting with no stated agenda, according to Bloomberg.

The Russian president reportedly last met with the council ahead of his order to partially mobilize hundreds of thousands of Russians to aid his war efforts.

According to reports, a truck blew up at one end of the Kerch Bridge, igniting several train fuel tanks and collapsing part of the bridge. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the explosion.

The blast impeded travel across the bridge, which has also become a symbol of Russias hold on Crimea.

Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 and began occupying the territory, eventually holding a referendum and annexing the territory.

Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, Putin recently moved to hold Kremlin-controlled referendums and annex occupied regions of eastern and southern Ukraine.

Englands Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence update Sunday that the Kerch Bridge incident, which occurred shortly after Putins birthday, will likely be taken as a personal attack.

The Moscow leader has already appeared to be reeling from battlefield setbacks resulting from Ukraines revamped counteroffensive as well as from discontent within his own country after his efforts to call up Russian reservists.

Ukrainian officials reported Sunday that Zaporizhzhia, the city surrounding Europes largest nuclear power plant, was impacted by Russian strikes that killed at least 17 shortly after news broke of the partial Kerch Bridge collapse.

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Russias Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation into the incident, according to a Telegram post.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Raleigh police arrested a man Friday who crashed into police cars after attempting to escape arrest for several other charges.

Police found Joshua Ray Bibey, 27, in a Garner Chipotle after an automated license plate reader in the parking lot identified his plate as stolen, Fox 8 reported.

While police tried to arrest him, Bibey backed his car into two Raleigh police cars, a press release from the department said. The patrol cars were damaged but no officers were injured.

Bibey led police on a chase through Garner and Raleigh, Fox reported, which ultimately ended when he hit a chain-link fence, allowing police to take him into custody.

Bibey was wanted on numerous warrants from multiple jurisdictions, the report said. He faces dozens of charges including four counts of assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon and two hit and run counts, according to the North Carolina Judicial Branch website.

The Raleigh resident made news earlier this year after driving in the wrong direction on Interstate 40 while allegedly under the influence, setting off a high speed chase. A highway patrol trooper blocked Bibeys path with his car in order to stop him.

Bibey has several upcoming court dates for his charges next week and in late November.
Oct. 9MAHANOY CITY  A raging fire Friday night gutted two homes and severely damaged the top floor of an apartment building, leaving seven families homeless.

Firefighters were dispatched at 7:52 p.m. after the Schuylkill County 911 Center began receiving multiple calls about a house fire at 132 E. Mahanoy Ave.

Before the fire was brought under control around 10:30 p.m., flames destroyed that home and a home at 134 E. Mahanoy Ave., before spreading to the three-floor apartment building at 136-138 E. Mahanoy Ave.

Mahanoy City Fire Chief Dan Markiewicz said firefighters were met with a large amount of fire to the rear of the 132 E. Mahanoy Ave. home that was starting to spread.

"We had heavy fire in 132 (E. Mahanoy Ave.) starting to run the roof lines to the east," he said.

To the west of the home was an empty lot that the chief said saved a home at 128 E. Mahanoy Ave. That home sustained damage to vinyl siding, which melted from the heat.

"We got a break to the west because of the empty lot, or the fire could have gone that way also," he said.

Markiewicz said Mahanoy City EMS and Mahanoy City police officers worked quickly to evacuate residents of the apartment building that consisted of between six and eight units.

"EMS and the police were instrumental in getting everyone out quickly," he said.

Firefighters arriving on scene also assisted, the chief said.

Markiewicz said those displaced by the fire  everyone in the apartment building and residents of 132 and 134 E. Mahanoy Ave.  were assisted by the American Red Cross Tri County Chapter with food, clothing and shelter.

The chief said he did not know the exact number of people displaced, saying the last number he heard was 12. The information was also not available from the Red Cross.

Arriving on scene, Markiewicz said, firefighters were initially overwhelmed at the magnitude of the flames, but they quickly began battling the fire.

"We were behind the eight ball for a short time," he said.

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Markiewicz said the fire went three alarms, bringing in firefighters from numerous surrounding communities as well as EMS units, local police departments and a tanker task force.

The chief said he called for the tanker task force to help offset the large amount of water being used from the fire hydrant system.

No firefighter or civilian injuries were reported.

"That's the main thing. No one was hurt," Markiewicz. "The training kicked in and everyone went home."

The cause of the fire has not been determined. An investigation is underway by borough police, fire officials and state police fire marshals Troopers John Burns of the Frackville station and Joseph Hall of the Reading station.

Markiewicz said officials narrowed the location of where the fire originated to the rear, kitchen area of 132 E. Mahanoy Ave.

That home, the chief said, was in the process of being renovated.

Markiewicz said the time of day the fire happened also helped because firefighters were home or out nearby, which enabled them to respond quickly.

"Manpower was not an issue," he said. "If this would have been during the day when people were working it could have been an entirely different story."
Russia launched a massive missile attack on high-rise buildings and private houses in Zaporozhye

Around midnight, the Ukrainian Air Force spotted six Tu-22M3 bombers operating from Russias Ryazan airfield, while seven Su-35 fighters were operating from the Marinovka airfield in Russias Rostov Oblast.

In total, the Russian aircraft launched four Kh-22 cruise missiles and two Kh-59 guided air missiles.

The invaders also used an S-300 air defense system, having launched about 16 missiles at Zaporizhzhyas civil infrastructure and residential areas.

In the early hours of Oct. 9, Russia launched two missile attacks on the city of Zaporizhzhya. According to preliminary data, the invaders fired at least 12 rockets into the city, mainly at high-rise buildings and private houses.

At least 12 people were killed and 49 were hospitalized, including six children, as a result of the missile strikes.

Over the past few days, the enemy has been regularly attacking Zaporizhzhya, including residential buildings and civilian infrastructure. Eighteen people were killed as a result of an attack on Oct. 6.

Thirty-one people were killed in an attack on a convoy of civilian cars on Sept. 30.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
According to the military intelligence of Ukraine, six battalions are concentrated near our border

"There are regular meetings between (Russian dictator Vladimir) Putin and(Belarusian dictator Alexander) Lukashenko to discuss this issue, and Putin is trying to persuade Lukashenko to make this decision, Skibitskyi said.

Today, according to the military intelligence of Ukraine, six battalions are concentrated near our border. These are mechanized battalions, battalions of airborne troops of the so-called command of special operations force.

Skibitskyi added that Lukashenko is ready to give "everything he has" to be used by Russia  provided that the armed forces of Belarus do not enter the war against Ukraine directly.

"How long this situation will last will depend on how the events at the front develop and in general, how the events in Russia's war against our country pan out," said Skibitskyi.

In early September, Lukashenko said that he was fully behind the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but would allegedly take part in hostilities only if there was an attack on Belarus.

He admitted on Oct. 4 that Minsk is participating in the war against Ukraine. According to the dictator, this participation is allegedly to "prevent the spread of this conflict to the territory of Belarus."

Meanwhile, Russia is deploying its military on the Belarusian territory, and launching missile attacks on Ukraine from there.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
SUNDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2022, 08:00

Russian forces used Grad multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) and heavy artillery to fire up to 70 rockets and shells on the Nikopol district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Source: Valentyn Reznichenko, Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Details: Reznichenko noted that the Russians fired on the Marhanets and Nikopol hromadas (administrative units designating the cities of Marhanets and Nikopol and their adjacent territories).

Several private houses, a car park, a pharmacy, several shops, a painting workshop, and the premises of an agricultural business were damaged in Nikopol. Three cars were burnt out, and nine others were damaged by shells. A power line was damaged.

Several private houses have also been damaged in the Marhanets hromada; a solar power plant and the premises of an industrial and food business also sustained damage.

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A young Egyptian lady was playing a piece of music on the oud, an ancient Arabian musical instrument, at the Arabic Oud House for teaching oud playing in a historical area of the Egyptian capital Cairo.



The piece she was playing was the Chinese folk song Jasmine Flower, or Mo Li Hua, which is usually played in China on the Chinese oud-like instrument pipa.

Shahd Hesham, 19, an oud player and teacher at the Arabic Oud House, played a piece of Egyptian music and highlighted the similarities between the tones created by oud and pipa and between Egyptian and Chinese folk music.

"Egyptian and Chinese folk music can communicate and complete one another in many areas. For example, we can take music sentences from a Chinese track and play them in an Egyptian style, while the Chinese can take Egyptian music sentences and play them in their own style," the Egyptian oud teacher told Xinhua.

She explained that the Chinese pipa is a string instrument just like the oud, but it is a little smaller, it sounds a little sharper, and it is played vertically while the oud is played horizontally.

Oud is the origin of many string instruments in the East, she added.

"When different cultures cooperate and jointly present a concert, the result is so beautiful and diversified," Hesham told Xinhua.

Meanwhile, Mario Saied, an oud teacher and music composer, was on stage making a sound test for his oud before leading a performance in the yard of the Arabic Oud House.

Saied, 24, expressed his belief that cooperation between different cultures in music means "richness."

"Difference in music is beautiful, and what's more beautiful is to have cooperation among different music instruments, which produces beautiful tones," said the Egyptian oud player.

"We're always trying and searching for a beautiful sound of combining instruments, so we try the oud with the Chinese pipa, the mandolin, the Indian sitar, etc. Each experience is richness in itself," the young man told Xinhua.

The Egyptian musician described the Chinese culture as "great," expressing his obsession with Chinese historical sites and artifacts.

"I have on my cell phone a photo gallery of Chinese artifacts and museums, which I am fond of. So, I hope there will be a chance for future music cooperation not only between Egypt and China but between Egypt and every place where there is music," Saied said.
It was the mega yacht that got away. As Western sanctions hit Vladimir Putin's allies earlier this year following the Russian leader's invasion of Ukraine, their luxury yachts were seized one after another in jurisdictions around the world.

But not the Nord, a $500 million vessel tied to steel mogul Alexey Mordashov. This spring the ultra-luxurious yacht risked a collision by turning off its transponders and racing full steam ahead back to Vladivostok from the Indian Ocean, evading the grasp of Western authorities.

Now, infuriatingly to U.S. officials, it's docked for all to see in Hong Kongand authorities there are doing nothing about it.

A spokesman for Hong Kongs marine department told the Financial Times:

Certain countries may impose unilateral sanctions against certain places on the basis of their own considerations, but the Hong Kong government "does not implement, nor do we have the legal authority to take action on, unilateral sanctions imposed by other jurisdictions."

Hong Kong's reputation

U.S. officials were not impressed. State Department officials told the U.K. paper that Hong Kong's "reputation as a financial centre depends on adherence to international laws and standards...The possible use of Hong Kong as a safe haven by individuals evading sanctions from multiple jurisdictions further calls into question the transparency of the business environment."

Others agreed.

It would raise risks considerably if Hong Kong became widely seen as a popular destination for the assets of sanctioned Russian corporations or individuals," Ryan Mitchell, who teaches international law at Chinese University of Hong Kong, told the paper. He added, Hong Kong-based corporations or individuals should be aware that they could later face secondary sanctions if they enter into business transactions or relationships with Russian sanction targets."

Mordashov has close ties with Putin and made his billions as chairman of Severstal, a Russian steel-and-mining giant.

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Not all of his yachts got away, however. In April, Italy seized his Lady M superyacht in the port of Imperia after the European Union blacklisted Mordashov. That yacht, however, is valued at a mere $27 million and measures just 215 feet.

The Nord, by contrast, extends 465 feet and is valued at half a billion dollars. A Superyacht Times video about the vessel, made by a German shipyard, has garnered more than 570,000 views on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx9u4dcRmMM

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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The Russians created a fake image of Shmyhal to contact Halyuk Bayraktar

The pranksters, probably in fact Russian intelligence service agents, contacted the CEO of military drone manufacturer Baykar Defense, Haluk Bayraktar, the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, or GUR, wrote on the Telegram messenger on Oct. 9

Read also: Russia uses Japanese restaurant for fake narrative about Ukraine, says NSDC

The Baykar Defense company is the manufacturer of the famous Bayraktar drones, which Ukraine has used to great effect in battling off invading Russian forces.

The Russians held a video call while pretending to be Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, whose video image was created using deep fake technology, Ukrainian intelligence said.

However, the conversation didnt quite go as the Russian agents had planned. Instead of the CEO, the Russians were instead put through to an equally fake secretary of the Baykar company, and were immediately asked the question, What happened to the Crimean Bridge today?

The agents from the GRU noted the low level of training of the Russian operatives, who exposed themselves as fakes several times during the conversation. Notably, the Russians did not know the correct pronunciation of the Ukrainian equivalent of the expression Indian summer, which in Ukrainian is babyne lito.

Read also: Bayraktar drone manufacturer affirms commitment to Ukraine

They used the Russian version of the phrase  babie leto.

Ukrainian intelligence says the purpose of the Russians trick was to attempt to discredit cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey.

At the end of the conversation, the Russian operatives were informed that they had been exposed and that they would be prosecuted for impersonating a Ukrainian official.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
EUROPEAN PRAVDA  SUNDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2022, 12:12

Dmytro Kuleba, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, has urged Western partners to speed up the supply of anti-aircraft and anti-missile defence systems to Ukraine after the recent Russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia, which killed at least 12 people.

Source: European Pravda

Quote: "Russia continues its missile terror against civilians in Zaporizhzhia. 12 strikes on residential areas overnight, at least 12 killed and many more wounded. We urgently need more modern air and missile defence systems to save innocent lives. I urge [our] partners to speed up deliveries."

Russia continues its missile terror against civilians in Zaporizhzhia. 12 strikes on residential areas overnight, at least 12 killed and many more wounded. We urgently need more modern air and missile defense systems to save innocent lives. I urge partners to speed up deliveries. pic.twitter.com/nnUT4Lu32d  Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) October 9, 2022

Details: As reported, on the night of 8-9 October, Russia conducted a missile attack on Zaporizhzhia, launching 12 missiles. According to preliminary data, at least 12 people were killed, and about 50 were injured.

The attack on Zaporizhzhia took place the day after the explosion on the Crimean Bridge, which the Russian side attributes to Ukrainian secret services.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Tucker Carlson on Russian TV. Internet Archive

Russian state TV channels have embraced Tucker Carlson's comments about the Nord Stream pipelines.

The Fox News host suggested that the US was behind the damage to the two underwater gas pipelines.

The Russian channels repeated his claims at least 12 times on Wednesday, according to The Washington Post.

Russian state television channels have seized on claims made by Fox News host Tucker Carlson that suggested the US may have been behind the suspected attack on the Nord Stream pipelines.

Russian television programs replayed or discussed portions of his commentary at least 12 times on Wednesday, according to The Washington Post.

Carlson hinted on his Fox News program on Tuesday that the US sabotaged the two pipelines running from Russia to Germany.

The host said during his show: "Where might some Americans have gotten the notion that the Biden administration might have been involved directly or through a proxy in the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines?"

Carlson pointed to a tweet from a Polish European parliamentarian and a statement made by President Joe Biden in February opposing the activation of the pipeline to suggest that he may have had some role in destroying it.

Russia previously said that the damaged area of the pipeline is "fully under the control" of US intelligence agencies, per Reuters. It also said the damage caused to the pipelines was likely directed by state-sponsored "terrorism."

Neither Russia nor Carlson offered any evidence that the US was involved in the pipeline leaks, however.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) issued a statement saying the leaks were of "deep concern," and that if the damage was caused by sabotage, it would be met with a "united and determined response."

The pipelines were not operational, but they contained natural gas that was bubbling to the surface, creating patches of churning sea several hundred yards in size.

Sabotage suspicions have intensified in recent days. Sweden's security police issued a statement on Tuesday, which said: "The crime scene investigation that the Security Police conducted at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines is now complete. The investigation has strengthened the suspicions of gross sabotage."

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But no clear evidence has emerged to prove who might be behind any attack on the pipelines that Russia and European partners spent billions of dollars building.

Adm. Sir Ben Key, first sea lord and chief of the British naval staff, said he would "steer clear of direct attribution" because the cause was not "at all clear."

The leak was first detected on September 27. The following day, the pipeline operator said there was "unprecedented" damage to three of the four lines that compose Nord Stream 1 and 2. Four leaks have now been found  two in Swedish waters and two in Danish waters  in roughly 250 feet of water.

Read the original article on Business Insider
ROMAN PETRENKO  SUNDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2022, 15:35

As a result of the Russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia on the night of 8-9 October, 13 people died, as the regional police reported.

Source: National Police branch in Zaporizhzhia Oblast

Details: The information obtained says that dozens of private houses, two apartment buildings and civilian infrastructure came under Russian fire.

As a result of direct missile hits, all floors from the ground floor to sixth floor of the nine-story building were destroyed. As the rubble was being dismantled, the other two floors collapsed as well.

Personal vehicles parked near the epicentre of the strike were set on fire by the explosions.

Two missiles hit a residential area in the Dniprovsky district. Several more struck the citys Komunarsky district and Khortytsia Island.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, reported that 89 civilians, including 11 children, sustained injuries as a result of the Russian missile strike on Zaporizhzhia.

"A search and rescue operation is underway. More people are being found under the rubble. There is a risk that the building may collapse," according to Tymoshenko.

Background:

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KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO  SATURDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2022, 22:54

On the evening of Saturday, 8 October 2022, Russian forces launched another strike on Zaporizhzhia; city infrastructure facilities were damaged.

Source: Anatolii Kurtiev, Secretary of Zaporizhzhia City Council; Oleksandr Starukh, Head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote from Kurtiev: "Ruscists attacked Zaporizhzhia again.

As per preliminary information, infrastructure facilities of the city were damaged as a result of the enemys attack."

Details: The Secretary of Zaporizhzhia City Council has added that the more precise information is being clarified.

Previously, Oleksandr Starukh, Head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration, reported "another enemys attack", but did not specify details.



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STILLWATER, Okla. (AP)  Oklahoma State had more than enough stamina to keep up with Texas Tech's up-tempo offense.

Spencer Sanders ran for two touchdowns and passed for another and No. 7 Oklahoma State beat Texas Tech 41-31 on Saturday.

Sanders passed for 297 yards and ran for 56, and Bryson Green had five catches for a career-high 115 yards for the Cowboys (5-0, 2-0 Big 12).

Tech ran 104 plays in the game to Oklahoma State's 86, but the Cowboys had the energy they needed late. They trailed 24-20 at halftime before outscoring the Red Raiders 21-7 in the second half.

They had some gas in the tank," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. "And weve been in these battles before. And in the end, there wasnt any panic. Guys had a clear mind. They were able to listen and absorb information. Theres no panic, and that situation gives you the best chance.

Texas Tech redshirt freshman Behren Morton got his first career start in place of Donovan Smith. He completed 39 of 62 passes for 379 yards and two touchdowns for the Red Raiders (3-3, 1-2).

Jerand Bradley caught eight passes for 119 yards and a touchdown and Trey Cleveland caught nine passes for 110 yards for a Texas Tech team that was playing its fifth straight ranked opponent and already had claimed wins over Houston and Texas.

Where theyre at right now, theyve got a lot of frustration because were right there," Tech coach Joey McGuire said. Its different if you come into a game and you get blown out. Youre going to be frustrated and you hate to lose. But in our three losses, I felt like we have played every play, and we have fought our tail off every single snap.

Morton completed 24 of 39 passes for 220 yards and both scores in the first half to help the Red Raiders take a 24-20 lead at the break. Tech gained 347 yards on 57 plays in the first two quarters.

Sanders rolled out and scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to trim Texas Tech's lead to 31-29 in the third. Sanders' shovel pass to Jaden Bray for the 2-point conversion tied it with 3:18 left in the third quarter.

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On Texas Tech's next possession, Morton made one of his few mistakes. Oklahoma State linebacker Mason Cobb intercepted him and returned the ball 13 yards to the Tech 19. Tanner Brown's fourth field goal of the game gave the Cowboys a 34-31 lead with 3 seconds left in the third quarter.

Oklahoma State closed it out when Dominic Richardson scored on a 7-yard run with 2:27 remaining.

Every loss feels the same to me, man, McGuire said. "They all suck. Im just telling you. If you ever hear me saying its a good loss or anything like that, I want somebody to slap me, please.

THE TAKEAWAY

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders were again competitive against a top-flight opponent. It was just a matter of a few plays here and there. Tech's other losses were 27-14 at North Carolina State and 37-28 at Kansas State. Four of Tech's final six games are at home.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys prevailed, despite the defense getting off to a rough start. The Cowboys allowed 125 yards in the fourth quarter but held the Red Raiders scoreless.

TARGETING EJECTION

With Oklahoma State still leading 34-31, it appeared Oklahoma State safety Kendal Daniels sacked Morton near the Texas Tech goal line, but instead, Daniels was called for targeting and ejected. That means the Cowboys lose Daniels for the first half of the TCU game.

Gundy doesnt think the Cowboys should lose Daniels for part the upcoming contest, but he said theres no doubt it was targeting.

In the heat of the moment, all he knows is he had a dead shot at the quarterback in the end zone," Gundy said. "And you cannot lower your head. You have to keep your eyes up all the time. The rules put in place to protect, and its a good rule. Nobody likes the rule because people think its football, football is football, until thats your kid thats getting hit. But it was a correct call and he needs to learn.

ONSIDE KICK

Texas Tech tried to surprise the Cowboys with an onside kick in the first quarter and executed it perfectly except for one problem: Oklahoma States Demarco Jones called a fair catch.

Instead of Tech getting possession with a 7-0 lead, Oklahoma State got possession and Tech was called for kick catch interference.

Its pretty simple in Gundys opinion.

As soon as they kick it, you show fair catch and they cant catch it.

Two plays later, Sanders connected with Green for a 32-yard touchdown.

RING OF HONOR

Oklahoma State added Bob Fenimore to its Ring of Honor on Saturday. The halfback finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy vote in 1944 and third in 1945. He joined Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas.

UP NEXT

Texas Tech: Hosts West Virginia on Oct. 22.

Oklahoma State: Visits TCU on Oct. 15.

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Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: twitter.com/CliffBruntAP

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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
Saturday Night Live made its much-anticipated return this fall.

The long-running comedy sketch show began its 48th season on 1 October and welcomed actor Miles Teller as the emcee.

This marked Tellers first time hosting SNL, which came after his appearance in the biggest film of the year, Top Gun: Maverick, alongside Tom Cruise.

The premiere will be followed by two new episodes of SNL on 8 October and 15 October.

Heres everything you need to know about the show.

Who are the hosts and music guests?

The premiere saw host Teller joined by Kendrick Lamar as the evenings musical guest, who is currently on tour promoting his new album, Mr Morale & The Big Steppers. This marked the rappers third SNL musical performance.

The following week (8 October) will see Irish actor Brendan Gleeson make his hosting debut, ahead of the theatrical release of his new film, The Banshees of Inisherin, on 21 October.

That night, Willow Smith will make her SNL debut to perform records from her newest album, COPINGMECHANISM, which comes out the day before, on 7 October.

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.

How to watch SNL season 48

Saturday Night Live airs on Saturdays at 11.30 pm ET on Peacock. Viewers in the US can watch SNL via live stream on Hulu + Live TV.

SNL episodes are also available on the NBC website. If youre overseas, you can use a VPN and connect to a US server to stream on Hulu and NBC.

All previous seasons of Saturday Night Live are available to stream on Peacock, too.

In the UK, new episodes of SNL are shown on Sky Comedy and NOW.

Which one of the previous cast members will feature in season 48?

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.

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Who left the show in the last season?

The cast members who have left SNL in the past year include Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, Alex Moffat, Melissa Villasenor, Aristotle Athari, and Kate McKinnon.

On Monday 19 September, Chris Redd also announced his farewell.
Adair Boroughs, South Carolinas new U.S. attorney who was tapped by President Joe Biden, said her top crime-fighting priority will be to address gun violence in the Palmetto State.

The job right now is gun violence, Boroughs, 42, told The State newspaper in an interview at her Main Street office in downtown Columbia.

Gun deaths have grown sharply in South Carolina in recent years.

In 2016, the state reported 889 gun deaths. That number grew to 1,130 in 2020, the latest year for which statistics from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control were available.

Almost half of the states 1,130 gun deaths in 2020  527, or more than one a day  were killings, as opposed to firearm suicides or accidents, DHEC reported.

Previous U.S. attorneys in the state have made gun violence a priority  in accordance with directives from the Department of Justice  and Boroughs said her emphasis involves working with communities to come up with evidence-based solutions that will have an impact on the actual level of violence.

We arent just doing something just to do something, she said. Its about our strategic enforcement of these laws to actually lower the amount of violence.

Boroughs is the sixth person to serve in the states top federal prosecutors office since 2019, a job that handles prosecutions of crimes investigated by federal agencies such as the FBI, IRS, Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The offices high-profile, crime-fighting initiatives frequently make news, from its successful prosecutions of two top officers of the now-defunct SCANA electric utility to its leading a joint state-federal dog-fighting task force last month that rescued 305 dogs.

Next month, the offices prosecutors will put former banker Russell Laffitte, an associate of disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh, on trial for fraud charges in Charleston.

Boroughs took office in July after being nominated by Biden in June, and has since kept a low public profile.

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Raised in rural Barnwell County, Boroughs was educated at Furman University and Stanford Law School.

A Democrat, she had been in private law practice after losing a congressional bid in 2020 to longtime U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-Springdale.. Her husband, Bryan Boroughs, whom she met at Furman, is also a lawyer and is currently running for a seat on Richland County Council.

Boroughs is the second woman nominated by a president to be South Carolinas U.S. attorney in the offices history.

Sherri Lydon, who became U.S. Attorney in 2018 after being nominated by former President Donald Trump, vacated the post in 2019 to become a federal judge, was the first.

In law enforcement, having a woman at the top is more rare, but its really important for the community, Boroughs said. Im a big believer in diverse perspectives, and thats the way I lead. Its not just because its something that makes me feel good and fuzzy. Its because the data shows you make better decisions when you have different perspectives at the table.

Groups that are diverse in their makeup, Boroughs added, make fewer factual mistakes and are more likely to correct mistakes when they make them.

In addition to gun violence, Boroughs said her other priorities include areas where federal laws are pretty much the only protection people have. She said those include civil rights violations, public corruption, environmental justice, complex financial and white collar crimes.

South Carolina is one of the two states in the country that doesnt have a state hate crime law, so if we want to vindicate those rights, we have to do it at the federal level, she said.

Legislative efforts to pass hate crimes legislation failed in the State House this year after a House-backed proposal stalled in the Senate.

In the past week, the U.S. attorneys office created an environmental justice coordinator post. That person will oversee enforcement of all environmental violations, which, Boroughs said occur disproportionately in low-income and minority neighborhoods, not just rich white neighborhoods.

We care about all our communities here, and we are going to be enforcing environmental laws across the board, she said.

The office also will aggressively seek out civil and criminal civil rights cases to make sure those cases are coming to us, Boroughs said.

The community needs to know we are willing to put resources here, she said. Its something big on my list.

And the office will go after cyber criminals, Boroughs said.

Were seeing a lot more criminals use cryptocurrency to put money out of the grasp of law enforcement, she said. We have federal partners who have the ability to seize that currency, and sometimes our state and local partners dont.

Curbing gun deaths No. 1 priority for Boroughs

Gun violence is already confronted statewide by the states 16 regional solicitors, or elected prosecutors, and nearly all of the 46 sheriffs departments and numerous police departments.

But Boroughs said her office, which prosecutes violations of federal gun laws, is in a unique position to be a leader in working with local communities to come up with and implement various strategies to reduce gun violence around the state, she said.

Some of those efforts, including the program Project Safe Neighborhoods, are characterized by getting buy-in from community leaders, law enforcement agencies, parents and even grandparents, a strategy developed by criminologist David Kennedy, a professor at New Yorks John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Boroughs said.

Boroughs said that law enforcement and communities can also work to take high-impact players off the streets by getting them to reform or, if they dont, arresting them when they commit offenses.

That is a wrinkle of an already existing informal program whereby some South Carolina law enforcement agencies turn some gun crimes over to the U.S. Attorneys office for prosecution, since federal gun laws are much tougher, and can bring far longer prison sentences than state laws.

Columbia has a Project Safe Neighborhoods program and Greenville just started one, Boroughs said.

Its a full-on partnership with state and locals, she said. Locals know whats actually happening on the ground ... and you do it one neighborhood at a time. Its not something you do statewide.

Theres plenty of work to do in curtailing gun violence.

Through May, South Carolina had 12 mass shootings, where four or more people were killed or injured, according to the nationwide database Gun Violence Archive. Those shootings wounded more than 60 people and killed seven.

In Columbia, from January to Oct. 3, city police have reported 81 persons shot, including nine fatal.

Outside Columbia city limits, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said his department has investigated shootings that involve 88 victims, including 19 who died and 69 who were injured.

She (Boroughs) said her top priority was gun violence, and I said that was our top priority too. Its not only plaguing Richland County but the whole state, said Lott, who has talked to Boroughs since she became U.S. attorney. In federal courts, you get a lot more bang for the buck in prosecuting gun crimes.

Hard-to-get prosecutor jobs

Some 150 people work for the South Carolina U.S. Attorneys office, which when fully staffed has approximately 63 attorney positions, 74 full-time other staff and 13 contract staff, Boroughs said.

The Department of Justice classifies U.S. Attorney offices as small, medium, large and extra large.

The S.C. office is a large, in part, because South Carolina is one big district and the state isnt split into two or more districts, Boroughs said. Its offices are in Columbia, Florence, Charleston and Greenville.

We do work you can do nowhere else, Boroughs said. I started my career at (the Department of) Justice, and it was the best thing I ever did. I was in court arguing motions a month after I was licensed. The mission is great. You know you are saving lives and improving your community every day that you work.

The mentoring program offered at the U.S. Attorneys office is excellent, Boroughs said, and at some private law firms, you will spend years before you actually get to stand up and talk in a courtroom. Youre going to do it immediately in this job. Theres no better place to learn the practice of law than the Department of Justice.

Theres no shortage of prosecutor applicants, who typically have least three years experience, and a federal judge clerkship is a helpful credential, Burroughs said.

For a recent prosecutors vacant position, the office had 61 applications. The office now has two openings in the white collar crime prosecution section, she said.

Boroughs also has approval to hire a public relations officer to tell the public stories about what we are doing.

The public doesnt know what the U.S. Attorneys office is doing by and large. A lot of people call me the attorney general, Booughs said. We have some incredible prosecutors doing incredible work and civil attorneys. A lot of this work is not getting the daylight it deserves.

In the months since she took office, Boroughs said she has spent time meeting with state and law enforcement chiefs, including Attorney General Alan Wilson, State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel and Richland County Sheriff Lott, as well as numerous federal judges and magistrate judges.

We had a good conversation, and I expressed to her my concerns about violent crime and talked about the benefits of what the U.S. Attorneys office could bring, Keel said. Hopefully we can make a dent in it.

Like Boroughs, Keel hails from Barnwell County.

I told her we have to stick together. (There) arent too many people from Barnwell County who end up being chief of SLED and U.S. attorney, Keel said.

Bill Nettles, South Carolinas U.S. attorney from 2010 to 2016, said the office runs very well handling the gamut of federal crimes that come its way.

All of that, you can prepare for. The hard part is handling the stuff you cant prepare for, like a Dylann Roof, said Nettles, referring to the convicted white supremacist who killed nine Black churchgoers, including a state senator, at a prayer meeting in a Charleston church in June 2015.

Roof s case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorneys office. He was sentenced to death in 2017 by a federal jury after a trial in Charleston.

Boroughs said her office is up to handling whatever fate throws its way.

We can take on whatever we need to take on to protect the public, she said.
Scarlett Moffat has revealed that an incident where a stalker attempted to kidnap her was an important reminder to be mindful of what she posts on social media.

The former Gogglebox star recently shared the terrifying experience in a tearful Instagram video and said the stranger told her he had been waiting for her at Kings Cross station.

But in a new interview, Moffat said she was pleased that the terrifying incident happened to her because it reminded her how social media activity is viewed in real time.

The 31-year-old warned fans to be careful of what they post to avoid similar experiences.

Explaining why she shared what happened to her, Moffat told the Daily Mail that she thinks sometimes we forget that when we post in real time, thats real life and I never do that normally.

If I go out for food, as soon as I get back in the house, Ill post a picture of my food, whereas that day I didnt. I actually posted in real time, she continued.

Im, in a way, pleased that it happened because it reminded us of how important it is to be mindful of what youre posting on social media.

Moffat added that she received messages from fans saying they would post photographs of their family while out of the house, forgetting that people know the house is empty.

Im just reminding people to be cautious of what theyre posting because social media is a really fun place and it should be like that and we should be able to chare experiences and all of that stuff, but yeah, we just need to be careful really.

In her Instagram video, Moffat cried while recounting how the stranger who approached her asked her several times if she was coming home with him.

She rejected his advances but claimed that the man followed her until LNER staff noticed and intervened to help her.

The TV personality and presenter thanks the staff, who she said walked her all the way to my home.

She told the newspaper: Honestly, the LNER staff because it was the train guards that walked me to my hotel, they were honestly amazing.

And now, whenever I get on the trains, I always ask how they are because theyre little legends. But thanks to them, it was alright, so Im really happy that they were there. They were just little diamonds, they actually walked me all the way to my hotel.
You are here: Arts

Two highly anticipated exhibitions were unveiled at Shanghai Bund One Art Museum this September to celebrate the China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism.

The "Uffizi Self-Portrait Masterpieces" displays a total of 50 masterpieces from the 16th century to the 20th century.

The "100 Years of Modern Art" showed 57 masterpieces, covering a variety of art forms such as oil painting, photography, sculpture, installation, collage and paper.

Meanwhile, in the Museum of Art Pudong, visitors can get a free passionate and energetic trip in the "Design for fun" Italian contemporary design exhibition.
LONDON (AP)  The leader of the Scottish government said Sunday that she will push on with her campaign to take Scotland out of the United Kingdom, even if she loses a Supreme Court case seeking authorization to call a new independence referendum.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wants to hold a referendum in October 2023, but the Conservative U.K. government in London has said no. Britains top court is due to hear arguments starting Tuesday on whether Scotlands semi-autonomous administration can organize an independence vote without the London governments consent.

Sturgeon, who leads the Scottish National Party, said that if her Edinburgh-based government loses the court case, she will make the next U.K. national election a de facto plebiscite on ending Scotlands three-century-old union with England.

She did not give details of how that would work. A vote held without the approval of the U.K. government would not be legally binding.

Sturgeon said that if the courts blocked a referendum, we put our case to people in an election or we give up on Scottish democracy.

It should be a last resort, she said. I dont want to be in that position. I want to have a lawful referendum.

Scotland and England have been politically united since 1707. Scotland has had its own parliament and government since 1999 and makes its own policies on public health, education and other matters. The U.K.-wide government in London controls matters such as defense and fiscal policy.

Scottish voters rejected independence by a margin of 55% to 45% in a 2014 referendum that was billed as a once-in-a-generation choice. Sturgeons government argues that Britains departure from the European Union and the coronavirus pandemic have upended politics and the economy and that its time to revisit the case for independence.

British voters narrowly approved Brexit in a 2016 referendum, but those in Scotland voted strongly to stay in the EU.

Sturgeons party leads a pro-independence majority in the Scottish parliament, together with the Scottish Green Party, and she maintains that support has created an indisputable democratic mandate for a new independence vote.

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Sturgeon promised to produce documents in the coming weeks outlining the economic basis for independence and answering questions such as what currency the country would use after a split.

She said her goal of holding a referendum in a years time was realistic.

Theres little point speculating on the outcome of a court hearing, but should that be yes, we have the plans ready to go to legislate, she said.

Polls suggest Scotland is about evenly split on independence. Labour Party politician Alistair Darling, a former U.K. Treasury chief, said polls also show a majority of Scots do not want a referendum anytime soon.

This country is tearing itself apart. And that uncertainty is damaging to our growth prospects and to our wellbeing, Darling said.
A security guard trying to stop a robbery outside of a Texas nightclub unintentionally shot the victim, twice, the Houston Police Department told news outlets.

The incident happened in north Houston around 3 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 9, outlets reported.

Two armed men wearing masks came up to a man parking his car out in front of the club and tried to rob him, police told KPRC. One of the suspects grabbed the man and a nearby security guard, seeing what was happening, stepped in to help.

The security guard pulled out a gun and fired. But he accidentally hit the victim two times, KHOU reported. The victim is expected to survive.

The suspects ran but the guard caught one and held them at the scene until police arrived, KTRK reported. The other escaped in a gray Dodge Charger.

The reports did not say if the security guard will be facing any charges.

An investigation is underway.
Mindy Kaling is in great company for the upcoming HBO Max series, Velma.

On Thursday, Oct. 6, the official Instagram account for the show shared three new additions to the cast alongside animations of their characters. It was announced that Constance Wu will be voicing the role of Daphne Blake, while Glenn Howerton will voice Fred Jones and Sam Richardson will voice Norville Shaggy Rogers.

Kaling, who will be voicing the titular character in the animated series coming to the streaming platform in 2023, shared the casting news during a panel at New York Comic Con on Thursday, according to Variety. She appeared alongside Wu and "Velma" showrunner Charlie Grandy at the Javits Center in New York City.

Additional voice actors for the series include Jane Lynch, Wanda Sykes, Weird Al Yankovic, Fortune Feimster, Melissa Fumero, Nicole Byer, Shay Mitchell, Debby Ryan, Sarayu Blue, Russell Peters, Stephen Root, Gary Cole, Ming-Na Wen, Ken Leung, Cherry Jones, Frank Welker, Yvonne Orji, Kulap Vilaysak and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Howerton and Richardson both reacted to the news on their respective Instagram accounts. Richardson shared the teaser clip for the show, simply writing in the caption, "Ill be playing Norville in the new @VelmaTheSeries!"

The "Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star also shared the clip on his Instagram, penning the announcement in the caption. He wrote, "I can finally talk about this! Im really excited for you guys to see this insane HBO Velma Dinkley origin story. Its almost surreal to me that Im playing Fred in this. I grew up LOVING Scooby-Doo!!"

Howerton also posted the animated portrait of Fred on his Instagram, adding in the caption, "This honestly blows my mind. Hope you guys enjoy this as much as weve enjoyed making it."

During the Comic Con appearance, according to Insider, Kaling opened up about her personal connection to the character she is voicing. She explained that she has always identified with Velma, adding, She was so cute, but not like traditionally hot  super smart, super thick glasses, questionable haircut. I just love the series and I feel so honored to do the voice.

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Kaling also addressed online criticism of her character being reimagined as South Asian, telling the moderator, I think of the characters in this as so iconic, but in no way is the gang defined by their whiteness, except for Fred. So, I was a little bit surprised and I think most Indian-American girls when they see this skeptical, hardworking, kind of underappreciated character, can identify with her. 

In February 2021, when news broke that she would be voicing Velma Dinkley in the Scooby-Doo prequel series, there was negative attention across social media. According to the Huffington Post, one critic in particular had a strong response to the news from Discussing Film, writing in a now-deleted tweet, starring Mindy Kaling? and a gif of Michael Scott from The Office yelling No!

Kaling had the perfect response to the hate tweet, cooly writing, I wrote the episode of The Office this gif is from.

I wrote the episode of The Office this gif is from https://t.co/jL2aDOLXHN  Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) February 10, 2021

An official teaser for the adult animated series was also released for Velma across the internet. The minute-and-a-half long clip poked fun at the criticism of Kalings casting and Velma being South Asian, with The Mindy Project star narrating a scathing message to HBO Max.

At one point during her monologue, Kaling says, If there is one thing the internet agrees on, its that you should never change anything ever! I hope you die! about what the character described as a genre bending comedic origin story of Judy Jetson."

VELMA is an adult animated comedy series telling the origin story of Velma Dinkley, the unsung and under appreciated brains of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc. gang, the description of the official teaser read on YouTube. This original and humorous spin unmasks the complex and colorful past of one of Americas most beloved mystery solvers.

The fictional character also made headlines earlier this week on Oct. 4 when it was confirmed in a clip from the upcoming new movie Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! that Velma is a lesbian.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
As a heinous crime and massive law enforcement investigation has left many across Excelsior Springs unsettled and mystified, roughly three dozen area residents gathered at sunset Saturday under a large cross to pray and sing.

Residents assembled on the grass in a circle beside a gazebo at Siloam Mountain Park. Several kept heads bowed solemnly, raising their hands with eyes closed as they asked for the divine hand of God to heal the community, offer grace to the victim and assist law enforcement with the investigation.

This spot historically has been a place of prayer, said Sherie Renne, an organizer who leads a local womens faith group, noting the massive Christian cross set atop a stone foundation, and the view overlooking the city at dusk. And so its a great spot to gather together and then as youre praying imagine sending those prayers out across the whole community.

An investigation continued into the weekend after a victim Friday escaped from a home in the 300 block of Old Orchard Street and sought help from neighbors. The victim reported she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted.

Timothy Haslett Jr., was charged Friday with first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree assault in Clay County Circuit Court.

On Saturday, police sorted through numerous items in the residence. Excelsior Springs Police Chief Greg Dull called it a slow, painstaking process. The investigation was ongoing and additional charges could be forthcoming if evidence of additional crimes is uncovered, he said.

Crime scene personnel and police officers were seen loading large bags of evidence into police vehicles as some neighbors continued to watch from their driveways, yards and from the sidewalk.

Lori Patton, 54, Yajieraka Chambers, 29, both of Excelsior Springs, were among roughly three dozen people who gathered Saturday evening under a monument cross at Siloam Mountain Park to pray as police investigate a local man being investigated for kidnapping and rape, and possibly other crimes.

Victim escapes house Friday

The investigation started early Friday morning when the victim apparently broke free from the home screaming for neighbors to help her, police said.

When we made contact with her, it was readily apparent that she had been held against her will for a significant period of time, said Excelsior Springs police Lt. Ryan Dowdy.

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The victim appeared malnourished.

She told police there were possibly two other victims, though police declined to say if other victims were suspected or had been located.

A cadaver dog searched the area Friday, but police have not disclosed any further information.

Dowdy said Friday evening that the victim had been transported to a hospital where she was in stable condition. She is from the Kansas City metro area and her family had gone to the hospital to be with her.

Over recent weeks, Excelsior Springs had seen its share of crime and violence  including a police shooting where a man was killed and an officer was wounded, and another fatal shooting across town that left a mother of five dead. Residents have told The Star those events have been a troubling sight for the small, suburban community.

Its a small town, said Susan White, a neighbor in the area who added: Weve been here forever, and the past month and a half for this town has been absolutely nuts.
Nearly seven in 10 people regularly feel dread on Sundays about the week ahead, with the figure rising among young people, a poll has found.

The feeling, often dubbed the Sunday scaries, is experienced by some 67 per cent of people, the poll of more than 4,000 people suggests.

This figure rises to 74 per cent among those aged 18 to 24.

Those who get the Sunday scaries say that the causes of stress and anxiety include work worries, lack of sleep and looming to-do lists.

The poll was conducted for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) as it launches a campaign called Better Health  Every Mind Matters.

The campaign urges people to do small things that would make a big difference to their mental wellbeing.

It comes as NHS trusts warned of growing demand for mental health services outstripping the ability to provide them due to a severe shortage of staff.

Health secretary Therese Coffey said: My focus is on making sure people can get the care they need, when they need it - and that includes for their mental wellbeing.

The Every Mind Matters tool is a great way to build your mental resilience and help ward off the anxiety many of us feel on a Sunday.

The campaigns website helps people to create a free mind plan of tips and provides sections with information on how to deal with anxiety, money worries and child mental health.

But with millions of Britons taking on extra jobs to help make ends meet amid the cost of living crisis and young people worrying they cant afford to buy food this winter, hospital trusts are urging the government to prioritise a national mental health plan.

In addition, a survey found that millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) feel less in control of their finances than any other generation as the crisis impacts both short-term and long-term financial goals.

NHS Providers interim chief executive Saffron Cordery said that while Every Mind Matters is a welcome initiative, trusts are concerned about the effect of rising inequality on peoples mental health.

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We must address deep-rooted and complex factors influencing poor mental health too, she said. Mental health services are doing everything they can to expand and provide the best possible care with the staff and resources available in the face of growing demand.

There are almost 1.8 million people on mental health waiting lists.

Overstretched services face severe workforce shortages while peoples needs are becoming more serious and more complex, partly as a result of the pandemic.

Cordery warned that the rising cost of living is harming peoples physical and mental health as financial pressures take their toll.

Government support for and recognition of the importance of early intervention is also welcome.

But we need to know that the cross-government mental health plan remains a priority for ministers - and will be backed up by the support and funding mental health services and their partners require to deliver the level of care that people with mental health problems need, when they need it.

Additional reporting by PA
Silke Otto-Knapp, an artist whose unusual technique of painting with layered watercolors on canvas to create large, enigmatic landscapes or figures in motion drew international attention over a career that spanned more than two decades, died Sunday morning at her home in Pasadena.

Two years ago, Otto-Knapp was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, which recently became aggressive. Her death was confirmed by Regen Projects, the Los Angeles gallery that represents her work. She was 52.

In the waiting room (7), a monumental three-panel painting of seven figures that stretch, kneel, dance, sprawl and otherwise physically exert themselves, was shown last year in a Regen Projects exhibition. As with much of her work, the painting was made by laying down delicate layers of watercolor, some of which Otto-Knapp then washed with a sponge or swept away with a dry brush.

Transparent paint soaked into the canvas weave, leaving visually elusive traces behind. Some was effectively erased, while the rest was pushed into adjacent areas where it built up. The ephemeral result is an image of shimmering, quicksilver figures in optically dense and visually absorbent spaces.

Silke Otto-Knapp, "Monotone (Moonlit Scene after Samuel Palmer)," 2016, watercolor on canvas (Christopher Knight/Los Angeles Times)

Poetic landscapes and seascapes formed another prominent body of work, sometimes evoking unsettled paintings by Norwegian Expressionist Edvard Munch, visionary landscapes by British Romantic artist Samuel Palmer or floating clouds by American artist Georgia OKeeffe. For the 2016 Made in L.A. biennial exhibition at the UCLA Hammer Museum in Westwood, Otto-Knapp made a monumental six-panel painting for the entry stairwell. Beneath a shining moon, silvery gray islands and rocky fingers of land seem to drift within a vast, black, watery expanse.

Otto-Knapps figure paintings often refer to dance. She was especially attracted to those performance elements that reflected what she called everyday movements, such as simply reaching, bending or walking. The Ballets Russes, Polish dancer Bronislava Nijinska and American choreographer Yvonne Rainer are among the notable dance artists whose work informed her paintings.

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In 2011 she participated in open rehearsals in the Turbine Hall of Londons Tate Modern, where British choreographer Michael Clark was preparing a public performance with 50 amateur dancers. The piece, TH, incorporated a contemplative pop music soundtrack by David Bowie, Pulp and Kraftwerk, as well as a monochrome stage design. The bodies of dancers she encountered there found their way into Otto-Knapps paintings.

The layering of watercolor to invoke movement or change also influenced her production of unique etchings. In some, three different plates were printed at different stages of production so that no single image would appear fixed or immutable.

Born in Osnabruck, Germany, Otto-Knapp grew up on a dairy farm, which led to her deep interest in the natural world. She received a degree in cultural studies from the University of Hildesheim and a master of fine arts from the London school formerly called Chelsea College of Art and Design. Her first Los Angeles solo exhibitions were at Overduin and Kite Gallery in 2009 and 2013. She joined the faculty at UCLA as an associate professor of painting and drawing in 2015.

Otto-Knapps work has been exhibited internationally, including at galleries and museums in Berlin, Tokyo, Copenhagen, London, Vienna and Rome, as well as Los Angeles. Her work is in the collections of New York's Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, Tate Modern and others. Currently, a two-panel panting, Monotone (Moonlit Scene after Samuel Palmer), is included in Joan Didion: What She Means, a group exhibition featuring 63 artists and meant to evoke the late California writers ethos, opening this week at the Hammer Museum. A solo exhibition is scheduled to open later this month at Galerie Buchholz in New York.

Otto-Knapp is survived by sister Iris Madill; sister Kirsten Otto-Knapp and her husband, Holger; and nieces and nephews Jannik, Sophie and Matilda Otto-Knapp and Alfie Madill.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
WASHINGTON  Gen. Darryl Williams has been the commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa since June 2022, a job that puts him front and center in NATO efforts to fortify the eastern front after Russias invasion of Ukraine. He spoke with Defense News in late September about his observations on the war and why standardized artillery training among allies is all the rage. This interview was edited for length and clarity.

As a member of the ground profession, what are your thoughts on the way the war in Ukraine has played out?

As the guy responsible for the coherency of land [operations] in Europe, I think that things are going pretty well, from NATOs perspective, in terms of how we are supporting and enabling our Ukrainian counterparts. Its probably too early to tell the full lessons learned from it. The U.S. Army and the armies of NATO are learning organizations. And certainly, we will pass down the lessons that were learning, but I think its still premature. Its early in this campaign.

What do I think about it? Im very proud of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. And Im very proud of how theyre conducting and comporting themselves. They strike me as  Ive met a few of them, not at all of them  but they are professional. Im really impressed about how theyre conducting themselves in the land domain.

What do you make of the Germans beating themselves up, or getting beaten up, over their hesitation to deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine?

Ive been a big fan of the great country of Germany and have been here since I was an oberleutnant in the early 1980s. They continue to be strong members of NATO and are doing their share, like other members.

Some analysts have noted an absence of a meaningful air component in how the war is playing out. What do you think of that?

All of the domains are being challenged, not just land. You may not see it being realized, but my read of the battlefield is that all of the domains are being operated by both sides. Our job as the land governors, if you will, is to ensure that all of those domains are integrated to have effects on the land.

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On military mobility in Europe, what improvements and setbacks have you seen in transporting equipment and troops?

As I mentioned, Ive been here since the early 80s, and Ive been back to subsequent tours. Ive always seen improvements along those routes. We have some more to go. But I see a lot of interoperability TTPs  techniques, tactics and procedures  being shared among the alliance.

At 7th Army Training Command down in Grafenwohr and Hohenfels, for example, theres an opportunity for our allies to come in and practice mobility and interoperability. In fact, we just finished an exercise last week, where we had multiple allies supporting our airborne brigade combat team, the 173rd, at exercise Saber Junction.

Im on the upside of where we are in that respect. Its only going to get better as we continue to engage.

Looking at upcoming exercises, what are you keen to see U.S. Army forces and allied forces get better at?

What youre trying to get through exercises is trust: confidence in your own personal, your own nations equipment, as well as confidence in other nations equipment, confidence in each others soldiers. And then there is standardization.

We have one exercise that we do here, which was actually very nascent when I was here a few years ago, called Dynamic Front. It was as big as its ever been this past year, and its going to get bigger next year. As you can see, in the fight going on right now, artillery is at the forefront in a very, very big way. Dynamic Front allows us to get at standardization across the alliance and how we better standardize fires, ensure that we can be there for fire support.

What came out of your recent talks with Swedish and Finnish army leaders?

It was really about plotting the way ahead and looking for opportunities for mutual engagement, interoperability and standardization, as they are aspirational members of NATO. It was about improving on what weve already done for some time, and then talking about potentially thickening those relationships as we go forward.

The unique skill set they bring is Arctic training. And potentially theres an opportunity for our own Army units with that specialty, like the 10th Mountain Division, for linking them up and continuing to train together in that respect.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said Friday he has assured Australia that his nation will not allow a Chinese military presence in its territory.

The island nation has been at the centre of a diplomatic tussle in the southern Pacific Ocean between the United States, Australia and their allies on one side and an increasingly assertive China on the other.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met Sogavare in Canberra on Thursday to smooth ties that have been frayed since the Solomons signed a security pact with Beijing this year -- a move that sparked fears of Chinese military presence in the region.

"About China, this is a sensitive issue we discussed and I assured Australia when I met with Anthony Albanese yesterday that we will not allow such to happen," Sogavare said in a written reply to questions sent by AFP.

Previously, however, Sogavare has said that China would be permitted to build wharves and airports -- which could be useful for both civilian and military purposes.

Solomon Islands switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 2019 and signed its security pact with China earlier this year.

Last year in November, violent demonstrations broke out in the Solomons capital Honiara, sparked in part by China's growing influence in the country but also fuelled by poverty and inter-island rivalries.

Much of Honiara's Chinatown was torched.

Further such riots were "highly unlikely", Sogavare told AFP, saying his government had put in place measures to control any violence.

The Solomons-Australia relationship has been strained in recent months.

Canberra in September offered to help Solomon Islands fund its upcoming national elections -- an offer Sogavare initially condemned but later accepted.

The Solomon Islands government has been sensitive to criticism of its ties to China.

Earlier this year, Sogavare threatened to ban foreign media after Australia's national broadcaster aired a report about rising Chinese influence in the Solomons.

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Sogavare said he expressed concern to Albanese about the conduct of Australian journalists, accusing them of "failing to abide by the standards when reporting about our affairs".

This week, Solomons Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele said he was "not comfortable" with indirect references to China in a draft US-Pacific partnership declaration.

And Sogavare told the United Nations in September that his country had been "vilified" for its relationship with Beijing.

st/al/qan
(Bloomberg) -- South Korea said its military will strengthen security cooperation with the US and Japan, including the deployment of US strategic assets, after Kim Jong Uns North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles Sunday.

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The provocations, in violation of United Nations Security Councils resolutions, will strengthen sanctions against North Korea, worsen public welfare and make the regime very unstable, South Koreas National Security Council said in a statement after an urgent meeting to brief President Yoon Suk Yeol. The missiles were launched from the Munchon area in Kangwon province between 1:48 a.m. and 1:58 a.m., the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in an email.

The missile tests add to 10 launched by North Korea over the past two weeks. The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier group made a U-turn after one of those missiles flew over Japan. The group returned to waters off the Korean Peninsula and held missile defense exercises with naval forces from Japan and South Korea on Thursday.

The incidents hearken back to the autumn of 2017, when Kims regime unleashed its largest barrage of long-range rockets and detonated a nuclear bomb, prompting fresh UN sanctions.

The missiles launched Sunday flew about 350 kilometers (217 miles) and reached an altitude of 90 km at top speeds of Mach 5, according to the JCS statement. The South Korean and US military forces will establish a heightened state of readiness, the statement quoted JCS Chairman General Kim Seung-kyum and General Paul LaCamera, commander of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, as saying.

Pyongyang said on Monday that its tactical nuclear unit held training exercises from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9 to verify the countrys deterrence and counterattack capabilities, and to send a severe warning to its enemies.

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The North Korean leader presided over the exercises and said that he didnt see a need to hold talks in the face of military threats, according to the official news agency KCNA.

Kims regime on Saturday also criticized the presence of the carrier group as extremely worrisome, saying that its armed forces are taking a serious approach toward its deployment.

Read more: North Korea Says US Aircraft Carriers Presence Is Worrisome

North Korea has bristled for decades at joint military exercises, calling them a prelude to an invasion. Its latest provocations have been the strongest reaction under Kim to the US bringing nuclear assets into the region.

The carrier group had previously been in the same area in late September at around the time US Vice President Kamala Harris visited Japan and South Korea. During her visit, which took her to the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas, Harris warned North Korea against raising tensions and called on Kim to return to stalled nuclear disarmament talks.

Unlike with previous launches, his regime has mostly refrained from trumpeting the missiles along with the usual creative vitriol directed at the US and its allies. The North Korean leader himself has been out of the public eye for almost a month, his longest absence in a year.

North Korea on Monday has one of the biggest days on its political calendar when it celebrates the anniversary of the foundation of its ruling Workers Party. If Kim doesnt show up at festivities, speculation is certain to mount about the health of the 38-year-old leader, whos overweight and a heavy smoker.

The subdued posture suggests North Korea is intent on letting actions speak louder than words as it looks to build a credible nuclear threat. One of the main reasons is that Kim has more reliable partners in China and Russia, which supported sanctions against his regime at the UN only five years ago.

Further provocations may be coming with the US, Japan and South Korea saying Pyongyang could be ready to conduct its first nuclear test in five years -- with the three pledging a stern and united response if theres a blast.

The tensions will likely add to global anxiety over nuclear saber-rattling as Russian President Vladimir Putin alludes to his atomic arsenal while attempting to bolster his struggling invasion of Ukraine. The USs push to isolate Russia over the war -- coupled with increasing tensions between Washington and Beijing -- has allowed Kim to strengthen his nuclear deterrent without fear of new UN sanctions.

(Updates with statement from KCNA starting in sixth paragraph)

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Combining the past, with slaves using their feet and floors as drums, with the present, and step lines created on college campuses; Step Afrika! returns to Boston with Drumfolk at the Emerson College Cutler Majestic Theater.

The body becomes an instrument. This show. This show became and answer to us, or rather an answer as to why we stepped in the first place, says show director, C. Brian Williams.

Drumfolk is inspired by The Stono Rebellion of 1739. It was an uprising initiated by 20 enslaved Africans who used their drums to start a revolt in South Carolina. The rebellion was suppressed, and the Negro Act of 1740 took away the right to assemble, read and use drums from the African people.

The Stono Rebellion of 1739 that pre-dates the famed Boston Tea Party. Another very important rebellion in American history. And that fact that were bringing this story to life is really important to me because I know its a history that hasnt been shared, says Williams.

Boston 25s Crystal Haynes sat down with Williams in the Museum of African American history in Boston. The floors under are original in the African Meeting House where greats like Frederick Douglass stood.

Williams explained, floors like that were used as drums when the instrument was outlawed.

In the South theyd call them praise houses and they were very simple, wooden structures. By the pounding of their feet, or the pounding of a stick called a stamping stick on the floor. If you think about tap, turning the floor into a drum; you think about hambone. Turning the body into a drum. Of course stepping. And theres another dance form that we do in this show called the ring shout. 

Williams says the show is for anyone.

Anyone who loves history should see this show. Anyone who loves dance. Anyone who loves music. Anyone who loves theater that doesnt require you to be quiet. This is definitely celebratory theater.

You can catch Step Afrika at Emersons Cutler Majestic Theater through October 16th.

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Ticket info:

Tickets for Drumfolk performances may be purchased 24/7 at ArtsEmerson.org, or by calling 617-824-8400 (Tue-Sat from 12:00PM ET - 6:00PM ET). The Paramount Center Box Office (559 Washington Street, Boston) is open for walk-up service Thu-Sat from Noon - 6:00 PM ET.

Tickets start at $25. Groups of 10+ attending a performance save up to 30%.

Thanks to generous support from Rockland Trust, a limited number of $10 Mobile Rush tickets will be available at 10:00 AM ET each performance day on a first-come, first-served basis, exclusively through the TodayTix mobile app. For more information, please click on General Public' when you visit Arts Emersons Offers web page.

Dates:

October 05  16, 2022

Venue:

Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre

219 Tremont Street

Boston, MA 02116

Performance Schedule:

Wednesday, October 05, 2022 7:30PM ET Press Performance

Thursday, October 06, 2022 7:30PM ET

Friday, October 07, 2022 8:00PM ET

Saturday, October 08, 2022 2:00PM ET

Saturday, October 08, 2022 8:00PM ET

Sunday, October 09, 2022 2:00PM ET

Wednesday, October 12, 2022 7:30PM ET

Thursday, October 13, 2022 7:30PM ET

Friday, October 14, 2022 8:00PM ET

Saturday, October 15, 2022 2:00PM ET

Saturday, October 15, 2022 8:00PM ET

Sunday, October 16, 2022 2:00PM ET

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Short-trip boom boosts car rental, camping business

Xinhua) 08:58, October 09, 2022

BEIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The popularity of short-distance travel has spurred the growth of the car rental and camping markets in China during the weeklong National Day holiday, latest data shows.

Short and medium-distance intra-province trips accounted for a big share of the 255.54 million passenger trips estimated to have been made in China from Oct. 1 to 7, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Self-driving tours and trips to nearby locations were also highlights of the holiday, according to the ministry.

Car rental services giant CAR Inc. said its orders and total leased days during the holiday both increased from last year, with younger generations growing into a major customer community.

Mafengwo, a Chinese travel services and social networking site, said the bookings for local trips on its platform soared over 90 percent year on year during the holiday.

Suburban parks and villages near cities were among the most popular destinations, data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism shows.

Camping has become popular for short trips. Data from e-commerce platform JD.com shows that camping gear sales jumped 97 percent year on year during the holiday, and sales of outdoor storage goods soared 457 percent.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Chinese authorities will release the fifth batch of pork into the market from central reserves to maintain supply and price stability, the country's top economic planner said Sunday.

The price of hogs has been running at a relatively high level recently, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

The NDRC said domestic hog production capacity is generally reasonable and abundant, hence the price of hogs does not have a basis for sustained hikes.

By 2 p.m. Saturday, the average wholesale price of pork went up 2.5 percent from last Friday to 32.81 yuan (about 4.62 U.S. dollars) per kg, data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs showed.

The NDRC said it would pay close attention to hog supply and demand as well as price trend, continue to release pork reserves, and increase pork releases if necessary.
Storm-weary residents of North Florida watched with knowing eyes as Hurricane Ian  initially forecast to hit their area  took a fateful turn to the east instead, pulverizing portions of the southwest coast and flooding communities across the I-4 corridor and beyond.

From Panama City and Mexico Beach to small inland towns and cities across the Panhandle and Big Bend, people who endured Hurricane Michael know what its like to lose their homes, their belongings, even their loved ones to a monster storm.

On Oct. 10, 2018  four years ago Monday  Michael roared ashore near Mexico Beach with winds of 160 mph and storm surge of 10 feet and higher. It was the first Category 5 storm to ever hit North Florida and the last hurricane to wreak widespread destruction in the state until Ian.

Category 4 Ian struck a more densely populated and developed part of the state, leaving behind a natural disaster that already has eclipsed Michael in deaths and likely damage. But it will test the multitude of survivors just the same as they pick up the pieces of their lives.

Those lost in the storm:

Its so devastating down there compared to even here, said Charles McKinney, whose home in St. Andrews was destroyed by Michael. I know it got bad here and Mexico Beach got pretty much wiped out. But a place like here, its thousands of homes and businesses ... when youve got millions down there. But its like anywhere, youve just got to have faith that its gonna all work out eventually.

North Florida is still rebuilding in the aftermath of Michael  a reminder that the recovery from Ian, a Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds and ferocious storm surge, will take years.

One small town's struggle with Michael: Altha: 'Everything is pretty much ruined here' after Hurricane Michael

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In Panama City alone, 85% of buildings and homes were destroyed and more than a million trees lost in Hurricane Michael, producing more than 5 million cubic yards of debris, said City Manager Mark McQueen. Today, some 200 projects to rebuild roads, bridges, marinas, parks and water and sewer lines and other infrastructure are still underway, some with years left until completion.

A recovery from a storm like that  its not going to be done in a sprint, McQueen said. Its a marathon. Its every day making progress. And its very challenging. Its very difficult. Its been a Herculean lift.

The long path ahead for victims of Ian will be fraught with problems and perils familiar to those who endured Michael: insurance company fights, home repair scams and government bureaucracy among them.

See the storms path, watches and warnings and the latest model runs by clicking on our Florida Storm Tracker

Read more: Some Altha residents endure life in 'solitary confinement' one year after Hurricane Michael

We learned that FEMA is not going to be there like you think they are, said Melissa Peddie, a paramedic in hard-hit Liberty County. We just assumed that they were going to show up and save the day, and thats not how it happened. I think some of those people down in South Florida are going to learn some of those lessons that we learned up here.

'People don't just bounce back from this'

Peddie, who rode out Michael at the Emergency Operations Center until conditions were safe for rescuers, will never forget the harrowing day Michael descended on Bristol, a town of little more than 1,000 people some 40-plus miles inland.

As she and other emergency workers hunkered down at the EOC, reports came in that the shelter where her youngest child and grandchildren were staying might lift off its foundation. Once the storm passed, phones were dead and roads blocked.

Melissa Peddie, a Liberty County paramedic who saw her community devastated in 2018 by Hurricane Michael.

One paramedic's story: Melissa Peddie on Hurricane Michael's forceful toll on 'idyllic' life in Liberty County

Nobody knew if their family was alive or dead, she said. We didnt know if our homes were still standing. It took a couple of days before we could even get to our house to see if it was still standing because of the debris that was in the road.

Her house suffered damage in the storm, though it wasnt as bad as the wreckage at her in-laws 200-year-old house from a massive fallen pecan tree. Repairs werent finished until about a week ago, she said.

Were not back to normal, she said. And the post-traumatic stress that comes from that  well, I dont think it will ever go away. People dont just bounce back from this mentally, physically or financially. Here we are four years into it, and people are still struggling.

She and others cautioned Ian victims to beware of unlicensed contractors charging thousands to cut down a single tree or put up a cheap blue tarp. McQueen urged people to run repairs by their insurance companies and check MyFloridaLicense.com to find licensed contractors.

Judy Tinder, a Lynn Haven city council member, said storm victims shouldnt sign documents allowing contractors to turn in their bills to insurance companies, something she did that led to a $42,000 charge for some piddly thing.

You cant have any expectations for how long its going to take, Tinder said. That way, youre not constantly disappointed.

Amid the scammers, Michael also prompted a massive outpouring from nonprofits, churches and countless others, who delivered supplies, hot meals and consolation. Similar relief efforts are ongoing now, with trucks of supplies departing from all over, including Panama City and Tallahassee.

The one thing that I would tell everyone is to keep your faith, Peddie said. If it wasnt for my faith in the Lord, I dont think that we could have made it through. And the other thing was I thank God for the many people that came and helped us in our time of need. Ill never forget that.

'The hardest part is just enduring'

Becky Daniel and her wife Monica Barber of St. Joe Beach fled to Tallahassee to stay with family in the hours before Michael hit the coast.

Becky Daniel hugs her wife Monica Barber as they drive up to see what is left of their Beacon Hill, Fla., home. It is next to Mexico City. It was ground zero for Hurricane Michael.

They knew their house was in trouble when storm chasers they were watching live on Facebook happened to drive by it and mention that they just saw the roof blow off. Daniel and Barber watched as the driver and cameraman abandoned their vehicle to find higher ground.

The camera was left in the truck on the dashboard, and the truck started floating, Daniel said. And it was then we had a pretty good idea of how bad it was.

They were still shocked to find what was left of their home, which overlooked the Gulf from across Highway 98 less than a mile from Mexico Beach. The hurricane washed away three houses on beach and sent the debris smashing into their place, tearing off the roof and siding and leaving behind a cinder-block skeleton.

Daniel, a builder, and Barber, an engineer, spent the ensuing months building their new house and living with their dog in a cramped RV on the lot.

The hardest part is just enduring, Daniel said. I think about these people in Fort Myers right now. You dont know what to do. Theres no good place to start. Its just overwhelming.

'You never stop missing' loved ones lost in the storm

Wind, surge and flooding from Michael killed 16 people in the U.S., including seven in Florida, and was blamed for the deaths of 43 others, all in the Sunshine State, from falls, accidents and delayed medical care.

Counted among the casualties was the Rev. Charles Ash Sr., pastor of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church, who resided in the tiny Gadsden County town of Sawdust with his wife, Patricia. Frail from illness, his health failed as he waited for an ambulance hampered by high winds and downed trees.

Patricia Ash, widow, left, and Christy Cobbs, daughter of Charles Ash Senior, share photographs and memories of Charles.

His pulse was weak by the time paramedics were able to reach him. He died the day after Michael made landfall at a Tallahassee hospital, leaving behind his wife, five children and more grandchildren.

It was hard, Patricia Ash said. It was a shock. You never stop missing him.

Also: As storm raged, neighbors tried to clear roads for ailing pastor; but help arrived too late

She said survivors of Ian, especially those who lost loved ones, will have to find strength in their faith to go on. The death toll from the hurricane topped 100 last week, with most of the fatalities in Florida.

Take one day at a time, Ash said. It know its hard. Its not easy. Nothing about it is easy. But you have to try to be strong and just pray that God will help you through it.

Reporter Tom McLaughlin of the Northwest Florida Daily News contributed to this story. Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.

Never miss a story: Subscribe to the Tallahassee Democrat using the link at the top of the page.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Hurricane Michael to Ian: Survivors face common journey, challenges
The so-called Strictly curse has been a tabloid mainstay for at least a decade, founded on the idea that participating on Strictly Come Dancing (whether as a celebrity or a professional dancer) threatens the status of the relationship youre in when you sign up.

Stories of its destructive power arrive like clockwork each winter. Along with forgotten B-listers and stars of Holby City and/or EastEnders hitting the dance floor, hysterical headlines will report on Strictly duos left so erotically charged in pasodoble rehearsals that they dump their spouses.

Presenter Claudia Winkleman has repeatedly shot down the curse, once saying that its less a supernatural occurrence as merely the Strictly experience being intoxicating. It is also true that dancing is an obvious aphrodisiac. Regardless whether you're rehearsing an intimate routine or not, dancing releases endorphins and makes you happy (its science!). Similarly, throwing yourself into a diligent exercise schedule with just one other person and far away from your romantic partner forces you into a very intimate relationship. So its not that surprising that participating in Strictly gives way to radical personal upheavals.

Still, there are a raft of examples that seem to prove the existence of a curse, with partners caught kissing by the paparazzi, sweaty training sessions turning into torrid affairs, and heartbroken spouses left weeping on the sidelines.

Heres a rundown of the curses so far

Louise and Jamie Redknapp

Within months of competing on the 2016 series, the pop star Louise Redknapp and her ex-footballer husband Jamie announced their separation after 18 years of marriage. The split led to a media storm, with the press claiming that the curse took down its most significant, high-profile relationship yet. Not true, Louise told The Guardian in 2019, suggesting that being on Strictly merely revived her passion for performing, having dropped out of the spotlight to raise her family. Strictly put the fire back in my belly, but it didnt break up my relationship, she said.

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She also denied more sensational tabloid allegations that she had an affair with fellow Strictly contestant Daisy Lowe. I remember my kids saying: Mum, are you going out with Daisy Lowe? And I had to say: Guys, no. I became peoples morning entertainment while they read their paper on the train and ate their croissant. I tried to laugh it off, but the damage these stories were doing to me and those around me was huge.

Seann Walsh and Katya Jones

The most scandalous example of the Strictly curse occurred in 2018, when photographers thirsty for scenes of out-of-hours canoodling captured comedian Seann Walsh kissing his dance partner Katya Jones, despite him being in a relationship. The pictures went viral, souring the pairs experience on the show, and they were booted off within weeks.

The first three weeks [of the show], it was the best three weeks of my life, Walsh said in 2019. I was having the time of my life And then it all went very, very wrong. Walsh also revealed that he suffered from panic attacks in the wake of the show, and sought therapy after becoming extremely depressed amid an onslaught of bad press.

Joe Calzaghe and Kristina Rihanoff

Boxer Joe Calzaghe ended his relationship with his girlfriend of five years to get together with Kristina Rihanoff after they were paired on the 2009 series. Calzaghe and Rihanoff were themselves together for four years...

Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff

...Until they separated weeks into the 2013 series, where Rihanoff found love with her rugby player dance partner Ben Cohen. Cohen also denied tabloid rumours that he had ended his previous marriage to be with Rihanoff. This one had a happy ending at least: Rihanoff and Cohen bore their first child together in 2016.

People do meet at work and thats where we work, Rihanoff said in 2019. The show is very intense, emotionally and physically.

Kristina Rihanoff and Ben Cohen in 2014 (Steve Thorne/Getty Images)

Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace

Flavia Cacace and EastEnders actor Matt Di Angelo were partnered in the 2007 series, with the pair becoming a romantic item in the shows wake  after Cacace dumped her long-time boyfriend Vincent Simone  who was also a dancer on the show. It was a disaster, Cacace said in 2016. It all happened in the most atrocious way. Cacace and Di Angelo would split two years later, with Cacace then marrying actor Jimi Mistry  her partner on the 2010 series.

Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole

Both the TV presenter Natasha Kaplinsky and her professional partner Brendan Cole have denied that anything romantic happened between them when they participated in the first ever Strictly series in 2004. However, Coles relationship with dancer Camilla Dallerup collapsed weeks into rehearsals. To this day I have no idea whether it was her fame and celebrity that swept him away or if he really did feel a strong connection with her, Dallerup said in 2015.

Speaking in 2018, Cole said: I didnt cross any lines with Natasha. I was single. Camilla had ended the relationship very early on in the series so what happened happened after that  It was a harrowing time  winning the show as much as my friendship with Natasha. On the other hand it was like, holy Moses. It can ruin a marriage so easily.

Ricky Whittle and Natalie Lowe

The Hollyoaks actor Ricky Whittle broke up with his long-time girlfriend, actor Carley Stenson, weeks into his participation in the 2009 series, and then went on to date Natalie Lowe, his dance partner. In a strange twist, Stenson was later drawn into further Strictly curse headlines when her subsequent fiancee, Hollyoaks actor Danny Mac, also joined the Strictly cast for the 2016 series. Their relationship remained intact, at least.

Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev in 2015 (Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev

The Countdown presenter Rachel Riley split up with her husband shortly after participating in the 2013 series, and subsequently married her dance partner Pasha Kovalev. The pair had their first child in 2019.

What Strictly did was give me distance [from my marriage] and it was the emotional distance that I needed to break away, Riley said in 2020.

Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice

Its so stupid and quite offensive hearing rumours like that, insisted Coronation Street actor Georgia May Foote in 2015, after tabloids speculated that she and her dance partner Giovanni Pernice were having an affair. Awkwardly, Foote did end up leaving her boyfriend for Pernice, with the pair moving in together but splitting within a year.

Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton

Stacey Dooley, the presenter and journalist, went into Strictlys 2018 series with a steady boyfriend, but their relationship fell apart over the course of its run. Meanwhile, she struck up a romantic relationship with her dance partner Kevin Clifton. She later told BBC Radio that she didnt want to be such a cliche, adding that it was so cringe to fall for the dancer she was partnered with.

While denying that anything romantic happened between her and Clifton until after she and her ex split, Dooley said: You win together and you have Christmas and then January, you think, Oh where is he? Oh, I liked hanging out with him. She and Clifton have been together since 2019.

Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell

The YouTube star Joe Sugg repeatedly denied dating his partner Dianne Buswell during the 2018 series, telling the press that rumours of romance were weird and not nice. Suspicions were raised when Buswell ended her own relationship weeks into rehearsals for the series. Whether she and Sugg became an item during the show remains a mystery, but they did end up a couple all the same. They even have their own YouTube channel now.
Oct. 9EAST LANSING, Mich.  C.J. Stroud threw six touchdown passes and TreVeyon Henderson ran for more than 100 yards as No. 3 Ohio State crushed Michigan State 49-20.

Ohio State (6-0, 3-0) struck first with a seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that concluded with a competitive catch by Marvin Harrison Jr. against Charles Brantley, who was flagged for pass interference.

It didn't matter as Harrison gathered in the back-shoulder throw from Stroud in the end zone anyway.

Brantley got some revenge on the next Ohio State drive as he returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown. Stroud and Emeka Egbuka appeared to miscommunicate on the play as Egbuka ran deep and Stroud threw the ball into the flat, where Brantley was waiting for it.

The Buckeyes struck back quickly, though, as Egbuka got behind the coverage Stroud found him for a 69-yard score.

On Ohio State's next drive, the Buckeyes started at their own 2 but needed less than three minutes to find the end zone again, this time on a 51-yard pass from Stroud to Julian Fleming.

Michigan State responded with a seven-play, 76-yard scoring drive that included two personal fouls on Ohio State  a horse-collar tackle by Cam Brown that turned a one-yard loss into a 15-yard first down and a hands-to-the-face flag on Zach Harrison that wiped out a third down sack.

Brown was also called for pass interference on the drive, but it was declined when Reed made a tough catch. After his penalty, Brown was taken out and replaced by JK Johnson, who was victimized for an 18-yard touchdown catch by Reed.

The Buckeyes restored their two-score lead soon after as Henderson took a handoff and bounced outside for a 1-yard touchdown run. The big play on the drive was a 32-yard pass from Stroud, who took a hit but delivered a rainbow throw right into the arms of Harrison on the sideline on third-and-8.

They found the end zone one more time late in the second quarter as Stroud hit Harrison over the middle on a play-action pass and he eluded multiple MSU defenders to get to the goal line.

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That 28-yard score gave the Buckeyes 429 yards of offense in less than 30 minutes.

Ohio State picked up where it left off in the third quarter, driving 96 yards in nine plays for another highlight reel touchdown catch by Harrison. This time he reached far behind him to snatch a ball out of the air and spun around into the end zone before a defender could knock it away. The play covered 19 yards.

They scored again late in the third quarter when Stroud faked a handoff then threw to Gee Scott Jr. for a 2-yard touchdown.

Stroud finished 21 for 26 passing for 361 yards. He matched the school record for touchdown passes in game for the third time.

Henderson ran 19 times for 118 yards, but he left the game after taking a hit to the right leg on the first play of the third quarter. He missed Ohio State's game a week earlier with an undisclosed injury but was the feature back this time around when Miyan Williams was sidelined with an undisclosed injury.

Egbuka caught five passes for 143 yards while Harrison had 131 yards on seven grabs and became the first Ohio State player to catch three touchdown passes in a game three times.

The Buckeyes beat Michigan State for the seventh straight time and won in East Lansing for the ninth straight time.
By Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen will pledge to bolster the island's combat power and determination to improve its defences in a major speech on Monday, at a time when tensions with China have risen dramatically.

Democratic Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory, has come under increasing military and political pressure from Beijing, especially after Chinese war games in early August following a Taipei visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

According to an outline of her national day speech on Monday, as described to Reuters by a source briefed on its contents, Tsai will talk about "enhancing national defence combat power and uniting the morale of the people".

"In addition to reaffirming Taiwan's determination to augment its self-defence and its position on maintaining regional peace and stability, the president will also elaborate on efforts to strengthen national defence combat power and resilience," the source said.

Tsai is overseeing a military modernisation programme and boosting defence spending as China presses its sovereignty claims against Taiwan.

In her speech, outside the presidential office in central Taipei, where there will also be a military parade, Tsai will emphasise that "democratic resilience" is the key to protecting Taiwan, the source said.

That includes continuing to deepen international cooperation and "closely connecting" democratic allies, the president will say.

Tsai's speech will come less than a week before China's ruling Communist Party's congress opens in Beijing, where President Xi Jinping is widely expected to win a precedent-breaking third five-year term.

China has pledged to work for peaceful "reunification" with Taiwan under a "one country, two systems" model.

All mainstream Taiwanese political parties have rejected that proposal and it has almost no public support, according to opinion polls. China has also never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

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China refuses to speak to Tsai, re-elected by a landslide in 2020 on a promise to stand up to Beijing, believing she is a separatist. Tsai has repeatedly offered talks based on equality and mutual respect.

She has made strengthening Taiwan's defences a cornerstone of her administration to enable it to mount a more credible deterrence to China, which is ramping up an ambitious modernisation programme of its own military.

(Reporting by Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Alex Richardson)
HAMMOND, La. (AP)  Following a two-game absence, Eric Rodriguez threw for 374 yards and four touchdowns and Texas A&M Commerce beat Southeastern Louisiana 31-28 on Saturday in the Lion's first-ever Southland Conference contest.

With a 31-28 lead with 4:44 left, the Lions (3-2, 1-0) put together a 15-play drive, marched to the Southeastern 12 and time expired for their first win over a Division I opponent this season. It was Southeastern Louisiana's (3-3, 1-1) first loss against an FCS opponent this year.

On the first play from from scrimmage after halftime, Rodriguez connected with Andrew Armstrong for a 77-yard touchdown pass that put the Lions ahead 17-14 and they never trailed again.

Rodriguez connected again with Armstrong from 4 yards out with 8:22 remaining for a 31-21 advantage. Southeastern Louisiana responded with a 13-play, 64-yard drive to reduce the deficit to three when Carlos Washington Jr. ran it in from the 1 with 4:44 left.

Armstrong finished with 153 receiving yards on eight receptions and Kennedy Snell caught six passes for 113 yards and a score.

Washington had three rushing touchdowns for Southeastern Louisiana.

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PASADENA, Calif. (AP)  Dorian Thompson-Robinson's knocked another item off his revenge list Saturday by leading No. 18 UCLA past No. 11 Utah 42-32.

The fifth-year senior said during the week leading up to the game that he had something to prove against the Utes, who had handily won five straight in the series by an average of 27 points.

Thompson-Robinson made sure that streak ended, passing for 299 yards and four TDs while also running for a score to lead the Bruins to their first 6-0 start since 2005, The fifth-year senior also became UCLAs career leader in passing touchdowns.

I definitely wanted this one. We all know the history between UCLA and Utah, the point differential has been crazy," said Thompson-Robinson, who completed 18 of 23 passes. "So we knew the beast at hand coming in here, and I think my boys went out there and went to work.

The Bruins also improved to 3-0 in the Pac-12 and picked up the biggest victory in coach Chip Kelly's five years in Westwood. They have won nine straight dating back to last season, which is their longest streak since running off 20 straight victories in 1997-98.

After Cameron Risings 9-yard keeper got the Utes within 28-25 early in the fourth quarter, Thompson-Robinson connected with Logan Loya for a 70-yard touchdown. That score with 11:17 remaining was the 76th touchdown pass of Thompson-Robinsons career, passing Brett Hundley for the most in school history.

Its pretty cool for what Dorian has done. He has invested a ton in himself and hes reaping the rewards of that," Kelly said. Really happy for him, seeing how he has grown as a person and grown as a leader.

Thompson-Robinson's only mistake came late in the fourth quarter when he was picked off by Clark Phillips III, who returned it 80 yards for a touchdown. It was the second straight week Phillips had a Pick Six and the fourth of his career.

Zach Charbonnet had a career-high 198 rushing yards and a touchdown. It was the junior's fourth 100-yard game of the season.

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Cameron Rising passed for 287 yards and ran for a pair of scores for the Utes (4-2, 2-1), who had won five straight in the series by an average of 27 points.

Rising started slow, hitting just one of his first five throws for 14 yards and an interception before finishing 23 of 32. Tavion Thomas rushed for 91 yards and a score.

We put bad ball on tape, and really not something that were looking to do," said Rising, who also had 59 yards rushing. "Theres a lot of stuff that I need to clean up to make sure that were rolling as an offense to be better.

Thompson-Robinson connected twice for scores with Jake Bobo. There was a 7-yard TD pass in the back of the end zone to extend UCLA's lead to 14-3 in the second quarter and a 10-yard strike late in the third quarter to make it 28-18.

UCLA led 14-10 at halftime and scored on its first four drives of the second half as Utah could not keep pace. The Bruins got the ball to begin the third quarter and converted on Kam Brown's 5-yard TD catch to push the lead into double digits.

The whole problem really in the second half was we couldnt get any stops, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "They had a bunch of big plays both in the receiving game and the rushing game. That really is what did us in was their big play capability.

DEFENSIVE STANDOUT

UCLA linebacker Darius Muasau had an interception and forced fumble which would lead to a pair of touchdowns.

His first-quarter pick would later result in Thompson-Robinson's keeper while the strip sack of Rising in the fourth quarter was recovered by Jaylin Davies and returned 37 yards to the Utah 1. Charbonnet barreled in up the middle on the next play to put the Bruins up 42-35.

THE TAKEAWAY

Utah: Rising is missing his favorite target in tight end Brant Kuithe, who is lost for the year with a torn ACL. The Utes didn't have any consistent receivers who could pressure UCLA's secondary outside the numbers and most of the passes were on crosses to the middle of the field.

UCLA: The Bruins have to be considered a legitimate threat to reach the Pac-12 title game and Thompson-Robinson is making a bid to enter the Heisman Trophy picture.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

UCLA should be in the top 15 for the second time in Kelly's tenure. It got up to 13th last September before a loss to Fresno State. Utah will drop, but should remain ranked.

UP NEXT

Utah: Hosts No. 6 Southern California next Saturday.

UCLA: Off next week before traveling to No. 12 Oregon on Oct. 22.

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People from all over Central Florida came out to raise money to help find a cure for Alzheimers disease.

On Saturday, more than 3,000 people showed up at Lake Eola and raised more than $400,000 to help find a cure and provide support services to those impacted by the disease.

In the Villages, more than 500 people came out at The Villages Polo Club and raised nearly $120,000.

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

Channel 9s Phylicia Ashley hosted Saturdays Alzheimers Association Walk To End Alzheimers at Lake Eola.

About 580,000 people, or 1 in 9 Floridians ages 65 and older, has Alzheimers.

Alzheimers is a progressive brain disease that impacts thinking, memory and behavior and currently has no cure.

Read: SpaceX launches Galaxy satellites from Cape Canaveral after multiple delays

Two-thirds of Alzheimers cases are women.

It was the hardest thing ever to watch someone you love so much disappear in front of your eyes, said Alayzia Christopher, who walked in honor of her great-grandmother. Its so close to home for us and I just want to raise awareness because its something that impacts more people in our community than not.

Kathy Zimmer, of The Villages, walked for her husband Thom.

Read: Orlando Science Center opens Hot Wheels exhibit for racing, building cars

Thom was diagnosed with Alzheimers dementia over three years ago and is currently living in Memory Care where he is now in late-stage Alzheimers, said Zimmer. We all love Thom and wish there was a cure for this incredibly cruel disease and that he and our family could return to our previous state of normalcy. We know that will not happen for Thom or for us but through the help of so many who are honoring Thom with their donations and/or walking in honor of him, we hope and pray that we will help other families to never have to live an experience like ours.

Residents can still donate to the Walk at alz.org/Orlando or alz.org/TheVillages.

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For more information, you can call the Alzheimers Association 24/7 Helpline at 800-272-3900.

Read: Bank of America donates 75K to Habitat for Humanity, helps Hurricane Ian recovery

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.
Oct. 9Voters in three area school districts in Butler and Warren counties will soon decide on tax hike ballot issues directly impacting classroom learning and  in one community  whether local schools fall under state control.

Residents in Ross, Talawanda and Kings school areas will vote Nov. 8 on proposed property tax increases that if approved will raise millions of dollars for the local public schools.

The stakes are high in these communities but even more so in Butler County's Ross Schools, which is on the ballot a second, consecutive election after voters there widely rejected the same levy in August.

Some homeowners in the three districts enthusiastically support the proposed school property tax hikes saying they want to maintain the educational quality delivered in recent years by their local schools.

Others, however, cite the worsening national and local economy and the costs of rising inflation as driving their opposition to any new taxes for schools.

Residents in the rural and suburban Ross community will see the same 5-year, 7.99-mill, emergency operating property tax rejected at the polls in August.

Ross school officials have said because of the possible takeover of operational finances by the state due the district's projected budget shortfalls, they are required by state school finance law to continue to ask residents for more tax money should this levy fail.

Moreover, future school tax issue mileage amounts will be larger and determined by officials from the Ohio Department of Education and Ohio Auditor's offices unless Ross generates more revenue by voters passing the levy.

Mandy Rice, campaign leader of the pro-Ross levy effort, said she knows the timing during economically tough times is not ideal but the school system, which has made sweeping program and personnel cuts in response to projected deficits and decreasing state funding, has no other option.

Student fees to play school sports have also reached historic highs in the district due to budget reductions.

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The August levy loss raised individual school sport "base participation fee" to $825 per sport with no individual student or family fee cap per school year. If the levy had passed, individual sports fee per student would have been $150 per sport with an individual cap of $300 with a family fee cap of $450.

"Our schools' general operating fund is not able to sustain current capacity, even with the many cuts the district has made," said Rice.

"Taxes are never easy. There is never a good time for an increase, and this is one of the worst times in recent years to ask for an increase. But I think the difficult ask goes to show how much it is needed," she said.

"Ross Schools have been a top reason why most families and members of this community have chosen to live here or continue to live here. The value our schools provide, even without currently having children in the district, is unmatched in our area," she said referencing Ross' streak of more than a decade as being rated by the state's annual report as Butler County's top, overall academic performer.

"But that will quickly change the further the schools go into deficit spending, and the closer they get to the state intervening. A 'yes' vote will allow our tax dollars to go straight to our schools rather than to a state run fiscal oversight committee that will determine how high the millage will be on an eventual levy and loan our schools money that must be paid back with interest," she said.

"I would rather my tax dollars go to the kids of Ross over interest payments to a state issued loan."

If approved, the new Ross tax would raise the annual property tax cost for the owner of a $100,000 home by $279.65.

But long-time Ross resident Barry Brown said he understands the schools' dilemma but remains unwilling  he voted "no" on the same tax in August  to raise his taxes.

The problem, he said, is timing.

"Now is not the time. The way the economy is in the big (national) picture of things, we just don't think it's a good thing to do right now, for any sort of tax to be honest," said Brown.

"And I don't think it will pass. A lot of people are having to re-evaluate what their priorities are and what they can give and take. As a rule, I think most people are saying 'not right now.'"

Talawanda school officials acknowledge they are also battling the disadvantages of timing during tough economic times for their proposed school tax increase.

Voters in the Oxford-area school system will decide on a 5.7-mill continuing operating tax to help fund daily operations of the district.

If approved at the ballot, the tax would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $199.50 annually.

Talawanda officials said their district has seen projected budget deficits for the coming years due to Ohio's new school funding formula.

And increased costs due to inflation.

"Like our community members, we too, are seeing the rising costs of materials, supplies, goods, salaries and benefits found in this difficult time of inflation and possible recession," said Ed Theroux, superintendent of Talawanda.

"We are in deficit spending like many of our surrounding neighbors but we want to continue the excellence found in Talawanda Schools," said Theroux, who also cited similar program and personnel budget cuts to reduce the looming budget deficit.

The operating levy, if it wins voter approval, would be the first for the district in 18 years.

"We offer no pay to play fees for our extracurricular activities and we have continued to tighten our belts, but still provide outstanding educational programs and services for all of our students."

"The new student funding formula from the state was not positive for Talawanda," said Theroux. "While other districts receive more of a state share per pupil, the simple fact is Talawanda does not receive enough money from our state share to pay for the services, education, and programs found at Talawanda. Difficult decisions will need to be made if the levy is not approved."

According to Talawanda school parent Sam Morris, there is support in the community that crosses political lines during a highly politicized time locally and nationally.

"I'm encouraged by the high number of moderates and conservatives who tell me that they're voting for the levy," said Morris.

"Left-leaners and liberals I expect to hear 'yes' from, but I've been pleasantly surprised on many occasions to hear 'yes' from right-leaners and conservatives."

"If our levy fails my biggest fear is a mass exit-among our teachers. COVID was very hard on them and their unions have already agreed to two years with 1% and 0% raises. If the skies get darker for our teachers they'll have less reason to stay. It would be pretty demoralizing, as a teacher, to work through a pandemic, agree to a reduced pay schedule, and then have the very community you serve turn their back on you," said Morris.

Like Ross and Talawanda, Kings Schools has a history as a top academic district both regionally and statewide.

But the district is also facing projected budget shortfalls in the coming year and school officials said more local tax revenue is needed to maintain Kings' educational quality.

Officials also cite the changed state school funding formula for its worsening finances, which now has the district in the preliminary stage of review by the Ohio Department of Education.

Toss in a growing enrollment as more families with school-age children move into the district's Deerfield Twp., Landen, Kings Mills and South Lebanon neighborhoods and it's a problem solved only by more local tax money, said Kings officials.

Kings' voters will decide on a 6.4-mill property tax increase that would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $224 annually.

"Our high-performing district has fallen victim to the unfair school funding model," said Kings Treasurer Mike Morrow.

"Efficient spending has helped extend the last levy's length by an additional three years, including cost reductions of $1.6 million without reducing services for our students. We spend less per pupil than over half of the districts in the state while being state funded in the bottom 13% of the state. However, since the passage of the last operating levy, Kings enrollment has increased by 597 students resulting in increased expenses," said Morrow.

"We have a revenue problem, not a spending problem," he said.

But life-time Kings resident Carl Britain said he'll vote against the school tax because "I already pay enough" in local taxes.

Britain, a graduate of Kings, said price inflation is behind his "no" vote.

"Everything is going up but my paycheck."

But Kings school parent Gregory Harris said he'll cast a 'yes' vote for the levy "for the future of the school district."

The mood in the school community about the tax issue is "very positive," said Harris.

"It's a great school district and the majority of the 'yes' vote will come from those who have students in the school and we want want the district to be successful so it's something that to be done."

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ELECTION 2022

Read more about this November's ballot issues.

journal-news.com/elections
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SpaceX's Falcon 9 liftoff on Saturday, Oct. 8, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station marked the company's third flight of the week. The 230-foot rocket vaulted away from pad 40 at 7:05 p.m. EDT into mostly clear skies just after sunset.

The Intelsat G-33/G-34 mission came just days after SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 missions within hours of each other on Wednesday, Oct. 5: one from Kennedy Space Center that carried a team of four in a Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station; and then another just seven hours later that involved boosting Starlink internet satellites from California.

Saturday's launch vaulted two communications satellites to orbit for Intelsat, a Luxembourg-based satellite operator. Once in operation, the Galaxy 33 and Galaxy 34 satellites will provide television services across the United States.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 comes through a cloud after liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Saturday, October 8, 2022. The rocket is carrying Intelsat G33 and 34, a pair of commercial communications satellites. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK

SpaceX had hoped to launch the Intelsat G-33/G-34 mission earlier in the week but was forced to scrub the first launch attempt on Thursday, Oct. 7, when the Falcon 9 initiated a rare launch auto-abort sequence just 30 seconds before liftoff.

That scrub was caused by what company CEO Elon Musk described on Twitter as a "tiny helium leak."

The second launch attempt on Friday evening was scrubbed before fueling and a final countdown even began to allow SpaceX additional time to complete pre-launch checkouts of the Falcon 9.

The commonly referred to 'space jellyfish' phenomenon is seen here from SpaceX's A Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship in a screen capture from SpaceX's Intelsat G-33/G-34 mission which lifted off at 7:05 p.m., Saturday Oct. 8, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

About nine minutes after liftoff the Falcon 9 first-stage booster landed for a fourteenth time on SpaceX's A Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. It will be towed back to Port Canaveral in a few days' time when SpaceX will collect it and refurbish it for a future flight.

The mission marks the 44th launch from Florida's Space Coast this year.

Story continues

For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.

Jamie Groh is a space reporter for Florida Today. You can contact her at JGroh@floridatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AlteredJamie.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Florida after enduring scrubs
You are here: China

China's Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) announced its decision to arrest Sheng Guangzu, former secretary of the leading Party members group and general manager of the previous China Railway Corp., for suspected bribe-taking.

The National Commission of Supervision has completed an investigation into Sheng's case and handed it over to prosecutors, the SPP said.

Further handling of the case is underway.
Former President Donald Trump returned to Arizona for the third time this year to push his preferred Republican picks over the top in the upcoming midterms.

The event started at 1 p.m., and Trump took the stage shortly before 5 p.m. at Bell Bank Park in Mesa. The event was streamed on YouTube.

Find related stories:

More coverage by Republic reporters of Trump and the Republican campaign rally in Mesa follows below.

6:55 p.m.: Trump fails to mention 2 Arizona Republicans

Former President Donald Trump wrapped up his Arizona remarks with endorsements for most, but not all, of the states Republican congressional candidates.

During his speech, Trump shared the dais with gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters in an effort to boost the top of the ticket.

He also took turns praising U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar and Debbie Lesko, as well as GOP challengers Eli Crane and Kelly Cooper. Trump notably didnt mention Rep. David Schweikert and Juan Ciscomani, who is the GOP nominee in a Tucson-area district.

Former President Donald Trump speaks to people gathered at Legacy Sports Park in Mesa on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. Trump is in town to rally for Kari Lake, Blake Masters and other local Republican ticket candidates.

After doing so, Trump again turned to the dark imagery of an America in chaos because of Democratic policies. He complained of inflation and declining stocks, dead U.S. soldiers and wasted hardware in Afghanistan and with Ukraine at war.

We are a nation in decline, Trump said near the end of his speech as sorrowful sounding music played. We are a nation that in many ways has become a joke.

But we are not going to allow this horror to continue, he said. It is hard-working patriots like you who are going to save this country.

Story continues

By the time Trump was ending his speech, many in the crowd already had walked away.

 Ronald J. Hansen

6:40 p.m.: Trump ends speech in Mesa

Former President Donald Trump has concluded his remarks at a rally in Mesa. Trump spoke for more than 90 minutes, airing many of the grievances he has repeated for years, while also giving attention to Republican candidates that he is backing in the state.

6:10 p.m.: Trump says World War III could happen soon

The planet could be on the verge of World War III, former President Donald Trump said Sunday, blaming the Biden administration for failing to avert the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the spiraling tensions over it.

With characteristic self-congratulation, Trump praised himself for being correct about everything but said he hopes he is wrong that another global war could be on the horizon.

We must demand immediate negotiation of a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine or we will end up in World War III, and there will never be a war like this. We will never have had a war like this, and thats all because of stupid people that dont have a clue. And its also because of the kind of weaponry thats available today.

Trump castigated Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., as a reliable vote for ill-considered legislation pushed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

More than 45 minutes into his remarks, Trump returned repeatedly to claims of a stolen election in 2020. He called 2020 a rigged and stolen election.

I ran twice. I won twice, Trump said.

 Ronald J. Hansen and Alison Steinbach

5:55 p.m.: Trump claims predecessors took classified records

Former President Donald Trump unloaded on the FBI and accused his presidential predecessors over the criminal investigation of the documents seized from his residence at Mar-a-Lago.

He alluded to a third presidential run that wont get derailed by what he views as politically motivated attacks on him.

What theyre trying to do is take us out so we cant represent you if we decide to do that, but well be making a decision very soon, he said to rising cheers.

Former President Donald Trump throws hats to people gathered at Legacy Sports Park in Mesa on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. Trump is in town to rally for Kari Lake, Blake Masters and other local Republican ticket candidates.

Trump claimed that former President Bill Clinton took millions of classified records with him when he left office, and presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama also improperly took records as well.

Clinton lost the nuclear codes and former President Jimmy Carter sent the nuclear codes to a dry cleaner, Trump said, adding that nothing happened in those matters.

Lock her up! Lock her up! the crowd chanted after Trump mentioned former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton kept private from officials government emails.

They should give me back everything that was taken, Trump said of the records taken by the FBI.

They plant documents, he said of the FBI. Trump wondered aloud when the Clintons would face investigation and prosecution.

I dont think they will do it, and I dont think they should do it, Trump said.

Despite his complaints, Trump said the actions against him drove his poll numbers higher.

 Ronald J. Hansen

5:30 p.m.: Trump starts speech with familiar topics

Former President Donald Trump wasted no time on Sunday launching into familiar grievances and a bleak image of America without him in the White House.

Citing the influx of illegal immigrants, soaring prices and arrests of people who oppose abortion, Trump hit President Joe Biden and Democrats generally for a country in turmoil.

These are incredible people. Theyre being treated like terrorists, Trump said, vaguely alluding to those who support him or conservative causes.

Nothing happens to antifa. Nothing happens to (Black Lives Matter). But look at what happens to patriots. The Democrats are locking up their political opponents," he said.

Trump put himself and his many controversies as the central evidence of Democrats abusing their power to hurt Republican opponents.

Former President Donald Trump takes the stage to deliver remarks during his rally at Legacy Sports Park in Mesa on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022.

He complained of impeachment over what he again referred to a perfect phone call where he tied approval of military aid to Ukraine to that country declaring an investigation of President Joe Bidens son, Hunter Biden.

He described his conversation with Georgia election officials that is under criminal investigation an absolutely perfect phone call.

Within seconds of taking the stage, Trump had complained about the media, alluded to his baseless claims of a stolen election and hinted that more elections could lie ahead.

We won it big and we won it a second time, Trump said early on.

He took the stage in sun-splashed Mesa an hour later than scheduled, though those in the crowd of perhaps 5,000 at the event had stuck around without any obvious complaints.

 Ronald J. Hansen

5 p.m.: Trump takes the stage in Mesa

Former President Donald J. Trump started speaking to the crowd in Mesa just before 5 p.m. Sunday, about an hour later than scheduled. He started his remarks by repeating his false claim that he won Arizona in 2020 and went on the attack against Democrats.

4:50 p.m.: Lake fires up crowd, but doesn't mention 2020 election

Republican candidate for Arizona governor Kari Lake, the former television news anchor, spoke for 18 minutes on Sunday  without once mentioning the 2020 election and the false claims about it that propelled her to political prominence.

Instead, Lake painted her Democratic opponent Katie Hobbs as an absent candidate who refused to debate her, while Lake has toured the state speaking directly to voters. She connected Hobbs to the Biden administration, claiming Hobbs would raise taxes on Arizonans already feeling the brunt of record-high inflation. Hobbs has said she does not plan to do so, and either candidate would need the Legislatures agreement to change tax policy.

Lake repeatedly noted a discrimination case Hobbs was involved in while Hobbs was the Democratic leader in the state Senate. A Black female Democratic staffer proved to two juries she was discriminated against and fired in retaliation by Hobbs and others after raising an issue over her pay disparity.

Those verdicts, Lake said, showed Hobbs had already embarrassed the state and should not lead it. Her attacks prompted cheers from the crowd.

Theyre saying lock her up, Lake said. I think we should just vote her out, hows that?

Lake proved victorious in Augusts four-way primary election with the backing of Trump, who remains polarizing in politics. And though claims about the 2020 election being stolen or corrupt are a hallmark of her campaign  she has said she wouldnt have certified Bidens win in the state two years ago  she didnt mention them Sunday.

Instead, she pledged a crackdown at the border to stop illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking and talked about economic hardship facing Arizonans. In a new policy proposal, Lake said she would work to prohibit municipalities from collecting taxes on groceries and rent. Doing both would require the Legislature to pass a bill.

It is said hard times create strong men, well they create strong women too, she said. And this woman is ready to put an end to the hard times. Who is ready to step up with me?

The crowd chanted back: Kari! Kari! Kari!

4 p.m.: Finchem promises changes to voting if elected secretary of state

State Rep. Mark Finchems walk-on music at the Mesa rally was the theme from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." To further his Western bona fides, and to take a swipe at East Coast commentators who mock his western vibe, Finchem wore his cowboy hat and sported his Sunday Go-To Meeting Tie.

Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem speaks to people gathered at Legacy Sports Park on Oct. 9, 2022, to rally for Kari Lake, Blake Masters and other of former President Donald Trump's ticket republican candidates.

He launched into his familiar attack on his Democratic opponent for secretary of state, Adrian Fontes, from Fontes missteps during the 2020 Democratic presidential preference election to his support of all-mail voting to policy changes that were slapped down by court rulings.

Just follow the law is his campaign mantra, and he said he will stick to the rules.

As secretary of state, Finchem said he will push for post-election audits in all 15 counties and disconnect Arizona from ERIC, the Electronic Registration Information Center, which shares voter information among states to ensure there is not double voting.

 Mary Jo Pitzl

3:40 p.m.: Masters continues to pound Kelly over border, drugs, crime

U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters continued his aggressive attacks on Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., saying he should have to attend the funerals of overdose victims killed by drugs that entered America from its porous borders.

Masters rattled off a familiar list of complaints about current conditions: There are 300,000 people crossing the nations border each month, violent crime has soared in Phoenix since 2019 and fentanyl continues to kill Americans everywhere.

Mark Kelly has been radio silent about fentanyl for 22 months, Masters said. That ended last week, Masters said, because he had a debate with Masters.

One month before Election Day, he says, Uh oh. I better pretend to start doing something about fentanyl, Masters said, adding that 2,000 Arizonans have died from the drug in the past year.

I think Mark Kelly should have to attend the funerals. Let him look a grieving mother in the eye and he can explain to her why he failed to even lift a finger to secure our border, Masters said.

His words extend attacks on Kelly that shot to prominence last week during the debate between the Senate candidates.

Masters took the stage to Danger Zone, the song made famous in both installments of the movie Top Gun that is about Navy pilots. It would seem a curious choice. Kelly was a Navy fighter pilot before becoming an astronaut, while Masters never served in the military.

 Ronald J. Hansen

3 p.m.: Hamadeh, Lesko describe a country in turmoil

Abe Hamadeh, a Trump-endorsed candidate for Arizona attorney general, characterized Arizona as on the front lines of defending America in a short speech at the rally in Mesa.

Arizona, we shocked the hell out of the establishment on Aug. 2, and are you ready to do it again? Hamadeh said to loud applause.

Hamadeh said Democrats have harmed the country in the past couple years, citing inflation, drugs and terrorists crossing the border with Mexico, critical race theory in schools, censorship from big tech and Democrats who are weaponizing the law and targeting patriots.

Arizona is on the front lines of so many of the battles facing our country, and if we lose Arizona, we lose our country, but were not going to lose. Were not going to lose because President Trump is still fighting for America, he said.

Candidate for Arizona Attorney General Abraham Hamadeh delivers remarks during former President Donald Trump's rally at Legacy Sports Park in Mesa on Oct. 9, 2022.

As attorney general, Hamadeh said he would fight criminals, drug cartels and the federal government and lock up some people and put handcuffs on them, prompting cheers in the crowd of lock them up.

America has been down before, but America has never been out. The rest of the country is watching, theyre watching what we do right here in Arizona, because if we win, theres still hope for America. And when we win, when we win, Arizona will lead Americas greatest comeback and never look back," he said.

The dark imagery was a theme among speakers.

Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., described a dystopian America on the verge of collapse in the hands of Democrats in her remarks Sunday.

Inflation, a totally open border, fentanyl and violent crime have surged under President Joe Biden with help from congressional Democrats, Lesko told the crowd in Mesa.

And authorities have hounded Trump since he began his political career, she said.

They continue to go after President Trump for six years, she said, also lamenting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to take away our rights presumably during the pandemic.

If our country is going to survive, this has got to stop, Lesko said.

 Alison Steinbach and Ronald J. Hansen

2:40 p.m.: Republicans rally with Katie Hobbs in Paradise Valley

Democratic candidate for governor Katie Hobbs held a brief news conference Sunday morning at Barry Goldwater Memorial Park in Paradise Valley to emphasize that Republicans should support her over rival Kari Lake.

Several members of Hobbs Republicans for Katie Hobbs Coalition gathered with her at the park, which celebrates the states conservative icon who died in 1998 following five terms as a U.S. senator.

Governor candidate Katie Hobbs (D) speaking at a news conference at Barry Goldwater Park on Oct. 9, 2022.

Karie Dozer, a former spokesman for the late state Attorney General Grant Woods, said Goldwater would be shaking his head in disgust at how crazy Republican politics have become.

Kari Lake is dangerous for Arizona, said Mesa Mayor John Giles, and thats why he  a Republican  was at the park with Hobbs and not at Trumps rally in Mesa on Sunday.

Those of us who support Secretary Hobbs care very deeply about the future of Arizona, he said. And thats why we are putting our state above our party.

Novembers election wasnt between Republicans and Democrats, but a choice between sanity and chaos, he added.

Monica Villalobos, president and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, describing herself as a former Republican, emphasized that the nation has moved forward under Biden.

She didnt leave the party, she said  it left her when it began running candidates operating from places of hatred, hubris and hostility rather than honesty, humility and humanity.

Hobbs, repeating Giles statement about sanity and chaos, said the problem isnt just that Lake proudly accepts support from Nazis and spews dang conspiracy theories, its what she would actually do as governor.

Hobbs then ran down a litany of Lakes positions, including her support for a territorial-era anti-abortion law, baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, and surveillance cameras in public-school classrooms.

Lakes entire platform boils down into being a sore loser, she said.

Other Republicans at the event included former Scottsdale Mayor Sam Campana and former state legislator Steve May.

 Ray Stern

2 p.m.: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene appears at rally

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., echoed the language of the Great Replacement theory popular with white nationalists in her message to Arizonans in Mesa on Sunday.

Speaking about illegal immigration, Greene said 5 million people have crossed the Mexican border with impunity from a derelict President Joe Biden.

Five million people from all over the world have crossed our borders, Greene said. Joe Bidens 5 million illegal aliens are on the verge of replacing you, replacing your jobs, replacing your kids in school, and coming from all over the world they are also replacing your culture. Thats not great for America.

The replacement theory is an idea first popular among white nationalists that Democrats want illegal immigrants to keep their party politically viable.

Some Republicans have flirted with similar rhetoric to energize their base, which has long seen the border as dangerously porous.

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks to the press during a rally for Kari Lake, Blake Masters and other Trump ticket candidates on at Legacy Sports Park on Oct. 9, 2022.

Greene has long pushed a nationalist message. Last year, Greene and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., were briefly linked to creating an America First Caucus that was reportedly linked to preserving the nations Anglo-Saxon past and dramatically restricting the nations immigration laws. Both lawmakers quickly distanced themselves from the caucus idea after bipartisan pushback.

Before taking the stage, Greene predicted the shifting state of Arizonas law on abortion rights would not play a significant role in the upcoming elections.

The states guiding law seems to have whipsawed between a Civil War-era law that bans nearly all abortions and a law passed earlier this year that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Despite the conflicting rulings and the attention it brings back to the issue, Greene said it wont have an impact on voting in Arizona.

I dont think its distracting at all, she told a reporter before taking the stage in Mesa. Instead, America-first themes, like those identified by Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters, will resonate with voters, she said.

Greene said she is looking forward to Republicans winning back the House of Representatives after the November elections. When that happens, she said, she will be placed on the House Oversight Committee, where she plans to open investigations into Hunter Biden, President Joe Bidens embattled son.

Greene also said Big Tech will face scrutiny over its collusion with Democrats in 2020 to censor conservative voices.

 Ronald J. Hansen

1:45 p.m.: Trump, Lake supporters travel from Arizona, out of state

As the prayer, pledge of allegiance and national anthem began shortly before 1:30 p.m., attendees were still streaming into the dirt lot at Bell Bank Park. Seats were filled in the relatively small area of floor seating and risers around the speaking platform.

After the national anthem, a chant of USA, USA, USA rose through the crowd. Many wore Trump attire, some wore anti-Biden clothes, and lots wore red, white and blue apparel, including a few people draped in American or Arizona flags.

A few people were carried out on stretchers; it was a hot and sunny afternoon.

Were just real Trump people, said Ann-Marie Villicana, who drove from Pasadena, California, on Saturday to see Trump on Sunday.

Villicana said she founded LA Trump and was a delegate from California in 2016. One of her friends is working with Lake so she came out to show support.

Since we havent been able to get out to Arizona to help Kari Lake, we thought the least we could do was donate money, get great seats, she said. She and Robin Salzer had VIP seats.

People are just fed up and I think thats why you see the enthusiasm at these rallies, Salzer said. You see the enthusiasm of every demographic, regardless of race, gender, creed, even sexual persuasion, people are just fed up with the way this countrys going.

Kathy Schafer of Chandler voted for Trump and is a big supporter but said she hadnt gone to one of his events until Sunday.

I am brokenhearted that America is in the condition its in, she said, adding that shes concerned about issues like inflation, the 2nd Amendment and school curriculum.

Schaefer was excited to hear from Trump and Lake in particular. Im 100% Trumpster, Im 100% Kari Lake, she said, wearing a Trump shirt and hat. She said the midterm election will be honest because so many more people are paying attention.

Maria Foshay traveled from Rancho Cucamonga, California, to hear Trump speak. She hopes hell announce his next move during the speech, ideally that hell run for president again in 2024. Foshay wants to make sure the election is truthful, fair and with no cheating.

Kerry Josey of Mesa said Trump is the face of the people, adding that shes been to three of his rallies. Shes concerned about whether the upcoming election will be truthful.

Kathy Elgin stood out in the sea of red-colored couture with her eye-catching Oregon Women for Trump-shirt. She and four friends flew in from Oregon for a quick turnaround trip solely for Trump.

We want him to know Oregon exists and Oregon loves him, Elgin said.

A resident of Salem, Elgin said Oregon was a red state until we got mail-in voting. Since then, she said, the state has turned blue and she doesnt buy it.

An avid Trump follower, Elgin said she got a visit from FBI after returning from the Jan. 6 rally at the U.S. Capitol. She called the visit audacious explaining that she never witnessed any violence at the Capitol until she saw television footing.

 Alison Steinbach, Eryka Forquer and Mary Jo Pitzl

12 p.m.: Who is scheduled to speak at Trump rally in Mesa

The speaker list for Sunday's rally includes names familiar to Arizonans, as well as some of the more outspoken Trump advocates, including U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia.

Two members of Arizona's congressional delegation are on board to address the rally: Republican representatives Andy Biggs and Debbie Lesko.

They will join former Trump administration staffers Rich Grenell and Kash Patel, who were with Trump at a similar rally in Nevada on Saturday.

Grenell served briefly as acting director of National Intelligence in 2020, while also holding the posts of U.S. ambassador to Germany and special presidential envoy for the Serbia and Kosovo Peace Negotiations.

Patel was former chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Defense.

The event is a rally to support the Trump-endorsed candidates in November's election. Arizona candidates slated to speak are gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake. U.S. Senate nominee Blake Masters, secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem and attorney general nominee Abe Hamedeh.

The speeches are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

 Mary Jo Pitzl

11 a.m.: Masters: 'This race is winnable'

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters continued what amounted to a victory lap ahead of his rally with former President Donald Trump in Mesa later today.

Masters appeared with Maria Bartiromo on "Sunday Morning Futures" on Fox News and made the case that his showing in Thursday's debate with Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., had reversed the race.

"I expected him to struggle to defend (his record in the Senate) and he did," Masters said of Kelly. "All I had to do, Maria, was go out there and tell the truth. Explain to the people how Mark Kelly has kept our border wide open, how his votes for all the crazy trillions of dollars in spending have caused inflation."

"I think we had him on the ropes a little bit, and it's a huge vibe shift, a momentum shift for our campaign," he continued.

Asked about the lack of financial investment from some conservative corners, Masters predicted, "a lot more people are going to get involved."

"I think I showed people that this race is winnable, that I'm a much, much better candidate than Sen. Kelly in that debate the other night."

 Ronald J. Hansen

10 a.m.: Lake and Hobbs on national TV prior to Trump rally

Arizonas candidates for governor appeared on CBS Face the Nation morning news show Sunday, just hours ahead of Trumps visit to the state.

The former president wasnt the focus of the discussion; instead, Democratic nominee Katie Hobbs and Republican nominee Kari Lake discussed their plans for border security, abortion and other issues, including Hobbs refusal to debate Lake.

The interviews, conducted separately and aired back to back, might be the closest equivalent to a debate a national audience will see this cycle. They highlighted the stylistic and policy differences of two women locked in a nationally watched race that most polls say is tied.

Lake has shifted from praising a near-total ban on abortion to saying she will follow the law. She did so again Sunday. Arizona has two conflicting laws on the books, but a court ruling Friday has allowed a ban on abortions after 15 weeks except for in medical emergencies to prevail.

Lake told CBS news correspondent Major Garrett the law right now as it stands is Gov. Ducey's law at 15 weeks, so we'll follow the law, according to a transcript of the interview.

Garrett likewise tried to pin down Hobbs position on abortion, which Lake has painted as extreme because Hobbs has repeatedly declined to say if there is a stage of pregnancy after which she thinks abortion should be prohibited. Pressed on that, Garrett asked Hobbs if an Arizona voter would be right to conclude that she does not favor any specific week limit on abortion.

I support leaving the decision between a woman and her doctor and leaving politicians entirely out of it, Hobbs replied.

Lake spent much of her interview talking about her plan to use state law enforcement as border patrol and deportation officers, an authority shed seek using an untested legal theory that would buck decades of court precedent and likely lead to a lawsuit.

I hope that Joe Biden doesn't fight us because then it would really look like he is on the side of the cartel, she said.

Lake didnt mention Trump in her interview, perhaps a reflection of his unpopularity with voters nationally. Hobbs brought up the former president twice, attacking his record at the southern border and his false claims the 2020 election was stolen, which Lake has parroted.

Hobbs said Trumps effort to build the border wall, the signature of his border policy, wasnt finished and called on the Biden administration to step up.

Asked why she wouldnt debate Lake, and if her decision not to participate shortchanged voters of a chance to see how Hobbs would respond in a moment of duress, Hobbs shifted to Trump.

I think the voters of Arizona have had a chance to see how I work under crisis throughout my leadership during the 2020 election as secretary of state, Hobbs said, when we had to combat multiple election challenges from former President Trump and his band of election deniers, including my opponent Kari Lake."

 Stacey Barchenger

9 a.m.: 17 visits and counting

Arizona's political preeminence seems like a given these days, but the red state-turned-purple battleground coincides almost perfectly with the political rise of Donald Trump.

The former president found early enthusiasm for his America-first message in Arizona in 2015, and he never really stopped coming back.

His scheduled rally in Mesa will add to an Arizona total no president or presidential contender can rival, with big asterisks for Barry Goldwater and John McCain, who lived in the state while pursuing the White House.

According to Republic research, Trump has made at least 17 visits since entering politics.

That is a list that began on July 11, 2015, with a stop in Phoenix that focused on immigration and helped set the tone for his upstart campaign.

By the end of the 2016 campaign, Trump made six more stops in Arizona. He carried the state by 3.5 percentage points, an unusually low margin in a state that had voted Republican in all but one presidential election beginning in 1952.

Trump visited the state seven times in 2020. That included a Feb. 19, 2020, rally in Phoenix just weeks before the pandemic halted campaign visits for months.

In May 2020, Trump started to move about again, with a stop at a Phoenix Honeywell facility making respirator masks to cope with the health crisis and to discuss aid to Native Americans.

He wound up losing Arizona in 2020 by fewer than 11,000 votes, the smallest margin in the country.

Trump made his first post-presidential visit to Arizona on July 24, 2021, at a Turning Point Action rally in Phoenix in which he saw firsthand the raucous reception to Kari Lake by Republicans.

He wrongly predicted the ongoing review of Maricopa County ballots would vindicate his baseless claims of a stolen election.

This year, Trump held a January rally in Florence, a pre-primary rally in Prescott Valley in July and is set now to again back his slate of Republicans on Sunday in Mesa.

 Ronald J. Hansen

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Trump in Arizona: Recap from Kari Lake, Blake Masters rally in Mesa
Henry Gagne, a resident of Harbor Chase Senior Living, has a circus party with clowns in the facility to entertain the residents.

Gagne was a professional clown for many years. As he got older, it became more difficult to entertain others.

Up to this day, he still likes to wear his clown suit and clown makeup just to brighten other residents days.

Gagne also served in the Navy for 21 years including during the Vietnam War.

He is known in his senior facility as one of the kindest residents, by expressing his love for music and giving little gifts to others.

Gator Clowns and Gagne are collaborating to entertain the residents by making a big top party with circus food like cotton candy, Cracker Jacks, animal crackers and more.

Twilight Wish Foundation is a nonprofit organization that has granted over 4,700 wishes to seniors over the age of 65 all over the United States.

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Kanye West at Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 2, 2022 Edward Berthelot / GC Images

After more than a week of disturbing behavior that has seen him condemned by many (and yet praised by House Republicans), Kanye West reached a new low Saturday night, tweeting a hateful screed against Jewish people that was then removed by Twitter for violating their policies.

Im a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up Im going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE, tweeted the rapper, who changed his name and now goes by "Ye." The funny thing is I actually cant be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.

The tweet remained on the platform for some time before being blocked and replaced with an automated message that reads, "This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules."

A Twitter spokesperson also told BuzzFeed News on Sunday, "The account in question has been locked due to a violation of Twitters policies."

Ye's antisemitic tweet came almost a day after he blasted Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who was raised Jewish, for taking action against his Instagram.

Look at this Mark How you gone kick me off instagram You used to be my nigga 05:38 AM - 08 Oct 2022

That came after moderators deleted content from Ye's Instagram page and restricted the account after the rapper posted a screenshot of a message he had sent Sean "Diddy" Combs, in which he implied that Combs was being controlled by shadowy, powerful Jewish people  a long-standing antisemitic trope.

A Meta spokesperson confirmed to BuzzFeed News on Sunday that they had deleted content from Ye's account and restricted his use of it because he had broken their rules.

The tweets were among Ye's first since November 2020, with the performer having stuck mainly to Instagram since then.

When he began tweeting again this weekend, Elon Musk, the potential next owner of Twitter, celebrated Ye's return to the platform, tweeting, "Welcome back to Twitter, my friend!"

Story continues

In recent days, Ye, who has been public with his bipolar disorder in the past, has demonstrated behavior that has alarmed many observers and prompted several high-profile figures to denounce him.

Vogue magazine issued a statement defending Editor-at-Large Gabriella Karefa-Johnson after they said she was "personally targeted and bullied" in an "unacceptable" series of Instagram posts by Ye after she criticized him for wearing a "White Lives Matter" shirt at Paris Fashion Week.

That phrase is typically used as a racist response to the Black Lives Matter movement, per the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Supermodel Gigi Hadid also came to the defense of Karefa-Johnson, denouncing Ye on his Instagram page for being "a bully and a joke."

Of course, all this occurred amid Ye's continued attacks on ex Kim Kardashian and her family.

On Thursday night, Ye also sat down with far-right Fox News host Tucker Carlson, accusing Donald Trump's son-in-law and presidential adviser, Jared Kushner, who is Jewish, of helping to negotiate treaties between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain in order to make money.

Ye's Fox News interview and "White Lives Matter" stunt received attention from Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee, who compared him to Musk and Trump on Twitter.

But the American Jewish Committee said that Ye had "fomented hatred of Jews" in his posts and statements, while the ADL said his behavior had been "deeply troubling, dangerous, and antisemitic."

"There is no excuse for his propagating of white supremacist slogans and classic #antisemitism about Jewish power, especially with the platform he has," the ADL tweeted.

UPDATE

Oct. 09, 2022, at 16:54 PM

More on this
Mass burial in Lyman, October 7, 2022

National Police Chief Ihor Klymenko said the exhumation was taking place at two burial sites.

According to tentative estimates, about 200 civilians were found buried at one of the sites. The other site is a mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers. The information about the mass graves in Lyman was provided by local residents.

The civilians were buried in single graves, while the bodies of the military were put in a trench that is 40 meters long. A witness told the police that Russian invaders had ordered him to bury about 20 Ukrainian soldiers there.

The victims also include a family with two young children.

Some graves have plaques with the names of the deceased, while the restare nameless. However, the police say they take biological samples in each case and order tests to identify the victims and determine the cause of their death.

The National Police said the work was complicated by the fact that most of the bodies demonstrate the loss of soft tissue. For example, police officers found a bag with only the bones of a victim.

Investigative and forensic teams are working together with the prosecutors office at the sites. The exhumation is taking place as part of criminal proceedings under Art. 438 (violation of the laws and customs of war) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

In total, since Sept. 29, police have found 87 bodies in the liberated villages and towns of Donetsk Oblast, of whom they have identified 38 civilians.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Russian aircraft Su-25, illustrative photo

The spokesman for the Odesa Air Defense Command Serhiy Bratchuk later confirmed the shoot-downs on Telegram.

Read also: Ukrainian soldiers tell how they deal with Iranian kamikaze drones used by Russia

The enemy tried to attack Odesa with a Shahed-136 kamikaze drone around 11:30 a.m. The unmanned aerial vehicle was destroyed over the sea.

At 11.00 a.m. in Mykolaiv Oblast, air defense forces shot down a Russian aircraft (probably a Su-25, the type is being verified).

Russian troops attacked the city of Zaporizhzhya for the first time with Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones on the night of Oct. 7. One person was injured in that attack.

Read also: Military expert on Iranian Shahed-136 drones in service with Russia

The attack also caused destruction to infrastructure facilities in two districts of the city.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at a military exhibition in Moscow, August 15, 2022

Of course, they (FSB) arent as important as Putin himself, of course, they can hardly be people who claim to have the influence of Putins level, the advisor said.

But judging by the complimentary statements made by (Chechen warlord Ramzan) Kadyrov, we can say that its obvious that the degree of their criticism (I mean both Kadyrov and Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is the owner of Russias Wagner mercenary company) of the Ministry of Defense, of the leadership of the so-called special military operation may decline somewhat.

Although I think theyll continue to criticize Shoigu and (Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery) Gerasimov, but at this moment I can clearly say that Shoigu kept his position, including thanks to the blowing up of the Crimean bridge.

Commenting on the reports of the detention of top military personnel in Moscow, Denysenko said it is necessary to wait for the further course of events and take into account Putins fear of enhancing the political influence of certain groups.

Well have to look at the development of events, but we can clearly say that its obvious for the population (which more or less follows the events)that its necessary to replace the Russian military leadership because it has failed, he said.

Fortunately, Putin is not going to make any changes for us yet. He understands there are two groups of influence that can theoretically organize palace coups  the army and the FSB.

Strengthening the FSB now by removing Shoigu, Gerasimov, and appointing people from their entourage would mean (Putin) weakening himself. Thats why Putin did not resort to any drastic moves. He made (certain reshuffles) and appointed (Sergey) Surovikin, who met the approval both by Shoigu and the Kadyrov and Prigozhin troops, the FSB, etc.

Putin on Oct. 8 appointed General Sergey Surovikin commander of the Russian Federation forces in Ukraine.

According to the UK Ministry of Defense, for over 30 years, Surovikins career has been dogged with allegations of corruption and brutality.

The reasons for Putins move were not announced. However, experts believe it was probably related to the Russian armys failures in Ukraine.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
French Armaments Procurement Agency members observe flight operations on USS Gerald R. Ford in April 2021. US Navy/MCS3 Dalton Lowing

France is making plans to build a next-generation aircraft carrier to replace Charles de Gaulle.

The new carrier will have the same aircraft launch and recovery systems as the US's newest carriers.

The new French carrier is expected to enter service in 2038 and remain there until at least 2080.

In September, US defense firm General Atomics announced that it had received a contract from the US Navy to continue its development and evaluation of its Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and Advanced Arresting Gear in preparation for their potential sale to France.

It is the latest development in France's ambition to build a new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, a project known as the Porte-Avions de Nouvelle Generation, sometimes called PANG, which translates to "New Generation Aircraft Carrier."

The yet-to-be-named ship will replace France's current carrier, Charles de Gaulle. PANG will be considerably larger than its predecessor and will grant the French navy the prestige of operating a "supercarrier"  a distinction held by only a few navies.

Charles de Gaulle

French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. Reuters

Launched in 1994 and commissioned in 2001, Charles de Gaulle replaced France's two Clemenceau-class carriers, Clemenceau and Foch, which were decommissioned in 1997 and 2000, respectively. (Foch was sold to Brazil and was in Brazilian service until 2018).

Charles de Gaulle is currently the French navy's flagship. It is 858 feet long and displaces some 42,000 tons fully loaded. It's manned by a crew of 1,350 and an air wing of 650 personnel. It can also embark 800 troops.

It is the only non-US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the world. Its two K15 pressurized water reactors give it a top speed of about 27 knots and a range limited only by its crew's endurance.

It is also the only non-US carrier to use catapults to launch aircraft, a system known as Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery.

Sailors prepare an F/A-18F for launch during testing with Ford's Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System in January 2020. US Navy/MCS3 Zachary Melvin

Its catapults are shorter versions of those used aboard US Navy Nimitz-class carriers. "An American officer is present among the crew of the aircraft carrier to ensure the maintenance interfaces," Adm. Pierre Vandier, chief of staff of the French navy, said of Charles de Gaulle in July.

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"For the future aircraft carrier it was also decided to go for American equipment, which will be electromagnetic catapults and electromagnetic arresting gear," Vandier told Naval News, adding that there would be "similar cooperations" with the US "to support the ramp-up in operational power and to ensure the maintenance of these catapults."

De Gaulle can sail with an air wing of up to 40 aircraft, though it is usually composed of 30 Rafale M fighters, two E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning and control aircraft, and a combination of NH90, AS565 Panther, and AS365 Dauphin helicopters.

Charles de Gaulle in the Red Sea in April 2019. US Navy/MCS3 Skyler Okerman

In addition to its air wing, Charles de Gaulle has four eight-cell Sylver VLS launchers that can fire MBDA Aster 15 surface-to-air missiles and two six-cell Sadral launchers for Mistral anti-air missiles.

Charles de Gaulle's first combat deployment was during Operation Enduring Freedom, during which its aircraft flew some 700 sorties against Taliban targets. In 2011, the carrier helped enforce a no-fly zone over Libya.

Charles de Gaulle has also been very active against ISIS, launching airstrikes against targets in Iraq from the Persian Gulf in 2015 and in support of the liberation Mosul while in the Mediterranean in 2016. This year, it helped reinforce NATO's presence in the Eastern Mediterranean following Russia's attack on Ukraine.

PANG

Capt. Paul Lanzilotta, Ford's commanding officer, briefs French Rear Adm. Eric Malbrunot on Ford's flight deck design in April 2021. US Navy/MCS3 Zack Guth

Though France has traditionally operated two carriers simultaneously, it never built a counterpart for Charles de Gaulle. There were plans for a carrier modeled on the British navy's Queen Elizabeth class, but they were canceled in 2013.

In 2018, however, France's armed forces minister said a new effort to replace Charles de Gaulle was underway. In December 2020, French President Emmanuel Macron officially unveiled the program.

The PANG will be a significant upgrade over Charles de Gaulle. It will be about 984 feet long and displace some 74,000 tons, putting it on par with the other active "supercarriers," which usually displace over 65,000 tons.

Like its predecessor, the PANG will be nuclear-powered, using two K22 reactors, each capable of generating 220 megawatts. (The K15s each generate 150 megawatts.) French officials say the reactors will enable the navy to project power abroad while reducing emissions.

The PANG's air wing will be larger than Charles de Gaulle's and is expected to include at least 32 fighters as well as an undetermined number of support aircraft, helicopters, and drones.

Charles de Gaulle with US warships in the Red Sea in April 2019. US Navy/MCS3 Skyler Okerman

In addition to the Rafale M, the air wing is expected to include the naval variant of the New Generation Fighter, a sixth-generation fighter jet being jointly developed by France, Germany, and Spain. Eventually the entire PANG air wing will be composed of NGFs.

The PANG will also feature EMALS and AAG  the same systems used by the US Navy's Gerald R. Ford-class carriers. EMALS uses linear induction motors instead of steam, making it more efficient and able to launch fixed-wing aircraft more smoothly and at much faster rates.

EMALS has been a headache for the US Navy, but recent changes have increased the system's reliability. The Navy said in July that EMALS and AAG aboard USS Gerald R. Ford had conducted 10,000 aircraft launches and recoveries.

Construction of the PANG is planned to start in 2025. Its first sea trials are expected to be in 2036, followed by commissioning in 2038  the year Charles de Gaulle is expected to leave service.

Once commissioned, the PANG will replace Charles de Gaulle as the French navy's flagship. It is expected to be in service until at least 2080.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A man said his horse was returned home to him after eight years. Emily Beck/EyeEm via Getty Images

A Utah man said his horse was found 8 years after he ran off with a herd of mustangs.

Shane Adams said his horse, Mongo, ran off while the pair were camping in West Desert when a herd ran by.

After years, the Bureau of Land Management found Mongo with a herd and returned him to Adams.

A Utah man said his horse was returned home to him after running off and joining a herd of mustangs for eight years. His owner said that now that the horse is home, "he acts like nothing ever happened."

It had been years since Shane Adams of Fielding, Utah, had seen his beloved horse, Mongo, he told KUTV.

Adams said he and Mongo were camping in Utah's West Desert when a herd of mustangs ran past their camp. He told the outlet that he ran out of his tent and tried to stop Mongo as the horse broke free from where he was tied up, but Mongo still managed to run off with the herd.

According to KUTV, Adams spent three years searching West Desert for his missing horse. He reported Mongo's disappearance to the Bureau of Land Management, but as time passed, he said his family had to move on.

Adams said "never in my life" did he expect a call like the one he got last week from the bureau, KUTV reported.

In late September, officials spotted a herd of mustangs by military land in Utah's Tooele County. They noticed that, unlike the other mustangs, Mongo "fell in step like he had been trained" and had a brand matching the description Adams described nearly a decade before when he reported Mongo missing, per KUTV.

Mongo, now about 18, was reunited with Adams at his farm. Though Mongo is a few hundred pounds underweight, Adams said he doesn't show any other signs of his near-decade of roaming free, KUTV reported.

"It's crazy. He still acts the same, same horse," Adams said, according to the outlet. "Eight years of being wild, and he acts like nothing ever happened."

Read the original article on Insider
Having conquered most industries at home, optimistic chiefs at conglomerate Vingroup are setting their sights much higher as they ramp up plans to sell the first ever Vietnamese car in the mighty US market.

The pivot is a bold move by chairman Pham Nhat Vuong -- Vietnam's richest man -- who started out selling dried noodles in the former Soviet Union before amassing his $5 billion fortune in a range of sectors including real estate, tourism and education.

His firm's auto unit VinFast already has electric vehicles (EVs) on the streets of Hanoi, though the attraction of the lucrative United States market is too good to ignore.

However, the firm admits that competing in the crowded and difficult US market, which is dominated by Tesla, will be a huge but worthwhile task.

"If we can make it there, we can make it anywhere," CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy told AFP from the factory site where the finishing touches were being made to the VF8, a mid-size SUV with a sleek design by Italy's Pininfarina, which worked with Ferrari for decades.

But, she added, "we want to show people who might not have the correct understanding of Vietnam that Vietnam today is quite different to Vietnam during the war, or even to Vietnam 10 years ago".

While the aim of getting Americans driving its cars by Christmas may seem a huge ask, Vingroup -- Vietnam's biggest private firm -- has a track record of delivering.

Within two years, Pham transformed a muddy patch of swampland near the northern port city of Haiphong into a state-of-the-art factory -- complete with 1,200 robots, German, Japanese and Swedish machinery, and a global team from auto giants including BMW and General Motors.

- Public scepticism -

The company has already invested heavily in its American dream.

In July, VinFast opened six showrooms in California, including a flagship store at one of the trendiest malls in upmarket Santa Monica, though for now it is only taking orders as vehicles are not yet available.

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It plans 30 in total by the end of the year, while it has also broken ground on a $2 billion electric vehicle and battery plant in North Carolina that it says will produce 150,000 cars a year when it is fully up and running.

The factory aims to create more than 7,000 new jobs, prompting US President Joe Biden himself to tweet the announcement back in March.

"I always joke that he is the best salesperson we have," says Thuy.

But the American public will likely be far more sceptical, said Karl Brauer, a Los Angeles-based analyst with iSeeCars.com, a vehicle comparison site.

"It's been typical for it to take a couple of decades for brand new automakers to the US market to become ingrained," he said, referencing South Korea's Hyundai and Kia, which struggled through the 90s and early 2000s.

They are now among the most popular car makers in the United States.

Americans' perception may be "this is some unheard-of-brand I've never had any experience with, and I'm not sure I have any faith in the quality", he added.

- Push into Europe -

To hook customers, VinFast is pushing a highly unusual monthly battery-leasing model for the two cars headed to the United States -- the VF8 and VF9 -- lowering the cost of the upfront payment to $42,000 and $57,500 respectively. Tesla's SUVs start at around $65,000.

Once the battery life goes down to 70 percent, VinFast replaces it for free, and aims to repurpose or recycle the old one.

"The theory behind that is we're giving you a vehicle that is priced similarly to an internal combustion engine vehicle," Thuy explained.

The scale of VinFast's ambition, which extends to Europe, where they plan to open the first of 20 showrooms by the end of the year, has stunned many in the business.

"It is preposterously hard to build a car and sell it, at least to a global audience, as seems to be the ambitions of VinFast," said Matthew Degen, senior editor at Kelley Blue Book, a car shopping and research site.

"It usually takes years and years to get a car from a design on paper into something that's in your hands and you're actually driving it."

However, VinFast developed three cars in just 21 months.

And although the regular car market is already saturated, he says, there may be a "brief window" for them to make their mark in the still developing electric vehicle sector.

For Brauer, VinFast's success will largely come down to millennials.

They will "have trouble with people over 50 years old... but younger consumers in this country are getting more and more open to new vehicles".

aph/pdw/dan/smw
One month before the midterm elections, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris came to Republican Texas on Saturday, aiming to buck up a state party that hasn't seen a statewide victory in a generation and still faces headwinds caused by economic uncertainty and unchecked migration across its southern border.

Still, Harris pushed an optimistic message that highlighted the national party's slogan of "Democrats deliver" and urged Texas Democrats at their annual JJ Reception in Austin to embrace Biden administration successes on a range of legislation such as lowering prescription drug prices, spending on infrastructure renewal projects and providing COVID-19 relief.

"Democrats stood on the floor and delivered relief to the American people," Harris told attendees at the JJ Reception, named for the late President Lyndon B. Johnson and the late U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordan. "People are suffering."

The first woman ever elected on a national ticket also used her two stops in Austin to champion efforts to restore the reproductive freedoms that were struck down when the Supreme Court on June 24 overturned the landmark 1973 case Roe v. Wade, which had affirmed the right to abortion.

Before the reception, Harris appeared at the LBJ Presidential Library on the University of Texas campus, where she affirmed her support for abortion rights and likened the effort to restore them to the civil rights struggle of the 1960s, which helped define the 36th president's administration.

She said the recent high court ruling that struck down the constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy "has profound ramifications."

"At its core, this is about freedom, liberty," Harris said during a question-and-answer session. "And on every level."

She reminded the 200-plus invited guests inside the library's 10th-floor Atrium Room that the midterm elections are one month away and that "it matters" who gets elected up and down the ballot.

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She also cast the abortion issue in generational terms.

"We have a 23-year-old daughter, and I have an 83-year-old mother-in-law," she said. "Our daughters will have fewer rights than my mother-in-law did."

At the reception, Harris denounced Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's support for the Texas law that now forbids abortion with no exception for rape or incest as "radical" and stated that Texas must "elect Beto O'Rourke as governor." However, the Democratic nominee and former congressman from El Paso did not attend either function in Austin.

A spokesman said O'Rourke was sticking to his long-planned "weekend of blockwalking" campaign schedule.

More:What on the Texas general election ballot? What you need to know before voting

Abbott's campaign derided the vice president's Texas visit, saying her agenda in the state was misguided.

"Instead of coming to Texas to fundraise for border crisis denier Beto O Rourke, the vice president should take time to visit the border to see firsthand the complete disaster she and the president created," Abbott spokesman Mark Miner said.

Abbott, seeking a third term as governor, has made illegal immigration a central theme of his reelection effort. Harris was tasked early on with being the Biden administration's point person on immigration  specifically, as The Associated Press reported at the time, "to oversee diplomatic efforts to deal with issues spurring migration in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, as well as pressing them to strengthen enforcement on their own borders."

The task also includes finding a "long-term strategy that gets at the root causes of migration from those countries."

More:Opinion: School voucher program is not right for Texas education

Harris made little mention of immigration during her Austin visit. But she did reaffirm the administration's commitment to establish a pathway to citizenship for the children of immigrants who came into the United States without legal authorization "because America is their home."

In September, Harris was in Houston, where she chaired the National Space Council and toured a space vehicle mock-up facility. And last year, she visited El Paso, where she toured Border Patrol facilities as a burgeoning crisis in unauthorized immigration was beginning.

Harris' loudest applause from the Democrats was when she reminded them of Biden's recent action pardoning people who were convicted of simple possession of marijuana in federal cases.

"The bottom line is no one should have to go to jail for smoking weed," she said.

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Kamala Harris brings 'Democrats deliver' message to Austin
Brecon and Radnorshire MP Fay Jones said it was a "huge day for sheep farmers across my constituency"

The first shipment of Welsh lamb exported to the US in decades has been hailed a "milestone" for UK's rural economy by the prime minister.

Liz Truss tweeted it marked a "well-deserved boost to our rural economy".

President Joe Biden committed to lifting his country's decades-old ban on imports of the British meat in September 2021.

The shipment contained lamb produced by meat processor Dunbia from its site in Carmarthenshire.

The market is estimated to be worth 37m in the first five years of trade.

Brecon and Radnorshire MP Fay Jones said it was a "huge day for sheep farmers across my constituency".

"I am delighted to see Welsh lamb back in the USA after such a long absence," she said.

The United States had banned British lamb imports since 1989, following the first outbreaks of BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease and a similar ban on British beef imports was lifted in September last year.

Last December, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) had amended the rule preventing imports of lamb from the UK into the US, with the change coming into force in January.

However, some outstanding steps remained before shipping could start, including an approval process for exporters, according to the PA news agency.

International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said it was "fantastic news" to see Britain's "world-class lamb back on American menus".

"Now they can sell to a consumer market of over 300 million people, which support jobs and growth in a vital British industry," she said.
SPRINGERVILLE, Ariz. (AP)  Wild horse rights advocates are calling on authorities to prosecute whoever is responsible for the reported killing of more than a dozen wild horses in northeastern Arizona.

U.S. Forest Service officials announced Friday that they were investigating the horse deaths, but didnt release any details.

Phoenix TV station KTVK reported Saturday that witnesses told them 14 horses were found in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest with fatal gunshot wounds to the abdomen, face and between the eyes.

The person or persons responsible for this act of premeditated, vicious animal cruelty poses a very real danger to people and animals, Scott Beckstead, director of campaigns and equine welfare specialist for the Washington, D.C.-based Center for a Humane Economy, told KTVK. We hope to see swift and aggressive action by federal, state, and local law enforcement.

Simone Netherlands of the Salt River Wild Horse Management group in Arizona said the horses are not protected by federal government, not protected by state laws, so its sickening that someone can just come here and kill them.

The dead horses were found near Forest Road 25 on the Alpine and Springerville Ranger Districts, according to the Forest Service, which said in a statement that they are coordinating with the appropriate officials in support of the investigation.

Meanwhile, a $20,000 reward continues to being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever killed five wild horses in eastern Nevada late last year.

The Bureau of Land Management announced last week that the National Mustang Association pledged to double the previous $10,000 reward in the case.

Its unknown if the Nevada and Arizona cases are related.

Authorities said five mortally wounded horses were discovered Nov. 16 in Jakes Valley, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Ely.

They said the horses all were located within 600 yards of each other about 2 miles (3 kilometers) south of U.S. Highway 50, and an aborted fetus was attached to one of the dead animals.

The BLM is investigating and prosecuting the killings as part of the enforcement of the Wild Horses and Burro Act of 1971.
Rioters loyal to President Trump breach the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (John Minchillo / Associated Press)

Five leaders of the Oath Keepers, a right-wing militia that played a leading role in storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, went on trial last week in Washington.

The defendants, including Stewart Rhodes, the Yale-educated lawyer who founded the group, were charged with seditious conspiracy: plotting to attack the federal government by force to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election.

Prosecutors said Rhodes and others planned the assault on the Capitol, ordered their troops to bring zombie killer tomahawks and other weapons and stockpiled guns in hotels in case the battle escalated.

We arent getting through this without a civil war, Rhodes told his followers in a text message, according to his indictment.

The trial, the first of several planned for ringleaders of the insurrection, has high stakes.

Its the highest-profile prosecution so far in the Justice Departments massive Jan. 6 dragnet.

Its a rare use of seditious conspiracy, the U.S. equivalent of a domestic terrorism law, a charge that dates back to the Civil War. The defendants arent accused of committing violent acts but of organizing the squad that did.

And it may have crippled the Oath Keepers, a 13-year-old militia recruited largely from military veterans and law enforcement officers that styled itself as the armed vanguard of the militant right.

As an organization, the Oath Keepers have lost a lot of steam from this, said Jon Lewis, a terrorism scholar at George Washington University. Members have distanced themselves from the leadership. Their brand has become toxic.

But the prosecutions havent put a perceptible dent in the larger phenomenon of right-wing extremism, an ecosystem that includes white supremacists, antigovernment militants and many (but far from all) supporters of former President Trump.

For example, the Proud Boys, another militia whose leader, Enrique Tarrio, and four lieutenants are scheduled to go on trial on similar charges in December. The Proud Boys arent shrinking; they appear to be expanding.

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Their leadership has been decimated, but weve seen increased activity at a local level, Oren Segal of the Anti-Defamation League told me. They keep adding new chapters ... and their agenda has diversified; theyre showing up at school board meetings and campaigning on LGBTQ issues.

The militant right has survived Jan. 6 in other forms too.

Its a mistake to focus on the militias, said Robert Pape of the University of Chicago, who has studied the Jan. 6 rioters.

Almost 90% of the Jan. 6 defendants were not militia members, he said. What made Jan. 6 happen was not Oath Keepers or Proud Boys. It was a larger movement that includes many mainstream Trump supporters too. ... The militias are only the most visible part."

Based on public opinion surveys, about 18 million Americans believe violence is justified to restore Trump to the White House, Pape estimates. Other polls have suggested even larger numbers.

Terrorism scholars say the extremist right is surviving not on the strength of its organizations but on a powerful narrative that appeals to millions of discontented conservatives.

A key part of that narrative is the conviction, fed by Trump and his allies, that Democrats stole the 2020 election and will continue using illegitimate means to prevent conservatives from winning.

Now add one more phenomenon, something scholars call stochastic terrorism: seemingly random, lone-wolf attacks inspired by the statements of leaders like Trump.

We have people with massive megaphones saying we need to do something to stop a corrupt FBI, or an Internal Revenue Service thats about to send 87,000 armed agents into your homes, said Lewis, referring to the plan to hire 87,000 IRS employees, most of whom will not be enforcement agents.

Some peoples response to those messages is not 'I should go vote.' Its 'I should pick up my gun and head for the nearest federal building.'

If Republican leaders, including Trump, dont intend that to be the effect of their words, theres a simple remedy: They could denounce violence in all its forms  including the violence of Trump supporters on Jan. 6.

Too often, they dont.

Their political winking at violence makes a difficult task  fighting domestic terrorism while respecting civil liberties  even harder.

Its impossible for law enforcement to chase down every right-wing extremist who posts messages on the internet and also owns a firearm, said Lewis.

All of which means this wave of violent extremism on the right is far from over.

Before the 2020 presidential election, Trump was asked what his message was for the Proud Boys, who even then were issuing threats of violence.

His answer was indulgent. Stand back and stand by, he said.

As congressional elections approach next month, and a presidential campaign soon after, they are standing by again.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., when asked about the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, alleged that his Democratic challenger Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes "incited" riots in Kenosha during the summer of 2020.

During a debate Friday in the battleground Wisconsin, which could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate, Johnson said he condemned the Jan. 6 riot while pointing to other violent demonstrations post-George Floyds death, including rioting and looting in Kenosha over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

"I also condemned the 570 riots that occurred during the summer. So many people ignored those. The lieutenant governor has made excuses for those rioters saying Well what do you expect? Theyre frustrated,'" Johnson said. "If you want to talk about rioting, we should take a look at what happened in Kenosha. The day after the first night of rioting, when a used car lot was set on fire, instead of trying to calm things down, the lieutenant governor gave a press conference."

RON JOHNSON PUSHES BARNES ON CRIME POSITIONS AS GOP PULLS AHEAD IN WISCONSIN RACE

"He incited the riot," Johnson said. "He and the governor did not provide the manpower to stop the riots. So, if youre going to focus on a riot, why dont we focus on the 570 riots. 2,000 police officers injured."

As Milwaukee is on pace for a third consecutive year to set the record for the number of homicides in a single year, Johnson accused Barnes of using "code words" to mask his backing by "defund the police" supporters. The Republican blamed the movement for police recruiting woes and soaring crime.

"The first thing you do is support law enforcement, and unfortunately, the lieutenant governor has not done that. He has a record of wanting to defund the police  I know he doesnt necessarily use that word, but he has a long history of being supported by people leading the effort to defund," Johnson said. "He uses code words. Like Cori Bush said, talks about reallocate over bloated police budgets. He said it pains him to see fully funded police budgets. Thats his views."

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"Whenever I see a police officer, I go up to him and say thank you for your service, and if I have time, I say please dont be dispirited by the loud, few who are trying to defund you."

Barnes, meanwhile, said violence can be reduced by making sure communities "have the resources they need to prevent crime from happening in the first place," including by "fully funding schools."

The Democrat also noted the state invested $100 million in an initiative through the American Rescue Plan, a Biden administration proposal which Johnson voted against.

Regarding bail reform, a debate moderator pointed to the trial of Darrell Brooks Jr., who previously got out on bail despite being accused of murdering six people at the Waukesha Christmas Parade.

"I supported bail reform. Under my plan, dangerous people don't get to buy their way out of people. Senator Johnson may have not encountered a problem he couldn't buy his way out of, but that is not the reality for a majority of people in this state," Barnes said. "Under my plan, the perpetrator would not have been able to get out whether he paid a $1000 or $100,000."

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"We have a huge problem with skyrocketing crime. One of the issues is we are not keeping criminals in jail. When he was in the legislature, he wrote a bill to eliminate cash bail, one of the methods we can use to make sure dangerous criminals stay in jail," Johnson said. "My opponent is opposed to fully funding police budgets, but we need to keep criminals in jail."
Yavapai County

The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said several of its deputies fatally shot a man after he opened fire at them Friday evening outside of a Black Canyon City home.

The man was identified by the Sheriffs Office as Thomas Henzler.

Authorities said deputies were dispatched to the home on School House Road after the man's wife called law enforcement about 10:30 p.m. and told them Henzler was drunk and that he had fired a bullet into the ceiling to get her attention.

The wife also told law enforcement that Henzler knew that she would call them, and she told them that he began to set up an ambush at the home's only access point, which was a bridge with a remote-only gate, the Sheriff's Office said.

Law enforcement noted the wife was able to keep the 911 dispatcher on the phone without her husband knowing so that she could keep them updated on where he was as he moved between the bridge and the house to grab more ammunition.

Sheriff's Office dispatchers also heard Henzler telling his wife that he would shoot at law enforcement to "do a suicide by cop," and authorities learned he was trying to force her to go to the ambush site with him.

The Sheriffs Office said deputies arrived at the scene with the Arizona Department of Public Safety and requested a tactical team in preparation for a potential hostage situation. Because of the remote location of the house, DPS called out its air ranger to assist, the Sheriffs Office said.

The wife left the house by herself and opened the gate. However, Henzler was still inside the house and did not respond to law enforcement officers who called out to him, the Sheriffs Office said. He left the house about an hour later and opened fire at deputies, causing them to return fire and fatally shoot him, the Sheriffs Office said.

The Sheriffs Office said it had contacted DPS to do an independent investigation, which will be conducted over the coming weeks.

Reach the reporter Jeremy Yurow at Jyurow@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man fatally shot by Yavapai County deputies in Black Canyon City
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in a new interview expressed worry that OPEC+ countries decision to cut oil production will hurt the global economy, especially in developing countries.

I think OPECs decision is unhelpful and unwise  its uncertain what impact it will end up having, but certainly, its something that, to me, did not seem appropriate, under the circumstances we face, Yellen told the Financial Times. Were very worried about developing countries and the problems they face.

The oil-exporting alliance, which includes the 13 OPEC nations and 11 non-members including Russia, made the production cut announcement last Wednesday.

The move was a large blow to President Biden, who visited oil-rich Saudi Arabia in a July trip to appeal to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Biden faced criticism from some over the trip given Saudi Arabias human rights record, namely the death of journalist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, and Riyadh announced a production increase following Bidens visit that was smaller than hoped for by his administration.

Yellen declined to outline to the Financial Times any steps U.S. officials would take to counter OPEC+s production cut, which threatens to cause an increase in domestic gas prices.

The cut has led some lawmakers to propose changes to the U.S.-Saudi military relationship.

The president has been focused for a lot of time on exploring all available options to try to bring [oil prices] down, Yellen said.

The U.S. and other G7 countries have looked to cap the price of Russian oil exports by Dec. 5 to stymie a source of financing for Moscows invasion of Ukraine, and diplomats are still working to finalize a deal, namely the specific maximum price.

But the OPEC+ cut could boost price levels and improve Russias oil exporting revenue, providing a new obstacle for the group of wealthy democracies attempts to weaken Moscows financial position.

Holding down prices is something thats particularly helpful to developing countries that are suffering from high energy prices, Yellen said.

Story continues

The Treasury secretary, speaking days before the International Monetary Fund and World Banks annual meetings, told the Financial Times she hopes U.S. allies will step up their financial support of Ukraine.

A number of countries have pledged significant economic assistance, but simply havent quite gotten around to dispersing it, she told the outlet. The pace of transferring money to Ukraine is far too slow. There are commitments, but the money needs to be deployed.

U.S. lawmakers approved an additional $12.3 billion for Ukraine in a continuing resolution that funds the federal government through mid-December, adding to tens of billions of previously approved funding.



The Biden administration has repeatedly released weapons packages for the war-torn country under presidential drawdown authority, most recently unveiling a $625 million security package last Tuesday that includes more High Mobility Rocket Artillery Systems (HIMARS).

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A Pittsburgh area family will soon have closure after two national search-and-recovery dive teams found the body of a man inside a car in the Allegheny River.

It was an outcome made possible by Adventures With Purpose and Chaos Divers - two underwater sonar dive teams, each with millions of viewers on YouTube and Facebook. The groups specialize in solving cold cases involving missing people whose vehicles are also missing.

What happened today allows us to help the next family, said Doug Bishop of Adventures With Purpose. The biggest thing out of this all is there is a family that now has answers.

Were just really thankful to these guys for notifying police right away and river rescuea sad outcome, but at the end of the day, everyone worked really well together, said Cara Cruz, Pittsburgh Public Safety PIO.

The teams had been in the Pittsburgh area for a few days working two separate cold cases  70-year-old Janet Walsh, who went missing from Shaler Township in 2020 and 78-year-old Bunnie Lee, who disappeared from Homewood in 2013.

While searching for the two Saturday afternoon, divers discovered a red sedan with the body of a man inside.

This makes the 26th case weve been able to bring answers to within two years, Bishop said.

Working with the Pittsburgh police river rescue team and fire crews, Bishop and Jacob Grubbs pulled the car from the Allegheny river. It was about 16 feet deep and 30 feet from the shore.

So for us to become a resource for law enforcement is amazing. The support that we have behind us for this whole ordeal allows us to help the families and law enforcement for free, Grubbs said.

In the end, it was a methodical process, that in this case, will provide closure, bringing a loved one home and a family answers.

As tragic as this is, its necessary in order to move forward, Bishop said.

Pittsburgh public safety officials said they will be in touch with law enforcement with Cranberry and Zelienople for reasons they said will come to light later.

Story continues

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Facing high caseloads and a dwindling staff, the Lynchburg Commonwealths Attorneys Office no longer will participate in prosecuting select misdemeanors in the city.

Commonwealths Attorney Bethany Harrisons decision was first expressed to city leadership in a letter from her office to Lynchburg City Council and City Manager Wynter Benda dated Aug. 19.

Carrie Dungan, director of communications and public engagement for the City of Lynchburg, said the citys police officers will have to prosecute the cases the commonwealths attorney office is not involved in. She said the city is working with Police Chief Ryan Zuidema to determine the impact but noted all of those crimes will still be prosecuted.

Some examples of standalone charges that will not be handled by Harrisons office include driving with a suspended license; trespassing; misdemeanor possession of drugs; drunk in public; and altered or forged license plates.

While her office is withdrawing from prosecuting these as standalone charges, Harrison said in her letter her office will prosecute these charges if they are connected to other charges.

With the decision to withdraw prosecution from these select standalone misdemeanors, Harrison is hoping to provide her team of prosecutors with more time to work on the more serious offenses that require more time and attention, and those that may have more of an impact on public safety.

This is not a happy occasion for us, Harrison said about the decision.

In her letter, a copy of which Harrison provided to The News & Advance, Harrison responded to questions from city council during its July 26 work session, laying out what her office is doing to address a rise in violent crimes and firearm offenses in the city.

Harrison said in a recent interview with The News & Advance the primary reason her office is withdrawing prosecution of these select misdemeanors is staffing.

Harrison said her office is not immune to a difficult job market for those looking to fill positions of need, especially in a field that requires deep vetting of potential candidates.

Were supposed to have 11 attorneys, according to the staffing standards from the Virginia Compensation Board, and sadly, as of Oct. 7, we will be down another good prosecutor ... so I will be down 27% of my workforce at that point, Harrison said Sept. 27, noting the department now has only eight full-time prosecutors on staff.

... In my experience, we have never seen that type of turnover.

The Lynchburg Police Department confirmed Friday it has been in communication with the Commonwealths Attorneys Office regarding Harrisons decision to relinquish some prosecutions and emphasized it remains committed to keeping the community safe.

These changes will, most certainly, require additional training for LPD personnel to ensure consistency in court case preparation and to learn new responsibilities surrounding discovery rules for evidence, LPD Capt. Lisa Singleton wrote to The News & Advance. Although we may see a shift in the conviction rate for these cases, the LPD continually maintains a cooperative relationship with Mrs. Harrison and her office.

Its not only the Lynchburg office that is having a hard time hiring qualified prosecutors. Harrison said she knows the Prince Edward County Commonwealths Attorneys Office has had a position open for about a year that has gone unfilled.

Harrison said its especially hard to retain quality attorneys in the citys office due to the workload compared to surrounding counties.

One left for the county, Harrison said about her departing attorneys, where the workload is less, the person is closer to their house, and shes getting paid $13,000 a year more to do the same job. I cant compete with that.

Harrison cited local crime stats and Virginia State Police data that show in 2021, Campbell County had 1,724 offenses and 488 arrests, compared to Lynchburgs 5,783 offenses and 1,251 arrests.

Campbell County has six prosecutors, while Lynchburg is down to eight while facing more than double the amount of arrests and nearly triple the amount of offenses, Harrison said.

If we had 11, wed have about double [the staff] for about double the work. But instead, were down significantly to deal with the same workload.

Due to special ethical obligations specific to the field, Harrison said she cannot, as a supervising attorney, give her staff more work than they can competently handle.

They also have an ethical duty not to take on more work than they can competently handle, so this was sort of the only release valve we have, Harrison said about the decisions to withdraw prosecution from select misdemeanors.

During fiscal year 2023 budget discussions, Harrison requested local city funding for several positions. She requested a new juvenile and domestic relations court legal assistant; a new full-time bodyworn camera and Freedom of Information Act assistant; one new full-time prosecutor; and a new hourly in-house investigator, according to Dungan.

The city granted the new full-time bodyworn camera and FOIA assistant, and maintained funding for a part-time legal support receptionist, Dungan said.

When asked how budget requests are weighed from city departments, Dungan said councils priorities for fiscal year 2023 were public safety, infrastructure, lifelong learning, quality of life and economic development.

She said requests identified as mission critical were included in the proposed 2023 budget, but the city also addressed public safety through increased pay for police officers and firefighters, which was a priority laid out by council even before 2023 budget discussions began.

Dungan pointed out that, as a constitutional officer, Harrisons office can seek funding through Virginias General Assembly as well.

Del. Wendell Walker, R-Lynchburg, said in an interview with The News & Advance the General Assembly has done its part, pointing to raises granted to commonwealths attorneys across Virginia.

But he said the problem facing staffing falls with the state compensation board as well as workforce issues across the commonwealth.

I think the biggest challenge we have is the compensation board. That impacts law enforcement, commonwealths attorneys, and so thats a big issue that we have got to tackle and try to get more help out of, Walker said in a recent interview.

The compensation board determines reasonable budgets for the commonwealth toward the cost of operations for constitutional officers.

Walker said raising their pay helps, but most of the attorneys are young, coming out of college, got their law degrees and start in a prosecutors office for, say, $60,000. Weve got some trade people that are making that much money. And the prosecutors have all their college debt. Its a challenge within the commonwealths attorneys office to recruit and get good attorneys.

Walker said the onus is on Lynchburg City Council to step up and provide for the Commonwealths Attorneys Office if it wants safer streets in Lynchburg.

With the amount of money were seeing surplus-wise thanks to all the tax increases last year, Walker said, city council certainly needs to step up if they want to keep safer streets and provide some additional funding on their part. We do what we can on the state side and were trying to beef that up more each year, but theres also room for the localities to help step up and be a bigger player if they want to keep crime out.

We increased their funding this year. We want to do more, but its got to be a partnership. You cant just point fingers at someone else and say, Youre the reason for that.

Lynchburg Mayor MaryJane Dolan said the city already goes beyond the requirements of the state compensation board.

City Council continues to appropriate funds above the amount required by State Code, Dolan said in an email.

She said council provides three positions above what the state requires, including one that was added during Fiscal Year 2023. Overall, the city subsidies $250,000 above what the state compensation board requires for salaries for [commonwealths attorney] employees.

She also said in fiscal year 2023, when most city employees received a 3% general wage increase, employees of the Commonwealths Attorneys Office received a 5% wage increase adopted by the General Assembly.

Dolan added without question, the [commonwealths attorney] is a critical piece of our public safety function in the city.

Harrison stressed her relationship with council is in good shape, saying the city and council have generally been very supportive of the requests of her office.

In addition to staffing, Lynchburgs commonwealths attorney said community assistance has been a problem in moving cases forward, with very few witnesses being willing to come forward for high-profile cases.

Harrison mentioned the case of Keri Sharpe, who is accused of second-degree murder in connection with a March 2022 shooting and was released on bond because a witness would not respond to a subpoena to appear.

She said there are other cases in circuit court that had multiple eyewitnesses, but because none are willing to come forward, even under subpoena power, her office is left to seek other avenues of prosecution.

Usually, Harrison said, the issue doesnt come down to witness tampering or intimidation, unless in gang-related cases or intimate partner violence cases. She said it more comes down to citizens saying, Thats not my problem, or, I dont want to be involved, when it comes to the court process.

Ive never seen anyone go after a stranger witness. Is it possible? Sure, she said. Its possible someone can come to my house. Im the prosecutor ... but the likelihood of something happening to you is so small.

With witnesses not coming to court, Harrison said, prosecutors are limited to just the evidence admitted for trials, but in order to do that, in order to get creative when people dont want to come to court, you have to have the time and manpower to look outside the box to find other ways to bring the case forward.

Harrison said the problem ultimately comes down to distrust of law enforcement that has surfaced in recent years.

With all of the national social justice talking points and local protests and things of that nature, I think were trying to work toward a more just and equitable system. However, along with that is all these negative talking points, which I think has cultivated a distrust for law enforcement at a higher level than what weve previously seen exist, Harrison said.

Working through a large case load with a smaller team, Harrison said theres no questioning her offices love for the job.

People are doing this job not because they want to get rich or anything of that nature, she said, but because they love the work, they love the trial work, they love helping victims of crime ... and feeling like at the end of the day they helped somebody.

But what we dont want is people making mistakes because they were pulled in too many directions at one time. We want to be able to do the best work.
Maybe youve seen the commercial with the wily predator, walking through a restaurant, down the street and into a hospital, telling everybody not to worry because Im just the flu.

The advertisement shows a wolf in sheeps clothing and suggests the flu is more than the harmless inconvenience the animal wants viewers to believe it is. Health care professionals are ringing the same bell about the seriousness of the flu amid concerns that a tough season may lie ahead.

Because of the low spread of flu last year, people do not have the immunity built up to provide some level of protection against the influenza virus, said Dr. Olugbenga Obasanjo, director of the Rappahannock Area Health District. There is a good chance we will see a high number of flu cases as well as more cases of serious illness.

Fewer flu cases were reported in the last two years in Virginia, primarily because people took measures to avoid another respiratory illness, COVID-19.

Wearing masks, avoiding crowds and being extra-vigilant about washing hands created a situation Dr. M. Stephen Mandell Jr., senior medical director of Mary Washington Healthcare, had never experienced in more than 30 years of practice.

We havent seen a time where we went two seasons without having any significant influenza, he said. The population is going to be at a higher risk to see it this year than we were last year.

Mandell, Obasanjo and other medical professionals were part of a panel in Washington discussing a potentially severe flu season, and they all offered the same recommendation.

Be vaccinated, be vaccinated, be vaccinated, Mandell said.

New data released last week by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases showed that less than half of American adults  49%  plan to get vaccinated. In addition, more than 1 out of every 5 people who are at higher risk for complications said they wont get a flu shot.

Thats a dangerous risk to take, said Patsy Stinchfield, who moderated the NFID panel held in the nations capital last week. Shes a registered nurse with 44 years of experience. Flu is not just a bad cold. In fact, the word just and flu should never be in the same sentence.

Tragic death

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tries to assess the burden of flu in the United States but notes that it can vary widely from season to season, and its difficult to measure because the flu does not have to be reported to local health departments.

Estimates are gleaned from medical visits. Between 2010 and 2020, the CDC estimated the flu sickened more than 14 million people, hospitalized as many as 710,000 and killed between 12,000 and 52,000 people each year.

It has some of the same symptoms as COVID-19: fever and chills, cough, sore throat, body aches, fatigue and gastrointestinal issues.

Exposure to the flu usually results in a quicker onset of symptoms than COVID, which can take up to 14 days to develop. Those with compromised immune systems and underlying issues, with heart, lung or their weight, tend to be more susceptible to both conditions, according to health care officials.

There are a couple key differences between the flu and COVID-19, however. While COVID strikes older people much harder and leads to more deaths, when it comes to flu, we see the most severe outcomes in the very young and very old, said Allison BalmesJohn, public information officer with the local health district.

A 2018 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that children under 18 are more than twice as likely to get the flu than adults 65 and older. The attack rate, as its known, is 9.3% for ages 17 and under; 8.8% for ages 1864; and 3.9% for ages 65 and over.

Kids are the more likely contributors of passing things around, Mandell said, adding that older adults catch the flu when they hug their grandchildren and then may develop more serious illnesses.

Theres been one flu-related fatality in Virginia this year: a child under age 5 from the states central region, which includes Richmond and surrounding areas.

This tragic death reminds us that flu can be a very serious disease, especially in the very young, the elderly, and those with chronic medical problems, Colin M. Green, the states health commissioner, said when the childs death was reported in August.

Pregnant women at risk

Pregnant woman also are at higher risk from the flu, said Dr. Scott Walker, an OB/GYN of Pratt Medical Group with HCA Healthcare.

While simply being pregnant tends to impact a womans immune system, the more serious concern is that flu will develop into pneumonia. Pregnant women can have a higher rate of what Walker calls respiratory compromise when they get the flu because they already have their uterus pushing against their diaphragm.

That limits their breathing to begin with, and when you add pneumonia on top of that, that can become very worrisome, Walker said.

During the NFID panel, Dr. Tamika Auguste, an OB/GYN with Medstar Washington Hospital Center, noted that flu vaccination rates for pregnant women across the country have dropped from 58% to 50% in recent years.

This cannot be a trend that we want to see, she said.

Walker believes people who had concerns about the COVID-19 vaccines dont harbor the same issues with flu shots because theyve been around for half a century and research has shown theyre safe for mothers-to-be and babies.

There are always people who wont do the flu shots, they dont believe in them, they dont want them, Walker said. But I think the majority still follow the recommendations for getting influenza vaccine.

CDC recommends flu shots for anyone age 6 months and over. There are high-dose vaccines meant to provide extra protection for those age 65 and over.

With pregnant women, the flu shots provide a two-for-one benefit, Auguste said, as antibodies are passed along to the fetus.

Shots in both arms

On the subject of twofers, health care professionals are recommending that people who havent gotten the COVID-19 bivalent booster, which protects against the newer omicron strains of the virus, get the vaccine at the same time as their annual flu shot.

Roll up both your sleeves and get vaccinated against both, said Dr. William Schaffner, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. If you chose not to do that, please remember to get that second vaccine. A vaccine deferred is unfortunately a vaccine not received.

Getting both vaccines might mean patients feel temporary discomfort in each arm, but theres no evidence the COVID vaccine interferes with the flu shot or any another, according to the CDC.

At last weeks NFID press conference, members of the panel practiced what they preached and got both vaccines. Some held up their COVID shot record in one hand and a sign saying, I # FIGHT FLU FOR MY FAMILY in the other.

Dr. Jeb Teichman, a retired pediatrician from Kentucky, went with another image. His goal was to put a face on influenza.

He talked about his son, Brent, a healthy 29-year-old who had no chronic health conditions when he developed flu complications in November 2019. His father said his classic flu symptoms of sore throat, cough and fever morphed into trouble breathing.

Brent Teichmans cause of death was listed as multilobar pneumonia, meaning lobes in both lungs were involved, but his father recognized the initial culprit.

After 30-plus years as a pediatrician, I know influenza when I see it, he said. Theres a hole in our hearts that will never heal.

Getting a flu shot was on Brents to-do list that fall, but he never got it done. In his obituary, his family asked friends to get their flu shot in lieu of sending flowers.

As we all know, its not just the flu, it can take the life of a healthy young person and it did, it took my son, Teichman said as those around him wiped their eyes. For all those who are vaccine hesitant, do it for all those who love you so they wont walk the path that we and many other families in America walk.
Virginians had good reason to celebrate in September when Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced that the commonwealths pioneering V3 Program has helped 100,000 veterans find new jobs here.

Reaching that milestone shows that Virginias leaders were wise back in 2012 when the state became the first in the nation to create and support a program dedicated to helping connect employers with veterans making the transition to civilian life. V3 stands for Virginia Values Veterans, and the growing success of the program is proof Virginia takes that slogan seriously  as we should.

That milestone is also evidence that good things can happen when the states leaders agree on worthwhile projects and are committed to keeping them going. Youngkin, a Republican, is making good on campaign promises to help veterans. His Democratic predecessor, Ralph Northam, celebrated the V3 Programs hiring of more than 67,000 veterans in Virginia in October 2020, despite the disruptions caused by the COVID pandemic that year. The V3 program has now flourished under two Republican and two Democratic governors, and through changes in the legislature. Thats the way things should work.

As part of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, the V3 Program helps employers learn strategies for recruiting veterans and their spouses, hiring them and helping them succeed. It also works to bring employers and veterans together. In the 10 years since V3 started, more than 2,100 employers across Virginia have joined the V3 program  large and small businesses, state and local government agencies and educational institutions.

The company that made the 100,000th hire was a Virginia Beach home improvement contractor, Paramount Builders. Thats fitting, since the military  including veterans  is such a vital part of our community and economy.

The program is obviously good for veterans making the transition from military service. These men and women have volunteered to serve our country, putting themselves in harms way if necessary, and being willing to go wherever they are needed. Being separated from their families for extended times is often part of the job, and frequent moves make it tough for their spouses to advance their own careers.

Helping those who have served and their spouses when they are ready to leave the military is the right thing to do. Trying to build a new life can be daunting, and the V3 Programs transition program provides valuable help, including information about education, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities as well as services available to help veterans and their families.

The program is also the smart thing to do, especially here in Virginia, home to 27 military installations and more than 700,000 veterans. Whether they are leaving the military after having served their initial commitment, or after having made a career of it and retired, veterans have a wide range of talents and training, as well as discipline and a good work ethic. They are likely to become valuable employees, strengthening the workforce. Most of those who retire after 20 years and more are still relatively young, in their 40s or 50s, with a lot to offer in a second career.

Veterans and their families also tend to become valuable members of the communities where they settle. Many of them put their leadership experience to good use in civilian life.

It makes sense for Virginia to encourage veterans to settle here. The new state income tax break for military retirement pay Youngkin signed into law early in September also helps to strengthen Virginias credentials as a state that makes veterans welcome. The law, overwhelmingly approved by Republicans and Democrats, exempts the first $10,000 in military retirement in the 2022 tax year for military retirees age 55 and older, increasing yearly until it reaches $40,000 in 2025.

The V3 Program has been making Virginia more attractive to veterans since it started in 2012. It continues to have great potential and deserves continued support. Heres to more celebrations in the years to come, more milestones in connecting veterans with good jobs.
Childrens Square USA held a ribbon cutting Friday to celebrate completion of a $250,000 renovation of its childrens emergency shelter.

This is a fantastic day for Childrens Square and an even better day for the children we serve, said Phil Taylor, chief administrative officer.

The project was sponsored by the Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Disability Services Region and the Variety Childrens Charity, he said.

The project included a new roof, floor coverings, paint, therapeutic furniture, lighting and kitchen appliances, according to a press release from the organization.

The work was designed to help children entering the shelter to feel safe, the press release stated.

The therapeutic design will help to reduce the impact of trauma and provide a homelike environment for the children who are in our care, said Viv Ewing, president and CEO of Childrens Square. The emergency shelter is the only program meeting the emergency needs of children in southwest Iowa through short-term care for children ages birth through 17.

Its just lightened things up and made it more homey for our children, said John Holland, chief program officer.

The shelter serves children who are found alone or are referred to Childrens Square by the Iowa Department of Human Services, Holland said. The children attend public school, and the Childrens Square staff helps them with their homework and takes them on field trips.

We try to keep things as normal as possible, he said.

The open house was part of a yearlong celebration of Childrens Squares 140th anniversary.

Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh said, After 140 years, theres still a tremendous need in the community. We appreciate all they do.

Drew Kamp, president and CEO of the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce, complimented Childrens Square president and CEO Viv Ewing for her leadership.

Were so fortunate to have her in that position, he said. Thank you for all you do.

The shelter can house up to 15 children from infants to 17-year-olds, Ewing said. Stays range from a week to 10 months. Even if a childs family is identified, they will stay for a period of time.

If theyre here, we know the family needs help, she said. So before they go back home, we make sure that family gets what they need. We want to make sure that child goes back to a stable home.
DES MOINES  A $5 million grant will aid an overhaul of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, the state announced Friday, the same day former President George W. Bush was in Cedar Rapids to help raise funds for the museums renovation.

The grant was issued by the states economic development agency through a program that promotes tourism. The grant is funded by federal pandemic relief funding, which Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds originally opposed.

Herbert Hoover is the only U.S. president born in Iowa. The museum features information about Hoover and his wife, First Lady Lou Henry Hoover.

The Hoover Presidential Foundation is in the midst of a $20 million capital campaign to renovate the museums permanent galleries and exhibit galleries. The project will include the addition of 2,250 square feet of updated and interactive displays, and a modernized visitor experience, according to a news release from the state.

Former President Bush was scheduled Friday to receive a humanitarian award and headline a fundraiser for the museum. The event was not open to the media, per an agreement with Bushs staff.

The new $5 million grant is part of the $100 million Destination Iowa program which, according to the state, invests in transformational projects that will bolster the quality of life in Iowa communities and attract visitors and new residents.

Other projects that received new grants Friday from the state program include:

--- $4.5 million to the City of Mason City and Cerro Gordo County for biking trails and a bike park.

--- $4 million to the Central River District Park and Discovery Center in Fort Dodge, which will include meeting spaces, indoor and outdoor classrooms, a large interpretive area, and a scenic overlook of the Des Moines River.

--- $600,000 to Cinema Paradiso in Davenport, to turn an unoccupied building into a two-screen movie theater that promises to feature exclusive events attended by actors and local filmmakers.

Projects funded through the Destination Iowa program must be completed by June 30, 2026.
The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board will require paid for by attribution statements on some political text messages.

Background

On the eve of a contentious vote on a ballot amendment about abortion rights, anonymous text messages arrived on voters phones across Kansas in August.

The message seemed clear enough, asserting: Women in KS are losing their choice on reproductive rights. Voting YES on the amendment will give women a choice. Vote YES to protect womens health.

In fact, the opposite was true, and voters in the conservative state soundly rejected the measure.

Under Kansas law, paid-for attribution on text messages is required for political messaging advocating for or against candidates, but not ballot issues.

With the possibility and likelihood that Iowa voters will see a similar amendment on the ballot in 2024, the issue has raised questions about whether Iowa state laws on attribution statements apply to political text messages  and whether Iowans could see similar messages popping up on their cellphones, including this fall ahead of the Nov. 8 general election, in which a controversial pro-gun rights amendment will be on the ballot.

Unlike Kansas, Iowa Code requires attribution statements and disclosures of who paid for messages expressly advocating for candidates and for ballot issues. However, Iowa Code section 68A is not clear on whether political text messages are required to have attribution statements.

Iowa law requires attribution statements on printed or electronic general public political advertising that expressly advocate for the election or defeat of one or more clearly identified candidates or the passage or defeat of one or more clearly identified ballot issues.

The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board determined in 2000, affirmed in 2006 and issued an updated advisory opinion in 2016 that the laws paid for by attribution statements extend to email messages.

Zach Goodrich, the boards executive director, said he would draft an advisory opinion clarifying that state laws on attribution statements apply to some kinds of political text messages.

Whats happened since

Members of the state ethics board, which enforces Iowa campaign regulations, unanimously adopted the advisory opinion on political text messages at a Sept. 22 meeting. The new guidance is effective immediately.

The guidance requires attribution statements on any text message that meets all of the following criteria:

 The text message includes express advocacy.

 The email is sent to 100 or more email addresses.

 The email is sent by a candidate, a candidates committee, a PAC, a state or county statutory political committee, or a person making an independent expenditure that exceeds more than $1,000 in the aggregate.

Messages without an attribution statement would be treated like any other complaint brought before the board, Goodrich said. If found to have violated the law, candidates, their committees, PACs and political parties could be subject to a civil penalty of up to $2,000, he said.

Goodrich noted many Iowa political text messages already disclose the source of the advocacy, mainly texts raising funds for a particular campaign, without using paid for by language.

Texts praising a candidate or raising money for a campaign, without urging the recipient vote for that candidate, would not require a paid for attribution statement.

Additionally, Goodrich noted Iowa is a magic word state where, to be considered express advocacy subject to disclosure, requires the use of explicit words that unambiguously tell people how to vote. Just criticizing someone does not rise to the level of express advocacy.

So mentioning a candidates bona fides and position on an issue and saying, vote for the candidate who is best for Iowas economy or vote for a candidate who would cut taxes, wouldnt cut the mustard, Goodrich said.

It needs to be clearer than that to meet express advocacy, he said.
Beat me to it. Posting from a phone is so slowww

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i was hoping the rumors weren't true but i guess. i'm sure fred will be good in the role



i just don't get why this is getting a thanksgiving release when halloween's right fucking there

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wait he's only in one episode? lame

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MTE

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Right? I would be eating this up if it came out this month.

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Maybe to pay homage the second Addams family movie. In the sequel Wednesday gets sent to a summer camp where she is forced to act in a Thanksgiving play lol.



Seems like what Tim Burton would do.



Edited at 2022-10-09 06:47 am (UTC)

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My friend works at Netflix. It was supposed to be out October 18th but then something happened and they had to push it back. He made an announcement on Facebook and everything and then took it down .

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If ever there was an announcement not worth waiting for

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Right?



Nothing against Fred (I'm not into his comedy) but this was so underwhelming.



It sounded like such a huge deal and I'm half expecting Chris Lloyd to make a surprise appearance or some cool shit.



Nope, just Fred.

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I disagree because it crushed the hopes and dreams of thousands of Depp stans.

There were Deux Moi "confirmations", blind items, they swore that Tim Burton would have his back, etc. for months!



And now look at these clowns! Disappointment is what they deserve!

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and in the same week they found out hes not showing up and making his new movie a terrible experience for everyone? #BLESS 

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to me it is even more amusing that it is not a huge big A name celebrity.

Because if it would have been Christopher Lloyd, Depp stans could use the excuse of "yeah well, it makes sense it would be him!"



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True the level of schadenfreude I feel about this makes it worth it

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I mean, thank God it's not that other dude. Now I can watch this show in peace when it drops.

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https://www.ranker.com/list/dark-fred-armisen-stories/shanell-mouland



never fear. he too is a very disappointing man.



for a second there i thought the actor was the comedian bobcat, not armisen. i was so let down when he opened his mouth and his voice was ...that. lol never fear. he too is a very disappointing man.for a second there i thought the actor was the comedian bobcat, not armisen. i was so let down when he opened his mouth and his voice was ...that. lol

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I keep thinking Bobcat Goldthwait died but then I google and he's always alive and kicking.

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I f*cking hate this man.



But a way to bury the lead - at least for me - that Cristina's role has been revealed. Nice, Misty but redhead.

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Yes I hated him from the moment I first saw him on SNL years ago. Hes not funny and hes a shit person too. But a lot of people apparently thought it was going to be Johnny Depp, so I mean, I guess hes marginally better. Ive certainly heard bad things but not SA. But either way, neither are great. I dont have Netflix anymore so its not really important to me either way.

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I mean no offense I'm sure he'll do fine but what was worth hyping up over this? Now, if it were Christoper Lloyd, that would be worth hyping up.

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Hes literally always himself tho likeeverytime hes in anything its like oh its firstname Lastname its like hes not even an actor lmao its just him. Its like his appearance in things is fun for his peers more than anything.



(I cant be bothered to do spoiler tags)



Edited at 2022-10-09 12:58 am (UTC)

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Did not expect that lol



Also i wonder why they havent shown pugsly literally at all except for the promo pic?

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lol is that stars hollow/luke's diner?



idk i'm not really feeling it. wednesday feels very one dimensional.lol is that stars hollow/luke's diner?

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I think this was filmed in Romania so probably not.

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if this was filmed in connecticut there is a big chance it was filmed in the town they shot the gilmore girls pilot! that or if they filmed in the wb lot.



Edited at 2022-10-09 01:16 am (UTC)

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Lol the Gilmore girls pilot was filmed in Canada, not Connecticut

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one dimensional from a trailer? This seems to be doing...alot...with very little

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It could be, its a set on the Warner lot so if they did reshoots or anything they could have used it

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wednesday feels very one dimensional.



but... Isn't she? Maybe i just don't follow/care that much about the Addams family but her whole thing was always amusing to me precisely bc it's so one note lol

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I did the WB lot tour in the La and that does look where the diner was filmed

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i'm so tired of seeing this man pop up in so many shows. all i can think about how he's rumored to be a huge asshole.

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I think he admits hes a huge asshole.

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He did. I think Howard Stern brought it up and he was like "yeah I don't disagree with the comments" or something like that.

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Every time I see his name I think about how Elisabeth Moss called their marriage traumatic and said "the greatest impersonation he does is that of a normal person" :(

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he and natasha lyonne broke up because he wouldn't let her have a pool. i mean, not that that's the worst thing a man can do, but who is that against pools??

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Ive never been so relieved to see Fred Armisen before in my LIFE

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laughing @ the depp fans who thought it would be him especially after some fan account found pics of Fred and Riki Lindhome (who is also on the show) having dinner near the Wednesday set lol.

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mehhhhh about uncle fester, don't care for fred and that voice is so annoying.



i still believe that the biggest miscast character is morticia, czj in those teasers/trailers continue to bring nothing that reads as the addams matriarch, she really is just reading a lady in a black tight dress.



but i fucking loved that christina popped up!

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The revolutionary German art school known as the Bauhaus was uncommon for its time in the way the courses aimed to unify art and design, and teaching students to create works that could satisfy both form and function. The idea (championed by Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius and other teachers at the school) was that even mass-produced, everyday items used by ordinary people in their homes could be aesthetically pleasing; instead of pitting fine artists against commercial designers, they taught their students to embrace both of those mindsets simultaneously. Students worked hard during the day, and let their hair loose at night, using their creativity for frequent costume parties and operas and would faff about in outfits like this:Key Players/Instructors included:Founder of the Bauhaus school and one of the pioneers of modern architecture. The Bauhaus replaced traditional teaching methods with a flexible artistic community, focusing on a collaborative approach to learning and the creation of integrated design projects.Master of Color Theory. Was a extremely colorful dude who shaved his head bald, wore monks robes, and was a strict vegetarian before it was fashionable to do so. A follower of the esoteric Mazdaznan faith, Itten began his classes with gymnastics and breathing exercises.An excellent painter in his own right, Klee was in charge of workshops for bookbinding and stained glass, and also taught design theory. Highly popular with students, his calm, thought-provoking way of teaching earned him the nickname of the Bauhaus Buddha.As the mural painting and analytical drawing instructor, Kandinsky was known for provoking especially animated discussions with his students in order for them to think different. One of his favourite classes involved asking students to consider whether any of the three primary colours was intrinsically connected to any of the three geometric shapes: square, circle and triangle.An innovative man of many talents with work spanning the gamut from photography, typography, and experimental film, he was a true visionary in every sense of the word. Taught the extremely important foundation courses at the school. I stan this man, his vision, and talent but unfortunately I dont think you can give Tamera Tokens to dead people, soWhen Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus in 1919 one of his aims was accept students of all stripes; age and gender were not a consideration for admission. This made the school unique from the other German schools of the time who only accepted men in their ranks, and indeed the male/female ratio of applications were primarily female in their first year. Even so, it had its limitations; while technically women were allowed to study at the school, however the disciplines they were encouraged to partake in after the foundation year were extremely limited.Gropius famously believed that men and womens brains operated differentlyspecifically, men had the capacity to think in three dimensions while women did not. Therefore many of the women artists of the Bauhaus movement stuck to practices commonly regarded as womens worktextiles and weaving. Men, on the other hand, were encouraged to be architects, sculptors, and painters.* In addition, no matter how talented, women had very little opportunity to teach at the school and did not receive apprenticeship certificates, which prevented them from acquiring master's diplomas and ultimately placed limits on their careers.*Its very important to note that certain teachers like Moholy Nagy did NOT share this viewpoint and on a few occasions taught women with a high aptitude the male professions regardless.Its a staggering oversight that the work of the male artists and designers who taught and studied at the Bauhaus have been celebrated over their female counterparts. Historians and curators have sought to redress this imbalance over the years by focusing on the women who taught and studied at the Bauhaus; not as caricatured continuations of its architectural aesthetic, nor as appendages of their husbands or lovers, but for the ways they shaped and disseminated its philosophy through their ground-breaking work, mostly in textile design, weaving, stage and costume design, and ceramics. Where Walter Gropius is synonymous with the institution he founded, the women of the Bauhaus managed to transcend the schools anonymity to flourish under their own names. Despite the obstacles placed before them by supposedly great men, the women left behind a catalogue of innovative and exciting work that is still in circulation today. There are many great women in the Bauhaus movement, and Im going to take a moment to tell you about a few of my favorites.Benita was fascinated with exploring abstraction using textiles. She was one of the most talented students in the weaving workshop, and is now considered to be one of the most influential modern weavers to come out of Germany.From 1925 to 1933, Koch-Otte directed the weaving department at the State-Municipal School of Applied Arts at Burg Giebichenstein. In 1929, Koch-Otte married Heinrich Koch, the director of the Bauhaus photography department. After the Nazis rose to power, Benita and Heinrich moved to Prague. Upon the death of her husband, she returned to Germany and became director of a weaving mill that is still in operation today.(OP note: I was very fortunate to view the Bauhaus Archiv exhibition of her work a few years ago and man.the textiles this woman could create with a loom and woolabsolutely amazing.)As one of the few female teachers at the Bauhaus, Gunta was a force to be reckoned with. Initially shunted into the weaving department like the other women, she was appalled by the general disorder and disrepair within and immediately took over as a de facto leader. Previously, Stolzl had studied a range of subjects at Munichs School of Applied Arts and had a lot to offer the women under her tutelage. In truth, Gropius attempts to keep the women from the Bauhaus masculine arts suited her and with the help of women like Marianna Brandt, Anni Albers, and Benitte Otte, she used that policy of segregation to create an environment of expression and experimentation free from male oversight.Gunta also had a head for business, and this trait made the weaving workshop the most consistently lucrative at the Bauhaus. Throughout its early years  but especially between 1923 and 1926  the school struggled financially and it always seemed to be the weavers who kept it afloat. Gropius may have perceived weaving as the nadir of the Bauhaus, but Stolzl turned it into the financial backbone of the school. Despite all of this, Stolzl wasnt officially made a Bauhaus master until 1927. But by 1930, the intense nationalism that had been broiling throughout Germany for more than a decade erupted. In the midst of immense political pressure, and after finding a swastika painted on her door, Stolzl resigned. However, like many of the women of the Bauhaus, Stolzls legacy expanded dramatically once she left the school. Her pedagogical essays, along with the writings of Anni Albers, helped define a theory of weaving that is still practiced today. She was the first women to be exhibited for textiles at the MoMA, and is recognized the world over as a pioneer of textile design.Anni Albers arrived at the Bauhaus in 1922, and like all the other women was shunted into the textile workshop. In the preliminary course she was very impressed by Paul Klee and began to translate his colour theory and geometric compositions into wall hangings, using blocks and stripes in contrasting colours. However, in line with the new functional orientation of Bauhaus under Hannes Meyer, she also created functional fabrics.In 1933, Anni and her husband Josef Albers procured a teaching assignment at the avant-garde Black Mountain College in North Carolina, and escaped the horrors of World War II era Europe. As early as 1949, Anni was the first textile artist to be awarded a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. As regards her printing experiments which she enthusiastically pursued in her later years, Anni tersely said that when the work is made with threads, its considered a craft; when its on paper its considered art.Brandt was a Bauhaus photographer and designer who specialized in metalwork. Brandt focused on painting early in her career and began her studies at a private art school in Weimar, Germany, in 1911 at age 18. She enrolled at the Bauhaus in 1924 and impressed Moholy Nagy so much he chose violence and allowed her in the metal shop, a department that up until that point accepted only men. Though she created an amazing quantity of everyday items, including ashtrays, teapots (specifically the now-iconic Model No. MT 49 teapot, 1924), and coffee sets, her lamp designs were particularly noteworthy. Brandt's tea sets use geometric forms and incorporated ideas from movements such as Constructivism and De Stijl.Brandt also worked with photography at the Bauhaus, taking photographs that featured unusual anglesin particular, self-portraitsand disorienting and distorting reflections in glass and metal surfaces. In 1926 Brandt left the Bauhaus with her husband to spend nine months in Paris. During that sabbatical she began her experimentation with photomontage, carefully composed collages of image and text cut from mass media sources. Though she is less well known for them, she made some 45 photomontages over the course of a decade.Brandt returned to the Bauhaus and eventually served as the deputy head of the metal workshop (192829) but resigned when it merged with other departments. In those last two years she also spent more time on photography and photomontage and participated in the landmark Film und Foto exhibition in Stuttgart in 1929.Berger has been described as "one of the most talented students at the weaving workshop in Dessau."A core member of the experimental approach to textiles at the Bauhaus, Berger experimented with methodology and materials during the course of her studies at the Bauhaus to eventually include plastic textiles intended for mass production. Along with Anni Albers and Gunta Stozl, Berger pushed back against the understanding of textiles as a feminine craft and utilized rhetoric used in photography and painting to describe her work.After Stolzl abdicated her seat as head of the department in 1931, Berger assumed the position and established her own curriculum, but remained there only until 1932, when she set out on her own. Not allowed to work in Germany under Nazi rule because of her Jewish roots, Berger closed her company down in 1936. She managed to escaped to London where she waited for several years to acquire a visa to travel to America. Laszlo Mohloy-Nagy was waiting for her in Chicago, where he had invited her to come and teach at the New Bauhaus he was setting up there. Unfortunately, she was unable to receive a visa, so she returned to Zmajevac in 1938 to help her family with her mother's poor health. Tragically, she was deported with her family to the Auschwitz concentration camp in April 1944, where she and her family was murdered.(OP Note: I was so upset when I found out her fate. She was so talented and only in her 40s when she was killed, and it really makes me sad to think about her potential if Moholy Nagy had been successful in getting her to Chicago.) This concludes yet another Alternative Art History lesson. Do you have a fav Bauhaus lady I havent mentioned here, or a favorite female artist in general? Post them in the comments!
General Hospital

Days of Our Lives

The Young and the Restless

Could this be the end of #Elate?  Tune in to see what happens on all-new episodes of #YR this week on @CBS. Watch the latest on @paramountplus. pic.twitter.com/OWkvrcarb1  Young and Restless (@YandR_CBS) October 9, 2022

The Bold and the Beautiful

This Week in Soaps history...

October 10th-14th, 2005

This week on the US Daytime Soaps...B&B hasn't uploaded their promo yet :-(Tad and Zach confronted Garret with their suspicions. Adam and JR dismissed Stuart. Garret accused Di of betrayal. Julia, overcome by painful memories, shot Garret. Ryan was tortured by Greenlee's pain. Greenlee saw Jonathan at the hospital. Tad and Zach showed up just in time to rescue Julia and Di. Krystal and Babe agonized over whether to tell the truth about Di. JR began to soften toward Tad and Jamie. Stuart returned the letter to Di. Del burned the letter. Tad confronted Di. Zach and Kendall continued to avoid their feelings for each other. Greenlee told Zach and Kendall that she had visited Erin. Ryan made a decision about his and Jonathan's future. Kendall told Greenlee she was pregnant. Greg warned Kendall and Greenlee that they needed to control Erica. Erica was unable to convince Josh to help her. After talking to Julia, Tad made a decision about Di. Mimi apologized to Danielle.Lucinda went into the hospital to have a mastectomy. Gwen and Will left Oakdale with Rory, but Iris, Carly, and Jack were not too far behind them. Emily paid Nurse Thompson to leave the country because Dusty and Jen were about to question her for switching the babies. Gwen and Will, and Dusty and Jen kissed. Maddie tried to warn Mike of BJ after Mike had an accident, but Mike did not want to listen to her. Lily told Keith to move out of her house.Stephanie told Brooke and Nick that she was going to tell Bridget the truth about them. Stephanie found Bridget at the neighborhood watering hole, and took her back to her home, where she told Bridget that Nick and her mother were still in love with each other, and she could prove it. Taylor and Ridge were on their way to see a marriage counselor. Eric signed his divorce papers, while Jonathan, his lawyer, took them to the Dominican Republic along with Stephanie's power of attorney. Bridget pointedly asked her mother if the accusations that Stephanie had made about her and Nick were true. Ridge told the therapist just how he thought Taylor should handle the chemistry that he shared with two different women. Brooke warned Stephanie that her family had better not fall apart because of what she had done to Bridget. Ridge sang an entirely different tune when Taylor told him that, she too, shared chemistry with another man. Nick informed his mother that Stephanie had told Bridget everything about Brooke, and that Bridget had removed her rings and returned them to him, prompting Jackie to tell her son to go and be with the woman that he loved. Jackie told Nick about her feelings for Eric and wondered if he approved, while Stephanie told Ridge that she and Eric would work things out between them; however, Eric told Bridget that he and her mother had been remarried the previous night.Austin's arrival caused problems with his family members when he decided to be Sami's friend in her time of need. John was determined to "save" Marlena from Alex's mind control. Belle returned home from the hospital with new baby Claire, but all the stress in her life, and Mimi and Shawn obviously being a couple, was more than she could handle and seemed to push her over the edge, as Lexie diagnosed her with postpartum depression. Kate asked Victor to help Lucas and Austin. Victor offered Brady's position at Titan to Austin, but Austin had plans for his own business, and then offered the job to Lucas, who was determined to prove his worth to everyone. Nicole set her sights on Austin, much to Sami's dismay. Jennifer, shocked by the discovery of Jack's terminal illness, had the most difficult task of all as she and Jack broke the news to a heartbroken Abby. Chelsea pulled through for Abby in her time of need.After overhearing Sonny and Courtney, Emily confronted Courtney about the pregnancy. She threatened to tell Nikolas about the baby if Courtney didn't. Nikolas told Courtney that he cared for her and would love the baby whether he was the father or Jax was. Diego was revealed as the stalker who had been terrorizing the campus girls. Lucas told Georgie that he was gay. More of Jesse's past was revealed when he talked about his abused sister. Dr. Robin Scorpio left the hospital in Paris and called her Uncle Mac. Manny Ruiz woke up from his coma, bent on revenge. He tracked Jason down and stopped just short of killing him, feeling honor-bound, since Jason had spared his brother Javier's life. The police quickly arrested Manny, who vowed to return for Sam. Jason returned to Port Charles just as Javier made his move against Sonny. Durant agreed to look away while Javier eliminated Sonny. Gunfire erupted as Javier's men stormed Sonny's hideout. Sonny and Reese returned fire, but they were woefully outnumbered.Billy's binge was a result of Olivia's greed and ambition. Bill was sickened to learn that Olivia had "pushed" Billy over the edge so that she could hand him the Venezuela deal. Tammy made a deal with God that if Sandy recovered, she would stay away from Jonathan, but Jonathan had other ideas. Ava seemed to have some kind of connection to Sandy and his past that made Sandy very uneasy. Mallet and Jeffrey were onto Edmund, as all his secrets and devious deeds began to unravel when Dinah started to tell her story. Dinah presented baby Hope to Danny, desperately trying to convince him that Hope was actually Michelle's baby. Dinah tried to sincerely apologize to Cassie for the pain of the past and for more to come. Cassie was frantic that she might lose Hope and asked for Dinah to help her get Hope back as retribution for her bad deeds. Michelle returned to Springfield to allow Robbie to stay with Danny as she sorted out her depression over losing her baby; she left no way for anyone to get in touch with her. Meanwhile, at Cedars, Danny demanded a new DNA test for himself and Hope, the results of which could change his and Michelle's life forever.Michael continued to be jealous of Marcie and Hugh's friendship. After Antonio entered the winery cottage, Nash had him arrested for breaking and entering. Tess tried to get an abortion, but Jessica took control and reunited with a newly freed Antonio. Bo and Paige told Matthew about Nora's condition. Natalie learned Evangeline was assisting John Doe with his appeal. The police discovered the body at the lake was pregnant, and Rex took in a witness to talk to a sketch artist about the murder suspect. Todd scrambled for an alibi, and Blair continued to press Todd and Viki for his secret. Duke told Adriana that he had shared a meaningless kiss with Ginger. David begged Dorian to back off her blackmail. Hesser bribed a guard to kill Cristian, while John and Evangeline worked to save Cristian's life.Kay asked Tabitha to cast a spell on Fox to make him successful in his family and business. Tabitha agreed and cast the spell without specifying the high cost Kay would have to pay -- the "boys in the basement" wanted Kay's love for Fox and his for her. Chris contacted the FBI to find Luis, and instead they delivered the news that Luis had been killed in a Moroccan bar fight. The casket arrived at the airport, and Sheridan gasped when it was opened. The FBI took Chris and James back into deep cover witness protection, and they'd never be able to contact Sheridan. Because Eve's case was dismissed, the D.A. moved to arrest Liz, but Eve wouldn't sign the complaint, and they were unsure that they had the evidence to pursue it on their own. Despite Eve's compassion, Liz's venom was as strong as ever; she vowed to get revenge. Sam interrogated Jessica, Simone, and Paloma and they stayed strong in denying that Jessica had had anything to do with the murdered john. Ethan confronted Theresa after he'd overheard her sounding like she had enjoyed making love with Alistair and he thought she was the gold-digger Gwen had told him she was. She told her sob story about not being able to take little Ethan away with her and Ethan told her he'd still try to help her. Alistair played musical playmates, bouncing from Theresa to Rebecca and back. Gwen told Alistair not to get in the way of her marriage to Ethan, and then when she found Ethan comforting Theresa after she had found out about Luis' death, asked for a divorce. This declaration was interrupted by the sound of Martin shooting Alistair. Everyone ran to the scene and discussed the implications of Alistair's death, only to find that the gun Alistair had given Martin to shoot him was loaded with a blank. Alistair relished finding out how they had all reacted in the moment."Terrible Tom" was arrested for possession of crystal meth. Jill saved Brittany's baby from being kidnapped by using a doll dressed in Joshua's clothing. Brad and Victoria had their first setback with the new Seasons line. Christine represented Tom at his jail bond hearing, at which he claimed that he had been set up. Lauren started to have hallucinations from the poison that Sheila had planted on the necklace that Scotty had given her. Abby told her mother that she didn't think that Victoria liked her, even though Abby and Victoria were half-sisters. Lauren planned a romantic dinner for Michael, while Sheila planned to watch Lauren die. Tom became increasingly irate in jail. Jack had Phyllis try to lure Neil away from Newman Enterprises. Kevin, "Jennifer," and Gloria all refused to post Tom's bail. Ashley and Brad argued about his relationship with Victoria. Kevin threw Michael a bachelor party. Bobby and Brittany were reunited briefly before he had to leave again. Lauren locked herself on the roof and had horrific images flash before her. Lauren saw Sheila, but she wasn't sure if she was hallucinating or if Sheila was real. Source 2 and Source 3
Russia is estimated to have been around 1 million bpd below its 11-million-bpd quota for September.

Russia will not cut any output while the price of oil is set to rise in the coming months.

The leader of the non-OPEC oil producers in the OPEC+ alliance, Russia, is the biggest beneficiary of the 2 million barrels per day (bpd) cut announced this week, as Russia will not cut any output while the price of oil is set to rise in the coming months, analysts say. Earlier this week, OPEC+ announced the biggest cut to its collective target since 2020. Despite the monster headline number of 2 million bpd, as some analysts have described it, the actual cut from current OPEC+ oil production would be half that figure, at around 1 million bpd-1.1 million bpd. Thats because many producers havent been able to produce to their quotas for months. Most recently, Russia has joined the group of laggards in production  led by African OPEC producers Nigeria and Angola  as Western sanctions have led to lower Russian oil output.

Russia is estimated to have been around 1 million bpd below its 11-million-bpd quota for September, so it will not have to reduce any production and will only benefit from higher oil prices.

The effective OPEC+ cut as of November will be mostly shouldered by Saudi Arabia, which has been trying to produce to quota. The Saudis are set to reduce 526,000 bpd of output and will have a target of 10.478 million bpd. Russia has the same target, but it is already around 500,000 bpd below it.

Despite OPEC+s insistence that the decision to cut production was a technical one and based on signs of slowing economies and the risk of recessions, analysts see the move as a political one. They also see oil prices returning to the $100 per barrel mark sooner than previously thought, expecting the oil market to be in a deficit for the whole of 2023. And they also see Russia as a winner of the OPEC+ decision because oil prices will rise while Russias production will fall, and Russia will not have to cut even a barrel of its production, provided that it will have a big enough remaining market after December to sell the crude now going to Europe.

Related: Shell Warns Weak Earnings From Gas Trading Could Impact Profits



Russia is the winner of the OPEC+ cut, as it sees falling production, rising discounts for its oil, and a loss of gas revenues, Ole Hansen, Head of Commodity Strategy at Saxo Bank, said. The global consumer is the loser, while the risks include an even more aggressive rate hike policy from the Fed, a strong U.S. dollar, and lower economic growth for longer, Hansen added.

Oil prices will move higher from current levels through year-end and next year, analysts said after the OPEC+ meeting.

Morgan Stanley said oil prices would rise again to $100 per barrel faster than previously estimated, and lifted its price forecast for the first quarter of 2023 to $100 from $95 per barrel. Goldman Sachs raised its Brent Crude forecast for this quarter by $10 to $110 per barrel.

Russia, for its part, reiterated  via Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who represents the country at OPEC+ meetings  that it would not supply oil to countries that would join the price cap.

We are against such nonmarket instruments; such precedents are very harmful for the energy market. This leads only to a deficit, to a price hike; consumers will pay for that, if they want to introduce such a mechanism, Novak said as quoted by Russian news agency TASS. Novak also said that Russian oil and condensate production would drop next year.

Despite insistence from Russia and all of OPEC+ that the production cut is based on technical market assessments and is aimed at stability, many analysts, as well as the White House, see the move as a political one.

This is hugely political and a very clear signal of Opecs discontent regarding the price cap, Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects, told the Financial Times. Regardless of whether the price cap is actually effective, they see this as a dangerous precedent, Sen added.

The White House didnt spare adjectives to describe the OPEC+ cut as a shortsighted and misguided mistake.

What we think is that this decision by OPEC+ is one purported self-interest  is a mistake and its misguided, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, adding that its clear that OPEC+ is aligning with Russia with todays announcement.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and National Economic Council (NEC) Director Brian Deese said in a statement, In light of todays action, the Biden Administration will also consult with Congress on additional tools and authorities to reduce OPECs control over energy prices.



By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
As we embrace the energy transition and future-proof our business, we will continue to explore potential opportunities that can further unlock value, free up capital and enhance returns, ADNOC stated of its new oil production target.

ADNOC worries that if other countries do not continue to invest in oil and gas, we could face energy shortages in the transition to renewables.

The UAE has no plans to curb its oil production in favour of renewables, with the countrys climate minister pointing to strong global demand as a driver for greater crude output. As one of the few countries with the potential to increase its oil output, the UAE is continuing to boost its production in line with demand. However, the leader of state-owned oil company ADNOC worries that if other countries do not continue to invest in oil and gas, we could face energy shortages in the transition to renewables.

In September, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), announced plans to ramp up its oil production to 5 million bpd five years earlier than planned. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) had been aiming for 5 million bpdof crude production by the end of the decade. However, thanks to greater investment, ADNOC now believes it can move this target forward to 2025 to take full advantage of the rising global demand  ahead of a demand dip in response to the transition to green.

While other oil-producing countries around the world are battling to get their production back to pre-pandemic levels, only the UAE and Saudi Arabia continue to have spare oil production capacity. The boost in production levels does not come without a cost but the UAE is hoping to sell more oil and natural gas while the price of fossil fuels remains high. Oil prices have continually broken records this year, and natural gas prices have soared in the face of global shortages, while oil-producing countries are benefitting.

ADNOC stated of its new target, As we embrace the energy transition and future-proof our business, we will continue to explore potential opportunities that can further unlock value, free up capital and enhance returns. The organization has also requested that international partners in its oil fields increase their crude output by at least 10 percent. Experts believe that if ADNOC meets its 2025 goal, it could increase its target to 6 million bpd for 2030.

In August, the UAEs average output was 3.4 million bpd, although it blames OPEC caps on oil production for the low figure. Output could be hindered further by the most recent OPEC+ announcement stating that it will cut oil production further for fear of a drop in global demand due to economic pressures. OPEC+ will reduce production across member states by 2 million bpd starting in November. But the UAEs Minister for Climate Change and Environment Mariam Almheiri has made it clear that As long as the world needs oil and gas, were going to give it to them.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholzs visited the UAE in September to deepen Germanys ties with the oil-rich country and to move further away from reliance on Russian energy. The UAE signed a deal with Germany to deliver liquefied natural gas, with its first delivery expected by the end of the year. Although many European countries are shifting away from fossil fuels to renewable alternatives, natural gas is viewed as a vital part of the energy transition. The use of a cleaner fossil fuel will help Germany, and other European countries, meet their energy demand while developing their green energy capacity.

While she continues to promote investment in oil and gas, Almheiri is also steadfast in her support for the development of a strong renewable industry in the UAE. She explained, We need to be careful  because conversations are happening and its all about energy, but its really important we dont lose context of economic growth, [and] climate as well within that. When discussing the countrys renewable energy projects she said, Its not just about the production  youve got to look at the storage, youve got to look at the network, youve got to look at the distribution. Its such a complex network. She added, Its really important that economic growth, energy security and climate action must be worked at together.

But not everyones so optimistic about the future of oil and gas. The CEO of ADNOC, Sultan al-Jaber, said in September that there was not much room to maneuver in oil markets that may be set for further disruption with minimal spare capacity. He suggested that underinvestment in fossil fuels may lead to a gap between supply and demand, while the world is only just beginning to develop its renewable energy capacity. He explained, "If peoples basic energy needs are not met, economic development slows down, and so does climate action." Jaber added, "If we under-invest in the energy system of today before the energy system of tomorrow is ready, we will only make matters worse."

The CEO believes that spare oil capacity equates to just 2 percent of global consumption at present, a challenge that OPEC+ has highlighted several times. Without greater investment in oil and gas beyond the UAE and Saudi Arabia, this cushion is not likely to get any bigger, meaning reliance will remain heavy on the two oil-rich states as demand continues to grow.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

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The proliferation of Chinese companies in Georgia is reshaping the terrain and increasing the potential for further trade.

On September 21, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in New York, during the United Nations General Assembly, and stressed the importance of the Middle Corridor (or Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, TITR), which runs directly through Georgia, for regional transit (Fmprc.gov, September 21).

Due to the war in Ukraine, the connectivity patterns in Eurasia are changing rapidly. The Russian route that linked the European Union with China is now of limited use. This has pushed EU member states and China to seek alternative corridors. The Middle Corridor, which stretches from the Black Sea to Central Asia via the South Caucasus, is the shortest route between western China and the EU. Georgia plays a critical role in this regard, owing to its existing infrastructure and geographic location.

Recently, Georgia has taken part in numerous intergovernmental meetings aimed at boosting the corridors potential. The TITRs development was the subject of a quadrilateral statement signed by Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Kazakhstan on March 31 (1TV, March 31). In May 2022, together with Kazakhstan and Turkey, Georgia discussed the Middle Corridor in a meeting held in Ankara. Later that month, transit company Georgian Railway announced that it was collaborating with companies from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan to establish a new shipping route between the Georgian port of Poti and the Romanian port of Constanta. Apart from this, the Georgian leadership has also been active with a series of visits to the Central Asian republics in recent months (Civil.ge, July 19).

Yet, despite this promising geopolitical setting, Georgia is also notorious for its geographic impenetrability. Ravines, gorges and nearly impassable mountains have served as a reliable defense but also as a major hindrance to the countrys transit ambitions. In truth, building infrastructure that defies geography requires large investments and, most of all, knowledge and experience.

In this regard, Chinese companies are reshaping Georgias geography, putting Tbilisi in a better position for various Eurasian trade routes. In 2019, the Chinese company China Railway 23rd Bureau Group (China Railway) announced that it will build the new 22.7-kilometer-long Kvesheti-Kobi road in Georgia. The total cost of the project is estimated at 1.2 billion laris ($428.6 million). China Railway will build only 13 kilometers of the road, which is part of the International North-South Transport Corridor (Agenda, August 19, 2019).

The Chinese are also taking the lead in upgrading the Khulo-Zarzma road, which will represent the shortest route between the Samtskhe-Javakheti and Adjara regions. The rehabilitated section will start from Khulo and end at Zarzma village in Adigeni via the Goderdzi Pass. The upgraded road will reduce travel time from Batumi to Akhaltsikhe by 90 minutes (Bm.ge, June 10, 2020).

The modernization of the Chumateleti-Khevi section of the international E60 highway is being carried out by the Georgian branch of the China State Construction Engineering Corporation. The F1 portion of this segment crosses through the municipalities of Khashuri and Kharagauli. The road starts in the village of Khashuri in Chumateleti and ends near Khevi village in Kharagauli municipality, where it connects to the next F2 portion of the section (Eib.org, October 18, 2018).

Another big project is the construction of a 13-kilometer four-lane cement-concrete road, 27 bridges and 18 tunnels on the Ubisa-Shorapani section of E60. The lengths of these tunnels vary from 300 to 1,600 meters, and 13 of the 27 bridges are located in the direction of Tbilisi-Argveta and the other 14 in the reverse direction (Bm.ge, September 13).

Rehabilitation work has also begun on 25.5 kilometers of the Zhinvali-Barisakho-Shatili highway. This section has not been rehabilitated for 40 years, and the road is badly damaged, which has hindered transit (Procurement.gov.ge, May 18, 2017).

Furthermore, the Bakurtsikhe-Tsnori Bypass project envisages the construction of a 16.6-kilometer-long two-lane asphalt-concrete paved road, six bridges and two traffic junctions (overpasses). The bypass road will be part of one of the main roads in Kakheti region (Tbilisi-Bakurtsikhe-Lagodekhi), which passes through a densely populated area and is characterized by a high intensity of transit traffic.

Thus, it is becoming quite clear that Chinese companies are dramatically reshaping Georgias landscape. Funding for these projects mostly comes from international donors, but many Chinese companies directly involved in the projects have raised some questions. This domination of Chinese companies in Georgias infrastructure market has caused indignation among some EU member states ambassadors in Georgia, as well as among Georgian construction companies (Radio Tavisupleba, December 6, 2020; Bm.ge, December 11, 2020).

Related: Germany Needs To Slash Natural Gas Consumption To Avoid A Winter Emergency

Yet, despite Chinese companies growing presence in Georgia, relations between Tbilisi and Beijing are mostly dominated by a negative geopolitical outlook. At one time, the relationship looked to be headed in a promising direction. In 2017, China and Georgia signed a free-trade agreement to remove customs barriersa move Georgian leaders hoped would boost exports and help develop the Georgian economy (Agenda, May 17, 2017). As a result, several large-scale investment forums were held in Tbilisi for that purpose (Tbilisisrf.gov.ge, October 22, 2019).

Fostering closer ties with China was also seen as a vital component of Georgias quest to balance against Russias regional influence. Yet, those hopes have not materialized. While trade volume has steadily increased, statistics show that Georgia mostly exports raw materials to China, such as copper and various chemicals. Similarly, concerns over corrupt practices have increased, especially tied to how Chinese companies have been awarded contracts. One illustrative case concerns PowerChina subsidiary Sinohydro winning a 26.3 million ($26 million) tender for the reconstruction of a 42-kilometer section of the Khulo-Zarzma road (Cbw.ge, August 11, 2020).

Indeed, the proliferation of Chinese companies in Georgia is set to transform the countrys transit capabilities. Even so, despite multiple advantages, substantive deepening of Chinese-Georgian relations has yet to materialize. In truth, regional geopolitics remain a major obstacle. Georgias close ties with the West and Russias strong position in the South Caucasus preclude significant growth in Chinese-Georgian connections.

By The Jamestown Foundation

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Cushman & Wakefield/The Lund Company welcomes TJ Twit, Jr. Cushman & Wakefield/The Lund Company is pleased to welcome TJ Twit, Jr. as Executive Director of Investment Services. TJ will utilize his broad expertise to develop comprehensive and strategic real estate solutions for his clients, with an emphasis on investor services including equity placement, asset disposition and joint venture acquisitions and development. With over 20 years of industry-related experience, TJ has extensive knowledge of commercial real estate. Before rejoining The Lund Company in 2022, TJ was CEO/President for OMNE Partners where he was responsible for the strategic vision and growth of the Company. Prior to joining OMNE Partners, TJ was Vice President and led The Lund Company's office advisory team for six years. He primarily specialized in tenant and landlord representation in the office market, and his responsibilities included establishing lease rates, leasing strategies, marketing plans and tenant occupancy coordination. "I could not be more thrilled to welcome TJ back to Lund. He will play a pivotal role in expanding our already robust service offerings, in particular with our investors. His extensive relationships and deal sourcing capabilities will provide valuable opportunities for our clients," Jason Fisher, CEO of The Lund Company. TJ earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Creighton University and is a graduate of the Omaha Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Omaha program. He currently serves as a member of Omaha's Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, sits on the Creighton University National Alumni Board, and is board president for Maha Music Festival. TJ is also an adjunct professor at Creighton University. In addition, TJ was previous board chair for YPO Nebraska. TJ is a licensed real estate broker in Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming.
The Air Force must pay a Bellevue man $1 million in damages and attorney fees by Nov. 29 after unlawfully denying him a job as a military historian for medical reasons in 2014, a federal appellate agency has ruled.

David Bighia, 61, is also entitled to a job offer, and 8 years worth of back pay and benefits that could total hundreds of thousands of dollars more, according to the ruling by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commissions Office of Federal Operations.

The appellate decision upheld an EEOC judges ruling last December that the Air Force had violated the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 when it withdrew its job offer and refused to make reasonable accommodation for Bighias medical condition.

The appellate opinion also slapped at the Air Forces lawyers for arguing that damages should be reduced because the Air Force had actually partially prevailed in the December ruling.

Office of Federal Operations Director Carlton Hadden, who authored the appellate decision, dismissed that argument as utterly without merit and strikingly lacking in any legal support.

Haddens ruling also said Bighia is entitled to nearly $78,000 in compensation for out-of-pocket expenses and $300,000 in non-pecuniary compensatory damages  essentially, damages for pain and suffering  the maximum allowed by federal law.

He also directed the Air Force to pay $624,000 in attorneys fees.

Air Force officials have not yet responded to questions about the case submitted Thursday by a World-Herald reporter. In a statement issued late Saturday afternoon, spokeswoman Laurel Falls said the Air Force doesn't intend to appeal and "is reviewing ... the decision to ensure the Agency complies with the Commission's order."

Bighia, a 16-year Army Reserve veteran, had previously worked as a military historian, including a stint as the 55th Wing historian at Offutt Air Force Base. But he had suffered health and personal setbacks  including surviving two heart attacks  before he applied for the GS-11 Air Force historian job paying about $65,000 a year at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, in December 2013.

Bighia was offered the job early the following year, contingent on passing a medical exam. A doctor at Offutt approved him, but inserted a notation that he should deploy to areas with fixed medical facilities.

Because of that notation, the Air Force withdrew the job offer. And it denied his request for reasonable accommodation, arguing no similar exceptions had ever been granted for historians before.

Bighia filed a complaint, which languished at the EEOC for seven years. That was largely due to Air Force foot-dragging, said his attorney, Keith Taubenblatt, as Air Force lawyers missed deadlines for turning over documents or answering interrogatories.

The delay took a toll on Bighias finances. He applied for more than 200 jobs, Taubenblatt said, but was sometimes passed over because his credit rating had slipped. He worked several temporary jobs but never found a permanent position in his career field.

Im scrambling. Time is moving forward. The bills are piling up, Bighia said last month. The longer it went on, the harder it became to get employed.

His lawyers were optimistic after the EEOC ruled in his favor last December, but Bighia was not.

I always felt the other shoe was going to drop, Bighia said.

The Air Force stalled on paying, even after a second EEOC judge ruled in his favor in June. He has yet to receive any money, though in early September he was offered the historians job at Laughlin, which is in Del Rio, on the Mexican border, 150 miles west of San Antonio. He still hasnt decided whether to accept the job, along with the cross-country move it would entail.

In the meantime, the house in Bellevues Fontenelle Hills he purchased in 2005 with a VA loan is in foreclosure. He has filed for bankruptcy multiple times to keep from losing it.

It was scheduled to be sold at the Sarpy County Courthouse on Sept. 21. The lender agreed at the last minute to delay the sale.

Bighia said in a statement Friday that he was grateful the latest ruling came quickly, just eight days after the Air Force filed its appeal.

In the spirit of compassion (to) avoid prolonging the financial hardships I continue to face as a result of the Air Forces actions, Bighia said, I hope Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall will direct his staff to immediately pay in full the awarded amounts so that I can finally, after all these years, move on with my life.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the date of the planned foreclosure sale of David Bighia's house. It also has been updated to accurately describe the $300,000 in damages that a judge determined Bighia is entitled to. The story has been updated to include a comment from an Air Force spokesperson.
There will be a new king of the Omaha skyline, and it will bear the lion logo of Mutual of Omaha.

Mutuals new headquarters in the heart of downtown will become the citys tallest building when it opens in 2026, company CEO James Blackledge said in an interview last week.

The now-completed construction plans for the $600 million, 44-story skyscraper call for it to rise 677 feet. Thats 43 feet taller than First National Bank Tower, which has been the citys tallest structure for the past two decades.

Blackledge said constructing the citys tallest building was not an objective of the company as it launched its pursuit of a new headquarters. But he said Mutual is proud to add to the citys skyline and the energy and vitality of the citys downtown core.

I think people see skylines and it does create an impression of all the things we want Omaha to be perceived as  a vibrant, growing, thriving place where people can live and work and prosper, he said.

Indeed, the Fortune 500 insurers new skyscraper figures to reshape downtown Omaha, and in more ways than one.

Urban planning experts say downtown skylines help define a city. Tall buildings become powerful symbols of a citys stature and growth, their gravity-defying reach for the clouds embodying human aspirations to achieve new heights.

An iconic tall building enhances the global image of the city ... signaling and promoting its significant economic progress and advancement, wrote Kheir Al-Kodmany, a professor of urban planning at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The Mutual of Omaha tower represents the first significant addition to downtown Omahas skyline in a generation.

It also may be the largest single infusion of workers into Omahas downtown core. The move of Mutual of Omahas metro workforce of 4,000 into downtown dovetails with an ambitious chamber of commerce goal of pulling 30,000 additional jobs and 30,000 new residents into Omahas urban core over the next two decades.

In addition, the Mutual building is serving as a catalyst for a proposed downtown-to-midtown streetcar system.

Mayor Jean Stothert in January pledged her support for the $306 million, 3-mile streetcar line, which was announced in conjunction with Mutuals plan to anchor its headquarters downtown. The two projects are now linked by a development agreement signed by the city and Mutual that obligates the city to follow through on the streetcar plan if the building goes up as planned.

Newly released images of the Mutual of Omaha building show it towering over the block bounded by Douglas, Farnam, 14th and 15th Streets that for decades was home to Omahas main library. The skyscrapers east windows stare down the newly revamped Gene Leahy Mall and to the rest of the riverfront beyond.

Another image depicts the citys new skyline looking south from the airport drive, with Omahas three tallest buildings all aligned: the Mutual tower, First Nationals and the headquarters tower for WoodmenLife.

On Friday, the first visible steps toward the construction of Mutual of Omahas new tower could be seen. Demolition of the former library was underway, with a front-end loader hauling piles of debris out of the old buildings busted-out west doors.

Other city plans call for opening a new downtown library branch on Jones Street and building a new main city library at 72nd and Dodge.

Formal construction of the Mutual building is set to start in January and finish sometime in 2026  the same year the streetcar line is supposed to start running.

The new Mutual building will not only be the tallest in Omaha, but also the tallest in a multi-state region. Among states surrounding Nebraska, only Denver has buildings that rise higher.

While Blackledge said hes excited that the building will arguably become the tallest between Chicago and Denver, hes equally excited about what it will mean for Mutuals workers.

Its designed to bring workers together in ways that foster teamwork, engagement and innovation while also including amenities that can help the company keep and attract talent.

Particular highlights include a first-floor lobby atrium that will beckon the public, a sky lobby with services for employees and top-floor meeting spaces with 360-degree views of the city.

Part of the spirit of this is how we bring people together, Blackledge said. We believe it will truly be a beacon for our associates, for new generations of talent, and for the community.

* * *

Mutual of Omaha, based near 33rd and Dodge Streets for more than eight decades, for years has been studying its facilities needs and pondering a potential new headquarters.

Mutual was approached more than a year ago by developer Jason Lanoha, who proposed the insurance company build its new headquarters downtown.

Blackledge said it certainly would have been cheaper for the company to build on vacant ground somewhere in the suburbs. But he said Mutual of Omahas board liked the idea of investing in the future of downtown and locating in the heart of the city.

Omaha is in our name, Blackledge said. We bought in early to what we see as the positive economic impact of this project.

Initially, Lanohas focus was to locate the tower on the long-vacant block it owned at 14th and Dodge, site of the former Union Pacific headquarters.

Lanoha also suggested that Mutual of Omaha ask the city if it would be willing to reroute its developing streetcar system to include the new headquarters site along its path. So Mutual approached the city in September 2021 with just such a plan.

At the time, the city was in the process of relocating the downtown library and quietly considering half a dozen potential developments for the site. Rather than mess with the streetcar route, the city instead offered up the library site to Mutual.

Blackledge and Stothert jointly announced plans for Mutuals new headquarters in January. But up until now, its precise number of stories and height were not known. Those couldnt be determined until the companys exact space needs were determined and plans for the buildings specifications drawn up.

That planning is now complete. Mutuals 677-foot tower will top the 634-foot First National Bank Tower, which has been the citys tallest since it opened in 2002.

First Nationals tower can still lay claim to having the most stories  45, which is one more than the new Mutual building. Mutuals will be taller in part because its floors will be spaced farther apart, the result of a modern air-handling system thats among the buildings features.

Blackledge said other features of the building will include:

A sky lobby that will greet associates as they enter from the parking facility. Located on floors 16 through 20, it will feature a variety of food services, a fitness center, employee wellness services, a technical support center to service employees laptops and other devices, and meeting spaces.

The three lower floors of the sky lobby will feature outdoor terraces with sweeping views of downtown, outdoor dining, meeting and fitness spaces.

The 44th floor will offer views in all directions from a two-story atrium and hold large conference rooms and other meeting spaces.

The public street-level lobby will feature displays paying homage to the companys history, the services it offers and impact.

A parking garage extending up through the 15th floor can hold 2,200 vehicles. The city has agreed to pay nearly $100 million for the garage, recouping the expense by leasing the spaces to Mutual employees during the day and to downtown visitors during off-hours.

Blackledge said city ownership and shared public-private use of the garage is more efficient and will benefit both Mutual of Omaha and the city.

I know people will look at that and say, The city is just giving you a parking garage, Blackledge said. Well, no, the city is building a parking garage, and were going to lease it from them. The city is in the parking business, and they do it pretty well, its my understanding. I think thats a win-win.

At 800,000 square feet, the new headquarters will be half the size of Mutuals current 1.7 million-square-foot campus.

Blackledge said thats taking into account that the work-from-home and hybrid work models induced by the pandemic will continue into the future. Its believed only about 2,400 of the companys workers will be in the building on any given day.

Some workers will have formal desks. Others who primarily work from home will have shared hoteling space when in the office.

Blackledge said the company worked closely with its design partners to create a headquarters that is appropriately sized, designed to foster collaboration, and adaptable to new ways of working that could emerge in the future.

Blackledge said the building will also be more cost-efficient to operate than the companys current headquarters.

The building wont have an executive floor. Senior leaders will be positioned near the workers of the divisions they oversee.

Blackledge is not even sure there will be a formal CEOs office. During the pandemic, he said, hes become used to putting a laptop in a backpack and roaming around Mutuals current headquarters, interacting with other executives and workers.

Im really loving it, he said. Theres nothing so far where anyone has tried to design an office for me.

Mutual has a number of partners on the project in addition to the city and Lanoha Real Estate. Mutual is working with a design team that includes global architecture firm HOK; design architect Pickard Chilton of New Haven, Connecticut; architect of record Kendall/Heaton Associates of Houston; and Omahas Alvine Engineering.

JE Dunn Construction Group, a major construction company whose primary office is in Kansas City, is the general contractor.

For its part, the city has advanced numerous pieces of the project. The City Council approved $1 million to demolish and prepare the library site, passed some $60 million in tax-increment financing to help Mutual pay for public improvements related to the project, and backed the development agreement.

Blackledge said he has not yet spoken to Clark Lauritzen, president of First National, to break the news of the size of Mutuals building.

We were never in an arms race to build the biggest one, Blackledge said.

In fact, if someone else wants to one day add a taller one to Omahas skyline, Blackledge said, thats all the better.
 Flash

The Defense Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Saturday voiced grave concern over the escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

As a new round of South Korea-U.S. joint maritime drills is underway near the peninsula, involving the redeployed nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and South Korean warships, a spokesperson for the DPRK Defense Ministry called it "an event of considerably huge negative splash to the regional situation," as quoted by the KCNA.

The spokesperson denounced the drills as "military bluffing," saying the DPRK armed forces are taking a serious approach in the face of "the extremely worrisome development of the present situation."

South Korea and the United States on Sept. 26 launched their joint maritime drills near the Korean Peninsula, involving the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier along with over 20 warships from the two sides.

After the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group was redeployed to the peninsula on Wednesday to hold an exercise on Thursday with South Korean and Japanese navies, the United States and South Korea began another joint naval exercise east of the peninsula on Friday.
WASHINGTON  The United States will begin screening travelers coming from Uganda for Ebola as an additional precaution aimed at trying to prevent an outbreak in the African country from spreading, the Biden administration said Thursday.

There have been no Ebola cases from the outbreak reported outside Uganda, and the risk in the U.S. is considered low. U.S. officials described the screening move as an additional precaution.

The screenings will begin rolling out immediately. Travelers who have been in Uganda at any point during the past 21 days, which is the incubation period for the virus, will be redirected to one of five U.S. airports for Ebola screening: Kennedy International Airport in New York, Washington Dulles International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, Chicagos OHare International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The screening applies to any passenger who was in Uganda, including U.S. citizens. It involves a temperature and symptom check conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC will also collect contact information that will be shared with local health departments at the travelers destination.

The administration says about 145 people per day enter the U.S. from Uganda, with most already arriving at the five large airline hubs. Anyone scheduled to fly into a different airport will be rebooked by their airline, the administration said.

Also Thursday, the CDC sent a health alert to doctors, urging them to get a travel history from patients who have Ebola-like symptoms.

The Ebola virus disease is mainly spread through contact with blood and other bodily fluids of an infected person who is sick or died. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and sometimes bleeding. There are Ebola vaccines, but not for the Sudan strain causing the current outbreak.

This marks the sixth Ebola outbreak in Uganda, but this one has escalated quickly. As of Thursday, there have been 44 confirmed cases and 10 confirmed deaths since the first case was diagnosed Sept. 19.
NORMAL  Lynn Schuster attended her first Sugar Creek Arts Festival on Saturday with her former roommate from Illinois State Universitys Hewett Hall, Eloise King.

The graduates of the ISU Class of 1980 were drawn to sculptures by Sean Corner, of Wichita, Kansas. Schuster, of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, majored in art at the university and purchased a piece by Corner titled Listening to your voice.

King, who now resides in Bloomington, said the event felt more like Sweat Fest when it was held in July. She said its nice that its now held in October.

Corner said it was his 16th year at the fest. He said he makes clay sculptures with human faces that talk about identity and look at whats on the inside.

Corner said his goal is to provoke some sort of emotion and visceral reaction from the viewer.

The art should move you, should inspire you, he continued.

The sculptor also said he loves doing anything with faces or masks that fall away and reveal the true source underneath.

He was one of 100 artists who tabled wares Saturday at the festival, organized by the McLean County Arts Center. Doug Johnson, executive director at the center, said they were a little anxious when Saturday morning started out at 34 degrees, but it warmed up to a nice and beautiful rest of the day. Sunday afternoon was warmer, with the high forecast to hit 70 degrees.

Johnson said Saturday the weather was fantastic, and the crowd shows that.

And the art sales were showing, too. While speaking with The Pantagraph, he said: We can see artwork walking down the street.

He said they think theyll continue holding the fest in the fall, but planned renovations in the Uptown Circle area could question the possibility.

We're hopeful that even if the show is slightly smaller to accommodate the construction, that it will return to the fall, Johnson continued. It's difficult for the artists if we move the festival around, and July is never going to be cooler.

Another vendor Saturday was Normals Sarah Simpson, who does illustrations, buttons, stickers and stationery.

She enjoyed the weather too. Said Simpson: Its sunny, so that makes me happy.

She said her favorite art subjects come from movies or animals, but she really likes combining the colorful and dark. That comes from an art concept called memento mori, which she said means art that represents death.

Death makes room for new life, Simpson continued.

Her booth was ornate with digital drawings of cute cartoon skulls. Some had cats, rabbits or foxes crawling inside, others with a frog atop. One print was inspired by the Wes Anderson movie "Moonrise King," plus more styled after tarot cards The Empress, The Hermit, Temperance and The World.

Simpsons goal for next year is to draw a whole tarot card deck.

Wren Renollet, a Normal native whos in her freshman year studying bio-education at Illinois State University, said she really enjoys stickers. She bought a pack of mushroom stickers made by Simpson.

She attended with her mother and sister Leah Renollet, a student at Normal Community West High School, who said theres always something new to see at the art festival.

With mother Mary Renollet noting, were cat people, her ISU student said she really likes colorful art that could be creepy and representative of death.

Its full of life because of the things within them, Wren Renollet said, noting daises flowering from the skulls.

Vending Saturday was painter Loc Tran, of Columbus, Ohio. He said he tries to focus on Midwestern landscapes, which are many times stereotyped as red barns in a cornfield.

While he likes some of those scenes, he said landscapes in the region really have more color to them. In his paintings, Tran depicts more creek beds and other water features, like waterfalls. He said theyre common in the Midwest.

Its almost like its every creek, he said of one of his recent works.

Getting feedback is the main reason for attending art festivals, he said. That includes being asked if he finger paints  which isnt the case. But he said he loves constructive criticism, which helps him consider taking a certain method further or in a different direction.

After all, Tran said art is a journey and its always evolving. He said he doesnt know if his art will look that same in 10 years.

Tran said he believes it usually takes three trips for someone to purchase a $500 piece of art: Theres the first look, a second look with the spouse, and a final glance.

But once, there was woman he said stared intensely at a piece. Tran said he usually waits to interrupt. Then after five minutes, he heard her say shed take it.

He said thats what an artist wants  that your art ultimately speaks to someone.

Fine art was sold by Mollie Chounard, of St. Louis. She said her subject matter is all over the place, describing herself as a modern, surreal or fantasy artist. Chounard said she works her concepts backward to find a unique way to put it on paper, and tell an interesting story. Each time the viewer sees it, they see something new, she said.

Chounard said: You kind of just get to experience the art a little bit at a time.

Movie content is some of her best sellers, and pet portraits kept her busy during the pandemic. Chounard also does abstract art, such as her Bibliosaurus. Thats a bookworm stegosaurus who wished to always be surrounded by books, and became part of a library.

Another is titled If Hearts Could Fly, and depicts a bird as an anatomical heart. She said its about all the different ways you can love someone, and all the different ways a heart may manifest itself.

She pointed to a birdcage made of ribs, bleeding heart flowers, and a stack of books that included Shakespeares "Romeo & Juliet," Edgar Allen Poes The Tell-Tale Heart and a cardiology textbook.

Photography was displayed by Brian Horan, of La Grange Park. He said his works all started as full color photos, and he removes all color except at the focal points.

Horan said he does a nostalgic series, which includes movie theater marquees. He said his framed print of the Normal Theater sold within 15 minutes of opening Saturday.

When doing photography, he said its not about your camera  its about your eye. He said his first award-winning work was done with a point and shoot Sony Cybershot camera.

Horan also agreed that good photograph takes patience. An image he took of lightning reflected off of The Bean at Millennium Park in Chicago took two years and 12 storms to create.
BLOOMINGTON  The McLean County Board is expected to vote on a $126 million spending plan for the 2023 fiscal year during its November meeting.

The budget has about $2.4 million less in expenditures than the county's 2022 spending plan. However, McLean County Administrator Cassy Taylor highlighted additional investments into several departments, including the sheriff's department.

According to the draft budget, McLean County is investing about $25 million into highways, streets and community planning compared to the roughly $27.5 million invested last year.

Taylor said the decrease in the highway department was a result of some projects of lower cost being completed. "Last year, there were some costly bridges projects that elevated that amount," she said.

The county also proposed investing $26.9 million in total on public safety compared to the $28.5 million invested last year. Taylor said this resulted from fewer infrastructure projects funded with federal COVID relief money in combination with stable maintenance budgets in many departments.

However, the decrease did not reflect less funding for law enforcement. The McLean County Sheriff's Department had an increased budget this year, she added.

A budget presentation last week highlighted "significant" increases to full-time employees' salaries. In the criminal investigations division alone, salaries went up by 13% and investigation expenses went up 10%.

Taylor said the board will vote on the county's fiscal 2023 property tax levy later this fall.

The budget should leave the county with a roughly $16.1 million general fund reserve. This amounts to about 12.7% of all budgeted funds and is consistent with the McLean County Budget Policy's recommended reserve level of between 12% and 15%.

In addition to the budget, staff also prepared a five-year capital improvement plan, which includes the design and implementation of 114 projects. Identified projects through 2026 have an estimated cost of about $67.2 million.

The McLean County Museum of History in downtown Bloomington is in need of a new elevator, new ventilation fans and plaster repairs. About $605,000 in projects are anticipated between 2022 and 2025.

Staff are proposing about $1.1 million in capital projects for the McLean County Government Center, including the replacement of a freight elevator, a resurfaced parking lot and additional barriers.

At the Law and Justice Center, staff are proposing the installation of keyless magnetic card door entry systems, elevator upgrades and exterior restoration.

In total, the budget includes $8 million in projects paid for with federal COVID relief funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. This includes about $3.6 million in building infrastructure improvements, about $2.6 million in HVAC replacements, $550,000 in building automation services, $300,000 for resurfacing, $75,000 for water heater replacement and $20,000 for exterior doors.

"The county has continued its focus in addressing deferred maintenance and has prioritized capital infrastructure investments with the American Rescue Plan Act Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds helping to support those efforts," Taylor said in her budget address.
PLAINFIELD - A Stranger Things character will continue to float midair outside a home in Plainfield for the rest of October after the owners decided to keep their viral Halloween display, despite opposition from a neighbor who was so incensed by the sudden influx of spectators that he chased some of them off with a bat.

After homeowners Dave and Aubrey Appel shared a TikTok video in mid-September of the preparations for their Halloween decorations, which included the character Max Mayfield, played by actress Sadie Sink on the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, levitating above their yard, more than 1,000 people visited the home over the first weekend of October, Aubrey Appel said.

But by that Sunday evening, some of the visitors were heckled by a neighbor with a bat, raising safety concerns and forcing the family to turn off the light of their display and remove Max to avoid more people from gathering, she said.

We did go over to their house to talk to them, they were fearing for their lives, basically acting like there was looting and a home invasion, Appel said.

Though the family considered shutting down the display for the rest of the Halloween season following the incident, they opted to keep it after conversations with other neighbors, their homeowners association and local authorities.

The Appels Halloween display is one more added to the list of homes in Illinois that have made headlines for their extravagant holiday decorations that most find amusing or entertaining. But some neighbors find the displays a nuisance because of the visitors they can draw, causing traffic or safety concerns.

But despite some complaints from annoyed neighbors, many Chicago suburbs dont seem to have specific guidelines that limit homeowners from a putting up a certain amount of decorations in their front or backyard, according to various homeowners and suburban officials interviewed by the Tribune. In most municipalities, the sole limitation is that the public pathways arent blocked by the decorations  unless the houses are part of a homeowners association that may dictate otherwise.

So when police arrived at the Appels home, the family wasnt ordered to take down the display, Aubrey Appel said. The family considered putting the display away for good, to avoid more issues and for the safety of both neighbors and visitors, she said.

On Sunday we went to bed thinking: Were not doing this. This is not what we wanted to bring to our community. We didnt want to put anyones life at risk coming to see it, she said. But there was so much support from visitors and neighbors saying, Dont worry about one person.

The support from the public to keep the display encouraged Appel and her husband to seek a meeting with Joliet City Manager James Capparelli for some guidance.

We wanted to make sure that we werent doing anything incorrect or illegal, she said.

Turns out they werent.

In an email statement from Sgt. Dwayne English of the Joliet Police Department, he said the decision to open or close the display rests solely with the homeowners, since it is on their private property. The Joliet police also added that officers will patrol the area while the display is active to keep both neighbors and visitors safe.

The Joliet Police Department is aware of the popular and viral response to the Stranger Things display, the statement said. We recognize that such a response may create an inconvenience for residents of this neighborhood. Those who wish to visit the display are encouraged to be mindful of where they park, and to respect the property of others.

Aubrey and her family, all Halloween lovers, said they began creating larger Halloween displays about four years ago. This year, they spoke to their neighbors about the expected crowds, she said.

They all understood, Aubrey said.

Miles away, in Naperville, Nick Thomas was reminded of the journey of his own famous Halloween house, which went dark after 15 years in 2015, when his homeowners association modified its guidelines to allow homeowners to decorate only 50% of their yards.

Complaints about the traffic and noise created by the celebrated house decorations led the Ashbury Homeowners Association board to pass a rule limiting a persons holiday decorations to 50% of the yard, excluding lights, and restricting the display to 30 days before and after the holiday.

After that rule was passed, Thomas opted to stop decorating his home entirely.

It felt terrible. My decorations are still in storage seven years later, Thomas said. All because of a few neighbors, I feel for the family in Plainfield.

Though Thomas decided to stop his displays after his homeowners association added the decoration rule, Naperville has no specific regulations, said Linda LaCloche, communications director for the city.

The only thing we really regulate is the right of way  the public sidewalk and parkway  things cannot block the sidewalk or create a safety hazard, LaCloche said.

Thomas said he still hopes to one day put up his display again. But for that, he would have to move, he said.

I put up the fight once and I lost, Thomas said.

The story has been different for Bob Szajkovics, who has made his house and front yard in Homer Glen into a Christmas spectacle for nearly 12 years.

In all those years, a single neighbor has asked him to turn down the music, he said with a laugh. In Homer Glen, there are no specific regulations when it comes to holiday decorations, Szajkovics said.

But hes learned of other homeowners who have had to limit or take down their decorations after causing traffic or blockages when visitors gathered by the houses. Szajkovics is a part of an online forum of people who decorate their houses for the holidays.

Its sad because it is only a month out of the year. It brings people together, helps to lift the sprit, but because of a couple of neighbors complaining, the village told them they shouldnt do it, Szajkovics said.

This December, he plans to keep the tradition going. Christmas is his daughters favorite holiday, he said. She has special needs and she could listen to Christmas music all year, he said.

The very first year that he added more lights with synchronized music to the front yard, he did it for her, and it made her so happy that he decided to gradually add to the display year after year, he said.
The principal of Agogo Presbyterian Women's College of Education (APWC), Rev.Dr.Mrs.Grace Sintim Adasi has made a passionate appeal to philanthropists, NGOs, entrepreneurs to intervene in the security situation at Agogo Presbyterian Women's College which has been occasioned by land encroachments and the lack of adequate residential facilities on the campus.



Speaking to the media at the launch of the Homecoming and Maiden Founders Day ceremony under the theme Enhancing the Presbyterian values through the provision of Quality female Teacher Education, the principal indicated that due to the encroachment on the school lands, which has resulted in a merger of the indigenous community and the student body of the school, a serious security situation exists and needs to be addressed urgently.



She also said the students are unsafe on campus because they do not have enough walls around the school compound.



The principal further stated that the college would appreciate the construction of a 24-seater toilet and plus a disability friendly facilities on campus by Ghana Gas.

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The Police have arrested Patricia Asiedua, popularly known as Nana Agradaa following allegations of money doubling scam levelled against her by some members of the public.



This was contained in a post by the Police Service on their twitter page Sunday afteroon.



The suspect is currently assisting police investigation.



The announcement of her arrest comes less than 24 hours after the Police commenced an investigation into an alleged money-doubling scam allegedly perpetrated against some members of the Heaven Way Church in Weija, Accra, by the founder, 'Nana Agradaa'.



The investigation was initiated following reports that have come to the attention of the Police on the matter.



We would like to urge anyone with information that can assist the investigation to report to the Accra Regional Police Command at Accra Central close to the COCOBOD building, a police statement Saturday night on their twitter page said.



While investigation continues, we urge everyone, especially those who might have been affected to remain calm and not take the law into their own hands, it added.



On Saturday, social media was awash with videos of aggrieved church members of Nana Agradaa, accusing their leader of swindling them.



The betrayed congregants said they took her for her words and gave out various sums of money with the hopes of receiving multiple folds as she had promised.



Some of the victims of the supposed scam said they have traveled from very long distances to meet Nana Agrada to collect their money after her promises failed.



Conversion to Christianity



In April 2021, Agradaa said she had converted to Christianity and denounced her "sika gari" deity, said to have money doubling powers in various broadcast she showcased on television on her Thunder and Ice1 TV stations.



The stations were shut down by the National Communications Authority (NCA) for operating without authorisation.



She was arrested after a joint team of officers from the police and National Security, in collaboration with the National Communications Authority, raided the premises of her two TV stations at Kasoa in the Central Region.



Nana Agradaa was said to have admitted to the illegality, and was placed in police custody initially to assist with further investigations.



The team also seized equipment used in the transmission of television signals from both stations.



Her arrest was part of an operation that led to the closure of 49 television stations without authorisation in Ghana in a single day.



In June 2021, she was sentenced to a fine of GH36,000 for operating a television channel without licence and GH10,000 displaying charlatanic materials.

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But then a new image of Columbus began to emerge. From his journals, we learn that when Columbus first met the peaceful indigenous Taino people of the Caribbean islands, whom he described as "very well made, with very handsome bodies, and very good countenances" who didn't "carry nor know anything of arms," his first thought was to enslave them. "They would make good servants... With fifty men they can all be subjugated and made to do what is required of them," Columbus wrote.

On Columbus' second voyage to the Americas, he rounded up 1,500 native Arawak Indians (Taino is an Arawak subgroup)  men, women and children  and held them in pens while his ships prepared to sail back to Spain. He chose 500 of the best specimens to be taken to Europe and sold as slaves. Two hundred Arawak died on the journey.

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An even worse fate awaited those who weren't shipped off as slaves. Through a combination of forced labor in Spanish colonies and European diseases like smallpox, the native populations of the Bahamas and Hispaniola were virtually wiped out within decades of Columbus' arrival.

By low estimates, there were 100,000 Arawak on Hispaniola in 1492. By 1514, only 32,000 remained, and by 1542 there were just 200. Some historians claim that up to 3 million Taino died in that same time period.

"Columbus didn't come over in the spirit of scientific inquiry and cultural sensitivity," says Carrie Gibson, historian and author of "Empire's Crossroads: A History of the Caribbean from Columbus to the Present Day." "First, he was mistaken in his navigation. Second, he was looking for gold and for people to enslave. When you realize that, it's very hard to still hold him up as a positive symbol. It makes a lot of sense that some people are pushing back against Columbus Day."

The movement to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day started back in 1977 at a United Nations International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations. Instead of celebrating Columbus' arrival as the foundation of the Americas, participants proposed an alternative holiday that would recognize that native peoples had inhabited these lands for millennia.

Berkeley, California was the first city to officially switch to Indigenous Peoples' Day in 1992, although South Dakota had already ditched Columbus Day for "Native Americans' Day" back in 1990. Since then, more cities and states have distanced themselves from Columbus' messy legacy and embraced a new holiday that, in the words of Maine's proclamation, celebrates the "historic, cultural and contemporary significance of the indigenous peoples of the lands that later became known as the Americas."
THE Lapu-Lapu City Council approved during its regular session on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, a resolution urging five companies in the city that recently retrenched more than 4,000 workers to prioritize them once they recover and are able to hire workers.



These are Mactan Apparels Inc., Metro Wear Inc., Globalwear Manufacturing Inc., Feeder Apparel Corp. and Vertex One Apparel Philippines Inc.



The Sports City Inc., which owns the five companies at the Mactan Economic Zone, formerly known as the Mactan Export Processing Zone, let go of 4,203 workers due to several factors, such as the drastic reduction of orders.



It reportedly did so to keep the business afloat and to continue the employment of 75 percent of the companys total workforce, which is more than 18,000.



Councilor Annabeth Cuizon, the resolutions author, pointed out that the retrenched workers are well-trained and well-versed in specific functions within their specific assembly lines.



It is hoped that when the global economy has stabilized and strengthened, the companies will recover and be able to hire workers, she said.



The Department of Social Welfare and Development 7 allocated P21 million for the cash assistance and P2.3 million for the food packs that were distributed to affected workers at the Hoops Dome in Lapu-Lapu City on Oct. 3 and 4.
Then police chief Ronald dela Rosa (R) stands in front of Chinese and Malaysian suspects (in orange) detained in a kidnapping case, at PNP headquarters in Manila, Philippines on July 20, 2017. Forty-four Chinese and Malaysian suspects engaged in illegal activities have been detained in the Philippines over the kidnapping and beating of a Singaporean woman abducted at a Manila casino, authorities said (Photo: STR/AFP via Getty Images; Bureau of Immigration/Facebook)

Instead of doing summary deportations, immigration officials of the Philippines are currently canceling 48,782 visas for foreign workers working for illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

A number of such firms are now being shut down due to their failure to pay license dues to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR).

Once a workers visa is canceled, they have 59 days to voluntarily leave the country. If the workers dont leave even after the due date, only will the Department of Justice (DOJ) resort to summary deportations.

Upon receipt of the information from PAGCOR, we immediately started cross-checking their [POGO] employees to determine which ones are still in the country, Immigration commissioner Norman Tansingco said on Sunday (October 2).

Tansingco highlighted that the cancellation of visas was more efficient compared to immediately resorting to deportation.

While this is a laborious task as we have to check each and every record, we are confident that this could be completed in a month, he said. This is the regular procedure for canceled visas, and this is actually more economical and faster.

The industry is currently under heat due to what some lawmakers see as a social cost to its maintenance, due to the crimes associated with POGOs. According to the Philippine National Police (PNP), 20 out of 27 kidnapping cases were related to POGOs.

The Philippines will stand to lose P952 million a day should the entire POGO industry shut down, resulting in bigger social ills, according to an analyst.

But POGOs are also being criticized due to its shrinking revenues. While the government anticipates P32 billion in revenues this year, only P3 billion has been so far collected, according to Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno.

Mark Ernest Famatigan is a news writer who focuses on Philippine politics. He is an advocate for press freedom and regularly follows developments in the Philippine economy. The views expressed are his own.

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The United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday rejected a Xinjiang-related draft decision tabled by the United States and some other countries at the 51st session of the Human Rights Council.

When the outcome of the vote was shown on the big screen, loud applause was heard at the conference hall of Palais des Nations in Geneva. Envoys of some member countries of the council congratulated Chinese diplomats there on the voting result.

Although the United States deliberately packaged the draft decision, and together with a handful of other Western countries added pressure on other members, the draft decision was rejected by most member countries, especially developing countries. The U.S.-led attempts ended with failure.

To attract more countries to vote for the draft decision, the United States and some other Western countries schemed to package it as a procedural issue that is neutral and has no political motives. However, the lie was debunked by representatives of other member countries.

"This proceeding exposes the deliberate interest of Western powers to instrumentalize the Human Rights Council to advance their geopolitical aspirations and selectively condemn the People's Republic of China," said Juan Antonio Quintanilla Roman, Cuba's permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

"Many say we should give the council the opportunity to debate. But those same countries that want to debate now, where have they been for all these years?" asked the envoy.

"When the Chinese delegation, session after session, has organized side events, photo exhibitions, talks with authorities from the Xinjiang region, visits of hundreds of people, including diplomats based here in Geneva ... side events even during times of the COVID-19 pandemic, bypassing all obstacles, where have those countries been if they were really that interested in discussing the situation that concerns them in the People's Republic of China?" he went on to question.

Hector Constant Rosales, permanent representative of Venezuela to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said, "We warn about the dangerous steps that this hegemonic country is intentionally taking to turn this council into a stage for politicization and confrontation, using human rights as an instrument."

"The word dialogue is therefore used as a synonym of imposition in this case, and we cannot be complicit in this continuous politicization," he added.

Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said, "Pursuit of an 'a la carte' approach driven by political considerations carries the risk of further accentuating politicization and polarization, it also undermines the credibility of this important UN body."

Maira Mariela Macdonal Alvarez, permanent representative of Bolivia to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said the draft decision covers up "its real intention of political manipulation, seeking to include China on the Human Rights Council's agenda in order to attack constantly to this country in the coming sessions."

She added that the move "clearly instrumentalizes the Human Rights Council for its geopolitical intentions."

Chen Xu, head of the Chinese Mission to UN in Geneva, said the United States and some other countries tabled the draft decision and packaged it as a procedural issue, attempting to justify the unauthorized and illegal "assessment," and to put Xinjiang-related issues that do not exist at all on the agenda of the council.

No matter how the draft decision is disguised, its ulterior motive is to take advantage of UN human rights bodies to interfere in China's internal affairs, he said.

"The Xinjiang-related issues are by no means human rights issues. They are about counter-terrorism, deradicalization and anti-separatism," Chen said.

He told the council that after arduous efforts, Xinjiang has seen no violent and terrorist incident for five consecutive years. The human rights of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are protected to the fullest extent.

"Turning a blind eye to these facts and truth, the United States and some other countries had fabricated and spread numerous lies and rumors, in an attempt to smear China, undermine Xinjiang's stability and contain China's development," he said. "It is a typical example of political manipulation and the gravest violation of the human rights of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang."

Chen further stressed that so far, all country-specific resolutions of the Human Rights Council are aimed at developing countries, and the United States and some other countries, in disregard of their own serious human rights violations, are indulged in pointing fingers at others.

The result of the vote fully showed that people have a sense of natural justice. The deeds of politicizing and instrumentalizing human rights issues by the United States and some other countries are doomed to fail.
QUEENSBURY  A Moreau man was sentenced in Warren County Court on Wednesday to 1  to 3 years in prison for damaging a hotel room and assaulting an employee back in 2020.

Michael B. Williams, 33, was arrested on Sept. 13, 2020 after police responded to a report of a disturbance at the Northway Inn on Aviation Room in Queensbury at around 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 13, 2020.

An investigation and search warrants revealed that Williams allegedly had caused significant damage to the hotel room and assaulted a staff member. He is also accused of having a quantity of cocaine and heroin in his possession, according to police.

Williams was charged with felony counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal mischief, misdemeanors of third-degree assault and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and a violation of disorderly conduct.

Williams pleaded guilty to felony third-degree mischief. He must also pay restitution and an order of protection was issued.
GLENS FALLS  The sun was shining on the crowd gathered for a Womens Wave rally for reproductive rights at Glens Falls City Park on Saturday afternoon.

Speakers against the overturning of Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade stood under the gazebo encouraging members of the crowd to vote and shared educational resources about abortion and womens health care.

A representative from Planned Parenthood listed the services and offerings of the clinic, which oftentimes has pro-life supporters standing out front with signs to discourage patients from going through with abortions.

Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, was the first of the politicians to speak to the crowd.

She began by pumping the crowd up calling for a my body, my choice chant from attendees, loud enough to hear in Queensbury and spoke about the Supreme Courts decision.

I think we all remember the day we heard the leaked decision. It was a day that ripped our hearts out, she said.

Woerner recalled how important the victory for women was, when the case was originally before the Supreme Court when she was a child.

Jean Lapper, the Democrat from Queensbury challenging Republican state Sen. Dan Stec in the 45th District, followed Woerner.

She shared her personal story of a life-saving abortion that was performed at Glens Falls Hospital 23 years ago. Lapper said she was 14 weeks pregnant with twins when she lost one of the babies and subsequently began having medical issues with the second baby.

I was hemorrhaging and my doctor was worried about me getting to the hospital in time. I was on Broad Street only minutes from the hospital, not traveling from Texas to California, and my doctor was afraid I wouldnt make it, Lapper shared.

She encouraged women and the men that love them to vote next month.

Matt Castelli, the Democrat running against Republican U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik to represent New Yorks 21st Congressional District, was the last politician to speak.

He said he had done a lot of listening in the past few weeks and said as a man he would never experience the government trying to control his reproductive choices.

Castelli shared the words of a man he used to work with  former president Barack Obama  about the audacity of hope.

He said the hope of the crowd was something to use at the polls.

The hope to ensure that we fulfill the promise that is America. The promise that the power exists within each of our hands. The power to determine our own destiny, the power to make sure that when we see injustice, it can be corrected and we can restore freedom to millions of American women. Im asking each and every one of you to mobilize that hope, to make sure that we fulfill that promise in November, Castelli said.

Enid Mastrianni, organizer of the event, was impressed with the turnout and said it was in coordination with the National Womens March Associations call to action for nationwide rallies Oct. 8, one month ahead of elections.

She got involved with womens rights in 2013 after noticing the consistent protesters outside of the Planned Parenthood clinic in Glens Falls. She organized several counterprotests and has been involved with reproductive rights ever since.
CAPE MAY  The American Red Cross is accepting applications from people in the Cape May area who wish to become a host family for Operation Fireside.

Operation Fireside provides recruits from Coast Guard Training Center Cape May with a place to call home on Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. The recruits, who are away from home during the Coast Guards eight-week basic training, are matched by the Red Cross and the Coast Guard with local families who are willing to open their homes to recruits during the holidays.

All prospective host families must live within 50 miles or a 60-minute drive of the Training Center at One Munro Ave. in Cape May.

Those who meet the criteria and wish to apply or learn more can contact the Red Cross Operation Fireside program coordinators at opfiresidenj@redcross.org or 609-562-2258. Host families will be added on a first-come, first-served basis.
What has to happen is that we need to re-think our relationship with nature.

Those words from author William Becker, of Waunakee, Wis., capture the sentiments of many participants of the Upper Mississippi River Conference.

Floods, for example, are symptomatic of our dissonance with nature, he said.

To alleviate their devastating effect, move out of the flood plain. Create more permeable surfaces in the watershed. Vegetate hillsides.

In addition to being an author, Becker in 2007 founded and became director of the Presidential Climate Action Project in which he solicited contributions from foundations to research and compile studies on what the federal government can do to help stabilize climate.

Another common sentiment among participants is that while they know climate change is happening, they dont know how it will play out. There is uncertainty.

Following are three other conference topics:

BIRDS

People who enjoy birds, either at backyard feeders or on the wild, likely know that populations have been plummeting, and that habitat loss is a key factor.

But climate change is another threat. As temperatures warm, certain birds may fly farther north to reach suitable climate, but they may not find the vegetation, habitat or food that they need when they need it in their new location, said Nat Miller, director of conservation for the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River National Audubon Society, based in Tipp City, Ohio.

And with rising oceans, shore birds might not find as much shore as they need.

Reducing climate change by reducing greenhouse gases is the best way to help birds, Miller said.

Secondly, birds need habitat and people along the Mississippi River, including the Quad-Cities, are in a great position to help on both accounts. The river is a major migratory flyway, so creating habitat along its banks will help three-fourths of the bird species in the United States and Canada. The vegetation will store carbon and the areas will give flooding rivers a place to go, thus providing flood protection.

PLANTING FOR CHANGE

Managers of natural areas spend a lot of time in restoration. They replant trees to replace those that have died or been removed. In different locations, they might be reseeding prairies or encouraging the return of wetlands.

But what if the temperatures in those restoration areas is expected to get warmer in 50 years? Or wetter? Or drier? Should managers be planting todays plants or those typically found in warmer, wetter or drier areas? Those are questions John Delaney, a biologist with the United States Geological Survey, LaCrosse, Wis., is studying and advising the United States Fish and Wildlife Service on.

Until recently there hasnt been a lot of work in integrating climate change into planning, Delaney said. Resource managers are very, very busy with what they are already doing. They dont have time to study information that is constantly changing and updating.

Thats why the USGS has undertaken this role; to be a researcher who can help resource managers.

MORE AND BIGGER FLOODS, OR DROUGHT, OR BOTH?

Climate warming will promote both drought and intense rain, because warmer air that is dry will parch soil more quickly, increasing evaporation, but warmer air can also hold more moisture, leading to more extreme rainfall. But scientists arent sure which of these effects will dominate, when and where.

Because more than a quarter of the U.S. population lives within the Mississippi River watershed  including the basins of the Missouri, Ohio, Arkansas and Tennessee rivers  it is important that communities have the best information possible to plan for both potential high flows as well as low flows.

The National Weather Service is involved in studies to better understand what might happen, Ray Wolf, Quad-Cities science and operations officer, said.
On a sunny Monday in September, Scott County farmer Bryan Sievers watched as workers from St. Louis-based Roeslein Alternative Energy dug a trench for a gas pipe near the two 970,000-gallon anaerobic digesters on his Stockton farm.

Sievers operation is one of 14 public and private entities in Iowa and Missouri working with Roeslein to prove how farmers can use manure from their animal operations, as well as cover crops and natural prairie grasses on their properties, to protect and enrich the soil, prevent erosion, protect water and drastically cut carbon and methane emissions while at the same time producing much-need energy in digesters. And it's got to be economically viable; in other words, profitable.

To that end, Roeslein received an $80 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program. This grant program will be used over the next five years to prove the concepts of its founder, Rudolph Roeslein. The majority of the grant will go to producers and/or landowners to offset costs of converting land to native prairie or to plant winter-hardy cover crops.

Roeslein Alternative Energy

Rudolph Rudi Roeslein, pronounced race line, immigrated to the United States with his family in 1956 from the refugee camps of Austria. His hard work has made him a successful businessman.

His business, Roeslein & Associates, provides consulting, procurement and project management services on top of its engineering, manufacturing and construction capabilities. The company employs 1,500 worldwide.

But as an avid outdoorsman, Roeslein is also passionate about conservation, protecting the air, soil and water, and renewable energy streams that benefit the environment and are economically viable for the smaller farmers.

That passion for conservation has won him many awards and led him to create Roeslein Alternative Energy.

Im so grateful to be in this country, Roeslein said, because I got to come to America and build a business.

Roeslein said he had built aluminum plants all over the world and had placed billions of dollars of American equipment all over the world. He has built facilities in Russia and China, and modular systems in China, Poland, Brazil and the United States.

But in doing that, Roeslein said he always was concerned about what he could do for the environment.

My passion has always been wildlife, he said. As a child in the refugee camps, Roeslein said he would wander into the woods to see the wildlife there, as well as the trees and plants.

I look at the Earth as the most complex process that I've had the pleasure to look at, Roeslein said. The parameters needed for life to exist on earth are small and fragile, he added. Roeslein said he wanted to figure out a way to help preserve that narrow window for life to exist.

He created Roeslein Alternative Energy to prove out a three-pronged approach to creating renewable energy using the anaerobic digesters. Its not just cow and pig dung. The approach also uses cover crops and the planting of prairie grasses that will protect the soil from erosion, provide soil nutrients, remove CO2 from the air and sequester it in the ground. The cover crops and the mowing of the prairie grasses will provide fuel for the digesters.

In the Horizon I project, Roeslein partnered with livestock producers to place impermeable covers over hog manure lagoons to capture the methane gas created by anaerobic digestion. The gas was upgraded to renewable natural gas and injected into the natural gas pipeline grid where it is available for customers.

Roeslein initially spent $57 million of his own money to demonstrate the Horizon I concept where animal manure from the swine industry could solve many environmental issues. This also provided another income stream to the hog production industry.

The first step was to prove that the methane captured could be used to produce a source of energy while mitigating the challenges of odor and rainfall effects on existing lagoons.

Roeslein started with a project in northern Missouri with Premium Standard Farms. Premium Standard Farms was later sold to Smithfield Foods.

Roeslein had to establish new pathways to qualify the methane gas with the EPA and with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) since these did not exist at the time he started these projects.

The Horizon I projects received the lowest Carbon Intensity scores in the Swine Industry through CARB's Low Carbon Fuel Standard.

The company also has completed projects for numerous other customers in Iowa, Texas, Utah and Arizona.

Their projects are currently capable of producing energy while eliminating more 300,000 tons of CO2 equivalent methane annually.

Roeslein said his vision for prairie restoration called for providing a diverse mix of prairie biomass plantings that would be similar to those grasses native to the ecosystem. All of which increase native habitat for countless wildlife species.

Planting similar grasses to those naturally found in the ecosystem become a valuable resource for the areas birds, insects and animals to thrive in these areas, he said. The emphasis on perennial grasses to mimic the natural conditions for these grasslands helps to provide ongoing food and water for the animal and bird population.

Restored prairies provide nectar that supports insects to benefit pollinated food crops in nearby fields.

A vision for the prairie

One of Roesleins primary missions is to restore and convert 30 million acres of marginal land to native prairie grasses in just 30 years. Roeslein calls it the 30/30 Vision. This vision benefits farmers economically and positively impacts surrounding ecosystems by creating homes for various types of wildlife, providing erosion control and preventing flooding. Currently, the company is undergoing multiple prairie-restoration efforts with Smithfield Hog Production.

The grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he said, is a major step toward advancing RAE's core mission to develop a market-based solution that puts an economic value on restored native grasses and prairie plants, by using the sustainably harvested biomass to create renewable natural gas.

Since founding RAE, our overarching goal has been to provide farmers an alternative way to use land, especially highly erodible acres, in ways that will benefit the environment, wildlife and their own livelihood, Roeslein said. This funding will propel Horizon II forward more rapidly than otherwise would have been possible. We will show how farmers and landowners can do well for themselves while also providing ecological services and wildlife benefits.

Endless supplies

Sievers, the Scott County farmer, has been generating biogas and electricity from his two anaerobic digesters since 2014.

His cattle-feeding operation provides him with an endless supply of manure. Food waste supplies from the food processing industry have provided other organic materials from which to make biogas.

The anaerobically digested material that comes out of the digesters also supplies Sievers with an endless supply of natural fertilizer for his farming operations. This nutrient-rich material, which is also rich in organic matter, is applied to his and neighboring fields in the spring and fall.

The pipeline being built will carry upgraded biogas, referred to as renewable natural gas, from the two digesters and a new 3 million gallon lagoon-style digester to the Northern Border Pipeline about 3  miles to the south of Sievers property. That gas will then be sold on the open market.

On another part of his land, Sievers has planted 37 acres of prairie grasses.

The goal of the process is to make cover crops and prairie grasses profitable for the small farmer to grow, he said. Sievers will mow the prairie grass acres for the digesters after the bird populations nesting in the grasses have flown from their nests for the remainder of the year. The grasses will then grow back for the next seasons birds and animals to use.

Sievers is in the process of planting about a 1,000 acres of cereal rye that will be harvested as an additional feedstock for the digesters.

Next spring, the cereal rye will be harvested as silage and will then be fed to the digesters with the cattle manure.

After the cereal rye silage is harvested, he will plant soybeans that he will harvest next fall and sell on the market. What he will get are two crops out of that 1,000 acres instead of one.

Anything that we can do to produce corn, soybeans, perennial prairie and winter-hardy cover crops will help clean the air by sequestering and pulling in carbon dioxide, putting that carbon into the soil, which will improve soil health and organic matter content, which enhances the sustainability of food production for generations to come, he said.

Neighboring farmers growing cover crops and prairie grasses would sell that product to people with digesters to use.

Another segment is the renewable fertilizer he ends up with that he uses to put back on the land, which actually adds to lowering the carbon intensity of the process because we dont have to purchase synthetic fertilizers anymore from Russia, Ukraine or Southeast Asia, he said.

We do purchase a little bit of 32% nitrogen to mix; its a liquid, to mix with our herbicides in the spring when we spray it on the crops to control weeds. Its maybe 15 or 20 pounds an acre, which is 5-10 gallons per acre, he said. And if its 20 pounds of active nitrogen, thats less than 10% of our total nitrogen that well apply with a synthetic nitrogen source so the other 90% is all organic or renewable nitrogen that were producing and 100% of the phosphorus, 100% of the potassium, 100% of the sulfur is all produced here and put back on our farm; and not only our farm but neighboring farms as well. So the model is it can expand that base of enhancing soil health and producing renewable fertilizer more than what were producing.

Sievers said he had saved a lot of money over the past several years because he hadnt had to buy things like anhydrous ammonia.

Research will be done on his tile lines to see what nitrate levels are like in the water on his property.

The bottom line is, as long as cows poop, and the grass grows, there will be natural gas, Sievers said.

The design keeps methane and carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. The environment is protected, there is a continuous source of renewable energy and the food network in the form of beef and plants also is protected.

Iowas new digesters

We have nine new digesters that will be producing renewable natural gas in Iowa alone so were going from three on-farm digesters to 12 in the next year, Sievers said. Those will be the nine Iowa dairies that applied for digester permits last year.

The obstacles are the upfront costs, especially for small farmers. Digesters are expensive.

The point is the only livestock farms that can afford this are large ones, he said. It takes a lot of material to produce enough gas to pay for all of this. The two anaerobic digesters on Sievers property cost about $7.5 million to install in 2013.

Sievers is confident the lagoon digester he has installed, a completely new design, would significantly lower the cost of processing renewable natural gas, and allow smaller operations to have one of their own.

Im pretty confident thats going to play out, and if it does prove out then weve just made another huge leap forward in the industry, he said. The capital expense and the operating expense would be much, much lower.

Much of the cash value comes from the carbon credits that Sievers and other producers will have to sell.

For instance, refineries in California have to buy carbon credits to offset their emissions, he said.

The people who produce the carbon credits are people like us, and so thats where the exchange happens. So you have to find a buyer and a seller and theres plenty of demand now. The thing is that the supply is going to increase pretty dramatically because there are plants like this going up all over.

The grant that Roeslein received is helping to prove out the technology that was generated by private industry, he said.

This was not the heavy hand of government coming in and saying we need to do this, Sievers said. Its private industry discovering a need and designing a system to meet that need. The grant helps with the costs to prove it out, but it takes private industry to test it all out and prove the technology and the practice."
Jackson County authorities have arrested a man accused in the Saturday shooting death of 55-year-old Angela Marie Prichard.

Christopher Prichard, 56, who had been named as a person of interest in the homicide, was arrested early Sunday, according to a news release from the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

An autopsy by the State Medical Examiner was scheduled for Sunday.

Prichard was arrested on warrants issued on Sept. 30 for violating a no contact order and protective order-contempt.

He was being held Sunday night in the Jackson County Jail.

Charges related to the homicide had not been filed in Jackson County District Court as of Sunday, according to district court electronic records.

The case began at 7:49 a.m. Saturday when Jackson County Sheriffs deputies were sent to a 911 call at the Mississippi Ridge Kennels, 31821 U.S. Highway 52, in Bellevue.

Deputies found Angela Prichard dead from an apparent gunshot wound.

Authorities then began looking for Christopher Prichard.

Prichard has been in legal trouble in recent years and has several cases pending in Jackson County District Court.

According to Jackson County District Court electronic records, Prichard is charged with first-degree theft stemming from an investigation that began June 4, 2019.

According to the arrest affidavit in that case filed by Bellevue Police Officer Josh Kilburg, Prichard had been working for Murphy Construction Group, LLC as an electrician.

Prichard's job was to go out and get jobs for Murphy and then he would be compensated per hour to do the work.

In several instances, Prichard made up several of his own invoices and gave them to customers. Prichard then had the customers make out their checks to him instead of Murphy Construction. Prichard then pocketed the money that was supposed to have been paid to Murphy Construction.

The amount of the canceled checks made out to Prichard totaled $36,050.00.

On July 8 during a hearing in Jackson County District Court, Prichard attempted to plead guilty to the first-degree theft charge with the state recommending two years probation and suspending the 10-year prison sentence for the Class C felony.

Prichard also attempted to plead guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge.

However, District Court Judge Mark Lawson ruled that Prichard could not make a factual basis, in other words detail the crimes and their particulars. Lawson rejected both plea agreements and set a jury trial in the theft case for Nov. 7, and a pre-trial conference in the assault case for Oct. 28.

Prichard also was charged April 18 with one count of domestic abuse assault-first offense. The victim was Angela Marie Prichard. That charge is a simple misdemeanor that carries a jail sentence of up to 30 days. A trial date was set in that case for Nov. 29.
When the thrice-delayed Artemis I moon rocket finally does get off the ground, it will carry a moonikin honoring a Hispanic engineer who helped bring the Apollo 13 astronauts home safely.

NASA is launching Artemis I to test the rockets ability to carry astronauts on future moon missions. Riding about the rocket will be three mannequins  cleverly dubbed as moonikins  wearing space suits equipped with sensors that will collect data showing how well the suits shield radiation and otherwise protect the astronauts who will someday wear them.

Earlier this year, NASA held a contest to select a name for the moonikin sitting in the middle seat, a spot reserved for the mission commander. When the contest ended, NASA announced that the moonikin would be named for Arturo Campos, an engineer who was working at Mission Control in Houston at the time of the Apollo 13 launch in 1970.

Campos was born in 1934 into a Mexican-American family living in the border city of Laredo, Texas. His father was an auto mechanic, and young Arturo was considering the same career until one of his high school teachers recognized his potential and urged him to go to college.

While working part-time in his fathers repair shop, Campos took classes at Laredo Junior College. He then went on to the University of Texas, graduating in 1956 with a degree in electrical engineering.

Campos was hired by NASA in the early 1960s, a time when the first American astronauts were headed into space. He was assigned to research, develop and design the electrical systems that would be used in manned spacecraft, and he played a key role in creating the electrical system for the lunar module used in Moon landings.

When an oxygen tank on Apollo 13 burst, Campos was among the NASA employees who were called in to help get the spacecraft home and save the three-member crew. He led the effort to find a way to provide electrical power to Apollo 13s command module, in order to enable the crew to survive and find their way back to Earth.

Fortunately for the astronauts aboard Apollo 13, Campos had earlier written a plan outlining procedure for such an eventuality. After arriving at Mission Control, Campos immediately began revising that plan to fit the particular circumstances faced by Apollo 13 and worked with his fellow engineers to implement the procedures and communicate them to the astronauts.

You know the rest of the story: As famously depicted in the 1995 movie Apollo 13, the astronauts returned to Earth safe and sound, and received a heros welcome. But there were many unsung heroes who made their rescue possible, including Campos, who is not mentioned in the movie.

Instead, Apollo 13 sticks with the stereotypical image of a Mission Control engineer: A white guy wearing a white shirt and a dark tie. To be fair, nearly all NASA engineers at the time fit that description, with Campos being one of the few Hispanics employed by the space agency.

Campos continued to work at NASA until retiring in 1980. He took an active role in efforts to recruit more Hispanics for the space program and encourage them to pursue careers in science and technology. Campos died at his home in Texas in 2001.

Today, NASA is a much more diverse place than it was in 1970. About 17% of the current NASA workforce identifies as Hispanic, and more than one-third are women.

Hispanic Heritage Month, which continues through Oct. 15, is an appropriate time to recognize and remember pioneers like Campos. Stories like his remind us of the value of our nations diversity, and the ongoing need to extend opportunities as widely as possible.

The Apollo 13 astronauts might never have made it home if Campos had not gotten the opportunity to pursue the path that took him to NASA. We can honor his memory by spotting and developing the potential in young people of all backgrounds and setting them on paths that could lead to greatness.

The Popular Astronomy Club hosts a public observing program at sundown on the third Saturday of every month from March through November at the Niabi Zoo parking lot. The next one is scheduled for Oct. 15.

Check our website or Facebook page if cloudy weather threatens to cancel the event. Visit popularastronomyclub.org for more information on public observing programs, monthly meetings and other events.
The Red Cross Quad Cities and West Central Illinois chapter will host two accelerated training sessions for both existing and new volunteers.

American Red Cross volunteers from across the country are working in Florida to provide food, shelter and comfort for people facing the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

Locally, Red Cross volunteer support can include responding to home fires, deploying to assist in-person in affected areas as well as virtual support opportunities.

Only one session is required:

Thursday, Moline: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at the Red Cross Chapter Office, 1100 River Drive, Moline. To register, visit rdcrss.org/3C78H3B.

Friday, Quincy: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday at the Red Cross Chapter Office, 3000 N. 23rd St., Quincy. To register, visit rdcrss.org/3RyLXiS.
I inherited three things from my parents: 1) a beautiful piece of land in Montana, where we built a two-bedroom log cabin, 2) longevity: I am now 77 and am still teaching with no plans to retire as long as students are well served by my continuing to teach, and 3) arthritis.

I would have preferred, of course, to only have inherited 1 and 2. I am, however, coping with 3. Life is still good.

Every step I take is accompanied by pain. I will be undergoing some physical therapy. Perhaps that will diminish the pain. But if not, it might be something with which I will have to live.

Fortunately, I have a high tolerance for pain. Because of an aversion to Lidocaine and other anesthetics, for years I had my dental work done without anesthetics. But then my dentist retired and my new dentist is more comfortable using Lidocaine, though he uses it in very modest amounts.

Standing for extended periods of time is a problem. But there are ways of dealing with that. When I am teaching my classes, I sit at the desk with the lectern in front of me. (My students probably think that is bad manners, but for me it is a necessity.)

I accept the fact that some of the things that I have enjoyed over the course of the years are no longer possible. Major back surgery several years ago brought an end to wilderness backpacking and canoeing. I know that I will never again see the mountain lakes that I love so much, among them Birch Lake and Glacier Lake, both of which can only be reached by hiking.

I cherish the memories of the wilderness backpacking and canoeing trips that I have been on and the numerous times I have fished for cutthroat trout in mountain lakes and streams. But I do not waste time feeling sorry for myself. Life isnt perfect. It is what it is.

When one door closes, other doors open. I immensely enjoy wildlife photography. I have taken a huge number of photos of birds in our backyard here in Rock Island and at our cabin in Montana. And when I go to the National Bison Range in Montana (one of my favorite places) I shoot photos of bison, deer, elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, bears and many other amazing creatures, both large and small, from the comfort (and safety) of my Ford F-150 pickup. I use a long lens for many of the photos.

I recently started taking a drawing class at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport. The joy of learning new things is something that I have never lost and hopefully never will lose. Arthritis does not stand in the way of learning new things.

I enjoy making things and have well-equipped woodworking shops both here in Rock Island and at our place in Montana. I have chairs in both of my shops so that I can sit down and rest my back for a few minutes when it starts giving out. Then I get back to work again. I work at my own pace. It is better that way.

I do not share these things with you because I want you to feel sorry for me. I do not feel sorry for myself and do not want you to feel sorry for me.

Rather I share them with you because I want all of you who have physical limitations of various types to know that there is still a quality of life to be experienced. Sometimes one has to look around a bit to discover the doors that are still open. And one has to be willing to learn new things and take on new challenges and adventures. Focusing on what we can do, rather than on what we are no longer able to do, is the key to happiness.

Even with the limitations that arthritis places on me, I continue to be thankful for each day of life. Life is good!
 Flash

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Saturday said that the country's position on the Taiwan question is consistent and clear-cut, reiterating that the Taiwan question is China's internal affairs.

Mao Ning, spokesperson for the ministry, made the comment when asked about Tesla CEO Elon Musk's remarks about China's Taiwan region, at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

In an interview with the Financial Times published on Friday, the billionaire claimed he believed that "conflict over Taiwan was inevitable" as well as recommending "a special administrative zone for Taiwan."

"China's position on the Taiwan question is consistent and clear-cut, which is we will continue to adhere to the basic policy of peaceful reunification and 'One Country, Two Systems' and work with the greatest sincerity and exert our utmost efforts to achieve peaceful reunification," said Mao.

She added, the Chinese side will also "resolutely crush 'Taiwan independence' secessionist attempts, resolutely stop interference by external forces, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Elementary students are painting a 90-foot hallway mural in Corvallis Primary School to honor educator Jen Kozeliski who passed away suddenly in December of 2021.

CPS Principal Lisa Nagel said Bozeman artist Gabrielle Lewis came as the artist in residence, Oct. 3-10.

She is working with all of our students K-4, Nagel said. She is incorporating ideas of the Bitterroot Mountain ranges, native plants and animals of Montana, and flowers and landscapes inspired by former teacher Jen Kozeliski.

To fund the project the school organized a fundraising event last spring and received grants from the Corvallis Schools Foundation and Indian Education for All.

Lewis said the mural shows Kozeliskis artistry and style.

She painted a lot of flowers and scenery and this mural incorporates a lot of the flowers she loved to paint in the colors she loved, Lewis said. They sent me some of her paintings and since Im a different artist than Jen I had to interpret those. Its an homage to her, in my style and the style of the students.

The mural spans the length and height of one wall along the 90-foot hallway and sloping ramp to the library, and an older portion of the building where Kozeliski taught for years.

The center section of the mural is divided into a grid designed for 12 images that represent either Montana or a painting of Kozeliskis.

A grizzly, a bison, a meadowlark, ponderosa pine, or a barn, or special flower, Lewis said. This section will be the fun, learn about Montana and learn about Jen section. The rest of it will just be a fun, colorful wall.

Lewis said the painting efforts were divided by skill and attention span with smaller kids painting lower on the wall and older students painting the more detailed, higher parts.

Third and fourth graders can stand on the ladders and stay in the lines better, she said. Second graders are painting today, they are the best so far. They havent hit the antonymous awareness of the third graders and dont have the chaos of first graders, but they are only so high.

On Wednesday, the high-energy but serious second-grade students filled in the middle section of the wall and experienced art as a busy, noisy, colorful, group effort. Some held cups full of paint while others held paper towels and stood ready to wipe any drips left by their painting buddy. Budding artists loaded their paintbrushes with paint and filled in colorful sections marked off by Lewis.

The goal was to complete the mural by Friday, then Lewis plans to come early next week to add some fine details.

It will go from the community aspect to an actual piece of art, she said. Rose [Wisenbach] has been my saving grace of helping with the kids.

Rose Wisenbach is the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) teacher and coordinator of the project that includes the young artists and the artist in residence.

Gabrielle has been amazing, Wisenbach said. She is working with our 450 students and shes never worked with that large of a group of kids before. She is doing awesome.

Jen Kozeliski taught and was on the team of educators for second grade.

Team member and second-grade educator Mary Richardson said the mural is a special tribute.

It is exciting that the students get to have the hands-on experience and that they get to replicate some of Mrs. Kozeliskis beautiful art, Richardson said. I love that we are incorporating that and that they get to experience it. I just see the joy in their eyes as they are doing the brush strokes.

She said the mural brings to life Kozeliskis artistic efforts.

Its a wonderful experience to get to participate in something that is going to stay here for years, Richardson said.
In the year 456 BC, Corinth Greece residents were saved from attacking Persians by a guard dog named Soter. The invaders had quietly killed 49 of 50 guard dogs. Unfortunately for the Persians, Soter managed to escape and soon alerted the Corinthians. After the battle, inhabitants built a statue commemorating him. They also created a silver collar to wear with the words, "To Soter, defender and savior of Corinth" inscribed on it.

In 356 B.C., during an attack by Persia's Darius III, Alexander the Great was charged by an elephant, facing almost certain death. The elephant was diverted aside when Alexander's dog, Peritas, leapt into the air and bit its face. Alexander would go on to create a huge empire that spread Hellenic culture throughout the near East. Peritas' breed, Molossian, has gone extinct; the closest modern equivalent is the Mastiff.

Scotland's Robert the Bruce's faithful Bloodhound Donnchadh not only had a large effect on Scottish history but would also end up affecting America's history as well. Enemies of Robert surreptitiously used his dog to find him in hiding. However, they were surprised when the dog suddenly turned on them when they tried to attack his master. Due to his aggressive stance, the men were driven off and Robert the Bruce survived to go on to become King of Scotland. King George III, the king of England during the Revolutionary War, was a descendent of Bruce.

In 1815, after his disastrous invasion of Russia, French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the island of Elba. While fleeing the island, his ship encountered rough seas. Napoleon fell from his ship but was rescued by a fisherman's dog. The dog that saved Napoleon was thought to have been a Newfoundland. Napoleon eventually returned to France and raised an army. He was later defeated at the Battle of Waterloo and was subsequently exiled to St Helena island where he died.

Old Drum was a black and tan hound that resided in Missouri. In 1869, he was killed when he wandered onto a neighboring farmer's property. His distraught owner sued the neighbor. The case went through several courts, eventually ending up at the Missouri Supreme Court. During one of these trials, lawyer George Vest gave an impassioned statement that was subsequently called "Eulogy of the Dog." It was during this speech that the famous phrase "man's best friend" was first uttered.

Buddy was a German Shepherd that was trained in Switzerland as one of the first seeing-eye dogs. In 1928, Buddy was given to Morris Frank, the first blind American to be paired with a seeing-eye dog. It would be Frank, along with Dorothy Eustis, who brought the seeing eye dog program to the United States. The pair also created The Seeing Eye, the first guide dog training facility in the world. With Buddy guiding his way, Frank relentlessly campaigned for laws to allow public access to service dogs. These laws would later form the basis for the Americans with Disabilities Act, passed by Congress in 1990.

When Herbert Hoover was running for president in 1928, the media frequently criticized him as being "dull." However after his photo was taken holding his dog King Tut, all that changed. The New York Times called it "one of the happiest pictures ever" of Herbert Hoover. This single photo helped soften his public image to voters.
Weve all heard of film festivals. And music festivals are practically commonplace. Around the world, however, there are festivals that are anything but common.

From world-class food fights to monkey-friendly buffets, a lot of them seem to involve food. Then again, theres an actual baby jumping festival, so anything goes.

Heres a breakdown of five of the strangest festivals from across the planet.

La Tomatina Festival

Held on the last Wednesday of each August, La Tomatina is a food-fighting festival of epic proportions. Held in the Spanish town of Bunol, roughly 20,000 people participate in the event each year  briefly doubling the towns population.

Technically, the festival does not begin until one brave soul has climbed to the top of a two-story high, greased-up wooden pole and reached the coveted ham at the top, La Tomatina Tours said on its website. In practice, this process takes a long time, and the festival starts despite no one reaching the meaty prize. The signal for the beginning of the fight is firing of water cannons  then the chaos begins, and its generally every man for himself.

After an hour, the fighting ends. At this point, no more tomatoes can be thrown. The cleaning process involves the use of fire trucks to spray down the streets, with water provided from a Roman aqueduct.

Monkey Buffet Festival

Among the ruins of the Phra Prang Sam Yot temple in Lopburi, Thailand, there is a massive food festival held on the last Sunday of November. Called the Monkey Buffet Festival, as reported by online magazine and travel company Atlas Obscura, the event is a hearty offering of delicious fruits for the areas macaques population.

The festival kicks off each year with an opening ceremony of dancers in monkey costumes, followed by an unveiling of towers built of fruit and vegetables for the monkeys.

Boryeong Mud Festival

South Korea hosts a festival each year dedicated to its unique and special land, specifically, the mud. The Boryeong Mud Festival, according to travel blog Torn Tackies, is a celebration of the areas famed mud, which is used to create a number of products due to its supposed anti-aging properties.

A two-week extravaganza, the festival begins in mid-July each year. From walking on the beach to playing in the mud zone, thousands of patrons from across the world can be seen caked in mud.

Its a festival thats all about having fun.

Battle of the Oranges

Citrus-loving globe-trotters will want to add Ivrea, Italy, to their itineraries. According to the BBC, Battle of the Oranges dates back centuries and commemorates the towns liberation from a tyrannical duke. The details of the festivals grim past are dark indeed.

The legend goes that the millers daughter, Violetta, cut off the dukes head when he tried to claim his right to sleep with young brides on their wedding night, the BBC reported. This led the town to rise up and burn down the dukes castle.

Quite literally a battle, this festival can get crazy. Participants pelt one another with thousands of oranges in honor of the battle against the dukes supporters.

Baby Jumping Festival

Once a year in mid-June, according to National Geographic, devils run wild in Spains Castrillo de Murcia. A representation of the triumph of good over evil, the festival is a blend of Catholic and pagan rituals that date back to the early 17th century.
You know the blues, Jimmy Duck Holmes sang on Sunday as he strummed his guitar and opened his noon set at the 18th annual Richmond Folk Festival.

But Holmes style of the genre, Bentonia blues, is distinct in that it prominently features open E minor and open D minor and originates from his Mississippi hometown, Bentonia.

When hes not touring to play at festivals and other venues, Holmes is the proprietor of the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia  the oldest continuously operating juke joint in Mississippi. The cafe, which his parents opened in 1948, is where he was first introduced to the style of blues from which he has made his career. Holmes has owned the venue since 1970.

In 2019, his contributions to the blues genre caught the attention of The Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach.

Somehow he got my performance and he got interested in this style and the sound, Holmes said just before taking the stage Sunday, the final day of the three-day Folk Festival that brought thousands of spectators to enjoy performances on six stages at the citys downtown riverfront.

Auerbach, who also does producing, worked with Holmes on his album Cyprus Roads, which would be nominated for a Grammy. The Black Keys went on to perform at Blue Front Cafe.

By the second song of his set at the CarMax Stage near Browns Island on Sunday, the tent began to fill with more than 100 people  a crowd about a third of the size of Holmes small hometown that has been the birthplace of a style of blues.

I cant make you dance, but I can sure tell you some stories and lay some music, he said before he launched into a more upbeat song and peoples heads started to bob along.

Meanwhile, over at the CoStar Group Stage on Browns Island, Bnat el Houariyat and Esraa Warda brought the sounds of Morocco to Richmond.

The sextet of women sang in their native language while playing various drums and tambourines as Warda danced. The women of Bnat el Houariyat traveled from Marrakesh to be at the festival, while Warda visited from New York.

Musical offerings ranged from U.S.-based acts to performers from Africa, South America and Mexico. Genres included hip-hop and R&B to country and folk to blues, bluegrass and a cappella.

On the far end of Browns Island at the Dominion Energy Dance Pavilion, a crowd of more than 100 listened to a cover of Princes Purple Rain albeit with an accordion leading the instrumentals.

Couples linked up and swayed side to side while singing along. Andre Thierry and the band Zydeco Magic continued to rouse the crowd for about an hour with zydeco music a Creole-inspired genre that originates in Louisiana.

Thierry and Zydeco Magic were a main attraction to the festival for attendee Mona Jain. An area resident, she tries to make it to the event every year. This year, she brought her mother-in-law to explore the music and foods.

I always think zydeco is a lot of fun and full of energy, Jain said while she waited for food from The Pie Guy, among more than 30 food vendors at the weekend-long festival.

The event is produced by Venture Richmond Events in partnership with the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the Center for Cultural Vibrancy, Virginia Humanities and the city of Richmond.
Heeey brother!

That signature salutation, delivered with pep and good cheer, is a sign that the Super Carlin Brothers are off to the races.

Which movie in Pixars beloved catalog deserves the highest ranking? Which scene can still make you cry at the drop of a hat? Which film falls at the bottom of the heap (just kidding; its obviously Cars 2).

Together, Jonathan J. Carlin and Ben Carlin dive into it all, bouncing thoughts off each other as they reflect on these movies that shaped so many childhoods, as well as adulthoods, in a video uploaded to their YouTube channel.

Immediately, the social media sites view counter starts moving: One thousand. Ten thousand. One hundred thousand views and still climbing.

Below, the comment section also starts pinging: So much fun to watch. This video has inspired me to do a complete Pixar movie rewatch. Hugs from a fan in Norway.

In one comment, a fan wrote that the brothers brand of upbeat, genuine enthusiasm for all things pop culture helped make tough days feel a little lighter.

This is why I love watching you guys! I just love how whenever Im stressed out about the day or something going on in life, you guys make that stress go away, it read, followed by more comments from others: Same!!! couldnt agree more :)

The Super Carlin Brothers are certified YouTube famous. On the walls of their office hangs a coveted gold plaque, sent by the video sharing platform itself, congratulating them on growing their channel to one million subscribers  a benchmark that only a slice of YouTubers reach and one the Carlin brothers have long since blown past.

Their channel now stands at more than 2.1 million subscribers. Its an achievement the pair of real-life brothers has steadily built toward over 10 years of creating content on the site.

Their path has taken them from recent college grads who embarked on a yearlong challenge to make videos, and all the way up through today when their channel has flourished into a full-time business that encompasses not only them but a team of staffers.

And its all unfolded right here, in their hometown, of Roanoke.

We dont talk a whole lot about our hometown on this channel but it is actually a really big part of our lives, J. Carlin once told their audience in a 2015 video spotlighting The Roanokers annual Best of Roanoke contest (which had just unveiled a Best YouTube Channel category).

I really want to share this with you guys, he added as he prepared to count down some of his own picks for what should top the charts in the city.

In a medium where many of their peers seem to be clustered in major metropolises  New York, L.A., Seattle and the like  J. and Ben Carlin made a very intentional decision to plant their stake in the Roanoke Valley.

In addition to their family ties and their love for the region, the duo said the community has been an ideal place to build out their business.

A lot of our friends and colleagues are based out of major cities where its just, you know, the cost of living is so much higher that it would be a lot more difficult to run an operation like we have here, said Ben Carlin. Here, we can have a team and everybody is paid competitive salaries for the area and benefits and 401(k)s.

Thats something thats been important to us, he said. We want these to be fun jobs for our crew but also good jobs  So, as a business, operating out of Roanoke, Virginia, has been great for us.

Rewind back to the summer of 2012, and the brothers couldnt have imagined that their video challenge project would one day turn into a career.

Their first videos, filmed on their own in the basement of a Salem house they shared as roommates, were an experiment to see if they could post daily videos for a year straight. Inspired by the vlogbothers, John and Hank Green, who did a project in which they kept in touch via daily vlogs, the Carlin brothers spent 12 months trading turns recording short updates about their lives, addressed to one another  the effervescent greeting, Hey brother!, remains a staple of their channel to this day.

J. and Ben, only two years apart in age and pals all their lives, finished out that year with not a single day missed, amassing a few thousand followers as they swapped stories and jokes, and decided to keep their channel going with weekly posts.

That early era offered glimpses of what was to come. Daily rumination videos were intermixed with their thoughts about Harry Potter, which theyve been megafans of since childhood, or their excitement to see the next Spiderman film. Flashes of Mario Bros., Pokemon and Star Wars would pop up in their backgrounds and on their computer screens.

But their channel hadnt carved out its niche as a destination point for all things pop culture and fandom yet.

Then came The Pixar Theory.

That was the video that went crazy viral, J. Carlin recalled. I think it might still be our most viewed.

The 2013 upload, which has attracted 10 million views to date, walked people through writer Jon Negronis intriguing theory that all of Pixars movies take place in the same universe and are connected to one another.

For fans of movies and Easter eggs  Carlin brothers included among them  the theory and the threads it ties together were a mind-blowing and fun source of debate, speculation and story building.

That was what grabbed the Carlins about it, and spurred them to make it one of their videos. But the rocket-fueled reaction to it was something they never expected.

They branched out into delving more into that world, and found it wasnt a fluke. Folks would tune in to hear their brotherly banter as they analyzed and theorized about their favorite franchises.

Eventually, we just made the decision that this was all we were going to post from now on, J. Carlin said. And the moment we did that was when things really exploded. We went from 10,000 to 60,000 to 300,000 subscribers. It was growing insanely fast.

In my wildest imagination, I didnt expect it to turn into what it has, he said. Its still really fun all the time  Theres also the stuff that you dont expect, like all the community that crops up around the channel. You get to know people over time, and being part of that community is very fun.

The bond of that community is evident on their videos where commenters gather to share their own stories about what a film means to them  The deep imprint that a movie can leave when seen at a pivotal stage of life. The power of representation as media grows more inclusive. The new understanding of a story gained when revisiting a childhood favorite years later as a parent.

That camaraderie also extends beyond YouTubes bounds. There are Discord server chatrooms where conversations can continue, friendly challenges to create art or get outdoors and, pre-covid, in-person events where J. and Ben would travel the country to host movie viewings and meet-and-greets.

Today, working out of a studio in downtown Roanoke, the Super Carlin Brothers universe includes not just their YouTube channel but a podcast, Popcorn Culture, a gaming channel and even a coffee line, Carlin Brothers Coffee.

The brothers, both of whom are now married with children, work full-time on the business, as does a three-person team of video editors and office staff.

Their ability to quit their old day jobs and become full-time content creators  J. made the leap when their channel hit 300,000 subscribers and Ben followed when it was nearing 600,000  made them part of a new internet frontier.

YouTube is an undeniable juggernaut in the social media sphere. Its among the most-used platforms and one of the few, along with Reddit, still experiencing meaningful growth in engagement among Americans, according to a 2021 Pew Research Center survey.

The site itself reports drawing 2 billion, logged-in users each month around the world.

But, a decade ago, it was relatively unheard of to be a full-time YouTube creator. Even today, despite the stunning stats generated by the platform, the idea that the site could be the foundation for a local business still catches many by surprise, said Ethan Edghill, one of the editors for Super Carlin Brothers.

Its been very cool to see, Edghill, who also grew up in Roanoke and has known J. and Ben for years, said of the evolution of the brothers channel. They are definitely bringing something interesting back to the valley, thats for sure.

The success of the brothers didnt come as a total surprise to those who knew them, Edghill added. They combine humor and relatability with a knack for crafting interesting commentary.

It really just sort of makes sense, he said. You could tell from the beginning that it was going to be something.

Next week, Roanokers will get a chance to get a firsthand look at part of what the brothers do. J. and Ben were asked to put on a live podcast recording for the 11th annual Go Outside Festival as part of a new lineup featuring story tellers during that free, three-day event.

The newly created Campfire Stage will invite people to gather round and hear from local and national figures, said event manager Kait Pedigo. The hope is to inspire audiences, and introduce them to new possibilities of what can be created and discovered in the region.

In the brainstorming process, we obviously were trying to think of great people who are great at talking and great at entertaining folks, and the Super Carlin Brothers definitely fit that bill, she said. ... Theyre really positive people. Theyre passionate about what they do, and they love Roanoke. Theyre what you want in your community.

The vibe of GO Fest, which is built around outdoor recreation, has always been to wander, explore and connect with others in the valley, she added.

This will be really cool because its going to be able to inspire people as to whats possible living in Roanoke, she said. You know, these guys are world famous for what they do.

Its good to see that weve got lots of variety and options here. Were a small community but were also big.

The Carlin brothers, who are both avid hikers and mountain bikers, plan to tailor their live show to GO Fests outdoors message.

The missions of the two operations  GO Fest and Super Carlin Brothers  come with a natural synergy. Both center on celebrating communities, passions and pastimes that make life more fun.

Those are sort of the mantras of our channel ever since weve been doing it, reflected Ben Carlin. Celebrate your fandom. Celebrate yourself  Our goal throughout has been to maintain a positive perspective to put out into the world.

J. and Ben, now ages 34 and 32 respectively, notched their 10-year anniversary as YouTubers over this past summer.

Looking ahead to the next 10 years, they said their hope is to continue making videos and bringing people together around stories, movies, fandoms and theories.

Were incredibly grateful, Ben Carlin said. At the end of every single year, I think, we did it. We made it one more year again. And the people are still here. Theyre still excited about it. They still want to watch.
It may not have been as dramatic as some of the pictures seen in the press of the United States Coast Guard doing their job, such as the well-known picture of a Coast Guardsman apprehending drug smugglers by riding on top of a narco-submarine on the high seas. (A narco-submarine is a submersible or semi-submersible craft used for drug smuggling.)

The Coast Guard Auxiliary has not spotted any narco-submarines on or under Claytor Lake, but the job has to be done of keeping the boating public safe, both on the high seas and on the inland waterways. That job falls to the Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Auxiliary. So the active duty Coast Guard came this way last month to support the mission.

Their itinerary was quite varied, from meeting with Coast Guard Auxiliary University Program students down at Virginia Tech, to training the Auxiliary, to actively being supported by the Auxiliary while they conducted law enforcement missions on the lake. It is unknown if they spotted the Hokie Bird while at Virginia Tech, but it was clear that they pulled over a few boaters to share some friendly advice on safe boating.

Their purpose for being at Claytor Lake extended even further when they met and conferenced with a collaboration of Pulaski Emergency Management and Pulaski Special Operations, all hosted by Flotilla 83 at their headquarters at the Search and Rescue Detachment on Claytor Lake. Flotilla 83 is working very actively to encourage increased interagency cooperation for life-saving operations and environmental protection on and around the lake. At their headquarters on the far side of the lake they have very sophisticated telecommunications and tracking systems to support these missions.

All units involved in working with the active duty Coast Guard on their recent trip agreed the few days of meetings and operations were very productive.

- Submitted by Garrett Sayre, FSO-PAO, Flotilla-83
A man who the Roanoke police department said pointed a gun at an officer was shot and wounded Saturday night, according to Virginia State Police.

The incident occurred on the 2300 block of Mountain View Terrace S.W. in Roanoke at approximately 11:10 p.m.

According to a city police news release, after an emergency call of shots being fired, officers encountered an adult man outside of a residence.

He was armed with a gun and pointed it towards police, resulting in one Roanoke officer firing a service weapon and striking him.

Roanoke Fire-EMS transported the man to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment. No officers were injured during this incident.

The mans name has not been disclosed by police, although a news release from the Roanoke department described his wound as non life-threatening.

In accord with Roanoke department policy, Virginia State Police are investigating this incident. The officer involved will be placed on administrative leave per department policy, according to Roanoke police spokeswoman Caitlyn Cline.

Once the investigation is complete, the findings will be turned over to Roanokes commonwealth attorney, according to state police

By Sunday afternoon, there was no sign of a crime scene at the residence. Neighbors had no comment or further details to provide.
PULASKI  Shawn Michael Tolberts flight from authorities lasted a couple of weeks but his run through the courts  where he faces charges in four counties  is likely to take far longer.

Tolberts first hearing, held last week in Pulaski County General District Court with Tolbert, 42, appearing via a video link from the New River Valley Regional Jail, ended with a judges order for a mental health evaluation. Though nothing formal has appeared yet on court dockets, it is usual for a defendants proceedings in other localities to be put on hold until questions about mental health status are resolved.

That would mean that Tolberts charges in Montgomery, Craig and Roanoke counties will effectively be frozen by the Pulaski County order.

In Pulaski County, Tolbert, of Burkeville, is charged with misdemeanor obstruction of justice. In Montgomery County, he is charged with felony eluding; in Roanoke County, felony eluding and misdemeanor reckless driving; and in Craig County, falsely identifying himself to law enforcement, trespassing, and obstruction of justice, all misdemeanors, and two felony counts of assault on officers.

In Pulaski County court on Tuesday, attorney Lindsay Phipps of the public defenders office said that after meeting with Tolbert, she wanted to request an evaluation of his mental competency, focused both on his ability to understand the charges against him and assist in his own defense, and on Tolberts sanity at the time of his offense.

Deputy Commonwealths Attorney Leslie Cumberland said that she had no objection, and Judge Erin DeHart ordered Tolbert to cooperate with the evaluation. DeHart scheduled a Nov. 15 hearing to review the status of the case.

Tolbert was arrested Aug. 31 after a search that involved a host of law enforcement agencies.

According to news releases from different agencies, the Botetourt County Sheriffs Office on Aug. 11 relayed to the Virginia State Police a description of a vehicle connected to a lottery ticket robbery suspect. A trooper spotted a vehicle that matched the description, with Tolbert driving.

Police say Tolbert fled from the trooper, drove into Craig County and crashed there. He then fled on foot, prompting a search that stretched into Giles and Montgomery counties. Ten days later, the Dublin Police Department announced that a tip led officers to a bus in a backyard where Tolbert was hiding.
HILLSVILLE  State delegates Marie March of Floyd County and Wren Williams of Patrick County are set to faceoff in a courtroom over an assault charge later this year.

But the two Republicans, competing against each other in a new House of Delegates district, are also in a politically charged situation over the method that will decide the nominee in next years election as both use words such as liar, unfit for office, and bully to describe each other.

The new 47th House District includes Carroll, Patrick, and Floyd counties, part of Henry County and the city of Galax. The district includes areas that are traditionally majority Republican.

March and Williams, both in their first legislative terms, know the winner of their intraparty race will make them the likely frontrunner in the 2023 general election.

That alone makes their race more intense.

At a Republican function in Wytheville last month, as Williams was leaving the meeting, March alleges that he made physical contact with her to the degree that she filed an assault charge. Williams has denied that.

At play that evening was the issue of the nomination process.

Theyre actually trying to rig a convention against me, Williams said to police that evening, according to body-camera footage.

Williams says he would prefer a primary, which would include voting at regular precincts across the district. A convention, on the other hand, would be a set event in one location where nominations are traditionally decided by fewer people.

March declined a request for an interview about the ongoing politics. When asked over text message whether she supports a primary, March said to contact her campaign team.

None of that is up to me. It is up to the GOP chairs in the district, March said in a text message. Theres a variety of ways to elect candidates including firehouse primary, convention, state primary.

She provided a phone number for political consultant Chris Shores, whose phone went straight to voicemail when called, and the voice mailbox was full.

Shores and his wife Diana drew numerous comments from others, including Williams.

The Shores are well known in the Republican Party of Virginia to work the party system and manipulate outdated rules and things like that, in order to rig the method of nomination, Williams said. They will help manipulate the chairman of the different units within the district, in order to determine what that method of nomination is going to look like  And they operate in a catch me if you can fashion.

It is one of those things that is a little back-room, said Phil Hawks, acting Carroll County party chairman. Its troubling, because to me, it kind of stinks of, well, in one way, its almost like an election rigging.

Contacted by phone for comment about Chris Shores alleged activity in Carroll County, Diana Shores also declined to answer questions.

We dont give out any of that information, and we dont have any comment on anything that youd be working on in relation to any of the clients that we work for, Diana Shores said. I have no comment about any of the clients we may or may not have.

Carroll County Republican David Riggen sent emails to fellow party members detailing his concerns.

Problems seemed to arise in Carroll County during an impromptu Republican meeting that was meant to coordinate volunteer planning efforts ahead of an October dinner fundraiser, Riggen said and Hawks confirmed.

A couple of agitators started complaining and causing strife, which led to all this, which is just the undercurrent, apparently, of stopping the primary, so the people dont have a right to vote who we appoint, Riggen said. Instead of fighting for the betterment of our country, were dividing ourselves up and not accomplishing anything, which is causing a lot of people to second-guess their volunteering in a situation like this.

According to members of the party, Chris Shores was present at that unofficial Carroll County GOP organizational meeting in September.

The Shores, theyve been known for having a reputation for manipulating conventions, and thats just something were not used to, Hawks said. In Carroll County, we have a storied history of holding primaries, and allowing our citizens to have a say in who represents them.

Riggen sent an an email to fellow party members to share a text message received ahead of the unofficial September meeting. That text, according to Riggens email, was from Carroll County Board of Supervisors member Jody Early.

If you two would like to come a little early you can meet with Chris Shores, an advisor to Marie March, the text message reads. He is going to help us change leadership in the party.

Early said in an email that he is uninvolved.

I have nothing to do with the change of leadership in the party, Early wrote. The extent of my interaction with our local party is as a committee member because I am an elected member of the Carroll County Board of Supervisors.

When asked about the text message, he would neither confirm nor deny the authenticity of that interaction.

Perhaps you should bother someone more aligned with your agenda, Early said in the email.

U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, whose congressional district overlaps the 47th District, said he has heard about the rumblings, but he did not weigh-in on the debate over a primary, convention, or some other means of determining the Republican nominee.

Thats up to the district committee to figure out, and Ill leave it up to the district committee, Griffith said during a phone call. Obviously, its a very tense time for the two announced candidates.

The district committee is automatically comprised of the chairpersons from the local Republican parties, Griffith said. In this case, five Republicans, each with a weighted vote based on their localities populations, will meet sometime in the early part of 2023 to decide the nomination method.

Normally the district committee meeting is not a public meeting, Griffith said. This one is a little more contentious than some, but I have known of situations where they do it by phone.

Continuing, Griffith said: In theory, this could have some positive side effects. As people get interested in an election, more people will go, whether its a primary or a convention, or a mass meeting or firehouse primary. Whatever the committee decides to do. It has a tendency to bring more people into the party. Some will show up just once, but some will actually show up and become more active in the local units across the entire area.
A large portrait of Lucy Addison overlooks the alley way separating two buildings along an alley way off of Roanokes Grandin Road.

Painted in different shades, the historical figure known for her contributions to education in Roanoke is set against an abstract dogwood flower background.

The painting of Addison, made by artist Autumn Raine Underwood, is one of nine pieces that form the Walls That Unite mural gallery adorning a side of the Roanoke Co+op building.

In addition to being admired by many passers-by on a radiant autumnal Saturday, the mural panels were celebrated during the first-ever Bloktober Fest event in the venerable neighborhood commercial district thats come to be known as Grandin Village.

The Co+op in partnership with the Grandin Village Business Association and the Roanoke Arts Commission dedicated what they formally called the Grandin Village Art Walk: Walls That Unite.

A Walls That Unite sign sits above the row of art panels.

Other works in the gallery include one of several children in awe as theyre looking at an opened book. The main subjects are set against a space-themed background featuring a number of planets. The panel, titled Hope by Whitney Brock, is described as a piece that exposes the wonder and awe that is innately expressed by innocent young minds.

Douglas Jackson, the arts and culture coordinator for the city of Roanoke, reflected on the festival and the art work.

I think it highlights how much talent there is in the area. Not only talent, but I think public art can help us communicate the kind of community we are and the kind of community we want to be, Jackson said. You look at the values that are portrayed in these nine murals, I think it really exemplifies that. Its a great day for Grandin Village and for Roanoke.

Don Gieck, a Colorado resident visiting his son who lives in Roanoke, passed through the alley on his way to Grandin Road, which was blocked off Saturday between Memorial Avenue and Westover Street, where homespun businesses set up booths. He said he quite liked the Hope panel as he and his wife contemplated the new art work.

I think its a nice move to have artwork on the outside on the wall there, he said. I think its nice. It does something with open space.

Giecks wife pointed to another piece showing four people with their arms in the air as theyre watching a sunset over the mountains. Being from Colorado, the couple said they see similar scenes all the time back home.

Bloktober Fest itself involved the closing of a portion of Grandin Road Saturday to allow event goers to browse booths manned by a number of businesses.

There were probably about a couple dozen booths at the event, said Chris Link, president of the Raleigh Court Neighborhood Association, which staged on the festival.

Link said his neighborhood group put on the event in an effort to foster a sense of community. He said they also drew inspiration from another series of seasonal monthly events in the Grandin area called the Chillage.

We kind of want to have our own event that mimics what the Chillage does, he said.

Link said hed love to see the festival become an annual occurrence.
Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong says that discussions on the UKs accession to the CPTPP are on-going.

Malaysia has been welcomed as the ninth member to complete its official ratification process of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Singapores Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, who chaired the first in-person CPTPP commission meeting since the Covid-19 pandemic, said that Malaysias ratification of the CPTPP will enhance the benefits of the agreement for all signatories.

These outcomes will ensure that the CPTPP remains an ambitious agreement that brings tangible benefits to our businesses and people. This is important in our efforts towards strong and resilient economic recovery that is inclusive and sustainable for all, he explains in a press release.

The meeting was held on Oct 7 and 8 in Singapore, this years chair of the CPTPP commission.

Malaysias ratification of the 11-member agreement will come into effect on Nov 29.

I am pleased that we have collectively achieved the objectives we had set for Singapores CPTPP Chairmanship. We have advanced the implementation of the CPTPP and explored further cooperation in areas such as the digital economy and green economy, said Gan.

According to him, a feature of the CPTPP is that it is not just a trade agreement  it also provides a platform for collaboration among CPTPP members on these issues.

The CPTPP is a free trade agreement signed by 11 economies  Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam  that resulted from the USs exit from the Trans-Pacific Partnership after former President Donald Trump pulled out of the agreement in 2016.

During his opening remarks at the press conference for the commission, Gan said that members addressed contributing to further efforts in the possible development of initiatives that promote trade and investment in environmental goods and services, and technologies through the CPTPP for the green economy

Story continues

On the digital economy front, members discussed areas such as digital trade facilitation, emerging technologies and data, as well as cooperation on uptake or digitalisation and data-driven tools on the digital economy front, added Gan, highlighting that the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) between Chile, New Zealand and Singapore originated from the CPTPPs e-commerce chapter.

At the commission, members also took stock of the steady progress that had been made over the past year in implementing the agreement, as well as in reviewing its impact on trade and supply chains in conjunction with the CPTPPs third year of entry into force, shared Gan.

Initial research findings from institutions based in the CPTPP region found a sharp recovery of intra-CPTPP trade in goods in 2021, as well as robust growth in intra-CPTPP digital services trade and amplified investment flows after implementation.

Intra-CPTPP trade increased by more than 4% to US$467 billion ($669 billion) in 2019, compared with an average of US$448 billion for the 2010 to 2018 period, while Intra-CPTPP digital services trade jumped 46% to US$51.9 billion in 2019, compared to an average of US$35.5 billion for the 2010 to 2018 period.

CPTPP members also recorded substantial foreign direct investment (FDI inflows), which increased by 10% from US$267 billion in 2018 to US$294 billion in 2019.

Membership matters

At the same press conference, Malaysias International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said that the sixth commission marked a momentous occasion for Malaysia. After five long years, we have finally ratified the CPTPP [and are] attending the commission meeting as a ratified party, Azmin said.

He added that Malaysia is fully committed to achieving the objectives of the partnership in deepening regional economic integration and building upon the rules-based multilateral trading system: We firmly believe that the CPTPP will further add impetus to our ongoing economic recovery efforts, particularly in pushing forward an agenda for growth that is progressive, sustainable and inclusive.

The joint ministerial statement also encourages the remaining signatories to intensify their efforts to complete their domestic procedures so that the agreement will enter into force for all signatories as soon as possible. Brunei and Chile are the two remaining signatories that have not officially ratified the agreement.

Meanwhile, discussions on the UKs accession to the CPTPP are on-going, Gan informed the media.

As this is the first accession by an aspirant economy, it is important that we do it well and put in place the right processes, so as to uphold the CPTPPs high standard rules and ambition, in terms of market access commitments, he explained.

Daishiro Yamagiwa, Japans Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy, added that there is no fixed timeline to complete the process to admit the UK to the agreement as the focus is on maintaining high standards for accession and setting a precedent for future admission to the CPTPP. Japan is chairing the working group for the UKs accession to the CPTPP.

The UK was the first economy outside the original 11 signatories to seek admission. China, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Taiwan have also applied to join the CPTPP.

Gan added that as the CPTPP members focus their efforts on advancing the UKs accession process, they will also continue to address subsequent applications in accordance with the CPTPP accession process, in support of the agreements expansion to economies that are committed to its objectives, and are able to adhere to its high standards.

When asked about the Australian governments position on Chinas application to join the CPTPP, Senator Tim Ayres, Australias Assistant Minister for Trade and Assistant Minister for Manufacturing, reiterated the stringent requirements for accession.

This is a very high quality agreement of enormous benefit to all of the CPTPP parties. It will be strengthened by the accession of economies that demonstrate a track record of meeting the highest standards of the CPTPP, he explained. To that end, there is a strong sense of purpose in the discussions amongst members to first approach the initial application of the UK for CPTPP admission and to ensure that we develop, through that process, a very high standard for CPTPP accession.

Ayres said that this is in the interests of continuing a strong and mutually beneficial agreement that establishes strong norms across the region for a rules-based approach to trade and to economic collaboration.

The next CPTPP commission meeting will be hosted by New Zealand in 2023.

See Also:






SIOUX CITY -- Kristie VerMulm McManamy traces her public speaking skills, or, as she jokingly puts it, "the gift of gab," to her high school days taking part in FFA activities.

When she joined the youth organization she had limited knowledge of agriculture, an interest the FFA is intended to foster. But it was the FFA that helped cultivate her knack for extemporaneous speaking. Soon others recognized that she was a natural.

"In high school, any time we were doing an event and the radio stations from Sioux Falls came out to do an interview, it was like -- 'Talk to Kristie, she can talk!' " she said with a laugh.

That skillset served McManamy well during her long career as a local TV reporter and anchor and her current role as a marketing specialist in her family's real estate company.

Already one of the most recognizable faces in the tri-state region, McManamy recently took on another high-profile role -- beginning a one-year term as chair of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

South Dakota roots

McManamy, 52, grew up in Harrisburg, S.D., a rapidly expanding community on the outskirts of Sioux Falls, with a present-day population more than 10 times what it was during her youth. After high school, she enrolled in South Dakota State University in Brookings. Immediately upon graduation in 1992, she landed a job with Sioux Falls TV station KELO.

"I graduated on a Saturday, Sunday, and I believe I started working for them on Monday," she recalled.

So began a several-year interval of jockeying between KELO and Sioux City station KTIV during the mid-1990s. She left KELO for KTIV, then returned to KELO, then went back to KTIV again for good in the fall of 1996.

For McManamy, it was a rather quick ascent to a coveted, better-compensated place behind the anchor-desk at KELO. She was about 23 years old at the time.

"Trust me, if you would've asked me at 21 and 22, if I was gonna be a television news anchor, I would've told you you were nuts," she said. "That was never my plan."

"People saw something in me that I didn't necessarily see in myself," she added.

At KTIV, she worked behind the anchor desk for 17 years. Most people in Siouxland know her by her maiden name -- VerMulm -- due to her long presence on television under that name. To avoid confusion, she uses both her maiden and married names.

"Kristie VerMulm is my maiden name -- and she technically doesn't exist anymore," she said lightheartedly. "I am legally McManamy. However, everybody still knows me as VerMulm."

In late 2013, McManamy stepped away from the anchor desk to become director of recruitment and communications with United Real Estate Solutions, where she works alongside her husband, Kevin McManamy, the president/broker of the firm.

McManamy said she left television so that she could spend more quality time with her family. At the time, her daughter, Sydney, was a sophomore in high school, and son, Sean, was in elementary school. Today, Sydney works alongside her mother and father at United Real Estate, while Sean followed his mother's footsteps to SDSU, where he's studying aviation.

"What happens when you have kids and you work nights, in that role, was -- when they were little, basically I was like a single mom in the morning and Kevin was a single dad at night, because I was never around for dinner," McManamy said.

"But what happens when your kids get older is, all of a sudden they're involved in all of these activities and all of these events. And then you get to the 'Hey mom, are you gonna be at my game?' And you're like, those are all during newscasts. Every little league game is at, like, six o'clock at night," she added.

Her children graduated from East High School, where McManamy has volunteered with the school's award-winning show choir and other activities. She also has been active with other organizations in the community, including the Siouxland Chamber, where she succeeded Briar Crichton, CEO and principal of CMBA Architects, as the board chair.

Improving quality of life

McManamy steps into her new leadership role as the Chamber, in its role as an advocate for business, continues to hear pleas from employers for help recruiting and retaining more workers to keep their operations going. The metro unemployment rate has hovered in the just-over-2-percent range for most of the year -- it was as low as 2.1 percent in April and May. Full employment is typically understood to be around a 4 percent unemployment rate.

Dueling billboards -- attempting to entice scarce workers to meatpacking plants, industrial outfits or to make ice cream or bake cookies, and boasting higher wages and benefits -- are an inescapable sight on roadways in the area, and an indication of just what a hot commodity workers are.

"You have to have a solid workforce. Any field, any business, you need to have a solid workforce. And so when we talk about recruitment and retention, we're working with businesses to help them with some of those issues. But also, part of that is -- what do employees want? -- if you're trying to recruit to this area. So quality of life is a big topic," McManamy said.

McManamy advocated for "those cool things" often encountered in cities -- vibrant downtowns, restaurants, shopping, places to hang out, and the like -- that can help attract the sort of mobile workers who might be willing to relocate here. Civic leaders and Chamber members have been major boosters of improvements and upgrades to the park and trail infrastructure in the Sioux City metro, in the belief that such amenities will be attractive to workers and families.

There's another quality-of-life matter she wants to take on -- a sort of beautification project.

It is, perhaps, somewhat less glamorous than new bicycle trails or tubing hills, though it would presumably have a smaller cost.

She wants to do away with the rubbish scattered hither and yon. The fast-food bags withering away, plastered along chain-link fences, the drink containers cast asunder, the napkins, the potato-chip bags, the fruit peels, the grocery sacks left in the custody of mother nature.

These things can leave a bad impression on visitors.

"We have a litter problem," McManamy said. "And it's everybody's responsibility, but one of the things that I'm focusing on this year is -- we don't have to reinvent the wheel, but we need to get the right people around the table to help address the issue."

"What more can we be doing?" she added. "Because when people come to our community, they shouldn't see a whole bunch of garbage, on the side of the road, in our fence lines -- we all need to be accountable."
Anika Noni Rose was so protective of Princess Tiana she didnt want consider any parts that might tarnish The Princess and the Frog.

Ive been especially respectful of who she is, the Tony-winning actress says. I love her. I created her. Shes a first.

But the Disney princess  the first Black princess in the companys history  represented a goal she had as a child: to be a voice in an animated film. I always loved Disney and Disney voices, Rose says. But Tiana? Shes a dream come true  a dream that comes to you tenfold.

The character  soon to be the featured attraction in a revamped version of Splash Mountain at the Disney theme parks  opened the world of animation to her and provided a chance to work with Randy Newman, Terence Blanchard and the films directors, Ron Clements and John Musker. I got to work with legends, Rose says. They were so phenomenal.

And, they were her introduction to a world she only dreamed about.

Broadway bound

Born in Connecticut, Rose acted in plays in high school, then got a bachelors degree in theater from Florida A&M University. She studied drama at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, moved to New York and scored her first Broadway role (in Footloose) within three months. Workshops and off-Broadway roles followed. She then landed a supporting role in Caroline, or Change, a musical about a maid in Louisiana. Rose played the maids daughter and won a Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress. More theater work followed and then Dreamgirls came her way. Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy pushed her up the ladder and onto the Disney plain.

Since then, Rose has been in a remake of Roots, the Starz series, Power, and, now, in Let the Right One In, a drama about a 12-year-old boy and a centuries-old vampire child. She plays a police officer and mother of the 12-year-old.

True to form, Rose talked with producers to make sure the Showtime series wasnt going to be an a, b, c, a formatthats not a format thats exciting to me. I wanted to make sure my journey as a cop wouldnt have me doing the same things each episode.

Lessons learned

A lesson she learned back around the time of Caroline, or Change: Search for the thing that sparks me, something that takes me in a different direction than the last thing I did so I can be constantly growing, learning and stretching. If you only take the things that are easy, you become dull. To be an artist, you have to get scratched up.

Let the Right One In also stars Demian Bichir as the father of the vampire. He has been seeking a cure for her condition; meanwhile, he stalks the streets of New York looking for fresh blood to keep her alive.

I love the lore of the vampire, Rose says. They live between two worlds and depend on humanity to survive. They have certain abilities to persuade and sway, otherwise they can die.

Similarly, law enforcement officials straddle two worlds as well. She lives in the cop world and civilian world and she needs to know why things happen.

Another generation

Ian Foreman, who plays her son, and Madison Taylor Baez, who plays the girl, are great scene partners, Rose says. And Im very protective of them. These particular children are so smart, so savvy, very mature in many ways. I feel like theyre in a space where I can assist  I dont ever try to lord experience over them.

In return, theyre willing to teach her magic (Foremans character dabbles in the art) and dance moves.

Thanks to Tiana, Rose feels a responsibility to carry herself in a way thats kind and respectful.

You can only expect so much from people, she explains. Being a role model is being the best you you can. Im not always going to conduct myself in a way somebody else thinks I should  I have my own triggers and joys and hurt  but I need to live up to my own standards.

Thats Tiana. Shes strong. She looks very much like me and I can turn 92 and there will always be that version of me. Its phenomenal.

Being a Disney princess, Rose says, is truly, truly awesome.

"Let the Right One In" airs on Showtime.
Meetings and events

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.
Richard and Anne were married on Oct. 14, 1950. Richard worked as a communication tower estimator, and Anne was a housewife. Both are retired. Their children are Rick Krone of Sioux City and Sharon (Mike) Irish of Sioux City. Richard and Anne have five grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.
Current farming practices in Iowa are depleting the soil on which our lives depend as well as creating a Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico, and if practices dont change on their own, nature is going to force us to change.

That is a key message Art Cullen, Pulitzer Prize-winning editor of the Storm Lake Times in northwest Iowa, will bring to the Quad-Cities on Wednesday, Oct. 19.

Cullen is the featured speaker at the 16th edition of the Upper Mississippi River Conference, hosted by River Action Inc., Davenport, at the Stony Creek Inn, Moline. The theme of the two-day event is Changing Climate, Evolving River, and will include talks on climate change, flooding, possible adaptations to mitigate both, what the public and private sectors can do and the role of media in providing information.

Cullen is co-owner of a family-run, twice-weekly newspaper founded in 1990 in the town of about 10,000, and he doesnt hold back. He was awarded the Pulitzer in 2017 for editorials, after all, so he has opinions.

With his Mark Twain-like mustache and shock of white hair, the bespectacled and occasional bow-tie-wearing Cullen speaks on a wide range of topics  Big Ag, the environment, politics, immigration, community and journalism.

He explored these topics in-depth in a 2018 book titled Storm Lake: A Chronicle of Change, Resilience, and Hope from a Heartland Newspaper. A film documentary Storm Lake was released in 2021 and has been shown on Iowa Public Television.

In a phone interview, Cullen gets right to the point of his conference presentation: Were losing our natural resource base to the Mississippi. We started with three feet of topsoil and were down to 14 inches.

Not only does this erosion threaten our ability to feed ourselves, but in addition to carrying away soil, water runoff contains nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer that has seeped through the soil into underground drainage tiles.

These tiles empty into streams and rivers, ultimately reaching the Mississippi and the Gulf. There the nutrients cause algae to bloom to harmful levels and when the algae die and decompose, they remove so much oxygen from the water that nothing can grow.

We cant go on like this, Cullen said.

As soil is being depleted, farmers are applying more fertilizer and herbicide to maintain yields, but that practice has limits. It is going to reach a point where production will decline and in which the nutritional value of crops will diminish, Cullen said.

Iowa has adopted what is called a Nutrient Reduction Strategy to stem soil and nitrogen-phosphorous erosion, but it is completely voluntary and, to Cullen, completely ineffective.

One practice is to plant cover crops during the time of year when corn and beans are not growing. The roots of these crops hold water and improve soil health.

Some farmers, including in the Quad-City region, have adopted this practice, but the percentage is very small. In Buena Vista County where Storm Lake is located, cover crops make up about one-half of 1 percent of crop ground, Cullen said. And the Dead Zone isnt getting smaller.

As for regulations to require nutrient reduction, they are off the table, and have been since the Reagan Administration, Cullen said.

Because planting cover crops comes with a cost, more incentives are needed, he said.

But hes concerned that in the agriculture portion of the recently passed climate-change legislation, incentives will go mostly to agri-business companies such as Archer Daniels Midland or Cargill, not independent farmers.

Another point Cullen will make  in keeping with the conference theme of changing climate  is that in 30 to 35 years, you wont be able to grow corn south of Highway 30 because of warming temperatures and the declining soil base.

But people just dont believe it, he said.

About the Pulitzer

Cullen was awarded the Pulitzer in 2017 for editorials he wrote about a lawsuit brought by the Des Moines Water Works against three Iowa counties, including Buena Vista. The suit alleged that nitrate flowing into the Raccoon River from farm tiles was polluting the river  from which Des Moines gets its water  and should be subject to the Clean Water Act.

As county boards of supervisors fought this lawsuit with high-priced lawyers from Washington, Cullens newspaper asked who was paying them. The supervisors wouldnt say. Through tenacious reporting, the newspaper determined that a shell entity called the Agribusiness Association of Iowa was formed and funded by Monsanto and Koch Fertilizer, with backing from the Farm Bureau, the Iowa Drainage Ditch Association, the Iowa Corn Growers and the Iowa Soybean Association.

The lawsuit was eventually dismissed, saying the issue was for the legislature, not the courts.

Still, the water works lawsuit changed the conversation in Iowa, Cullen said. Nobody was talking about cover crops in 2017. Nobody.

Most people had no idea there was nitrate in groundwater and neither did the farmers, in their defense. 

In his book, Cullen explained not only the lawsuit, but also the diverse community of Storm Lake that is home to a sizeable immigrant population from Mexico, Vietnam and Laos because of its meat-packing plants and also has a small university.

Published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House, other topics included: The newspaper business. Cullens view that money changed Iowa politics. Stories about various people, including Cullens wife and children and Bill Wundram, former Quad-City Times columnist. And he offered the idea that to get along in Iowa, one must not tread on hogs, corn, ethanol or Roundup.

The documentary Storm Lake touched on the lawsuit, but it became much broader, almost a love letter to Iowa, Cullen said.

That may be because filmmaker Jerry Risius grew up on a hog farm near Mason City, Iowa. But he moved away, Cullen said, after his father advised him, Theres no room for you here. Maybe he would liked to have farmed in Iowa, but he couldnt.

That is another Cullen message.

The way the USDA and land-grant colleges such as Iowa State University operate has the effect of skewing help to big operators and commodity crops, he said. For decades, the adage has been  spoken or unspoken  to get big or get out.

And with that, there is loss, Cullen notes.

Another loss is the decline of newspapers and newspaper readership that poses challenges to democracy and civic engagement because people know less and less about whats going on in their communities.

Need for true conservation

Ultimately, people must change the way we think about how we approach the land, Cullen said.

We need a kinship with the land like Aldo Leopold -- thats what conservation is, he said, referring to Iowa-born Leopold and his 1949 environmental classic A Sand County Almanac. In it, Leopold describes the need for people to understand that land is a community to which they belong, not a commodity belonging to them. People need to develop a land ethic that includes understanding, humility, respect  even love.

But you start talking like that then people think youre some Birkenstock-wearing quiche-eater, Cullen said.
SIOUX CITY -- Syphilis is surging in Woodbury County, with cases of the sexually transmitted disease up 111% since last year.

Thirty-four cases of syphilis were reported in 2021. So far this year, 72 cases have been tallied, according to data from Siouxland District Health Department.

"We've had more syphilis in the last year or so than we've ever had in a number of years," said Tyler Brock, the health department's deputy director. "We've been definitely concerned about the syphilis numbers in our region. Not just Sioux City, but in our tri-state area."

In 2018 and 2019, syphilis cases in the county were in the single digits, before increasing to 12 in 2020. Brock said he doesn't have an exact explanation for the rise.

"Syphilis can be fairly silent," he said. "We would just be speculating on exactly why. You might try to blame the lack of health care during the pandemic when people just kind of let things go. It wouldn't explain why our area is higher than others."

Preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows 2.5 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis nationwide in 2021. Syphilis cases jumped 26%, followed by chlamydia (3%) and gonorrhea (2.8%). David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, called the situation in the United States "out of control," according to a report from the Associated Press.

The Iowa Department of Public Health said in a statement that syphilis has reached its highest numbers in the state in a generation. There were 554 diagnoses of infectious syphilis reported to the health department in 2021, a 55% increase from the preceding year. The majority of cases are being diagnosed in men, although diagnoses among women nearly tripled in a single year.

"The increased number of women affected has led to historic increases in congenital syphilis, which occurs when the infection is passed from a pregnant person to the fetus or newborn," the statement said. "In 2021, there were 11 cases of congenital syphilis in Iowa -- more than the last 20 years combined. Additionally, rates of syphilis among our Black and Indigenous populations, and populations of color overall, are increasingly disproportionate."

Rachel Wurth, assistant medical director for Rosecrance Jackson Centers, is treating more cases of syphilis than she ever has. Rosecrance Jackson Centers offers behavioral health and addiction treatment services in Sioux City for children, adolescents and adults.

"In my 10 years here, I don't remember treating syphilis. This year, we have treated many cases of syphilis," she said.

Since pandemic restrictions loosened, Brenda Iliff said Rosecrance Jackson Centers' men's units have been full and that an increased number of women are also seeking addiction treatment services. Iliff, Rosecrance Jackson's vice president of clinical services, said people with addictions have always been at significant risk for STDs.

"If someone's not quite aware of what they're doing or remembering, they're just at greater risk for STDs," she said.

Iliff said a representative from Planned Parenthood talks with patients in Rosecrance Jackson's adult and adolescent units about STDs. She said she has noticed that the men in treatment seem more interested in the educational information being shared than in years past.

"The guys are asking for testing, which is a good thing," Iliff said.

At this time, Brock said local health officials are more alarmed about the syphilis numbers than they are by the chlamydia and gonorrhea data. He noted that the spread of chlamydia and gonorrhea in the community is at "normal or even slightly below normal levels."

So far this year, 605 cases of chlamydia and 262 cases of gonorrhea have been recorded in the county. From 2018 to 2021, annual cases of chlamydia ranged from 700 to 838 and gonorrhea from 343 to 426.

"The worse case scenario is worse with syphilis than it is with some of those others, that's why it concerns us a little bit more than with chlamydia and gonorrhea," Brock said.

Brock said syphilis is "fairly easy to treat" with a form of penicillin. But, he said the antibiotic is "very expensive" at the moment.

Sores on the genitals is one of the first signs of syphilis, however, Brock said the lesions can be missed if they are internal, particularly in females. If the disease goes untreated, he said a rash may appear on the hands, feet and other parts of the body. Then, neurosyphilis, a bacterial infection of the brain or spinal cord, can develop.

"Literally this organism gets into our nervous system," he said. "It can cause all kinds of different neurological-type things."

In the last year or two, Brock said there have been cases of congenital syphilis in Siouxland. Babies born to women who have the disease can become infected through the placenta or during birth. Congenital syphilis causes severe illness in infants, including premature birth, low birth weight, birth defects, blindness and hearing loss. It can also lead to stillbirth and infant death, according to the CDC.

Brock said Siouxland District Health Department has been educating local physicians about the need to test women for syphilis during the third trimester of their pregnancy, rather than just the first.

"As they're getting closer to delivering the baby, test them again, just in case something has changed since that first visit," he said. "We've really tried to raise awareness in our medical community about looking for it, testing for it and just trying to get that diagnosis before it turns into something serious."
The United States has the largest number of people incarcerated in the world  about 25% of all people imprisoned worldwide are in American prisons and jails.

Overcrowding, violence and long sentences are common in U.S. prisons, often creating a climate of hopelessness for incarcerated people, as well as people who work there.

Additionally, correctional officers, often challenged by long shifts, worries about their own safety and stressful working conditions, have a life expectancy that is on average a decade less than the general population.

But reform efforts could also extend to changing the prison environment itself.

We are American and Norwegian criminologists. While trying to better understand our countries justice systems, we have spent significant time in correctional facilities across Scandinavia and the U.S. There, we often try to identify overlooked similarities within these very different places  and ways they could learn from each other.

A recent collaboration between correctional services in Pennsylvania and several Scandinavian countries presents an opportunity to test these ideas. One Pennsylvania prison unit we are researching adapts elements from Scandinavian prisons, and offers a window into what drawing from other penal systems might look like in the U.S.

Prisons in Scandinavia

Correctional systems throughout much of Scandinavia are guided by a general set of philosophical principles. In Sweden, these standards emphasize rehabilitation and encourage meaningful change, so incarcerated people can lead a better life.

In Norway, core values of safety, transparency and innovation are considered fundamental to the idea of creating normality in prison, the feeling that life as part of a community continues, even behind walls and bars.

Adhering to these principles means that, in some cases, incarcerated people can wear their own clothes, work in jobs that prepare them for employment and cook their own meals.

Prisons in Scandinavia are also small, with some housing roughly a dozen people  which is possible, given relatively low incarceration rates in the region.

In most cases, people in prison in Norway have access to many of the same social and educational services and programs as people who are not incarcerated.

Many prisons, especially in Norway, are designed in a fundamentally different way than in the U.S. Proximity to nature is often considered, for example. Cells in Norway are also for a single person  not multiple people, as in most cases in the U.S. Norway, perhaps unsurprisingly, has attracted many international visitors who come to observe their prison system.

Importantly, correctional officers have at least a two-year, university-level education and are directly involved in rehabilitation and planning for the incarcerated persons re-entry into the world outside of prison. In the U.S., most officers receive just a few weeks of training, and their work focuses mostly on maintaining safety and security.

It is also worth noting that recidivism rates in Scandinavia are low. In Norway, it has been reported that less than half of people released from prison are rearrested after three years. In Pennsylvania, that figure is closer to 70%. The implications for correctional systems are profound.

Norway and the US

There are, of course, other fundamental differences between the Scandinavian countries and the U.S.

Norway, like the other countries in the region, is much smaller than the U.S., in both population and geography. Crime rates are lower there than in the U.S., and social support systems are more robust. Gun violence is also almost unheard of.

In Norway, the longest prison sentence in most cases is 21 years  with most people serving less than a year. In Pennsylvania, life sentences are not uncommon, and many crimes  including nonviolent ones  can results in decades of imprisonment.

Despite this, the two systems may not be completely incompatible, at least not when the goal is to reform the prison environment.

The Scandinavian Prison Project

In State Correctional Institution Chester, known as SCI Chester, a medium-security prison located just outside of Philadelphia, a correctional officer-guided team has worked since 2018 to incorporate Scandinavian penal principles into its own institution. Based on their direct experiences, the correctional officers and facility leaders sought to reconsider what incarceration could look like at SCI Chester. This initiative has uniquely focused on developing a single housing unit within the prison.

In 2019, the group, which also included outside researchers and correctional leaders, spent weeks visiting a range of facilities across Scandinavia, and the officers worked in Norwegian prisons alongside peer mentors.

In March 2020, six men in SCI Chester  each sentenced to life in prison  were selected to participate in the project as mentors. They then moved on to the new housing unit, which had come to be known as Little Scandinavia.

In early 2022, the researchers and correctional leaders returned for a follow-up visit to several prisons in Sweden. Though delayed by the pandemic, 29 more residents of SCI Chester were selected from the prisons general population to join the Scandinavian-inspired housing unit that May.

With single cells, a communal kitchen, Nordic-like furnishings and a landscaped, outdoor green space, Little Scandinavia looks unlike any other U.S. prison. Plants grow throughout the common areas. A large fish tank, maintained by staff and residents, is the centerpiece of an area designed to encourage people to gather.

A grocery program allows all of the residents to purchase fresh foods  a rarity in prison  and work directly with staff to send orders to a local store.

Each day, residents are expected to go to work, treatment or school, all within the prison.

Importantly, the correctional officers overseeing Little Scandinavia have received a range of training to facilitate communication with their assigned residents.

Drawing from Norways model, there is also a uniquely low ratio of trained staff to incarcerated men  one officer for eight residents, compared with the typical average of one staff member for 128 residents.

Although the community is still evolving, there have been no acts of violence, as some speculated would happen  even with access to kitchen equipment.

Learning from Little Scandinavia

As part of our research, we are examining correctional staffs first-hand experiences with this international project.

Some analyses have shown that a Scandinavian approach, focused on normality and reintegration, can be potentially good for correctional officers, boosting their morale, independence and well-being.

Incarcerated people have also reported feeling safer and having more positive relationships with staff and other people living in the prisons. They also indicated greater satisfaction with their access to food and the reintegration support available to them.

SCI Chester shows that it is, in fact, possible to adapt Scandinavian-style penal philosophies and incorporate them into a Pennsylvania prison. This effort is a pilot, however, with significant costs, foundational support from committed leaders, and in partnership with many outside experts.

It remains to be seen how these efforts will play out in the long term. Data from this project, and rigorous research on other efforts, can inform conversations about what the future of prison reform in the U.S. could look like.

After all, as they say in Norway, a prison is responsible for enabling the people who are incarcerated to return to society as good neighbors  a fact that, in most cases, is as true in Philadelphia as it is in Stockholm or Oslo.

___

Jordan M. Hyatt and Synve N. Andersen have received funding from Arnold Ventures, The Scandinavian-American Foundation, and the Nordic Research Council for Criminology (NsFK).

Synve Nygaard Andersen 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.

___
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  An explosion Saturday caused the partial collapse of a bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia, damaging an important supply artery for the Kremlin's faltering war effort in southern Ukraine and hitting a towering symbol of Russian power in the region.

Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, which killed three people. The speaker of the Russian-backed regional parliament in Crimea accused Ukraine, but Moscow didnt apportion blame. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly threatened to strike the bridge, and some lauded the destruction on Saturday. But Kyiv stopped short of claiming responsibility.

The explosion, which Russian authorities said was caused by a truck bomb, risked a sharp escalation in Russias eight-month war, with some Russian lawmakers calling for President Vladimir Putin to declare a counterterrorism operation," shedding the term special military operation that had downplayed the scope of fighting to ordinary Russians.

Putin signed a decree late Saturday tightening security for the bridge and for energy infrastructure between Crimea and Russia, and put Russias federal security service, the FSB, in charge of the effort.

Hours after the explosion, Russias Defense Ministry announced that the air force chief, Gen. Sergei Surovikin, would now command all Russian troops in Ukraine. Surovikin, who this summer was placed in charge of troops in southern Ukraine, had led Russian forces in Syria and was accused of overseeing a bombardment that destroyed much of Aleppo.

Moscow, however, continues to suffer battlefield losses.

On Saturday, a Kremlin-backed official in Ukraines Kherson region announced a partial evacuation of civilians from the southern province, one of four illegally annexed by Moscow last week. Kirill Stremousov told Russias state-run RIA Novosti agency that young children and the elderly could be relocated because Kherson was getting ready for a difficult period.

The 19-kilometer (12-mile) Kerch Bridge, on a strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, is a symbol of Moscows claims on Crimea and an essential link to the peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The $3.6 billion bridge, the longest in Europe, is vital to sustaining Russia's military operations in southern Ukraine. Putin himself presided over the bridges opening in 2018.

The attack on it will have a further sapping effort on Russian morale, (and) will give an extra boost to Ukraines, said James Nixey of Chatham House, a think tank in London. Conceivably the Russians can rebuild it, but they cant defend it while losing a war."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a video address, indirectly acknowledged the bridge attack but did not address its cause.

Today was not a bad day and mostly sunny on our state's territory, he said. Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea. Although it was also warm.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine wants a future without occupiers. Throughout our territory, in particular in Crimea.

Zelenskyy also said Ukrainian forces advanced or held the line in the east and south, but acknowledged very, very difficult, very tough fighting around the city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russian forces have claimed recent gains.

Russias National Anti-Terrorism Committee said a truck bomb caused seven railway cars carrying fuel to catch fire, resulting in the partial collapse of two sections of the bridge. A couple riding in a vehicle on the bridge were killed, Russias Investigative Committee said. It didnt say who the third victim was.

All vehicles crossing the bridge are supposed to undergo state-of-the-art checks for explosives. The truck that exploded was owned by a resident of the Krasnodar region in southern Russia, the Investigative Committee said, adding that the man's home was searched and experts were looking at the trucks route.

Train and automobile traffic over the bridge was temporarily suspended. Automobile traffic resumed Saturday afternoon on one of the two links that remained intact, with the flow alternating in each direction, said Crimeas Russia-backed leader, Sergey Aksyonov.

Rail traffic was resuming slowly. Two passenger trains left the Crimean cities of Sevastopol and Simferopol and headed toward the bridge Saturday evening. Passenger ferry links between Crimea and the Russian mainland were being relaunched Sunday.

While Russia seized areas north of Crimea early in its invasion of Ukraine and built a land corridor to it along the Sea of Azov, Ukraine is pressing a counteroffensive to reclaim that territory.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its troops in the south were receiving necessary supplies through that corridor and by sea.

Russian war bloggers responded to the bridge attack with fury, urging Moscow to retaliate by striking Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. Putin ordered the creation of a government panel to deal with the emergency. Gennady Zyuganov, head of the Russian Communist Party, said the terror attack should serve as a wake-up call. The special operation must be turned into a counterterrorist operation, he declared.

Leonid Slutsky, head of the foreign affairs committee in the Russian parliaments lower house, said consequences will be imminent if Ukraine was responsible. And Sergei Mironov, leader of the Just Russia faction, said Russia should respond by attacking key Ukrainian infrastructure.

Such statements may herald a decision by Putin to declare a counterterrorism operation.

The parliamentary leader of Zelenskyys party cast the explosion as a consequence of Moscows takeover of Crimea.

Russian illegal construction is starting to fall apart and catch fire. The reason is simple: If you build something explosive, then sooner or later it will explode, said David Arakhamia of the Servant of the People party.

The Ukrainian postal service announced it would issue stamps commemorating the blast, as it did after the sinking of the Moskva, a Russian flagship cruiser, by a Ukrainian strike.

The secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, tweeted a video with the Kerch Bridge on fire and Marilyn Monroe singing her Happy Birthday Mr. President song. Putin turned 70 on Friday.

In Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the reaction of the Kyiv regime to the destruction of civilian infrastructure shows its terrorist nature.

The Crimean Peninsula is a popular destination for Russian tourists and home to a Russian naval base. A Russian tourist association estimated that 50,000 tourists were in Crimea on Saturday.

Elsewhere, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Ukraines Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has lost its last remaining external power source as a result of renewed shelling and is now relying on emergency diesel generators.

Ukrainian authorities were also just beginning to sift through the wreckage of the devastated city of Lyman in eastern Ukraine, assessing the humanitarian toll and possible war crimes after a months-long Russian occupation.

Some people died in their houses, some people died in the streets, and the bodies are now being sent to experts for examination, said Mark Tkachenko of the Kramatorsk district police.

Explosions also rocked the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv early Saturday, sending plumes of smoke into the sky and triggering secondary explosions. Ukrainian officials accused Russia of using surface-to-air missiles in two largely residential neighborhoods.

Kharkiv resident Tetiana Samoilenko's apartment caught fire in the attack. She was in the kitchen when the blast struck, sending glass flying.

Now I have no roof over my head. Now I dont know what to do next, the 80-year-old said.

Stepanenko reported from Kharkiv, Ukraine. Francisco Seco contributed from Kharkiv and Justin Spike from Lyman, Ukraine.
ANGOLA, Ind. (AP)  A man suspected of killing two people early Sunday in northern Indiana was fatally shot during a shootout with police, authorities said.

The encounter between the man and local and state officers occurred around 5:30 a.m. in Angola, a town of about 9,000 people near Indiana's borders with Michigan and Ohio. It was nearly five hours after police discovered the bodies of two men outside a local home, Indiana State Police said.

The man exchanged gunfire with police, then fled on foot. During another exchange, he was struck at least once and killed, state police said.

The man matched the description of the person suspected of shooting the two males about 1 a.m., state police said.

No names were released.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  The suspect in a stabbing rampage on the Las Vegas Strip that left two people dead and six injured was in Los Angeles soliciting employment from strangers two days before the attack, according to a California TV station.

In a video taken Tuesday by photographer Jorge Lopez for NBCLA sister station Telemundo 52, a man who identified himself as Yoni Barrios approached Lopez outside Los Angeles City Hall and asked for help, saying he had lost his home and everything he had.

He kept telling me, I just want an opportunity, I just want to start from scratch, said Lopez, who was in downtown Los Angeles on assignment at the time.

The TV station said Lopez didnt realize the significance of the video until Barrios arrest Thursday in Las Vegas.

The rampage began when Barrios allegedly attacked a group of four showgirl performers outside a casino with a 12-inch knife, police said.

Barrios had approached the women for a photo on a pedestrian bridge, but one showgirl told police she was uncomfortable with his proposal and backed away.

Witnesses said Barrios charged at the woman and stabbed her in the back as she ran from him. The suspect then allegedly stabbed another woman before running down the Strip and looking for groups of people so he could let the anger out, police said.

Barrios thought the showgirls were laughing at him and making fun of his clothing, according to the arrest report.

Police said the suspect was wearing a chefs long-sleeved white jacket that was covered in blood when he was arrested.

Officers have recovered the knife Barrios is believed to have thrown into some bushes as he fled.

The county coroners office has identified the two killed as Las Vegas residents Brent Allan Hallett, 47, and Maris Mareen DiGiovanni, 30.

DiGiovanni was part of the Best Showgirls In Vegas modeling and talent agency, according to Cheryl Lowthorp, who runs the business that provides models and showgirls for various promotional events from restaurant openings to airport greetings.

Lowthorp said two others with the agency were among the wounded and a third escaped without injury.

Prior to the rampage, Barrios reportedly went to the Wynn casino and asked a janitor about jobs and was also seeking work as a chef.

Barrios also told a casino security guard he was trying to sell his knives that he kept in a suitcase to raise enough money to go back home, although police said his citizenship isn't clear.

Barrios, 32, is being held without bail and scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said Barrios will be charged with two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder.

Wolfson said prosecutors should decide in the next 30 to 60 days whether to seek the death penalty in the case.

It remained unclear Sunday if Barrios has a lawyer yet who can speak on his behalf.
A federal judge Thursday sentenced a 42-year-old Lincoln man to 18 months in prison for threatening a Colorado election official, President Biden and others online.

"This was not merely a single or even small handful of threats," U.S. District Judge John Gerrard said.

Using an anonymous account on Instagram, Travis Ford made a total of 18 threats to six public figures, including a Colorado election official, over a three-month period, he said.

Ford made threats on the account associated with President Biden, saying "You'll be dead before Christmas," "You and Kamala need to be put to sleep permanently," referring to Vice President Kamala Harris; and "We need to kill all swamp creatures including this one and show them what will happen to future swamp rats."

And he threatened the CEO of an election tech company, saying it was "time to blow up your company headquarters."

"These type of threats are not within the mainstream of public discourse," Gerrard said. "They're not even close to normal. And this court will not condone this type of behavior, and I will do nothing to normalize it."

On Thursday, Ford told the judge he takes accountability for his actions.

"I understand and I'm fully aware that my actions caused unnecessary harm to others, and I'm genuinely very, very sorry," he said.

Ford, who pleaded guilty, said he was ashamed and embarrassed he put himself and his family through this.

Attorney Jason Troia argued for probation, saying it happened during confusing and stressful times, "not just for Mr. Ford but internationally for people dealing with stresses of the pandemic."

He said Ford cooperated fully with the investigation and there was no indication that he would've acted on any of what he said.

But the victims didn't know that, Gerrard said.

Attorney Jonathan Jacobson of the U.S. Department of Justice, public integrity section, argued for two years in prison, the maximum, saying there has been an epidemic of threats to election workers in this country.

"These workers are simply doing their jobs and yet countless numbers of threatening, harassing and otherwise terrifying communications have been directed their way in the last two years," Jacobson said.

He said 1 in 6 report having been threatened solely because of their job.

"And that is how the defendant, Travis Ford, ended up on the government's radar," Jacobson said.

In August 2021, Ford made anonymous threats on the personal Instagram account of an election official in Colorado, whom he had come to believe had mismanaged the 2020 election.

In one, he wrote: Do you feel safe? You shouldnt. Do you think Soros will/can protect you? In another, Ford said: Your security detail is far too thin and incompetent to protect you. This world is unpredictable these days  anything can happen to anyone. (with a shrugging emoji).

The official reported it to law enforcement.

"As the government's investigation revealed, they were just the tip of the iceberg," Jacobson said.

He said he doesn't believe Ford is an imminent threat of violence or likely to reoffend but asked the judge to consider the message a sentence could have in deterring others.

"They (election workers) are in fear right now. And they are aware of this case. They're watching to see how federal courts views threats that for no reason leave them and their families in fear," Jacobson said.

In a news release Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department will not tolerate threats against public officials.

"This sentence makes clear that those who illegally threaten election workers should be prepared to face meaningful penalties, he said. The Justice Department will not hesitate to hold accountable those whose illegal threats of violence endanger the public servants who administer our elections.

This case is part of the Justice Departments Election Threats Task Force. Announced by Garland and launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco in June 2021, the task force has led the departments efforts to address threats of violence against election workers, and to ensure that all election workers  whether elected, appointed or volunteer  are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation.
Over 500 employees at Tyson Foods' corporate office in Dakota Dunes learned last week they would have to move more than 500 away to keep their jobs.

With its announcement to consolidate all corporate staff at its world headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, the meat company surprised and even shocked the Dakota Dunes campus and the region as a whole.

The bad news was yet another indication that nothing should be taken for granted.

Many employees faced a gut-wrenching choice -- decide within a month whether to uproot their lives and families by relocating to Springdale or remain in Siouxland with an uncertain career future. We sympathize with the situation they now find themselves in through no fault of their own.

Considering housing and other living expenses in Northwest Arkansas are more expensive, its a sure bet many employees would rather stay here. If we can retain them, we should.

Local leaders, who immediately vowed to assist those who opt to stay, pointed to the scores of area employers eager to hire. But are the available jobs and skillsets the best match for the white-collar professionals at Tyson?

Instead of touting our employment numbers, state and local officials should be looking to recruit new businesses with similar positions and pay that would be eager to recruit such a ready workforce. With Site Selection magazine regularly proclaiming metro Sioux City as the top small-size city for business expansion, it's not hard to imagine landing such an employer to call Siouxland home.

Where do we find those higher-paying jobs? Weve been home to high-tech industries. We once extolled our abilities as a major hub for calls center. We have long been proud of our medical community.

Banking has helped South Dakota grow; insurance is big in Nebraska. Agriculture has long been the bread and butter of the Midwest. Education may be a likely next step.

Could an Amazon or Google center be in our future?

The possibilities unfold like the opening scenes of a movie. Theres plenty to consider. But at what price?

In the past, economic developers have offered big concessions to attract businesses. We hear about the tax cuts, new roads and promises to upgrade the quality of life. But do we ever hear what kind of commitment the business will make in exchange? Should such a partnership be one-sided? Or should the business promise to stay for a period of years so everyone isnt blindsided?

Would state and local officials be wiser to encourage at least some of the Tyson employees to start small businesses and help them grow, similar to what happened after Gateway moved its headquarters to San Diego?

Now would be the right time to talk to those employees and learn what our strengths are and why theyd like to stay here. Cost of living and quality of life would certainly be among them. What about safety? Opportunity? Education?

What business would like to tap into that desire and locate here? It shouldnt be that hard to make a list. Then, its just a matter of targeting them and pointing out what weve known a long time.

Siouxlanders work hard, keep a low profile and care about their families.

Shouldnt that be enough to say this is the place to be?
Care and Feeding is Slates parenting advice column. Have a question for Care and Feeding? Submit it here or post it in the Slate Parenting Facebook group.

Dear Care and Feeding,

It seems early to be worrying about Christmas, but here we are. Im a man in a family of mostly women (my wife, two daughters, one daughter-in-law, mother, two sisters, and three nieces). My brothers-in-law are easy to buy gifts for and my wife buys the gifts for her father, but I struggle buying presents for everyone else. I know they all want jewelry or beauty products or some book series I have no idea about. I work an incredibly stressful job and have limited time for shopping, not to mention that I dont feel at all at home in stores that sell what they want.

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My eldest daughter, Halle (28), loves celebrations, is an organizational master, and a very thoughtful gift buyer. She keeps spreadsheets with dates of birthdays, preferences, and gifts bought. Most years, I have been able to ask Halle to sort the bulk of present-buying for our family on my behalf (of course I give her the money for it), since she enjoys Christmas shopping and it greatly eases my stress. But last year, Halle complained every time I asked her about what gifts she had purchased, acting like shopping on my behalf was a huge burden rather than something she could easily handle while doing her own shopping.

Then, at our Christmas get-together, she made a point of telling people about the gifts that were supposed to be from me, making it obvious that she had selected them. At least a couple of relatives felt as if I dont care about them (not at all true). I had to make the point several times that it was not Halle who had paid for these gifts but me! It was embarrassing. And since then we have had some awkward birthdays when my sisters thanked Halle for gifts that were from me. Now we are in October, when Halle starts Christmas shopping. In the past she has called to ask me who she should pick up gifts for from me and about money transfers, but there has been nothing from her this year. I have a bad feeling she will do what she did last year if I dont say something, or she might simply refuse to help out at all. I absolutely dont have time to go to the kind of effort she doesChristmas holidays are an overtime period for mebut I dont want to end up forgetting anyone or resorting to gift cards. Can you advise me on how I can talk to Halle about this? It seems like shes being unreasonable and uncharacteristically passive-aggressive, and I dont know how to approach this conversation.

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Christmas Problems Already

Dear CPA,

Let me get this straight. You want your daughter to do all your Christmas shopping for you without complaint or comment, you cant imagine why its the least bit inconvenient for her, youre hurt and angry that she let your family know that she was the one who picked out all these gifts that she did pick outand you want to know how to get her to keep doing this but return to shutting up about it? Are you kidding me?

Ive got news for you, busy father of three (et al.): the important part of gift-giving is not who pays for the gifts but who thoughtfully chooses them (and how, and why). If you dont have the time or the inclination to choose gifts for your loved ones, I would cut right to the chase and give them all cash. Do not ask Halle to buy your gifts again. In fact, to make sure she doesnt this year, tell your daughter you are going to be a grownup and take care of gifts yourself.

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And heres a tip: write each of them a note telling them you love them, and whyand maybe even say, As you know, shopping is not my forte. So I hope you wont mind some cash to buy whatever it is that would please you most.

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(In your note to Halle, you might even apologize for treating her as your servant for so many years. And maybe give her an extra-large cash gift while youre at it.)

Slate Plus Members Get More Advice From Michelle Herman Each Week

From this weeks letter, My Otherwise Docile Kid Chose a Really Odd Way to Stand Up for a Classmate: I was flabbergasted to learn that my son had been issued an in-school suspension for punching another boy in his class.

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Dear Care and Feeding,

My mom had me at 19, when she was understandably not ready to be a mother. She left me alone in the apartment for days and nights from toddlerhood on and was often drunk or hungover when she was with me. It took a lot of work on my end, but I came to forgive her for not being capable of being the parent a child needs, and although were not close, were still in each others lives.

I had my own daughter at 25, and she was and is very much wanted and treasured. Shes now 3, and I love her more than anything in the world. I work shift work, so although I only work about 40 hours a week and never past 9 p.m., its inconsistent. Im lucky that a coworker has a son my daughters age, and we are both shift supervisors so we never work the same shift; thus we babysit each others children for free when the other is working, and we chip in on groceries since we feed each others kids meals and snacks. When she and I cant cover each other, I have a dependable paid babysitter my daughter loves. All of this has been working well for the last three years.

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Recently, for the first time since I went back to work after my daughter was born, neither regular childcare option was available. My mother stepped up and took my daughter so that I didnt have to take an unpaid sick day. As soon as I dropped off my daughter, she started lecturing me about working too much and how my daughter was going to feel neglected if I wasnt a more present mother. I was genuinely shocked, since 1) I am a single parent who has no choice but to work to provide for her, and 2) she left me alone most of my childhood, and she was partying, not working. I was very angry, and I told her that while I was grateful for her help, it didnt give her the right to tell me how to parent my daughter, and I left for work. When I came home I calmly told her she of all people had no right to judge me, and she burst into tears, called me a monster for telling her she wasnt perfect as a teen mom, and then asked what my excuse was.

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Shes never said anything like this before, although this is the first time Ive asked her for help with my daughter. Normally she just sees her granddaughter for fun, not babysitting. I dont want to cut her out of my daughters life, but I dont want to hear those things again. Im now worrying whether my daughter feels abandoned, because my schedule is unpredictable, so its not like we have dinner every night. I am feeling very confused and distressed. I apologized to my mother for getting angry and told her I need some space to work through my feelings, but she didnt apologize to me in return, so I guess she really thinks that Im an absentee mother. Am I?

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Different but the Same?

Dear DbtS,

I dont know if she really thinks this of you, but that is neither here nor there. You are providing for your daughter in every way. If you want me to hazard a guess about whats up with your mom, I will: I think she is consumed with guilt about her failures, and I think that when you asked her for help with your daughters carefor the first time!it stirred that pot (or, in contemporary parlance, triggered her). She lashed out because thats what people tend to do when theyre in pain. For all we know, she may even believe that youre neglecting your child (she may have convinced herself of this as a way of letting her own neglectful parenting off the hook), though its hard to imagine anyone equating your situation to hers.

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I am here to tell you that youre doing great. The thoughtfulness with which youve worked out how to take care of your daughter is itself an indication of what a good mother you are. Your mothers diatribe and her refusal to apologize are not proof that Mom is right. They indicate the damage she did, which will be part of you forever. When it rears up (because it will), you will need to face it and remind yourself of who you are and what your life is like now. And where your (present-day) mother is concerned? Tell hercalmly, coollythat you dont wish to talk about this anymore or ever again. But if you want your mother in your or your daughters life, you will need to take a firm stand. And I think it would be wise to return to the get-together-for-fun times, no-babysitting days of yore for Grandma. (Instead, find a backup paid sitter for the rare occasions when neither of your go-to sitters is available.)

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Catch Up on Care and Feeding

 If you missed Fridays column, read it here.

 Discuss this column in the Slate Parenting Facebook group!

Dear Care and Feeding,

My mom died when I was in high school. It was extremely traumatic, and its something Ive had to work through in therapy over the last almost-20 years. I speak about her to my now-3-year-old often; usually, I tell him how kind she was, how much she would have loved him, that sort of thing. Last night at dinner, though, he asked me for the first time where she was. I explained that shes not here anymore. He asked, Is she at her home? And I absolutely lost it and broke down at the dinner table. I didnt know how to answer that question, and I sat there sobbing. My sweet toddler came over, hugged me, and asked me why I was sad. I told him I was sad because my mom/his grandma isnt here anymore, and I missed her. He didnt understand where she was. Im worried Ive now traumatized and confused him. I dont love the idea of explaining the death of a parent to my 3-year-old, let alone talking about the circumstances of my moms death. But Im wondering the best way to answer his question about her whereabouts in an honest, non-religious, and age-appropriate way.

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Mama is Sad

Dear Mama,

You havent traumatized him. You may have momentarily confused him by using the euphemism not here anymore (children this age are pretty literal-minded: if someone isnt here, where is the there that they are?) but you can revisit this conversation and be clear with him about what you meant.

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I know you hate the thought of telling your child that people dieand you especially hate the thought of telling him that parents dobut he is not too young for this conversation. I have said this before and Ill say it again: every young child at some point realizes or learns that their parents are going to die someday. Many fairy tales exist to serve this purpose, and to help children work out their feelings about this terrible knowledge. Bambi, The Lion King, and The Land Before Time do that, too.

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Conversations with children about death often occur around the death of a pet, which may feel like a lower-stakes way to approach the topic. But your child has directly asked you where his grandmother is, and it is time to use the word death. She died, and it made me very sad. It still makes me sad sometimes. Its all right for him to know youre still sad about this. You dont need to tell him any of the details about your mothers death, but you do need to let him know that death is a part of life. There is useful information here, including advice about how to explain death to a child this young.

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I also want to offer you some advice you havent asked for. Beyond the therapy youve had in the years since your mothers death, you might want to explore the work of Hope Edelman, who lost her own mother as a teenager, has written extensively on the subject of motherless daughters and motherless mothersand you, of course, are bothand also offers a support community, with workshops, retreats, and even weekly Zoom meetings. I believe this will be of help to you as you navigate these conversations with your son (which, I will note, will change as time passes). I know this is hard. But I know you can do it. Ill be holding you and your child in my heart.

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Submit your questions about parenting and family life here. Its anonymous! (Questions may be edited for publication.)

Dear Care and Feeding,

My husband and I have been married for 42 years, and we have a son and a daughter from his previous marriage. My stepdaughter is not close to her dad; she sees and speaks to him rarely. Recently my husband was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease and informed the kids. I am truly heartbroken by their response. My stepdaughter immediately asked me how much life insurance my husband had and said that, as his oldest child, she was due half. My daughter-in-law said that our son was due half. In other words, that I should get nothing: my stepchildren are due all of it.

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I am so focused on caring for my husband as his health declines that I feel overwhelmed and dont want to respond emotionally to these declarations (although it is very tempting to do so). I will not tell my husband what they have said because it would break his heart. (And I have not discussed it with my stepson because I dont want to cause friction in his marriage.) We are not wealthy. We live in a small house, have a car payment and other expenses that we cover with just social security and my husbands pension (of which I would receive a smaller amount after his death). I feel like I am drowning in fear and resentment. What do I do? I feel like I need to take care of our expenseswhat will before long be my expensesfirst, but both the girls are very clear about their expectations.

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Drowning in Despair

Dear Drowning,

Let me throw you a life raft. If your husband has a life insurance policy, there is a designated beneficiary. If you are the beneficiaryas I assume you arethen you, not his adult children, are due this money. I would not have a conversation with your stepchildrenor stepchild-in-lawabout this now. I would simply refuse to talk about it, cutting off any such discussion with, Right now my only concern is your dads health, keeping him comfortable and safe, and doing everything I can for him. If they press you, feel free to add, Im not interested in talking about this and, if necessary, say goodbye and hang up the phone or leave the room.

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It doesnt matter what these womens expectations are. I have no idea what your history is with your husbands kidsIm guessing it has been to some extent fraught (at least from their point of view)but it is your husbands expectations and wishes that count here. I hope you two have wills (if you dont, please have them drawn up now; I assure you that I would suggest this even if he were perfectly healthy). Every adult with any assets at all (even a small house and its contents) should have a will. In the wake of a death, chaos ensues without one. If your husband already has a will, I hope you know what it says. And I hope it says that everything the two of you own is yours after his death. (And if he has a life insurance policy, I would be shocked if his adult children, and not you, were the ones named in it!)

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If what you fear is that these kids will make demands of you after their father is gone, I would do everything you can to prepare yourself emotionally for this barrage. And if my guess is right, and there is some ancient history that is now being exhumedand you want to address it, for the sake of your own peace of mind and the familys well-beingthen it will be your choice to do so. I dont think money is the way to do that, no matter what is being said. And if money drives your stepchildren away from you after their fathers death, it will tell you more about your relationship with them than you ever understood while he was alive.

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Michelle

More Advice From Slate

Im a 55-year-old divorced college professor who earns $140,000 a year (plus interest, dividends, and royalties). I have around $3.5 million in investments, home equity, and savings, so I am fairly well off. My 51-year-old girlfriend has little savings, works an hourly wage job, and earns around $40,000 a year (shes had a much tougher life than me). I would be happy to support us both and would like her to quit working (or work much less) so we can travel more and have more free fun time. But she is worried about losing independence and being financially dependent on me. How do we bridge this?
How to Do It is Slates sex advice column. Have a question? Send it to Stoya and Rich here. Its anonymous.

Dear How to Do It,

My husband Cole and I have been together for nearly 18 years, married for 15. Weve never stepped out on one another. From the beginning, our sex life has been a sparkle, not an explosionwe are both sides so there is no anal intercourse. However, before Cole, I always had a boyfriend who enjoyed being scrogged on the daily. I enjoy topping and under the right conditions have dusted ceilings for the right guy. Cole and I havent had any sexual contact now for going on two years. Hes very wary of rejection, and the last time he tried to initiate some action with me I told him I wasnt into it. Its now two years later.

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We both love each other still but otherwise, its like living with a roommate. Theres no cuddling or kissing anymorehe was never that demonstrative from the get-go. Ive tried talking to him many times over the years and nothing changes. Ive asked about bringing a third into our bed only to get shunned for the suggestion. Ive stopped showering each day in protestmy job is low activity and I see no reason to shower each day if my boys arent under someones nose. Im getting crustier and not necessarily because I like it. At the same time, my not showering isnt sending the message.

I know marriages go through dry spells but we are both attractive men in our 40s/50s and it feels like Im just wasting my libido on a Frigidaire. I dont want to have an affair but I think of other men latelyhow can I not? Ive brought this up to Cole too, again just to be shunned for a few weeks. Add to all this that each of us has a difficult past with sex, so its a topic that brings up all sorts of conflict. Weve been to therapy and it doesnt seem to do much. Were both committed to being togetherhow do I break us out of this desert?

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Thirsty

Dear Thirsty,

First of all, take a shower. A protest without an audience is just masochism. There has to be a better way than building up cheese under the foreskin I assume you have because you used the term scrogged. (I cant find good info on where this term is popular, but it seems British.)

If Coles not interested in a threesome, not OK with you getting some side on the side, and not particularly interested in having sex with you, what does he really expect you to do? Just go without? Has he actually verbalized what he envisions as a viable plan here? Does he understand the logical consequences of his restrictions? He seems to be in the habit of punishing you with what you describe as shunningits understandable that he might be uncomfortable discussing certain topics given the difficult past you reference, but if his feelings are solely ruling things between you, that sounds like emotional tyranny. There can be a fine line between expressing sensitivity and manipulatingI have my suspicions about which side hes on for not having sex with you for two years after you told him you werent into it once, which you have every right to do. Thats, in fact, something that should be encouraged by an empathetic partner.

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You want to break out of the desert, but your guy has buried his feet in the sand. Its possible that he needs therapy beyond what youve tried together, as perhaps his issues are beyond your help. A lot of good people have understandable reasons for behaving selfishly, but if theyre not trying to work through that, theyre not doing their work as partners. You have to ask yourself how much youre willing to put up with if things dont changeyou only have so much power here. What you can do is walk away, as sad as it is.

Incidentally, you have such a flair for language that even when I dont know what youre talking about exactly (dusted ceilings; wasting my libido on a Frigidaire), I see what you mean. I think you should get into writing pop songs.

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Dear How to Do It,

My husband came out to me (and only me) as bisexual three years ago. This was after a low point in our marriage, during which he mostly wasnt interested in sex with me. He doesnt want an open marriage; instead, his request was that we try pegging. I was the more sexually forward one historically, and it was a big leap in intimacy for him to be honest about this, so I gave it an enthusiastic go. It is clear he enjoys it very much.

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I am just not into it, even though I wish I were. I want sex to be fun and satisfying for him, but I feel like a stand-in for what he really wants, which is to be with a man in these moments. It turns out its a big turn-off for me to know hes imagining being with someone else while were having sex. The last few times, I had to give myself a literal pep talk and struggled not to seem impatient until it was over. Thats not the kind of partner I want to be nor the experience I want either of us to have.

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Ive typically derived a lot of pleasure from my partners pleasure, so this is a first for me. Im feeling insecure that this will come off as, well, insecure, and Im struggling with how to talk about it in a way that doesnt make him feel self-conscious about opening up to me. (It took 9 years! Im glad he did!) Are there strategies I can use to change my mindset about this and learn to enjoy it? If not, how do partners navigate mismatches like this that are rooted in something as personal as sexual identity? An open marriage is not on the table for us.

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Not Peggy

Dear Not Peggy,

You deserve praise simply for being a good sport. As Im sure you are aware, you are not obligated to do anything you dont want sexually, regardless of the context and whether you have a rationale for your disinterest. Youve been generous and seeking ways to enjoy this thing that you dont is evidence of further generosity.

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In fact, I wonder if youre being too generous. Its clear that youre getting nothing out of the pegging (nothing good, at least) but reading your letter made me wonder: What are you getting overall? Has pegging taken over your sex life entirely? Did your husband go from being uninterested in having sex with you to being only interested in being mounted by you? Hes shown he can take, which means hes got some giving to do if hes not already. I dont necessarily mean him topping you (though if thats what you want, you should talk about it). What Im referring to is giving in a more general sense: Youre catering to him, but is he returning the favor?

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If in fact the pegging has been integrated into a more varied scheme but youre still having issues with it, I think you start by rethinking assumptions. Are you sure hes imagining being with someone else? Couldnt it be that hes eroticizing your actual encounters? Pegging neednt be a substitution for anythingit can be enjoyed on its own terms for exactly what it is. He doesnt have to dissociate to enjoy being pounded by his wife. Perhaps the prosthetic penis, though, is too much of a barrier for you, in which case you could integrate some direct butt play using your own body. Think fingering and rimming.

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Anyones partner at any time might be fantasizing during sex. I understand if this is off-putting or dismaying, but for some, its just a reality, especially within the constraints of monogamy. When people dont want to open their relationship, negotiating is in order, and it seems like youve already done that. I think this requires some clarifying conversations about what your husband is eroticizing and where his head is at when hes doing it. If your suspicions are correct, perhaps it would make things less daunting if he verbalized the fantasies hes having during sex, making them something you can share. But that just might turn you off more. In any event, if you arent being served in any way, well, its hardly a surprise that you arent satisfied. Hes asked a lot of you, now its your turn to ask.

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Dear How to Do It,

Ive hit a roadblock in what has been, up to this point, a satisfying and highly enjoyable sex life with my wife (cishet couple, early 40s, together about 20 years). A month or so back, we had a situation in which I was unable to rise to the occasion. I didnt think much of it at the time, as it was largely triggered by our elementary school-aged child making a huge racket in his room, which killed the mood for both of us. But ever since then, every time we try, Im suddenly stricken with worry and shameWhat if I cant get an erection this time, either?and that quickly turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy. For what its worth, Im all but certain the problem is not physical, as I have no difficulty getting my equipment to work when Im alone.

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Making things worse for me, at least mentally, is that this used to be a serious problem in my life. It was an issue for months at the beginning of my first serious relationship, and though I was eventually able to get past it, the problem resurfaced after that relationship ended and derailed every sexual encounter I had (not that there were many!) before I got together with my wife. But by no less than a small miracle, it never presented a serious problem with her. A combination of factorsnot the least of which is the fact that I was rip-roaring drunk and didnt have the wherewithal to start worryingled to me being able to perform the first time I tried, and once I had that confidence, I didnt have another serious problem until the incident above. So, now I have all these past shortcomings running through my mind every time we try to have sex, and, needless to say, it doesnt help.

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I am pursuing therapy for this and some tangentially related issues, but that process is moving slowly (hooray American healthcare system!) and Im wondering if theres anything else I can do in the short term. How do I get back the confidence I had no good reason to lose in the first place?

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Dude, Wheres My Confidence?

Dear Confidence,

I think you have a good handle on the situationa self-fulfilling prophecy is what this sounds like. Because this is a situation that tends to resolve itself (and seems to be triggered by discomfort and anxiety), your ED seems to be more psychologically rooted. In the dual-control model of sexuality that we talk about so much in this column (thanks in no small part due to Emily Nagoskis long-form exploration of it in Come as You Are), there are people whose brakes are a bit more stubborn than their accelerators. While that presentation tends to be more often observed in women, the truth is there are plenty of men who are wired that way as well. Nothing wrong with it, but the cultural assumption that men are always ready to go tends to compound the pressure on those who arent.

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In any event, try an ED medication to get you back on track. We talk all the time in this column about how PDE5 inhibitors like sildenafil can sometimes reduce anxietyknowing you have that medically endowed extra lift can help you to relax, which is good for erections. Theres some evidence that apomorphine can also assist herethats not a vasodilator, but a dopamine agonist, which works on receptors in your brain associated with ED. An online startup called Rugiet sells a sublingual troche that combines two PDE5s and apomorphine. You can get it prescribed online. Might be worth a tryor you can talk to your doctor about getting a prescription for a relatively inexpensive generic PDE5. Use it as backup and to get you back on track.

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Dear How to Do It,

Married for decades, we used to have a great sex life, so great that I damaged my penis somehow and have scar tissue that gives it a really sharp curve, which makes it really difficult to get penetration in our favorite old positions. (Its known as Peyronies.) So, along with the usual aging sort of reasons, its just hard to get there, so to speak. I have lots of libidinous thoughts and a very eager but bent little guy, if you catch the image. Any suggestions? Shes cooperative and a good sport, but I know I cant do what she really liked, back in the day. Any helpful suggestions for how to make things better?

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Bent But Eager

Dear Bent,

Its true that Peyronies is associated with difficult intercourse and that some couples, as a result, have less sex. You cant do what she liked, back in the day, but your dick was different then. So, you can mourn the old times or adapt to the current situation. Regarding positioning, you know what doesnt work, but have you figured out what does? It might not be easy or feasible, but its certainly worth trying to work with your curve. You can also prioritize other kinds of sex like manual and oral. Again, its not the same, but sometimes life takes us for a curve, as you well know. I advise you to lean into it, at least for now.

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There are certainly treatment options you can look into. Dr. Charles Welliver, director of mens health at Albany Medical College, told me via email that high rates of depression are associated with Peyronies. He strongly suggested consulting with a urologist who specifically treats PD (not all urologists do). Not sure why you would want to suffer through this when we have lots of good options, wrote Welliver. If you arent sure where to start looking, start by poking around the Sexual Medicine Society of North Americas healthcare provider directory.

Rich

More Advice From Slate

In the past, I never really had anal sex, not because I was against it but because it seemed like something that took a lot of prep that I didnt understand, and I was happy without it. Lately, Ive taken it up in a concentrated wayI tend to be a little bit of a project manager when I try something new, sexually or otherwiseand I really like it. Its been a revelation in a lot of ways. But what I hate is the prep work.
If you peruse the list of recent releases in Christian publishing, youll get the sense that the end times are upon us. This summer saw the release of survival guides, books about current events, and prayer manuals all oriented around a rapture, a second coming of Christ, or an otherwise cataclysmic event at the hands of God. (Subtitles included 12 Megaclues That Jesus Return Is Nearer Than Ever; An End Times Guide to Survival; Do Current Events Point to the Antichrist and His Worldwide Empire?; and Prayer Strategies That Unlock the End-Time Armory of God.)

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According to Publishers Weekly, this spate of end-times books is being printed to meet demand. Its what the readers want. (At least some of them; editors at the imprint Harvest Prophecy, which was founded last year, told Publishers Weekly they had seen a strong surge of interest because there is so much happening in todays world that parallels End-Times signs given in the Bible.)

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Theres no denying that the apocalypse is currently having a moment, culturally and politically. It could be driven partly by the pandemic and fears of climate change. Those are actual, frightening apocalyptic scourges. Russias war has also set off alarm bells for certain evangelicals, as there was a Cold War tradition of identifying the country, variably, with Gog or Magog.

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But it seems an odd time for doomsday fervor, given the ascendancy of the religious right in American politics and the current makeup of the Supreme Court. Why, at this moment, when the Christian right should be feeling more empowered, would the end of the world be so trendy?

Tommy Ice, a retired theology professor and the executive director of the Pre-Trib Research Center, hosts an annual conference discussing the pretribulational rapture, which refers to a raptureor disappearance ofthe faithful, an event that in his belief will occur before a seven-year period of hellish events on earth. Ice is an evangelical and personally believes in a coming rapture, but he isnt as eager as many other Christians to read the signs of its work in motion. Ice believes we live in unholy times and looks forward to the Second Coming. We are living in the last days of the church age, he believes, but are not yet in the time of tribulation. Others, though, are eager to believe that Bible prophecies are already being fulfilled. As someone who hosts the major annual conference debating these apocalyptic prophecies, he understands their perspective. Its a dark time, in his mind. But he said the pandemic had nothing to do with these beliefs.

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The reason its happening is the totalitarianism in the United States, he said of the rising interest in end times. Its because of the seemingly overnight decline of America, from our perspective. Its a huge shift, the stealing of an election. When has that ever happened in the United States?

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For him, the stolen presidential electionalong with, he believes, stolen elections in the two 2020 Senate races in Georgiaclarified the depths of the nations degeneracy. (All of the election fraud claims that Ice cited as signs of totalitarianism have been thoroughly debunked.) That, he said, was lining up with what it is going to be like after the rapture of the church, where you have the Antichrist coming from Europe, whos going to be the world ruler.

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Ice, like many evangelicals (and Pentecostals), subscribes to the belief that after a set of foretold omens and a seven-year tribulation period of nightmarish calamities, Christ will return to rule on earth for a 1,000-year period. This particular viewknown as the premillennial dispensationalist interpretation of the events of Revelation, Ezekiel, and Danielis not popular among Catholics or mainline Protestants, who see the references in the Bible to a thousand-year reign of Jesus as largely metaphorical. (Indeed, many Christians see the time we are in currently as being a time of Christs rule, having been blessed by his sacrifice.)

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There are variations to eschatological beliefs, depending on sect and individual belief. Some believe the rapture will occur before the tribulation, some after, and some not at all. Many think the Antichrist will appear; some dont. Some believe more specifically that the forces of evil will attempt to gather the countries into one world government, or alternatively, one world economy, and then will cede humanitys power to the Antichrist. But in general, most evangelicals believe in the broad idea that as evil ascends, the end times draw closer.

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As Ice sees it, the Holy Spirit dwells in each Christian believer and acts as a restrainer that prevents evil from reaching upper limits, which would, when reached, trigger the beginning events of the end times. So, the growing secularism of the world, in his view, erodes that protective barrier.

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He described the U.S. as the the only country that was founded with specific Christian, Protestant principals and noted that it was the major remaining nation to be a big Christian center spreading the faith. Even until the mid-1800s, almost everything was run by Protestant Christians, he said. Many state constitutions, until the 1830syou had to believe in the Trinity to run for office. Christianity, in that sense, is dead in this country.

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Secularism within the government and in public life, he said, has led to anarchyand the stolen 2020 elections are the proof.

Matthew Avery Sutton, a history professor at Washington State University and author of American Apocalypse, noted that Donald Trump, knowingly or not, tapped into a century of end-times beliefs by quarreling with NATO and criticizing the FBI and the deep state. In the Left Behind book series, which was published in the 90s and early 2000s and which has had an enormous impact on how many Christians conceptualize the apocalypse, the Antichrist turns out to be a politically savvy secretary-general of the United Nations, which is then converted into a single world government. Trump didnt frame his isolationist America First policies or his anti-FBI rants as a fight against the Antichrist, but his distrust of European governments and of his own intelligence and security agencies maps onto these cultural tropes and other long-held evangelical suspicions about the threat of satanic forces. Its all about fighting one world government and the coming dominance of the Antichrist so we can stand against evil, Sutton said.

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When Trump spoke of an election rigged by a powerful and evil deep state, he might not have known just how primed his evangelical audience was to believe in a powerful, organized, and satanic opposition. For those who believe deeply in the devious powers of the Antichrist, stealing an election looks like a simple first step in an even larger plan.

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Several academics who study apocalyptic thinking agreed that the audience for end times prophecy books has grown because of partisan politics more than anything to do with COVID or climate change. (The term prophecy, in this context, refers to events depicted in the Bibles books of Revelation, Ezekiel, and Daniel that are read by some Christians as guides to the future apocalypse. Prophecy as a category in this sense does not include predictions outside of the Bible, such as those made by a large number of contemporary Christian prophets who happily predict Trumps return to power.)

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White evangelicals, the demographic most interested in rapture content, are overwhelmingly Trump supporters. And their positioning of Donald Trump as a messianic figure has supercharged some of the language around spiritualand earthlyconflict.

That whole dynamic has been increasingly portrayed as this battle between light and dark, said Zack Hunt, a Christian nonfiction writer and the author of Unraptured: How End Times Gets Theology Wrong, of MAGA politics. That has always been the context of end-times theology: Jesus will come back to defeat evil once and for all. So from Nov. 4, 2020, that battle has intensified. The language you hear coming out of right-wing media is its a battle of good versus evil. Thats a ripe and fertile ground for end-times theology.

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Its hard to ignore how aligned this framing is with QAnon conspiracy theories, which place Trump and good Christians at odds with the blood-drinking, child-trafficking, Satan-worshiping elites running the country. The QAnon theories often showcase a messianic figure (Trump) assembling an army of brave Christian followers to take on scheming demonic forces and ultimately win in one great triumphant battle (the Storm). These theories are similar to premillennial dispensationalist beliefs that portend Jesus facing off against the forces of Satan in the final battle. (One of the books coming out in October is an updated edition of As It Was in the Days of Noah: Warnings From Bible Prophecy About the Coming Global Storm from 2014.) According to Paul Djupe, a political scientist at Denison University, evangelicals were primed to buy into QAnons theories because they drew on the pattern of end-times theologizing they were used to. This narrative tradition has had a cultural impact on more than just evangelicals, though. Even beyond the corners of the evangelical world obsessed with apocalyptic sign-reading, mainstream white Christians have come to start looking at current events for portents of evil.

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That sense of doom remains prevalent among those in the religious right despite its many recent victories. The rapture and Second Coming seem like frightening concepts to nonbelievers, but to many evangelicals and Pentecostals, they are a positive eventualityand provide reassurance that dark times are simply part of Gods plan. An increasingly corrupt world simply brings us closer to paradise on earth. Like QAnons coming Storm, the apocalypse offers a promise of justice, and of being on the correct, and ultimately winning, side of things. Not that everyone is looking forward to doomsday, exactly. Many see their job as Christians as delaying judgment, in part to save more souls. (Such a stance allows Christian nationalists to smooth out the dissonance between their political ambitions and their apocalyptic beliefs.)

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End-times ideas, then, often surge when evangelicals feel disempowered and anxious.

After Dobbs, the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe, Hunt said he observed a momentary euphoria, but no significant impact on the end-times anxiety. If youre in the world of conservative, fundamentalist evangelicals, things are getting progressively worse, he said. If you have the belief that the world is getting worse but something good happens, it makes for an awkward tension, because it doesnt quite line up with the map. So, I dont think it relieves tension. Its a nice aberration from the plan. Its great, theyre excited, but theres still work to do, and were still in the end times.

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Ices response supported this explanation: When asked if the Supreme Courts favoring of the Christian right with regard to abortion bans, prayer in public schools, and the state funding of Christian education did anything to mitigate this dread, Ice said it did not. There were still those who would fight to block these wins at the local and state level, he said.

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Several of the recent and upcoming prophecy books match Ices pessimism for humanity. In Foreshadows, published by Harvest House in May, some signs of the apocalypses imminence are the trends toward a one-world government, the proliferation of surveillance technology, descent into moral and spiritual corruption, and assault on truth. Another, Global Reset, promises to open readers eyes and alert them to how world leaders are using the Great Reset agenda to seize pandemics, natural disasters and catastrophes, civil disorder, political unrest, and other current events to reshape every facet of lifeall pointing toward the universal economy and godless global government of the Antichrist.

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But some experts argued that the growing popularity of apocalypse chatter showed something else: a mainstreaming of the end-times obsessions. The old style of crafting complex theological arguments from single passing references in Scripture is growing less popular, Djupe said. Instead, many evangelicals are more commonly drawing on themes. They will ban your bible, strip your religious freedom, he said. The theological specifics seem to be fading. They dont need to dig deep and find specific passages.

This isnt the first time an apocalyptic fervor has swept up Americas book buyers. Previous prophetic bestsellers include The Late Great Planet Earth, a book from 1970 that mapped the current events onto the prophecies of the Bibleand predicted that the 1980s would bring about the Antichrist and the rapture of Christians. By 1990, it had sold 28 million copies; the New York Times declared it the bestselling nonfiction book of the 1970s. Its gestalt was slightly different than prophecy books of today; it was very focused on esoteric signals and secret messaging. It set off a craze for biblical code-cracking and shaped the thinking of a generation of evangelicals.

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Then, in the fiction category, there was Left Behind, the megahit series of 16 novels, the first of which was published in 1995. Capitalizing on the Y2K panic, Left Behind presented a Tom Clancystyle, action-packed version of the biblical apocalypse, featuring a Tribulation Force fighting the agents of the Antichrist. (Recall that in the books, thats the U.N. secretary-general.) Left Behind punched out of the constraints of an evangelical audience; Nicolas Cage starred in one of the several floundering attempts to bring it to the big screen.

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They want to catch lightning in a bottle, said Bruce Forbes, a former professor and co-editor of a book about the Left Behind series, of the modern publishers. Theyre trying to do Left Behind again.

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Forbes was skeptical that such a gamble would work. But his skepticism was not rooted in doubts over the timing. I would think that considering everything todaythe pandemic, climate change, Ukraine, the Middle East, polarization in the U.S. so that each side thinks the end of the world will happen if the other side takes over, general pessimism about the futurethis would be ripe for a breakout again. And I dont see it. I think theres a bump. Wouldnt you guess there would be more than a bump?

Its true that there is no single breakout hit, but Publishers Weekly reported that prophecy books are often among the bestsellers on the Christian charts. Theres a strong audience for this. Some 37 percent of Americans believe in prophecyincluding a huge portion of the white evangelicals who carried Trump into office.

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Theres another consideration here: Assuming that this spate of prophecy books was conceived a couple of years ago, the authors would have begun writing in the wake of the 2020 election, steeped in the anxiety of that time, and would have been still a year-plus away from the Supreme Court term that handed the Christian right so many victories. So its possible this is more of a supply sidedriven bump than a purely organic demand-side one.

The thing about end-times theology is that its the gift that keeps giving, for those peddling it as a way to make money, said Hunt, the Unraptured author.

Hunt said he had seen a consistent amount of enthusiasm for and belief in the end times, but less of the studious, numerological type that was big in the 1970s. If you look at your generic evangelicalism, youll see folks who affirm they believe in the Second Coming, in rapturebut fewer who would identify specific signs of the times, he said. The market is ripe, even if you dont believe the specifics. Its more of a cultural stew of fearmongering thats leading to this.
https://sputniknews.com/20221009/british-court-hears-the-case-of-extra-large-marshmallows-1101646911.html

British Court Hears the Case of... Extra-Large Marshmallows

British Court Hears the Case of... Extra-Large Marshmallows

Now to the important stuff: what is a mega-marshmallow and how are we supposed to eat it? This is obviously a matter that calls for no less than the UK's... 09.10.2022, Sputnik International

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This summer, Britain's First-tier Tribunal assembled to examine a bag of 27 Mega Marshmallows to determine their fate in the world of sweets.What was their crime, you may wonder? Nothing so exciting: the court was deciding whether large marshmallows should be subject to the same standard retail sales tax as regular ones, which are about an inch shorter and half an inch thinner.The sweet treats have secured a nine-page court ruling, in which the justices subjected marshmallow history to the most acute examination, scrutinizing how the foodstuff is presented and marketed and pondering the long-standing debate on whether marshmallows taste better raw or toasted.The appellant is a wholesaler of American sweets and treats, taking issue with the fact that His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) had ruled that Mega Marshmallows were "confectionery and ought to have been standard rated", thus saving the appellant a value-added tax (VAT) bill of about 470,000.According to the appellant, Mega Marshmallows are "intended to be roasted over a campfire or barbecue and then eaten or used as an ingredient in what is called a 'smore'." After careful examination of all the facts, the intriguing legal drama was resolved in favor of the appellant. The court decided that larger marshmallows were not in fact confectionery and should therefore be zero-rated, unlike standard treats, which are subject to a VAT of 20 percent."The fact that it is sold and purchased as a product specifically for roasting, the marketing on the packaging which confirms that purpose, the size of the product which makes it particularly suitable for roasting, and the fact that it is positioned in the barbecue section of supermarkets during the summer months ... [rather than] the world foods section, leads us to that conclusion," the court ruled.

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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Elon Musk's Taiwan remarks: 'Stance is consistent'

CGTN) 09:04, October 09, 2022

(Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a regular press conference in Beijing, China, September 5, 2022. /Chinese Foreign Ministry)

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Saturday said that the country's position on the Taiwan question is consistent and clear-cut, reiterating that the Taiwan question is China's internal affairs.

Mao Ning, spokesperson for the ministry, made the comment when asked about Tesla CEO Elon Musk's remarks about China's Taiwan region, at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

In an interview with the Financial Times published on Friday, the billionaire claimed he believed that "conflict over Taiwan was inevitable" as well as recommending "a special administrative zone for Taiwan."

"China's position on the Taiwan question is consistent and clear-cut, which is we will continue to adhere to the basic policy of peaceful reunification and 'One Country, Two Systems' and work with the greatest sincerity and exert our utmost efforts to achieve peaceful reunification," said Mao.

She added, the Chinese side will also "resolutely crush 'Taiwan independence' secessionist attempts, resolutely stop interference by external forces, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
https://sputniknews.com/20221009/chinese-ambassador-to-us-thanks-musk-for-his-stance-on-taiwan-1101657271.html

Chinese Ambassador to US Thanks Musk for His Stance on Taiwan

Chinese Ambassador to US Thanks Musk for His Stance on Taiwan

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Chinese ambassador to the United States Qin Gang thanked US billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk for his proposal to establish a special... 09.10.2022, Sputnik International

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"I would like to thank @elonmusk for his call for peace across the Taiwan Strait and his idea about establishing a special administrative zone for Taiwan," Qin tweeted.In a Friday interview to the Financial Times, Musk proposed establishing a special administrative zone for Taiwan, which is "reasonably palatable" and more flexible than in Hong Kong's case, as a peaceful solution for the tensions between mainland China and Taiwan. The billionaire admitted that his proposal would hardly be accepted.In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning told a briefing on Saturday that the problem of Taiwan was China's domestic affair and Beijing would be committed to a peaceful reunification with the island based on the "One country, two systems" principle.The situation around Taiwan escalated after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in early August. China condemned Pelosi's trip, which it regarded as a gesture of support for separatism, and launched large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of the island. Several countries, including France, Lithuania, the United States, Japan and most recently Germany 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 nation but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.

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https://sputniknews.com/20221009/cnn-crew-probed-by-cops-after-illegally-entering-site-of-thai-daycare-rampage-1101650821.html

CNN Crew Probed by Cops After Illegally Entering Site of Thai Daycare Rampage

CNN Crew Probed by Cops After Illegally Entering Site of Thai Daycare Rampage

A former policeman killed 36 people in a gun and knife attack on a child development center in Nong Bua Lam Phu, northeastern Thailand on Thursday. 23 children... 09.10.2022, Sputnik International

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Thai authorities have kicked off a probe to determine whether a two-person CNN crew entered the site of Thursdays daycare massacre illegally after local media posted an image showing the TV news networks journalists climbing over fencing and police tape surrounding the site of the tragedy.Separately on Sunday, local media reported that Thai immigration officials had withdrawn the visas of the offending CNN reporters  47-year-old Anna Coren, an Australian, and 34-year-old Daniel Hodge, a Brit.The reporters were reportedly escorted by police from their hotel in Udon Thani for questioning about who allowed them onto the crime scene. The deputy chief of police at the Na Klang police station in Nong Bua Lam Phu warned that the pair could be charged with illegal entry onto a crime scene and tampering with evidence, with possible punishment including deportation and blacklisting.Jonathan Head, a BBC Southeast Asia correspondent who was also at the scene of the crime, called out CNN, tweeting that he stopped another media team climbing over the gate trying to get inside the nursery where the terrible killings took place.Head called CNNs coverage, which included showing blood-stained rooms inside, hugely insensitive.Local reporters also attacked CNN. Theres a way to do parachute journalism  but if its as non-kosher as it appears to be, this aint it. And who usually gets yelled at by officials [who] get angry at these kind of transgressions? Not the parachutes that have left already, but locals like us, Channel News Asia Thailand correspondent Saksith Saiyasombut tweeted.The Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand issued a formal statement saying that the CNN team entered the clearly marked crime scene without permission, no matter what they may claim, and called the incident an unprofessional and serious breach of journalistic ethics in crime reporting.It was not a scoop or an example of penetrating reporting because no other news organization, foreign or local, was prepared to behave in this unethical manner, and any one of them could have done so, the FCCT added. The group urged CNN to answer a simple question  whether its crew would have behaved in a similar manner while covering a similar situation in the United States.36 people were killed in Thursdays daycare massacre, among them 24 children, with 12 others injured. Police said they were killed by a 34-year-old former police officer who had been fired for failing a drug test. The attacker later killed his wife and child and claimed his own life. The attack was the worst-ever massacre of its kind in Thai history.

https://sputniknews.com/20221006/ex-policeman-reportedly-kills-at-least-32-in-shooting-attack-on-childrens-center-in-thailand-1101562272.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20221009/delhi-minister-resigns-after-attending-mass-religious-conversion-event-1101654801.html

Delhi Minister Resigns After Attending Mass Religious Conversion Event

Delhi Minister Resigns After Attending Mass Religious Conversion Event

Rajendra Pal Gautam, a member of the Aam Aadmi Party, was serving as minister for water, tourist, culture, art, languages, and Gurudwara elections in the Delhi... 09.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-09T13:37+0000

2022-10-09T13:37+0000

2022-10-09T13:37+0000

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Minister in Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government Rajendra Pal Gautam, who triggered controversy over his presence at a mass religious conversion event, on Sunday resigned from the Cabinet.Sharing his resignation letter on Twitter, Gautam said: Today I have been freed from many shackles and took a new birth. This coincides with the birth anniversary of Maharishi Valmiki and death anniversary of Manyavar (Honble) Kanshi Ram. Now I will intensify my fight for the rights of the society and atrocities on it without any restrictions.After submitting his resignation, he told the media: Such an issue has been created out of oaths that are repeated by several people of the country. The BJP has made it an issue, [they] are trying to insult me and my party.He was criticized by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), an opposition party in Delhi, after he attended an event on October 5, where at least 10,000 people took vows to convert to Buddhism, follow Lord Buddha, and give up the worship of Hindu gods.A purported video of the event went viral in which the minister is seen sharing the stage with other people during the event. He is even seen taking an oath that allegedly denounces the Hindu gods.Soon after the video went viral, Gautam issued a clarification saying that he respects all deities and would not even think of insulting them.However, the BJP accused the AAP of hurting religious sentiments and demanded that the party remove the legislator from his position. A delegation of the BJPs Delhi unit even met New Delhi deputy commissioner of police and filed a complaint against the minister.

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https://sputniknews.com/20221009/india-slams-germanys-call-for-un-intervention-over-kashmir-dispute-1101649595.html

India Slams Germany's Call For UN Intervention Over Kashmir Dispute

India Slams Germany's Call For UN Intervention Over Kashmir Dispute

India and Pakistan have been at loggerheads over the Kashmir dispute ever since both countries gained independence in 1947. New Delhi and Islamabad have been... 09.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-09T10:17+0000

2022-10-09T10:17+0000

2022-10-09T10:17+0000

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Rejecting the German foreign ministers call to get the United Nations involved to resolve the Kashmir issue, India said that Kashmir is an issue which concerns India and Pakistan alone, and there is no need for any third party to get involved. India's Ministry of External Affairs also said that the focus should instead be on tackling Pakistan-based terrorists that have targeted the region for long.In a statement issued on Saturday, Arindam Bagchi, the spokesman at the Ministry of External Affairs, said: "All serious and conscientious members of the global community have a role and responsibility to call out international terrorism, especially of a cross-border nature."The response from India came after Germanys foreign minister Annalena Baerbock and her Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called for the "engagement of the United Nations" in the situation in Jammu and Kashmir in a joint press conference in Berlin on Friday,Praising the Line of Control (LoC) ceasefire agreement of February 2021 between both the countries, Baerbock said: Germany has a role and responsibility with regard to the situation of Kashmir. Therefore, we support intensively the engagement of the United Nations to find peaceful solutions in the region.She also called for a political dialogue between both the countries noting the positive signals such as cooperation between Pakistan and India to supply food to Afghanistan.Pakistans foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari maintained that grave human rights violations are being committed in Jammu and Kashmir, and this poses a risk to regional peace and stability.He said peace in South Asia wont be possible without the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN resolutions, in accordance with international law.We hope to see the day that the UN plays an appropriate role to bring this long-standing dispute to a conclusion so we can not only have peace within our region, but we can enhance areas of cooperation, he added.

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https://sputniknews.com/20221009/kanye-wests-death-con-3-on-jewish-people-tweet-taken-down-1101649794.html

Kanye West's 'Death Con 3 On Jewish People Tweet Taken Down

Kanye West's 'Death Con 3 On Jewish People Tweet Taken Down

Kanye West had his Instagram* account restricted after he posted a message - which has since been deleted - about an alleged exchange between him and Sean... 09.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-09T08:40+0000

2022-10-09T08:40+0000

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Kanye 'Ye' West had one of his tweets taken down by the social media platform on the same day that Meta confirmed his Instagram account had been restricted for violating the platforms policies.The tweet, posted on Saturday night, was up for about an hour. In it, the 45-year-old rapper and fashion mogul, who now goes by the name of Ye, wrote that he was going to go death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE. In its place, there is now a notice from Twitter that reads, This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules.The 45-year-old rapper and fashion mogul had returned to Twitter after nearly a two-year hiatus on 7 October to call out Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg for placing his Instagram account on hold.The account was restricted after Kanye West posted a screenshot of a message he purportedly sent to rapper powerhouse Sean Love Combs, also known by his stage names Puff Daddy or P. Diddy. After seeing the screenshots, users criticized West for employing language that seemed anti-Semitic."Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me," West wrote in the exchange, shared under the post captioned "Jesus is Jew." That post has also since been deleted.The American Jewish Committee (AJC) advocacy group, immediately posted a video on Instagram which accused Ye of using "antisemitic tropes like greed and control". According to the AJC, Ye's post insinuated that Combs is "controlled" by Jews.The troubles with Twitter and Instagram come after the billionaire musician had a meltdown on social media in the wake of a controversial show during Paris fashion week. A catwalk event by Kanye West at the show included a T-shirt with the slogan 'White Lives Matter'.The Anti-Defamation League denounced the phrase White Lives Matter, which reframes the Black Lives Matter phrase, as a hate statement.After Vogue fashion editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson criticized the Yeezy show and declared the 'White Lives Matter' shirt "dangerous" and "irresponsible", the affronted performer ripped into her on social media.Kanye West attempted to explain the motives behind the controversial shirt as he appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight on 6 October, saying:*Meta (Facebook, Instagram) is banned in Russia as an extremist organization.

https://sputniknews.com/20221008/bieber-puts-the-brakes-on-kanye-west--friendship-after-yes-nose-job-rant-at-his-wife-1101637798.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20221009/moldovan-socialist-party-urges-govt-response-to-attempted-break-in-at-russian-embassy-1101652694.html

Moldovan Socialist Party Urges Gov't Response to Attempted Break-in at Russian Embassy

Moldovan Socialist Party Urges Gov't Response to Attempted Break-in at Russian Embassy

CHISINAU (Sputnik) - Moldova's Party of Socialists (PSRM) condemned a hostile act against the Russian embassy in Kishinev and demanded that the government... 09.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-09T11:51+0000

2022-10-09T11:51+0000

2022-10-09T11:51+0000

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"The Party of Socialists strongly condemns a provocative incident at the Russian embassy in Moldova. The party demands that Moldova's government, foreign and interior ministries react to the incident in accordance with the law," the message published on Saturday read.The party also said that lacking response from Moldovan officials to the hostile act against the embassy was a blatant violation of basic principles of international law, while "irresponsible rhetoric" of some politicians could foment extremism in the country.The PSRM urged the government to ensure security of all diplomatic missions in Moldova.On Friday, a man threw firecrackers at the building of the Russian diplomatic mission in Kishinev and attempted to illegally enter the embassy complex. Later he was arrested. The embassy sent a note of protest to Moldova accusing its government of the violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.

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https://sputniknews.com/20221009/president-zimbabwes-new-mining-royalty-to-forge-national-reserve-of-precious-minerals-1101647501.html

Zimbabwe Introduces Scheme to Build Up National Reserve of Precious Minerals

Zimbabwe Introduces Scheme to Build Up National Reserve of Precious Minerals

In a letter written in September to the Ministry of Mines, Zimbabwes Treasury Secretary George Guvamatanga raised his concerns that despite the abundant... 09.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-09T05:38+0000

2022-10-09T05:38+0000

2022-10-09T09:20+0000

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A new policy which is due to come into effect in Zimbabwe this month will require mining companies extracting high-value minerals to pay half their royalties to the government in refined mineral produce.This will allow Zimbabwe to build up a national reserve of precious minerals to augment the countrys credit-worthiness and help circumvent and fend off funding limitations caused by illegal sanctions imposed on the country, President Emmerson Mnangagwa wrote in his weekly column for The Sunday Mail.Mnangagwa said he had directed the Ministries of Finance and Economic Development and Mines and Mining Development to finalize the guidelines of the policy that initially targets four of the nations key minerals.He said the plan would ensure that these strategic minerals are shared with those who come after us.According to the president, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) promised to set up a "foolproof system" to collect the required quota of minerals from companies, including those processed outside the country.The quota policy, added the president, would work in tandem with the Sovereign Wealth Fund to secure and achieve inter-generational equity. Furthermore, minerals may be added or removed from the national reserve bracket, in line with the flexible policy reflecting geological scarcity and global demand.Before this policy was introduced, platinum miners paid 2.5 percent in royalties in cash to the government. Gold royalties are 5 percent with gold worth more than $1,200 an ounce.According to the president, the governments new policy on mining royalties must never be frozen in time.He hailed the plan that would boost the minting and selling of gold coins locally, allowing the country to buoy its currency, while stimulating national savings.It is also hoped that the dual/split interpretation of mining royalties will boost the cash revenue for the running of state affairs, according to the government.Zimbabwes highly diversified mining sector encompasses nearly 40 different minerals, predominantly platinum group metals (PGM), chrome, gold, coal, and diamonds. The country boasts the worlds third-largest reserves of platinum, and also mines nickel, lithium and coal.Mining companies that operate in Zimbabwe include subsidiaries of Impala Platinum Ltd, Anglo American Platinum Ltd and Sibanye Gold Ltd.Zimbabwes Treasury Secretary George Guvamatanga wrote to the Ministry of Mines in September, raising his concerns "that despite the abundant mineral resources that the country has at its disposal, there are currently no reserves for key minerals, newzwire, Zimbabwe's leading financial news website, reported.Reserves of minerals serve as a source of trust in a country given that they carry no credit or counterparty risks, Guvamatanga wrote, adding:Despite a growing output of gold, the country exports most of its production, leaving it with no gold reserves. Overall, mineral exports from Zimbabwe, mainly gold and PGMs, reached $5Bln in 2021. This accounted for 80 percent of the countrys total export value, according to newzwire.Back in August, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said that government income from the mining industry was low because of a generous royalty regime on some major minerals.

https://sputniknews.com/20201012/lure-of-gold-puts-hikers-paradise-at-risk-as-illegal-mining-surges-in-zimbabwe-mountains-1080747562.html

https://sputniknews.com/20190308/us-sanctions-zimbabwe-1073062659.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20221009/snl-takes-swipe-at-joe-bidens-latest-batch-of-gaffes-1101654583.html

SNL Takes Swipe at Joe Biden's Latest Batch of Gaffes

SNL Takes Swipe at Joe Biden's Latest Batch of Gaffes

Amid an endless stream of misstatements, verbal blunders, and bizarre behavior offered up by Joe Biden, 79, there has been growing speculation about the... 09.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-09T13:31+0000

2022-10-09T13:31+0000

2022-10-09T13:31+0000

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Saturday Night Live homed in on the latest batch of President Joe Biden's gaffes on its "Weekend Update."As he referenced the 79-year-old Biden's plan to offer pardons for federal marijuana convictions, anchor Colin Jost suggested the Democratic president's conduct indicated that maybe he celebrated with them a little.At this point the show zoomed in on footage of Biden addressing workers at a Maryland manufacturing facility on October 7.In an effort to score political points ahead of the looming November midterm elections, POTUS traveled to the truck parts factory in Hagerstown on National Manufacturing Day to tout his record on jobs and the economy.To this, the SNL host retorted, Well, let me respond with two words: Jesus H. Christ.The shows anchor then recalled that Biden was heard criticizing reporters at the White House for shouting questions at him, like "What year is it?" and "Who is the current president?"Also, they weren't reporters, they were doctors, quipped the comedian.Another SNL segment offered a game show, So You Think You Wont Snap, with players required to listen to the anchor read news headlines and keep their cool. When footage was played of the oldest president in US history serving up some word salad in an effort to evaluate his own mental focus on 60 Minutes, the first contestant (Heidi Gardner) snapped.When asked about his age, mental acuity, and focus on 60 Minutes, Joe Biden responded:This most recent verbal gaffe from Joe Biden came a few weeks earlier, as he asked if a congresswoman who died in August was in the room at a White House food insecurity conference. The late Rep. Jackie Walorski died in a car crash that also claimed the lives of two of her staffers. The incident prompted several medical professionals to call for the president to undergo cognitive testing.

https://sputniknews.com/20221003/weve-all-done-it-joe-bidens-jackie-gaffe-dismissed-on-nbc-as-slip-of-the-tongue-1101467039.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20221009/suspected-cocaine-poisoning-of-school-students-inflicts-outrage-in-mexico-1101648815.html

Suspected Cocaine Poisoning of School Students Provokes Outrage in Mexico

Suspected Cocaine Poisoning of School Students Provokes Outrage in Mexico

The mysterious mass student poisoning at a rural secondary school in Chiapas was the third such incident in the southern Mexican state in the past two weeks... 09.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-09T06:58+0000

2022-10-09T06:58+0000

2022-10-09T09:36+0000

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Outraged parents and scared students have been demanding answers as the third mass poisoning has been reported at a school in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, according to local authorities.At least 57 pupils from the Juana de Asbaje secondary school in Bochil municipality, were taken to hospital on 7 October showing symptoms of having been poisoned by an unidentified substance.According to reports, the symptoms ranged from nausea and drowsiness to abdominal pain and fainting. Parents were cited as speculating that the students had ingested contaminated food or water at the cafeteria during a Friday school event.Footage has been circulated on social media showing the chaotic scene at the local hospital as teenagers in school uniform were being rushed to receive medical assistance.After claims by some parents that the pupils had unknowingly ingested cocaine, the state prosecutor's office said on Saturday that, after toxicology tests, 15 samples came back "negative for prohibited substances, or drugs of abuse". However, the office added that further testing would be conducted.Earlier, a video on social media reportedly showed one man saying his daughter had been poisoned and tested positive for cocaine at a private laboratory, along with other pupils.The authorities have not made any official statements regarding the cause of the mass poisoning. The prosecutor's office said it was investigating the incident. However, alarm has been growing as local media reported that since 23 September there have been two other cases of poisoning affecting dozens of students in the city of Tapachula, in the far south-east of the state of Chiapas.

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https://sputniknews.com/20221009/trump-blames-biden-for-ukraine-crisis-accuses-us-of-taunting-putin-1101653981.html

Trump Blames Biden for Ukraine Crisis, Accuses US of Taunting Putin

Trump Blames Biden for Ukraine Crisis, Accuses US of Taunting Putin

The former president has said repeatedly that the escalation of the eight-year-old security and political crisis in Ukraine wouldnt have taken place on his... 09.10.2022, Sputnik International

2022-10-09T12:45+0000

2022-10-09T12:45+0000

2022-10-09T12:45+0000

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Donald Trump has blamed President Joe Biden and his administration for instigating the Ukraine crisis, suggesting that Washington practically forced Russian President Vladimir Putin into kicking off the military operation in February.Look, we are closer to World War III, and this will be the war of all wars because the weaponry is so unbelievably powerful. The nuclear is so powerful, this isnt army tanks going back and forth and planes shooting each other. This is the big deal and Im telling you, the way theyre handling it is so bad. And we could very well end up in World War III starting with Ukraine, Trump warned.Trump also repeated his oft-made claim that the crisis in Ukraine would never happen if he were still commander-in-chief.Asked by his interviewer whether he would be willing to negotiate a peace agreement, Trump boasted that he got along with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky while in office. He recalled that Zelensky had publicly dismissed claims made by Democrats during their 2019 impeachment probe that Trump acted illegally by investigating the shady business activities of Joe Bidens son Hunter in Ukraine.Had we not had that phony Russia-Russia-Russia hoax going all the time by a bunch of sleazebags it was a creation by the Democrat Partywe would have had a very nice relationship with Russia. But it was very tough under those circumstances. But I had a very good relationship with Putin, Trump added.Again, this would have never happened. Ukraine in a million years  even the other side admits that if Trump was president it wouldnt have happened, the former president said.The former president has weighed in on the Ukraine crisis repeatedly over the past eight months, calling for peace negotiations, offering to mediate, and saying the US needs a strong leader at the helm amid a series of international crises plaguing the world.Russia kicked off a military operation in Ukraine in February after weeks of escalating shelling, sabotage and sniper attacks against the Donbass republics by Ukrainian forces, and fears that Kiev was preparing to launch a full-scale offensive. The crisis followed more than a year of escalating regional tensions and military-buildups, including joint exercises between Ukrainian and NATO forces in September of 2021.Last December, Moscow offered NATO and the United States a means to dramatically de-escalate tensions via a pair of draft treaties proposing a major pullback of troops, warships, military aircraft and missile systems, and formal, written agreements that Ukraine and other post-Soviet republics would not join NATO. Washington and Brussels balked at the proposals, emphasizing that the alliances open door policy was non-negotiable.

https://sputniknews.com/20221009/trump-calls-for-russia-ukraine-peace-negotiations-to-prevent-world-war-iii-1101650252.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20221009/turkish-base-in-northern-iraq-comes-under-attack---reports-1101645433.html

Turkish Base in Northern Iraq Comes Under Attack - Reports

Turkish Base in Northern Iraq Comes Under Attack - Reports

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) - The Turkish Zilkan (Zelikan) military base, located in northern Iraq, has come under a rocket attack, Shafaq News reports citing sources. 09.10.2022, Sputnik International

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Three rockets were fired at the base, located about 6 miles (10km) from the village of Bashiqa in Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq, on Saturday, a security source told Shafaq.The rockets missed their target, according to the source. Two of the rockets fell near the base, while the third one landed in the nearby village.No casualties were reported.Turkey has launched several air and land operations in northern Iraq against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is banned by Turkey. The Iraqi presidential office has stated that Turkish operations undermine the country's national security.A military conflict between the PKK and the Turkish government forces began in 1984 and escalated in 2015.

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US Officials Hold First Meeting With Taliban Since Strike on Al-Qaeda Leader - Reports

US Officials Hold First Meeting With Taliban Since Strike on Al-Qaeda Leader - Reports

WASHINGTON, (Sputnik) - High-ranking US officials have held the first in-person meeting with the Taliban (under UN sanctions for terrorism) since the... 09.10.2022, Sputnik International

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Two officials familiar with the talks told CNN that the Saturday meeting in the Qatari capital of Doha was attended by the Talibans head of intelligence, Abdul Haq Wasiq, and CIA Deputy Director David Cohen, as well as the US State Departments Special Representative for Afghanistan, Tom West.According to CNN, the presence of Cohen and Wasiq at the talks "indicates an emphasis on counterterrorism."On August 1, US President Joe Biden announced that al-Zawahiri was killed in a drone strike in Kabul on July 31. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Taliban "grossly" violated the Trump-era Doha agreement by hosting and sheltering the al-Qaeda leader.The Taliban (under UN sanctions for terrorism) took power in Afghanistan in August of 2021, triggering the collapse of the US-backed government and accelerating Washington's troop pullout.

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A :52 front half teed up Combustion for an off-the-pace swing to the lead in the stretch that successfully landed him in front at the finish of a 1:49.3 mile in the third of three divisions of the $299,100 Tall Dark Stranger International Stallion Stakes, for freshman pacing colts and geldings, on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 8) at The Red Mile.

Bamboozler bore responsibility for the races early speed. Launching from post nine, he snapped consecutive :26 quarters to string the field by over 14 lengths to the half. That vicious pacesetter soon gasped on the afterburners as the backfield loomed into action coming to three-quarters in 1:20.2. Ammo fired the first shot from three wide to take the lead in the stretch with Combustion on his back. The Brett Pelling trainee continued to dig into Ammo through the stretch and wore down the late leader to snag victory by a half length. Admiral Hill gave pursuit behind the top pair to finish third and Gung Ho took fourth.

I thought it set up really well, co-owner Shaun Laungani of Diamond Creek Racing said after the race. I turned to Marcus Johansson our racing manager and asked Do we need cover? and he said Nope. But we got it even still. The setup couldnt have worked out even better.

Combustion collected his fifth win from six starts to deposit into an account now worth $113,350 for owners Diamond Creek Racing, Thomas and Scott Dillon and Cooper Silva Stables. Todd McCarthy piloted the Captaintreacherous colt who returned $7.16 to win.

Handlelikeaporsche waited on nobody as the 1-9 favourite and paced down the road to a 1:50.1 victory in the first division of the Tall Dark Stranger.

Driver Dexter Dunn pushed the pedal early on the Chris Ryder-trained son of Lazarus N to lead his peers after a :27.4 first quarter. On cruise control through a :56.2 half, Handlelikeaporsche began peeling from the field to three-quarters in 1:24 and received only reminders from Dunn in the stretch while chased home by Surfside Beach, beaten 1-3/4 lengths. Ken Hanover closed for third and Command finished fourth.

Its tough when youre 1-9...it makes the trainer a little nervous, Chris Ryder said after the race. Dexter was happy with him, so we got the job done.

Chris Ryder co-owns Handlelikeaporsche with William Ezzo, Robert Mondillo and Barry Spak. The colt scored his third win from six starts and has now earned $228,850. He paid $2.14 to win.

A lane opened mid-stretch for pocket-sitting Mamba to charge through and swish a 1:51 buzzer-beater by a head at odds of 27-1.

Ervin Hanover left from post eight to lead with Mamba following suit alongside to land in the pocket before a :28 first quarter. Save America, the 1-9 favourite, raced sixth despite the pace remaining soft through a :56.3 half. By that point, Save America pulled from the pylons and glided along the rim to apply minor pressure to Ervin Hanover as he accelerated to three-quarters in 1:24.1. Save America remained relentless to the outside and forged by as Ervin Hanover drifted through the stretch, but that left a gap wide enough for Mambas fresh legs to spurt through and grab the lead in time to deny Save America. Goldin Greatness zoomed to the outside to take third and Ervin Hanover held fourth.

[Weve had this horse] three weeks [and hes improving] each and every start, trainer Travis Alexander said after the race of Mamba, whom he recently purchase online for $62,000 through Preferred Equine Online. Hes a nice horse, just needed the time. [I] loved the trip, Joey [Bongiorno] drove him well. I told him to be aggressive. We liked the colt and we made some changes when we bought him and they worked.

Paying $56.40 to win, Mamba recorded his second win from 11 starts and has now earned $123,430 for owners M Spacc Stables, Fiddlers Creek Stables LLC, DElegance Stable Ix and T L P Stable. Joe Bongiorno piloted the Sweet Lou gelding.

Each division of the Tall Dark Stranger International Stallion Stakes was presented by the Tall Dark Stranger Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farm.

Walner Payton Shines In International Stallion Stakes

Finally leaving the shadow of standout Special Way, Walner Payton found her day in the sun and savoured every inch to score a 1:52.2 victory in the second of three divisions of the $317,700 International Stallion Stakes for freshman trotting fillies on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 8) at The Red Mile.

Sent off as the 3-5 favourite, driver Dexter Dunn floated Walner Payton from post seven to race forward but failed to find a seat at the pylons to a :28.4 first quarter. Walner Payton ventured onward up the backside to grab the lead from Fruit Cake past a :57.1 half and opened her advantage to three-quarters in 1:25.1. The Walner filly straightened for home under minor encouragement from Dunn to stay to task, and she responded to then scoot away and win by four lengths. Secret Volo settled for second with Emira Mil IT rallying for third and Royal Filly taking fourth.

Trained by Chris Ryder for owner Kenneth Jacobs, Walner Payton owns three wins from 10 starts and has $368,650 stuffed in her coffers. She paid $3.22 to win in taking the ISS division named The International Moni, presented by the International Moni Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farm.

Tony Alagna pupil Mambacita made good on her 1-2 promise following a win in the Bluegrass to take the first division of the ISS in 1:53.4.

Mambacita took the lead from post eight to click a :28.2 first quarter with Life Itself anxiously vacating the cones and sweeping forward to take the top. Driver David Miller soon opted out of the pocket and placed Mambacita back on the point after a :57.3 half. From there, the field could only chase as Mambacita slipped by three-quarters in 1:26.3 and strolled to the finish a 2-1/4-length winner over pylon-skimming Caviart Gwen. Una Madonna finished evenly to take third while Life Itself flattened and settled for fourth.

Shes been pretty consistent and steady all year, has never really lost her form and is just really sharp right now, David Miller said after the race. I thought she had a real good shot of winning and that wasnt the horse that I figured I would be following, so I went ahead and moved her again and she was pretty strong.

A daughter of Tactical Landing, Mambacita races for owners Alagna Racing LLC, Crawford Farms Racing and Pryde Stables Inc. She bagged her fourth victory in nine tries and padded her earnings to $329,262. As the favourite, she paid $3.12 to win in taking the ISS division named The Long Tom, presented by the Long Tom Syndicate and Midland Acres.

Large payoffs came in the last ISS split when Mommamia Volo vaulted off slow fractions to pull a 21-1 upset in 1:55.4.

Kayleigh S, the slight favourite at 3-1, crept forward to take the lead from If The Shoe Fits after a :30 first quarter and kept the tempo tepid. Through a half in :58.4, Kayleigh S endured a first-over push from Yes Please to three-quarters in 1:28.4 and revved the engines for the sprint home. However, Mommamia Volo angled off cover from second over and fired with the sharpest momentum to snag the lead late as Kayleigh S folded. Mommamia Volo hit the beam in time to keep closing Quick Stop at bay by a neck while If The Shoe Fits took third and Pure Hope S finished fourth.

This week, I was pretty confident shed bounce back pretty good, trainer Carter Pinske said after the race, in regards to her break in stride in an overnight race last week. It was just a bit of greenness. She was out and rolling pretty good there  she looked to me like she was going to be a winner, but as soon as she cleared the horse [she broke].

Paying $44.46 to win, Mommavia Volo collected her second victory in five tries and cashed a nice cheque to now have $60,300 in her bankroll. The daughter of Tactical Landing competes for owners Kentuckiana Racing Stable and Jorgan Jahre Jr. She won the ISS division named The Walner, presented by the Walner Syndicate.

The Grand Circuit meet at The Red Mile is set to conclude on Sunday (Oct. 9) with a power-packed card which includes the $363,500 Tattersalls Pace and $205,000 Glen Garnsey Memorial, the $276,000 Kentucky Filly Futurity and Bulldog Hanovers challenge against the clock in the $153,000 Allerage Open Pace among other star-packed stakes events. All racing leads to the finale and culmination of the meet: the $430,000 Kentucky Futurity.

First-race post time is 1 p.m. (EDT).

(The Red Mile)
Trotting mare Unica Donna IT brought the highest price of the 77 Hips sold in the Lexington Mixed Sale on Saturday night (Oct. 8).

A nine-year-old daughter of Donato Hanover, Unica Donna IT only registered starts outside of the U.S., earning $115,848. She has foaled four offspring including Una Madonna (pictured above), who won the Jim Doherty Memorial elimination earlier this year. Unica Donna IT, Hip 939 and consigned by Preferred Equine, sold for $250,000 to Cindy Stewart of Paris, Ky.

Cindy Stewart also purchased the next largest sale of the session in Avalonia, Hip 924 and consigned by Preferred Equine. As a racehorse, she won three times from 23 tries and earned $58,161 but has since foaled two unraced offspring. The six-year-old daughter of Muscle Hill left the ring for $110,000.

Lindys Lullaby, Hip 977 consigned by Preferred Equine, went for the third-highest price when selling for $80,000 to Robert Lindstrom of Boden, Sweden. The unraced 10-year-old daughter of Cantab Hall has foaled four offspring, two of which currently race  Kentucky Commonwealth champ Rock A Bye Lindy and Proud To Be Lindy, the latter an earner of over $100,000.

A stallion share in Muscle Hill, Hip 919, brought $75,000 when selling to Euro Stall SE of Berlin, Ohio. My Nay Nay, Hip 957, rounded the five highest-priced sales of the session when leaving the ring for $75,000. The two-year-old daughter of Captaintreacherous sold as part of the Buckstone Land Livestock dispersal to Thaddeus Wier of East Aurora, N.Y. She has won once from nine starts and earned $32,600.

From 77 auctions, sales grossed in the mixed session to $2,721,000 for an average of $33,183.

IMPORTANT LINKS
Fall entered the valley with a break from daily high temperatures, scattered cloud cover and rain showers. But it is going to take more to pull back from the intensifying drought.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor map released Thursday, Oct. 6, portions of the High Plains region had a one-category degradation.

Scotts Bluff County moved into 100% severe drought from 99.19% the previous week and 17.6% three months ago. The southwest corner of the county changed to 8.7% extreme drought from 8.66% the previous week. It is worth noting that 31.36% of the county was in extreme drought in October 2021.

Though the current situation isnt great, it will give crops and pastures a small boost.

Gary Stone, water and integrated cropping specialist at the Panhandle Research, Extension and Education Center, said the recent showers will not stop harvest.

It is slowing it down but it isnt going to bring it to a halt, unless we get an inch or more somewhere, he said.

Moisture in small doses can actually help the progression of harvest for some crops.

It will help the sugar beet harvest to some extent because itll keep the ground loose, it wont dry up and get real hard, Stone said.

While the sugar beet trucks will be steadily rolling in regular season harvest, corn fields will benefit from the moisture and lack of hot, dry wind. Corn was reported to be drying down fast the last week of September. According to the USDAs National Agricultural Statistics Services crop progress report for Oct. 2, 24% of the corn crop was harvested, 8% ahead of the five-year average.

Possibly some of the corn will be a little late, Stone said. That little extra moisture might give it a boost to get it finished. We havent had the hot days and higher wind speeds, its been cooler and the winds have dropped off so the corn plants arent going to dry out as fast.

Along with cool season pasture grass, emerging winter wheat will benefit from the timely weather change.

It will definitely help the winter wheat, Stone said.

According to the National Weather Service extended forecast on Oct. 6, the valley will continue to experience mild conditions with no significant moisture impacts on the immediate horizon.

Historically the average temperature for the Panhandle is 63 degrees for October. First snowfall in Scotts Bluff County was Oct. 12 in 2021 and the average first snowfall is Oct. 22.

The National Weather Service reports the Scottsbluff area received 0.18 inches of precipitation from Oct. 1-5. An additional .26 inches fell at the weather services Heilig Field recording station overnight on Oct. 6. Average rainfall for October is 1.14 inches and three inches for snowfall in the Scottsbluff area.

Stone traveled to the tri-state marker for Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska on Oct. 1 and said the area had recently seen significant rainfall.

They had a lot of rain the day before, he said. Across northeastern Colorado, through Kimball, Cheyenne and maybe a little up into Banner County is where the rain went. Even though it still shows its a D3 (extreme drought), they got some moisture down there.
AURORA  Aurora Cooperative and KAAPA Ethanol Holdings have agreed to a joint venture with the aim of increasing production and efficiency at ethanol facilities in Hamilton County.

The two farmer-owned companies made the announcement in a news release. Aurora Coop operates ethanol facilities west of Aurora.

"Aurora Cooperative believes this partnership will allow us to make the investments needed in order for these assets to remain a value-added destination market for our farmer-owners in the future," said Chris Decker, Aurora Coops chief executive officer.

Aurora Cooperative is a strong promotor of E-15 and higher ethanol blend fuels, said KAAPA Board Chair Paul Kenney of Amherst. KAAPA Ethanol Holdings operates plants in Minden and Ravenna.
Stephanie Reynaga, head teacher at Community Christian School, is entering her second year on the job.

CCS is a private, interdenominational Christian school in Scottsbluff for local families who want to incorporate lessons on faith into their childrens education, Reynaga said.

Reynaga grew up in a faith-based school herself and said the experience drives her passion and career in Christian education.

I think, often, the way that were raised is how we envision continuing our lives, she said. I started straight out of college working for a Christian school and ended up becoming the director of admissions there.

Reynaga returned to the Panhandle and worked at ESU 13s Head Start program while also volunteering at CCS. When the lead teacher position opened up, she felt called to return to faith-based education.

I already had a child going to school here and was already a passionate supporter of the school, Reynaga said. So, it was a perfect move into then officially working for the school.

Reynaga describes her role as similar to that of a principal. She added that style of communication and atmosphere is the main difference between CCS and public schools.

That familiarity makes her job easier because shes able to connect to others on a personal level.

We know each other all so well that if I come and say Im trying to support your child doing this, whether its academic or behavioral, were all kind of on the same page, she said.

Reynaga said she believes that maintaining that close relationship between school and parents is one of her most important jobs.

Our fundamental philosophy is that parents are the first teachers, she said. So, were really coming alongside the parents to help support their (child's) education and support their upbringing.

The Christian faith is central to every decision and policy at CCS, which is unique as an interdenominational school.

Most private schools in Nebraska and across the country are specific to a denomination, whether it be Lutheran or Catholic or something else, Reynaga said. Were not affiliated with any specific organization or church.

Shared faith can be a very helpful tool when having conversations with students, including in disciplinary situations, she said.

Were humans with big emotions and were humans who are flawed, and thats OK. We can talk about it, and work through it. God still loves you. Being able to take that angle with things is really powerful.

Enrollment at CCS is small in comparison to public schools in the area. According to Reynaga, enrollment has held steady at around 90 to 100 students for the past five years.

This number is significantly lower than the high point of CCS enrollment, largely due to the difficult decision to close down the associated middle school.

One thing were really praying for is to get that restarted next year, Reynaga said. Weve had a lot of people approach us, whether theyre homeschool, public school, or here, and say they really want another option to look at for middle school.

CCS will be hosting a public meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 6 p.m. to discuss options related to reopening the middle school program. That revival depends on demand.

We really want it to be interest-based by families and driven by wanting Christian education, she said. We dont want it to be a secondary alternative, but rather families that are passionately pursuing that.

Reynaga said a factor that limits enrollment is that many families who are interested in a Christian education for their children may think that its not a financially viable option.

One thing that I dont think people are aware of is that 50% of our student population is on scholarship, Reynaga said. I think families would be surprised to know how much fundraising goes into having scholarship funds available.

In Reynagas first year, CCS benefitted from many generous donations and unexpected grants that have opened doors for the school.

These financial blessings allowed CCS to update its language and social studies curriculum, a process that Reynaga said was a collaboration between the school and parents. Parents make up most of the board and staff at CCS.

We had a committee that was made up of staff, board and parents because we felt that were going to be teaching this to your kids every single day, you should have a voice in it as well."

Reynaga said that collaboration is key in her interpretation of her duties as a leader. She has based her leadership methods around a quote that a mentor shared with her long ago: If serving is beneath you, leading is beyond you.

Reynagas goals for CCS extend even beyond the education of children. She thinks that the school can become a hub for Christian thought in the area. In addition to collaborating with area churches, Reynaga is developing a curriculum library at CCS to help connect local families with resources to provide a faith-based education for their children.

Were trying to really build that up right now, having more of a library for the community to use so that if they want to provide biblical education to their child but dont have the tools, we can have things that families can rent out or just have.

Reynaga said her ultimate goal is for her students to receive the same lifelong lessons as she did in her Christian education.

We want them to know that whatever trials youre going to face when you get older, youre loved, she said.
The University of California, Berkeley is known for many things, some good and some very bad, even outrageous.

In 1964, a ban on campus political and religious activities launched what was called the free speech and academic freedom movement that quickly spread to other campuses. To many of an older generation, it quickly got out of hand. During his run for governor in 1966, Ronald Reagan promised to clean up the mess at Berkeley, and end what had evolved from free speech, to strikes related to the draft, civil rights, discrimination and womens liberation.

Whatever ones view of the unrest at the time  liberals loved it and conservatives like Reagan vowed to stop it  what is happening now at Berkeley ought to shame especially those who believe in free speech and oppose discrimination.

Nine law student groups at the law school have managed to amend the universitys bylaws to ban any speakers who support Israel or Zionism.

These are not groups that represent only a small percentage of the student population, according to the Jewish Journal. They include 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.

Berkeley Laws dean, Erwin Chemerinsky, a progressive Zionist, has observed that he would be banned under this standard, as would 90 % of his Jewish students.

Writing in the Jewish Journal, Kenneth L. Marcus, a former assistant U.S. secretary of Education for Civil Rights and an alumnus of U-C Berkeley Law School, notes:  Berkeley law students are not the first to exclude Zionists. At the State University of New York at New Paltz, activists drove two sexual assault victims out of a survivor group for being Zionists. At the University of Southern California, they drove Jewish student government vice president Rose Ritch out of office, threatening to impeach [her] ... At Tufts, they tried to oust student judiciary committee member Max Price from the student government judiciary committee because of his support for Israel.

Despite his statement that he would be silenced under the change in bylaws, Dean Chemerinsky responded to Marcus, claiming that not all student groups have banned pro-Israel and Zionist speakers. This prompted Marcus to counter: Would it be OK for only 5 % or 10 % of the campus to be segregated? What percentage of the Berkeley campus should be open to all? Shouldnt it be 100 %?

The question answers  or should answer  itself.

Marcus further rebuts Chemerinskys assertion of a campus that does not discriminate: Chemerinsky misses the point when he insists that all clubs admit Jewish students as members. No one denies this. Nevertheless, an unmistakable signal is sent to those same students when they are told that they would be barred from appearing as invited speakers. This sends a clear signal: Jews are not welcome, unless they deny their support for Israel which, for many, is an integral element of Jewish identity.

What do students have to fear from hearing arguments on all sides of an issue? If a university does not protect free speech, it becomes an agent of censorship, even propaganda.

As anti-Semitism again rises in Europe and the United States, educational institutions should be teaching its history, not allowing a new strain to be promoted. Isnt that the point of those who support critical race theory?

Especially with Americas history during World War II when the Roosevelt administration limited the number of Jews desperately fleeing Nazi Germany to enter this country, Berkeley and other students should be more welcoming to Jews, protect their free speech, and not silence them.
Fifth Street Ministries, while located in Statesville serves all of Iredell County, which is one message they want to share during a Meet and Greet No Ask Event to be held from 6-8 p.m. Nov. 3 at Par Blu, 152 N. Main St., Mooresville.

This event, noted Amy Freeze, director of development at Fifth Street Ministries, will provide the community an opportunity to learn more about the services that they offer in Iredell County. The evening will be a brief program telling what they do as well as offering different stations where those in attendance can receive information about each program and ask questions.

There will be hors doeuvres served during the evening and one drink ticket. Those wishing to attend must RSVP by Oct. 13 to Freeze at afreeze@fifthstreetministries.com or 704-872-4045, ext. 205.

Freeze noted that Fifth Street offers four major programs: a homeless shelter, My Sisters House, veterans transitional housing and the PATH program. Just recently, she said, they opened an office in downtown Mooresville with an advocate for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault helping people to navigate the court system and file paperwork. They are hoping to hire a counselor for this office as well, she noted.

Those needing these services should call 872-4045, ext. 292, prior to visiting.

In sharing about the various programs offered, Freeze told of the homeless shelter, which can house about 115 people. However, she said: Its more than just a shelter. We have case management, an on-site nurse, a clothing closet and counseling program.

She expressed the importance of case management, which works with the clients on goal setting, budgeting, financial literacy, life skills, housing, benefits they may be entitled to, and job placement.

Length of stay has changed at the shelter, depending on how well the clients do with these goals, Freeze noted. There is now a 30-day housing stay beginning at the time they start with their case manager. At the end of those 30 days, if someone has been working really well on their goals and behaving, doing the things they know they need to do, then that stay is extended to another 30 days. This kind of gives them an impetus to get going, she noted.

My Sisters House, a domestic violence and sexual assault shelter, has all the same services as the homeless shelter and can house 34 individuals.

The veterans transitional housing program, which is for up to two years, also offers the same services. Two tiny transitional homes for veterans, which are located directly behind the shelter, are also available with access to the same services at the shelter.

Another program, their PATH program, is a house at the back of the shelter, which is a resource center for those living in tents or abandoned buildings. Its not a shelter, Freeze said, but its where they can come and get a shower, do laundry, get items they may need such as snacks, toiletries, hats, gloves and scarves in the winter, or sleeping bags, tents and whatever they may need.

There is also a street outreach worker from the PATH House who visits the camps and takes these items and tries to build relationships. The PATH street worker can also come to Mooresville now and visit and take items to local camps as well, Freeze shared.

Fifth Street also has a community kitchen where they serve three meals a day, every single day of the year. Some years its up to 90,000 meals a year, she noted.

Those wishing to learn more about these various programs can visit the Meet and Greet and see all that is offered.

There is no pressure whatsoever, Freeze stressed. The evening is to let people know we exist and let them know what we do, and to let people know the office is open in Mooresville, the street ministry is here and that we serve this area of the community as well.

If people would like to help at Fifth Street Ministries, she said, they are always looking for volunteers. At the current time, all of the volunteer opportunities are in the Statesville area.

Additional needs include donations of canned foods, tents, blankets and sleeping bags as the cooler weather approaches. Immediate needs are posted on their Facebook page as they arise, and people are encouraged to follow the page to see those needs.

Tours of the shelter are also available and can be arranged by contacting Freeze at the above listed email or phone number.
Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce to host its inaugural Balloon Chaser 5K and 1-mile fun run.

The Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its first 5K and 1-mile fun run this year at the Carolina BalloonFest on Oct. 16 at 7:30 a.m. The event will take place at the Statesville Regional Airport on the runway during the morning ascension of hot air balloons (weather permitting.)

Entrance fee for the 5K is $35 and for the 1-mile fun run is $15. The fee for the race includes a race hat (while supplies last), on-site parking and a free pass to the balloon festival ($20 value) after the race/walk.

Balloon Chaser walk and run is a fundraiser to benefit the programs by the chamber.

The race course is flat and fast. The race starts and ends at the terminal of the Statesville Regional Airport. The 5K will be chip timed and awards will go to one overall male and one overall female winner for each age group. A finishers medal will be given to all 1-mile fun run participants.

For more details, visit StatesvilleChamber.org/5Krun or call the Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce at 704-873-2892.

For more information about the Carolina BalloonFest, visit CarolinaBalloonFest.com.
Low is a board-certified nurse practitioner, focusing on family medicine. Her medical education includes a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and a Master of Science in nursing-family nurse practitioner from Georgetown University in Washington.
CLATSKANIE  Lofty plans for a potential renewable fuel facility at Port Westward may face delays after an Oregon state department last month denied a key water quality permit.

NEXT Renewable Fuels is attempting to move ahead with its proposed $2 billion green fuels facility in and around Columbia Countys Port Westward Industrial Park, which they claim will annually save 7 million metric tons of emissions by converting vegetable oils and animal fat into clean diesel.

Backed by local unions and economic development groups, the project has faced a lengthy process since NEXT first secured a 30-year lease with the Port of Columbia County in September 2019.

Opponents to the project include environmental groups and farmers who are concerned about how the facility could affect the land around the port.

Awaiting decisions for multiple permits and legal appeals, the Houston-headquartered company earlier this year secured approval for an essential air quality permit and possible land-use changes.

Still, NEXT is at least several months away from being able to break ground on the project after the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality last month denied NEXTs water quality permit, citing unanswered questions about the project.

We are disappointed in Oregon DEQs inability to process our Section 401 water certification within their statutory timeline of a year, but we will keep working with them as we refile and start the permitting clock once again, NEXT Communications Director Michael Hinrichs wrote in an emailed response to The Daily News. This is not at all a roadblock, but rather an unnecessary distraction to the permitting process as we advance toward full project approval. Our project timeline remains unchanged.

Challenges to proposed site

Port Westward Industrial Park hosts both agriculture and industry, including Portland General Electric, Global Partners Columbia Pacific Bio-Refinery, Columbia River Ranch and the Seely Mint Farm.

Though Columbia Pacific Bio-Refinery still uses fossil fuels, the site in 2020 started to ship renewable diesel, according to Global Clatskanie. Some research has suggested using natural oils rather than petroleum for fuel could help states pivot toward greener climate solutions.

NEXTs project prompted backlash from nearby farmers who have advocated against building on traditionally agricultural land because they say it may affect farming practices and crop growth.

NEXT hasnt been able to tell a straight story to the community or to DEQ, said Jasmine Lillich, a local farmer and fifth-generation resident of the Clatskanie area. DEQ was right to deny this (water quality) permit. Our community would face the risk of significant water pollution that could harm our health, our homes and our farms, and we stand firm with many of our neighbors against this project.

NEXT has promised to dedicate resources to wetland mitigation, and they contend the renewable fuel facility will have overarching environmental benefits.

Columbia Riverkeeper has challenged whether or not NEXT can legally build a rail line in traditionally agricultural land, an appeal currently under review by the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals.

The legal advocacy group said in a news release the Oregon Department of Environmental Qualitys most recent ruling bolstered arguments against NEXTs proposed project.

NEXTs application materials were riddled with inconsistencies, and NEXT was apparently unable to answer even DEQs basic questions, said Audrey Leonard, staff attorney at Columbia Riverkeeper. Between this permit denial and fierce opposition from neighboring farmers, the future of NEXTs controversial proposal is far from certain.

NEXT steps

This marks the second time since September 2021 the department has turned down NEXTs water quality permit, both times citing unanswered questions about how exactly the company planned to mitigate pollution on the site, which is surrounded by wetlands and local farms.

Hinrichs said NEXT updated and filed a new application in October 2021 immediately after this first denial but did not hear first comments from the department staff until seven months later despite our teams consistent engagement with DEQ staff.

Our team worked diligently to gather all requested information in a timely fashion, but further delays at DEQ stifled progress until they issued an additional data request in the 11th hour (August 2022), Hinrichs wrote in the email. Further, the information DEQ requested is mostly related to our federal permitting process and outside of the agencys scope for what is needed to process our state water certification.

NEXT in August secured an air quality permit that remains in place despite this water quality permit denial. If their separate application for a removal/fill permit is turned down, NEXT is at risk of losing this air quality permit.

NEXT can and will reapply for the water quality permit, Hinrichs said.

The project also needs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct an environmental impact study, which will help their case if they have all required local permits.

Tightening environmental standards

Oregon is known for its strict standards when it comes to air and water quality as it tries to move toward cleaner fuel options like renewable diesel, according to a news release from the Oregon Environmental Council.

The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission on Sept. 23 adopted new rules expanding the Clean Fuels program to reach a goal of transportation fuel emission to be 20% below 2015 levels by 2030 and 37% by 2035.

The Clean Fuels Program is a proven example of how the transition off of harmful fossil fuels can create jobs and support vibrant local economies in Oregon, said Nora Apter, Climate Program Director for the Oregon Environmental Council.
Leaders of different opinions sat down Thursday night at Lower Columbia College to discuss addiction, the war on drugs and the fallout of the Washington State Supreme Courts 2021 Blake decision.

The forum was the fourth of a series titled Community in the Crossfire: Seeking Civil Dialogue in Uncivil Times, which aims to politely discuss issues that affect the community and can be polarizing.

The four-member panel was made of individuals with varying experiences and views towards addiction and the state supreme court ruling, which overturned roughly 40 years of convictions when the court found the states felony drug simple possession law was unconstitutional.

State legislators created a temporary fix after the Blake decision, downgrading the felony to a misdemeanor and requiring referrals for treatment twice before making an arrest. The law is set to expire in July.

Cowlitz County Sheriff Brad Thurman, registered nurse and LCC adjunct professor Jeb Bolerjack, regional political director of the ACLU Alison Holcomb, and Dallas Delagrange, a counselor for the Cowlitz Tribe Health Services and a former addict, rounded out the panel.

War on drugs

One of the few contentious moments arrived after moderator and retired Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Stephen Warning asked the panel where the war on drugs went wrong. Sheriff Thurman pushed back.

Well, I guess Ill start by disputing the war on drugs as a failure. What was the alternative? Thurman asked. And I think were finding out what the alternative is here in Oregon and Washington.

The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs reports violent crimes increased roughly 12% from 2020 to 2021, based on data from 232 state law enforcement agencies. Arrests related to drug use, on the other hand, fell roughly 73%.

Bolerjack said the death rate remains very high in states with harsher drug laws, and punishment doesnt encourage addicts to stop using.

Delagrange agreed.

If you just lock people up, they go to prison, he said. They continue doing [drugs] ..., and youre never going to win a war on drugs when people want to get high.

Drug court

Delagrange said fewer people are in drug court today than prior to the Blake decision.

Before Blake 2021, there were approximately about a hundred, probably more people in drug court, he said. After Blake, there was 20. Unfortunately, the drop in people attending services, you really dont know what theyre doing.

Thurman and Delagrange both valued court, which serves as an alternative for eligible felony defendants to enter treatment instead of incarceration.

Im a big supporter of the drug court program, Thurman said. Ive heard it time and time again that unless there were serious repercussions, they were not going to change. People [faced] with losing their job, their home or kids, that could be a big incentive to change their life.

Delagrange said drug court helped him fight addiction.

Ill tell you, for me, I wouldve never gotten clean without damage intervention of getting pulled over without that initial stop, Delagrange said. I didnt have any intention of getting clean. I used drug court to get out of jail, but through all the people in the program, the decision was meant at that time to try something different.

The Blake case stems from the 2017 arrest of Spokane resident Shannon Blake, who was apprehended with a tiny bag of meth in her coin pocket. Her claim of being unaware of possessing a dime bag was the crux of the case because the state would now have to prove intent.

The state supreme court decision could jolt the rest of the nation as Washingtons supreme court decisions are the second most followed by other appellate courts in other states, according to the UC Davis Law Review.
Musk suggested tensions between China and Taiwan could be resolved by handing over some control of Taiwan to Beijing.

Billionaire Elon Musk, days after floating a possible deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine that drew condemnation in Ukraine, suggested that tensions between China and Taiwan could be resolved by handing over some control of Taiwan to Beijing.

"My recommendation . . . would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, probably won't make everyone happy," Musk, the world's richest person, told the Financial Times in an interview published on Friday.

Musk made the remarks when asked by the newspaper about China, where his Tesla electric car company operates a large factory in Shanghai. Beijing, which says democratically ruled Taiwan is one of its provinces, has long vowed to bring Taiwan under its control and has not ruled out the use of force to do so.

Taiwan's government strongly objects to China's sovereignty claims and says only the island's 23 million people can decide its future. "And it's possible, and I think probably, in fact, that they could have an arrangement that's more lenient than Hong Kong," Musk, was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

China has offered Taiwan a "one country, two systems" model of autonomy similar to what Hong Kong has, but that has been rejected by all mainstream political parties in Taiwan and has no public support, especially after Beijing imposed a tough National Security Law in the city in 2020.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry declined to comment on Musk's comments, but a senior Taiwanese official familiar with security planning in the region told Reuters that "Musk needs to find a clear-headed political adviser". "The world has seen clearly what happened to Hong Kong," the official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media. "Hong Kong's economic and social vibrancy abruptly ended under Beijing's totalitarian rule."

The Shanghai factory accounted for about half of Tesla's global deliveries last year. Musk said China has sought assurances that he would not offer the Starlink internet service of his SpaceX rocket company there. Musk said he reckoned that conflict over Taiwan was inevitable and warned of its potential impact on not only Tesla, but also on iPhone maker Apple Inc and the wider economy.

The interview did not elaborate on those remarks. Earlier this week, Musk proposed that Ukraine permanently cede Crimea to Russia, that new referendums be held under U.N. auspices to determine the fate of Russian-controlled territory, and that Ukraine agree to neutrality.

He asked Twitter users to weigh in on his plan, drawing sharp criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who proposed his own Twitter poll: "Which @elonmusk do you like more? One who supports Ukraine (or) one who supports Russia."
In the marshy coastal region between Texas and Louisiana, the proliferation of LNG export terminal projects has unsettled residents, who consider the plants to be a threat to their coast, their serenity and their way of life.

As war rages in Ukraine, and Europe thirsts for fuel, the liquified natural gas (LNG) industry along the US Gulf Coast is preparing to expanda distressing development to some nearby neighbors.

"It's our life they took here," says Travis Dardar from the doorstep of his camper trailer.

An imposing LNG export terminala massive facility that receives and liquefies gas from pipelines, then transfers the LNG to ships for exportwill soon loom next to his house, forcing him and his wife to move.

Another plant is also planned where he fishes, imperiling his shrimp and oyster business.

"This is way more catastrophic than any hurricane," Dardar says, adding that people can rebuild after a hurricane.

In this marshy coastal region between Texas and Louisiana, the proliferation of LNG export terminal projects has unsettled residents, who consider the plants to be a threat to their coast, their serenity and their way of life.

"We don't know what they're going to do next. We know one thing: We can't live here," Dardar says.

The Ukraine fallout

Last March, a few weeks after the first salvos of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden pledged to increase LNG deliveries to Europe, which has traditionally been heavily dependent on Russian gas.

66-year-old retiree John Allaire looks out over a liquefied natural gas export terminal in Cameron, Louisiana.

US suppliers have exported 1,574 billion cubic feet (44.6 billion cubic meters)of LNG to Europe so far in 2022, a sharp rise from the 917 billion cubic feet (26 billion cubic meters) in 2020, according to the Center for Liquefied Natural Gas, a Washington-based trade group that represents the sector.

The United States has become the world's largest exporter of LNG, an industry centered around the energy-rich Gulf of Mexico, with its infrastructure and strategic location.

This area alone has five of the seven active US export terminals and 22 of the 24 projects submitted to the authorities for construction.

This activity, in turn, brings many jobs, promises Charlie Riedl, executive director of the Center for LNG. As long as the terminal construction projects meet environmental criteria, the government should "authorize them without delay," he says.

Noise, light and emissions

But some residents see the coasts of Louisiana and Texas as "sacrifice zones," says John Allaire, another resident.

"You've got the noise, you've got the light, you've got the air pollution. And you got the fact that they converted several hundred acres of wetlands into a big concrete pad over there," adds Allaire from his boat, pointing to the new LNG export terminal near his home.

Allaire dejectedly watches the waves caused by the huge LNG tankers that erode the shoreline. Sludge from dredging covers his beach.

He is also concerned about the consequences on wildlife. The project planned for the land along his property is located on a wetland that is home to a critically endangered bird, the black rail.

"It's really horrifying to see this (Biden) administration that came in touting environmental justice and the climate crisis... to be approving these kinds of facilities," says Kelsey Crane, in charge of public policy at the association Earthworks.

Wetlands are seen along the Gulf of Mexico near the Louisiana-Texas border, an area with numerous proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals.

High cancer rates

Many petrochemical facilities are already visible across the Sabine River in Port Arthur, Texas.

Near the Cheniere Energy terminalwhich last year paid nearly $1.5 million in fines for cracks in its tanksactivist John Beard leads a "toxic tour" of the area, joined by other environmentalists.

In June, an explosion caused the temporary closure of the Freeport LNG terminal further south, reminding residents of the immediate risks posed by the plants.

But Beard, head of the Port Arthur Community Action Network, also denounces the long-term effects on the health of residents who are largely minorities.

In Port Arthur, the population is predominantly African-American or Hispanic, and a quarter of them live below the poverty line, according to the US Census Bureau.

The county has a 25 percent higher cancer death rate than the rest of the state, according to the Texas Cancer Registry.

Beard believes that the gas industry did not choose this area by chance: "They take the path of least resistance and that is with the poor and those who don't have access to lawyers, and who are not as educated or knowledgeable."

Explore further Europe plan for floating gas terminals raises climate fears

 2022 AFP
Vietnamese car maker VinFast has set its sights on the US market.

Having conquered most industries at home, optimistic chiefs at conglomerate Vingroup are setting their sights much higher as they ramp up plans to sell the first ever Vietnamese car in the mighty US market.

The pivot is a bold move by chairman Pham Nhat VuongVietnam's richest manwho started out selling dried noodles in the former Soviet Union before amassing his $5 billion fortune in a range of sectors including real estate, tourism and education.

His firm's auto unit VinFast already has electric vehicles (EVs) on the streets of Hanoi, though the attraction of the lucrative United States market is too good to ignore.

However, the firm admits that competing in the crowded and difficult US market, which is dominated by Tesla, will be a huge but worthwhile task.

"If we can make it there, we can make it anywhere," CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy told AFP from the factory site where the finishing touches were being made to the VF8, a mid-size SUV with a sleek design by Italy's Pininfarina, which worked with Ferrari for decades.

But, she added, "we want to show people who might not have the correct understanding of Vietnam that Vietnam today is quite different to Vietnam during the war, or even to Vietnam 10 years ago".

While the aim of getting Americans driving its cars by Christmas may seem a huge ask, VingroupVietnam's biggest private firmhas a track record of delivering.

Within two years, Pham transformed a muddy patch of swampland near the northern port city of Haiphong into a state-of-the-art factorycomplete with 1,200 robots, German, Japanese and Swedish machinery, and a global team from auto giants including BMW and General Motors.

Public scepticism

The company has already invested heavily in its American dream.

CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy says she wants to show American consumers 'that Vietnam today is quite different' from the Vietnam of the past.

In July, VinFast opened six showrooms in California, including a flagship store at one of the trendiest malls in upmarket Santa Monica, though for now it is only taking orders as vehicles are not yet available.

It plans 30 in total by the end of the year, while it has also broken ground on a $2 billion electric vehicle and battery plant in North Carolina that it says will produce 150,000 cars a year when it is fully up and running.

The factory aims to create more than 7,000 new jobs, prompting US President Joe Biden himself to tweet the announcement back in March.

"I always joke that he is the best salesperson we have," says Thuy.

But the American public will likely be far more sceptical, said Karl Brauer, a Los Angeles-based analyst with iSeeCars.com, a vehicle comparison site.

"It's been typical for it to take a couple of decades for brand new automakers to the US market to become ingrained," he said, referencing South Korea's Hyundai and Kia, which struggled through the 90s and early 2000s.

They are now among the most popular car makers in the United States.

Americans' perception may be "this is some unheard-of-brand I've never had any experience with, and I'm not sure I have any faith in the quality", he added.

Push into Europe

To hook customers, VinFast is pushing a highly unusual monthly battery-leasing model for the two cars headed to the United Statesthe VF8 and VF9lowering the cost of the upfront payment to $42,000 and $57,500 respectively. Tesla's SUVs start at around $65,000.

VinFast may face an uphill battle in the US given its lack of name recognition, according to one industry analyst.

Once the battery life goes down to 70 percent, VinFast replaces it for free, and aims to repurpose or recycle the old one.

"The theory behind that is we're giving you a vehicle that is priced similarly to an internal combustion engine vehicle," Thuy explained.

The scale of VinFast's ambition, which extends to Europe, where they plan to open the first of 20 showrooms by the end of the year, has stunned many in the business.

"It is preposterously hard to build a car and sell it, at least to a global audience, as seems to be the ambitions of VinFast," said Matthew Degen, senior editor at Kelley Blue Book, a car shopping and research site.

"It usually takes years and years to get a car from a design on paper into something that's in your hands and you're actually driving it."

However, VinFast developed three cars in just 21 months.

And although the regular car market is already saturated, he says, there may be a "brief window" for them to make their mark in the still developing electric vehicle sector.

For Brauer, VinFast's success will largely come down to millennials.

They will "have trouble with people over 50 years old... but younger consumers in this country are getting more and more open to new vehicles".

 2022 AFP
Next Match: Oklahoma 10/12/2022 | 6:00 PM ESPN+ Next Match Full Schedule Oct. 12 (Wed) / 6:00 PM Oklahoma

FORT WORTH, Texas  The Texas Tech volleyball team rallied against the TCU Horned Frogs, but would fall in a tough match, 24-26, 24-26, 25-22, 27-29, at Schollmaier Arena on Saturday night.

Two Red Raiders hit major milestones in the match as Brooke Kanas eclipsed over 1,000 kills with her 14 slams and now sits at 10th all-time in program history with 1,007. In addition, Karrington Jones reached the 300 career blocks mark with her seven on the night. She now has 305 total in her career.

Texas Tech (13-4, 2-2 Big 12) posted a .245 hitting clip in the match, while totaling 55 kills on 139 attacks. In addition, the Red Raiders tallied 53 assists, with junior Reese Rhodes collecting 50 of those, four aces, 52 digs and eight blocks.

Three Red Raiders posted double-digit kills as Kanas (14), Reagan Cooper (14) and Kenna Sauer (13) led the way. Sauer also collected her 10th double-double with 13 slams and a team-high 15 digs.

Caitlin Dugan had herself a night after totaling a season-high nine kills and an impressive .643 hitting clip. Defensively, KJ Adams joined Sauer with double-digit digs after collecting 12, while Maddie Correa added seven more.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Set One

Both teams traded points at the beginning of the match to tie it at 4-4, then the Red Raiders took the lead thanks to a slam from Cooper. TCU won three-straight points to lead 8-6, but Tech came back to tie it at 8-all. TCU went on a run and would hold a 21-14 advantage, but the Red Raiders would come back and win 10 of the next 13 points to tie the set at 24-24. But, TCU held on to win the set by a score of 26-24.

Set Two

Just like the last set, both teams went back-and-forth to begin as they tied 4-4 with a Kanas kill. TCU would win the next two points, but then the Red Raiders scored the following two with a kill from Cooper and a service error by TCU. Texas Tech would then take the lead at 14-13 when Jones posted back-to-back blocks. Correa would increase the Red Raider advantage, 16-14, with an ace, then Tech would go up by three on a kill from Sauer. The Red Raiders had set point, but TCU won three-straight points to take the set, 26-24.

Set Three

The Red Raiders were on fire to start the third set, going on a 7-4 run highlighted by kills from Dugan, Sauer, Kanas and Cooper. Tech kept its lead until TCU tried to claw its way back, eventually tying the set at 15-15 after a 3-0 run. However, the Red Raiders recovered nicely, answering with a 5-0 run of their own. The Horned Frogs would cut into Tech's lead at the end of the set, but not before the Red Raiders ended it with a 25-22 score on a Sauer slam.

Set Four

Another hot start for the Red Raiders ensued in set four when the team went out to an early 5-2 lead thanks to kills from Cooper, Sauer and Kanas, and an ace from Alex Torres . TCU went on a 3-0 run to cut into the lead before ultimately tying it all up at 13-13. Tech would win two-consecutive points on slams from Kanas and Cooper heading into the media timeout. At 19-16, TCU would come back to tie it all at 22-22. The two teams continued to trade points back-and-forth before TCU won the last two to claim the match, 29-27.

Notables

Fifth-year seniors Brooke Kanas and Karrington Jones both hit major milestones in the match Kanas collected her 1,000th career kill while Jones reached 300 total blocks.

and both hit major milestones in the match Kanas collected her 1,000th career kill while Jones reached 300 total blocks. With her 14 kills tonight, Kanas also now sits at 10th all-time for kills in program history.

With a .417 hitting clip, tonight marks Kanas' eighth time this season hitting above .400.

This is Jones' third match with six or more blocks this season.

Kenna Sauer totaled her team-leading 10th double-double with 13 kills and 15 digs.

totaled her team-leading 10th double-double with 13 kills and 15 digs. Caitlin Dugan tallied a season-high nine kills against TCU.
WASHINGTON  One month before Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris visited Austin on Saturday and, calling Texas abortion ban immoral, urged voters to install prosecutors and state officials who will not try to imprison abortion providers.

Theres an election in 31 days, and it will matter, she said. Its going to matter who your county prosecutor is if you live in a place where theres a state law that has criminalized doctors and nurses and health care providers. Its going to matter who your attorney general is and who your governor is.

The Texas ban, imposed after the Supreme Court ended a half-century of constitutional protection for abortion access in June, includes no exception in cases of pregnancies resulting from incest or rape.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, seeking a third term against Democratic civil rights lawyer Rochelle Garza, has fiercely defended the states ban and other restrictions, including a century-old ban the state dusted off after Roe vs. Wade fell, and a novel law that lets legal bounty hunters sue doctors or anyone else who helps a woman obtain an abortion after about six weeks.

Although the GOP-controlled Legislature has been at the vanguard of curbing abortion in Texas, locally elected district attorneys would enforce the ban, which carries up to life in prison and fines of at least $100,000 for performing an abortion. Dallas County prosecutor John Creuzot, a Democrat, has vowed not to enforce that law. Counterparts in neighboring Tarrant and Denton counties would. The prosecutor in Harris County, the states most populous, has called enforcement impractical and a low priority.

Harris spoke to about 140 people at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, mostly University of Texas students.

She recounted a conversation in which her 17-year-old goddaughter told her that she and her friends are scrutinizing state abortion laws as they narrow their own college options.

Thats real, Harris said, taking aim at restrictions enacted just a few blocks away at the Texas Capitol, and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.

Consider, she said, what it means to have a ban that doesnt even allow abortion in cases of rape or incest.

The idea that there would be a policy and an approach that would say to someone who has survived an extreme act of violence and violation, she said, [that] you do not have the autonomy, the authority as it relates to your body that has just withstood that act to make a decision about what happens to your body next, is immoral.

Its truly immoral, Harris said. The government shouldnt be making this decision for her. It is absolutely about freedom. It is about liberty.

The issue of migrants did not come up during the 40-minute conversation.

At least twice in the past week, buses delivered dozens of migrants from Texas to Washington, dropping them off outside the gates of the Naval Observatory  the official residence of the vice president.

Abbott began sending migrants by the busload to the nations capital in mid-April, saying he wanted to share the burden borne by Texas communities and force the attention of federal officials.

Since then, thousands of migrants who arrived in the country illegally have been driven from Texas border cities to Washington, New York and Chicago, all Democratic strongholds.

Ahead of Harriss trip to Austin on Saturday, Sen. John Cornyn and other Texas Republicans called on her to visit the border, too, hammering a point theyve made for months that the Biden-Harris administration caused and then neglected the worst migration crisis in six decades.

Texans have been forced to bear the consequences of this administrations failure to address the border crisis, including the historic number of illegal crossings as well as the tragic rise in migrant deaths, drug smuggling, fentanyl overdoses, and cartel violence, Cornyn said. Unfortunately, the administrations Border Czar hasnt seen the epicenter of their self-inflicted crisis firsthand, which has overwhelmed our border communities and law enforcement. Instead of using our state as an ATM and leaving as fast as possible, the vice president should go to the border and meet with Texans to understand the very real costs of her inaction.

Harris only border visit as vice president was in June 2021, when she visited El Paso under pressure from Republicans who had taunted her for months as a border czar who had yet to visit the U.S.-Mexico frontier.

Biden never designated Harris as his border czar, though he did assign her to handle matters related to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, major sources of a migrant surge last year. Adversaries quickly conflated that with responsibility for immigration policy and border security.

Mini Timmaraju, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America and a former Houston-area Planned Parenthood official, introducing Harris at the LBJ Library, said that the fight for our fundamental rights, including the right to abortion and contraception, has never been more urgent in the wake of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. 14 states and counting are enforcing extreme or total bans on abortion. And we know these anti-choice extremists wont stop.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., recently introduced such a bill, to ban abortion nationwide after 15 weeks, with exceptions for pregnancies resulting from incest or rape.

Most Texas Republicans in Congress have supported a nationwide ban. Most have distanced themselves from that position since the Supreme Court overturned Roe in June, but Democrats warn they will end up following Grahams advice to impose such a ban if they retake control of Congress.
The Nebraska State Patrol has identified a woman found dead Wednesday in Clay County in what is being investigated as a homicide.

Investigators believe 25-year-old Jasmine Garnett of Columbus was the individual whose body was found along Road 26 east of Harvard, according to a press release from the patrol.

Garnett had been reported missing since Sept. 16.

The patrol is investigating the incident as a homicide, but believes there is no ongoing threat to the public, the release said.

The body was discovered by a person working in the area who reported it to the Clay County Sheriffs Office, according to the release. The Sheriffs Office asked the patrol to conduct the investigation.

Harvard is about 20 miles east of Hastings.
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?

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Women are a critical part of farm and ranch operations in South Carolina and to help move this industry into the future, the Clemson Cooperative Extension Service is holding its first-ever South Carolina Women in Agriculture Conference.

The inaugural conference is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4-5. Registration fees are $50 for just Friday and $100 for just Saturday. The fee for both Friday and Saturday is $150. Clemson University student rate is $45 for Saturday only. Deadline to register is Oct. 31. To register, go to https://bit.ly/2022_WomenInAgConference.

Charley Maxwell, Clemson Extension agribusiness agent and conference coordinator, said the conference will focus on connecting women in agriculture across the state.

All women who are involved in South Carolina agriculture are encouraged to attend this conference, Maxwell said. We will have educational information available, as well as information about resources they can use to help them in their operations.

Activities get underway with farm tours at 1 p.m. Friday. The tours will start at the T. Ed Garrison Arena, 1101 West Queen St., Pendleton, and will include visits to Clemson Universitys LaMaster Dairy Center, Student Organic Farm and Agricultural Service Laboratory. Transportation will be provided.

On Saturday, the conference runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Clemson University Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business building, 225 Walter T. Cox Blvd., Clemson. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. Lunch keynote speaker will be Marilyn Easter of Eastglen Jerseys in Laurens, South Carolina.

A variety of educational sessions and presentations from Clemson Cooperative Extension professionals and South Carolina producers will be held Saturday. Topics include farm income tax basics, agriwellness, financing options, hydroponics, forestry, agritourism, youth agriculture education and Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

Participants also will learn about the Clemson Extension Food2Market Program for Entrepreneurs, as well as other agriculture programs. Schedule listing of topics and speakers is available at https://bit.ly/2022_SCWAgN_Schedule.

For more information about the conference, including hotel information and more, go to clemson.edu/extension/scwgn/conference.html.

Women play an important role in South Carolina agriculture, comprising more than 14% of the states total producers. They are taking a more active role in day-to-day agriculture and farming operations.

Data from the 2017 Census of Agriculture for South Carolina indicate between 2012 and 2017 alone, South Carolina saw a 27.8% increase in female producers and a 56.9% increase in females as principal producers on farms.
The Medical University of South Carolina may not decide whether to proceed with its partnership with the Regional Medical Center until later this year or early in 2023.

Our enterprise-wide team, representing education, research and clinical care, are in the midst of a comprehensive due diligence process concerning this potential partnership, MUSC Director of Public Affairs, Media Relations and Presidential Communications Heather M. Woolwine said in a prepared statement.

There are several phases to this due diligence, which will be followed by a full review by the MUSC Board of Trustees, she said.

The board will not be able to make a decision about the proposed partnership until this process is complete and the details of a potential structure and fiduciary responsibilities have been determined, Woolwine said. A conservative estimate on timeline for this process would place a board review and vote on whether to proceed with the partnership in late 2022 or early 2023.

MUSC is honored to be engaged by the state to participate in these discussions in the early stages given its statewide mission and commitment to serving all of South Carolinas citizens.

A proviso in the South Carolina budget allows a partnership between RMC and MUSC. RMC is owned by Orangeburg and Calhoun counties.

Orangeburg and Calhoun county councils and the Orangeburg County Legislative Delegation successfully made the Oct. 1 deadline to appoint an 11-member board that will help oversee the transition process with MUSC.

This process will include the anticipated signing of a lease agreement.

With the exception of fiscal matters, the new board has assumed all the duties and responsibilities of the previous RMC Board.

The new board will be in place to do just that, said Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg. MUSC, as is true in any case involving this type of transaction, is required to undertake a due diligence process and they are about a third of the way through it.

RMC Chief Financial Officer Dennis Pettigrew said what happens going forward will be revealed to employees and the public at the appropriate time. He said the information RMC administration is aware of is what has been made known publicly in meetings.

He said hospital administration has been told that MUSC officials will come to the hospital and inform employees about the transition process.

We are going through open enrollment, Pettigrew said. We are going through the normal process.

While specific details of when certain benchmarks or milestones will be reached are unknown, Pettigrew said what is known is that nobody is going to lose anything.

"What youve got, you have, he said.

As due diligence gets done, that will form the basis for the agreement, Pettigrew said. We don't expect any surprises in due diligence.

Highlights of what the partnership with MUSC would look like include:

 MUSC would enter into a 99-year lease with RMC.

 MUSC would commit to a multi-year investment in RMC.

 The Medical University Hospital Authority Board, the governing body of MUSC, would oversee RMCs finances.

 RMC would be responsible for quality oversight, medical staff accreditation and community engagement.

 All employees at RMC would be retained.

 All employee physician contracts would remain the same as long as they are within fair market range.

 RMC employees would become employees of the Medical University Hospital Authority/Medical University of South Carolina.

 Contract providers that currently provide services to RMC will most likely remain the same unless their contracts expire and the hospital renews them.

 The name could change to MUSC Health Orangeburg-Calhoun.

Cobb-Hunter

cites concerns,

RMC answers

Cobb-Hunter has concerns about how RMC has responded through the transition process.

She cited the current administrations failure to submit all of the requested financial information in a timely manner, noting she does not want MUSC agreeing to take on a pig in a poke.

She is also concerned about other actions taken by the hospital leadership.

I have encouraged MUSC to intensify their level of diligence since the current administrations decisions on raises, new contracts, travel and other kinds of spending have taken place since this partnership was announced, Cobb-Hunter said. This new spending on raises and other things have been done in spite of instructions from the leadership of both Orangeburg and Calhoun counties to not spend any money or enter into new contracts.

It is not fair to them to take on RMC and all of its red ink made worse by the administrations uncontrolled spending that is happening, Cobb-Hunter said.

Pettigrew denied that the hospital has done anything wrong or out of line during the process.

The idea was to be stable and not spend anything new but continue to operate as a prudent operating team should do, Pettigrew said. We follow the rules.

With regards to responding to MUSC, Pettigrew said, Due diligence: It is a big load.

We are responding. It just takes a huge amount of time to do it, Pettigrew said in answer to Cobb-Hunter's concerns. We are meeting multiple times per week and supplying information. That is all going into a drop box.

We are in full due diligence, Pettigrew continued They are asking for everything they could want going back three years.

Pettigrew said much of the discussion has focused around finances, revenue cycle and compliance. Information technology is also beginning its work.

The desire was in communications to have the due diligence done by Thanksgiving, Pettigrew said.

Pettigrew said MUSC has two national firms doing the due diligence: KPMG and ECG.

Pettigrew said, any salary adjustments that were made were based upon agreements that were already established.

For example, RMC President and CEO David Southerland received a salary increase from $300,000 to $420,000 effective Sept. 4, 2022. The former RMC board approved the increase.

Pettigrew said Southerland was due an employment evaluation at the end of 2021.

The evaluation started in late November and early December with the assistance of the hospital's consultant, Pettigrew said.

Southerland did not ask for this, Pettigrew said.

At the time of the evaluation, Southerlands base compensation was in the lower 10 percent of hospital CEOs in the state, Pettigrew said. His salary was increased to bring it closer to other CEOs in the state.

It was part of his contract to receive an evaluation, Pettigrew said. The evaluation normally leads to assessment of compensation. Research was done that said you are in the lower centile. The board then took that and then reacted to it.

Pettigrew said MUSC asked about the raise during the due diligence process.

They called, I responded to them ... and they said OK, duly noted," Pettigrew said.

There have been other transactions that were proposed but have been deferred, Pettigrew said. Two of these, such as a chief medical officer and recruiting for a compliance officer, they have been put on hold.

Pettigrew said travel has occurred since the MUSC and RMC partnership was announced in June.

There has been travel, there always is, but it is all business related, Pettigrew said. It has been fairly small.

According to hospital records, since June the hospital has spent $61,264 on travel expenses. The hospital has spent about $132,000 in travel for the entire 2021-2022 fiscal year.

In my experience this is not a large number, Pettigrew said.

One of the trips taken since June -- about $20,861 -- was spent for a trip for Washington, D.C., by four hospital administrators as well as representatives from ambulance provider MedTrust. The trip was taken to request pilot federal funding to assist with medical transport for the hospital, Pettigrew said.

Though federal funding was not provided at this time, Pettigrew said officials did recognize the need to enhance transport capabilities.

There was also a trip to Kansas City for about $11,951 to meet with the hospital's information technology provider -- Cerner.

These were all business expenses, Pettigrew said. "That is not a large number. It is comparatively conservative amount."

In answer to Cobb-Hunters concern about other expenses, Pettigrew said the board has been meeting more frequently, especially in July and August. The board stipend per trustee is $125 per meeting.

The total spent by the hospital in board stipends from June through August was about $14,478 for all board members, according to hospital documents.

That is pretty much normal, Pettigrew said. Over the course of a year, 17 board members, assuming all slots are filled, range from as low as $500 a month and $1,000 a month depending on how many meetings they have and how many they actually attend.

Pettigrew said if the trustees do not attend a meeting, they do not get paid. The board members also receive mileage.

Pettigrew said trustees have met more frequently in recent months due in part to the transition process.

Pettigrew said meetings were also held to discuss contracts.

For example, he said the board approved a contract for a new OB/GYN and a new general surgeon.

The hospital also entered into a contract Oct. 1 with Pharm D on Demand, Pettigrew said. The annual management fee is $125,000 and the pharmacy will provide staff.

It will be a direct pass though without any mark up, Pettigrew said.

Pettigrew said the Pharm D contract will mean about $100,000 a month decrease in administrative costs.

He did note September committee meetings were postponed.
First Lady Agatha Youmans Conyers is Ready to Do and Dare as her family embarks on their new journey at South Carolina State. The university had not seen a first lady since 2015, and she is wasting no time, as she dedicated her inaugural First Ladys Luncheon to her new scholarship fund.

The scholarship will encompass all students. No matter where you are in your path, it is made to help students stay in school, Conyers said at the event. Right now, we are in the process of building the funds, and details are yet to come. We want to maintain the scholarship even after my time.

As a member of the Alpha Xi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, her sorority sisters and other invited guests filled the room at the Orangeburg Public Library and Conference Center with excitement and gratitude. The luncheon was part of the weeklong celebration for the inauguration of Mrs. Conyerss husband, Alexander Conyers, the universitys 13th president.

Charleston TV personality Octavia Mitchell, an SC State alumna and an Alpha Xi member was elated by the opportunity to be the luncheons speaker.

It feels amazing to be here and celebrate our first lady and wonderful president. It is a blessing to be back here, said Mitchell.

As an alumna, Mitchell believes the Conyerss love and investment in SC State is on a different level.

They live and breathe SC State and that makes all the difference, Mitchell said. The minute they got here you could feel the difference. You cant compare the love. They both walked the grounds of SC State, they wanted to be here, and they have always given back. Even after their individual careers, they came to give back to SC State.

When asked about Mrs. Conyers dedicating her luncheon to her scholarship fund for the students, Mitchell said it speaks volumes on her character.

I know what it is like to pay for college. I am a first-generation college graduate. I know the struggle, so for her to make this part of her platform and make sure that students have some debt relief is just amazing, Mitchell said. It shows her character and how much she wants to give back to our university and the young people in this country. She is an amazing role model. That she is doing phenomenal things is a blessing to not only the university but everyone who meets her.

Mrs. Conyers first cousin, Linda Prince Johnson, said, It is not by chance that she is here today in this place of honor. She is equipped with everything she needs to assist the President in taking this University to the next level.

The Youmans-Conyers Bulldog Legacy runs deep. Mrs. Conyerss grandparents are responsible for 17 graduates from SC state and six Bulldog marriages.

Johnson trusts Conyerss love for SC State, as she has been active in the National Alumni Association, a key fundraiser for the Class of 86, and has always supported causes that bring honor to the institution.

It is an honor and Im happy for her. I wouldnt say any of this is a shock. Theyve been doing this, but not for personal gain. It was for the strength of the university, said SC State senior Ace Conyers, son of Agatha and Alexander Conyers. Many people dont know that my father had a big job before this. He let go of that to be pursue SC State. They love SC State and want to see it as its highest peak.

I have always said my mom has three kids  me, Ace, and SC State, said daughter Alyssa Conyers.

The luncheon exuded women empowerment and focused on health and wellness, including self-care. The program encouraged others to not let lifes demands harm their health and continually speak positive I am affirmations.

Every woman knocks down different barriers, said Mrs. Conyers. With my mom having dementia, although she was quite healthy  Im not sure if she really took care of her health. I mean in ways of, did she really get enough sleep? Probably not, did she worry too much? Absolutely. Just being overworked  I know that has a lot to do with mental health and just keeping your brain strong. Staying active and positive, always trying to find the good in things versus sitting in sorrow.

In addition to the scholarship fund, Mrs. Conyers looks to create a place of worship on campus for students. She sees a student chapel for SC State in the works soon.
The break in storm clouds to the north gave dimension to the skys enormity. There passing by pale hills dusted with spring snow, pumpjacks dipped up and down in monotony.

Dr. Kent Sundell  bearded, blue-eyed, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a shirt with countless pockets  drove the van north on I-25 toward Douglas. Hes a Casper College geology professor. His student, Zachary Tenney, sat beside him. Two tourists from Texas and Oregon, both visiting Casper for an outdoor writers conference, sat quietly in the back.

A little ways outside of Douglas, Sundell pulled off onto a dirt road headed toward Sheep Mountain and stopped. Everyone got out in the wind and cold. He pointed to a blemish on the side of the mountain, a mole on its rugged face.

Once your eye is trained, youll say, Hey, thats a crater, thats a crater!

Craters pockmark the side of the mountain. A petroleum geologist named Gene George found the first of them  SM-1, also known now as Georges crater  by accident in the 90s. Over the ensuing decades, his discovery spurred others to find more craters in the area, which they did.

Theyre part of a crater field bounded by Casper, Douglas and Laramie, stretching along the outcrops of whats described in the language of geologists as the upper Permo-Pennsylvanian Casper Sandstone Formation, just below the Permian-Triassic redbed sequence of sedimentary rock. Scientists call it the Wyoming impact crater field.

Its about 280 million years old, among the largest, and by far the oldest, impact crater fields on Earth. One can find plenty such fields on moons and other planets. But things are different here. Oceans hide meteor impacts. Water and wind and plants and tectonic deformation distort and knead craters to unrecognizability. On our planet, theyre ephemeral; others documented so far are no older than 63,500 years. Even the craters in Douglas were once buried. Over time, they were unearthed again as the redbeds eroded away.

Everyone got back into the van. Sundell drove across a cattle guard, turned right onto a path worn with faint tire tracks. The van jostled across brush until Sundell brought it to a stop near the base of the mountain. Hiking up the incline, theres a rock quarry to the right, a vast expanse of land to the left. The craters are in varying states of preservation  some classic rings, others mottled and eaten away, disguised under brush.

Scientists dont know what made the crater field, but some are trying to find out. Sundell has a hypothesis about their origin that, if proven to be true, could change our understanding of our solar systems history. Its the enormity of this idea and its possible implications that he attempted to impress upon the writer-tourists, guarded against the Wyoming wind in their brightly colored puffer jackets, that spring morning.

***

In 2017, Sundell hosted a field trip to the crater field the Sunday before the solar eclipse. Among those who came along were Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Jack Schmitt, the last person and the only geologist to walk on the moon, and retired petroleum geologist Doug Cook. At the time, the extent of the crater field  at least what they had found of it  was still relatively small. On Aug. 21 of that year, the scientists and students set up telescopes by the North Platte River to watch the moon swallow up the suns light. Sundell said the eclipse is what made him want to look for other astronomically unique phenomena in Wyoming.

Cook was acquainted with Dr. Thomas Kenkmann, a famed geologist, impact specialist and professor at Germanys University of Freiburg, whom he had met while doing research in Saudi Arabia.

That spring, Kenkmann flew from Germany with a graduate student to see the craters for himself. The same year, Sundell, Cook and Kenkmann published their first research paper on the craters.

They thought at first that the craters were made by the breakup of a single asteroid as it entered the atmosphere; the ones they had found lined up like points at the tip of a palm frond, as if they had radiated from a single source. Sundell described the impacts, poking his finger in the air along a line and illustrating with different sounds: Pop, pop, pop, pop! Ding, ding, ding, ding!

But then they found more craters, covering an area too large to result from the breakup of a single asteroid. They came up with a new hypothesis; an asteroid hit the Earth somewhere near the Wyoming-Nebraska border, blasting off smaller bits called ejecta upon impact. The ejecta came hurtling back toward Earth again. Some of them landed in the Douglas area, making whats called secondary craters.

If that hypothesis is eventually accepted as true, it would be a significant discovery. Secondary craters have been found on moons and other planets, but never on Earth. In studying secondary craters, planetary scientists have been resigned to examining them from across millions of miles of space. Having access to them on Earth, however, could change how theyre studied on other planetary bodies.

But Sundell was skeptical. The shocked quartz from extreme heat and pressure, the upwelled walls; these craters were made by meteorites traveling near terminal velocity when they hit Earth. Sundells oldest student Allan Fraser, a physicist and mathematician who formerly worked at Johns Hopkins University, played with the numbers. His calculation shows that a meteorite would have to nearly escape Earths atmosphere and gravity to return at such speed, a scenario that, though mathematically possible, Sundell thought unlikely. Some of the craters are also layered, suggesting they didnt hit the Earth simultaneously but rather over a period of time.

Sundell has another idea; he thinks there may be more craters to find in the area, that the craters were made by meteorites hitting Earth over thousands of years in a worldwide event, and that those meteorites may have come from the explosion of a moon or planet that once existed in our solar system.

Kenkmann, however, has so far stayed firm with the other hypothesis. He thinks the clustered and rayed arrangement of the craters  as well as their elliptical to ovoid shape, which his team used to reconstruct trajectories that seem to meet in a single area  better prove the idea that theyre secondary craters.

But Sundell doesnt see the pattern of the craters in the same way. To him, they look less orderly and more like marks from a shotgun blast.

We dont always agree with each other, Sundell said in the van, chuckling. He said that it means they all came from one impact, and I said, No it doesnt.

That was the point at which Sundell decided to go his own way and pursue a different path of research.

***

The mountain was warm and mostly brown in September.

Two men hustled around a couple plastic water tanks sitting on the dry dirt. Their names are Brandon Brown and Mike Carter. They were both once Sundells geology students at Casper College, who transitioned from other fields after injuries. Carter got hit in the head and broke his neck working construction. Brown tore all the tendons in his hand in an oilfield.

It was just time to slow down and do something with our minds rather than our bodies, Carter said. Were still out there swinging a sledgehammer or a shovel, but its a lot more fun.

Brown lit a cigarette. He wore a Raiders shirt, cargo shorts, small, silver earrings; Carter, sunglasses, a jean shirt and pants. Both sported beards.

Do all my students have beards? Sundell said. No.

Brown and Carter got involved with Sundells crater research in 2018. That summer, they helped him create whats called a resistivity map of SM1, also known as Georges Crater after the petroleum geologist, Gene George, who discovered it. They laid out a line of cable, interrupted every five yards or so by a probe, over the top of the mountain. The cable attached to big truck batteries that induced an electrical current, and the speed at which the current moved between each probe helped them see where the earth and rock beneath the surface of the mountain was conductive or resistive.

Sundell had the resistivity map printed on some computer paper. It looks like a rectangle cut out from a tie-dye shirt. Dots frame the top of the rectangle. Numbers indicating depth frame the left of it. A bright blue mass surrounded by red fills a section of the map. Thats the crater. The blue area is 10,000 times more conductive than the surrounding red.

The question is, whats making that so conductive? Sundell asked. He thinks it could be the remains of the meteorite that made Georges crater.

Up on the mountain, a man in a bright orange shirt stood next to a tall contraption on the crest of Georges Crater. The contraption emitted a faint whine that permeated the air. Its a drill rig that Sundell and his team borrowed from the University of Wyoming, and the man was Dr. Bradley Carr. Hes a University of Wyoming geophysicist and director of the schools Near Surface Geophysics Instrumentation Center. But I have a side-gig as a driller, he joked.

They were using the drill to harvest rock samples from Georges crater, and in those samples theyll look for platinum group minerals  platinum, palladium, iridium, nickel, chrome, cobalt, possibly gold  elements that often occur together in iron-rich meteorites. At some point, theyll be able to take those chemical signatures and measure them up to those from other craters in the impact field, and that comparison will tell them if Sundells hypothesis is wrong, or if it might be right; the same signature among the craters would likely mean they came from a single asteroid. But if theyre different, that could mean the meteorites came from a larger body  possible a moon or a planet, both of which wouldnt have the same signature all the way through.

If the research gets to this point, the scientists could expand that comparison to samples taken all over Earth at that same place just below the Permian redbed sequence.

Sundell drove the truck up the mountain, turning left on a rugged path marked with small, pink flags. A tent housing all their gear sat about 30 yards from the drill. Next to the tent stood a table with cardboard boxes broken up into long, rectangular compartments. The compartments held samples they had already cored out of the earth.

Fraser, Sundells oldest student, the former Johns Hopkins physicist and mathematician, and Conner Stafford, Sundells youngest student, fresh out of high school, stood by the table. They both wore yellow hard hats. Stafford held a cylinder of rock. Hes known Sundell for a long time; his dad and Sundells son are both firefighters, and Sundell used to take him fossil hunting when he was a kid.

Hes been trained by firefighters, so he can swing a sledgehammer and lift a lot of heavy things, Sundell said, laughing.

Some feet away from the table lay an inflatable pool filled with water, and out of the pool a blue hose climbed the incline toward the lip of the crater and up to the drill rig.

On the way back down the mountain, Sundell chuckled.

Im just smiling, because its moving in my direction all the time.

But Sundells idea is still just a hypothesis, and it could be proven wrong at any step. The drilling concluded Oct. 2. The samples have to be processed. Theyll have to make more resistivity maps and drill more samples; science is a slow, long process of infinitesimal steps to piece together an image of the universe. Some of those infinitesimal steps will inevitably go in the wrong direction.

It will be the most important thing I do in my life, if it goes that far, Sundell said back in April, sitting in a small gully sheltered from the wind with his student and the two tourist-writers. He looked out across the range, red and green and turning white under snow.

But, I could be wrong.

Cows wandered around Georges Crater. Flecks of hard snow pecked at the ground. Clouds converged and broke apart again. The rest of the crew had finished their lunches and sat mostly in silence, numbed by the cold.

After a moment lost in thought, Sundell spoke.

Anyway, he said. Id better stop talking and eat my sandwich.
Friday was my last day at the Star-Tribune, and I wanted to take the time to say thank you.

Ill always remember the feeling of driving over the hill into Casper nearly two years ago, with everything I own in the back of my car, after a quiet two-hour drive from Rawlins.

I knew basically nothing about this city  or really, Wyoming in general  back then. I got the keys to my Center Street apartment, clocked in at the big old Star-Tribune building for the first time, and got to work.

Soon, I found how welcoming and kind Wyomingites are, how passionate they are about what they love and  thankfully  how much some still value the local paper. Every phone call, email or occasional written note in response to a story, good or bad, reminded me how important this job is.

I spent much of my last week tying up loose ends, going through months of letters and saying goodbye to sources. Even as my time here was ending, I was still meeting new people and learning new things while reporting stories on law enforcement in an anti-government group, the decline of commutations in Wyoming and a Casper mans attempt to revisit his conviction after a victim recanted.

Again and again as I got ready to leave, I kept coming to the same conclusion: Im so grateful for all the stories Ive been able to tell here, and for all the people who trusted me enough to tell them.

For the email about a missing cat returning to Casper from Alabama, which turned into one of the sweetest reunions Ive ever seen.

For the man I interviewed about shoveling snow during last years historic storm, who called me up a few weeks later and told me about his fight to put his prosecutor on trial.

For the night spent on Casper Mountain, waiting with the first class of Wyoming naturalists for saw-whet owls that never came.

For the police officers who brought me on ride-alongs and explained the day-to-day grind of their jobs, and for the administrators who helped me with everything else.

For the mothers and fathers, sisters and friends and children who told me about their loved ones in prison, and for the prisoners who sent mountains of mail to give me new insight into what goes on past the barbed wire fence.

And of course for readers who care enough to keep up with the news, send feedback to reporters or even leave a comment on Facebook (as Ive said before  yes, I read them all). Im sad and nervous to leave Casper, this beautiful windy place I now love, but itll always feel like home.
CHEYENNE  Increasing legislative pay always has been a red flag that is fodder for critics who use it as a political hammer during the next election.

So it may be painful to watch what happens next to the healthy  some would call rich  legislative pay and benefits package recommended by a special subcommittee as it goes to the management council leadership and then perhaps on to the full Legislature.

Last week I watched a meeting of the subcommittee through the Legislature web page.

Star-Tribune reporter Maya Shimizu Harris wrote an excellent piece on the nuts and bolts of the subcommittees recommendations.

I was more interested in the political and historical aspects.

First of all it was clear the legislators are quite aware of the difficulties and political dangers ahead.

And the misunderstandings.

A headline to a story about the subcommittee work in Cowboy State Daily said the legislators consider giving themselves more than 50% raise.

No way. The state constitution says sitting legislators cannot increase their salary during their elected terms of office.

Ergo, any pay raise would be four years off. Current legislators would not benefit from it.

According to the discussions, the legislators are concerned about the future of the institution as a citizen Legislature because of the cost of serving, both in time and money.

Rep. Pat Sweeney, R-Casper, who attended the meeting but is not a subcommittee member, said the current legislative pay doesnt come close to covering his expenses as a lawmaker.

Meanwhile, the income for legislative service is about $15,000 to $20,000 per year, House Speaker Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, said earlier, according to published accounts.

And that is not enough to make up for wages lost by an average young working citizen who may have a mortgage, wife and kids.

Therefore, Wyomings Legislature has a lot of retired people, businessmen and lawyers who can afford service or maybe a teacher or two, but with few plain working folks.

I think we need to do something to get younger folks to run, Sweeney said.

It will be hard to get through the Legislature, he added, but we need to try.

Opponents, including the growing number of hard-right conservatives in the Legislature, are likely to fight any increase in spending for any reason.

This type of opposition is why Wyoming and other states as well have turned to other ways to increase lawmakers compensation without increasing their statutory pay.

Although the Legislature has the same number of days in the formal sessions, the jump in workload has been in interim studies.

Since the last salary increase in 2005, the Legislature has expanded the scope of the $150-per-day salary beyond the period when the lawmakers are in session.

One move to ease the financial pain for service is a pre-planning allowance for lawmakers to do the studying ahead of an interim committee meeting.

The allocation was half a days salary.

Another is the constituents service allowance.

This was an odd one because it wasnt all that popular with lawmakers.

Former Sen. Frank Prevedel, D-Rock Springs, may have helped prompt it. He complained early in the 1980s during a committee meeting about the difficulty of serving constituents in his sprawling Sweetwater County district. That included Bairoil near the Carbon County border.

That service included travel costs to attend town council meetings, perhaps, or taking part in other local activities; being a presence.

That district today is much larger.

Anyway, the Legislature developed the constituents allowance. It ultimately totaled $750 per quarter or $3,000 a year.

In the beginning, the lawmakers had to submit vouchers to get the allowance. Apparently, they didnt like that.

The 2011 annual report of the Legislative Service Office showed that no legislator got the full allowance, while others received only part or none.

As a result, the legislative leaders in 2013 decided to include the $3,000 per year automatically as salary.

As it wrote much earlier, quoting political science experts, poorly paid legislative bodies result in a lawmaking branch dominated by retired or wealthy people.

And that type of mix is not a citizens Legislature.

It doesnt represent Wyoming.
Shortly before Ed Buchanan left the secretary of states post early to take a judgeship, the Wyoming Republican Party wrote a letter asking him to stay on through the November election.

Party officials wrote that asking an interim secretary of state to oversee an election with only a few weeks on the job would be setting that person up for failure. There was just too much to learn in that short of a time.

Buchanan was undeterred. When he resigned, Wyoming law required the state GOP to help find the person to finish out his term. Specifically, the party was tasked with nominating three people for the job. It would then be up to Gov. Mark Gordon to appoint one of those nominees.

While the secretary of state may not be well known among the general public, the position is critical in Wyoming. For one, the secretary of state is the No. 2 elected official in the state. If something should happen to the governor, the secretary of state takes over as leader of Wyoming.

Moreover, the office oversees the states elections department, working with Wyomings 23 county clerks to run the most essential part of the democratic process. In the past, the secretarys role in elections seemed more procedural than anything, but with the rise of unfounded fears of election fraud, the job has taken on newfound importance. Buchanan, for example, traveled the state last year to bat down electoral conspiracies while demonstrating that Wyomings system is safe and secure. (And to be clear, no one has present actual evidence that a single race here has been undermined by ballot drop boxes, absentee ballots or voter fraud).

Given party leaders fears that an interim secretary would be put into a difficult position by starting the job only weeks before the election, you would expect theyd have picked someone ready to hit the ground running. There were people who sought the job with that sort of resume. One, for example, was an experienced county clerk. A second was an assistant attorney general who has worked with the secretary of states office.

Instead, the partys state central committee passed over those with experience in favor of three of its own members: Karl Allred, Bryan Miller and Marti Halverson. Rather than pick someone with the background for the job, the committee chose Republican stalwarts who could be expected to toe the state party line.

The trio had another thing in common. Voters in their communities had rejected all three nominees in their most recent legislative contests. Halverson, a former lawmaker, lost her reelection bid in 2018. Miller and Allred both unsuccessfully challenged GOP incumbents in August.

Gov. Mark Gordon ultimately selected Allred, a foreman at a gas plant, as interim secretary of state. Up until now, Allred was known mostly for an unsuccessful lawsuit against former Gov. Matt Mead over capitol reconstruction.

Gordons announcement of Allreds selection was notable for its lack of enthusiasm. The governor did not sing his selections praises. Instead, he merely noted that state law required him to choose one of the candidates selected by the party.

Which brings home a point this editorial board has made before  this process is broken. This is the second time in a year that the partys central committee has passed over qualified Republican candidates in favor of nominees who share leaderships mindset. In fact, Halverson was selected as a nominee in both processes  apparently shes uniquely qualified, in the eyes of the central committee, to serve as both the head of state public schools and the head of the states elections and business licensing systems.

There is a better way. And one that is objectively more democratic. Rather than leaving the decision up to 60 or so party leaders, we could let the voters do it. A special election would require candidates to share their views with the public ahead of time so that voters can vet for themselves the people who may hold critical roles. It would also mean that rather than a vote of dozens, the decision would be made by tens of thousands of Wyomingites.

And frankly, the partys leadership has shown that its not taking the job seriously. Its twice passed over the most qualified candidates. Its ignored experience in favor of whats best for the party, rather than whats best for Wyoming.

There is legislation being discussed that would move Wyoming to a special elections system. Its time we give it a try. The current process is broken. Let the people decide who should lead us.
Imagine you were part owner of a nice piece of rural land, maybe with a trout stream running through it. But your neighbors wont let you in. You dont have to imagine, because access to far too much public land is legally blocked by private property owners, causing headaches throughout the West.

If you look at a map of the region, big tracts of land run in a checkerboard pattern of mixed public and private land ownership. The West is literally diced up into alternating square-mile sections of federally managed land and private ground, which is generally owned by a timber company or ranch.

This is not a small problem. Researchers have found that 8 million acres of public land are landlocked in 11 states. Thats roughly equal to the area of four Yellowstone national parks.

This land ownership pattern has been causing headaches since it was rolled across the West in the 1860s. It dates back to the days of Abraham Lincoln, when the federal government granted land to railroads as incentives to span the continent with tracks, thus opening up the West for development.

Unintended consequences continue to fill up courthouses. This year, in Wyoming, the absentee owner of a 22,000-acre ranch wasnt happy when four hunters crossed from one section of public land to another, thanks to a makeshift ladder they raised at the corner of his private land.

Once the hunters from Missouri accomplished their corner crossing, the ranch owner convinced a local prosecutor to file trespassing charges. After a jury failed to convict, the ranch owner was not satisfied.

He filed a civil case, claiming that by merely crossing his land at the corner, the hunters had decreased the value of his property. To be clear, the hunters never stepped foot on his land. But the landowner claimed they violated the airspace over the corner where properties met. The suit charged that the loss of exclusive access to his land caused millions of dollars in damages.

The case is being watched closely around the country. Access advocates have raised tens of thousands of dollars in donations via GoFundMe accounts to help pay legal costs for the hunters involved. They hope that a victory in Wyoming will have beneficial consequences elsewhere.

But a victory for public land access is far from automatic, even if a Wyoming judge or jury agrees with the hunters in civil court. The question remains: Where do public rights stop and private property rights begin?

Legislatures across the West will be under political pressure to resolve the issue, and conservative legislatures could pass a law giving private landowners authority to block corner crossing.

Under that scenario, the public would lose. Yet there are proven tools to protect access in checkerboarded landscapes.

All thats required are private landowners who dont hanker for a showdown.

Where I live in northwestern Montana, checkerboard landscapes were the norm, and when I went hunting I often had no idea whose land I was on. Public or private, though, didnt matter, because visitors were welcomed by both.

That changed when timber companies shifted their focus from sawing lumber to selling real estate. Thousands of acres suddenly fell behind No Trespassing signs or fences put up around trophy ranches.

Luckily for me, groups like the Trust for Public Land and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks worked with willing landowners and elected officials to secure public access. Today, every major timber company in Montana has a conservation easement allowing the public to enter at least part of their domain. This has helped secure access around fast growing resort towns like Whitefish and Columbia Falls.

Meanwhile, then-Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., brokered a huge deal where the federal government bought thousands of acres in the Swan River Valley, making the land state forest or national forest. Thankfully, there are sources of money through the Land & Water Conservation Fund that can pay for such solutions. Land trades are another way to settle the issue.

David vs. Goliath fights between hunting parties and wealthy absentee landlords generate a lot of passion, and perhaps the disputes will conclude by securing more rights for everyday folks to enjoy public land.

But larger solutions will require more people willing to work together  and a lot more money on the table. Not everything needs to be settled in court.
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.
Police Constable Herman Mohan, who was described as having an instrumental role in the captu
All murders are tragic but the killing of a child is in a category of its own.
When shipping issues were hurting the hemp-oil business they founded in Chicago a few years ago, Kameron Norwood and partner David DiCosola decided to build their own packing and shipping operation.

They ended up building a whole new company, PackDash, which caters to the logistical needs of small- to mid-size retailers. They moved the company headquarters to Tucson and opened a fulfillment center near downtown in August 2021.

Now, Norwood and DiCosola are moving to raise capital and scale up the business after joining the yearling resident mentorship program at the University of Arizonas FORGE (Finding Opportunities and Resources to Grow Entrepreneurs) business accelerator in July.

PackDash recently won a vote of confidence  and a shot of no-strings capital  when Norwood was awarded $100,000 by the Google Startup Black Founders Fund to advance the company.

Norwood, who grew up in Tucson and is a UA alum, also is one of 250 finalists for the Black Ambition prize, sponsored by rapper Pharrell Williams and offering 50 founders cash prizes ranging from $25,000 to $1 million.

Paralyzing problem

Norwood said he and DiCosola, whose wives are sisters, came up with the idea for their hemp-oil business Halfday CBD in 2018, when the federal Farm Act made hemp growing legal.

At the time, Norwood was working as a contract-relations manager for a major staffing firm, and DiCosola was vice president for a Chicago startup building technology for office managers, after previously working three years in senior positions at a major health care tech firm.

Halfday CBD (Cannabidiol) took off, and Norwood recalls making $10,000 to $20,000 a weekend selling products at marketplaces and festivals.

When COVID hit, we couldnt do events anymore, so we were forced online, he said.

But the company had serious issues with its shipping provider, including an order accuracy rate of just 77% at one point, Norwood said.

It felt paralyzing as a business owner, because I couldnt grow my business, he said.

After finding other logistics services lacking or too costly, Norwood and DiCosola decided to build their own shipping operation.

They rented out a space formerly occupied by a dry cleaner on Chicagos north side and converted the space, cleaning and installing inventory racking and a shipping station themselves, Norwood recalled.

Norwood said that after talking up the success of their fulfillment center in the Chicago business community, some entrepreneurs shared the same problems and asked if Norwood and DiCosola could ship their products  and some associates offered to invest in their logistics operation.

We were like, wow, this has some legs, and CBD was becoming difficult to sell, so it was a natural pivot for us, he said.

After just a couple of years, PackDash has about 50 clients that sell a wide range of products, including diapers, pizza condiment packets, croutons and baby formula, including vendors to Whole Foods and Walmart.

We found this kind of niche we carved out of anybody whos under 20,000 orders per month, and cant find customized, flexible, affordable, scalable logistics fulfillment services, Norwood said. Youve got to be doing a ton of business to have the attention you need, and thats what weve been able to service.

Custom service

Known as a third-party logistics company, PackDash offers a range of customized services, including custom kitting, which can include labeling and packing of individual items, and responsive support with a dedicated Slack chat channel and agent for each client.

In some cases, Norwood said, PackDash also can offer more inventory storage than giants like Amazon, which limits the inventory of a particular item its sellers can store in its warehouses, and also deliver inventory as needed to companies like Amazon.

He recalled a client who needed to store a large minimum order of diapers from a German company, which was more than Amazon would keep in its warehouse.

PackDash was able to store the excess and feed Amazon product as needed, he said, noting that Amazon trucks regularly visit PackDashs warehouses to pick up inventory.

The company plugs its logistics technology into a customers existing e-commerce platform, schedules inventory delivery and storage, and handles packing and shipping, and works with e-commerce systems to trigger automated tracking and delivery notifications.

PackDash works with all the major e-commerce platforms, including Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, Etsy and Google.

The startup is in the process of raising capital to expand, with plans to open four more fulfillment centers across the nation in the next three to five years, Norwood said.

Finding Tucson

When the PackDash founders were looking to expand with a fulfillment operation in the West, Tucson naturally at the top of the list, said DiCosola, who visited Tucson often while courting his future wife.

I would visit, love it, then have to go back, DiCosola said.

It was a homecoming for Norwood, who came to Tucson with his family from California when he was 10, attended Catalina Foothills High and received a bachelors degree in regional development from the UA in 2011. Norwood, who ran track in high school, served as manager of the UA track team for five years while studying for his degree.

After graduating, he moved to Chicago to start his career and met future business partner DiCosola.

The PackDash founders literally walked into their Arizona FORGE experience after arriving in Tucson last year.

They strolled into the FORGE offices at the historic Roy Place building downtown and were greeted by members of Startup Tucson, a nonprofit business incubator hosted by the UA at FORGE, who introduced Norwood and DiCosola to FORGE staff.

DiCosola, who has been involved in several startups and was a mentor at a Chicago business accelerator for nearly three years, said FORGE provides office space and a place to meet with other local entrepreneurs.

FORGE had been a great way to be exposed to other entrepreneurs in the ecosystem, he said. A lot of the education you need as a business owner can come from structured resources, but so much comes from other entrepreneurs.

DiCosola said the company will likely be looking to move into a much larger facility in Tucson by next year and expects to employ about 50 people here.

The companys Tucson fulfillment center, in an old brick industrial center at 830 E. 16th St., is nearly at capacity already at 6,000 square feet; its center in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, Illinois, is 20,000 square feet.

We want to be part of the community and create opportunities for more than just ourselves, and working with FORGE we can not only get exposed to resources and ways to raise money and find experts, but we can also make friends and expand our network, even find new clients.

Brian Ellerman, FORGEs founding director, said the PackDash founders have been successful so far and have already attracted interest from local investors, but like all fast-growing startups face challenges in scaling up.

They just need that mentoring and advice to help them deal with that growth, how to do it in a way that doesnt destroy them in the process, Ellerman said.
A man was shot and killed Friday night during a fight on North Fourth Avenue, Tucson police say.

Elias Cordova, 32, was shot in a parking lot in the 500 block of North Fourth Avenue during a fight with a man he had been arguing with earlier at a nearby bar, Tucson police said in a news release.

Cordova followed the man outside after the argument and the pair were in a fight when police say the other man pulled a gun and shot Cordova.

Cordova was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The man who fired the gun stayed at the scene and cooperated with police. The investigation continues. The shooters name was not released by police.
Animals arrive at the Tucson Wildlife Center badly injured, victims of a fast car or an aggressive dog.

Others are orphans  baby rabbits, squirrels, or birds  in need of care to ready them for life in the wild.

Southern Arizonans have entrusted the center to care for these desert animals for more than two decades.

But records from Arizona Game & Fish, obtained through a public records request and dating back to 2014, detail accounts of compromised care, lacking protocols, and a negative work environment.

In its records, Game & Fish redacted the names of former and current staff, and members of the public, who provided information about the center and its founder and director, Lisa Bates. However, the Star has interviewed 25 people associated with the center, now or in the past, more than half of whom agreed to be named in this story.

Game & Fish officials, who oversee Bates rehabilitation license, declined to comment about Bates or the Wildlife Center, citing an ongoing investigation about the centers regulations, and its compliance with state laws.

State records and interviews cite multiple issues with the centers treatment of animals. Among the concerns of those who complained:

Bates made decisions about medical care, and even administered it  including performing surgery on two hawks  even though she is not a veterinarian.

Animals were unnecessarily euthanized. A December 2020 letter to Game & Fish, for example, detailed how multiple animals were euthanized on the same day with the same note in the system about each one having the same fracture.

A badly injured tortoise languished for hours because no one knew how to euthanize it.

Animals lost their fear of humans because of improper handling, making them unable, or unsafe, to return to the wild.

Animals were released before they were ready, including a great horned owl that could not fly, and was later reported killed by a car.

Birds and animals were not fed or watered on schedule, and staff without medical training carried out medical care, according to an eight-page letter a Wildlife Center employee sent to Game & Fish in July.

Bates overruled veterinarians recommendations and told staff not to listen to the veterinarians, contributing to the abrupt departures of two staff veterinarians and several veterinary technicians 10 months ago.

One Tucson veterinarian, Jack Quick  who provided free veterinary services at the center for more than a decade and once was president of the centers board  told Game & Fish that Bates has conflicts with most everyone she works with. Attempts to reach Quick for further comment were unsuccessful.

It was clear that Dr. Quick does not believe that TWC, and the care of the thousands of animals they receive annually, should be in the hands of Ms. Bates any longer, Lacona de Souza, an urban wildlife specialist with Game & Fish, wrote in a September 2015 memo. He shared that he and other board members had strategized ways to get Ms. Bates to step down gracefully, to avoid tarnishing TWCs reputation.

We welcome that scrutiny

Bates, who founded the center with her husband, Peter Lininger, in 1998, declined opportunities over five days to discuss in detail many of the allegations made against her. However, she did offer a tour of her facility, and responded to a few of the most egregious accusations. She also wrote a letter to the Star.

We had a turnover of some of our board members after it became apparent that our financial stability was in question, and some disagreements arose regarding the future direction of the Center, she wrote of the resignation of Quick and other board members.

Bates wrote that many of the accusations against her are vague, and based on misinformation.

First and foremost, the safety and well-being of approximately 5,000 animals we take in every year will always be our priority and our mission, she wrote. We do not let animals go hungry. We never want an animal to be in an unsafe or unhealthy condition and we take rigorous steps to ensure all animals are properly cared for at the Center.

The center, at 13275 E. Speedway Blvd., had $6.2 million in assets in 2020, the last year tax documents were provided on public searches. The center has received millions in grants and public support over the years, about $5.9 million from 2017-2020, according to tax documents. And in 2015, a 6,000-square-foot animal hospital opened on the property, replacing the existing, 100-square-foot treatment room.

Their work, Bates wrote, is regulated and monitored by outside experts  and we welcome that scrutiny.

Bates said her center is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, an accreditation that took years to earn and involved on-site visits and reviews of our policies, procedures, finances, board of directors and more.

Held in captivity for months

In a 2017 letter to the states Attorney Generals Office, attorney Carl Sammartino outlined a dispute between Bates and Game & Fish that began in 2015 and lasted two years.

One of the key problems: Two herds of javelina had been held for months, and some were so used to humans they would eat from a persons hand. Game & Fish found their release would risk public safety, and that the javelinas were unlikely to survive if freed, so they were transferred to live at zoos.

Under the rules set by Game & Fish, a wildlife rehabilitator is restricted to holding animals no more than 90 days with the exception of birds, which can be held for up to 180 days. Any extensions have to be authorized.

The wildlife agency also warned Bates that she was not to perform surgery, or other medical procedures, after finding that Bates, and TWC staff under her direction, had attempted on their own to surgically repair the fractured humerus of two hawks on two separate occasions.

Bates was initially perplexed anyone would accuse her of this, and said it was a very serious allegation, but, in a later email to the Star, said she did perform surgery on one hawk  even though she does not have medical training to do so.

If surgery wasnt performed immediately the hawk would have died, she wrote. I was advised by two doctors that assisted us and who were not available, that I should do this because it was a crisis with no other options and because of my 15 years of orthopedic surgical nursing experience.

The outcome was successful, she wrote, and the hawk was eventually released.

Former employee Lou Rae Whitehead was at the center when Bates performed surgery on a hawk, one of two the state has reported. Afterward, Whitehead said, one of the other staffers was upset, and wrote to Game & Fish about it.

We couldnt find a vet to help us, Whitehead said, and she had me help her perform the surgery.

Whitehead, who worked at the center for over a decade and now has her rehabilitation license, said the habituation of not only javelina, but also bobcats and racoons, was a big problem at the center.

There were not proper protocols in place, she said, to keep the animals afraid of humans.

Return them to the wild

On a recent Thursday, veterinarian Ann Pearson was volunteering at the center, checking on animal patients, and excited to see a great horned owl was well enough to move into an outdoor enclosure, that much closer to release.

I was so happy when it flew, she said afterward. It makes you feel so good when you can release them, and get them back out in the wild.

One of Pearsons first memories of Bates and wildlife rescues was in the late 1990s, around the time the center first opened. Pearson, who used to be Bates horse vet, helped Bates rescue a deer drowning in a watering trough. Over the years since, shes volunteered occasionally at the center. This year, thats increased.

Ive been out more this last year, she said. I know shes been short-staffed.

Linda Smith, a center supervisor, was one of four current employees and volunteers who spoke positively to the Star about working at the center.

Like with any other place of employment, there are people that are dissatisfied for one reason or another, Smith said, adding that its really obvious that Bates cares about the animals. Ive got nothing but respect for her.

Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik said he has worked with Bates and her staff for the last 10 years, collaborating to move animals when the Tucson Fire Department does controlled burns, for example.

The work they do is uniquely important, and its uniquely challenging, he said. The animals that come in are in crisis, and every situation is unique.

In addition to the Tucson Wildlife Center, Game & Fish, and the public in Southern Arizona, have one licensed wildlife rehabilitator operating from home here to help wild animals. Statewide services for wild animals are also offered through Wild at Heart, Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, and Liberty Wildlife, all based in Phoenix.

Disgusted by the events

In late-April, a center employee contacted Game & Fish about a badly mauled tortoise brought in the morning of April 23. The employee, who no longer works there, relayed that the tortoise had been left to suffer for hours because no one knew how to euthanize it, and no one with reptile experience was called in to help. The worker spoke to the Star to confirm what is in the report but asked not to be named.

Initially, the employee wrote, the tortoise was put under anesthesia for approximately 30 minutes to see if if would pass that way.

After this method failed, (Bates) made the executive decision to simply put the tortoise in the box it arrived in and let it sit in the surgery room in the hospital to slowly die, the employee told Game & Fish, an incident report shows.

Copies of a texting chat about the tortoise, between the employee and a former employee, were also included, as well as a video of the tortoise alive in the box. Around 6 p.m. that day, and after Bates had reportedly left, this employee contacted a veterinary technician who used to work there and says that person guided another technician through the euthanasia process.

I was, and still am, disgusted by the events that took place that day, the employee wrote to Game & Fish, and I can firmly say that with the experiences Ive seen at the center, Lisa Bates is inept and incapable of running her center as she consistently makes decisions that hurt the animals in her care.

During the tour of her facility, Bates told the Star this is not what occurred.

Instead, she said, the worker who reported the incident lacked an understanding of the process: All animals are given anesthesia before they are killed so they are unconscious before receiving the euthanasia drug.

I attended this tortoise immediately on intake and after seeing the extreme injuries, followed the above procedures without delay, by the book, she later wrote in an email. He went to sleep after five minutes of anesthesia. He was no longer suffering at that point and never regained consciousness.

Lots of times, its just not possible

Bates said she no longer has a staff veterinarian, or veterinarians, because its cheaper to have volunteer vets. She said there are seven on call for her, including two veterinarians that specialize in orthopedic issues and one thats an eye specialist.

In addition to Pearson, the center provided the names of two other volunteer veterinarians to the Star, and one did not respond to interview requests.

Dr. Don Gehringer and his wife, who is also a veterinarian, have been volunteering at the center since last spring. Gehringer said they were coming in as needed until about a month ago, when they started volunteering more regularly, including visits on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

We have been very impressed with their abilities, and the way people work and handle the animals, he said. I havent seen anything that would make me think that what theyre doing is inhumane or incorrect.

The work is very difficult, he said. Unlike domesticated animals, wild animals must be able to survive again in the wild, and so theres a relatively low success rate.

Lots of times, its just not possible to save them, he said, if they are going to be debilitated or slowed in any kind of way.

Veterinarians recommendations ignored

Gabi Lizarraga cleaned cages and prepared food as a Wildlife Center volunteer, and then was hired on. She spent almost six years at the center before she left in May.

The job was everything I could want. I loved what I did, she said, explaining she eventually became a care specialist for small birds and small mammals. However, it got to a breaking point, and I had to step away.

After the veterinarians left, Lizarraga said animals were being sent to her building that should have already been euthanized.

I was receiving animals with illnesses or injuries that should have been detected, she said. They were dying, and it was really upsetting.

Orion Reager was there through Lizarragas time, first as a volunteer starting in fall 2020, and then as a wildlife care manager, starting in spring 2021. He resigned in spring 2022.

In the aviaries, he said, there were regular discussions about which birds were ready for release, and the veterinarians working there would put notes on the cages indicating a birds medical status. Reager said Bates undermined their work.

She started to tell me that the vets didnt know what they were doing, and not to listen to them, he said. After the two staff veterinarians quit, Reager said no one was allowed to know who the on-call vets were or ask them questions directly.

She decided none of the staff should be allowed to talk to the vets, Reager said, only her.

Volunteer Carol Wilsons passion is helping hummingbirds, and so she worked to bring in $2,267 in donations for a hummingbird rehabilitation area at the center. Her funds were in addition to another larger contribution of $25,000, which was donated for the hummingbirds during a March benefit auction.

But Wilsons dream of starting  and eventually helping oversee  the rehabilitation of hummingbirds at the center ended late this spring.

She told me I was going to head up the hummingbird area, then she never set it up at all, Wilson recalled. Bates, during the tour of her facility, pointed out the building, currently empty, thats been designated for hummingbird care.

Wilson is concerned about the tiny birds care there, especially the orphans. They dont know how to feed them, she said. You cannot have 14 different people feeding baby hummingbirds. They die.

The feeding process is a delicate one, she said, because if too much fluid builds up the bird will go into respiratory failure. Unskilled feeders can also easily puncture the birds crop, which is a storage area between the mouth and the stomach.

Like others, Wilson said she was also shocked by Bates disregard for the veterinarians.

The vet says one thing and then she says, Dont pay attention to that, she said. Nowadays, Wilson said she would not bring a bird there.

Jean Keplinger was a volunteer before she became a manager at Tucson Wildlife Center, and says she tried hard to help before finally resigning in April.

During her time with the center, Keplinger became a certified rehabilitator and then, briefly, took a job as a seasonal wildlife rehabber in New Mexico.

When she returned, one of the staff veterinarians was gone and the other would soon be leaving. Keplinger initially agreed with Bates that the center, in the absence of full-time vets, could operate with on-call vets, a model not uncommon with wildlife centers.

The problem came when (Bates) did not enlist experienced vets or allow us to contact them without going through her, Keplinger said. And she never followed through in a timely manner, so many (animal) patients suffered.

Keplinger said she implored Bates to hire a more experienced rehabber, or a hospital manager.

She kept saying she would, but never did, she said. I resigned because she put me in a position that required more skill and experience than I was capable of handling. And also, because she made so many incredibly poor decisions, never allowing me to have a conflicting opinion.

Alison Huber helped improve protocols in the small animal and bird unit there after starting as a volunteer in 2014. Huber, who has a degree in wildlife conservation and did field work in ornithology before working at the center, said she resigned in January 2020 because Bates was undermining her work.

When she resigned, she said she was supervising more than 80 volunteers, and overseeing eight to 10 shift leaders.

I think that might be why she treated me so badly at the end, she said of Bates. She realized that I was truly in charge of a large part of the organization, and she couldnt have that.

People speaking out now are doing so because they are concerned about the animals, Huber said. There are many still afraid to do so, she said.

We were all so dedicated to the wildlife, and to making it all better in any way we could, she said. It could be a wonderful asset to Southern Arizona. But, because Lisa cannot, or will not, willingly delegate any part of it, the place is falling apart.

Can they survive?

In early June this year, a Tucson resident found a great horned owl fledgling with a wound to its left leg. In a letter to Game & Fish, the person  whose name was redacted  included a photo of the owl with its left leg bandaged and a detailed account of something that was upsetting.

The resident and neighbors took the bird to the wildlife center on June 14 and were told the bird had been able to perch and fly and should recover quickly. However, when the resident called July 2, they were told the owl had fractured its right femur.

When he made his third call, July 18, he left his name and number and was told someone would call him in a day or two. When that call was not returned, he called on July 21. This was the first time we learned that our owl had been euthanized on June 14, the day it arrived at the Wildlife Center, because it had a fracture in the right leg bone.

The letter writer and neighbors wanted to know what had happened, why they had been told for more than three weeks that the bird was recovering, and then were told the owl was killed because its right femur was crushed.

Bates, the writer said, insisted that they must have given the wrong date for the birds arrival, interrupted him when he was explaining that they had a number for the bird to track it, and sounded fed up before abruptly ending the call.

The Star texted a copy of the letter to Bates, but she did not respond.

It was the plight of another bird of prey that caused Marcy Tigerman to leave the center after volunteering for more than two years. She loved aspects of her work there: bottle-feeding baby animals and seeing predators that people dont typically see up close.

But while those experiences were positive, she found much of what happened there inconsistent, and disturbing.

One week, Tigerman said, staff would be talking to baby raccoons, letting them climb all over them, and then the next week theyd say, You cant do that, they cant get used to you,  she said. The same happened with the birds of prey, she said: One week staff and volunteers would wear ghillie suits to prevent the birds from getting used to people and the next month, no one would be wearing them.

I didnt see any kind of policy or procedure that showed the hard work we did as volunteers, and the money donated, resulted in these animals being able to sustain themselves after they were released, she said.

The experience that made her quit: she and a fellow volunteer took a great horned owl that had gone through rehabilitation, and was deemed ready for release, to the apartment complex where it had been found. Once there, they discovered it could not fly. They called back to the center, she said, but were told to leave it there.

Within a week, she heard an upset resident had called: The owl had been killed by a car.

While its a feel-good thing to save wild animals, Tigerman said, it comes with great responsibility.

In the end, she asked, can they survive when they leave?
Tucson will begin a new way for community members to report homeless encampments in an effort to help the city clean them up, provide services to those living there, and when it involves a serious health or safety risk, require the occupants to leave.

The new reporting tool is largely spurred by concern from businesses owners who say the homeless community is driving away customers and otherwise contributing to unsafe conditions.

The new online reporting system is set to launch by the end of the month. Residents will be able to report encampments, and city staff will determine a response based on the magnitude of health and safety risks each site poses.

The sites will be assigned a category by an encampment coordinator to determine the citys approach:

Tier 1: A site with no occupants that requires cleanup.

Tier 2: Unsheltered occupants living at a site that does not pose a health and safety risk but requires cleanup. The city will work with occupants to help clean the area while providing outreach for housing and social services.

Tier 3: Unsheltered occupants living at a site that poses a significant health and safety risk are required to relocate with a 72-hour notice. Staff will attempt to provide shelter for occupants and a cleanup crew will follow up once occupants leave the encampment.

We are prioritizing businesses, obviously, because we dont want businesses to shutter, we dont want them to feel like theyre not getting any help, Tucsons Housing First Director Brandi Champion said. Part of the beautification initiative is to target these businesses and get people moved along out of these business areas and into shelter.

The citys housing first approach to addressing homelessness entails moving people into permanent housing without barriers to entry and providing support services as needed. The encampment response is a renewed effort to address street homelessness, an issue the citys housing experts say has reached a magnitude that demands an immediate response.

Weve had lots of work around addressing encampments, but it really is on a different level that just requires a new, renewed kind of response and try to find new ways to do this, said Liz Morales, director of the Housing and Community Development Department. Our existing ways were not sufficient to address the concerns, and so we have to ramp it up more and figure out what else we can do.

Businesses express concern

In February 2022, the citys housing department determined about 2,200 people are experiencing homelessness on a nightly basis in Tucson  1,600 of which were unsheltered. That means for every sheltered homeless individual, about three people are residing in the city alleyways, in abandoned buildings or in other places not intended for human habitation.

The citys housing department estimates theres been a nearly 50% reduction in the number of shelter beds occupied by homeless people from 2019 to 2022, largely due to a reduction in available beds that occurred as a pandemic precaution.

Dan Ranieri, the president and CEO La Frontera, a social services provider that partners with the city, said in his nearly 30 years of experience working on housing issues theres more activity related to (homelessness) now than Ive ever seen.

Its an important problem. Its one of the biggest, quite frankly, that weve had to deal with in many years. Its going to take a whole community effort, he said. I think were going to put a sizable dent in this, but Its not going to be easy.

City Manager Michael Ortega wrote in a memo to Tucsons City Council that the issue of widespread encampments is having a significant impact on local businesses and quality of life for community members.

Josh Jacobsen, a local restaurant owner, says that impact comes in the form of retail theft, property destruction and open-air drug use, for example.

The urban camping, thats only a part of the issue. The bigger part of the issue is that a lot of people are having substance abuse issues, and its causing them to live this type of lifestyle. In addition to the urban camping, theres a lot of destruction thats taking place at businesses, he said. Staff is constantly having to clean up human feces as well as drug paraphernalia. And its just a dangerous situation for everybody concerned.

According to Lt. James Brady, the Tucson Police Departments community outreach and resource engagement commander, the adverse impact on businesses hasnt gone unnoticed, but it can be a difficult situation for police to navigate.

Its a range of those general types of behavior that are occurring on business properties, its damaging business property, he said. (We need to) take care of our business community, and also help the community as a whole understand that the large umbrella of homelessness is not necessarily the problem. There is a subgroup within there that is causing those issues were talking about.

The widespread use of fentanyl, a highly addictive synthetic opioid thats relativity cheap and easy to obtain, is a massive issue, Brady said. Fentanyl is the top contributor to overdose deaths, and nearly 300 people died from fentanyl overdoses in Pima County last year, according to the Pima County Health Department.

You have people who are homeless because of bad circumstances, and they want out of it, and they just dont know how to get out of it, and they dont know where to go, Ranieri said. Then you have other people who are homeless because theyre choosing a pretty destructive, and in some cases, criminal lifestyle. They need to have an opportunity to make a choice to change that lifestyle.

Advocacy from businesses has contributed to Tucsons new encampment clean-up process, where the city intends to offer shelter and support services to those experiencing street homelessness. However, not all will accept the help, creating uncertainty about the fate of those the city moves from encampments.

Some encampments will be given a 72-hour notice to vacate the premises. Morales said the city doesnt want to displace people, but the situation may arise when city officials force inhabitants to leave.

We have the concern for displacement, thats a valid concern, we also have concern for the criminal activity that may or may not be linked to the unsheltered, she said. Our concern is lets help those who we can help, lets address the criminal element with what resources we have. But lets also try to provide housing.

The city is actively working to increase the supply of shelter in conjunction with encampment clean up.

Tucson has plans in the works to set up a large, low-barrier congregate shelter. Theres room for about 220 people in its four current shelter sites, and the city plans to increase capacity by adding another 60 beds in the coming months.

But when it comes to the number of those experiencing homelessness and the availability of shelter space, a significant gap remains. Morales said the citys starting to see a lot of turnover in getting those in shelters into permanent housing, however.

Besides forcing people to vacate, another encampment response will involve simply cleaning up an area without pushing out inhabitants and instead help mitigate whatevers causing the issue without displacing them, Morales said.

City-county collaboration

The online portal for reporting encampments came from a collaborative task force with city and county leaders thats been meeting for more than two months to come up with immediate solutions to address the homelessness crisis.

The citys using about $400,000 of American Rescue Plan dollars to support cleanup efforts in addition to part of a $2 million grant from the Arizona Department of Housing to expand its homeless work program, which provides employment to those in emergency shelters through community service work.

The funds will also go toward buying a mobile shower unit to bring directly to unsheltered populations.

Nearly every city department, from Environmental and General Services to Housing and Community Development, will be involved in the response, according to City Manager Ortega. To coordinate efforts between departments, the city hired Amaris Vasquez as an interagency resource manager. Vasquez is a former manager at Tucson Fires Collaborative Community Care program, which tracks the root causes of calls for EMS service to reduce reliance on the 911 system.

On Sept. 27, Tucson City Council authorized the hiring of a joint city-county funded position for a regional manager to coordinate homelessness outreach efforts between both jurisdictions.

County Administrator Jan Lesher said she has approved the hiring, and the county is currently inventorying county property to identify potential affordable housing projects.

While pervasive in Tucson, the issue of homelessness doesnt stop at city limits, Lesher acknowledges.

In our regular meetings with the city and the county, were constantly looping in the other jurisdictions  because the belief being if its not at the forefront in Sahuarita or Oro Valley right now, it probably will be, she said. Were seeing (homelessness) everywhere  we know were going to need a real county-wide solution.

ICYMI: Watch the Star's top videos from the past week Watch Now: Trail cameras catch mountain lions at Tucson home. Watch Now: Breaking down Arizona's 49-22 loss to No. 12 Oregon Watch now: There's a reason why we call it 'Tucson Eat Yourself' Watch Now: Mica Mountain players wish teammate a happy birthday Watch now: Candlelight vigil held at UA for Thomas Meixner Watch Now: Gar and Goyle pick on guests at Nightfall Watch now: Tucson Meet Yourself 2022 weekend preview Watch Now: The Arizona Insect Festival Returns Watch now: Scattered showers sweep over Tucson's north side Watch now: UAPD addresses fatal shooting on campus Watch now: Tucson classes teach dogs to avoid snakes Watch now: Tucson Pride returns with downtown parade on Sept. 30 Watch Now: Arizona's Henri Veesar, Oumar Ballo look back on Wildcats' Red-Blue Game Video: Arizona Game and Fish discusses mountain lion safety
The ghostly gray figure of a large animal saunters into view and casually climbs the front steps of a home in the Tucson Mountains.

You cant see its head at first, but theres no mistaking what it is. The long, feline tail with the black tip gives the creature away.

This video footage of a healthy adult mountain lion was captured on a trail camera early this year  part of a small surge in such sightings that probably has more to do with the way wildlife is being watched these days than how many animals are actually out there.

State wildlife officials say the growing use of trail cameras and doorbell security cameras at homes in Tucson is changing the way Arizona Game and Fish keep tabs on urban wildlife, especially the notoriously shy mountain lion.

It makes our job easier, said agency spokesman Mark Hart.

Footage from the public can tell wildlife officials not only where an animal is located but whether it poses any kind of risk to people.

With mountain lions, its all about behavior, Hart said. If its just passing through, thats what mountain lions do. What were always looking for is menacing behavior.

Report your sightings If you see a mountain lion or a bear  or catch one on your remote camera  the Arizona Game and Fish Department wants to hear about it. The agency likes to keep track of large predators, especially near populated areas. Sightings can be reported by calling Game and Fish's 24-hour dispatch line at 623-236-7201. Spokesman Mark Hart said the agency usually only relocates or removes lions and bears that cause problems or pose a threat. Animals behaving normally and not considered a danger to the public are generally left alone, he said.

Hart said Game and Fish doesnt use a lot of trail cameras in the field, so footage from the public provides wildlife managers with useful data they wouldnt otherwise have.

One thing theyve learned lately: Mountain lions are much more common than Tucson-area residents might realize.

Early in the summer, they were turning up all over the place, Hart said. We had one looking at its reflection in the pool at the resort at Dove Mountain.

A few months before that, a surveillance camera at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort captured footage of a young lion walking past a back entrance, triggering the automatic doors. Fortunately, the startled lion ran away from the building instead of inside of it.

Camera craze

Hart said they typically receive 80 to 100 mountain lion reports a year, but without photos or video, its hard to know how many of those sightings are actually lions. Increasingly, reports now come with visual proof.

Sometimes the photos or videos are sent directly to Game and Fish. Other times, the agency gets tagged when the footage is posted to social media.

Occasionally, Hart, who is also in charge of the agencys social media accounts, will stumble across the images himself as he scrolls through Facebook or the NextDoor app.

He said he shares timely photos and videos of large predators like bears and mountain lions whenever he finds them to remind people that the animals are around but are not usually something to be concerned about.

Mountain lion attacks on humans are extremely rare, and there is no record of anyone ever being killed by one in Arizona.

Hart said trail camera use in the region seemed to tick up after the jaguar excitement of about 5 years ago, when a couple of the elusive cats were spotted by remote cameras in mountain ranges just north of the Arizona-Mexico border.

The camera craze really took off in the past two years, he said, possibly fueled by the growing number and quality of trail cameras on the market or by people looking for something to do during their pandemic lockdowns.

Doorbell cameras and other home-security surveillance systems have also gained in popularity, and those occasionally pick up wildlife activity as well.

When a young female black bear went on a four-day walkabout through Oro Valley in mid-August, doorbell cameras and other images helped wildlife officials eventually capture the animal and release her safely back into the wilderness, Hart said.

A lot of the time, though, footage of large predators, particularly on the outskirts of Tucson, doesnt warrant any action at all.

We live in the urban-wildland interface, so any sightings that happen are to be expected, Hart said.

Lion at the door

So what about the mountain lion filmed climbing the front steps of a house in the Tucson Mountains?

That footage was captured in early February at Jerry Rowlettes place in the Trails End neighborhood, a few canyons north of Gates Pass.

Im in there watching NatGeo, and theres a lion sniffing the front door, Rowlette said. That an animal that size can live among us is just unbelievable to me.

The retired manager for Raytheon first started tinkering with trail cameras about eight years ago. Now he has about 20 of them set up around his steep, 3-acre property.

Most are off-the-shelf devices, but he has also built himself three tricked-out wildlife camera traps that use DSLR cameras, infrared motion detectors and multiple flashes to capture professional-looking portraits.

At the moment, two of those camera traps are positioned around a pile of fractured boulders near his driveway, where they regularly collect gallery-quality images of gray foxes, javelinas, owls, bobcats and coyotes with the lights of Tucson behind them in the distance.

Rowlette said the animals dont even seem to notice the camera clicking or the flashes going off.

I dont know whether they just think its one more thing in this world they dont understand, like heat, lightning or something, but it doesnt bother them, he said.

Rowlette and his wife have lived at Trails End for about 25 years, but he said it wasnt until he started putting up his cameras that he came to appreciate all the wildlife around them, especially after dark.

I just couldnt believe what was out there at night. Its amazing, he said.

Now he spends hours every day swapping out the memory cards on his cameras and pouring over hundreds of photos and videos collected the night before.

Ive got hard drives full of stuff. I mean if its a windy day, you think, Oh no. Youve got to go through all that motion-activated (footage), and theres nothing there, he said. I could be doing worse things. It keeps me out of Vegas I guess.

Over the past six years, Rowlette has caught eight mountain lions on the cameras outside his house. Hes captured footage of four of them since February alone, including a pair of lions that strolled across his front steps together in early August.

The big cats have shown up on some of his neighbors cameras, too.

I dont take the trash out at night anymore, thats for sure, Rowlette said with a laugh, but really they want nothing to do with us.

So far, hes never actually seen a mountain lion with his own eyes.

I dont know where they go during the day, maybe to the higher areas to stay out of peoples way, Rowlette said. Theyre just invisible.

Or at least they used to be.
A new proposition on the November ballot would expand access to higher education for many high school graduates in Tucson and across the state.

Proposition 308 would allow many people who have lived in Arizona for two or more years and graduated from an Arizona high school to pay the resident tuition rate at the states public colleges by repealing parts of an earlier initiative.

Thats a big savings. For example, at the University of Arizona this school year, in-state fees and tuition for students is $13,200 a year. It climbs to $39,600 a year for out-of-state students.

More than 3,600 undocumented Arizona residents, including older potential students, would benefit yearly from an in-state tuition policy, according to estimates from The American Immigration Council. And about 2,000 undocumented students graduate from Arizona high schools each year, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

One of those students, 2022 TUSD graduate Angela Cervantes, came to the U.S. as a child after her mother died of cancer. The family was struggling financially, and her father decided it would be better for her and her younger brother, who is a U.S. citizen, to live in Arizona.

She attended middle and high school in Tucson Unified. She played on her high school softball team, and she was a member of the schools National Honor Society club and a Latinx drama club. She knew she was born in Hermosillo, Sonora, but it wasnt until high school that Cervantes began to realize how heavily that fact would affect her life and future.

First, her friends got their learners permit, and she could not. Then they started to apply for financial assistance to attend college, and she realized that she could not apply for that same assistance.

My entire senior year of high school was spent trying to cope with the fact that neither me nor my family had enough money to pay the cost of attendance of a community college yet alone a four-year university, she said. I began to explore all my possibilities in order to decide what would be best for me. I considered taking a gap year in order to figure out my financial situation, at one point I even considered going back to Mexico.

Currently, students like Cervantes are excluded from paying in-state tuition to Arizonas universities and colleges, which is about a third of the out-of-state rate, because of a 2006 voter-approved measure that prohibits anyone who isnt a U.S. citizen or legal resident from being designated as an in-state student for tuition rates at either community college or state universities.

Some undocumented students qualify to pay 150% of in-state tuition, based on an Arizona Board of Regents policy passed in 2015 and expanded in 2019 that says these students may qualify for the mid-range tuition fees if they attended Arizona high schools for at least three years.

As well, undocumented students are not eligible to receive federal or state financial aid.

Prop 308 seems to have broad bipartisan support, with many education, business, faith and civic leaders from both political parties speaking in favor of it, saying expanding access to education for more young people in the state will help support the workforce needs and grow the states economy.

The business community has been focused on workforce development for over a decade, which is a challenge for Arizona but also for the rest of the country, says Todd Sanders, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Chamber, who wrote an argument in favor of the initiative in the general election publicity pamphlet. He says dreamers, people who were brought into the U.S. undocumented as children and have legal status under DACA, are part of the solution.

These are roughly 2,000 kids who have attended Arizona high schools, who are committed to our state and who want to go and increase their level of education through the university or the community college system, which means that they can be an important part of our economy as they graduate with some credentials and are able to go into the workforce, and thats critical in a place like Arizona, where there are more jobs than people, he said.

There is currently a labor shortage in the state across many industries, including health care, financial services and advanced manufacturing, Sanders says.

At least 18 states and the District of Columbia already offer in-state tuition to qualifying students regardless of immigration status, according to the Associated Press, including Texas, Nevada and Utah.

I think Arizona should be the next state to do that, Sanders says. And hopefully, the voters will see that as a plus as well, because this could put us at a disadvantage with some of our competitor states.

While Sanders hopes voters approve the initiative, he says ultimately there needs to be significant changes to the countrys immigration system.

If we could get the left and the right to agree to at least start the conversation, I think it would go a long way in really creating the right path for people going forward, he said.

This country was built by immigrants. That hasnt changed. Its not going to change. Were going to need people coming into this country to continue to build the country and to build our economy. And we need to be able to do that in a rational way, he said.

The president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry also wrote an argument in favor of the proposition.

Under current conditions, there will be an annual workforce shortage of people with bachelors degrees of 26,300, leaving Arizonas workforce unprepared, Danny Seiden said.

If we are going to remain an attractive destination for job creators and continue to meet evolving workforce demands, we must do more to encourage all Arizona learners to pursue an education after high school, he said. That includes removing artificial and unnecessary barriers to an accessible and affordable college degree.

Arizona Republican State Sen. Paul Boyer introduced the measure for the ballot, and it was passed by both houses, but a majority of Republicans opposed it, according to the Associated Press.

One of the few arguments against the measure in the election pamphlet was sponsored by the Arizona Republican Party.

The proposition is attempting to solve a problem with high college tuition costs by providing taxpayer-funded subsidies, wrote party chairwoman Kelli Ward and secretary Yvonne Cahill. The argument also said the bill would lead to an increase in taxes statewide.

The Republican Party of Arizona, Ward and Cahill did not respond to questions from the Star about how it would raise taxes, or what they meant by taxpayer-funded subsidies since the initiative doesnt mention any type of subsidy.

The Joint Legislative Budget Committee analysis of the proposition does not anticipate it will affect state spending at universities, but because of different funding formulas, it could increase spending at community colleges if it incentivizes new students to enroll. While they estimate that tuition collections would decline, enrollment being accessible to more students could offset the impact.

The budget committees analysis did not estimate the propositions indirect economic impacts, like the impacts from an increase in college graduates in the state.

Being able to earn a college degree could boost the earnings of Arizonas dreamers more than $28 million annually, according to the American Immigration Council. The nonprofit immigrant advocacy group estimates having this broader access to in-state tuition could raise an additional $4.9 million per year in federal income taxes and state and local taxes.

Research from the American Immigration Council Research highlights ways student Dreamers play an important role in Arizonas economy, including in fields like health care, education and the skilled trades.

Cervantes graduated from Cholla High School in May, and shes a freshman at Grand Canyon University where shes majoring in justice studies. She wants to go to law school and become an immigration lawyer.

Being a private school, Grand Canyon University allowed her in-state tuition and also partners with the scholarship she received. The school is in Phoenix, so she has to do it online because even though she works, she cant currently afford housing in Phoenix.

If Prop. 308 passes, she hopes she might be able to transfer to the University of Arizona, so she could live at home while attending school in person.

I think the proposition is a really important thing that people should really look into because it doesnt just benefit us undocumented students, but the economy and the community of Arizona as a whole, Cervantes says.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  Five California tribes will reclaim their right to manage coastal land significant to their history under a first-in-the-nation program backed with $3.6 million in state money.

The tribes will rely on their traditional knowledge to protect more than 200 miles of coastline in the state, as climate change and human activity have impacted the vast area.

Some of the tribes' work will include monitoring salmon after the removal of a century-old defunct dam in the redwood forests in the Santa Cruz mountains and testing for toxins in shellfish, while also educating future generations on traditional practices.

The partnership comes three years after Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom apologized for the states previous violence and mistreatment against Indigenous peoples. Newsom said the state should allow for more co-management of tribes' ancestral lands.

Megan Rocha, whos on the Tribal Marine Stewards Networks leadership council, said these coastal areas hold cultural significance for various tribes, making the partnership monumental.

Its focused on tribal sovereignty, she said. So how do we build a network where it provides for collaboration, but again, it allows each tribe to do it in the way that they see fit and respects each tribes sovereignty.

The network plans to create agreements between tribes and with state government for managing these areas.

Rocha is also executive director of Resighini Rancheria, a tribe of Yurok people that is part of the network.

She worked with other tribal leaders, members of nonprofit groups and the states Ocean Protection Council, which coordinates activities of ocean-related state agencies, to develop a pilot program for the network that was years in the making.

In 2020, Ocean Protection Council staff recommended the agency set aside $1 million toward the pilot program to support the network in conducting research, reaching out to tribes and creating plans for the future.

The council voted Thursday to provide an additional $3.6 million which will support the groups in their continued efforts to monitor coastal and ocean resources, offer educational opportunities to tribal members, and pass along cultural knowledge to younger generations.

Taking inspiration from similar partnerships in Australia and Canada, the groups said they hope other networks bloom across the United States.

Leaders plan to expand the network to include more tribes throughout the state, Rocha said. California has 109 federally-recognized tribes, the second highest number in the country behind Alaska. But there are also many tribes that arent federally recognized.

Multiple tribal leaders referenced Newsom's public apology in explaining part of why the network's public launch is happening now. In recent years, U.S. officials have committed to collaborating with tribes on managing public lands.

Creating a network of tribes to steward areas with the backing of state government money and nonprofit support breaks new ground in the United States, said Kaitilin Gaffney of the nonprofit Resources Legacy Fund.

I think were going to look back in 20 years and be like, Oh, we were there. That was where it was started. Look whats happened since, she said.

Some tribes in California and around the nation have had their rights to ancestral lands restored under the Land Back movement.

About 60 attendees from nonprofit groups, tribal nations and the Ocean Protection Council gathered in Sacramento to commemorate the networks public launch last week. Leaders thanked experts, advocates, tribal leaders and public officials who made the launch possible.

Valentin Lopez, chair of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, which is part of the network, said climate change has forced governments with a history of exploiting Indigenous lands to acknowledge tribes deep-rooted knowledge of protecting ecosystems.

Were in the crisis mode, he said.

Sophie Austin is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow her on Twitter.
Survivors of family and interpersonal violence in Tucson often have to retell their story and relive their trauma as they seek various services from providers across town.

But local stakeholders are hoping to streamline and improve this process, as they explore the idea of creating a one-stop service hub in Pima County. This idea has been executed in other locations across the country, most recently in Nogales, Arizona, this summer.

Family advocacy or justice centers primarily serve survivors and witnesses of child abuse, elder abuse, domestic violence, stalking, harassment and other related crimes. They provide services for survivors, including housing and legal assistance, trauma-informed counseling, victim advocacy, medical care and more all under one roof. Some include law enforcement, and some operate independently.

In June, representatives from the Tucson Police Department, Pima County Sheriff's Department, Children's Advocacy Center of Southern Arizona, Pima County Attorney's Office, Arizona Children's Association and Pima County Behavioral Health visited a family advocacy center in Richmond, California. For the past few years, members of these and other groups have engaged in conversations about creating a similar center in Pima County, but for now, the project is still in the concept phase.

A one-stop shop

The Pima County Domestic Abuse Coalition  an organization of community service providers, government and law enforcement agencies  has been working for years to improve the landscape for survivors. While the coalition is not prioritizing the creation a family advocacy center at this time, some members of the group believe it presents the best option for survivors.

Marie Fordney of the Children's Advocacy Center of Southern Arizona understands the value of a hub of services. The CAC conducts medical exams, forensic interviews and houses other services for children who are victims or have witnessed a crime.

"We are very aware that children don't live by themselves," Fordney said. "There's a strong intersection of all interpersonal violence. It's all happening at the same time in a lot in homes in our community. It feels so unfair to me that its the victim or survivor that has to go and seek out services and has to travel from one place to the next."

Advocacy or justice centers eliminate that added travel.

"We're really good at collaboration in this community, but it's kind of like a relay race. There's a hand-off (to other providers,) but still the client has to go from one place to the other," she said. "They have to repeat the intake process and often have to tell again what happened and why they're looking for help in the first place."

Some advocacy centers have food stamp offices and staff to help with Medicaid or Medicare enrollment.

While there are many organizations in town to assist crime victims, they each specialize in their own areas, making expanding their services difficult, Fordney said.

"We could build every organization up so they're each doing everything, but I think that saying, 'jack of all trades, master of none' is really true," she said. "Our organization is really good at servicing children, but we're not going to be good at serving adult victims of domestic abuse."

Fordney says she was an early adopter of the idea of bringing a family advocacy center to Pima County, adding that when she hears about a great idea that's backed by evidence, she wants to do it here.

Fordney called the centers "one-stop shopping," saying that if there's a time for convenience, ease and victim-centered, trauma-informed care, "this is it." She said the current system in Pima County is "siloed and fractured" and that it would be a disservice to the community to keep doing things the same way.

Hurdles to overcome

In March, the University of Arizona's Southwest Institute for Research on Women published its Pima County Domestic Violence Community Needs Assessment, which surveyed 47 domestic violence survivors and nine service providers about existing services, unmet needs and their thoughts on a family advocacy center model. Service providers included crisis, legal and housing advocacy, law enforcement, case management and community programs.

Feedback from survivor focus groups indicated that while most were aware of some local services, almost all needed additional assistance or needed services that were unavailable to them due to lack of capacity or eligibility issues, according to the report.

About two-thirds of survivors surveyed said they tried to use services and had a positive but unsuccessful experience or had a negative, unsuccessful experience.

In terms of unmet needs, participants identified affordable legal representation and access to a safe place to live as the most prominent, with crisis response intervention and affordable long-term counseling also listed.

The assessment found that almost all survivors liked the idea of a family advocacy center that could provide a range of services in a single location, and many speculated that the model might help decrease the number of times a survivor had to tell their story.

"It's hard to want to go to multiple places and keep reliving and retelling the story," one survey participant said, adding that more coordination could make the initial process easier.

But others surveyed wondered how the family advocacy model could work amid capacity limitations with staff and funding.

Providers had similar concerns, but many agreed that having critical services in one space would be very helpful.

"There are significant benefits to developing a Family Justice Center in Pima County; however, doing so prior to addressing the current system challenges  is premature and will likely stretch limited funds even further," the report said. Those challenges include capacity and accessibility of services, a well-trained workforce, organizational shifts and a well-developed community response.

The assessment made several other recommendations, including increasing capacity and scope of services for survivors; educating law enforcement, service providers, attorneys and the judicial system of the complexities of domestic violence and structural inequalities; building up community collaboration among providers; and prioritizing survivor safety.

"When only certain agencies, law enforcement officers or court officials operate from a survivor-centered approach, the entire system is negatively impacted," the report said.

Getting to the other side

Tucson Police Department's Lt. James Brady and Assistant Chief Kevin Hall called the concept of a center in Pima County a community-driven project.

"It's about helping survivors of these type of incidents recover from their trauma, get to the other side of that and be safe," Brady said. "This is not a law enforcement project. Not all survivors want to see prosecution. But being able to help them manage their trauma and the impact that experience has had on them is of huge value."

Brady said that while Tucson and Pima County have many great resources for survivors, the challenge for many is identifying what they need. In this regard, co-locating services would better support survivors in the short and long run, Brady said.

"If you take down the barriers, you're more likely to keep people engaged in services," Brady said.

In addition to the site visit in Richmond, California, the team has also toured advocacy centers in Nashville and the Phoenix area. They also have engaged with survivors to talk about what it would mean to have a single place to go for help.

Hall said that the feedback from many survivors was that the service delivery in Pima County feels "fractured and uncoordinated."

The Family Justice Center in Richmond is one of three locations in Contra Costa County that offer coordinated services and resources for victims of interpersonal violence. The family justice model in Contra Costa is a partnership between nine law enforcement agencies, eight public agencies and 46 community partners.

In 2001, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors established a "Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence" initiative, creating a small fee on vital records to help create a related office within the county administrator's office.

A decade later, the Richmond Police Department opened the first family justice center, operated out of a small police substation in a retail plaza space. At the time, the department was led by former Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus.

In 2015, the center moved into a vacant, county-owned building in the city's Civic Center area, where it remains. The same year, Contra Costa opened a second family justice center, and in 2019, a third. The center became a nonprofit in 2016. It offers legal services, housing assistance, counseling and peer support and more.

In 2015, the first year in its new location, the Richmond center served 1,127 families. By 2018, that number had jumped to 3,074 families and in 2021, 5,254 families used the center's services.

"I like this model a lot because I'm a big fan of collective impact and bringing a whole lot of different people together to collaborate and break down silos and fix things," Hall said. "It's client-centered and the client voices are listened to and are heard. That adds a level of credibility to the center."

One of the primary barriers to survivors seeking help is the belief that they have to involve law enforcement, Brady said.

An independent family advocacy center could help with that by either placing a physical barrier between services and police, or have no police presence at all. This would help send the message that the primary goal is to support survivors, Brady said.

"We're open to conversations around we won't even be there if it meets the needs of the community," Brady said. "If they want to talk to the police, we can respond."

In the long term, a family advocacy center could also help with prevention. Research has shown that early intervention in childhood trauma can drastically improve a person's life. By addressing the root causes of interpersonal violence through family therapy and programs to address food or housing insecurity, real change could be possible 10 to 15 years down the road, Hall said.

"It's an investment in community health," he said. "I see this as the ability to address these social issues in both the short- and long-term capacity."

Fulfilling a need

The Nogales Family Safety Center opened in Santa Cruz county on July 29, serving as a one-stop location for all survivors of crime, said Noemi Elizalde, the mobile advocacy program coordinator for the Children's Advocacy Center of Southern Arizona.

The primary focus of the project was to bring much-needed medical services to the area, Elizalde said.

"Its been 15 years since there were any (sexual assault nurse examiner) services in Santa Cruz County, and even that was all within the local hospital," she said. "There was no advocacy, just the medical exam, back in the day."

But recovering from trauma involves more than just medical care, Elizalde said.

"Its the entire healing portion of helping survivors get through the process and move forward," she said. "We're all aiming for the end goal of helping the survivor and helping the family through the process."

Under the first phase of the project, the center, which is housed in the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, is open for services on Tuesday. But if a victim needs services other days of the week, law enforcement, the Department of Child Safety and Elizalde can all be available.

Appointments at the center can be made through law enforcement or DCS, with forensic interviewers and medical providers from the Children's Advocacy Center traveling to Nogales every Tuesday. Representatives from Mariposa Community Health Center's medical advocacy center provide victim advocacy services as needed.

"Utilizing services that are already available is the key to all this working out," Elizalde said. "We don't want to make up a new program just to have it on-site, but rather everyone coming together."

Before the center opened, victims would have to travel to Tucson with a law enforcement representative, a process that often took all day.

"It's really about the ease of access of having all these services available for families," Elizalde said. "Having the safety of being home and close to home, I know they're so excited. We'll be in walking distance away for any questions they may have."

Phase 2of the project will involve building a large center to house the existing services and more.
Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Middle East, and it's also one of the most mysterious.

After all, most travelers were not allowed to visit for decades until 2019, the year the Kingdom opened its doors to tourists from 49 countries around the world, including the United States.

This richly diverse country has also endured its share of controversies, as well as a reputation for treating women as second-class citizens who must cover their bodies (including their faces) from head to toe.

I have to say, I had plenty of preconceived notions about visiting Saudi Arabia before I hopped on my initial flight from Paris to Riyadh, the country's thriving capital. But, what it's really like to travel to Saudi Arabia is a lot different than what you might surmise based on the news  even for women.

I visited Saudi Arabia in late 2019 and would have gone back by now if not for the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm hoping to go again, and there are plenty of reasons why anyone should go if they have the chance.
TOKYO (AP)  Armed with a new law that boosts U.S. support for computer chip manufacturing, Vice President Kamala Harris said the administration was looking for new investments and partnerships as she sat down with Japanese technology executives on Wednesday.

The morning meeting on her last full day in Tokyo reflects the administrations focus on boosting semiconductor manufacturing and expanding the supply chain for critical materials.

The economy's vulnerability to disruptions in the flow of computer chips was revealed during the pandemic, when a shortage helped increase costs and stall the assembly of cars and other products.

The citizens and the people of our countries rely on products without even knowing sometimes how reliant those products are on semiconductor chips, Harris said during the meeting at the U.S. ambassador's residence.

With China investing in computer chips of its own, the U.S. is trying to increase its domestic semiconductor manufacturing while also working to solidify its technology relationships with South Korea, Taiwan and Japan.

Harris said the U.S. understands that "no one country can satisfy the globes demand" and "it is important that we and our allies partner and coordinate in a way that allows us to grow and in a way that allows us to function at a very practical level.

Legislation signed by President Joe Biden, known as the CHIPS and Science Act, includes $52 billion for grants and incentives for semiconductor companies, plus a 25% tax credit when they invest in U.S. facilities. Theres also about $200 billion over the next decade to support research programs.

Harris described the legislation as a down payment on future American leadership, but she emphasized that we see Japan as playing a very important and critical role.

Jimmy Goodrich, vice president for global policy at the Semiconductor Industry Association, theres a big opportunity and significant space for future investment" involving Japan.

Although Japan was once a world leader in computer chip manufacturing, its status has eroded over the last two decades, and the country is increasingly worried about falling behind.

Much like the United States has done, Japan has set up its own fund to support semiconductor production. Out of $4.3 billion, $3.3 billion is being provided in subsidies for a new factory in Kumamoto, in the countrys southwest.

The facility is slated to begin production by the end of 2024, and its a partnership between the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Sony Group and Denso.

The companies participating in the meeting with Harris include Tokyo Electron, Nikon, Hitachi High Tech Group, Fujitsu Limited, Micron and others.

When Biden was in Japan earlier this year, the two nations agreed to work together on computer chips, including through a joint group focused on developing more powerful technologies.

There are worries that if Japan is slow to act, the fruits of the Biden initiative may likely be snatched up by another, and more ready, Asian ally, South Korea.

Yasutoshi Nishimura, the Japanese minister for economy, trade and industry, has repeatedly stressed the U.S.-Japan alliance on semiconductors, as well as energy and other issues.

In recent meetings with U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and U.S. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, Nishimura has promised to set up a facility for semiconductor chips research in Japan this year, and expand the partnership on semiconductors with other allies, including Europe and Taiwan.

Atsushi Sunami, who teaches at The National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, or GRIPS, in Tokyo, noted that the drawbacks to Japan tackling advanced semiconductor technology may be rooted in the view that Japan should not get involved in defense studies.

That view stems from Japans role in World War II and the prevalent pacifist views, both in Japan and in international circles, that came after its defeat. But Sunami stressed a quick rethinking was in order, and the U.S. moves, given the U.S.-Japan alliance, could be an opportunity for Japan.

As the U.S.-China hegemonic competition escalates, how Japan hopes to position itself in the jockeying for international standards and rule-making, and the strategic formation of alliances among nations, as well as among companies, will be critically meaningful, he said in a report earlier this year.
Tulsa Ballet is hoping to give people another opportunity to know Jack  as in Jack and the Beanstalk, an original ballet adaptation of the classic tale that will be presented Oct. 14-15 at the companys Studio K theater, 1212 E. 45th Place.

The ballet, by former resident choreographer Ma Cong, will have four performances: 10 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. Friday, Oct. 14; and 11:45 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15.

Jack and the Beanstalk is the latest work created for the Hardesty Family Foundation Childrens Series, which also includes the companys 2018 ballet Peter and the Wolf, also choreographed by Cong. With their familiar and easy-to-follow stories, vibrant sets and costumes created by internationally acclaimed designer Tracy Lord Grant, these one-act works are designed to introduce young audiences to the world of ballet.

The story of Jack, who trades his familys cow for a handful of beans, and then discovers they have grown overnight into a tree-like object that reaches to the clouds, was adapted by playwright and actor Dan McGeehan. Tulsa Ballet principal pianist Andrew Lahti compiled the ballets score.

Jack and the Beanstalk will be performed by members of the TBII, Tulsa Ballets second company. Members of TBII are chosen through international auditions, and work and perform alongside the professional company, as well as present its own series of performances.

TBII has also over the past few years proven to be fertile ground for growing future Tulsa Ballet dancers. Artistic director Marcello Angelini said that about 80 percent of the current roster for Tulsa Ballet are graduates of TBII.

Tickets for Jack and the Beanstalk are $15. To purchase and more information: 918-749-6006, tulsaballet.org.

Chamber Music Tulsa debuts Elegy

Pianist Joseph Kalichstein, violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson made their concert debut under the most auspicious of circumstances: performing as part of Jimmy Carters presidential inauguration in 1977.

Over the next 45 years, the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio established itself as one of the preeminent chamber music ensembles in the world  or, as the Washington Post once put it, Can we just be done with it, and declare the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio the greatest piano trio on the face of the Earth?

The trio was scheduled to perform as part of Chamber Music Tulsas 2022-2023 season; however, Kalichstein died in March of this year, at the age of 76.

Kalichstein also served as artistic director of the chamber music series at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and in that capacity had co-commissioned a new work by violist and composer Nokothula Ngwenyama, titled Elegy.

Chamber Music Tulsa is another of the organizations commissioning Ngwenyamas work, and it will be premiered as part of the concert Sunday that will feature the composer along with Laredo, Robinson and pianist Anna Polonsky.

The concert, which will be at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16, at the Tulsa PAC, 110 E. Second St., will be preceded by an informal lecture, beginning at 2:15 p.m.

The program will also include Mozarts Piano Quartet in G Minor, K. 478, and the Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 87, by Dvorak.

Kalichstein had written an introductory note for this program, which will be performed Oct. 18 at the Kennedy Center.

Elegy, a Kennedy Center co-commission, is a heart-wrenching tribute to the victims of racial prejudice and to the struggle for equality and justice, Kalichstein wrote, adding, There is something very fitting about having Dvoraks presence in this program: astonishingly, he was an early champion of American Black composers. And, as the head of the newly established National Music Conservatory in Lower Manhattan, he insisted that it would be open to women and people of color (not a given in the 1880s!).

The ensemble will also perform as part of Chamber Musics Saturday Salon concert series, also at the Tulsa PAC, where the program will include the Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia, Florence Prices Sonata for Piano in E Minor, II, Andante, and the Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25, by Brahms.

Tickets for the Sunday concert are $25. Tickets for the Saturday concert are $70. To purchase and more information: 918-587-3802, chambermusictulsa.org.

Philbrook gets Corn-y

One of the more contagious of viral videos in recent weeks has been that of a boy named Tariq who shared his ebullient love for that most American of vegetables: corn.

The Philbrook Museum of Art, 2727 S. Rockford Road, which is not an institution to shy away from internet trends (i.e., cat videos, Wes Anderson-inspired photography), has put together an exhibit that shows the importance of corn greatly predates TikTok.

Its Corn! is drawn from the museums extensive collection of American Indian art and depicts through jewelry, pottery, paintings and more how corn is celebrated in these communities through feasts, dances, songs and art.

The exhibit is on display through Dec. 31. philbrook.org.

Tulsa World Scene podcast: Talking all things Tulsa State Fair
The federal government has authorized an investigation into two Tulsa hospitals after a man experiencing paralysis apparently was dumped outside one of the hospitals from a wheelchair onto a sidewalk, where he languished for several hours.

An official with the U.S. Public Health Service confirmed to the Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism team that a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is the subject of an investigation.

The complaint alleges that Oklahoma State University Medical Center and Hillcrest Medical Center each turned away Brent Thurman as a patient  the latter physically dumping him after midnight onto pavement while he was largely immobile.

I dont have no feeling in my body at all, and they kicked me out like that. Security guard over there at Hillcrest brought me over here and dumped me out right here, Thurman, 41, told a Tulsa World photojournalist on the morning of July 21.

A video obtained by the Tulsa World appears to corroborate Thurmans account of being dumped while he was unable to move enough to help or fend for himself.

Hillcrest declined invitations for officials to view the video at the Tulsa World and, in a written statement, said the events described do not reflect the care and compassion we strive to provide to every person.

Two people are seen walking on video, about 12:35 a.m. July 21, taking a person in a wheelchair to a street corner across from Hillcrests north side on 11th Street  just east of downtown Tulsa.

One of the two then tipped over the wheelchair, and the person in it can be seen toppling onto the pavement.

The two escorts then walked away with the wheelchair; the person on the sidewalk didnt get up.

Thurman, who lived on the streets downtown, apparently lay there overnight until around 8:30 a.m.

Under federal law, Medicare-participating hospitals with emergency departments are required to screen and provide stabilizing treatment of a persons emergency medical conditions  regardless of ability to pay or insurance status  in a non-discriminatory manner, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians.

A Tulsa World photojournalist working on a story about how people without homes were coping in intense heat saw Thurman the morning of July 21  looking emaciated while shirtless on the ground as his peers attempted to help him drink.

With permission, the photojournalist then documented the ordeal, including two of them lifting Thurman onto a cart. One wheeled Thurman a mile and a half away to Thurmans outdoor alcove near an apartment building in the Blue Dome District.

After Thurmans friend got him back to his spot, an ambulance was called again for Thurman  that time, taking him to Saint Francis Health System.

Julie Bennett, who is a tenant of the apartment near where Thurman used to live on the street, said Thurman underwent surgery July 23 at Saint Francis for an infection that had spread to his neck and spine. Thurman was sedated for some time afterward while on a ventilator and a feeding tube in intensive care.

Still largely immobile almost two months later, he was taken by ambulance Sept. 19 to a nursing home in eastern Oklahoma after Saint Francis discharged him.

With a weak voice and unable to articulate well, Thurman told the Tulsa World that his back is still in pain as he answered questions about what he says happened.

I wasnt hurting anyone, Thurman said. I was just asking for help.

Thurman said he wasnt on drugs during the hospital visits in question, although he admitted to doing methamphetamine in between his final visit to OSU Medical Center and his only trip to Hillcrest.

After being transported to Hillcrest by ambulance in July, Thurman said he told hospital staff that he was sick and couldnt walk. He said staff determined he had heat stroke and gave him an IV for dehydration.

Thurman said he became upset when someone wouldnt give him a drink, which ultimately culminated in what he says were two security officers dumping him onto the sidewalk across the street from the hospital.

Hillcrest Medical Center wrote that privacy laws dont allow the hospital to share details of a patients care. Hillcrest officials say they are reviewing the situation and committed to taking appropriate action. Generally, they said, security is only involved if there is a disturbance or aggressive behavior toward staff.

As a large hospital in an urban setting, we care for vulnerable patients who have limited resources or may be experiencing homelessness, Hillcrests statement said. We provide every patient with a medical screening exam and appropriate treatment. Additionally, it is our policy to offer patients assistance with transportation, including bus passes, cab fare or help arranging a ride to a local shelter or other location as needed following discharge.

OSU Medical Center is where Thurman said he first received treatment for an infection in his hand.

Thurman said he visited the center around July 4 and became upset after being told he would have a long wait time for treatment. He said a security officer walked with him to the exit and told him not to come back.

The complaint alleges OSU Medical Center turned Thurman away from care on July 17 after an apartment tenant had called an ambulance for him because his condition had deteriorated.

Thurman said someone at the center told him that they couldnt help him because of the prior argument.

He said he stumbled and fell several times on his walk back to his spot near the apartment building, and his condition worsened even more the next few days. Some apartment tenants gave him fluids and food while he was outside in triple-digit heat.

OSU Medical Center in a statement also cited privacy laws that prevent leaders from commenting on the specifics of an individuals treatment. The center said comments made publicly about a persons care are inaccurate in many instances and that the hospital has a long history providing fair and equitable care regardless of ability to pay.

State and federal laws provide a framework for the investigations of any concerns with patient care and OSU Medical Center follows this process, the hospital stated.

A search of Oklahoma criminal records found that Thurman served about 1.5 years in state prison for forging a check in Garvin County in 2017. He pleaded guilty to bogus checks in Cleveland and McClain counties in 2012 and 2008, respectively.
Oklahomas two wealthiest members of Congress became a lot wealthier last year, and all seven current members appear to be better fixed financially than their Nov. 8 opponents, according to their most recent federal financial disclosure reports.

The reports cover calendar year 2021 and were filed this past summer. They are required of all current members as well as non-incumbent candidates who have raised or spent more than $5,000 on their campaigns. The reports include assets and transactions involving congressional spouses and dependent children jointly or individually.

Because asset values are reported in broad ranges, the reports provide only a broad financial picture.

In all cases, Oklahoma incumbents personal wealth greatly exceeds that of their challengers, or at least appears to: 10 candidates on next months congressional ballot, including three Democrats, have not filed financial disclosures.

The largest advantages are enjoyed by 2nd District Congressman and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Markwayne Mullin and 1st District Congressman Kevin Hern. Both are multimillionaires whose pockets appear to have gotten much deeper in 2021.

Hern reported assets worth between $39.8 million and $142.7 million. A year earlier, Hern reported a range of $28.2 million to $97.8 million.

Mullin, meanwhile, saw his reported assets balloon from a range of $7.3 million to $29.9 million at the end of 2020 to a range of $31.6 million to $75.6 million.

Herns general election opponent, Democrat Adam Martin, hasnt filed a financial disclosure even though his Federal Election Commission reports indicate hes spent about $23,000 on his campaign. Martin said this summer that he works for a roofing company.

Mullins Democratic opponent, former 5th District Congresswoman Kendra Horn, lists assets of between $67,000 and $181,000 and a student loan balance of $15,000-$50,000. She also reported being paid $135,000 in consultant fees in 2021, including $95,000 from the Chickasaw Nation.

Mullins big jump in reported assets apparently results from the sale of his plumbing-related companies to HomeTown Services, a multi-state residential heating, air conditioning, plumbing and electrical company. The sale is not specifically listed under transactions for 2021, but a stake in HomeTown valued at $1 million-$5 million and an investment of $25 million-$50 million in a cash management fund  both dated Dec. 10, 2021  are.

Separately, the report lists the asset value of five plumbing-related businesses as none but with income, including capital gains, of at least $8.2 million. However, the income from one of those companies, Mullin Plumbing Inc., is listed listed only as over $5 million.

In 2020, Mullin reported the value of the five companies  Mullin Environmental, Mullin Plumbing East, Mulling Plumbing West, Mullin Services and Mullin Plumbing Inc.  as between $3.5 million and $16.5 million.

Mullin Plumbing East had a listed value of $1,001-$15,000 with no income in 2020, but with no value and $100,001-$1 million in income a year later.

Rights to the Mullin Plumbing trade name were transferred to HomeTown in May, according to Oklahoma Secretary of State records.

Mullin has been reluctant to talk about the sale, citing confidentiality agreements; requests for comment have not been answered.

It is not unusual for members wealth to increase during their time in office, just as it would not be unusual for any Americans wealth to grow during their lifetimes. In a June Fox Business interview, though, Mullin and commentator Maria Bartiromo questioned how Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul Pelosi were able to accumulate tens of millions of dollars during her 35 years in Congress.

I tell people that the worst business investment my wife and I ever made was us coming to Washington, D.C., because were not trying to take advantage of it, Mullin told Bartiromo.

Mullin came under scrutiny for insider trading after he bought a biotech stock touted by colleague Chris Collins of New York. Mullin denied the accusation and wound up selling the stock at a loss.

Kendra Horn, Mullins Democratic opponent, said Mullin thinks the rules dont apply to him. This fits right in with the pattern of corruption and self-dealing that Markwayne used to make himself 10 times richer while in Congress.

The sale of businesses  his last remaining McDonalds restaurants  also seem to be a factor in Herns apparent increase in wealth. His report says the restaurants, owned jointly with wife Tammy Hern, were sold for $25 million-$50 million on April 26, 2021.

Ranked among the wealthiest members of Congress, Hern is by far the Oklahoma delegations most active investor and is still involved in several businesses, mostly with his wife. His report also includes information on trusts under the names of his three children.

By way of comparison, Herns 2021 financial disclosure report is 72 pages. The other six Oklahoma members range from three to 14.

At least four of Oklahomas seven current members are millionaires, but one of those  U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe  is leaving at the end of the year.

Inhofe, who with his wife, Kay, also sold their interest in a business in 2021, reported assets of $7.1 million to $22.1 million

Fourth District Congressman Tom Cole listed assets valued at $4.5 million to $13.4 million.

More modest holdings were reported by 3rd District Congressman Frank Lucas ($1.5 million-$2.9 million, with liabilities of $265,000-$650,000); U.S. Sen. James Lankford ($153,527-$935,527, with liabilities of $100,000-$250,000); and 5th District Congresswoman Stephanie Bice ($385,063-$1.6 million with liabilities of $350,002-$750,000).

Video: 50 things were loving about Tulsa in 2022.
Bon voyage: In what is likely to be his last official overseas visit as a member of Congress, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe led a delegation to East Africa last week.

His comments upon return were not surprising.

It is bittersweet to visit Africa one last time before my departure from the U.S. Senate, Inhofe said in a written statement. What we have known for quite some time is clear: any reduction in U.S. military presence in East Africa would have real and lasting negative consequences for our African partners.

Inhofe has been a frequent visitor to Africa during his congressional career and a persistent advocate for a greater U.S. presence on the continent.

Last weeks itinerary included visits with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and members of that countrys parliament; newly elected Kenyan President William President Ruto; and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, with whom Inhofe has a particularly close relationship.

In each country, it was clear that a strong and robust relationship with the United States has helped spur economic growth and regional stability across the continent, Inhofe said in the written statement. I have faith that my colleagues in the House and Senate will continue the U.S.-Africa friendship long after I have retired from the Senate.

Tulsa VA: Legislation to allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to shift unobligated funds to the construction of Tulsas new downtown VA hospital has passed the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent.

Sens. Jim Inhofe and James Lankford, with the assistance of Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer, sought the authorization because of rapidly escalating costs for the 58-bed facility on the west side of downtown.

The bill now goes to the House of Representatives.

Ambulance chasers: The shortage of emergency medical services personnel caused 2nd District Congressman and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Markwayne Mullin to join a bipartisan group seeking a new federal grant program to help local governments hire, train and retain such workers.

In rural Oklahoma, our EMS providers are often the difference between life and death, and ours are in a crisis, Mullin said in a press release. Oklahomans cannot simply live without these safety net providers. And with no current federal funding stream for EMS  our communities are abandoned.

Separately, Mullin backed legislation to reauthorize an existing grant program for rural health facilities.

Tribal champion: Mullin touted himself as a leader on American Indian issues during the annual National Tribal Health Conference in Washington late last month, according to Indianz.com.

I dont care if youre Republican or Democrat, I dont care, the news site quotes Mullin, an enrolled Cherokee, as saying. When were fighting for Indian Country, were fighting for Indian Country. And thats first.

Two Osage officials attending the conference told Indianz.com that they didnt consider Mullin much of an advocate.

When he stands up here and says, Im a proud Cherokee, he never says that in Oklahoma, said Michael Bristow, vice chair of the Osage Health Authority.

Cindra Shangreau said Mullin has not supported native women or LGBTQ people.

Mullin is one of four enrolled tribal members in the U.S. House of Representatives and would be the first in the Senate since Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado, who served two terms from 1993 to 2005.

Campbell entered the Senate as a Democrat but soon switched to Republican.

Democrat Robert L. Owen, a Cherokee tribal member from Oklahoma, and Republican Charles Curtis, a Kaw from Kansas, both entered the Senate in 1907 and are the only other tribal members to have served in the upper chamber.

As a U.S. representative, Curtis authored the legislation that led to the individual allotment of Indian Territory and the creation of the state of Oklahoma.

Curtis later played a role in the investigation of the Osage Reign of Terror and served as Herbert Hoovers vice president, the highest federal office held by a tribal member.

Sign here: Lankfords bill to curb human trafficking by government contractors is set to become law pending President Joe Bidens signature.

S. 3470 passed the House unanimously on Sept. 29 after similar approval by the Senate this summer.

The bill essentially strengthens enforcement of existing prohibitions against trafficking in forced labor.

Book club: Fourth District Congressman Tom Coles reading list for October is headed by David Moraniss new biography of Jim Thorpe, Path Lit by Lightning.

Dots and dashes: Congress is recessed until after the Nov. 8 general election, but Inhofe and Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Jack Reed will be in the Senate Chamber on Tuesday for some procedural moves that will put their defense bill at the top of the queue when their colleagues return.  Lankford and many other Republican members expressed alarm at changes in Tricare pharmacy benefits they say could make prescriptions more expensive and squeeze out local, independent pharmacies.  Fifth District Congresswoman Stephanie Bice, who as one of her first acts in the U.S. House voted to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election, last week said Democrats have sought to undermine the constitutional principle of one-person, one-vote by rejecting common sense changes that a majority of Americans support.  Lankford formally filed legislation to roll back the federal governments ability to set prices for prescription drugs through Medicare.

 Randy Krehbiel, Tulsa World

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Ten people including a schoolgirl were killed in an explosion at a petrol station in Ireland's northwest, police said on Saturday suggesting a "tragic accident" may have been to blame.

The blast occurred at around 3:20 pm (1520 GMT) on Friday in the County Donegal village of Creeslough, Ireland's police, the Garda Siochana, said in a media conference Saturday.

"There are 10 fatalities as a result of that explosion.

"The ten casualties are four men, three women, two teenagers -- a boy and a girl -- and a younger girl," said police, adding that all the victims appeared to be locals.

Based on current information, it is not expected that there will be any further casualties and there are no outstanding reports of unaccounted for persons, said the force.

Police are treating the incident with an "open mind", but said that "our information at this moment in time is pointing towards a tragic accident."

Focus will turn to the causes of the incident once the search and recovery operation is completed.

Rescue efforts by Ireland's emergency services went on through the night after the blast ripped through a petrol station forecourt and a nearby apartment complex.

An aerial photograph taken after the explosion showed the petrol station building destroyed.

Two two-storey residential buildings behind had collapsed, while the facade of a similar adjacent building was blown off.

Resident Kieran Gallagher, whose house is about 150 metres (500 feet) from the scene, said the blast sounded like a "bomb".

"I was in my house at the time and heard the explosion. Instantly I knew it was something -- it was like a bomb going off," he told the BBC.

At a service at the local church on Saturday morning, Father John Joe Duffy said the community had been hit by "a tsunami of grief".

Many emergency services vehicles remained at the scene overnight, including fire services from both sides of the border with British-run Northern Ireland.

Gardai and civil defence were also involved, and a coastguard helicopter airlifted some of the injured from Letterkenny University Hospital to the capital Dublin.

'Shocked and numbed'

The university hospital, some 15 miles (24 kilometres) from the explosion, was placed on an emergency footing to deal with "multiple injuries", it said in a statement.

Ireland's premier Micheal Martin called it a "very dark day" as he spoke to the media briefly before heading to the scene.

"The scale and enormity of it, it's such a small community, it means that almost everybody will know on a friendly basis people who've lost their lives," he said.

"It's a very dark day for the people of Donegal and for Ireland."

Martin earlier thanked members of the emergency services who were working non-stop "in extremely traumatic circumstances".

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue, who represents northeast Donegal in the Irish parliament, compared the scenes to events during the decades-long sectarian conflict on the island of Ireland over British rule in Northern Ireland.

"People are shocked and numbed," McConalogue told Irish broadcaster RTE.

"The scenes from the event are reminiscent of the images from The Troubles years ago, in terms of the scene on the ground and the damage and the debris."

Creeslough is around 30 miles (50 kilometres) from the border with Northern Ireland and has a population of about 400 people.

The Applegreen service station is on the N56 road, which loops around the northern tip of the Irish republic.

Applegreen tweeted that the news was "devastating".

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the deceased, those who have been injured, and the wider Creeslough community," said the company.

Ireland's President Michael D. Higgins expressed his "shock" in an official statement.

"This tragedy is a terrible blow to a community that is closely knit and where every loss and injury will be felt by every member of the community and far beyond," he said.
A section stretching some 40 meters of 54B Road along the Ba Rai River in Hoi Xuan Commune, Cai Lay District, Tien Giang Province sank into the river on Sunday, disrupting the travel of hundreds of households in the area.

Le Van Thon, vice-chairman of Hoi Xuan Commune, said the fallen section is about six meters wide and four meters deep.

Following the land collapse, the Hoi Xuan Peoples Committee on Sunday rushed to the scene of the incident, issued warnings, and barricaded the section to prevent residents from entering it.

The subsidence may result from the change of the water flow. There are many ships cruising on the Ba Rai River, causing water to lash the mainland, Thon said.

Similar incidents are likely to occur in the area when flood tides rise.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tien Giang Province, located in southern Vietnam, there are currently 93 subsidence sites with a total length of nearly 4,200 meters in Cai Be District, Cai Lay District, Chau Thanh District, and Cai Lay Town.

Some VND69 billion (US$2.9 million) is needed to handle these subsidence sites.

Of the total, 52 subsidence sites are serious, requiring the urgent handling to protect the lives and assets of locals.

Agencies in Tien Giang Province have proposed the provincial Peoples Committee spend over VND51 billion ($2.1 million) coping with this subsidence.

As for the remaining 41 small- and medium-scale subsidence sites, districts and towns will use their budgets.

Local residents use tree branches to warn of the land collapse in Tien Giang Province, southern Vietnam, October 9, 2022. Photo: Hoai Thuong / Tuoi Tre

The remaining part of the road section is also at risk of collapsing into the river in Tien Giang Province, southern Vietnam, October 9, 2022. Photo: Hoai Thuong / Tuoi Tre

The scene of the incident in Tien Giang Province, southern Vietnam, October 9, 2022. Photo: Hoai Thuong / Tuoi Tre

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Check out the news you should not miss today in Vietnam:

Society

-- Authorities are working on a case in which a locomotive heading to Saigon Railway Station had to make an emergency stop while crossing Pham Van Dong Boulevard in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday afternoon because the guardrail was not closed.

-- Only 56 percent of college graduates in Vietnam found a job of their major, 25 percent had a job relevant to their major, and 19 percent worked in a field which had nothing to do with their major, Bui Van Linh, director of the Training Support and Human Resource Development Center, cited 2021 statistics at a seminar on job orientation and the local labor market in Hanoi on Saturday.

 Since 2012, more than 2,000 Vietnamese candidates have been selected and trained in the Japanese language before coming to work in Japan, with a majority working at the countrys hospitals and aged care facilities, according to Pham Viet Huong, deputy general director of the Department of Overseas Labor.

Business

-- Farmers in Vietnams largest tra fish (pangasius) farming areas, An Giang and Dong Thap Provinces in the Mekong Delta, have raised concerns over the lack of quality fingerlings.

-- Frances five-star cruise ship Le Laperouse, with 106 tourists of different nationalities, arrived in Quy Nhon Port in the south-central province of Binh Dinh on Saturday, making it the first cruise ship to be anchored there this year, the Vietnam News Agency reported the same day.

Education

-- The 2022 'Bienvenue en France' expo is taking place in Ho Chi Minh City today at Rex Hotel in District 1, featuring representatives from 26 schools including universities, business schools, engineering schools, and other specialized institutions.

World news

-- Ten people, including two teenagers and a younger girl, were killed in an explosion at a petrol station in the Irish county of Donegal, police said on Saturday, adding that the incident appeared to be "a tragic accident, Reuters reported.

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A Vietnamese hair stylist from the U.S. state of Missouri plans to offer free hair styling to passers-by he meets on his intercontinental trips.

The donations, if any, will go straight to an international medical humanitarian organization.

After years saving from hair styling, Sky Le, 35, is set to kick-start his three-year-long journey in October 2022.

The man will be driving his pickup truck.

Sky Le is seen servicing the hair for Tran Dang Dang Khoa, a globetrotting Vietnamese, in the U.S. in 2019.

During his time in the U.S., Le got used to driving across the states and sleeping along the way, exploring and observing the great nature of America.

He is no stranger to long-distance road trips.

From his accounts, one of the motives for this dream journey is witnessing his best friend escaping death by a hairs breadth.

He believes the daily hair work has him locked up behind invisible bars.

The stylist prefers to travel the world, meet people, hear their stories, and style their hair.

Before this journey, Le had gone on a few shorter trips, also giving away free hair styling.

Sky Le has offered free hair service to the poor people along his journeys through the continents.

His tools were one pair of scissors and a barber cape, so he could work anywhere along the way.

During his journeys, Le got to learn about the culture of the places he passed by.

He also connected with the Vietnamese people living there.

Le spent his evening logging in his journal and sleeping in the pickup truck.

For self photo-shooting and movie recording, the stylist equipped himself with a variety of equipment.

Besides, Le plans to support Doctors Without Borders  an international organization founded by a group of French doctors in 1971.

The stylist posts photo shoots of his work in various locations and settings.

For transparency of donation amounts, Le makes sure his donors feel free to wire their money directly to this organization rather than to him.

Doctors Without Border focuses on providing medical support for emergencies such as pandemics, hunger, war, and natural disasters.

Sky Les real name is Le Tran Tuan, born in 1987 in Quy Nhon City, south-central Vietnam.

Le moved to the U.S. at age 16 to pursue his hair-styling career, apprenticed to Donnal Chung, a known hair stylist from Hong Kong around the 1990s.

Sky Le has worked in many countries.

Following the journey, he plans to set up a vocational center, training hair stylists only for poor children.

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Various traditional Vietnamese cakes will be included in upcoming tourism promotion strategies, Nguyen Thi Khanh, chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, said on Tuesday.

At a ceremony to announce which Vietnamese chefs will compete in the FHA Culinary Challenge 2022, scheduled to take place in Singapore from October 25 to 28, Khanh said traditional cakes using ingredients sourced from across Vietnam could be a major draw for international tourists.

The Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association will also promote Vietnamese cuisine, mainly traditional cakes, at the World Travel Market in London next month.

Aside from traditional cakes, Vietnams booth at the event will feature activities that promote the country as a food paradise.

Aside from the landscape and cultural values, Vietnamese cuisine can help attract travelers to Vietnam, Khanh said.

Localities wishing to promote their cuisines have partnered with the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association by setting food records and holding cultural festivals.

If Vietnamese cuisine can be successfully introduced to the world, Vietnams traditional dishes will be raised to a new level.

Vietnamese chefs have taken home many big prizes from international cake-making contests. Photo: N.Binh / Tuoi Tre

Pham Vuong Son, chairman of the Saigon Professional Chefs Guild, shared that Vietnamese chefs won two gold medals, two silvers, and one bronze at the FHA Food & Beverage held in Singapore last month.

These award-winning chefs were all under the age of 25 and were lauded by the judges for using ingredients and spices sourced from different region across Vietnam.

According to Son, the judges seemed most curious about the chefs use of water caltrops and their unique flavor when combined with butter and milk.

Mac khen (Indian prickly ash) and pepper also captured the judges attention.

Vietnamese chefs will introduce cakes made out of lotus seeds, tapioca starch, glutinous rice flour, and rice flour at the FHA Culinary Challenge 2022, according to Tran Thi Hien Minh, vice-chairwoman of the Saigon Professional Chefs Guild.

It will be exciting to watch what these local chefs create when combining such ingredients with butter, chocolate, and cheese, she said.
The winners of the 2022 Queensland Clarion Awards were announced in Brisbane on Saturday.

The ABC Four Corners team of Anne Connolly, Ali Russell and Stephanie Zillman were jointly awarded the Journalist of the Year award for their report, State Control.

There were further wins for ABC, SBS and Seven.

Director of 7NEWS for Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Neil Warren said: Its a great honour for such a hard-working dedicated news team, filled with terrific people who always have each others backs. Theyre mates, operating in an environment that feels like family and this makes a difference. They are a team dedicated to responsible, honest reporting and getting the facts right.

Special mention to Pat Welsh who deserves every bit of this award. So much talent and such dedication over so many years. Pat is 7NEWS, a legend of TV sport, and well miss him when he retires at the end of this year.

TV and related awards:

Rural Journalism

Nathan Morris, Baz Ruddick and Jeremy Story Carter, ABC, Boom, Bust and Mistrust

Health & Science Reporting

Emily Sakzewski, Georgina Piper, Colin Gourlay and Matt Liddy, ABC News, This is what long COVID feels like

Multicultural Reporting

Stefan Armbruster, SBS, Citizenship, an asylum boat tragedy and children in detention

Indigenous Issues Reporting

Michael Atkin, ABC, A First Nations Familys Desperate Plea for Answers  What Happened to Ms Bernard?

Broadcast Interview

Seven News Team, Seven Network, Beach Rescue

Innovation

Colin Gourlay, Georgina Piper, Tim Leslie, Cristen Tilley and Matt Liddy, ABC News, The Australian Election map has been lying to you

New Journalist of the Year

Ellie Grounds, ABC, Body of Work  ABC Western Queensland and triple j Hack

Television/Audio Visual categories

TV News Report

Seven News Team, Flood Disaster

TV Current Affairs, Feature, Documentary or Special Broadcast

Anne Connolly, Ali Russell and Stephanie Zillman, Four Corners, ABC, State Control

The John Bean Memorial Award for Television Camerawork

Michael Lloyd, ABC, Fighting for Equality

Regional and Community categories

Regional and Community  Broadcast Report

Nathan Morris, Baz Ruddick and Jeremy Story Carter, ABC, Boom, Bust and Mistrust

Investigative Journalism

Anne Connolly, Ali Russell and Stephanie Zillman, Four Corners, ABC, State Control

2022 Journalist of the Year

Anne Connolly, Ali Russell and Stephanie Zillman, Four Corners, ABC, State Control
Next Match: at Arizona 10/9/2022 | 12:00 PM Arizona Live Stream Next Match Full Schedule Oct. 09 (Sun) / 12:00 PM at Arizona

The UCLA women's volleyball team hit for a .327 hitting percentage with three Bruins (7-7, 1-4 Pac-12) reaching double-figure kills in its straight-set sweep (25-15, 25-18, 25-21) against Arizona State at Desert Financial Arena on Friday night.elan McCall recorded her third consecutive double-double with a team-high 11 kills at a blistering .500 along with 11 digs. McCall also aced the Sun Devils (8-9, 2-3 Pac-12) three times.Coming off a career-high 22 kills in her last match, outside hittermatched McCall with 11 kills of her own at .381.was a defensive stalwart with 13 digs and three block assists to go along with her 11 kills.Middle blockersandwere both operating at a high rate with 13 combined kills at .500.tallied 39 assists at a .448 set percentage.UCLA hit for .440 in the first set and sided out on all but one of Arizona State's 16 serve attempts.Five separate Bruins racked up multiple kills in the frame, led my Dodson with four on just five swings. Alupei helped put the set away with two kills and a block assist in UCLA's final four points.The Sun Devils were limited to just eight kills and six attack errors.The Bruins once again found the floor at a high rate with a set-high 17 kills in the second at .375. Luper had five in the frame while McCall and Ndiaye both went 4-for-6 on swings.Dodson and Alupei sprinkled in a couple kills of their own, going a combined 4-for-5.UCLA's well-balanced attack continued into the final set with six different Bruins getting a kill, including setteron a dump kill. McCall, Luper and Ndiaye each had four kills.Arizona State was held under 13 kills in all three sets while its top two attack options, Iman Isanovic and Marta Levinska, hit a combined .139.UCLA closes its weekend road trip at Arizona in the McKale Center on Sunday at 12 p.m. PT. The match can be viewed on the Arizona Live Stream.
Parents hugged their children as hundreds gathered for a vigil in memory of the 10 people who died in the petrol station explosion in Ireland.

People also carried candles at the vigil which was held in the town of Milford, around a half an hour's drive from Cleeslough where the disaster happened on Friday.

Prayers were said and music was played, including a song called Creeslough, written and played by a local musician.

The crowd sang the Irish language hymn A Mhuire Mhathair (Mother Mary) at the end of the vigil.

Hot drinks and biscuits were handed out afterwards, as people gathered to process the news in the aftermath of the tragedy.

It was one of 20 vigils that were organised across County Donegal on Sunday.

In the town of Castlefinn, local cleric Ciaran Hegarty led a moment of prayer before those gathered held a two-minute silence.

Musician Marian Harper-Coleman played the song Cutting The Corn In Creeslough on the button accordion.

Read more: Girl, 5, and her father were buying birthday cake for mum when they were killed in blast

The vigils have taken place after it emerged the youngest victim was buying her mum a birthday cake in the petrol station shop at the time of the blast.

Shauna Flanagan Garwe was killed alongside her father Robert Garwe, 50.

Catherine O'Donnell, 39, and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan were also among the dead in what has been described as a "freak accident".

In a news conference on Sunday, police said the other six victims were James O'Flaherty, 48, Jessica Gallagher, 24, Martin McGill, 49, Hugh Kelly, 59, Martina Martin, 49, and 14-year-old Leona Harper.

One of the first funerals confirmed will take place on Wednesday - for Mr O'Flaherty in St Mary's Church in Derrybeg.

A man in his 20s is in a critical condition in hospital in Dublin after the explosion, while seven other people are being treated at Letterkenny University Hospital and are described as being in a stable condition.

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Irish premier Micheal Martin has met those who were admitted to hospital, the medical team which was on duty on the day of the explosion, and members of Letterkenny fire station.

Joining Mr Martin were Ireland's deputy premier Leo Varadkar and Agriculture Minister and Donegal TD Charlie McConalogue.

The remains of the victims are at the hospital in Letterkenny where post-mortem examinations will continue over the next few days.

Police said results will not be released for operational reasons.

Meanwhile, the Pope has offered his condolences to the people of Ireland in the wake of the explosion.

A statement sent by his representative to Bishop of Raphoe Alexander McGuckian reads: "His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the loss of life and destruction caused by the explosion in Creeslough and he expresses his spiritual closeness to all those suffering in the aftermath of this tragedy.

"While entrusting the deceased to the merciful love of almighty god, His Holiness implores the divine blessings of consolation and healing upon the injured, the displaced and the families coping with pain of loss.

"As a pledge of strength and peace in the lord, the Holy Father sends his blessing to all the people of Ireland."
(Bloomberg) -- Theres a global migration underway in the gold market, as western investors dump bullion while Asian buyers take advantage of a tumbling price to snap up cheap jewelry and bars.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Rising rates that make gold less attractive as an investment mean that large volumes of metal are being drawn out of vaults in financial centers like New York and heading east to meet demand in Shanghais gold market or Istanbuls Grand Bazaar.

In fact, it cant move fast enough.

Logistical issues combined with quirks of the market are making it difficult for traders to get enough bullion where its wanted. As a result, gold and silver are selling at unusually large premiums over the global benchmark price in some Asian markets.

The incentive to hold gold is a lot lower. Its going from west to east now, said Joseph Stefans, head of trading at MKS PAMP SA, a gold refining and trading firm. We are trying to keep up as best we can.

The rotation of metal around the world is part of a gold-market cycle that has repeated for decades: when investors retreat and prices drop, Asian buying picks up and precious metals flow east  helping to put a floor on the gold price during times of weakness.

Then, when gold eventually rallies again, much of it returns to sit in bank vaults beneath the streets of New York, London and Zurich.

Since peaking in March, gold prices have tumbled 18% as the Federal Reserves aggressive rate hikes caused mass liquidation by financial investors.

More than 527 tons of gold has poured out of New York and London vaults that back the two biggest Western markets since the end of April, according to data from the CME Group Inc. and London Bullion Market Association.

Story continues

At the same time, shipments are rising into big Asian gold consumers like China, whose imports hit a four-year high in August.

While plenty of gold is heading east, its still not enough to meet demand. Gold in Dubai and Istanbul or on the Shanghai Gold Exchange has traded at multi-year premiums to the London benchmark in recent weeks, according to MKS PAMP  a sign that buying is outstripping imports.

Read: China Gold Prices Surge to Huge Premium as Demand Swamps Imports

Demand typically picks up when prices fall, said Philip Klapwijk, managing director of Hong Kong-based consultant Precious Metals Insights Ltd. Buyers want to source metal at the lower price and in the local physical market in question there may not be sufficient metal available when the price falls, so the local premium increases.

Gold in Thailand is also trading at a premium to London prices, due to a lack of supply and weakness in the local currency, according to Jitti Tangsithpakdi, the president of Thailands Gold Traders Association.

In India, it is silver that is seeing big premiums. The differential has soared recently to $1, more than triple the usual level, according to consultancy Metals Focus Ltd.

Right now the demand for silver is huge as traders restock, said Chirag Sheth, the firms principal consultant in Mumbai. Premiums could remain elevated during the festival season that concludes with Diwali.

Analysts say that much of the precious metals feeding Asias appetite is coming out of vaults run by CME Group, which back the Comex futures market in New York.

Market dislocations early in the pandemic drove a massive surge in prices there, forcing banks to build large stockpiles to cover their futures positions. In recent months gold has traded at a discount on the Comex compared to London, and those inventories are now being drawn down to meet Asian demand.

However, it can be slow going, partly because Asian buyers tend to prefer one-kilogram bars over larger sizes. To fill a standard shipment box of 25 kg of gold, physical traders must take delivery of multiple Comex gold futures, often backed by bullion in different warehouses.

Traders say they are facing other logistical challenges as well, which are contributing to the high Asian premiums.

Getting stuff on boats or on planes is a bit harder than it used to be, said MKS PAMPs Stefans. Its really just a classic example of demand far out-pacing supply.

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2022 Bloomberg L.P.
(Bloomberg) -- German Chancellor Olaf Scholzs party won a state election in Lower Saxony, handing his Social Democrats a victory in the first electoral test since the standoff with Russia over the Ukraine war plunged Europe into an energy crisis.

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While Scholz can claim the result as a measure of support for his crisis management and a 200 billion energy-price relief package, the SPDs share of the vote declined from the regions last election five years ago to about 33.4%, according to preliminary official results Sunday.

Support for the Green party, Scholzs biggest partner in the federal government, surged by almost 6 percentage points to 14.5%, setting up a likely SPD-Green government in the state thats home to carmaker Volkswagen AG.

Scholzs smallest coalition ally, the pro-business Free Democrats, dropped out of the state legislature after some 20 years after failing to garner the 5% of the vote required to win seats. The nationalist Alternative for Germany, or AfD, rose about 5 points to 10.9%. The opposition Christian Democratic Union slumped to 28.1%, its lowest in the state in six decades.

Lower Saxony is Germanys biggest wind-power state, making it a central player in the governments energy policy but also vulnerable to the economic effects of the energy crisis.

The result puts state premier Stephan Weil, a Scholz ally, on track for re-election to another five years in office. The SPD state premier has headed a coalition with the Christian Democrats for the past five years.

This was a hard, uncomfortable election campaign, Weil said Sunday after the first projection. Voters have clearly given the SPD a mandate to govern.

Story continues

(Updates with Free Democrats dropping out in fourth paragraph.)

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2022 Bloomberg L.P.
BEIJING, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities will release the fifth batch of pork into the market from central reserves to maintain supply and price stability, the country's top economic planner said Sunday.

The price of hogs has been running at a relatively high level recently, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

The NDRC said domestic hog production capacity is generally reasonable and abundant, hence the price of hogs does not have a basis for sustained hikes.

By 2 p.m. Saturday, the average wholesale price of pork went up 2.5 percent from last Friday to 32.81 yuan (about 4.62 U.S. dollars) per kg, data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs showed.

The NDRC said it would pay close attention to hog supply and demand as well as price trend, continue to release pork reserves, and increase pork releases if necessary. 
(Bloomberg) -- Representative Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat facing a tight race in November, said her party needs new blood though shed back President Joe Biden if he seeks a second term in 2024.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Slotkin, who represents a district that Donald Trump carried twice, sought to burnish her independence from traditional Democratic leaders in an interview Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press.

Hes the sitting president, Slotkin said of Biden. If he decides to run again, Im going to support him, the partys going to support him.

Yet, she said, we need a new generation, we need new blood, period, across the Democratic Party.

Slotkin, 46, called for more party leaders from the Midwest. She was among a handful of Democrats who didnt vote for Nancy Pelosi as House speaker in 2019 and 2021.

Biden has said he intends to run for re-election, though hell decide after congressional midterm elections in November.

While his approval ratings have recovered from lows reached over the summer, a Washington Post-ABC News poll in September found 56% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents say the party should pick a different nominee for 2024.

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Two climate activists have been arrested after gluing themselves to a Picasso painting frame.

The protesters, standing alongside a banner that read "Climate Chaos = War and Famine", stuck their hands to the glass covering Picasso's Massacre in Korea at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.

On Twitter, the group said it had carried out the demonstration to "highlight the connection between climate breakdown & human suffering".

It then went on to quote David Attenborough: "If we continue on our current path, we will face the collapse of everything that gives us our security."

Extinction Rebellion's Victoria branch said: "No arts were harmed in the making of this action."

Victoria police told local media a 59-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman first glued their hands to the painting at about 12.40pm on Sunday, and were eventually removed just after 2pm.

"They were arrested along with a 49-year-old man and were assisting police with their enquiries," a spokesman added.
RELEASE

Maureen Duffys 1966 book The Microcosm has been adapted as a film featuring two-time Oscar winner Glenda Jackson. In 1966 London, when homosexuality was still criminalized, The Gateways club in Chelsea offered a haven for women to dance, express themselves and love who they want. In the book, based on her own experience, Duffy examined if this gay bar, and those like it, really offered the freedom its patrons crave. In the film, Jackson, along with director Joe Ingham, draw parallels between the past and the present and explore the uncomfortable paradox that exists within queer spaces.

The Cheerio production featuring an original score by Helen Noir and animation by Rebecca L. Weil, opens at museum of British LGBTQ history, Queer Britain, London, on Oct. 12.

More from Variety

Duffy said: The film is awesome. I am amazed I wrote these words all those years ago. I hope they still have a resonance today. And I hope that society today realises that gay people have so much to offer the world, they deserve the world. Being gay has always been part of the human possibility, there is no use in trying to suppress it.

Jackson said: Maureen is one of the most talented writers of her generation and yet she remains, in my opinion, underrated. It has been a privilege bringing her words to life.

Ingham added: Maureen has produced one of the most powerful pieces of writing about the queer experience and yet it remains criminally underrated and obscure. I hope a new audience discovers The Microcosm and Maureens work through this new film.

PRODUCTION

Writer-director Sonja Prosenc has commenced shooting her third feature Redemption in the town of Vodice, near Ljubljana. The film follows Olivija and Aleksander who live a normal life with their daughter, Agata. What seems to be a perfect family falls apart when 25-year-old Julian appears at their home. His arrival turns Olivija and Aleksanders life upside down and reveals their dysfunctional relationship.

Story continues

The cast includes Katarina Stegnar, Marko Mandic, Mila Bezjak, Aliocha Schenider and Kristoffer Joner.

Redemption is produced by Rok Secen through Monoo in coproduction with Marta Zaccaron through Incipit Film (Italy), Tamara Babun through Wolfgang & Dolly (Croatia), Dimce Stojanovski through Living Pictures (Serbia) and Jarle Bjorknes through Incitus Film (Norway). The project is supported by the Slovenian Film Centre, MiC  Ministero della Cultura (Italy), Fondo Audiovisivo FVG (Italy), FVG Film Commission (Italy), the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Film Center Serbia and RTV Slovenija.

In association with Film New Europe.

STREAMING

Amazon Prime Video Indias first Telugu-language original movie, Ammu, will stream from Oct. 19. Petta filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj serves as creative producer, and the film is produced by Kalyan Subramanian and Kaarthekeyen Santhanam of Stone Bench Films, and written and directed by Charukesh Sekar. The film is follows titular Ammu who overcomes domestic abuse. Aishwarya Lekshmi (Ponniyin Selvan: 1) plays Ammu and the cast also includes Naveen Chandra (Pattas) and Bobby Simha (Mahaan).

DISTRIBUTION

Passion Distribution has acquired international distribution rights to season 1 of reality title Men of West Hollywood (10 x 60), from production company Get Me Out Productions, for territories beyond the U.S. and Canada and will present to buyers at the upcoming Mipcom market (Oct. 17-20).

The series follows six male socialites in West Hollywood as they live, work, and party. The cast, around half of whom identify as LGBTQ+, is led by Mr. California David Barta, a model and personal trainer; Justin Jedlica, a plastic surgery consultant, known around the world as the Human Ken Doll; Darren Tieste, a celebrity photographer; Murray Swanby, a club promoter and top underwear model; Brennen Taylor, a YouTube star; and Landon Wetterstrom. The men make their way through West Hollywoods hottest parties and red carpet events dishing drama at every turn.

The series premiered on Crackle Plus in January.

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Activists appeared to hack Irans state-run TV broadcaster on Saturday, with a live news bulletin interrupted by a protest against the countrys leader.

Footage shows a mask appearing on the screen, before an image of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei with flames around him.

The incident happened after at least three people were killed when protesters clashed with security forces in unrest over the death of Mahsa Amini.

Photos of Ms Amini and three other women killed in recent protests also appeared on-screen during the apparent hack.

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EXETER, ENGLAND - AUGUST 01: Foreign Secretary Liz Truss speaks during the second Conservative party membership hustings on August 01, 2022 in Exeter, England. Conservative Party Leadership hopefuls Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak will attend the second party

Despite the disasters of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham this week, maybe Prime Minister Liz Truss has a cunning plan after all, suggests Ivor Gaber

I wonder who remembers the scene from countless Laurel and Hardy films in which Laurel turns to Hardy (or maybe it was the other way round) and says: A fine mess youve got us into.

Would it be beyond the bounds of fantasy to imagine Liz Truss saying the same to her Chancellor after the markets reacted to Kwasi Kwartengs non-budget with a gigantic raspberry.

Perhaps the least important measure it included, but politically the most toxic, was the abolition of the 45p tax rate on salaries above 150,000.

On any sane and rational basis and coming after the ending of the ban on bankers bonuses, this was a suicidal move  presumably done to enthuse and excite those people who count, the hedge fund managers and other potential Tory donors. But even they werent impressed and her MPs were decidedly unimpressed.

So much so, that she forced Kwarteng into a humiliating climbdown which soured the rest of this weeks conference. But the damage was done and it will take a long time for the Tories to regain their reputation for economic competence, something that has been their main electoral advantage over Labour in elections past.

Coming a week after what most observers saw as a successful conference for Keir Starmer and Labour, the poll ratings for Truss and the Tories dropped like the proverbial stone, some putting the Conservatives a whopping 33 per cent behind Labour which if replicated in a general election would reduce the Tories to just three seats (but that aint going to happen).

Perhaps you have read much of this before, but theres another narrative in play which is sending out a rather different message from that of Truss the Iron Lady 2.0 and, surprisingly, this is about how our new PM seems to be trying to re-establish friendly relations with the EU.

It began with Steve Baker, one of the hardest of hard Brexiteers and now a minister in the Northern Ireland Office, making a surprising admission and apology this week. Referring to the previous government he said that they did not ...always behave in a way which encouraged Ireland and the European Union to trust up I am sorry about that  words that were echoed the following day by his boss, Chris Heaton-Harris.

Story continues

This is an extraordinary turnround but just as surprising has been Trusss actions over the past day or two.

One of the Tories principle reasons for opposing Britains continuing membership of the EU was concern that it was becoming as much a political as an economic union. So when President Macron of France announced the convening of the first-ever meeting of the European Political Community in Prague, it was hardly a surprise when the government denounced this as a back-door attempt by the French to create an EU political union  even though it involved 12 countries that were outside the EU.

To add to the sense of distance from Europe, Truss, during her leadership campaign, refused to say whether Macron was a friend or a foe.

So it was to many peoples surprise, and the Europeans delight, when Truss turned up in Prague for the summit and then spent time in clearly convivial talks with the French president after which she declared he was a friend

Clearly Britain and France can only benefit from a closer relation, whether it involves resolving the problem of the Northern Ireland border, the flow of cross-channel asylum seekers, fishing rights in the Channel, the war in Ukraine and so on.

A revival of the entente cordiale can only be welcomed.

But it does all beg the question whats going on?.

Why has Truss the intractable become Macrons mate?

I dont know the answer but (based on a couple of off-the-record conversations) I could hazard a guess  which is, after all what most political commentators do most of the time.

And my guess is that Truss has now grasped the size of the economic and financial mountain facing her, and having looked at her poll numbers, has concluded that continuing fights with Brussels (which are moving close to a trade war over Northern Ireland) is one fight she doesnt need.

READ MORE: What else we learned from the Tory conference

Presumably she wants to instead focus laser-like on the economy in the hope that sooner rather than later her ambitious (some might say foolhardy) dash for growth, will start to show results.

Should that happen, and should her poll ratings climb, then maybe the next election will not prove disastrous for the Tories  only just very bad.

l Ivor Gaber is professor of political journalism at the University of Sussex. He is a regular contributor to Times Radio and a former political correspondent at Westminster
Hundreds of climate activists blocked two TotalEnergies oil sites in Belgium on Saturday.

The demonstrations at Feluy and Liege were triggered by the soaring profits of energy companies amid a global energy crisis that is hitting people across Europe hard.

Further protests were set for Sunday by the CodeRouge organisers.

Protestors on Saturday blocked railway tracks near depots, causing localised disruptions.

Police monitored the gathering, with protestors displaying the banner "think global, block Total" in reference to the French energy giant.

TotalEnergies, alongside ExxonMobil, is facing widespread strike action from its workers across the border in France.

Unions at storage facilities and refineries are striking over mainly over pay, which is causing petrol supply problems in some areas.

Watch the video above to find out more.
Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Manchester United remains uncertain after he reportedly tried to leave in the offseason.

The Portugal great has struggled to break into United's starting XI in the Premier League this term.

And Ronaldo cut a frustrated figure in United's 3-2 win over Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League on Thursday.



TOP STORY  MLS CLUB TO OFFER RONALDO A WAY OUT

David Beckham-owned MLS club Inter Miami are set to offer Cristiano Ronaldo a way out of Manchester United with a contract worth 30million per year, reports The Daily Star.

Ronaldo, who is a regular visitor to Florida, could make the move in January, with Phil Neville's Miami planning to replace Gonzalo Higuain, who announced his retirement last week.

One stumbling block, however, is that the deal is on the condition Ronaldo joins Inter on a free transfer, with United - who insisted on a fee when clubs enquired in the last transfer window - seemingly content to retain him for now.



ROUND-UP

 The Mirror claims Leeds United have agreed personal terms with PSV's Cody Gakpo, beating Manchester United in the pursuit for the 23-year-old Dutch forward. Leeds still need to thrash out a transfer fee with PSV for Gakpo to move in January.

 Paris Saint-Germain have joined the long list of clubs pursuing Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk reports Fichajes. Arsenal, Newcastle United and Real Madrid are also keen on him.

 PSG are also chasing a deal for Adrien Rabiot who is set to exit Juventus when his contract expires in mid-2023, according to Fichajes.

 El Nacional claims Real Madrid are interested in Benfica's 18-year-old centre-back Antonio Silva. Manchester United are also monitoring the Portuguese stopper.

 Manchester United's Diogo Dalot is being considered by Barcelona, who need to bolster their right-back options, reports Sport.
Despite living in the UK my entire life, like many people who grew up within the confines of London, I have seen relatively little of my home country.

I didnt step foot in Scotland until I was 20, never experienced the majesty of the Lake District until years later, and hadnt even been to Birmingham until this year.

Theres something peculiarly British about our reluctance to explore within our own borders. Pollsters YouGov found a few years ago that the average Brit is more likely to have been to Paris than Edinburgh, Amsterdam than Nottingham, and almost twice as likely to have flown to New York than ventured to Belfast.

But between the pandemic limiting international travel and the climate crisis lessening my own desire to jet off to far-flung locations, like a lot of people, Ive found myself longing to travel domestically more than ever before.

Which is why when I was offered the chance to travel from Inverness to Belfast by boat, I jumped at the offer. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sail down Loch Ness, through the Inner Hebrides and dock in Belfasts Titanic Quarter? Count me in.

I embarked on an 11-day trip on a Thames barge

The trip was on the beautiful Snark, a newly constructed, steel-hulled, sailing barge - often known as a Thames barge. Being my first time on a boat like this, I wasnt sure what to expect - and to be honest, Im not entirely sure that the Snark is remotely representative of similar vessels.

Run by Paul and Qiao, the skipper and first mate (and also husband and wife), the boat serves as the pairs home during the winter months, before being used to take guests on sailing holidays when the weather warms up.

The Snark Thames barge - Euronews Travel

Paul, a former international sailor on racing yachts, and Qiao are both architects by training - which means the living quarters on board are, perhaps unsurprisingly, beautifully crafted.

From the well-equipped kitchen to the ingenious layouts of the guest cabins, every detail on the Snark is meticulously thought-through, making for an exceptionally liveable space.

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Which was good news, as it would be my home for 11 days.

I was one of four guests, a diverse group in terms of background, age and outlook. This seems to be fairly typical of Snarks clientele, drawing some people with a particular interest in sailing, others with a deep passion for the environment, and some who simply want to try something new.

This combination of personalities, along with Paul and Qiaos fascinating backgrounds, made for lively and memorable dinner-table conversations.

All the food is prepared by Paul - a wonderful cook - with a very varied menu (despite his claims to the contrary early on). And there are plenty of excellent drinks options too, all included in the price.

Sailing is more about the journey than the destination

We began our trip in Inverness, where we would be travelling down the Caledonian Canal, through 29 locks, four lochs (yes theyre different), before eventually finishing the Scottish leg of our journey at Corpach on the west coast.

Due to lock keeper shortages and the threat of gale-force winds, we had to make a few adjustments to our itinerary - but the joy of a trip like this is the flexibility. Being at the behest of mother nature means things always have to be kept relatively loose.

As a chronic over-planner and self-confessed control freak, there was something unbelievably freeing about knowing that as long as I got to Belfast in time for my flight home - I had no obligation to be anywhere or do anything for the next 10 days. It was a pretty unfamiliar feeling, Ill confess.

While Im well-travelled internationally (less so domestically, as previously noted), its rare for me to take a trip thats more focused on journey than destination. This took some getting used to, as most of the time our daily plan was simply get to this mooring point or move further down this loch - without a tight schedule.

Instead of researching things to see in upcoming towns or looking for swimming spots along our way, I filled my time lying on the deck reading, basking in the glorious sunshine as we cruised down Loch Ness, taking in the scenery of the stunning Scottish Highlands, and doing a little yoga (in addition to her multitude of other talents, Qiao is also a yoga instructor with mats, books and blocks aplenty).

Sunset over Loch Ness at Fort Augustus - Euronews Travel

For the first half of the trip, we were mooring on pontoons by locks, which meant ample opportunity to explore the areas we passed through. Fort Augustus was particularly beautiful, while the art house cinema in Fort William was my favourite little find. This also gave me plenty of time to run along the towpaths, use the impressive network of electric bikes in the area, and even treat myself to an exceptionally cold spot of wild swimming.

By the time we reached Neptunes Staircase - an imposing series of eight locks that can take hours to move through, near the end of the Caledonian Canal - the weather had turned somewhat, and Ben Nevis was obscured by imposing clouds. Personally, I enjoyed the moodiness this created, as Im a strong believer that Scottish landscapes look even better with atmospheric lighting.

Finally, several days after leaving Inverness, we passed through Corpach Sea Lock - our final lock of the journey - and we were out through Loch Linnhe, and then, for the first time, at seawhich is where I learned I suffer from intense seasickness.

Boating 101: Bring enough anti-nausea tablets to fuel a small army

Reader, it feels important to let you know that I have spent more than 20 years of my life in and around water. Im only 28, so proportionally thats a large chunk of my existence.

I was a competitive swimmer, before later competing for Great Britain in kayaking and triathlon. Water is my happy place; Ive spent a lot of my life both in it and on it. I say this because this next section will make you wonder why on earth I ever signed up for this trip.

As soon as we moved out to sea, I felt a wooziness I hadnt experienced on the canals and lochs. Perhaps arrogantly, Id believed myself immune to seasickness - which potentially made the experience all the more intense.

Marthe lying on deck suffering with seasickness - Euronews Travel

Despite wearing anti-seasickness bands, taking all the anti-nausea tablets I could safely consume, and chomping my way through more ginger biscuits than is likely healthy, nothing seemed to work.

Most irritatingly of all, everyone else seemed remarkably fine - while I, on one night in particular while we were anchored somewhere off the coast of the Slate Islands, was struggling to sleep without getting up to vomit every 20 minutes. At this point, my avid reading (I finished four books in the first three days of the trip) had to cease, as it was certainly making things worse.

What did help, however, was sitting on deck obsessively looking for sealife (dolphins or porpoises, I wasnt picky). The Inner Hebrides are a nature-lovers dream, with plenty of flora and fauna to fixate on. I didnt see as many dolphins as I would have perhaps liked, but theres still no greater thrill than spotting a dorsal fin in the waters around you.

It was navigating these bays and inlets when I realised, for the first time on the trip, I was seeing a part of the UK - my home country - that I could never have seen were it not for the Snark.

Sure, its possible to holiday on the Isle of Mull or stay for a few nights in Oban - but you cant see seals snoozing under Fladda Lighthouse or the sun setting behind the ruins of a long-forgotten castle at the tip of the Isle of Kerrera, unless youre on a boat. There are things you can truly only experience from the water.

My queasiness during this section was certainly offset by the privilege of being able to see sights that even locals may never get to enjoy.

Sailing offers slow travel and introspection with a sense of adventure

After a few days exclusively at-sea, we stopped on the beautiful island of Islay, home to the Lagavulin whisky distillery - not my drink of choice, but Im a big Parks and Rec fan and I couldnt resist paying homage to my favourite Ron Swanson scene.

After that, I spent the day hiking, exploring the beautiful island and trying to recover my sense of balance.

Once back on the boat, next in store was a rather rough - or rolly as Paul more euphemistically likes to refer to waves that seem frankly enormous to me - crossing through the Irish Sea, and suddenly we were within touching distance of the Northern Irish coast.

Having never been to Northern Ireland (or watched Game of Thrones), I had little-to-no expectations. I knew Id probably enjoy Belfast as a city, but wasnt prepared for how beautiful the coastline is. We anchored off the coast of Cushendun, and I was constantly making mental notes of places I had to come back and explore properly.

Frederick Douglas on the International Wall, Belfast - Euronews Travel

The next day we made our way into Belfast. After such a remote 10 days, it was jarring going past huge cruise liners and the iconic Samson and Goliath cranes.

While I know lots of people categorise themselves as definitely a city person or resolutely rural, I am absolutely split down the middle. So as we pulled into Belfast Harbour Marina, I was delighted - but not relieved - to be in a city.

After one night in Belfast - including a slightly ill-timed and naively planned evening run to look at the murals by myself - our trip was over. I could write an entire article about my 24 hours in Belfast, but I will spare you from that here. I will say that Beflast is an absolute treasure trove, and Im well aware that I only scratched the surface of whats on offer in this beautiful, vibrant and fragile city.

Unlike any holiday Ive been on before, my time on the Snark didnt zip by in a flash. That sounds like a backhanded compliment, but it isnt meant negatively.

I think instead, its a reflection of what happens when you focus on the journey rather than the destination. There was no rigid itinerary with things to tick off each day, but a slower style of travel that were simply not used to these days.

Next year Paul and Qiao will be taking guests on board the Snark on a Baltic voyage, via Boulogne, Amsterdam and Copenhagen. If youve found yourself longing for a more introspective type of holiday experience - albeit still with a spirit of adventure - you may want to join them.

Watch the video above to see more of life aboard the Snark.
ReportLinker

Major players in the car air purifier market are Honeywell International Inc. , Sharp Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Eureka Forbes Ltd. , Koninklijke Philips N. V. , 3M, Purafill, Ionkini Technology (GZ) Co.

New York, Oct. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Car Air Purifier Global Market Report 2022" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06325394/?utm_source=GNW

, Ltd., ADA Electrotech (Xiamen) Co., Ltd., Kent Ro Systems Ltd., Livpure Private Limited, Airbus Electronic Technology Co., Ltd, BlueAir, Denso Corporation, and Agcen Air Purifier.



The global car air purifier market is expected to grow from $1.23 billion in 2021 to $1.47 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.6%. The car air purifier market is expected to reach $2.81 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 17.5%.



The car air purifier market consists of sales of car air purifier products and related services by entities (organizations, sole traders, and partnerships) that are used to filter the air inside the car, ensure pure air flow and protect passengers from contaminants in the air they breathe.A car air purifier refers to a small unit that is made up of multifibre cotton and engineered or paper-based material.



The car air purifier is used to attain pure air flow and remove bad odor.



The main types of technologies of car air purifiers are HEPA, activated carbon, and ionic filter.HEPA refers to a high-efficiency particulate air filter that is a type of pleated air filter.



This type of filter is used to reduce the airborne particles entering a car. The companies in the car air purifier products sell their products through OEM and aftermarket that supports economical, medium-priced, luxury segments of cars.



Asia Pacific was the largest region in the car air purifier market in 2021, and it is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the car air purifier market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa.



The car air purifier market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides Car air purifier market statistics, including Car air purifier industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a Car air purifier market share, detailed Car air purifier market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the Car air purifier industry. This Car air purifier market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.



The significant pollution levels in the atmosphere are expected to propel the growth of the car air purifier market going forward.Pollution level refers to air quality index which is an index used to report the air quality on a daily basis.



Car air purifier protects passengers from contaminants in the air they breathe, as they help in the purification of polluted air to clean air.For Instance, in June 2022, according to The Economic Times, an Indian daily newspaper, Indians may lose 5 years of life expectancy due to air pollution.



South Asia has accounted for 52% almost half of the expected lost life years globally due to the high pollution levels.Since 2013, around 44% of the worlds pollution is coming from India.



Therefore, the significant pollution levels in the atmosphere is expected to boost demand for car air purifiers during the forecast period.



Technological advancements are the key trend gaining popularity in the car air purifier market.Major companies operating in the market are introducing new products with innovative technologies such as dual technology to meet end customer demands and sustain their position in the market.



For Instance, in January 2019, Sharp Corporation, a Japan-based manufacturer of electronic products launched an innovative car air purifier with dual technology HEPA and Carbon filters to remove PM2.5 particles and gaseous substances to remove harmful components and provide clean air to customers inside the car.



In December 2021, CCI (Competition Commission of India) has approved Lunolux Limited, a UK-based company that operates as an investment hub for Asia incorporated by AI Global Investments to acquire Forbes Enviro Solutions for an undisclosed amount.This acquisition broadens the portfolio of Lunolux Limited in the car air-purifier sector.



Forbes Enviro Solutions is a subsidiary of Eureka Forbes Limited, an India-based company that manufactures water purification, air filtration systems, and vacuum cleaners.



The countries covered in the car air purifier market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, and USA.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06325394/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




Photo credit: Foxconn

Foxconn, a Taiwanese electronics firm that is one of the main manufacturers of Apple iPhones, is planning to enter the automotive space with the Foxtron Model B.

A full reveal of the Model B is coming on October 18, but Foxconn has already given a good look at the hatchbacks Pininfarina-penned exterior design.

Initial production of the Model B will take place in China next year, but the company says that the hatchback will be built at Foxconns Lordstown, Ohio assembly plant starting in 2024.

You might not be familiar with the name Foxconn, but you certainly know its biggest product: the Taiwanese electronics company is one of the leading iPhone manufacturers. The firm is also looking to expand into the automotive space. In 2021, Foxconn purchased the Lordstown assembly plant in Ohio from struggling EV startup Lordstown Motors. Now Foxconn has given the first look at a new electric hatchback, the Foxtron Model B, that it plans to eventually build in the United States.

It's beauty. It's beast. Breathtaking and bold.

MODEL B - the new masterpiece of our open EV platform is ready to take center stage! More details to be revealed on HHTD22 (Hon Hai Tech Day 2022)!#EV #ModelB #HHTD22 #Foxconn #2022HonHaiTechDay #HonHaiTechnologyGroup pic.twitter.com/TrVQ1j7bVK  Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) (@HonHai_Foxconn) October 6, 2022

Foxconn has provided minimal information so far about the Model B, with the EV set to be fully unveiled on October 18. You may have noticed that the brand name associated with the Model B is not Foxconn, but Foxtronthis vehicle is part of a joint venture between the electronics maker and Yulon Motor, Taiwans largest automaker which has built Nissans under license for decades and also created its own brand, Luxgen.

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While Foxconn is tight-lipped about specifications, the video does show off the Model Bs design, which was penned by Italian design house Pininfarina. The compact car has its large, flashy wheels pushed out the corners, while the front and rear ends are dominated by full-width LED light bars. The smooth bodywork is accentuated by a stylized C-pillar, and a unique feature in the taillights appears to display images to communicate with pedestrians.

Photo credit: Foxconn

The Model B will ride on Foxconns open-source MiH platformwhich stands for Mobility in Harmony. The platform will also underpin two additional models previously revealed by Foxconn, the Model C, a larger crossover, and Model E, a luxury sedan. The platform supports single and dual-motor setups, and Foxconn claims a range of 435 miles from the Model C and 466 miles for the Model E.

Photo credit: Foxconn

Foxconn is aiming to initially start building the Model B in China in 2023, but will eventually start production of the vehicle in 2024 at the Lordstown plant, which formerly produced the Chevy Cruze. Its unclear if the Model B will be offered in the U.S. The plant is apparently configured to churn out to 500,000 vehicles a year, and Foxconn plans to also build the Lordstown Endurance and Fiskers upcoming Pear crossover at the plant under contract as well.

Photo credit: Lordstown

While it would great to see the factory up and running again, we remain skeptical of Foxconns ability to follow through on its automotive ambitions. Foxconn previously pledged to invest $10 billion in a massive display panel manufacturing plant in the small town of Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, originally touting the creation of 13,000 jobs and production starting in 2020. Five years later, only a few buildings have been completed, little has been produced, and the investment has been reduced to $672 million with only 1454 new jobs.

The Lordstown plant is also relying on unproven automotive startups. The Fisker Pear, for instance, is only a shadowy rendering at this stage. While Lordstown Motors has now built the first two Endurance pickups at the Ohio factorythe first of an initial batch of 500 vehicles set to be delivered in 2022 and 2023 the companys past financial struggles means its longevity remains in question. Foxconn previously aimed to help build an EV from Chinese startup Byton, but those plans fell through when Byton ran out of funds. Hopefully the same fate doesnt befall Fisker and Lordstown Motors, but Foxconns automotive future is still up in the air.

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Tibet sees fast civil aviation development over past decade

Xinhua) 09:07, October 09, 2022

LHASA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Airports in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region have handled 438,000 flights, 45.6 million passengers, and 368,000 tonnes of cargo and mail in the past decade, authorities said Saturday.

The figures are far more than those in the previous 47 years when Tibet was open to civil flights, Zhang Wei, spokesman for the regional administration of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, told a press conference.

In 2021 alone, the region saw 59,900 takeoffs and landings, 2.79 times the number in 2012, reaching an annual growth rate of 12.1 percent on average.

From 2012 to 2021, the number of passengers handled by the airports in Tibet surged from 2.22 million to 6.03 million.

Civil aviation has accounted for a much higher proportion of the region's entire passenger transportation system, said Zhang.

Flights have now connected Tibet with 68 cities from 28 other provincial-level regions.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Officers and soldiers attend a celebration of the 60th anniversary of independence at the Kololo independence grounds in Kampala, Uganda, on Oct. 9, 2022. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)

KAMPALA, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Regional leaders attending Uganda's 60th independence anniversary from colonial rule on Sunday called for unity among states to fast-track the well-being of their citizens.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni who presided over the celebrations attended by five heads of state from eastern Africa called for value addition on agricultural products.

"In Uganda, we have had fights with political actors over value addition. Everything is got from outside yet the raw materials are available. At least we have started producing our own processed milk, fertilizers, and some textiles," Museveni said.

Museveni also emphasized that the East African Crude Oil Pipeline will go on as planned.

Visiting Kenyan President William Ruto called on traders and investors to take advantage of the vast regional market to supply what is produced in excess in the different countries.

"As a region, it is clear to us that we cannot share poverty, and we cannot share hunger, but we can share opportunities and prosperity," Ruto said.

"We have the challenge to ensure a borderless East African Community where goods and services can move across Africa in free trade," Ruto added.

Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye thanked Museveni for his contribution to establishing peace in the region. "We can only be stronger if we work together. For the sake of peace, nothing should stand in our way," he said.

The celebrations, which had a march-past and several cultural performances, were also attended by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit, and Tanzania's Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi.

Several diplomats and other officials also attended the celebrations held at the same place where Britain handed over power to Uganda on October 9, 1962. 

A military band performs during a celebration of the 60th anniversary of independence at the Kololo independence grounds in Kampala, Uganda, on Oct. 9, 2022. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)

A dancing troupe performs during a celebration of the 60th anniversary of independence at the Kololo independence grounds in Kampala, Uganda, on Oct. 9, 2022. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)

A dancing troupe performs during a celebration of the 60th anniversary of independence at the Kololo independence grounds in Kampala, Uganda, on Oct. 9, 2022. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)
An Albanian people-smuggling gang that transported migrants to the UK via Spain has been dismantled after a series of arrests, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

The organised crime network smuggled mainly Albanian migrants through the northern Spanish cities of Bilbao and Santander into the UK using ferries and freight shipping routes to Portsmouth, Southampton and Liverpool, the NCA said.

Each migrant is believed to have paid between between 3,000 and 15,000 euros (2,600 to 13,000) to be smuggled, the agency said.

The migrants were believed to have come directly from Albania to Spain for onward travel, but were also recruited from camps around Spanish ports.

The smuggling network provided migrants with accommodation and food until they stowed away for their journey to the UK.

About 50 people who made the crossing have been identified by the UK and Spanish authorities and linked to the network, but the NCA said the true number who used the route is unknown.

NCA officers based in Spain and the UK worked with Spains Guardia Civil for over a year to identify the ringleaders of the organisation.

Between Monday and Wednesday, seven arrests were made  two in Madrid and five in the Basque region.

The NCA said two men believed to have been leaders of the gang were among those detained.

They predominantly lived in Albania but were arrested in Spain.

All seven will face prosecution in Spanish courts.

During the raids, investigators seized items including telephones, computers, bank cards and cash receipts as well as identity documents and passports of various nationalities.

Suella Braverman addressed people smuggling in a speech to the Conservative Party conference last week (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

NCA international regional manager Steve Reynolds said: People smugglers put lives at risk, which is why disrupting and dismantling criminal networks like this is a priority for the NCA and our partners.

In this case we were faced with a crime group who were prepared to smuggle migrants in lorries over one of the longer ferry and freight crossings into the UK. The dangers of that are self-evident.

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Working closely with our Spanish counterparts we have been able to dismantle their operation and prevent further lives being put at risk.

This operation demonstrates how the NCA is determined to take action against people smugglers at every step of the route towards the UK, including upstream in transit countries like Spain.

At the Conservative Party conference last week, Home Secretary Suella Braverman told delegates: The hard truth is that our modern slavery laws are being abused by people gaming the system.

Weve seen a 450% increase in modern slavery claims since 2014.

Today, the largest group of small boats migrants are from Albania  a safe country. Many of them claim to be trafficked as modern slaves. Thats despite them having paid thousands of pounds to come here, or having willingly taken a dangerous journey across the Channel.

The truth is that many of them are not modern slaves and their claims of being trafficked are lies.
Within 10 minutes of the explosion at a service station in the Co Donegal village of Creeslough, emergency services had arrived at a chaotic and traumatic scene.

As emergency personnel arrived to find huge concrete blocks, debris and rubble where the building once stood, the scale of the operation ahead became clear.

Civilians were already there using car jacks to try to free trapped people from the large piles of rubble.

The huge rescue operation involved the Irish Coast Guard, the Coast Guard rescue helicopter 118, Irish Air Corps 112, the Northern Ireland Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS), the Irish Community Air Ambulance, Northern Ireland Search and Rescue, Donegal Mountain Rescue, Northern Ireland Ambulance Service heart team, Donegal County Council Civil Defence as well as dozens of people from the community in Creeslough.

Superintendent David Kelly of Milford garda station said he did not have to reach out to colleagues  that all came forward for duty.

The blast took place on Friday afternoon (Brian Lawless/PA)

Garda (police) members from Letterkenny, Ballyshannon and Buncrana all appeared as the news of the tragedy spread.

Thats what it is to be in Donegal  we look out for each other, Superintendent Kelly said.

We have to think of the people from own service who did attend. Resources were initially deployed from the Millford Garda District, assisted by members that were off-duty.

Im proud to say that I didnt have to ask for people to turn out for duty, they came in.

Emergency services continue their work at the scene of an explosion at an Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal, where ten people have now been confirmed dead (Brian Lawless/PA)

He also praised the great assistance provided by colleagues from the emergency services in Northern Ireland.

Police in Donegal said the blast led to the largest number of civilian casualties in decades, and required an extensive emergency response.

Cafes and local restaurants opened their doors to emergency workers, providing hot drinks and food for the personnel.

A local hotel also block-booked rooms for emergency staff who worked through the night.

My thoughts and prayers are tonight with the entire community of Creeslough following todays devastating explosion. Thinking too of all the emergency services, from across the north-west and NI working in very traumatic situation.  Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) October 7, 2022

Liam Geraghty, from the Garda press office, said workers came across a very traumatic scene.

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It was a very confused scene and there was a lot of debris, there were traumatised people already at the scene. Our colleagues will be provided with counselling services to deal with tragic circumstances, Mr Geraghty added.

A moment of silence was also held at a press conference at Milford garda station for the 10 people who died in the Creeslough explosion.

Seven people are in hospital in Donegal while one patient was transferred to a specialist burns unit hospital in Dublin.

Eight ambulances attended the scene on Friday and three attended on Saturday morning.

Emergency services continue their work at the scene of an explosion at Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal, where 10 people have now been confirmed dead (Brian Lawless/PA)

Four doctors and four ambulance officers were also involved.

Superintendent Kelly said families have been left devastated by the incident.

I want to offer, on behalf of myself and my colleagues that attended the scene, our very sincere condolences, he added.

Garry Martin, director of emergency services at Donegal County Council, said workers will remain on site in Creeslough for the ongoing search and checking phase to ensure there are no remaining casualties in the building.

Press Statement by Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, Cllr. Liam Blaney in relation to the terrible tragedy which has unfolded in Creeslough. Read full statement here: https://t.co/FTimVMkhVR#Donegal #YourCouncil pic.twitter.com/aeMcG3gR2c  Donegal County Council (@donegalcouncil) October 8, 2022

He said that six fire brigades attended the scene, including 65 firefighters and 20 members of the civil defence, a structural engineer as well as road service personnel.

I want to acknowledge the assistance from our colleagues in the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, who attended with specialist equipment and search dogs, Mr Martin added.

I also want to acknowledge the huge input from the local community who attended in huge numbers and who contributed so much to our efforts.

The whole country has the community of Cresslough and Co.Donegal in our thoughts this evening. We hope and pray that all those trapped or missing are rescued, brought to safety by the emergency services & reunited with loved ones  Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) October 7, 2022

Over the course of last day and following detailed analysis of the site, the incident moved into a search and recovery phase. We will remain on site in an ongoing search and check phase to ensure there are no remaining casualties in the building.

John Joe McGowan, chief ambulance officer for the western region of Irelands national ambulance service, said words cannot describe the efforts of emergency services in Creeslough.

Each and every one of you have gone above and beyond in your response, he said, extending particular thanks to the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and Air Ambulance for their support.

We will continue our efforts and work with our colleagues in the gardai and the fire service until all recovery efforts have concluded.
Florence Pugh has said the passion director Sebastian Lelio brought to the set of The Wonder was exactly what she needed at the time.

The British actress, 26, stars as Lib Wright in the adaptation of Emma Donoghues novel directed by Chilean filmmaker Lelio  who won an Oscar for his 2017 feature A Fantastic Woman.

Arriving at the films UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival, Pugh told the PA news agency: Sebastian is an incredibly diverse and sensitive creator.

He is someone who is considerate of every single person and being, whether it is crew or cast.

There is no leaf unturned and he will do that until he finds the right thing. And for me, that was exactly what I needed at the time.

Sebastian Lelio (Ian West/PA)

I had this ultimate passion in my lap obviously all day and that is truly fantastic.

Speaking about shooting in Ireland, she said: Ireland, honestly I was thinking about moving there. I absolutely loved living there.

The people are There is nothing like their hospitality. I truly, truly enjoyed every second of it.

The Black Widow actress stars opposite Toby Jones, Ciaran Hinds, Dermot Crowley, Brian F OByrne and David Wilmot.

Florence Pugh arriving for the UK premiere of The Wonder during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 (Ian West/PA)

Mank actor Tom Burke and Calm With Horses star Niamh Algar also feature alongside Elaine Cassidy and her daughter Kila Lord Cassidy.

Algar told PA: This is a really beautiful film, it was such a joy to work on with the cast and crew. It was such a lovely environment and set, Sebastian the director, I was a huge fan of his work, just working with people you admire is great.

Even though this film was based just after the famine, it was far from a famine on set, it was every Friday Florence would bring in food, it was like a tea-stand, all these boxes of doughnuts and cookies, she is such a generous human being. It was so nice to have that.

Phenomenal actors such an incredible calibre of actors to share this film with. It was a masterclass.

'It's incredibly dark and I love doing dark films apparently!' Florence Pugh on what drew her to #TheWonder#LFF pic.twitter.com/nnAH8Y9Z1J  BFI (@BFI) October 7, 2022

Set in the Irish midlands in 1862, the psychological thriller is inspired by the 19th century phenomenon of the fasting girls.

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Pugh plays an English nurse who is brought to a tiny village to observe 11-year-old Anna ODonnell, a young girl who stops eating but remains miraculously alive and well.

Tourists and pilgrims mass to witness the girl, who is said to have survived without food for months, as the film explores if the village is harbouring a saint surviving on manna from heaven or if there are more ominous motives at work.

Describing what drew him to the project, Lelio told PA: I loved the novel and I really liked the fact it explored this condition between science and religion, between fact and fantasy, reason and magical thinking.

I thought that made it a very timely story of today. Reason versus fanaticism sounded really like what is going on in our world today.

That was really interesting and also I really loved the two women at the centre, the nurse and the girl. That relationship, that transgenerational sorority that takes place there, I thought it was a really unique type of relationship to portray in a film.

Kila Lord Cassidy and Elaine Cassidy (Ian West/PA)

Talking about shooting on location in Ireland, he said: I really loved filming in Ireland. I had to adjust to a bit of the schizophrenic weather but apart from that, I loved the people and I had a great, great team.

Donoghue, who also co-wrote the screenplay for The Wonder, praised Pugh for the positivity she brought to the set.

She told PA: What was lovely was that I actually got to watch her work. I got to go for 10 separate days to the set and be there hour after hour in the little tent listening in and watching on the monitor.

Describing Pugh as tireless, Donoghue added: She would do a take 20 times if needs be. Just endlessly energetic and imaginative and intelligent.

And she set a really lovely, friendly tone. She had doughnuts delivered for the whole crew. That kind of thing. She was just wonderfully warm as well as hard-working.

Speaking about adapting the book for the screen, she added: It is exhilarating because it has only been six years since the novel came out but six years is a long time compared with how books (work).

And so often film projects just dont happen, so I just couldnt be happier to have reached this culminating point, and in particular to bring it to London.

The Wonder will be released on Netflix on November 16.
Germany's Social Democrats on Sunday won a closely-fought regional election that was dominated by worries over soaring energy costs, giving Chancellor Olaf Scholz a welcome boost as a difficult winter looms.

Scholz's centre-left SPD was set to remain the largest force in the coastal state of Lower Saxony, taking around 32.7-33.3 percent of the vote, according to exit polls by public broadcasters ARD and ZDF.

The conservative CDU party of former chancellor Angela Merkel came a distant second at 27.5 percent, its worst result in the state in six decades.

The election was widely billed as a key test of Scholz's handling of the energy crisis caused by Russia's war in Ukraine. The outcome marks a turnaround after his SPD lost the last two regional polls to the CDU, in North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein.

The Greens, Scholz's coalition partners on the federal level, surged to around 14 percent, their best-ever showing in the state.

The far-right AfD also had reason to cheer, nearly doubling its result from five years ago and climbing to almost 12 percent as it capitalised on voter anger over the rising cost of living.

The AfD "is a protest party" that benefits from "crisis and fears", political scientist Karl-Rudolf Korte told ZDF.

The liberal FDP, Scholz's third coalition partner in Berlin, appears to have only narrowly scraped the five-percent threshold required to enter into the regional parliament, according to the preliminary results.

- 'Referendum' -

The Lower Saxony election was "very important" for Scholz, Korte told ZDF, calling it "a referendum" on the federal government's handling of myriad crises since coming to power almost a year ago.

Russia's war in Ukraine has sent energy costs soaring, pushing German inflation to a record-high of 10 percent in September and fuelling fears of a looming recession in Europe's top economy.

Support for Scholz's SPD has fallen below 20 percent in national opinion polls, well behind the CDU in first place. Scholz's own popularity ratings have also taken a hit.

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Lower Saxony's incumbent premier Stephan Weil from the SPD, whose popularity with local residents played a large role in Sunday's victory, said he was "relieved" his party had a clear mandate to govern in Lower Saxony.

"We fought and tonight we won, my friends," he told supporters.

Weil, set for a third consecutive term, had previously called the election contest "the most difficult of my life".

"Never have I seen so many question marks and worries on citizens' faces," he said.

The 63-year-old has cast himself as a safe pair of hands in uncertain times and wants Lower Saxony -- home to auto giant Volkswagen as well as most of Germany's wind turbines -- to play a leading role in the green energy transition.

He has also welcomed a 200-billion-euro ($198-billion) energy fund newly unveiled by Scholz to shield German consumers from price shocks.

The fund however has been criticised by European neighbours who don't have the same fiscal largesse and fear a splintering of EU unity on Ukraine.

Weil's main challenger in Lower Saxony, state economy minister Bernd Althusmann from the CDU, announced his resignation as regional party leader shortly after the results were announced.

Sunday's vote was "not a pretty result for us", said CDU secretary general Mario Czaja.

The path is now clear for Weil to ditch his coalition government with the CDU and team up with the Greens instead.

- Nuclear plant row -

A major bone of contention between the SPD and the CDU during the election race was the fate of Lower Saxony's Emsland nuclear power plant -- one of only three still operational in Germany.

The CDU has been angered by Berlin's decision to proceed with Emsland's planned shutdown this year, despite the need for energy diversification as the country weans itself off Russian gas and oil.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, from the traditionally anti-nuclear Greens, recently announced the other two plants will be kept on standby until April 2023, in a landmark U-turn.

Weil has backed Berlin's stance, saying Emsland was not needed to secure Lower Saxony's energy supply.

mfp/raz
North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea on Sunday, the South's military said, the latest in a blitz of launches amid tensions over US-led military exercises in the region, Yonhap reported.



The South Korean military's joint chiefs of staff announced the launches from the southeast of the country -- the seventh and eighth in two weeks -- without giving further details.

"While strengthening our monitoring and vigilance, our military is maintaining a full readiness posture in close cooperation with the United States," the joint chiefs of staff said, Yonhap reported.

North Korea on Saturday had defended its recent flurry of missile tests as a legitimate counter to US military threats, following days of joint military exercises between the South, Japan and the United States.

The Japanese prime minister's office also confirmed at least one of Sunday's launches on Twitter.

"North Korea has launched a suspected ballistic missile. More updates to follow," the office said.

The missiles, fired toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, seem to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, the Japanese government said, according to Kyodo news agency. The coast guard said it had so far not received any reports of damage to Japanese ships, national broadcaster NHK reported.

Sunday's launches were the latest in a flurry that included an intermediate-range ballistic missile fired Tuesday over Japan, prompting an alert for people in affected areas underneath to take cover.



Read more on FRANCE24



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Sunny Huang receives a warm welcome at Glencoe after completing her challenge

SHE reached the summit of the Pap of Glencoe to the sounds of the pipes and a guard of honour formed by walking poles.



As Sunny Huang completed a two-year climbing challenge she admitted she was overcome with emotion as it began to sink in just what she had achieved.

The 50-year-old Edinburgh nurse became the 77th person to complete what is known as the Full House, and she may well have done it in a record time.

Read more: Glasgow campaign for Nelson Mandela statue launches Crowdfunder for final push

Ms Huang became the first Chinese woman to bag every Munro in Scotland in 2017 and when she read about the Full House, which involves reaching every peak over 2000ft in Scotland, plus mountains (Furths) over 3000ft in the UK and Ireland, she initially thought it was a crazy idea, but a few years later she found herself taking up the challenge.

Sunny Huang proudly waves both Scottish and Chinese flags

According to the Scottish Mountaineering Club the term Full House was first introduced in 2010 and means climbing all the Munros, Munro Tops, Furths, Corbetts, Grahams and Donalds on the SMC register of hills.

Ms Huang climbed all six lists of SMC consisting of 1124 hills within the UK and Ireland all of which are above 2000 feet.

Her last ascent was the Pap of Glencoe on October 1, which was timed to coincide with National China Day, and now she is not quite sure what to do with herself after her mammoth challenge.

Sunny Huang celebrates with her supporters

This has been two years of my life. Every weekend I have left work on a Friday and packed up my car ready to go up to the hills, said Ms Huang. I would walk for a few days, sometimes a week or more, walking between 12 and 19 hours a day on average, depending on the weather and conditions. I hope to become the 77th person, registered with the Scottish Mountaineering Club, to have completed this challenge. I did 17 peaks in one day and then beat my own record with 19 on the Nevis Range.

When I reached the final summit, it was very emotional for me. There was a group there to meet me with walking poles for a guard of honour and when I heard the pipes that did it for me.

Initially Ms Huang thought it would take her six years to complete, but her determination saw her achieve it in two years.

I just kept going and every spare minute I had I have been on the hills, she added. I have to admit it has taken its toll on my knees a bit, but I finished much sooner than I thought.

A rainbow appears at Sunny Huang continues her challenge

This weekend the transplant nurse at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary says she isnt quite sure what to do with her time and might even have a touch of post-climbing blues. It was late October 2020 that she remembers her first climb for the Full House.

It was the weekend we were due to change the clocks and I was at Glenmore Lodge for my first ascent and I did a Corbetts near Kingussie and that is how it all began, she added.

This has been my world and Ive not had a weekend for two years, so I am not quite sure what I will do with myself. It does feel it a bit strange and flat.

While she will be taking sometime to recover, she is considering her next challenge which might involve a series of peaks in Europe or even Mount Kilimanjaro in 2025.

Sunny Huang with her commemorative mug

The mother-of-one, who has lived in Scotland for 18 years, also raise money for international development charity Christian Aid and has so far raised 4000, a cause which is close to her heart.

Growing up in Liaoning Provence in China we had little money and I often went hungry, so raising money and awareness of the work of Christian Aid with communities living in extreme poverty is so important to me, she added.

I can remember days when I would be so hungry and now when I see food waste I find that very hard knowing what we went through.

Sally Foster-Fulton, head of Christian Aid Scotland was quick to congratulate Ms Huang.

Ms Foster-Fulton said: Back in 2015 Sunny took part in Christian Aids 70 Munro fundraising challenge and then went on to bag all the Munros in 2017. Her latest challenge is incredible, and even more impressive as shes fitted it around her busy shifts at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. We are grateful for Sunnys commitment to raise money and awareness of our work with communities living in extreme poverty  including in Ethiopia, South Sudan and Afghanistan.

You can still donate at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/SunnyAdventuresChristianAid
Hong Kong could damage its reputation as a financial hub if it gives haven to sanctions dodgers, the United States cautioned Saturday, after the city said it would not act against a superyacht reportedly owned by a Kremlin ally.

The Nord -- a US$500 million, 142-metre (466-foot) luxury vessel linked to Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov -- arrived in the Chinese territory's waters this week.

Mordashov is among the oligarchs who are close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and have been targeted by Western sanctions following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Some of them have had their luxury yachts seized in places such as Spain and Fiji, but Hong Kong said Friday that while it implements UN sanctions, it cannot enforce those imposed "unilaterally" by countries or blocs.

"The possible use of Hong Kong as a safe haven by individuals evading sanctions from multiple jurisdictions further calls into question the transparency of the business environment," a US State Department spokesperson told AFP in response.

"Hong Kong's reputation as a financial centre depends on adherence to international laws and standards."

Yachts owned by those close to Putin have become targets for Ukraine's Western allies, who are hunting for the assets of sanctioned figures as they seek to punish Moscow for the Ukraine invasion.

In March, Italy seized the Lady M, a yacht belonging to Mordashov, citing European Union sanctions.

China has conspicuously not condemned the invasion of Ukraine, and said it has a "no-limits" relationship with Russia.

A spokesperson for Mordashov told Bloomberg News this week that the billionaire was in Moscow and declined to comment on the yacht's movements.

The Nord -- which boasts two helipads, a cinema and more than a dozen luxury cabins -- switched its flag from the Cayman Islands to Russia in June.

It was anchored in the eastern Russian port of Vladivostok before making its way to Hong Kong.

hol/qan
Ben Sasse

Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse

Sen. Ben Sasse will likely be trading in his seat in the Senate for a job as the University of Florida president.

On Thursday, the college announced the Republican senator as a "a sole finalist" for its top position, after considering "a dozen highly qualified diverse candidates."

"This is right for the University of Florida, right for the state of Florida and right for the Sasse family," said Rahul Patel, chair of the Presidential Search Committee, in the announcement. "Ben brings intellectual curiosity, a belief in the power and potential of American universities, and an unmatched track record of leadership spanning higher education, government and the private sector."

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Sasse has served as the junior United States senator for Nebraska since 2015. He was one of seven Republican senators to vote to impeach former president Donald Trump.

While speaking about the nation's economic landscape, the politician said the "single biggest challenge our nation faces is the radical disruption of work," according to UF.

He added, "Technology is changing everything about where, when, why, what and how Americans work  and so it's changing our homes, neighborhoods and communities too. Lifelong work in one sector will never again be the norm for most Americans, and therefore lifelong learning must necessarily become the norm for most Americans. Higher education is going to need to change and grow  and rethink its forms  again and again."

Sasse is scheduled to visit the campus Monday to sit down with students and staff.

RELATED: La. House Candidate Katie Darling's Campaign Ad Shows Her Giving Birth: 'This Is Real for Me'

As for who will replace Sasse in the Senate, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, who is set to appoint Sasse's successor, is a likely contender, reported Politico, adding that Sasse could step into his new role before 2023.

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Ricketts' spokesperson Alex Reuss responded to the speculation, saying, "We aren't going to speculate at this point. Right now, Senator Sasse is a sitting U.S. senator, and there's no appointment to be made," per Politico.

Also speculated as a replacement are Nebraska Republican Representatives Mike Flood and Don Bacon, according to Newsweek.

RELATED VIDEO: Liz Truss Selected as New British Prime Minister, Will Replace Boris Johnson

Geoff Lorenz, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, told Newsweek that it's not likely Bacon will replace Sasse because he "has had to distance himself from the party somewhat in order to carry his seat."

He also noted that Flood "is a brand-new member of Congress, and like many new members he has focused on being a loyal party soldier."

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Sasse said, per Politico, that he and his wife had been "pursued by wonderful institutions the past two years, but we've resisted being a finalist. This time is different because the University of Florida is different: I think Florida is the most interesting university in America right now."

Sasse won a reelection in 2020, launching his second six-year term, per Newsweek.
ISLAMABAD, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- A fire erupted in the Pakistani capital Islamabad's Centaurus, a prime building consisting of a major shopping mall and elite residential apartments, on Sunday afternoon, officials and police sources said.

The fire initially broke out at the food court on the third floor and is now spreading toward the residential apartments on the upper floors, the commissioner of Islamabad told the media.

Sixty percent of the fire at the mall has been doused, and helicopter support has been requested to control the fire and stop its spread to other parts of the building, the commissioner added.

Sources from the police told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that a main duct of the building that starts from the base to the top was also on fire.

The sources said that no casualty has been reported in the fire, and people in the building are being helped to get evacuated from the mall. 
By Fayaz Bukhari

SRINAGAR (Reuters) - Roadworks have halted thousands of trucks carrying millions of dollars worth of apples on Indian Kashmir's main highway, a major union leader said on Monday, triggering protests by growers as their produce begins to rot.

Highway repairs were causing massive delays along the highway that connects the disputed Kashmir valley to the rest of India, meaning huge expected losses.

"We have 8,000 trucks carrying apples worth 100 crore rupees (one billion rupees, or about $12.25 million) stranded on the highway for the last two weeks," Bashir Ahmad Basheer, the head of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers and Dealers Union, told Reuters.

Employing more than three million people, fruit cultivation is an economic lifeline for the Himalayan region, which is claimed in full but ruled in part by both India and Pakistan.

All 10 major wholesale fruit markets in the Kashmir valley were shut on Sunday and Monday as farmers protested against what they said was traffic mismanagement.

"The apples in the truck have started rotting now," said Rajesh Kumar, a trucker from the northern Indian state of Punjab.

"I don't know how many more days I will be here," he said, adding he had been stuck on the highway for six days.

The Divisional Commissioner for Kashmir said this year had seen a bumper apple crop of more than 2.1 million metric tons due to heavy rain.

"We have difficulties in the movement of traffic on the highway due to shooting stones (falling rocks) but it is beyond human control," Commissioner P.K. Pole told Reuters.

Repair work on the Srinagar-Jammu highway would be finished this week, a local government official told Reuters on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

($1 = 81.645 rupees)

(Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari in Srinagar; Editing by Nick Macfie)
A total of 22 UK-based scientists have now decided to leave Britain rather than lose their EU research funding, as uncertainty continues around the future of Research and Development (R&D) support post-Brexit.

Scientists and engineers have told Sky News the UK's position as a world leader in research is at risk from "significant brain drain" amid doubts about what will replace funding after negotiations with the European Union stalled.

The UK was negotiating a deal to remain in the EU's 84billion Horizon Europe funding programme.

However, Brussels is refusing to resume talks until other Brexit-related disagreements such as Northern Ireland are solved.

If unsuccessful, the government has committed to match the EU funding already awarded to any researchers who already have grants.

But because many existing research programmes are EU wide, that promise is not enough for some researchers.

"Nobody told me I have to leave, but it wasn't a welcoming environment," said Moritz Treeck who leads a team studying malaria at the Francis Crick Institute in London.

"I didn't want to take the insecurity of the condition of this research grant of staying the UK and the implications for all the people I hire."

Treeck, originally from Germany, says the opportunities offered by working in UK science were "huge". But now the situation looks different.

"Saying you want to build an economy and you want to be an international superpower and then facing inwards... I feel that it's a step back, not a step forward," he said.

Researchers who have no intention of leaving the UK say the impasse over Horizon funding is also impacting the UK's long standing leadership role in international collaborations.

Professor Carsten Welsch is head of the physics department at the University of Liverpool and runs a programme developing new particle accelerators to replace the likes of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva.

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He recently had to surrender part of his Horizon-funded project to a collaborator in Italy as UK institutions can no longer hold leadership roles in the scheme.

His concern is that will undermine the UK's standing in other, much larger collaborations - like particle accelerators.

"If you don't hold the leadership role in that multimillion pound or euro project, then how likely is it that you have the same leadership role in that much, much larger international project?" he said.

The longer the uncertainty continues, the greater the risks, argues Baroness Brown of Cambridge, Julia King, who chairs the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee.

In a worst-case-scenario, she said: "I think we will see a brain drain of our brightest talents going overseas. I think we will see more of our best technology-based companies finding that it's easier to get their scale-up funding overseas to list on stock markets in the US rather than in the UK.

"It won't be instantaneous to the UK economy, but in medium to long term it will have significant impacts," she said.

In a statement, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: "The UK government's preference remains association to EU programmes, but we cannot wait for the EU much longer.

"Successful awardees do not need to leave the UK - the Horizon Europe guarantee means that eligible, successful applicants will receive the full value of their funding at their UK host institution."



Under Boris Johnson the government committed to doubling UK research funding to 24% of GDP by 2025.

However, some experts are concerned that Prime Minister Liz Truss' spending plans may result in cuts to money to make up the EU shortfall.

"As they eye up low-hanging fruit for spending cuts, the 6 billion earmarked to replace Horizon Europe certainly looks like it might be vulnerable," said James Wilsdon, who studies research policy at the University of Sheffield.
Next Match: Drake 10/11/2022 | 6 p.m. ESPN+ Panther Sports Radio Network KXEL 1540 Next Match Full Schedule Oct. 11 (Tue) / 6 p.m. Drake History

 A season-high home crowd of 2,298 fans in the McLeod Center witnessed the UNI Panther volleyball team take down the Illinois State Redbirds in a 3-1 Saturday victory (21-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-15). The Panthers are now 13-6 overall and 6-0 against Missouri Valley Conference competition. The Redbirds, which were tabbed as the MVC preseason favorite, fall to 8-10 and 1-6, respectively.UNI, which has won six consecutive matches and 12 of its last 13 tilts overall, topped Illinois State in attack percentage (.242 to .215) and digs (70 to 67). Both teams registered seven service aces while the Redbirds held a nine-to-four block advantage.season-best 20 kills paced the Panther attack, and, who became UNI's all-time leader in sets played Saturday, added 10 terminations with .474 hitting.had a personal-high-tying three aces on errorless service and matchedat 14 digs each to highlight the UNI defense.39 assists were tied for the contest high.The Panthers were even or trailing for much of the opening stanza until ankill created a 13-12 lead. UNI gained another advantage at 14-13 on a combined block by Alden andbefore Illinois State surged back ahead. The Redbirds ultimately won by a 25-21 margin.Ahrenstorff's first ace put UNI in front, 3-2, in the second frame. Illinois State answered with a big run and built an 18-10 edge. Fallert sparked a Panther comeback on serve and attack, and her go-ahead kill from a 22-22 tie swung the lead to UNI. After the Redbirds pulled even at 23-23, another Fallert termination and another Ahrenstorff ace capped the 25-23 comeback victory.Strong serving byin her first-ever McLeod Center appearance helped UNI turn a 1-1 third-set score into a 6-1 advantage. The Panthers led for the rest of the frame while collecting 17 kills on .342 efficiency and tallying 20 digs featuring eight digs from Mikota. The 25-22 triumph lifted UNI to a 2-1 lead in the match.In the fourth, kills for Fallert bookended UNI's latest five-point run as the early edge grew to 5-1. Illinois State had a chance to force a 5-5 tie but was denied whenteamed up with Rotto for a big block. The Panthers stayed in front for the remainder of the match with a 14-7 outburst creating some breathing room en route to a 25-15 match-ending set win.This five-contest UNI homestand resumes Tuesday with a visit from in-state rival Drake. First serve of Tuesday's tilt between the first-place Panthers and second-place Bulldogs is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the McLeod Center. Live broadcasts of the action will air on ESPN+ and News/Talk 1540 KXEL
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Taliban-run caretaker administration has started the reconstruction of a major highway in the southern Kandahar province, officials have said.

In the first phase, 55 km of the road linking Kandahar to the neighboring Zabul province would be reconstructed, followed by the reconstruction of highways linking Kandahar to Kabul and Kandahar to Herat, said Bakht Mohammad, who is with the reconstruction project.

The first phase project will be finished in five months with funds provided by the administration, the official said.

Abdul Baqi, another official with the reconstruction project, told Xinhua that the reconstruction of Kandahar-Zabul highway requires 250 million afghanis (2.84 million U.S. dollars) and is financed by the Ministry of Public Works.

The 450-km Kabul-Kandahar highway built with U.S. financial support in 2003 had been badly damaged during the presence of U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, which ended in late August last year.

The Taliban-run administration has promised to rebuild all the national infrastructures damaged or destroyed during the 20 years presence of foreign occupying forces in the war-torn country. 
HA NOI  Investors and customers of the Saigon Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SCB) have been assured that their rights and interests will not be affected by the decision to prosecute Van Thinh Phat Group for "fraudulent appropriation of property" related to the issuance and sale of bonds.

Leaders of the State Securities Commission said Van Thinh Phat Group will be handled under criminal law, adding: The stock market was still guaranteed to operate normally and stably.

Since Saturday, investors' confidence has been harmed by the incidents related to specific personal and corporate violations at Van Thinh Phat Group, which has a close connection with SCB on the HOSE.

At a press conference held by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) on Saturday, Hoang Minh Hoan, deputy general director of SCB announced that the Ministry of Public Security has decided to prosecute the accused Truong My Lan for the issuance and sale of bonds of An ong Investment Group Joint Stock Company.

Hoan confirmed: "Regarding this incident, SCB has reviewed and confirmed that An ong Company is not a shareholder of SCB and Lan does not hold managerial and executive positions at SCB, adding that therefore it won't affect SCB's normal business operations, the rights and interests of depositors as well as the rights and interests of SCB's partners and customers in accordance with the law."

The bank emphasised that customers' interests were first priority, providing phone numbers for customers to contact.

Hoan said as of September 30, 2022, SCB has 4,132 shareholders, including seven foreign shareholders, who own 27.91 per cent of charter capital.

Among 4,125 domestic shareholders, there are 11 institutional shareholders, accounting for 15.7 per cent of charter capital. The remaining shareholders hold 56.1 per cent of charter capital. SCB planned to increase the number of funds at branches, and increase the number of deposits at the State Bank, to meet the demand for inter-bank payment.

Hoan said that in recent days, sizeable numbers of customers have been withdrawing large amounts of cash, forcing banks to increase personnel to meet the needs of customers.

Vo Minh Tuan, director of the SBV, Ho Chi Minh City brance said: SCB is currently working normal and in stable operation.

Tuan said that ensuring the operational safety of credit institutions has been a very important issue for many years, adding that SBV has many solutions to ensure the safety of credit institutions and will continue to strengthen solutions to ensure the interests of customers.

He said deposit activities were normal activities, and people's assets were fully guaranteed, saying: "We ask people not to panic, leading to early withdrawal of deposits that affect their property rights.

At the same time, Saigon Thuong Tin Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Sacombank) also spoke up because some customers mistook SCB's name for Sacombank.

On its fanpage, Sacombank said "SCB and Sacombank are two different banks. Sacombank is Saigon Thuong Tin Bank, stock code is STB."

On the same day, the Investigation Police Agency (C03) of the Ministry of Public Security issued a decision to prosecute a fraud case relating to property that occurred at An ong Investment Group Joint Stock Company.

C03 issued a decision to prosecute the accused and executed a warrant to arrest Truong My Lan, the founder and currently holds the position of chairperson of the Board of Directors of Van Thinh Phat Group Joint Stock Company.

The investigative agency also prosecuted and detained the defendants of Truong Hue Van, General Director of Windsor Real Estate Management Group Joint Stock Company; Nguyen Phuong Hong, assistant to Van Thinh Phat Group Joint Stock Company; Ho Buu Phuong, former chairman of the board of directors of Tan Viet Securities Joint Stock Company, former deputy general director in charge of finance at Van Thinh Phat Group Joint Stock Company.

Initial investigation results determined that the accused committed fraud in the issuance and trading of bonds contrary to the law to appropriate trillions of ong from the people during 2018 - 2019.

The State Securities Commission confirmed that the case of fraud to appropriate property, which occurred at An ong Company and other organisations and units, is a case directly related to a number of individuals at a number of specific enterprises and would be handled under the criminal law, affirming that Viet Nam's stock market is still operating normally. The body said that both the Government, the Ministry of Finance and the management agencies have been closely directing to focus the investment activities and solutions to support the stock market to develop stably and sustainably.

Deputy Finance Minister Nguyen uc Chi said that under the direction of the Government and the Ministry of Finance, the State Securities Commission and relevant agencies have and will implement many synchronous solutions to ensure the operation and development of the country and the stability of the stock market; at the same time, closely coordinate with relevant authorities to best protect the legitimate rights and interests of relevant investors.

Chi said: "Therefore, investors need to be really calm, specifically analyse risks and potential opportunities in the stock market to make effective investment decisions."

SCB was set up in December 2011 from the voluntary merger of three banks: Sai Gon J.S. Commercial Bank (SCB), First J.S. Commercial Bank (Ficombank) and Viet Nam Tin Nghia J.S. Commercial Bank (TinNghiaBank). According to different sources, Lan, who was arrested was the major investor in the bank.  VNS
NEW YORK  Ambassador ang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the United Nations (UN), on October 7 (local time) affirmed Viet Nams commitments to promoting the rule of law at the national and international levels.

He was speaking during a debate chaired by the UNs Sixth Committee (legal).

Giang stressed that in the context of many complicated conflicts taking place in the world, international law and the principles of the UN Charter have always been the basic foundation of the international system.

He called on countries to respect the principle of peacefully solving international disputes and upholding the role of international arbitration bodies in the settlement of disputes as well as promoting the rule of law at the international level.

It is necessary to promote the rule of law in different regions, and Viet Nam is making efforts with ASEAN countries to build a peaceful, stable and prosperous Southeast Asia, he said.

Giang emphasised that Viet Nam maintains concerns about recent complicated developments in the East Sea, as these actions reduce trust among countries, increase tensions and affect peace, security and stability in the region.

The Vietnamese diplomat called on all parties concerned to abide by international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), with full respect for diplomatic and legal processes.

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the adoption of UNCLOS, Ambassador Giang stressed that Viet Nam, as a founding member of the UNCLOS Group of Friends, and nearly 120 other member countries are actively working to enhance the understanding about and compliance with the convention  an important international document known as the Constitution of the Oceans and the legal framework for all activities at sea.

He also affirmed that Viet Nam is carrying out judicial reforms, and strengthening the legal system to build a rule-of-law state, and will work closely with the UN and other partners to promote and ensure stronger adherence to the rule of law at the national and international levels.

At the debate, participants agreed that the rule of law and development were closely related and played an essential role in realising sustainable development goals, ensuring human rights and maintaining international peace and security, contributing to the implementation of the common agenda based on the principle of respecting national sovereignty.  VNS
Van Nguyen

Eating Vietnamese food in Thailand was not on my itinerary when I took a working trip to the Southeast Asian country in September.

On the last day of my trip, our group of nearly 10 decided to try something nice together.

The tight schedule packed with workshops and a field trip didn't spare me time to wander around and try many Thai dishes. After being free from work in the evening, we asked one of our Thai colleagues who knows the area the most to take us to a nice place with signature food in the province of Udon Thani, some 600km from the capital city Bangkok.

Thai-styled Vietnamese food, he said. I thought he was just joking, but it turned out he was serious.

He explained that Udon Thani is not the best place for Thai food, adding that Vietnamese food is very popular here and many good restaurants serve great Vietnamese food.

It makes sense as this province hosts the largest number of people of Vietnamese origin in Thailand.

One of the receptionists at the hotel we stayed at is from central Viet Nam's a Nang City who pursued a hospitality degree in Udon Thani and will be working here for a few years before moving back to Viet Nam. Its no wonder my Thai colleagues all said this was Thailand's most Vietnamese place.

Though initially hesitant, we all went to the restaurant as recommended. After about 20 minutes on a tuk-tuk costing 180 baht, we stopped in front of a fancy building complex named VT, which looked like a four- or five-star hotel.

We saw a large complex with a few courts displaying and selling Vietnamese-packed food and souvenirs. Some looked strange to us, but some were very Vietnamese, including toothpick containers, coffee filters, and even army hard hats, which Vietnamese soldiers used during wartime.

VT stands for Vee and Tuan, the husband and wife owners, while "Nam nueng" is the Thai pronunciation of nem nuong, a type of Vietnamese grilled pork paste. The owners wanted to name the restaurant after nem lui, their signature dish, but decided to change it to nem nuong as the former is a bit difficult for Thai people to pronounce.

Then we headed to the restaurant, which was large enough to accommodate about a hundred customers.

There was a wide variety of choices, and based on the recommendation of my Thai colleague, who had been here a few times, we ordered nem lui (Hue grilled pork paste served with rice noodles, herbs and dipping sauce), bun (rice noodles served with fried egg, Vietnamese pork sausage, fresh vegetables, roasted peanut and minced pork), and Thai-style grilled pork.

At first sight, the nem lui didnt look very appetising. It didn't strike me as authentically Vietnamese, and I expected it would taste strange. But to my utmost surprise, and surely also for my Vietnamese colleagues, the first bites were impressively tasty.

The grilled pork paste was first cut into smaller pieces and wrapped with bun (rice noodles) and fresh herbs in rice paper, making it look like a burrito. The mixture is then placed with a few spoons of dipping sauce, which is perfectly right. The grilled ground pork had a balance between fat and lean content. Therefore it has a tender texture and juicy taste, while the herbs are fresh and aromatic.

Most of the dishes we ordered involved wrapping meat-based food with noodles and aromatic herbs before adding the perfect final touch of superb sauce. Each dish has a different type of sauce but tastes similar with a nice mixture of saltiness, sourness, sweetness, and spiciness.

The stronger and bolder sauces here made the dishes even better than those I have tried in Viet Nam.

Some other dishes that are recommended include roasted ground shrimp and pork skewers served with rice noodles, aromatic herbs, cucumbers and tomatoes, and dipping sauce (250 baht for a large portion; Thai-styled grilled pork balls served with herbs and dipping sauce (90 baht); and noodles served with shredded fried egg, Vietnamese sausage, fresh vegetables, roasted peanut and minced pork (60 baht).

Though eating at VT Nam nueng was not on my plan, it was a worthwhile, tasty and delightful experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Udon Thani. VNS

VT Nam nueng

Address: 345/1-3 Moo 2 Phosri Road, Mak Khaeng Subdistrict, Mueang District, Udon Thani Province.

Comment: A great Vietnamese restaurant with a Thai twist in the heart of Udon Thani Province, Thailand.
The 12th ASED, scheduled for October 13, will be chaired by Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son. It will be attended by ASEAN education ministers, representatives of the Secretariat of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) and the Director of the ASEAN University Network (AUN), among others.

The 12th ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting is scheduled for October 13. (Photo: VNA)

Delegates are about to discuss education - training in each country, and share experience in reopening schools in the post-COVID-19 period. They will also review the implementation of activities within the framework of the ASEAN Work Plan on Education for 2021-2025.

Other related meetings include the sixth ASEAN Plus Three Education Ministers Meeting (APT EMM) and the sixth East Asia Summit Education Ministers Meeting (EAS EMM).

All these meetings are expected to release joint statements to affirm their resolve to strengthen cooperation and partnerships at all levels and with all relevant stakeholders.

The APT EMM comprises the education ministers of the 10 ASEAN member states and three ASEAN partners - Japan, China and the Republic of Korea, while the EAS EMM consists of the education ministers of the APT EMM and their five partners - the US, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and India.

In March 2022, Vietnam took over the chairmanship of ASEAN Education for 2022-2023 from the Philippines. It aims to reimagine learning and building resilience of education systems in Southeast Asia and beyond in the new context.

Vietnam has outlined five priority areas during its term, focusing on taking care and protecting learners mental health, enhancing education on environmental protection and climate change, ensuring equitable and quality access to education for learners, especially disadvantaged groups, promoting comprehensive digital transformation and ensure cyber safety for learners, and promoting innovation in higher education to meet development requirements.
The passengers, mainly from Europe and the US, were presented with flowers and gifts by representatives of the municipal Department of Tourism at a welcome ceremony held at the port.

The foreign holidaymakers aboard the cruise ship Le Lape'rouse. (Photo: VNA)

They are scheduled to visit tourist destinations in the city, and Hoi An ancient city in the neighbouring province of Quang Nam.

At the ceremony, Huynh Thi Huong Lan, deputy director of the municipal centre for tourism promotion, affirmed the city remains an attractive destination to international tourists.

The local authorities will work with relevant agencies to promote the development of maritime tourism in the time to come, she stressed.

Le Lape'rouse is on a journey to explore the coast and famous landmarks of Vietnam, lasting between 8 and 11 days. This is a new programme for Asia of the five-star cruise ship.

Japanese firm opens 3.9-trillion VND resort in Da Nang The Japanese-based Mikazuki Hotel Group opened the 13ha Mikazuki Japanese Resort & Spa in the central coastal city of Da Nang on June 8.

US-backed partnership to help with higher education reform in Vietnam The Partnership for Higher Education Reform (PHER), which involves some Vietnamese and US universities, was launched on August 1 with a view to improving the academic quality, governance, and market relevance of Vietnams higher education institutions.

Intl DJs to perform in Da Nang Four international DJs will perform at 'Da Nang Electronic Carnival - Take Me To The Sun' rave in the central city of Da Nang on August 13-14.
In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), the Russian expert noted that Vietnams human rights policies aim to fully promote peoples potential, and that the country has made marked progress in the implementation of the policies in different aspects.

Grigory Trofimchuk, Chairman of the Council of Experts of the Eurasian Research Fund (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam is a role model for other countries in this regard, he said.

According to Trofimchuk, Vietnams Constitution contains exclusive principles on human rights, and Doi Moi has facilitated their full implementation.

The expert also highlighted the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) in ensuring human rights in Vietnam which, he said, has been combined with economic, external affairs and humanitarian aspects.

The Vietnamese Party and State have fulfilled tasks of promoting gender equality and ensuring human rights for disadvantaged people in a timely manner, Trofimchuk continued.

The expert commended Vietnams seriousness in ensuring human rights during the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the country shared its experience in the pandemic combat with the world.

He attributed Vietnams good economic growth in the context of obstacles like the suspended logistics supply chain to the effective measures and sound decisions adopted by the Party and the State.

Vietnam is also coordinating with the international community in protecting the environment, ensuring human rights and fulfilling humanitarian tasks, including those in South Sudan.

The country has proven itself as a reliable member of the international community in seeking solutions to serious and tough issues, he said, stressing that Vietnams contributions should be acknowledged by the world.

Vietnam is running for election to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in the 2023-2025 tenure with a hope to contribute more to the worlds joint efforts to promote and protect human rights.

It is honoured to be nominated by ASEAN countries with high consensus to become the blocs candidate for a seat in the UNHRC  the UNs inter-governmental agency comprising of 47 members in charge of promoting and protecting human rights around the globe.
Delivery giant Amazon will hire 500 people to work during the holidays and possibly beyond at its new fulfillment center on Exchange Parkway, where employment already exceeds 2,000, doubling initial estimates.

Were proud to offer a wide variety of roles for people of all backgrounds, with more than 150,000 roles available across the country, John Felton, senior vice president of worldwide relations, said in a press release announcing Amazons holiday hiring push.

Amazon recently announced a $1 billion investment in raises, with hopes of bringing average pay systemwide to more than $19 an hour, the press release says.

Amazon officials in 2020 joined Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in Waco to announce plans for a $250 million fulfillment center with a 700,000-square-foot footprint employing 1,000 and making $15 an hour. The 2021 targeted opening came and went without signs of activity. Amazon had delayed or canceled similar projects nationally.

But Amazon on July 23 officially began Waco operations. By the opening, announced starting pay had risen to $15.50 an hour, and Amazon regional spokesperson Daniel Martin said it was generally more like $16 to $17 an hour.

Martin also said the operation now has more than 2,000 employees, doubling the initial announcement. In an email response to questions Thursday, he said Waco is hiring now to fill the 500 positions, and well continue hiring throughout the holiday season while available.

Jobs include full-time, part-time and seasonal positions, Martin said. He would not comment directly on what the new hires would receive in pay.

Regardless of whether someone joins our team as a permanent or seasonal employee, they will receive a competitive wage and access to flexible scheduling options, Martin wrote. For those looking for seasonal work, this means that you can earn a good wage  over $15 per hour at least  all while working a schedule that fits your life.

People that join our front-line hourly team on a full-time basis earn an average wage of more than $19 an hour.

He said benefits include health care, dental, and vision, 401(k) with a 50% company match, paid family leave, and Amazons Career Choice program, which pre-pays for college, job training, GED programs and online classes.

The national press release says Amazon is offering sign-on bonuses up to $3,000 in some locations. But they are not being offered in Waco, Martin said.

Amazon said it is hiring 150,000 people throughout the United States and 13,000 in Texas during the holiday season for packing, picking, sorting and shipping.

The Waco fulfillment center receives merchandise from around the country, then forwards items to Amazon sorting and delivery locations. People working there do not deliver packages to Waco addresses.

Texas is among the states with the greatest number of positions to be filled during the holidays, joining California, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington, according to the press release.

Kris Collins, senior vice president for economic development at the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, said she is not surprised to hear Amazon would be hiring 500 seasonal employees, or that employment at the fulfillment center had pushed beyond 2,000 people.

The press release announcing the national hiring plan includes a quote from Bri Tye, an Amazon regional director whose territory includes Waco.

Having started my Amazon career as a seasonal hourly employee, I can say from first-hand experience that even seasonal roles can be a springboard into a lifetime career with Amazon. Now I have the honor of serving as regional director of operations overseeing five of our largest fulfillment centers across Texas, said Tye, who attended opening day ceremonies in Waco.
CF City Hall remodel progresses

CEDAR FALLS  Starting Monday, all customer service operations at City Hall, 220 Clay St., will be moved to their permanent location on the buildings lower level.

That includes permits, planning, pet licenses, and parking tickets. Signage will be present to help direct the public.

Woodworkers to meet Tuesday

WATERLOO  The Cedar Valley Woodworkers will meet Tuesday at the Waterloo Center for the Arts at 6:30 p.m.

At 7 p.m., Dan Risse will present his method of making epoxy tables. Members can also display items at show-and-tell.

Woodworkers and the general public are welcome to attend. For more information, call Stephen Crouse at (319) 230-3447.

Final Ice House program scheduled

CEDAR FALLS  Patricia Coffie, who describes herself as interested and Iowan, will deliver The Ice Man Cometh: a family story presentation at the Ice House Museum, 121 Center St., on Oct. 16 at 2 p.m.

The story, about her father, an ice man in Des Moines, will conclude the Cedar Falls Historical Societys 2022 program series celebrating the 100th birthday of the Ice House building.

Oct. 16 also is the last day the museum will be open for the 2022 season. Admission will be free that last day. For more information, go online to cfhistory.org.

Gilbertville Legion hosting steak fry

GILBERTVILLE  The Gilbertville American Legion Post 714 is hosting a steak fry Oct. 22.

Everyone is welcome and the post will be serving food from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The bar opens at 5 p.m.

A 12 oz. rib eye costs $22. A 12 oz. sirloin costs $15. Salad bar only is $8. The steaks are served with a baked potato, vegetable, salads and a roll, coffee or milk. The post is located at 1110 Sixth St.

CF police hold drug take back

CEDAR FALLS  The Public Safety Department will host a site for DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 29.

Residents will be able to dispose any expired, unwanted, or unused prescription drugs into a receptacle just inside the front doors of the Public Safety Building, 4600 S. Main St. Those who want an officer to visit a home to pick up the prescription drugs can call (319) 273-8612.

All solid dosage pharmaceutical products and liquids in consumer containers may be accepted including tablets, capsules, and patches. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original container.

If disposing of medication in an original container, individuals are encouraged to remove any identifying information from the prescription label. Intravenous solutions, injectables, syringes and other sharps, and illegal drugs will not be accepted.

Vape pens or other e-cigarette devices are accepted only after the batteries are removed from the device. If the battery cannot be removed, consumers can check with large electronic chain stores on who may accept the vape pen or e-cigarette devices for proper disposal.
WATERLOO  The Black Hawk County Gaming Association celebrated 15 years of grant making Thursday during a gathering at the Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo.

About 100 people attended the event, including some recipients of those grant funds.

In the past year alone the organization donated more than $12 million from casino revenues. Over a decade and a half, donations have exceeded $50 million.

As the casinos gaming license holder, the association receives 5.75% of annual gross revenue to give back to the community. The minimum requirement for casinos is 3%.

People who live here dream up ideas and deserve to make those dreams a reality, said BHCGA President Carolyn Rafferty.

The organization gives money to organizations in Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Chickasaw, Grundy and Tama counties.

In the 2022 fiscal year, the biggest award was $6.5 million to the city of Waterloo for the transformation of Gates and Byrnes parks. That gift is the second-largest in the history of the organization. The city previously received $8 million for the Cedar Valley SportsPlex that opened in 2014.

At the height of the pandemic, the Isle Casino closed for three months, executive director Emily Hanson said. That resulted in less money being received by association, which decided to stop out-of-county grants during that period. This year, grants resumed outside of Black Hawk County, with ones going to the Waverly Cedar River Parks future inclusive playground.

The city was awarded $250,000. The park will also include eight ball diamonds, a bicycle and walking path, concessions and an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant restroom.

The organization also recently announced other out-of-county grants for this year. These include $75,000 for Janesvilles Public Library, $60,000 for a pool in Reinbeck, $50,000 for a splash pad in Jesup and a handicap accessible fishing ramp in Butler County.

At the annual event, a few organizations and their contributions to the community were highlighted.

One of those was Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity. The BHCGA awarded the organization $1.1 million from its discretionary fund. The fund allows the board of directors to award grants outside of the traditional application cycle using interest income.

Habitat for Humanity helped create the Walnut Neighborhood Housing Coalition to revitalize the area. The first phase, which ran from September 2019 to May of 2022, helped build 10 new homes and rehabilitate two historic homes.

Dylan Does, Habitats development director, said the organization hopes to work on another 12 homes in the next three years.

Tim Hurley, a former BHCGA director and the former mayor of Waterloo, said when the association was started the state wanted to see the citys downtown revitalized. A quarter of the 5.75% annual gross revenue used for grants goes toward downtown Waterloo.

Hurley said hes glad that the organization has moved from focusing entirely on brick and mortar projects and is opening its doors to funding social services.

One City United is one of the organizations benefiting from the shift. The nonprofit offers a six-week employment program to people having two or more barriers to entering the workforce.

In 2021, BHCGA awarded the organization $25,000 for operational support. In 2022, it received $38,000 for construction of a classroom space.

Another organization featured at the event was the Youth Art Team. The group offers art classes and opportunities to children ages 5 to 18. It received $75,000 to help equip a new space at the old Masonic Temple at 325 E. Park Ave.

One of the Youth Art Teams efforts can be seen in the giant peacock mural on the side of Waterloo Bicycle Works building downtown. The Fourth Street Pedestrian Bridge also features the childrens art.

Other large awards this year include $500,000 to renovate space on the Techworks Campus for Hawkeye Community Colleges smart automation training center, $500,000 to expand Peoples Community Health Clinic, $400,000 to help fund Waterloos downtown lighting project and $350,000 towards constructing Elevates Restoration Center.
WATERLOO  Before Daytrell Pendleton opened fire on Andrew Spates Jr. near a convenience store parking lot, Pendleton had talked with relatives about killing Spates.

Wish this (N word) would get outta line be a murda, Pendleton told his mother in a text message weeks before the shooting.

Pendleton, 32, is charged with attempted murder for allegedly unloading a pump shotgun on Spates during May 12, 2016, confrontation. Spates  whose marriage to Pendletons mother was coming to an end at the time  suffered critical injuries including the loss of a finger, but survived the shooting.

Trial began last week, and Pendletons attorneys are arguing he acted in self-defense, claiming Spates was carrying a metal pipe during the encounter.

During testimony Friday, Detective Andrea Frana read through days worth of text messages between Pendleton and his mother, Ronnett, and his father, Lewis Hoskins.

In the weeks leading up to the shooting, the mother had applied to the court for a restraining order against Andrew Spates Jr., alleging domestic violence. A temporary order was issued and a hearing was scheduled. Spates had also filed for divorce from the mother.

In some of the text messages, it was apparent Pendleton was reacting to what he read in his mothers restraining order application, Frana said.

I was sitting here reading this protection order. oooo this (S word) setting me in fire, Pendleton texted his mother on April 20, 2016. This MF go pay.

The mother continually tried to calm him down, telling Pendleton that it wasnt worth going to jail over.

Dont do nothing i dont want you in jail i need you with me, the mother wrote.

Wtf I wanna kill this mf  I got to kill this mf, Pendleton answered.

Stop texting stuff on your phone like this dont want you in trouble love you Im moving forward god answers prayers i prayed that every day, his mother wrote.

If he come there while Im there. I got all right to kill. I wont hesitate  My defense I was protecting my momma from the Devil  Im go protect u and I anit go rest till I know where that (N word) at, Pendleton wrote.

In an April 26, 2016, text conversation with his father about selling a mobile home, Pendleton appeared upset.

Whats rough with you son, the father asked.

In murderous mode, Pendleton responded.

Ronnetts car had been shot up in early May 2016, and a brick sailed through a window at her home before dawn May 12, 2016  hours before the shooting. She suspected the brick came from Spates, but police told her there was little they could do without evidence he was behind it. They said they would increase patrols around her house.

You guys shouldnt have to just sit here in fear, Officer Tyler Brownell told her, surveying the damage.

Pendleton, who was also at the house, could be heard saying Ill take care of it, on an officers body camera.

The text messages picked up again around 6 a.m. May 12, 2016, as Pendleton arrived at the Kwik Star at Franklin and East 11th streets. Prosecutors allege he was waiting for Spates and had a loaded shotgun in his pickup.

Mfs anit go know when to stop. Its gonna leave me no choice, Pendleton texted his father at 6:07 a.m. after telling him about the brick. I anit scared Im just afraid of while I might have to do.

Go to work man, his father wrote.

I am everything the same. Cant really do much until a MF approach me, Pendleton wrote at 6:19 a.m.

Police were called to the shooting at about 6:26 a.m., according to court records.

Jurors will have Monday and Tuesday off because of statewide judicial conferences. Testimony in the trial is scheduled to resume Wednesday.
ISLAMABAD, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The number of dengue fever cases keeps on rising in Pakistan as another death was reported in the South Asian country.

The death was reported from the southern Sindh province, the provincial health department said on Saturday evening.

In the last 24 hours, Sindh reported 312 new infections. The worst-hit area was Karachi, the provincial capital, which reported 249 new cases.

With the newly-reported dengue cases, the October figure to date for the province has risen to 2,442, bringing the total local tally to 12,596 this year.

The eastern Punjab province reported 291 new cases in the last 24 hours, the provincial health authorities said on Saturday. Punjab's Rawalpindi city reported 125 new cases, followed by its capital Lahore with 98 cases. The total number of dengue cases in Punjab this year has now gone up to 8,661.

In the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 288 more people were diagnosed with the disease, the provincial health department said on Saturday evening. The number of active cases in the province currently stands at 2,597 and the total number of cases this year has reached 11,359.

The national capital Islamabad reported 108 new dengue cases in the last 24 hours, the health authorities said on Saturday night. The city's total tally has risen to 3,094 this year. 
WATERLOO  Students wouldnt be able to take trigonometry under Waterloo Community Schools proposed 2023-24 high school program of studies, but theyd have new options for technology and hospitality classes.

The Board of Education will consider making these as well as other couse additions and deletions during its 5 p.m. Monday meeting at the Education Service Center, 1516 Washington St.

Trigonometry, a branch of mathematics dealing with the functions of angles and their use in calculations, has low enrollment in district schools, according to board documents. However, it is taught in other courses, so students would still have some opportunity to learn the discipline.

Most of the courses that could be taken away in general content areas would be integrated into existing programs.

Microsoft certification I and II could be added to another course, rather than have dedicated classes. Avanced Placement U.S. history could become part of U.S. history to and since 1877. The pre-International Baccalaureate advanced chemistry could be added to an existing pre-IB integrated course.

Other general content area classes taken away entirely would include leadership development programs I and II, strategies and individualized strategies.

The Waterloo Career Center may get rid of leadership training and skill development due to low enrollment. In addition, the center is looking to make the two years of hospitality tourism an option through Hawkeye Community College.

It also would add seven courses in hospitality and information technology programs under the proposed changes. These include introductions to hospitality, event planning and customer service, hotel administration, menu planning and design, technology in the classroom, cybersecurity and program in IT and cyber I (programming for network administration).

Three classes could be added to general content areas. These include computer applications II, English language learners multimedia applications, and hospitality and tourism management at East High School  previously at the career center.

Other changes include a name change from cybersecurity to cyber II and from intro to computer applications to computer application I.

IB biology standard level could become either a one- or two-year course. Its currently a two-year course.

Also at the meeting, Mayor Quentin Hart will deliver a presentation on Waterloos Community 2030 Vision and Strategic Plan. The plan is a framework to move the city forward that received input from thousands of residents.
CEDAR FALLS  Writer Taylor Brorby will visit the University of Northern Iowa for a public talk about his coming-of-age memoir Boys and Oil: Growing Up Gay in a Fractured Land at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Lang Hall Auditorium.

A master of fine arts graduate of Iowa State University, Brorby is the Annie Tanner Clark Fellow in Environmental Humanities and Environmental Justice at the Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah. He regularly speaks around the country on issues related to extractive economies, queerness, disability and climate change.

Boys and Oil, Brorbys third book, recounts his upbringing in the coalfields of North Dakota, his adolescent infatuation with books and how he felt intrinsically different from other boys. Now an environmentalist, Brorby uses the destruction of large swathes of the West as a metaphor for the terror he experienced as a youth. His work has been supported by grants and fellowships from the National Book Critics Circle, the MacDowell Colony and the North Dakota Humanities Council.

Brorby is the editor of the anthology Fracture: Essays, Poems, and Stories on Fracking in America. His other work has appeared in The Huffington Post, Orion Magazine, North Dakota Quarterly, and numerous anthologies. He is a contributing editor at the North American Review, which has been housed at the University of Northern Iowa since 1969.

Taylor Brorby is one of several visiting speakers in the Aldo Leopold Distinguished Lecture Series. Previous speakers have included Erin Brokovich, Robert Bullard, Elizabeth Kolbert and Terry Tempest Williams. For more information and to submit questions to Taylor Brorby in advance of the event, visit the Aldo Leopold Distinguished Lectures website at guides.lib.uni.edu/leopold-lectures.
The previous three times Hansens done the concert in Omaha, Milwaukee and St. Louis were with Waverly-Shell Rock, with one school to coordinate with. Managing it for Cedar Falls, however, brings with it new challenges.
Lundy's program is on "Ft. Pillow-- Before, During and After." The Fort Pillow garrison stood on the bluffs of the Mississippi River north of Memphis, TN. On the morning of 12 April 1864, CSA General Nathan Bedford Forrest led troops in an assault to regain command of the fort. By mid-afternoon, the fort was controlled by the Confederacy.
WATERLOO  Election Day is fast approaching, with only 30 days before people cast their ballots at the polls Nov. 8. Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Heres what Cedar Valley residents need to know to vote successfully in this years general election.

Who and what is on the ballot?

Voters will choose who they want to lead the state.

The gubernatorial candidates include incumbent Kim Reynolds and running mate Adam Gregg for the Republican Party; Democrat Deidre DeJear with running mate Eric Van Lancker for lieutenant governor; and Libertarian Party candidate Rick Stewart and running mate Marco Battaglia.

Voters also will choose the Iowa secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer, secretary of agriculture, attorney general and representatives for their respective legislative districts.

At the federal level, voters will choose a U.S. senator and four U.S. representatives, including Northeast Iowas new 2nd Congressional District, in the midterm election.

For the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Republican Chuck Grassley is opposed by Democrat Michael Franken.

For the House of Representatives contest, incumbent Republican Ashley Hinson is facing off against Democratic challenger Liz Mathis.

County offices are on the ballot as well. Black Hawk County residents will vote for two Board of Supervisors candidates, a county treasurer, a county recorder and a county attorney.

They will also see choices for nonpartisan offices, such as the soil and water district commissioner and the county agricultural extension.

As for judicial positions, Iowa Supreme Court justices, a court of appeals judge, district judges, a district associate judge and a district associate juvenile judge are on the ballot for retention votes.

There will also be a question regarding an amendment to the Iowa Constitution. It will ask if Iowans want to add gun rights protections to the document.

The amendment states: The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The sovereign state of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a fundamental individual right. Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny.

Voting yes will be in support of adding this amendment, while voting no rejects the addition.

How do I register to vote?

Those with an Iowa drivers license or nondriver identification can register online at sos.iowa.gov by hovering over the Elections tab and clicking on Voters. From there click on the first link, Voter Registration, then click on the box that says Online Voter Registration. The voter registration form can also be printed out on the same Voter Registration page.

Iowa law allows voters to register on Election Day. Some form of photo ID and proof of residency is required.

Photo IDs include a drivers license, U.S passport, U.S. military ID, an ID card issued by an employer, a student ID or a tribal ID.

Proof of residency includes a residential lease, utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check or any other government document with the persons address.

How can I request an absentee ballot?

The state, county auditors office, political parties or special interests groups may have sent an absentee ballot request in the mail. The ballot is also available at sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/absenteeballotapp.pdf.

A written application for a mailed absentee ballot must be received by the voters county auditor no later than 5 p.m. on Oct. 24.

How do I vote early?

The first day of in-person absentee voting is Oct. 19. Early voting ends Nov. 7, the night before the election.

In-person absentee voting will take place in the Auditors Office, Room 210, at the Black Hawk County Courthouse, 316 E. Fifth St., Waterloo. There is also a list of satellite voting days and hours that can be found at blackhawkcountyelections.iowa.gov/elections/info/2022_general_election_2022_11_08.

In Bremer County, residents may vote in person at the courthouse, 415 E. Bremer Ave. There will also be a satellite voting location at Wartburg Colleges Saemann Center from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 25.

Both courthouses are open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Where do I vote on Election Day?

Voters can find their polling location at sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx.

Can I vote with a felony conviction?

Yes, except those convicted of homicides. They must still appeal to Gov. Kim Reynolds for restoration of their voting rights. The application can be found at the bottom of the page at governor.iowa.gov/services/voting-rights-restoration.

How do I vote if Im in the military or living overseas?

Those outside the country can request an absentee ballot by completing the Federal Post Card Application at fvap.gov/uploads/FVAP/Forms/fpca.pdf.

I am a college student. Do I vote here or at home?

College students can register to vote at either location, but may only choose one.

How do I vote if Im hospitalized or living in a care facility?

Those admitted to a hospital or facility can request an absentee ballot starting Oct. 24. Under Iowa law, a bipartisan team of election officials must deliver the absentee ballot.

What if I need help filling out my ballot on Election Day?

Those who need assistance with their ballot can bring someone to help on election day, or ask a precinct worker to help. If unable to leave the vehicle, precinct workers can bring the ballot to them.

CORRECTION: The article has been updated to reflect that state and county auditor's offices and political parties or special interest groups may have sent an absentee ballot request in the mail.
The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board will require paid for by attribution statements on some political text messages.

Background

On the eve of a contentious vote on a ballot amendment about abortion rights, anonymous text messages arrived on voters phones across Kansas in August.

The message seemed clear enough, asserting: Women in KS are losing their choice on reproductive rights. Voting YES on the amendment will give women a choice. Vote YES to protect womens health.

In fact, the opposite was true, and voters in the conservative state soundly rejected the measure.

Under Kansas law, paid-for attribution on text messages is required for political messaging advocating for or against candidates, but not ballot issues.

With the possibility that Iowa voters will see a similar amendment on the ballot in 2024, the issue has raised questions about whether Iowa state laws on attribution statements apply to political text messages  and whether Iowans could see similar messages popping up on their cellphones, including this fall ahead of the Nov. 8 general election, in which a controversial pro-gun rights amendment will be on the ballot.

Unlike Kansas, Iowa Code requires attribution statements and disclosures of who paid for messages expressly advocating for candidates and for ballot issues. However, Iowa Code section 68A is not clear on whether political text messages are required to have attribution statements.

Iowa law requires attribution statements on printed or electronic general public political advertising that expressly advocate for the election or defeat of one or more clearly identified candidates or the passage or defeat of one or more clearly identified ballot issues.

The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board determined in 2000, affirmed in 2006 and issued an updated advisory opinion in 2016 that the laws paid for by attribution statements extend to email messages.

Zach Goodrich, the boards executive director, said he would draft an advisory opinion clarifying that state laws on attribution statements apply to some kinds of political text messages.

Whats happened since

Members of the state ethics board, which enforces Iowa campaign regulations, unanimously adopted the advisory opinion on political text messages at a Sept. 22 meeting. The new guidance is effective immediately.

The guidance requires attribution statements on any text message that meets all of the following criteria:

The text message includes express advocacy.

The email is sent to 100 or more email addresses.

The email is sent by a candidate, a candidates committee, a PAC, a state or county statutory political committee, or a person making an independent expenditure that exceeds more than $1,000 in the aggregate.

Messages without an attribution statement would be treated like any other complaint brought before the board, Goodrich said. If found to have violated the law, candidates, their committees, PACs and political parties could be subject to a civil penalty of up to $2,000, he said.

Goodrich noted many Iowa political text messages already disclose the source of the advocacy, mainly texts raising funds for a particular campaign, without using paid for by language.

Texts praising a candidate or raising money for a campaign, without urging the recipient vote for that candidate, would not require a paid for attribution statement.

Additionally, Goodrich noted Iowa is a magic word state where, to be considered express advocacy subject to disclosure, requires the use of explicit words that tell people how to vote. Just criticizing someone does not rise to the level of express advocacy.

So mentioning a candidates bona fides and position on an issue and saying, vote for the candidate who is best for Iowas economy or vote for a candidate who would cut taxes, wouldnt cut the mustard, Goodrich said.

It needs to be clearer than that to meet express advocacy, he said.
About 40 years ago, some colleagues wrote a scholarly paper discussing what is called the Brain Drain in Iowa. Essentially, they described how so many of our college graduates leave Iowa for other states. This has become worse in recent years. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research  a highly respected research organization  Iowa now ranks 10th-worse in the country and lower than the six states bordering it: Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Missouri.

One of the reasons for the brain drain is the lack of good job opportunities available in Iowa. The state also has fewer metropolitan areas than states that manage to retain their graduates. But thats a simplistic answer to a complex issue. There are other reasons.

We dont have a very good climate. Cold winters and hot, humid summers. We dont have mountains. We dont have oceans. These are important factors in location decisions of new graduates. The reality is young people are more concerned with quality of life than previous generations. Sun Belt, coastal, and scenic states are doing well. The top five states avoiding the brain drain are Colorado, New York, Washington, California and Illinois.

What about the 11 states I listed? South Dakota, Nebraska, and Missouri are red states. Wisconsin is a political disaster and Minnesota may be changing. Iowa is as red as you can get. The top five states are all blue states. The fact is college graduates are more progressive and Democratic than nongraduates. Graduates dont want the political philosophy of the red states and leave in droves.

Iowas political climate is not conducive to retention. We have an extremely conservative Legislature and a governor who wants to be a Trump clone. We have among the most liberal gun laws in the country. Our governor is anti-choice even though 60% of Iowans support legal abortion. She is opposed to forgiveness of student debt and has even joined a lawsuit against it. And she is proud of cutting financial support for our schools, especially higher education. Our government currently has a $2 billion surplus even though we have a crumbling infrastructure.

None of these positions play well with college graduates, and its no wonder they are leaving the state. Try this. If you have a family member or a friend who is a recent graduate and is leaving the state, ask them why. You will of course hear about lack of job opportunities, but drill down further and see if any of the things I mentioned surface. Or, ask them directly about these issues. I suspect you will be somewhat surprised and find 20-somethings have substantially different views than our legislators. Unfortunately, those who stay in Iowa are outnumbered in our rural, Republican counties and districts.

Unquestionably, we have a serious problem with our brain drain. Of course more job opportunities must be created. But thats not enough. We need to have a better and more tolerant political climate. That can begin in November. We need to elect to our state government legislators who are more progressive and supportive. Our current crop is not. Until we change them we will continue to have poor legislation and a continuing brain drain.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think America would be on the verge of changing from a democracy to authoritarian rule. But, overwhelming evidence abounds that voters and a political party are purposely changing their behavioral traits.

With three grandchildren  ages 11, 8 and 4  I truly fear for their freedoms of speech, press and religion and rights of petition and assembly.

Freedom House is the oldest American organization (circa 1941) that conducts research on democracy, political freedom and human rights (www.FreedomHouse.org). The not-for-profit organizations fact-based Freedom in the World 2022 report assesses 210 countrys degree of political freedoms and civil liberties. Content within the first paragraph of the report is daunting: Global freedom faces a dire threat ... the enemies of liberal democracy ... are accelerating their attacks.

United States, Hungary, Nauru, Poland and India are identified as the top five countries in the world with the largest 10-year decline of democratic attributes.

The report notes, elections, even when critically flawed, have long given authoritarian leaders a veneer of legitimacy. Examples include Russias 2021 parliamentary elections (Vladimir Putin vs. Aleksey Navalny; Navalny was sent to prison by Putin), Nicaraguas 2021 presidential election (Daniel Ortega arrested seven opposition candidates) and USAs 2020 presidential election with Republicans fraudulent stop the steal claim (100% of Americas 3,006 county auditors certified the vote; 64 court cases and GOP Attorney General Bill Barr confirmed the election results; and there were only 16 charged cases of voting illegally out of 158,397,726 ballots cast).

The report further states, Leaders who fear losing power in a democratic system have taken to sowing distrust in elections. The assault on the U.S. Capitol was the culmination of a months-long campaign by outgoing president Donald Trump to cast Joe Bidens victory as illegitimate and fraudulent.

On Jan. 6, 2021, we witnessed more than 2,000 pro-Trump rioters illegally enter the Capitol and 147 congressional Republicans vote to overturn the election results; authoritarianism in action.

Most authoritarians are narcissistic and demand complete control over their subordinates. Fault is always due to someone else, and they love to scare people with disinformation and misinformation. Does anyone come to mind?

Authoritarian leaders like to collaborate and praise one another. Donald Trump praised North Koreas Kim Jong-un, Turkeys Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chinas Xi Jinping, Philippines Rodrigo Duterte, Egypts Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Russias Vladimir Putin more than 15 times.

Authoritarian attributes also include discrimination against racial and ethnic minority groups, anti-asylum, anti-immigration, anti-LGBTQ, voter suppression, book banning and private school preference. Sound familiar?

Republicans unfettered control of Iowas Capitol since 2017 and their extreme populist actions resembles authoritarian rule.

Two other authoritarian-focused political party, politician and candidate-for-office characteristics include tying themselves to organizations engaged in illicit behavior and refusing to condemn political violence (very fine people, Charlottesville, Virginia, Aug. 15, 2017, and Proud Boys: Stand back and stand by, Sept. 29, 2020; by Donald Trump) and lambasting the media and criticizing the government (e.g., FBI, CIA, IRS, DOJ, etc.).

If the above-noted examples dont wake you up to Americas democracy being in jeopardy, then its safe to say A) this is the first time youve read about the democracy-authoritarian conundrum, B) youve been hoodwinked, deceived, duped and outwitted by autocrats or C) your inductive or deductive reasoning skills to differentiate democratic norms from fascism and authoritarian rule need fine tuning.

Two succinct quotations about this topic come to mind: 1) The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all (John F. Kennedy, 35th president) and 2) The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy. (Montesquieu, French political philosopher).
A survivor of six heart attacks and a brain tumor, a grumpy bear of a man, whom has declared Russia as his new and wonderful home. His wife is a true Russian Sweet Pea of a girl and she puts up with this bear of a guy and keeps him in line. Thank God for my Sweet Pea and Russia.
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Several times last week, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta canceled morning launches and evening glows due to rainy and/or windy skies.

Albuquerque has made sunny skies part of its portfolio to attract visitors and economic development. Having to cancel balloon launches during the states signature tourism event  during its golden anniversary, no less  is decidedly off-script. But with moisture so lacking in the midst of an ongoing drought, its hard for locals to get too upset about this poorly timed wet spell.

We bask in 310 days of sunshine, combined with a mild, dry climate and four distinct seasons. Very low humidity means that even when temperatures rise, summer is always comfortable, and our sunny winters are comparatively mild, Visit Albuquerque proudly proclaims on its website. Odds are that you will enjoy clear, sunny days and perfect weather.

The odds didnt pay off this past week, but all we have to do is look at debris-strewn southwestern Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian to understand that drizzle and downpours in Albuquerque are merely an inconvenience. We can be thankful were not vulnerable to bigger threats.

Its a timely reminder New Mexico is a relatively safe place to live when it comes to natural disasters. Yes, weve had our share of massive wildfires, which can be destructive. But theyre more likely to cause damage to property than loss of life. No fatalities were reported as a result of this years Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire  the largest in state history  though two women died in San Miguel County after flash floods raged in and near the fires burn scars this summer. In addition, an elderly couple died in the McBride fire in Ruidoso. Tragic, to be certain, but nothing on the scale of Hurricane Ian, which has killed at least 120 people in Florida, according to state and local officials.

We dont mean to diminish the pain and suffering of those whose homes and property were destroyed in the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire. Their anguish is multiplied by the fact this wasnt a natural disaster so much as a human-error fiasco. The fire was ignited by two federal prescribed burns in April during windy conditions.

But it does illustrate the scope and scale of natural disasters in New Mexico compared to other states. Analysts estimate Ian has inflicted more than $40 billion in property damage claims alone. Meanwhile, Congress is contemplating a $2.5 billion appropriation to fully compensate victims of the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire for losses during the fire and the floods and ash-laden debris flows that followed.

So, yes, fires are an omnipresent threat in New Mexico. So are flash floods. But were spared from major earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and coastal flooding, which tend to be the most destructive natural disasters.

Still, the intensity of the natural disasters, and even our forest fires, have increased in recent years with many scientists pointing to climate change  or climate weirding as some atmospheric scientists call it.

Extended drought and rising temperatures portend more destruction, hot-burning forest and wildfires in New Mexico and elsewhere. Tornadoes are roaring through the countrys tornado alley with greater ferocity and frequency; could some eventually spill over to the Southwest? Could a polar vortex plunge us into a deep freeze that strains the electrical grid? Nothing seems off the table given the propensity of extreme weather phenomena weve witnessed across the country and around the globe in recent years.

Weve seen the weather change at our very own annual Balloon Fiesta, which has continued to be held the first week of October. Early morning visitors to Balloon Fiesta Park no longer have to bundle up. Compare that to the chilly mornings in the 1980s when predawn temperatures meant we could see our breath and we wore thermal base layers, gloves and heavy jackets.

We would be foolish to ignore the signs of climate change in our own backyard. Sandia Peak Ski Area will remain closed for the second consecutive year, with management citing potential reduced snowfall and too-short ski seasons among the reasons.

Sandia Peak has for sure had less snow and shorter winters in the past five years than we had seen in the past 20, said Ben Abruzzo, general manager of Sandia Peak Ski area and president of Ski Santa Fe.

The Balloon Fiesta grew into the largest hot air ballooning event in the world due, in part, to the predictable wind patterns that take place at the base of the Sandias. Winds flow in opposite directions depending on altitude, allowing balloon pilots to take off and land close to the same spot.

The box, as its come to be known, was discovered during the 1972 original balloon rally during the centerpiece event  a roadrunner and coyote chase. Now its an iconic feature of the balloon fiesta, and it would be a shame for it to become a casualty of shifting climate trends.

Drought, diminished snowpack, shorter and milder winters, and tinder-dry wildlands are already here.

Extreme environmentalists do not have the answers. Neither do those who favor unfettered expansion of fossil fuels.

We need to work together to be part of the climate solution.

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.
Santa Fe Police ordered several businesses in the downtown area and a high school to shelter in place Friday after a man allegedly made threats to shoot relatives and destroy his tattoo shop.

Santa Fe Deputy Chief Ben Valdez said officers arrested 44-year-old Anthony Temer at his tattoo shop, Ikigai Tattoo & Body Piercing, on East Marcy.

Valdez said police found two rifles in Temers vehicle in front of the shop.

He said Temer has been charged with unlawful use of a telephone and was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation.

Dozens came to Temers defense on social media, calling Temer, who goes by Phil, a great person and someone who needs help.

Ive always (known) him to be a really sweet guy, one woman wrote. Please be kind. You really never know what people are going through.

Others blasted the lack of mental health care in the state, and one man wrote Temer may be fighting a much larger demon than he can handle alone.

Charging documents for Temer could not be found in online court records. It is unclear if he has an attorney.

Valdez said officers initially responded around 10:30 a.m. to the area of East Marcy and Washington for reports of a man threatening violence against his family, his workplace, and himself.

He said police learned Temer was involved in a fight with relatives Thursday night and on Friday morning, he made threats to hurt himself, his family and to shoot police.

Valdez said Temer also threatened to go downtown with several firearms, and destroy his place of employment. He said out of an abundance of caution police ordered Santa Fe High School and several downtown businesses to shelter in place. He said police found Temer at his tattoo shop after a short search and he was detained without incident.

This case remains under active investigation, and as additional information becomes available it will be provided, Valdez said.
Ask this seventh-generation South Valley farmer about the secret to this years bumper blackberry crop and hell tell you this: We grow millions of plants here, but we harvest only one thing, and that one thing is consciousness. And thats the (secret.) The rest of it you can pick up in a book.

This four-acre plot on the Atrisco Land Grant has been in Lorenzo Candelarias family for 350 years, and his son and grandson are in line to carry on the farming tradition.

Candelaria, 76, grows blackberries, most of which he sells to the Los Poblanos inn and restaurant, and blue corn, which goes to the Navajo Nation and several pueblos. He also grows some squash, melon, tobacco and other crops.

Candelaria has seen the effects of climate change, both as a farmer and as mayordomo of the nearby ditch system, and one way he has tried to deal with it is by developing a hybrid, drought-tolerant corn seed.

He also makes the most of what he grows, using every bit of the plant so we dont waste any of it. The leaves are saved for tamales, and the pollen is sold to the Navajo Nation and area pueblos for ceremonial purposes.

He eats atole, a kind of porridge, for breakfast every morning, for which we harvest the blue corn, shuck it, wash it, dry it, roast it and then mill it. Its a long process.

Candelaria says his reverence for Mother Earth is based on his earliest days. He was born two months premature at his grandmothers remote ranch at the foot of the Magdalena Mountains.

His grandmother, a midwife and curandera, knew just what to do.

In her wisdom, she understood a creature that delicate required heat to survive, so she fired up the horno and incubated me in it, Candelaria says.

Toward the end of her life, she and Candelaria talked about his survival.

She said, The love, the honor, the respect and the duty that you have to your mother, you also must have to your Mother Earth, because it was from both wombs that you grew up into the light.

And so, for that reason, my connection to the land is profound, he says.

What prompted you to grow a specialty crop like blackberries?

About 18 years ago, I decided to stop raising animals and go more into agricultural food production, and its turned out to be pretty OK. Before, I had 46 head of sheep and one Easter Sunday, my wife and I went out for breakfast. At that time, there were dogs throughout the valley packing, and they came in and killed every last one of them. So I said, Im not going to do this again. There are other people growing berries here, raspberries, mostly, and some blackberries, but not as good as this. Theyre very profitable.

Do you worry about climate change?

The corn and the squash and the melon that I planted this year, it all comes from the desert area. The corn seed I developed over a period of about 20 years for its drought tolerance. I dont worry. I quit doing that. Its a continuous cycle and you dont look at it in terms of what do I do next. You look at the present, whats happening now, what do I need to do to mitigate the present.

What has made you successful as a farmer?

I dont measure success the way anyone else does.

Please explain.

The taste of a blackberry, thats success. Atole, thats success. Chile, thats success. I think the only things we buy at the grocery store are coffee and sugar. For me, this is a passion and not a job.

Did you ever want to do something besides farming?

Oh, I did several things with my life. Ive been a radio announcer, Ive been a chef. I was a jockey  that was quite an experience. Im a very good horseman. I met someone who said to me, You need to be using your talent on a racetrack. She introduced me to a man  in Chicago, who had a huge horse farm and I went to apprentice with him. I freelanced a lot. I rode a circuit.

Why did you stop?

I broke my neck. It wasnt even during a race. It was a morning workout. We were usually out on the track as the sun came up. There was a new rider and he got thrown off his horse. The horse turned and ran against the general flow of traffic. And the two horses, the one I was on and the one that was loose, collided, and I ended up between the rail and the horse. I was in a coma for a long time and I lost the sight in this eye, and I broke all of my ribs. I still walk pretty stiff.

You speak to school and summer camp groups that visit your farm. What do you hope to achieve?

During the last 12 years, there have been five kids whose lives I really changed. There was one young man who was suicidal. I took him under my wing and worked his buns off. I talked to him and helped him understand that everythings alive  just as alive as you are. And that these (plants), beings, have a purpose in our lives, and the purpose is to show us that we live in seasons, and that every season that we live is precious and that theres no end to it. Theres just another season. Anyway, this kid got through it and now hes at the top of his class at UNM. I look at him today and I think, Wow, what a gift that is to me. That I was able to touch his soul and help him to understand the preciousness of life.'

What do you do to relax?

I play music. The jarana (string instrument), harp. I belonged to a group a few years back, but it got to be too much work. Musicians are very jealous of each other. Now, I do it for myself because its relaxing. The same with my weaving. Theres a lady who is an old weaver whos working with me. Shes amazed at the way I picked it up. Im mathematical. Music is mathematical. And so is weaving.

What should people do to combat climate change?

Conserve water. Dont leave your faucets running. If youre heating up your water  in the shower, collect the water and use it. Love the earth. Grow a tomato. Eat it.

THE BASICS: Lorenzo Candelaria, 76, born near Magdalena; married to Dora for 13 years; one son; one terrier, Luna.

POSITIONS: Owner, Cornelio Candelaria Organics; Horse jockey, 1971-79; Albuquerque Spanish language station, 1965-71.

OTHER: Vice president, South Valley Regional Association of Acequias; member, New Mexico Acequia Association; mayordomo, Primera Acequia de Atrisco; hosts youth groups at his farm and provides student farming internships.
We are in another election season, and issues are being dissected and accusations are flung around by candidates of all parties.

As has become customary during this season, the U.S.-Mexico border is again being used as a punching bag by candidates purporting to be tough on drugs and illegal immigration. One term that is constantly bandied about by candidates that irritates me is the term open borders, which implies that the U.S. is doing nothing to curtail the flow of immigrants north from Mexico. I dont like this term because I feel it is insulting to Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection agents and their associates, who work tirelessly every day to protect Americans, often with little recognition.

I have interacted with officers from CBP and the Border Patrol throughout my career. I have been impressed by their dedication to their jobs, which have to be some of the most stressful of any sector. I once had a student of mine who was a Border Patrol agent write an essay on the challenges faced by members of this agency. I was surprised to hear about high divorce rates and depression. Border Patrol agents often work long hours because of understaffing, and spend a lot of time away from their families as they protect the border. They witness first-hand the extreme nature of human desperation, and the effect it can have on children and the most vulnerable of people. These factors can result in high turnover of agents.

CBP and Border Patrol not only have to keep Americans safe from contraband such as illegal drugs and dangerous products, but both have become the initial processing mechanisms for asylum seekers who are surrendering themselves peacefully in order to go through the asylum process, with the hope that they will be allowed to stay in the U.S.

Asylum seekers are caught between horrible safety and economic conditions in their home countries and a U.S. immigration system that is a hot-potato issue neither the Democrats nor Republicans seem to have the political will to effectively address. In the past, the overwhelming majority of immigrants were from Mexico, but now they are comprised of people fleeing countries such as Venezuela, Guatemala, Ecuador and Cuba, as well as several eastern European countries. This makes processing them even more challenging. The sheer number of asylum seekers must be exhausting to agents who have to get up every day to do their jobs. And it is not as simple as simply hiring new agents off the street and putting them on the front lines. These types of jobs can take months to have background checks completed, training, and then shadowing experienced agents in the field before new recruits can effectively do their jobs.

Given the overwhelming nature of their jobs, agents at the border can use all of the help and support that they can get. One way to do this is to incorporate high-tech equipment to process people and shipments more safely and efficiently, especially considering manpower shortages. Recently, it was announced that CBP at the Santa Teresa Port of Entry in southern New Mexico would be receiving non-intrusive inspection equipment to inspect commercial shipments crossing the Mexican border into the U.S.

Ports along the southern border have long used vehicle and commercial inspection systems to inspect shipments. However, many ports of entry have an average inspection rate of under 20%, due to the sheer volume of traffic and their diversity. Plus, there is simply not enough manpower to inspect every shipment.

NII equipment is the latest inspection technology that will replace older systems along the border. This system will allow cargo to be quickly and effectively electronically inspected, thus allowing for a higher percentage of inspections, possibly 80% and above. Faster inspections can also speed up the traffic flow, while catching more contraband, which is a win-win situation for CBP and the private sector.

Currently, the Brownsville, Texas, Port of Entry is the only port in which this new NII technology has been installed. Santa Teresa Port of Entry will be the second port to receive NII, which is predicted to be in operation by the end of the year or early next year. Incorporating technologies such as NII is the wave of the future at the border to intercept contraband and human smuggling. It makes a strong case against people who throw the term open borders around so liberally.

Jerry Pacheco is the executive director of the International Business Accelerator, a nonprofit trade counseling program of the New Mexico Small Business Development Centers Network. He can be reached at 575-589-2200 or at jerry@nmiba.com.
PHOENIX  After a Willem de Kooning painting worth millions was brazenly stolen in 1985 from an Arizona museum, the staff clung to the hope that it would turn up one day. But nobody could have predicted Woman-Ochre would find its way back through the kindness of strangers in a neighboring state.

I would kind of imagine what would that look like, said Olivia Miller, interim director and exhibitions curator at the University of Arizona Museum of Art in Tucson. Would it just show up as a mysterious package in the mail or something like that?  I certainly never thought Id make friends from it.

The 1955 oil painting by the Dutch American abstract expressionist is finally back home and ready to be shown. Its the centerpiece of an entire exhibition that opened Saturday and continues until May at the University of Arizona Museum of Art. The whole ordeal of the theft and its return in 2017 via New Mexico will be chronicled in the show. It has spent the past two years at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles for restoration work and display. The painting will be in the same spot it was stolen from  but under a case.

Thats one of many security layers that it will have, Miller said.

Almost like something out of a heist movie, the theft unfolded the morning after Thanksgiving. A man and woman showed up at the museum where only a security guard and students working the front desk were present, according to the curator at the time.

The woman distracted the guard with small-talk while the man went to an upstairs gallery. He cut the painting right out of the frame, police said. The edges of the canvas were still attached. The entire heist lasted 15 minutes. He left with the painting rolled up.

There was no security camera system and no leads.

On the thefts 30th anniversary in 2015, the museum displayed the empty frame at a news conference in hopes of generating tips.

A break in the case came in August 2017 when David Van Auker, his partner Buck Burns and their friend, Rick Johnson, bought the painting along with other items at an estate sale in Cliff, New Mexico. The trio own Manzanita Ridge, a furniture and antique store 40 miles away in Silver City. When they brought it back to the store, three different customers remarked how it looked like a real de Kooning.

His interest piqued, Van Auker did a Google search. That led him to a 2015 article about the theft. They immediately attempted to contact Miller, the University of Arizona and even the FBI, he said. But nobody got back to them right away.

Van Auker became terrified about safeguarding what could be the actual painting reportedly worth $100 million.

I sat up all night with three guns and the painting behind a sofa, he recalled. I thought somebody would end up coming and killing us for this painting.

He even left a voicemail for Miller making it clear that he was not interested in any reward or taking advantage of the situation. Miller found the voicemail endearing and wants to include it in the exhibition.

My favorite part was he says something along the lines of Put this on record. I want you to have the painting back. If its yours, the universitys  just come and get the painting,' she said, chuckling.

Miller and a conservator with the university made the three-hour drive from Tucson to Silver City the next day. They found there were enough indications to take the painting back for further verification. A conservator deemed it a real de Kooning.

Its return triggered an FBI probe. But the case is now considered closed following a thorough investigation, Brooke Brennan, a spokeswoman for the FBI Phoenix office, said.

The estate the painting came from belonged to Jerry and Rita Alter. The art work had been hanging behind a bedroom door. Relatives also discovered a photo that showed the couple had been in Tucson on Thanksgiving Day in 1985. Jerry Alter died in 2012 and his wife in 2017. Authorities never publicly called them suspects.

Miller earlier this year met with the couples nephew. When the story first came out, he didnt believe they could have committed such a crime.

Now that the shock has worn down for him, he now can see that they could have been the ones who stole the painting, Miller said.

Van Auker sometimes imagines if the painting had fallen into different hands in New Mexico. The thrill of playing a role in its return never fades.

He definitely wouldnt trade the experiences of the last five years for any money. His stores business has doubled or tripled at times because people were touched by their actions. He, Burns and Johnson have been hailed as heroes at events in Tucson and the Getty Museum. Theyve stayed friends with Miller and the rest of the museum staff, even hosting them at their guest house back in Silver City.

Not a surprise considering what Van Auker said to Miller when she left with the painting back in 2017.

I said to Olivia were bound for life now. She turned to me and said Yup I know that. 
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Possible changes to New Mexicos cannabis tax structure may be on the horizon as the states newest industry continues its upward trend in adult-use sales.

State officials and industry leaders had a wide-ranging discussion on Thursday as part of the Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy Committee meeting, touching on water use, plant counts and cannabis taxes. The meeting came just a day before revenue numbers for September were announced in what proved to be another record-breaking month for recreational sales, which stood at $24.2 million.

The September adult-use sales number was about $11,000 higher than in August, according to Cannabis Control Division data. That made it a third straight month the states newest industry has seen a record-high.

But the states overall sales numbers  which include medical cannabis sales  stood at $39.7 million in September, about a million dollars less than the previous month. That drop off came on the medical side, which did $15.4 million in sales compared to about $16.4 million the previous month, according to data from the Cannabis Control Division.

Taxes update

Mark Chaiken, director of tax policy for the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, discussed with lawmakers on Thursday where cannabis excise taxes currently stand.

In his update, he said cannabis excise taxes have totaled about $10.4 million when you include preliminary data from August. About two-thirds of the money goes to the states general fund, with about a third going to local governments, he reminded lawmakers.

But the discussion also touched on the confusion of cannabis taxes and possible changes to them in the next legislative session.

Matt Munoz, the chief innovation and financial officer of Carver Family Farm, a cannabis microbusiness based in Albuquerque, told lawmakers it is likely he will owe money in back taxes from a period of time in which his business was applying them incorrectly.

Businesses in April, and in the months after, were combining the cannabis excise tax and gross receipts tax into one  something TRD later said was wrong. For instance, a cannabis product of $100 would get a 12% cannabis excise tax that would bump the product up by an additional $12. Then, businesses would add GRT on top.

When we see a new tax program like this, there can often be issues with compliance early on that we need to get worked out, Chaiken said. Were trying to get everyone on the straight and narrow, but there can be variations in the data until people adapt to the new tax program.

Rep. Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, said he believes legislators next year should take a look at changing the tax scheme for the cannabis industry, saying pyramiding the tax was never the intent.

I said it in 2021 and Ill say it again: theres always room for improvement, Martinez said of possible legislative tweaks.  It could always be better.

Breaking down the numbers

Retailers in Albuquerque, the states largest city, made about $7.9 million in recreational sales last month, according to CCD. Thats a drop off of about $94,000 from the previous month.

On the medical side, Albuquerques sales figures stood at about $6.2 million  a drop off from the previous month of about $405,000, according to the CCD data.

Santa Fe made about $1.8 million in sales in September, down from about $1.9 million in August.

And Las Cruces, the largest city in southern New Mexico, did nearly $1.7 million for the month. But that was a significant drop off from the previous month and translates to a loss of about $154,000.

Sales in southern New Mexico remain relatively high still.

Sunland Park, which sits directly on the southern border of Texas, did about $1.3 million in recreational sales in September and, in fact, increased sales on that end by about $20,000.

Hobbs did nearly $1.4 million in adult-use sales and increased those sales by about $95,000 from the previous month. Carlsbad brought in $817,499 and Clovis brought in $703,361, according to the data.
ALEXANDRIA, Va.  Five years after the term Steele dossier entered the political lexicon, a think tank analyst who contributed to research about Donald Trump and Russia goes on trial Tuesday for lying to the FBI about his sources of information.

Igor Danchenko is the third person to be prosecuted by Special Counsel John Durham, who was appointed to investigate the origins of Crossfire Hurricane  the designation given to the FBIs 2016 probe into former president Trumps Russia connections. It is also the first of Durhams cases that delves deeply into the origins of the dossier that Trump derided as fake news and a political witch hunt.

Heres some background on what the case is about.

WHO IS DANCHENKO AND WHAT IS HE ACCUSED OF?

Danchenko, a Russian analyst, was a source of information for Christopher Steele, a former British spy who was paid by Democrats to research ties between Russia and presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The compilation of research files, which included salacious rumors and unproven assertions, came to be familiarly known as the Steele dossier. Though the dossier did not help launch the FBIs investigation into potential coordination between Russia and Trumps 2016 presidential campaign, the Justice Department did rely on it when it applied for and received warrants to monitor the communications of a former Trump campaign adviser.

As part of its efforts to verify information in the dossier, the FBI interviewed Danchenko in 2017.

He is charged with lying to agents about his information sources, with prosecutors accusing Danchenko of misleading the FBI in an effort to make his own contributions seem more credible.

WHAT DO THE PROSECUTORS SAY?

Prosecutors say Danchenko lied when the FBI asked him about how he obtained the information he gave to Steele. Specifically, they say he denied that he relied on a Democratic operative, Charles Dolan, a public relations executive who volunteered for Hillary Clintons presidential 2016 campaign.

Prosecutors also say Danchenko lied when he said he received information from an anonymous phone call that he believed was placed by a man named named Sergei Millian, a former president of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce. They argue Danchenko knew that Millian wasnt a source of any anonymous phone call.

The indictment says the FBI could have better judged the veracity of the Steele dossier had it known that a Democratic operative was the source of much of its information.

WHAT DOES THE DEFENSE SAY?

Danchenkos lawyers say the prosecution is a case of extraordinary government overreach. They note that Danchenko agreed to multiple voluntary FBI interviews throughout 2017. They say his answers to the FBI were all technically true.

For instance, an FBI agent asked Danchenko whether he ever talked with Dolan about the information that showed up in the dossier. While prosecutors have produced evidence that the two had email exchanges about topics in the dossier, theres no evidence that they talked orally about those topics.

It was a bad question, said Danchenkos lawyer, Stuart Sears, at a pretrial hearing last month. Thats the special counsels problem. Not Mr. Danchenkos.

And while Danchenko said he believed Millian was the voice on the anonymous phone call, he never told the FBI with any certainty that it was Millian. Sears argued that ambiguous statements like that fall short of whats necessary to convict on a false statements charge.

U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga last month rejected a request from defense lawyers to dismiss the charges, though he called his decision to let the case move forward an extremely close call. He has since ruled that prosecutors cannot present evidence about the most salacious parts of the dossier.

WHAT OTHER CASES HAS DURHAM BROUGHT?

Durham was the U.S. Attorney in Connecticut in 2019 when he was tapped by then-Attorney General William Barr to hunt for potential misconduct by government officials who conducted the original Russia investigation.

But after more than three years, Durhams work has failed to meet the expectations of Trump supporters who hoped he would uncover sweeping FBI conspiracies to derail the Republicans candidacy.

The probe has produced only three criminal cases.

The first case was against an FBI lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, who was accused of altering an email related to the surveillance of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. It ended in a guilty plea and a sentence of probation  and involved FBI misconduct already uncovered by the Justice Departments inspector general.

Last year, Durhams team charged a Democratic lawyer with making a false statement to the FBIs top lawyer during a 2016 meeting in which he presented information about a purported digital backchannel between a Russia bank and the Trump organization. The FBI investigated but found no suspicious contact. The case against the lawyer, Michael Sussmann, ended in a swift acquittal in May.

Durhams work has continued deep into the Biden administration Justice Department, but the Danchenko trial seems likely to be the last criminal case his team will bring. It is not clear when Durham might produce a report summarizing his findings.

____

Tucker reported from Washington.
Money Magazine recently released its list of the best places to live in the U.S. It is riddled with pompous virtue-signaling and plagued by diversity-induced myopia that skews rankings to fit a progressive, multicultural agenda. Indeed, the magazine admits that it "gave preference toward places with populations that were less than 80% white." Many places probably are, but why propagate such bias instead of applying the criteria (education, jobs, housing, quality of life, etc.) objectively?

Instead, in the descriptive justifications for each ranking, Money Magazine touts diversity and multiculturalism. That emphasis results in high "best place" rankings for places with high crime rates, which are a big concern for most Americans. For example, a recent Morning Consult-Politico poll shows that 77% of voters believe that crime in the U.S. is a major problem. If one doesn't feel safe, quality of life will be elusive.

Constrained by its contrived diversity data, Money Magazine proclaims crime-infested Atlanta, Georgia as the best place to live in the U.S. in 2022. The reason: its booming jobs market and "eye on equality." Unfortunately, the politicians in Atlanta, and other liberal enclaves, often conflate equality with equity, going beyond equal opportunity to ensure equal outcomes.

Pollsters may include crime and safety as one metric to measure voter concerns, but the perverted ranking methods used by Money Magazine use "health and safety" as a criterion, perhaps in an effort to dilute the weighting of crime. And yet, the magazine speciously claims that "we look at the things that matter most to people."

It makes more sense that health  including access to clinics and hospitals  be considered separately from safety, which is more related to crime stats. And according to those numbers, Atlanta is a very unsafe place. "With a crime rate of 45 per one thousand residents, Atlanta has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes."

If you can stomach their racialist approach, scroll through their list and notice the number of times diversity is mentioned. Here are just a few of many examples from their ludicrous list:

Rogers Park (ranked number 5 best place) "is one of Chicago's most diverse neighborhoods, with more than 60 different languages spoken." Nevertheless, it's riddled with crime. Acording to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, Rogers Park's overall crime rate is 22% higher than the national average, and residents have a 1 in 30 chance of being a victim of property, violent, or other crimes. It's also noteworthy that major businesses are fleeing the Chicago area, including Tyson Foods, Caterpillar, Boeing, and Citadel.

Ann Arbor, Money Mag glows, is most welcoming, noting, "Last year, local representatives launched an Equitable Engagement Initiative to bring a diversity of voices into city planning. Necto, a popular Ann Arbor club, hosts the state's longest-running LGBTQ+ Pride Night. It's gone down every Friday since 1984." Unfortunately, it's also welcoming to criminals. After all, "the crime rate in Ann Arbor is considerably higher than the national average across all communities in America from the largest to the smallest[.]"

Kirkland, Washington: The ranking of Kirkland as the third best place to live is peculiar. Residents of that highfalutin, overpriced, and overrated town complain they can't even sleep at night due to noise pollution. Imagine that: one cannot enjoy a restful night in the putative third best place to live because construction vibrations are shaking the ground. As a suburb of the Emerald City, it adds a new twist to the phrase Sleepless in Seattle. Still, at least the insomniac zombies are diverse.

Raleigh, North Carolina: Further demonstrating its bias, Money asserts that "Diversity bolsters Raleigh's placement in our rankings. The city is notably more diverse than North Carolina as a whole and celebrates the fact." Such celebrations include the "Out! Raleigh" pride parades. Meanwhile, during protests in June 2020, not peaceful but misbehaving protesters toppled statutes and dragged them through the streets, injuring several police officers in the process.

Too bad that crime stats don't diminish Raleigh's placement in the contorted rankings. They should, because "[b]ased on FBI crime data, Raleigh is not one of the safest communities in America. Relative to North Carolina, Raleigh has a crime rate that is higher than 65% of the state's cities and towns of all sizes."

At least Raleigh does have something going for it beyond the Money Magazine rankings  Raleigh-Durham ranks high on U-Hauls list of the top 25 growth cities of 2021. However, none of the other highly ranked best places, as ordained by Money, reaches the same heights on the U-Haul list. None! Per U-Haul migration trend reports, towns in Florida and Texas are where people prefer to move. In fact, the top five growth states in 2021 were Florida, Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Arizona.

Which list do you trust more? I'll go with U-Haul, because that's where the rubber hits the road, as people pick up their belongings and flee degenerating liberal bastions. U-Haul's migration data are derived from an "expansive network that blankets all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. The geographical coverage from more than 23,000 U-Haul truck- and trailer-sharing locations provides a comprehensive overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry."

Peevish progressives couch their discrimination mandates with diversity platitudes, but they become panic-stricken when a few illegal aliens are bussed to their doorstep. When hardworking folks, such as U-Haul one-way van-renters, go to the effort to uproot their lives, I doubt it's to search for more diversity or linguistic challenges. Indeed, online tools for assessing the livability of places include various screening options, but not for diversity. There are no apps that screen for places with unassimilated foreigners who don't respect that English is our de facto language.

Money Magazine has hijacked innocuous-sounding terms like "diversity" and "inclusivity" to justify an anti-white disposition. Its "best place" descriptions promote fringe cultures, but they are woke warriors who cancel mainstream culture. They celebrate multilingualism, gleefully noting that half the residents in Jersey City speak a language other than English at home and that 43% or residents were born in another country. Their ranking methodology ignores the confusion that engenders, especially when the police are trying to apprehend a migrant miscreant who doesn't understand their orders.

Money Magazine concedes, "We did things differently in an effort to present a more inclusive set of cities that are both interesting and inviting." Excepting Raleigh, they don't appear inviting to the U-Haul truckrenters, or the businesses fleeing their jurisdictions. Their bias is not unconscious, but blatant. Their ill considered list of the best places is the worst.

Image: kolyaeg via Pixabay, Pixabay License.
Liberals appear to be living in fear that conservatives might do what liberals have already done  time and again. Filled with the absolute certainty they are right (about everything), they continue to break their arms patting themselves on the back for the virtue-signaling they represent and the evil they refuse to acknowledge. For many of us, they truly define hubris and smugness in ways never previously seen in our country. Their disdain for anyone who refuses to toe their line is, at times, unbelievable. Their use of official government resources is astounding and controlling.

As the executive director of a national Republican organization (GOPAC), I feel certain that I'm not alone in saying enough is enough.

Challenge a presidential election all the way to the Supreme Court? Challenge the seating of presidential electors to the Electoral College  not once, but twice? Why, that is all good and righteous, if the challengers are Democrats. Republicans doing the same thing? A threat to democracy  this being their favorite refrain for everything.

In one breath, these people accuse the conservative side of the political debate of wanting to eliminate traditional norms. In the next breath, they argue to eliminate the Electoral College; change the composition of the United States Senate to have it be more reflective of the population; pack the Supreme Court; and even question the legitimacy of the Constitution, the backbone of this country. There may be good reasons to do any, or all, of these things. One of them would not be sustaining norms.

Donald Trump worries that a single judge might not be able to render impartial judgment, and the entire independence of the judicial system is under threat. Loudly, and repeatedly, criticize the legitimacy of the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court, and that is okay?

A Bernie Sanderssupporter opens fire on Republican members of Congress, causing severe injury to thenHouse majority whip Stephen Scalise. The coverage essentially is "they asked for it," all the while screaming that right-wing types are encouraging violence.

A plot to kill a conservative Supreme Court justice, and this is okay? Not to be condemned for days by the Biden White House.

What about "democracy dying in darkness"? For years, the left relied upon discredited sources of information to argue the 2016 Trump campaign for president had colluded with the Russians to impact the election. As we now know, for a fact, this never happened. Instead, laundering money (as upheld in court), it was the Clinton campaign that deceived, lied, and spread lies. Fast-forward to 2020. The media are made aware of the Hunter Biden computer, complete with all of its sordid details. Showing an incredible lack of curiosity, they claim that an inability to confirm its details requires refraining from publishing anything in the interest of avoiding spreading disinformation. Fifty-one so-called Intelligence Community experts signed an open letter arguing that this all has the odor of Russian disinformation. Thus far, not a single one of these individuals has had the decency to admit being, you should pardon the expression, dead wrong, much less offer an apology. As is accepted now, the computer is totally real and truthful  just like the internet.

Meanwhile, one survey indicates that had the voters known the facts of the Hunter Biden computer, the outcome of the election would have been different.

Here is a final question for anyone and everyone. If "The Big Guy" mentioned by Hunter Biden as getting a cut of everything involved in his more than questionable business endeavors is not Joe Biden, who the heck is he?

Erasing historic norms. Questioning the outcomes of elections. Calling into question the legitimacy of the Supreme Court. Tolerating violence against conservatives while fearing unrealized violence against liberals. Using the media and Big Tech to tilt elections. Checkmarks every time. You would think this might make liberals blush just a little. You would be wrong.

Jessica Curtis is the executive director of GOPAC, a national political organization committed to educating and electing a new generation of Republican leaders.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
When Melania Trump entered the White House, we thought that our eyes would never again be offended by a badly dressed First Lady. Even when Jill Biden walked through those doors, we thought that a 70-year-old, middle-class, White lady, if not stylish, would at least be blandly unexceptional. How wrong we were. Although its hard to fathom, Jill may well be the worst-dressed First Lady in American History. Its not just that she too often wears clothes unsuited to a woman her age (mutton dressed as lamb is not a compliment); its also that, as one hilarious Twitter thread shows, she wears clothes that are better suited for furniture.

Michelle Obama, with her, um, husky build, had a challenge finding flattering clothes but she did try. Most of her clothes were unexceptional, although she sometimes forgot that she represented the American people. It was only after she left the White House that she dressed like a giant banana in glitter boots:

Auntie Michelle Obama rocking a Yellow dress and Glittery,Gold Thigh-Highs from Balenciagas Spring 2019 collection pic.twitter.com/KiQe6HU6SN  The Bag Lady (@TiearraHarris) December 20, 2018

Jill Biden, however, has proven that shes in a class by herself. There was the shiny miniskirt paired with fishnet hose and ankle boots, which is why I said that shes mutton dressed as lamb:

Another effort was the pathetic off-the-shoulder look that defies description:

Does Jill Biden dress like this to take the focus off Bidens horrific presidency? pic.twitter.com/En90C6fPP4  Carolyn Gray (@CarolynShortAZ) August 16, 2022

And who can forget the shiny, tight-fitting, Black plastic (?) dress that she wore to Pakistan? It made eyeball bleach seem like something every home should have:

JUST IN  US president Biden meets Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif at a reception hosted by POTUS pic.twitter.com/ghoXeIztT9  Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) September 23, 2022

Many have also suggested that Jills passion for overwhelming floral patterns for her dresses is a problem. And thats where Rondalee Iowa comes in. This inspired woman announced a brilliant new hobby: Finding the sofa with the fabric that led to Jills dresses. In image after image, our First Lady, who is the fashion equivalent of being completely tone deaf, is paired with sofas, chairs, wallpaper, screens, and myriad other household objects that match her dress choices:

A nice cabinet looks. pic.twitter.com/qQ7BCSf2gy  Rondalee Iowa (@Maga4Justice) October 7, 2022

The tweet that started it all.



 pic.twitter.com/mgdjYiEphM  Rondalee Iowa (@Maga4Justice) October 7, 2022

Found a great one.



She wore this on the Kelly Show. pic.twitter.com/X1MdX5WYx2  Rondalee Iowa (@Maga4Justice) October 7, 2022

Gotta throw this in here because its so true.



 https://t.co/aPV8YfBy1y  Rondalee Iowa (@Maga4Justice) October 7, 2022

Too good not to add to our thread.



 https://t.co/o5LdlrjpT6  Rondalee Iowa (@Maga4Justice) October 7, 2022

I found another one. pic.twitter.com/iS9W32FoF3  Rondalee Iowa (@Maga4Justice) October 7, 2022

Naturally, others got in the act (and unless you need a trigger warning about butterflies, theres nothing sensitive in the following image):

Or we have this totally different style: pic.twitter.com/DtmTAekSsP  TheLegalBrain (@TheLegalBrain1) October 7, 2022

Someone else found this,



But its fantastic.



 pic.twitter.com/cQ46FPTtSO  Rondalee Iowa (@Maga4Justice) October 7, 2022

No matter how you look at it, we have put in the White House, not just an incompetent, demented president and his intellectually shallow, insecure wife, but two very bizarre, completely classless people. Bidens boast that no one effs with a Biden isnt just obnoxious; its ridiculous coming from Mr. Dementia and has no place outside of some low dive in a skanky seaport town left behind in the 1930s. And as for Jill, well, her clothing choices speak for themselves.

Image: Internet meme; creator unknown.
When I was in high school, the best book I read was Plunkett of Tammany Hall, a brilliant book from 1905 relaying an interview with George Washington Plunkett, a stalwart of New York Citys corrupt City Hall. Memorably, Plunkett repeatedly denied wrongdoing, insisting only that I seen my opportunity and I took it. Those words seem to have guided New York City mayor Eric Adams and School Chancellor David Banks, neither of whom broke any laws by giving each others girlfriends high-paying jobs in city government.

The New York Post broke the story:

Schools Chancellor David Banks quietly promoted Mayor Adams girlfriend to a top job at the Department of Education, just months after Adams hired Banks girlfriend as a deputy mayor, The Post has learned. Banks named Tracey Collins  Adams longtime partner and NYCs unofficial First Lady  the DOEs senior advisor to the deputy chancellor of school leadership, Desmond Blackburn. She started the new job in July, and got a giant, 23% raise to $221,597 a year, records show. Hizzoner named Banks girlfriend, Sheena Wright, and four other women deputy mayors last Dec. 21. Deputy mayors made $251,982 in FY 21.

New York City law explicitly prohibits nepotism:

3. No public servant shall use or attempt to use his or her position as a public servant to obtain any financial gain, contract, license, privilege or other private or personal advantage, direct or indirect, for the public servant or any person or firm associated with the public servant.

Those rules havent prevented previous New York politicos from family members into important positions. The problem was that they couldnt figure out how to get the city to pay for the work those family members did. For example, former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio complained that the citys nepotism laws prevented him from paying his wife for her valuable (to him) services.

Image: Eric Adams and David Banks (edited). YouTube screen grab.

Adams and Banks figured out how to overcome that problem. The beauty of what they did is that neither gave his own girlfriend a job. So, technically speaking, neither used his position to obtain any financial gain...for...any person...associated with the public servant. When Adams gave Banks girlfriend a $251,982 job, she was not connected with him; likewise, when Banks gave Adamss girlfriend a $221,597 job, no one could claim that the two had a relationship.

Both men walk honorably in the footsteps of their Tammany Hall forebearers, seeing their opportunities and taking them. Since I dont live in New York City and Im not footing the bill for this kind of thing, I can even applaud their initiative and creativity. I wonder, though, how New York City residents feel right now.
Grace turns a saint into a seraph. It makes him burn in holy zeal.But there issomething looking like zeal, which it is not.  Thomas Watson

When I was 30 and living on a commune in Maine in 1970, I picked up a Bible and opened to the book of Jeremiah and began reading the words of the crying prophet.

In it, he spoke the immortal words Peace, peace when there is no peace. He was saying to the people of his times that Almighty God calls the shots about the outcome of the attacks by the Babylonians; the simple-minded negotiations for peace, failing to look to the Almighty, were vain or even useless. God has the answers, and we know God in Christ is the touchstone  the source -- for an ever-perfecting relationship with the Author of Creation. Christ is the Word of Creation, and He came to make his own those whom the Father gave to Him.

It would take another 18 years before I answered an altar call and turned my life over to my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Finally, I would be able to serve Him in Spirit and Truth  meaning with humility, love, faith, and zeal. Zeal has been a key value when walking the walk of faith with Him. He tells us to follow Him.

Zeal is not proved only by being persecuted  thrown in prison and tortured like Richard Wurmbrand who was held for many years in a communist Romanian prison. Rather, zeal in the U.S. can be enduring ostracism, ridicule, hostile comments, or getting the silent treatment, and being the butt of angry remarks. Zeal endures being refuted in ones faith with simple-minded, silly comments like Im a good person and I believe in God even though I dont go to church, but its alright that you have your belief. This latter type of patronizing remark by people one may witness to is a uniquely American form of oppression.

It takes a believer with a zeal for Jesus to listen to this pap and continue witnessing with kindness and hope to such a listless and unspiritual feedback. This writer entered the teachers lunchroom in one school where I taught, and a group of teachers were laughing together, and as I approached their table, one of them called out, Hey, are we all going to hell? and all the others laughed uproariously. Frankly, although I did not say so, their laughter was music to my ears.

When we have a zeal for the Lord, we may have to experience the menacing hatred of the devilish spirit of Gods enemies. Once, while street preaching with a friend across from a well-known Brooklyn neighborhood bar, three denizens of that unholy place stood outside to listen to some of our preaching. The spirit of hatred and intense anger emanating from them was very real, very tangible, and very oppressive, but the armor of God, especially the shield of faith, enabled my friend and I to keep preaching despite the menacing vibes. We Christians may yet have to stand firm against the police power of a hostile government as has been the case in many countries; but at the present time, our zeal for Christ must withstand a host of intangible but VERY REAL forms of rejection. If we cave to hostility, in prayer we must cry out for more zeal, pick ourselves up by our spiritual bootstraps (in reality, we are picked up by the Holy Spirit) and return to the scene of our embarrassing defeat until we confront the enemy with the peace of mind that our Savior has bestowed upon us as our birthright in Christ.

Jeffrey Ludwig is a Harvard Master Teacher who has been teaching and writing for more than fifty years. He presently teaches philosophy and is a guest preacher at various pulpits in New York City, and has authored four books including his latest work Christian Perspectives, Vol. 1.

Image: PxHere // CC0 public domain
By 1965, Che Guevara had faded from public life. His disappearance created all kinds of speculation about Che's relationship with Fidel and Raul Castro. After all, some close to Castro in 1959 had been killed in accidents, like Camilo Cienfuegos, or stuck in political prisons, like Huber Matos. Cienfuegos's plane was never found, and Matos was eventually released in some prisoner exchange. Matos spent the rest of his life in exile.

Che reappeared in 1966 in Bolivia, where he hoped to bring about a revolution. How did he get there? Who paid his bills? Not sure. Why did he suddenly leave Cuba? No one knows. Many believe that Fidel and Raul wanted him out, and starting a revolution in Bolivia was the exit. I think it's fair to say that Che had worn out his welcome with the Castro brothers, especially after they saw how popular he was with the international left. As we learned, there is only one "popular" person in Cuba, and that's Fidel.

Fifty-five years ago this week, Che was captured and executed by Bolivian troops operating with the CIA. It happened very fast. As we learned in his diary, Che and his men lacked food and medicine and were barely surviving in the jungle. It's possible that Che would have died of bad health and no medical care. He was battling asthma attacks constantly. Also, they were not getting a lot of help from Cuba, either by design or because the supplies could not reach them. My guess is that Che was happy to get captured and hoped for some prison time and then a return to Cuba. He did not get his wish.

Che subsequently became "the image" on all those t-shirts. He became the ultimate anti-U.S. symbol, the image that every left-wing group goes to when its members have a gripe against the U.S.

Ironically, he was captured because the campaign in Bolivia failed miserably. It failed for two reasons, as Humberto Fontova explained in Exposing the Real Che. Read the book for more details, but it went down like this:

1) Bolivia was not Cuba.

2) The natives in Bolivia never bought into the idea that a band led by a guy from Argentina and Cubans was there to save them. In the end, it was the villagers he was trying to "liberate" who turned him in. Again, the Bolivian campaign was a total failure. The locals never read the memo about Cuban health care, I guess.

Che was a murderer and a man who said awful things about blacks, for example. This is from Guillermina Sutter Schneider:

In his diary, he referred to black people as "those magnificent examples of the African race who have maintained their racial purity thanks to their lack of an affinity with bathing." He also thought white Europeans were superior to people of African descent, and described Mexicans as "a band of illiterate Indians."

Today, we would call him a racist and a homophobe! We'd cancel him from universities. Twitter would delete his account.

So I still remember my father saying in Spanish that they got him. Indeed they did, and many champagne bottles popped in the Cuban exile community this week in 1967.

PS: Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
My late uncle once told me that there are four kinds of people in the world.

The gifted who are aware of their gifts, the gifted who are unaware of their gifts, the imbeciles who know of their imbecility, and finally the imbeciles who are unaware of their imbecility.

Beware of the fourth kind, always, he warned me as he concluded.

Joe Biden is a perfect illustration of this fourth kind.

Not only is Biden a dolt who is unaware of his obvious shortcomings, he is also delusional enough to attribute his achievements, which are a consequence of his good fortune, to his nonexistent talent.

Many of his gaffes, prior to his impaired cognitive abilities, were a product of this erroneous overestimation of his abilities, coupled with his arrogance.

In his mind, all he had to do was show up and say whatever occurred to him at that moment, no preparations were required.

This mindset causes his trademark crude swagger and revolting smugness.

On some occasions, he paid premature tributes to the living.

On other occasions, he boasted about getting a Ukrainian prosecutor, who would have exposed his son Hunter's shady dealing in Ukraine and Bidens abuse of power and corruption, fired. He knew the establishment was on his side and he had nothing to fear.

Recently, during a visit to Florida to assess the damage done by Hurricane Ian, Biden bragged to Fort Myers Beach Mayor Ray Murphy that no one f--ks with Biden.

If Trump had made similar claims while visiting a hurricane-ravaged state, the media would have called him every pejorative epithet known to mankind and House Democrats would have conducted another impeachment.

But since it is Biden, they ignore it and euphemize the profanity with the claim Oh thats just Joe, he means well.

Time to fact-check Bidens claim and look at those not only who dared to f---k with Biden but also lived to tell the story

Barack Obama

It happened during his April 2022 visit to the White House.

Obama knows Bidens cognitive abilities are impaired. Anyone with the slightest sensitivity would have taken Biden along and ensured that Biden was included in all the fun.

But no, the narcissistic Obama joked at Bidens expense during his remarks:

Former President @BarackObama: "Thank you. Vice President Biden. Vice President - that was a joke." pic.twitter.com/dm0sBnM7P2  CSPAN (@cspan) April 5, 2022

Following the speech, Biden was left all alone on stage, looking on listlessly:

Obama came to the White House today, immediately got mobbed, and no one wanted to talk to Biden. pic.twitter.com/69B2H92XVV  Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) April 5, 2022

After managing to descend from the stage, Biden attempted to include himself in a conversation that Obama was engaged in with others, but was ignored.

Does Biden now regret inviting Obama to the White House?pic.twitter.com/E0FvZxAgvq  Ben Owen  (@hrkbenowen) April 5, 2022

Back in 2020, when Biden was running for president from his basement, Obama apparently told aides: "'Don't underestimate Joe's ability to f-things up."

What happened to Obama after humiliating Biden privately and in public?

He still remains the de facto leader of the Democrats.

Kamala Harris

Among the others who ignored Biden during Obamas April visit to the White House was Kamala Harris.

But that wasnt the worst blow Kamala delivered to Biden.

During her failed presidential campaign Harris brutally attacked Biden calling him out for his racism:

What happened to Harris after that vicious attack on Biden?

She was made Bidens vice president, the second most powerful individual in the U.S., and next in line to the presidency.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

The self-centered champagne socialist and squad leader AOC refused to endorse the idea of Biden seeking re-election in 2024.

What happened to AOC after snubbing Biden?

She is on track to be reelected during the midterms and she still continues to attract the attention she craves for.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Back in July, Biden met the crown prince of Saudi Arabia and shared a cordial fist bump with the leader of a nation he once pledged to make a "pariah" owing to its human rights record.

After waging war on energy in the U.S. by shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline and restricting drilling on U.S. soil, Biden visited Saudi Arabia to plead with Prince Salman to increase the production of oil to combat the resulting energy crisis.

Bidens implorings fell on deaf ears

The kingdom and its OPEC+ allies announced a massive cut to oil production.

Whats happened to OPEC+ and Saudi Arabia after.they rejected Biden's plea?

They continue to be powerful and dictate the price of petroleum and diesel fuel all over the world.

The Taliban

On July 08, 2021, following his hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan, Biden effectively declared 'mission accomplished' by saying the following:

"The Taliban is not the North Vietnamese army. They're not remotely comparable in terms of capability. There's going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy in theof the United States from Afghanistan."

On 26 August 2021, ISIS carried out a suicide bombing at Kabul Airport that killed 183 people including Afghans and United military personnel.

Biden pledged to not forgive the attack and ordered an airstrike that killed an Afghan aid worker and seven children instead of the perpetrators

What happened to the Taliban after humiliating Biden?

They continue to be in power in Afghanistan and continue to provide a safe haven to terror groups such as al-Qaida and ISIS.

Kim Jong-un

Back in 2019, North Korea called Biden a rabid dog that must be beaten to death with a stick.

President Trump met with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un on two occasions, resulting in no major missiles fired in that region.

Back in May during his trip to South Korea, Biden pledged to do whatever it takes to confront North Korea. Following Bidens departure, North Korea fired three ballistic missiles.

What happened to North Korea after personally and symbolically attacking Biden?

Early in September, North Korea declared itself to be a nuclear weapons state.

North Korea recently fired 2 ballistic missiles at Japan and followed that with many other missiles after Kamala Harris visited South Korea.

Vladimir Putin

The Democrats concocted their preposterous conspiracy theory that President Trump had colluded with Putin to rig the 2016 elections. They claimed Trump was soft on Russia.

But the truth is, Putin didnt conduct any military operations when Trump was in power. He felt that Trump was too unpredictable.

However, following Bidens disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, things were different: Putin was emboldened to engage in a military intervention in Ukraine.

Biden has responded by dispatching billions worth of aid and advanced arms to Ukraine.

What happened to Putin after taking on Biden?

Putin continues to be the President of Russia, the Russian currency continues to rise and the war continues to ravage the region.

The New York Times

Back in July, the Democrat mouthpiece, the New York Times carried a piece that made the case that Biden, at 79, is "testing the boundaries of age and the presidency." The piece had comments from 50 Democrat officials who urged Biden not to run again in 2024.

What happened to the NYT after attacking Biden?

They continue to be the foremost outfit that the Democrats go to in order to spread their message.

Verdict to Bidens boastful claim:

Four Pinocchios

Bidens boast is a blatant falsehood to being gravely insensitive.

Image: Screen shot from AP video, via YouTube
There is no doubt among those paying attention that Chicago is in crisis. Crime has exploded, with ordinary citizens living in fear of venturing out from their homes. (And, if they live in the wrong neighborhoods, their homes may be shot up as drive-by gang assassination attempts hitting neigboring homes.)

Mayor Lori Lightfoot may try to downplay the severity of the trendline, but Chicagoans understand the risks they take merely by walking or driving on the streets as recidivist criminals are set free to wreak mayhem again and again on the innocent:

Prosecutors said Friday that a Chicago man on parole for possessing a stolen motor vehicle and on bail for possessing another motor vehicle shot a concealed carry holder during a carjacking attempt in the South Loop. Cortez Crayton, 24, is the 45th person accused of killing or shootingor attempting to kill or shootsomeone in Chicago while awaiting trial for a felony this year. The alleged crimes involved at least 83 victims, 21 of whom died.

Major companies and well-to-do taxpayers are fleeing the city.

In the space of just seven weeks in May and June, Chicago was hit by a pair of corporate defections: Illinoiss richest man, Ken Griffin, announced hes moving the home of his $57 billion Citadel hedge fund to Miami and Boeing Co. said it would pull its headquarters from the city. Caterpillar Inc. also decided to move its global headquarters to Texas from the nearby suburb of Deerfield.

So, how does Lightfoot respond? In a fashion that would make Emperor Nero blush. Watch this cringeworthy performance, apparently taking place in her City Hall chambers:

Is this truncated music video aimed at encouraging a benighted populace to cheer up in the face of the foreboding reality of the city under her leadership? If so, why is her face so grim throughout?

Twitter video screengrab

It may be that the mayor is an awful combination of a fantasist and an exhibitionist. Or it may be that she is simply a clown, using her office as an excuse to dress up and play out repulsive fantasies. As she has done numerous times in the past.

Lori Lightfoot Facebook video screengrab

Mayor Lightfoot has proven herself incapable of her job, and at best seeks to distract the electorate and populace from her failures. At worst, there is something deeply wrong with her mind. And the evidence is piling up for the latter hypothesis.
In a quite corner of the Elmwood Cemetery, Memphis oldest active, is the grave of 21 year old woman who died after childbirth on February 1, 1876. The tombstone on her grave read:

Kate McCormick Seduced and pregnant by her father's friend

Unwed, she died from abortion, her only choice.

Abandoned in life and death by family.

With but a single rose from her mother.

Buried only through the kindness of unknown benefactors.

Died Feb.1875 [sic] age 21. Victim of an unforgiving society

Have mercy on us.

Photo credit: www.findagrave.com

Kate McCormick, whose real name was Kate Simpson, was a handsome young woman of about twenty-one years of age from Humboldt, Tennessee. Kate was seduced and made pregnant by a shoemaker named George Burgess, who was her fathers friend, under the false promise of marrying her. When he failed to follow through, Kate was so disgraced that she left her hometown and came to Memphis.

Three weeks before Christmas, Kate came to Dr. Johnson in Memphis and told him her story and asked the doctor to abort her child. Dr. Johnson later told the court that he had advised her not to commit abortion as it was against the law, and she went away. Three weeks later, on a Saturday night, Kate secured a room at a boardinghouse run by Mrs. Widrig, where she delivered a dead baby girl the following morning. When Mrs. Widrig learned that Dr. Johnson had been attending her, her suspicions were aroused and she asked Katie to tell her the whole truth. Kate broke down and confessed.

Mrs. Widrig, I think my time is short, she told Mrs. Widrig. Dr. Johnson gave the medicine to destroy my child; tell Dr. Johnson that I promised not to deceive him or tell any person but the time has come when I can keep the secret no longer; I paid Dr. Johnson twenty-five dollars for the medicine; he gave me the medicine some three weeks ago and said if it did not work in six days it would be a failure; I took the medicine from Dr. Johnson to kill my child and paid him twenty-five dollars for it.'"

Kate died a short while later. An inquest was held where the jury found Dr. Johnson guilty of murder by committing an abortion.

Kates mother was called upon but she had no desire to pay the last sad tribute to the ashes of her daughter, evidently more troubled about the publicity given to the affair than about the fate of her erring and unfortunate child. She instructed that her deceased daughter be not interred near her home, but buried in Memphis instead.

More than a century later, the plight of Katie McCormick touched the sympathetic sentiment of a thoughtful lady who paid for a marker to be placed at the young woman's grave in September 1997, bearing the inscription cited in the beginning of this article.

A lovely tribute as it was, however, as Nashville Daily American wrote, her actual interment may have been considerably less theatrical than this inscription suggests, as it attributes a lovely gesture by her mother which was probably not made, after all and her benefactors were not unknown, one being a newspaper reporter and the other a kind-hearted saloonist.
A five-year-old girl and her father are among the 10 people named as victims of the devastating explosion at a petrol station in Ireland.

Police are continuing to investigate the blast that ripped through the Applegreen service station and convenience store in Creeslough, Co Donegal, on Friday afternoon.

The huge explosion claimed the lives of 10 local people who have now been named by police.

Those who died were 48-year-old James OFlaherty, 24-year-old Jessica Gallagher, 49-year-old Martin McGill, 39-year-old Catherine ODonnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan, 59-year-old Hugh Kelly, 49-year-old Martina Martin, 50-year-old Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe, and 14-year-old Leona Harper.

Shauna Flanagan Garwe, five, was among those killed (An Garda Siochana/PA)

Police said a man in his 20s remains in a critical condition at St Jamess Hospital in Dublin.

The seven other surviving casualties continue to receive treatment in Letterkenny University Hospital and remain in a stable condition.

Irish premier Micheal Martin has met those who were admitted to hospital, the medical team which was on duty on the day of the explosion, and members of Letterkenny fire station.

Robert Garwe (An Garda Siochana/PA)

Accompanying Mr Martin were Agriculture Minister and Donegal TD Charlie McConalogue and deputy leader Leo Varadkar.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis has offered his condolences to the people of Creeslough in a statement sent by his representative to the Bishop of Raphoe.

It read: His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the loss of life and destruction caused by the explosion in Creeslough and he expresses his spiritual closeness to all those suffering in the aftermath of this tragedy.

Leona Harper, 14 (An Garda Siochana/PA)

While entrusting the deceased to the merciful love of almighty god, His Holiness implores the divine blessings of consolation and healing upon the injured, the displaced and the families coping with pain of loss.

As a pledge of strength and peace in the lord, the Holy Father sends his blessing to all the people of Ireland.

The remains of the deceased are at the hospital in Letterkenny where post-mortem examinations will continue over the next few days.

Martin McGill (An Garda Siochana/PA)

Police said results will not be released for operational reasons.

The Garda Technical Bureau, with assistance from other agencies, will continue to examine the scene, which remains cordoned off.

Catherine ODonnell, 39, and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan (An Garda Siochana/PA)

Garda Superintendent Liam Geraghty told reporters that what has happened will have a huge impact to a small rural community.

He said: They are all local people. They are all very much involved in the community. They were all people who were shopping in their local shop.

Martina Martin (An Garda Siochana/PA)

We have very, very young children. The schools are going to be impacted, the GAA clubs are going to be impacted, the local church, in general the community is going to be severely impacted by this incident.

But it is a very strong community as was seen here on Friday afternoon with the response of families, friends and neighbours who came to peoples rescue.

James OFlaherty (An Garda Siochana/PA)

So I am sure the community will come together and will support each other.

He said there were very traumatic scenes on Friday afternoon.

Jessica Gallagher (An Garda Siochana/PA)

Emergency responders from right across Co Donegal and wider and our colleagues in Northern Ireland responded to very, very traumatic scenes, and then processed into dealing with recovery of fatalities at the scene, he said.

He said most of the police involved are local.

Hugh Kelly (An Garda Siochana/PA)

These are the people they work with and the people that they meet on a daily basis, he said.

At Mass on Sunday in St Michaels Church in Creeslough, Bishop of Raphoe Alan McGuckian said the people of the village are living through a nightmare of shock and horror.

Father John Joe Duffy lights 10 red candles candles at St Michaels Church in Creeslough, Co Donegal, for the victims of the Applegreen service station explosion (Brian Lawless/PA)

The blast is being treated by police as a tragic accident.
Here is what we know about the incident in the Co Donegal village of Creeslough which resulted in the deaths of 10 people.

 Creeslough

The village is located in northern Donegal on the north-west tip of the island of Ireland, along the scenic Wild Atlantic Way.

It is a popular spot for holiday-makers, and the area is a particular favourite with people from across the border in Northern Ireland.

With a population of around 400, the people of Creeslough form a close-knit rural community.

 The explosion

Said to be heard from miles around, the explosion took place at about 3.20pm on Friday in a complex that includes residential apartments and the Applegreen service station and convenience store.

Irish police have not detailed exactly where they think the blast originated.

The 10 victims (An Garda Siochana/PA)

 The response

The Irish police force, An Garda Siochana, has been assisted by emergency responders from across the county of Donegal, as well as Northern Ireland.

Dozens of rescue workers tried to locate people as part of a search and recovery operation.

Tractors transported rubble away and sniffer dogs were used to scour the rubble.

At one point on Friday night, all machinery was turned off and onlookers were asked to remain silent as rescue workers attempted to detect survivors beneath the debris.

On Saturday evening, police said the search operation had ended.

 The victims

The 10 people killed were named by police on Sunday as 48-year-old James OFlaherty, 24-year-old Jessica Gallagher, 49-year-old Martin McGill, 39-year-old Catherine ODonnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan, 59-year-old Hugh Kelly, 49-year-old Martina Martin, 50-year-old Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe, and 14-year-old Leona Harper.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin meet with firefighters called to the scene (Brian Lawless/PA)

 The casualties

Irish police said a man in his 20s remains in a critical condition in St Jamess Hospital in Dublin following Fridays blast.

Seven other surviving casualties continue to receive treatment in Letterkenny University Hospital and remain in a stable condition.

 The reaction

Taoiseach Micheal Martin, who visited the site of the explosion on Saturday evening, said the entire nation is mourning following the tragedy.

Irish President Michael D Higgins said: This tragedy is a terrible blow to a community that is closely knit and where every loss and injury will be felt by every member of the community and far beyond.

The Pope sent a blessing to all the people of Ireland.

A statement sent by his representative to Bishop of Raphoe Alan McGuckian read: His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the loss of life and destruction caused by the explosion in Creeslough and he expresses his spiritual closeness to all those suffering in the aftermath of this tragedy.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, left, at the scene of the explosion (Brian Lawless/PA)

 The investigation

Irish police said on Sunday that they continue to investigate all the circumstances into the cause of the fatal explosion.

The investigation is being co-ordinated from an incident room at Milford garda station.

The Garda Technical Bureau, with assistance from other agencies, will continue to examine the scene, which remains cordoned off.

Police said these examinations are likely to continue over the coming days, and traffic diversions on the N56 at the scene of the incident remain in place.

On Saturday, Superintendent David Kelly of Milford garda station said: At this point in time, we have to keep an open mind in how we investigate this but our information at this point in time is pointing towards a tragic accident.

That said, being a garda I have to take a holistic and overall viewpoint, but thats where we are going at the moment.

We are following certain investigative angles but for operational reasons, I am not going in to that.

 The impact on the community

Garda Superintendent Liam Geraghty told reporters on Sunday the tragedy will have a huge impact to a small rural community.

He said: They are all local people. They are all very much involved in the community. They were all people who were shopping in their local shop.

We have very, very young children. The schools are going to be impacted, the GAA clubs are going to be impacted, the local church, in general the community is going to be severely impacted by this incident.

But it is a very strong community as was seen here on Friday afternoon with the response of families, friends and neighbours who came to peoples rescue.

So I am sure the community will come together and will support each other.
The UKs largest regional airline Loganair has been put up for sale.

Scottish brothers Stephen and Peter Bond, who have owned the business for the last 25 years, are looking for new owners for the Glasgow-based airline.

The company flies 44 aircraft to more than 40 destinations across Europe and the British Isles, according to its website,

Company figures show it flies up to 1,000 flights a week and employs more than 900 people.

The airlines chief executive, Jonathan Hinkles, told the PA news agency: The airline is trading profitably and has repaid its Covid-19 bank debt ahead of schedule.

It will very much continue to operate as it is today, with no changes to routes, services or employment.

Passenger numbers are growing and 50% ahead of pre-pandemic levels, and our fleet renewal programme is also well advanced, continuing apace over the coming months.

He added: The Bonds  Stephen is now 72, Peter is 61  are committed to finding the right future owner for Loganair, who will act as its custodian for the next generation, just as they and previous owners have done.

In the meantime, they remain wholehearted supporters of Loganair until any process is successfully concluded.
The Supreme Court will fail the people of Scotland if it does not allow for the Scottish Government to legislate for a second independence referendum.

SNP president Mike Russell addressed the partys conference in Aberdeen on Sunday, where he discussed its plans ahead of the ruling.

The court will hear arguments this week after a referral from the Lord Advocate on a prospective Bill legislating for a referendum.

Mr Russell told delegates: If the Supreme Court rules in our favour, then it will be on October 19 next year.

And if the Supreme Court fails the people of Scotland, then we will rise to that challenge too, and put our case at the next general election, whenever that is.

Thats a choice that has to be made if Scotland is to escape from the downward spiral of Tory and Labour governments exploiting but ignoring Scotland.

But SNP MSP Neil Gray told Radio 4s The World This Weekend that the party does not want to be in the situation where we need to test public opinion through a general election process.

Mr Gray told the programme: Where we are quite clearly looking to have as our first preference an independence referendum  thats the gold standard, thats what people would want and anticipate  weve put that through to the Supreme Court to determine.

We dont want to be in the situation where we need to test public opinion through a general election process, but weve got a mandate to deliver a decision on independence with the Scottish people, and if that democratic event has to be a general election, then that is what we will do, because we respect the fact that people voted overwhelmingly in the last Scottish election on a manifesto that committed us to a referendum to put that question to the people again.

He added that the party would respect the process the Supreme Court goes through.

But he went on: We hope that that is positive in our direction.

But if its not it also poses a fundamental question for unionists to answer, which is if there is no route by which a so-called voluntary union, people can determine their future within it, then that is a fundamental shift and what even the Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford understands the current union to be presented as.

And that will be a very difficult question for unionists, for the UK Government, for the Conservatives and Labour Party to answer is, what is the democratic route by which people can have self determination in Scotland?
The UK Government will fear other parts of the country breaking away if Scotland ever becomes independent, an academic has said.

Speaking at a fringe event on the border arrangements of an independent Scotland during the SNP conference in Aberdeen, Professor Anand Menon  director of the think tank UK in a Changing Europe  told party members there would be a fear that should an independent Scotland be successful in the European Union, that could act as a role model for Northern Ireland in a future border poll.

In the same meeting, Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson said Scotlands success as a member of the EU would be a boost for the rest of the UK, allowing the country to be a bridge to explain the needs, interests, concerns and expectations of the rest of the United Kingdom.

Mr Robertson told the event: I actually think its going to be really important for the government of the rest of the United Kingdom that Scotland succeeds in that wider European context and Scotland can be a conduit, can be a bridge, in explaining the needs, interests, concerns and expectations of the rest of the United Kingdom as a member state of the European Union, he said.

We are going to be really important for the rest of the United Kingdom, and not just in trading terms.

Prof Menon said he had to take issue slightly with the Constitution Secretary.

We can dream of a world in which an independent Scotlands success is wanted as much in London as it is in Edinburgh, he said.

Thats not the world of politics Im in.

If you think back to Brexit, one of the reasons why people thought the EU would play hardball was this notion of a fear of emulation.

There would be a fear of emulation in London about (Scottish independence) because over the water you have Northern Ireland.

I think Northern Ireland is a ways off a border poll as yet, but if Scotland leaves and is successful within the European Union, it would represent quite a powerful role model, and that will make people in London nervous.

Meanwhile, another academic told the event there would have to be checks on the border between Scotland and England in the event of an independent Scotland joining the European Union.

The issue of the land border proved one of the most controversial in the lead-up to the first independence referendum in 2014.

Professor Nicola McEwen told the event: (The border) is the biggest challenge in a sense from an independence perspective because it would become, under EU membership, an EU external border.

As such, the government of an independent country would have certain responsibilities and obligations for the goods coming into the country.

There is no getting away from the fact that there would have to be border checks, she added.
(New throughout, updates prices, market activity and comments) Oct 7 (Reuters) - U.S. natural gas futures fell about 3% on Friday on record output and continued milder than normal weather that will allow utilities to keep injecting more gas into storage than usual in coming weeks. Also weighing on gas prices was a drop in demand from power outages due to storms and reduced liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. Over 134,000 homes and businesses were still without power in Florida after Hurricane Ian hit on Sept. 28-29, reducing the amount of gas power generators need to burn to produce electricity. Ian knocked out power to over 4 million in Florida and 1.1 million in North Carolina and South Carolina. Gas demand was also reduced by outages at LNG export plants, including Berkshire Hathaway Energy's 0.8-billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) Cove Point in Maryland for about three weeks of planned work starting Oct. 1 and Freeport LNG's 2.0-bcfd plant in Texas for unplanned work after an explosion on June 8. Freeport LNG expects the facility to return to at least partial service in early to mid-November. Front-month gas futures fell 22.4 cents, or 3.2%, to settle at $6.748 per million British thermal units (mmBtu). On Thursday, the contract closed at its highest since Sept. 22 for a second day in a row. For the week, the front-month fell less than 1%, putting the contract down for seven weeks in a row for the first time since January 2015. U.S. futures were up about 81% so far this year as soaring global gas prices fed demand for U.S. exports due to supply disruptions and sanctions linked to Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. Gas was trading around $45 per mmBtu in Europe and $34 in Asia. That was a 9% drop for prices in Europe. Russian gas exports via the three main lines into Germany - Nord Stream 1 (Russia-Germany), Yamal (Russia-Belarus-Poland-Germany) and the Russia-Ukraine-Slovakia-Czech Republic-Germany route - have averaged just 1.3 bcfd so far in October, the same as September but well below 9.2 bcfd seen in October 2021. TOP PRODUCER Data provider Refinitiv said average gas output in the U.S. Lower 48 states rose to 100.1 bcfd so far in October from a monthly record of 99.4 bcfd in September. With cooler weather coming, Refinitiv projected average U.S. gas demand, including exports, would rise from 89.9 bcfd this week to 91.4 bcfd next week and 93.7 bcfd in two weeks. The forecast for this week was lower than Refinitiv's outlook on Thursday. The average amount of gas flowing to U.S. LNG export plants fell to 10.8 bcfd so far in October from 11.5 bcfd in September. That compares with a monthly record of 12.9 bcfd in March. The seven big U.S. export plants can turn about 13.8 bcfd of gas into LNG. So far this year, most U.S. LNG has gone to countries in Europe as they wean themselves off Russian energy. Russia, the world's second-biggest gas producer, has provided about a third of Europe's gas in recent years, totaling about 18.3 bcfd in 2021. The European Union wants to cut Russian gas imports by two-thirds by the end of 2022 and refill stockpiles to 80% of capacity by Nov. 1 and 90% by Nov. 1 each year beginning in 2023. Gas stockpiles in northwest Europe - Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands - were currently about 7% above their five-year (2017-2021) average for this time of year, according to Refinitiv. Storage was currently around 92% of capacity. That is much healthier than U.S. gas inventories, which were still about 8% below their five-year norm. Week ended Week ended Year ago Five-year Oct 7 Sep 30 Oct 7 average (Forecast) (Actual) Oct 7 U.S. weekly natgas storage change (bcf): +116 +129 +86 +82 U.S. total natgas in storage (bcf): 3,222 3,106 3,357 3,452 U.S. total storage versus 5-year average -6.7% -7.8% Global Gas Benchmark Futures ($ per mmBtu) Current Day Prior Day This Month Prior Year Five Year Last Year Average Average 2021 (2017-2021) Henry Hub 6.82 6.97 5.57 3.73 2.89 Title Transfer Facility (TTF) 47.36 49.20 30.84 16.04 7.49 Japan Korea Marker (JKM) 35.86 35.05 33.22 18.00 8.95 Refinitiv Heating (HDD), Cooling (CDD) and Total (TDD) Degree Days Two-Week Total Forecast Current Day Prior Day Prior Year 10-Year 30-Year Norm Norm U.S. GFS HDDs 114 102 46 88 118 U.S. GFS CDDs 51 54 74 67 49 U.S. GFS TDDs 165 156 120 155 167 Refinitiv U.S. Weekly GFS Supply and Demand Forecasts Prior Week Current Week Next Week This Week Five-Year Last Year Average For Month U.S. Supply (bcfd) U.S. Lower 48 Dry Production 98.4 100.1 100.0 93.5 87.0 U.S. Imports from Canada 7.9 8.0 8.0 8.3 7.7 U.S. LNG Imports 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 Total U.S. Supply 107.3 108.1 108.0 101.8 94.8 U.S. Demand (bcfd) U.S. Exports to Canada 1.9 2.1 2.3 2.0 2.4 U.S. Exports to Mexico 5.8 5.6 5.6 5.7 5.3 U.S. LNG Exports 11.8 11.0 10.8 10.0 5.6 U.S. Commercial 5.4 5.7 6.1 5.0 6.8 U.S. Residential 5.0 5.6 6.3 4.3 7.3 U.S. Power Plant 32.7 31.5 31.6 32.2 29.0 U.S. Industrial 21.6 21.5 21.7 20.9 21.8 U.S. Plant Fuel 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.9 U.S. Pipe Distribution 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 U.S. Vehicle Fuel 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 Total U.S. Consumption 71.7 71.2 72.7 69.3 71.8 Total U.S. Demand 91.2 89.9 91.4 87.0 85.1 U.S. weekly power generation percent by fuel - EIA Week ended Week ended Week ended Week ended Week ended Oct 7 Sep 30 Sep 23 Sep 16 Sep 9 Wind 8 9 10 8 6 Solar 4 4 3 3 3 Hydro 5 6 5 5 6 Other 3 3 2 2 2 Petroleum 0 0 0 0 0 Natural Gas 42 41 41 42 45 Coal 18 18 19 19 21 Nuclear 20 21 19 19 18 SNL U.S. Natural Gas Next-Day Prices ($ per mmBtu) Hub Current Day Prior Day Henry Hub 6.91 5.84 Transco Z6 New York 5.95 5.86 PG&E Citygate 7.73 7.88 Dominion South 6.01 5.67 Chicago Citygate 6.23 6.15 Algonquin Citygate 6.14 6.05 SoCal Citygate 7.24 7.97 Waha Hub 4.24 4.62 AECO 3.92 4.18 SNL U.S. Power Next-Day Prices ($ per megawatt-hour) Hub Current Day Prior Day New England 61.50 63.25 PJM West 68.25 78.50 Ercot North 57.00 69.00 Mid C 85.50 78.20 Palo Verde 75.50 72.25 SP-15 77.75 82.00 (Reporting by Scott DiSavino Editing by Nick Zieminski)
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was greeted with chants of "get lost" from female students while he visited a university and condemned the protests that resulted from the death of a young woman while she was in custody for failing to properly wear a headscarf.

A video posted on Twitter by the activist 1500tasvir website showed what it said were women students chanting "Raisi get lost" and "Mullahs get lost" as the president visited their campus. Another social media video showed students chanting: "We don't want a corrupt guest," in reference to Raisi.

Raisi addressed professors and students at Alzahra University in Tehran, reciting a poem that equated "rioters" with flies, as nationwide demonstrations entered a fourth week in response to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody last month.

The protests erupted Sept. 17, after the burial of Amini, a Kurdish woman who died in the custody of Iran's feared morality police. Amini had been detained for an alleged violation of strict Islamic dress codes for women. Since then, protests spread across the country and were met by a fierce crackdown, in which dozens are estimated to have been killed and hundreds arrested.

IRANIAN JOURNALIST DELIVERS FIERY MESSAGE AS MAHSA AMINI PROTESTS GROW: WOMEN ARE ASKING 'WHERE IS BIDEN?'

Ebrahim Raisi on the day of the Islamic republic's presidential election. Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Two people were reportedly killed as the protests continued across the country on Saturday.

The United States said last month it will sanction Iranian security officials in response to Amini's death.

IRAN PROTESTS: DEATH TOLL CONTINUES TO CLIMB, AS REPORTER WHO FIRST HIGHLIGHTED AMINI'S DEATH IS ARRESTED

"In response to this and other human rights violations in Iran  including the violent suppression of peaceful protests  the United States is imposing sanctions on Irans Morality Police and senior security officials who have engaged in serious human rights abuses, pursuant to Executive Order 13553," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

"The Morality Police, an element of Irans Law Enforcement Forces (LEF), arrests women for wearing inappropriate hijab and enforces other restrictions on freedom of expression. The Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is further designating Haj Ahmad Mirzaei and Mohammad Rostami Cheshmeh Gachi, both of whom are senior officials in the Morality Police."

Protesters have spoken out against the Iranian regime across the world including in the Netherlands where thousands of people gathered on Saturday and sang in solidarity with the Iranian protesters.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Ten days after Hurricane Ian crashed into Southwest Florida as a dangerous, high-end Category 4 storm on Sept. 28, the first group of residents returned to Fort Myers Beach  one of the areas that suffered the most catastrophic destruction  and new experts will soon arrive to help with debris removal, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Saturday.

Its our hope that everybody is able to go back to their property, said DeSantis, during a briefing from Fort Myers Beach.

I know theres some people that are going to have really significant damage; some will have total loss; some may have damage that theyre willing to live in their house for, and if its safe, they have a right to do that, he added.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive to tour an area impacted by Hurricane Ian with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Evan Vucci/AP

After clearing Fort Myers Beach for people to enter, local officials brought in portable showers, restrooms and hand-washing stations for people to use in case they cant at home. Fort Myers Beach had been closed off while crews completed search and rescue operations, but other islands had already allowed access in prior days.

Across the state, authorities have linked at least 115 deaths to Ian, one of the deadliest storms in Floridas history. The storms destruction will likely cost $67 billion in private market insured losses from Florida to the Carolinas, according to data released Friday by a modeling firm called RMS.

On Saturday, the Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie announced the state activated the Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program, partnering with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), for 19 counties: Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns and Volusia.

This helps those impacted by Ian to shelter in a hotel or motel paid for by FEMA.

DeSantis also announced Saturday a new disaster recovery center opened Saturday in Collier County to help Floridians displaced by Ian. Its located at the Veterans Community Park, at 1895 Veterans Dr. in Naples.

That brought the total of disaster center in the state to four, including one in Sarasota County and two in Lee County.

Scenes of destruction along Estero Boulevard in Fort Myers Beach two days after Hurricane Ian hit Floridas west coast as a Category 4 storm. Pedro Portal/pportal@miamiherald.com

Clean-up remained a priority Saturday. Because of that, Panama City Mayor Greg Brudnicki and his team, which handled the recovery in the Panhandle after Hurricane Michael in 2018, will travel to the impacted Southwest counties and provide advice there, the governor said.

This is a monumental undertaking when you have debris of this nature, DeSantis said.

So far, the Florida Department of Transportation has cleared 5,200 miles of roadway, and inspected and reopened about 2,500 bridges across the state.

A convoy of Paramedics and Fire Rescue vehicles arrive in Fort Myers Beach two days after Hurricane Ian hit Floridas west coast as a Category 4 storm, on Friday September 30, 2022. Pedro Portal/pportal@miamiherald.com

On Wednesday, emergency workers restored the two-lane drawbridge in Matlacha that connects Pine Island, the largest barrier island off Floridas Gulf Coast, to the mainland.

Workers are now fully focused on the Sanibel Causeway, which links Sanibel Island to mainland in Punta Rassa and which Ian severed. They started the repairs this past week and expect to wrap them up by the end of October. In the meantime, theyre carrying equipment, supplies and crews by barge to the island  the last barrier island in need of restored access.

About 2.6 million of the power outages have been restored. About 69,000 outages still needed to be addressed as of Saturday, according to the state.
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP)  Just days after Hurricane Ian struck, a crowd of locals gathered under a huge banyan tree at a motel's outdoor tiki bar for drink specials and live music. Less than 10 miles away, crews were finishing the search for bodies on a coastal barrier island. Even closer, entire families were trying to get comfortable for the night in a mass shelter housing more than 500 storm victims.

On a coast where a few miles meant the difference between life and death, relief and ruin, the contrasting scenes of reality less than two weeks since the hurricane's onslaught are jarring, and they point to the way disaster can mean so many different things to different people.

Arlan Fuller has seen the disparity while working in the hurricane zone to serve marginalized communities with Project Hope, a nonprofit that provides medical relief services. A few factors seem to account for the vast differences from one place to the next, he said: People and places closest to the coast usually fared the worst, as did people with lower incomes.

There's an interesting combination of location, the sturdiness of the structure people lived in, and means, said Fuller.

On Pine Island, where the state quickly erected a temporary bridge to replace one washed out by the storm, volunteers are handing out water, ice, food and supplies. The island's Publix grocery store reopened with generator power faster than seemed possible, pleasing island resident Charlotte Smith, who didn't evacuate.

My home is OK. The lower level did flood somewhat. But Im dry. They have the water back on running. Things are really getting pretty good. Smith said.

Life is very different for Shanika Caldwell, 40, who took her nine children to a mass shelter located inside Hertz Arena, a minor league hockey coliseum, after another shelter located at a public high school shut down so classes could get ready to resume. The family was living in a motel before the storm but had to flee after the roof flew off, she said.

If they say they are going to start school next week, how am I going to get my kids back and forth from school all the way here? she said Saturday. Nearby, a huge silver statue of an ice hockey player looked out over the arena parking lot.

Ian, a strong Category 4 storm with 155 mph (249 kph) winds, was blamed for more than 100 deaths, the overwhelming majority of them in southwest Florida. It was the third-deadliest storm to hit the U.S. mainland this century behind Hurricane Katrina, which left about 1,400 people dead, and Hurricane Sandy, which had a total death count of 233 despite weakening to a tropical storm just before it made landfall.

For some, the recovery has been fairly quick. Barber shops, car washes, chain restaurants, a gun range and vape shops  lots of vape shops  already have reopened on U.S. 41, known in southern Florida as the Tamiami Trail. Many traffic lights are operating, yet residents of low-lying homes and mobile home parks just off the highway are still shoveling mud that was left behind by floodwaters.

In Punta Gorda, near where boutiques and investment firms do business along a tony street lined by palm trees, Judy Jones, 74, is trying to provide for more than 40 residents of the bare-bones homeless shelter she's operated for more than five decades, Bread of Life Mission Inc.

I take care of people that fall through the crack in the system," she said. You have people who were on their feet but because of the hurricane, they're on their knees."

Cheryl Wiese isn't homeless: For 16 years she spent the fall and winter months in her modest mobile home on Oyster Bay Lane, located at Fort Myers Beach, before returning to a place on Lake Erie in Ohio for the summer. But what she found after making the 24-hour drive south following Ian all but ruined her.

I dont want to even live here anymore. There is no Fort Myers Beach. All my neighbors are gone. All my friends are gone," she said.

The worst part, she said, might have been driving past the devastation to the public library to begin the process of applying for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A worker told her to be ready for a phone call and visit from a FEMA representative, and not to miss either, Wiese said.

If I miss the phone call? Out of luck," she said. "If I miss him? Out of luck.

Danilo Mendoza, a construction worker from the Miami area whose trailer and tools were blown away by Ian, has seen the places where people are going on with life, where the recovery already is underway, but hes doing his best to stay positive.

He counts himself fortunate because he has a safe place to stay at the hockey arena, which is located across the street from upscale apartments where people go on morning walks in athletic gear, and the food is abundant.

I see the big picture," he said. "They give you blankets, for God's sake, brand new ones. They give you all the things you need to survive.
The FBI seized Rep. Matt Gaetzs cellphone in December 2020, marking the beginning of an investigation into whether the Florida Republican allegedly sex-trafficked a 17-year-old girl. In the time since, his former friend Joel Greenberg pleaded guilty to trafficking the same teen in exchange for helping the Justice Departments investigation. Gaetzs ex-girlfriend also struck a deal, obtaining immunity from federal prosecution in return for her testimony.

But the sex-trafficking investigation into Gaetz now appears stalled, according to seven attorneys who represent witnesses, people who have been subpoenaed or have spoken to investigators. The attorneys briefed on aspects of the case say federal investigators appear stymied by concerns about the credibility of two key witnesses or a lack of direct evidence implicating Gaetz, who has denied all wrongdoing.

Doubts about prosecuting Gaetz have mounted for months among many of those seven attorneys. Its also an opinion held by some within the Justice Department, according to a recent Washington Post article. Citing people familiar with the matter, the paper reported that career prosecutors internally recommended that Gaetz not be indicted.

Gaetzs attorney and the Justice Department declined to comment. Gaetz himself has long denied allegations that he had sex with a minor, that he ever transported the alleged victim across state lines to engage in prostitution or that he obstructed justice in an effort to cover up his actions  the three main potential crimes he has been investigated for, according to three sources familiar with those aspects of the case.

At a federal level, I could not ever imagine prosecuting a case where you have a documented liar like Greenberg and this other person as your top witnesses, said Richard Hornsby, an attorney for former state Rep. Chris Dorworth, who was subpoenaed in the case.

While the sex-trafficking case appears stalled in the eyes of attorneys like Hornsby, another attorney involved in the investigation pointed out that the Justice Department hasnt formally closed this case. That lawyer, like others who spoke anonymously, did not want to comment on the record given the sensitive nature of the case.

The case is undoubtedly complex  one of the attorneys described it as having tentacles  and politically fraught. It also touches on systemic legal issues such as the expectation among some prosecutors and juries that women involved in sex crime investigations can be held to a higher, and unfair, standard.

Former Seminole County, Florida, tax collector Joel Greenberg talks to the Orlando Sentinel in September 2019, during an interview at his office in Lake Mary, Fla. (Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel via Getty Images file)

The prosecutions star witness  Greenberg, Gaetzs onetime friend and a disgraced elected tax official  pleaded guilty last year to six federal crimes. Those included a stalking charge for falsely smearing a political rival as a pedophile, identity theft and sex trafficking the same 17-year-old who is the alleged victim in the Gaetz case. A prosecutor in the case has labeled Greenberg a prolific criminal.

The alleged victim has been reluctant to speak to federal investigators about whether she had sex with Gaetz in 2017, when she was 17, according to a source briefed in the case and a message Greenberg sent to a mutual friend of his and Gaetzs, Dorworth, when the investigation gained steam in 2020.

The alleged victim, who turned 18 in December 2017, did not answer requests for comment from NBC News.

Another complication for prosecutors involves the alleged victim. She currently makes online pornography, which could trigger biases in jurors if the case were ever brought to trial, according to Barbara Martinez, a former assistant U.S. attorney who oversaw sex-trafficking cases in South Florida but is not connected to the Gaetz investigation.

Martinez, who spoke generally about sex-crimes prosecutions and not the specifics of the Gaetz investigation, told NBC News that sex-crimes cases can involve witnesses or alleged victims who are involved in sex work or have a criminal history.

Many victims of trafficking have credibility issues because they have had a difficult life, been arrested, and/or suffered from other trauma. And frankly, thats why they are often targeted and victimized by traffickers, said Martinez.

Greenbergs attorney, Fritz Scheller, referring to the report that prosecutors may not move forward in a case against Gaetz, told NBC News: While one could hesitate to draw a conclusion from a single news story, my hesitation stems from a different source  my knowledge of the evidence in this matter. But to be perfectly cryptic, to the extent the government considers this matter closed, I do not.

He did not provide further details.

The Wingman

Joel Greenbergs scandal-plagued term as the elected tax collector of Seminole County began in 2017, around the same time he and Gaetz became close. Both men were elected to their respective offices in the same year, and Gaetz at one point called Greenberg his wingman.

Both gained reputations as newsmakers, with Gaetz defending newly elected President Donald Trump on the national stage and Greenberg making waves at home.

Soon after Greenberg took office, he became the subject of criticism from county commissioners for a move to an expensive new office building, while also coming under scrutiny for a proposal to arm tax collectors and for chastising a driver about her speeding while wearing a badge that made him seem like a law enforcement officer.

According to the plea agreement in his federal case, Greenberg met the minor in 2017 on a website that advertised itself as a place where sugar daddies could find sugar babies, which five sources identified as SeekingArrangement. Greenberg also admitted in his plea agreement that he gave the minor and others ecstasy for commercial sex, that he introduced the minor to other men, and that he took the drug himself. In total, the plea agreement said, Greenberg from 2016 to 2018 made at least 150 transactions for sex worth $70,000, including commercial sex acts with the minor.

Gaetz, who was not named in the plea agreement, met the alleged victim through Greenberg, according to four sources who were friends with both men.

NBC News is withholding the names of all the women to protect their privacy due to the nature of the case. SeekingArrangement has not commented on Greenberg, citing the ongoing investigation. The site has said it has no record of Gaetz ever having an account; Gaetz has long maintained he was not on the site.

Also according to that plea agreement, the alleged victim falsely claimed she was of age on her SeekingArrangement profile. Greenberg discovered her real age in September 2017, five months after he first texted with her.

Even if an underage person lies about his or her age, its still legally considered sex trafficking of a minor if an adult has sex with them and something of value changes hands.

In late 2019, a school teacher, Brian Beute, filed to run in a Republican primary against the first-term tax collector, who responded by engaging in a smear campaign. Greenberg created a fake Twitter account to make Beute look like a white supremacist, and Greenberg made a phony Facebook account and engaged in a false letter-writing campaign to frame Beute as a pedophile who abused his students, according to the indictment and plea agreement.

Former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg (Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel via Getty Images file)

In June 2020, Greenberg was arrested for the smears, precipitating a series of investigations and indictments that ultimately led to a 33-count indictment against him. The sex crimes inquiry into Gaetz began as part of the broader investigation into Greenberg.

In December 2020, the FBI seized the congressmans cellphone and the congressman subsequently furnished federal investigators thousands of records, mainly related to travel calendars and emails, according to a source. Gaetz reportedly lobbied former President Trumps top aides for a pardon related to the Justice Departments investigation toward the end of the administration.

The Gaetz investigation became public in March 2021, after The New York Times reported the general contours of the investigation. Earlier that month, Greenberg had been jailed after he violated probation to find his wife, who called 911 because she wanted to get away from him. They are now divorced.

Greenberg now faces a mandatory-minimum prison sentence of 12 years. But in an effort to get a more lenient sentence, Greenberg pleaded guilty and has been cooperating with prosecutors. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 1.

In April 2021, CBS News reported that in addition to investigating Gaetz for alleged sex trafficking of a minor, federal investigators were examining a Bahamas trip he took in the fall of 2018 to see if it violated the Mann Act, which prohibits taking people across state lines to engage in prostitution. Two sources briefed on that aspect of the investigation confirmed that line of inquiry.

The alleged victim, who by that time was 18, Gaetz and others were on the trip, according to Politico, which cited three sources familiar with the Bahamas jaunt, including one who was there. Prosecutors wanted to know if any of the women on the trip were paid for sex and, therefore, were transported across state lines to engage in prostitution.

The investigation into Gaetz gained some momentum earlier this year when his ex-girlfriend struck an immunity deal with prosecutors. Before her appearance, a source familiar with her thinking told NBC News she was willing to testify about Gaetzs interactions with the alleged victim, that 2018 trip to the Bahamas, and a secretly recorded phone call between her, a former roommate of the alleged victim and Gaetz. It is during that conversation that federal investigators suspected Gaetz of attempting to obstruct justice, NBC News previously reported.

Since that time, seven others tied to Greenberg have been charged in a host of other crimes unrelated to the sex-crimes investigation: two in fraud schemes that are related to Greenbergs office, two associates of Greenbergs in an alleged real estate scam, and three with campaign finance-related crimes. At least one more friend of Greenbergs is likely facing federal fraud charges, according to Greenbergs fourth and final indictment issued March 30, 2021. None of those indictments show a link to Gaetz or suggest his involvement.

All of the charges and investigations involving Greenberg were the result of the teachers friend, lawyer David Bear, insisting that law enforcement authorities seriously investigate the smears masterminded by Greenberg in the 2020 primary for tax collector.

Bear said it sounds totally plausible that prosecutors might not charge Gaetz.

The U.S. attorneys office and Department of Justice are very particular in what they prosecute and in making sure theres a strong chance they will win the case, he told NBC News. They dont prosecute 50/50 cases.

Bear is a critic of Gaetz and says he bears responsibility for associating with Greenberg. But he said Greenbergs criminality is problematic.

Greenberg is a prolific criminal. His story is going to be in criminology textbooks one day, Bear said.

The potential witnesses in the federal governments inquiry into Gaetz is not limited to Greenberg, the alleged victim and Gaetzs ex-girlfriend.

The alleged victims former roommate, who was on the three-way call with Gaetz and his ex-girlfriend, has spoken to prosecutors, according to two lawyers involved in the case. They say that at least one other woman who had been sexually involved with Gaetz has also spoken to investigators.

None of the women have been charged with a crime, but lawyers in the case are divided over whether some of the women could be charged with sex-trafficking the alleged victim, too, if evidence emerged they engaged in group sex with her.

Under the federal sex-trafficking law, anyone who has sex with a minor as part of an enterprise in which money changes hands can be criminally charged. The attorneys say that the federal government has expressed no interest in charging any of the women, but they say it could become an issue at trial if the women were ever used as witnesses.

This is Joels M.O.

After Greenbergs first arrest in June 2020, he tried to get Gaetz and Republican operative and Trump confidante Roger Stone to get him an election-year pardon, Stone said in an interview, confirming a Daily Beast article.

Gaetzs friend, Dorworth, said Greenberg threatened to bring him and Gaetz down if he didnt get the pardon. Dorworth, who was subpoenaed to give records to the federal grand jury in the case, said Greenberg falsely accused him of wrongdoing and, to disprove the allegations, he wound up hiring a lawyer, furnishing text, phone and travel records to federal investigators, as well as three polygraphs. His attorney, Hornsby, confirmed the account.

Im not surprised prosecutors wont move forward with the case against Matt because its built on lies and Joel Greenberg is the biggest piece of lying garbage trash Ive ever seen in my life, Dorworth told NBC News, previewing what would be his testimony for Gaetzs defense if he were ever charged.

This is Joels M.O.: He tries to frame people for what he did.

Scheller, Greenberg's attorney, said in response to Dorworth's allegations: In any case, the credibility of witnesses is always at issue. Thus, any prosecutor worth their salt will develop evidence, including documents and financial records, that corroborates the testimony of the witness. Although I have not received any communication from the federal government regarding the status of its investigation (nor would I), it does not merely depend on a couple of witnesses, let alone a single individual."

Dorworth said he felt Greenberg tried to set him up in the sex-crimes investigation with a series of WhatsApp message exchanges shortly before Greenberg was first charged with sex trafficking the minor, according to his third, penultimate indictment in August 2020. Dorworth shared the messages with the FBI and with NBC News.

From left, Chris Dorworth, Rep. Matt Gaetz and then-Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg pose together outside the White House during a visit in 2019. (Orlando Sentinel via Getty Images file)

In the messages, Greenberg suggested Dorworth had culpability and suggested that another attorney told him that Dorworth may need a lawyer. But Dorworth checked with that attorney, who Dorworth says told him that he never said Dorworth needed to get a lawyer.

Greenberg also said he wanted to warn Dorworth that some chick may say she partied at your house or something. Dorworth responded by saying that didnt happen.

The messages show Greenberg said he was paying for the lawyer for the minor whom he later pleaded guilty to trafficking and said that she doesnt want to talk to the FBI. Also, Greenberg said, the link between himself and the minor was money he paid her via a banking app.

The feds are going through my Venmo history, Greenberg said.

Dorworth has not been charged with a crime.

Greenbergs Venmo could play a crucial role in a prosecution. In a so-called confession letter obtained by The Daily Beast, Greenberg wrote there was no direct payment between Gaetz and the 17-year-old. Instead, he wrote, he was the go-between who collected the cash.

A source who had been briefed on aspects of the investigation told NBC News that investigators had discussed a weakness in the case: there is no direct evidence of payment between Gaetz and the alleged victim and that prosecutors therefore had to rely on testimony from witnesses like Greenberg, who could be viewed a less credible by a jury.

The king elephant

Lyle Mazin, an attorney who represents two women who are also potential witnesses of the investigation, said it has so many tentacles, complexities and lawyers that its hard to get a global perspective of the case. But, he said, the feeling amongst the attorneys seems to be its not going anywhere.

Mazin said he believes top Justice Department officials could be concerned about the political ramifications of going after Gaetz and Trump, who is not connected to this case but is under other federal investigations concerning the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and the alleged possession and improper storage of documents related to national security.

Prosecutors probably cant afford a not guilty verdict against Gaetz, he said, or a hung jury.

To me, what leans me to thinking this is dead in the water is that DOJ eventually is going to go after Donald Trump, Mazin said. They [prosecutors] cant put their foot over the line and get it chopped off  if they parade their circus of witnesses in there  even if its a perfectly good case and its a statutorily serious crime  I think they hurt themselves. I think theyre going after the king elephant.

Another attorney in the case said the Justice Department is aware of the political complications around the investigation.

Martinez, the former assistant U.S. attorney, said that pursuing a high-profile target could further complicate the case because prosecutors weigh the likelihood of conviction while deciding whether they should bring charges.

A victims difficult past alone is not a reason for a prosecution not to proceed. In fact, prosecutors have obtained convictions following trials in such cases, she said, stressing she was not specifically addressing Gaetz's investigation. But when youre the only victim in a case, it could be much more difficult to get a conviction and it could be much harder on the victim. As a former federal prosecutor, I had to decline some cases in which I believed the crime occurred but we determined that we simply couldnt present a credible case.

Gaetz has attacked the Justice Department for not doing more to prosecute alleged co-conspirators who tried to shake down his wealthy father, former state Senate president Don Gaetz, for $25 million in return for securing a presidential pardon of the congressman in the sex crimes investigation. Gaetzs father went to the FBI and wore a wire to catch the suspects  one of whom has since pleaded guilty.

And if House Republicans win control of the chamber in November and make good on their promise to investigate the agency for its various investigations of Trump.

A Trump-appointed judge could let the Gaetz defense turn into a circus because the victims past would come out in court, the attorney said. "DOJ will pretend its not considering all of this in addition to the evidence. But you can bet they are.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte and Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal visit the town of Borodianka in Ukraine's Kyiv region in April 2022. Ukrainian Governmental Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

Ukraine applied to join NATO, but some members suggested it should wait until war with Russia ends.

Lithuania's prime minister told Insider why she believes NATO-Ukraine negotiations should start immediately.

She said Russian threats are not a reason to delay as Russia proved it doesn't need a reason to escalate.

Negotiations for Ukraine to join NATO should begin immediately, Lithuania's prime minister told Insider.

In an interview Thursday, Ingrida Simonyte said that the frequent argument for not doing so  that Vladimir Putin might escalate his invasion in response  did not stack up.

Putin, she said, had already escalated the conflict repeatedly and did not need an excuse in the actions of his adversaries to do so again.

This week nine of NATO's 30 members, including Lithuania, said they support Ukraine's eventual membership of the alliance.

But NATO's largest members, including the US and other nuclear-armed states like the UK and France, held off signing. A frequent argument is that a move like this could worsen Russia's invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, holds Ukraines application for NATO membership in Kyiv on September 30, 2022. Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP, File

But, Simonyte argued, Russia had proven already that its escalations were not rational.

"When we speak about Russia as an escalator in this situation, we must ask ourselves: Is there a need of a real pretext for Russia to escalate? My answer is no," she said.

"I mean, this is a pretext that they most probably would use, but even without this pretext, it doesn't mean that the situation would be that much different."

Doubts about letting Ukraine join

Bulgaria's president said he did not join the nine-country declaration because he thought a decision on Ukrainian membership should only happen after the war with Russia ends.

He noted the "risk of the direct involvement of NATO countries in the war."

Once a country is a full NATO member, all the other members are obliged to respond to an attack on a member as it would to an attack on itself  making a war on one member a war on all of them.

Similarly, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that he thinks Ukraine's application "should be taken up at a different time."

Ukrainian troops fire an M777 howitzer in the Kharkiv Region on July 28, 2022. Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Putin has previously raged at the prospect of NATO growing further, and cited that fear as a reason for invading in February.

But Simonyte said that Russia was the one who forced countries like hers into NATO, creating the outcome it most feared.

"They were lying all the way about NATO enlargement and saying 'it was you who were pushing NATO boundaries close to Russia.' No  it was because of Russia that countries like mine wanted to join NATO."

"It's not because NATO just came and said 'Hello, we want to be here.'"

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks with soldiers during the NATO exercise 'Cold Response' in Bardufoss, Norway on March 25, 2022. Annika Byrde/Getty Images

A 'moral debt' to Ukraine

How Ukraine would fare in an application is unclear  all 30 existing members have to agree on letting a country join, and the process can take years even for countries who are not actively at war.

Simonyte said that the decision not to accept Ukraine earlier helped create the current war. NATO's assurances may have deterred Russia had Ukraine been a member, she said.

Irina Kuzkova, 83, stands in her flat at damaged building after latest Russian rocket attack in downtown Kharkiv, Ukraine, Monday, September 12, 2022. AP Photo/Andrii Marienko

Ukraine tried to join NATO in 2008, but Russia responded angrily and the process ground to a halt.

Simonyte said she thought this was a "great mistake" that helped encourage Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, its long war in the Donbas region, and the full-scale war of 2022.

She said that NATO owes "a sort of a moral debt" because of such missteps that demands a fuller response than giving the current military aid and training.

NATO had previously said that Ukraine needed other reforms to be considered for membership  including a much stronger response to corruption.

Simonyte said she believed starting negotiations would create a "very strong incentive" for any needed reform, saying it worked in her own country, which joined in 2004.

"What I know from my country's experience is that when you have a very clear goal, it is a very big motivation for a country to change."

"What Ukraine has demonstrated is that they are actually capable, very strong and, and very committed to the values that we share as our sort of basis for our coexistence. So why should we deny them a possibility to be part of the club?"

"There is no reason."

Read the original article on Business Insider
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Victims of a quick series of stabbings on the Las Vegas Strip described the shock and horror of the unexpected attack on a group of showgirls and others outside a casino that left two people dead and six injured.

Police arrested Yoni Barrios, 32, after a short chase blocks from where they say he attacked four showgirls and ended up stabbing eight people on Thursday.

An arrest report released Friday said Barrios told police some of the victims had laughed at him and he let the anger out. Prosecutors say hell be charged with two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder.

I couldnt believe that this was happening to me, said Victoria Caytano, one of the showgirl impersonators who was released from the hospital Friday after she was treated for a stab wound.

I got up, and I started running, Caytano told KLAS-TV. I started yelling, he has a knife!

The coroners office identified those killed as Las Vegas residents Brent Allan Hallett, 47, and Maris Mareen DiGiovanni, 30. Hallett was stabbed in the back and DiGiovanni died from a chest wound, authorities said.

DiGiovanni was part of the Best Showgirls In Vegas modeling and talent agency, according to Cheryl Lowthorp, who runs the business. She said two others with the agency were among the wounded and a third escaped without injury.

According to the police report, some performers said he made them feel uncomfortable when he approached for a photo and one backed away. One woman said he stabbed her in the back, then stabbed DiGiovanni.

Anna Westby, who suffered a punctured lung, said she and Caytano were with DiGiovanni when Barrios attacked them.

Im screaming, asking everyone for help, she told KLAS-TV. He caught up to me, and he stabbed me in the back and then he ran off.

Best Showgirls In Vegas provides models and showgirls for various promotional events from restaurant openings to airport greetings. In her 12 years operating the agency, Lowthrop said the models have pretty much gone day to day without incident.

This is a safe job, there are cops everywhere, Lowthorp said. No place is filmed more than the Las Vegas Strip.

The police report said Barrios was covered in blood when he was arrested. Officers seized a large, long-bladed knife, the report said.

Barrios told one victim sorry, man before stabbing him in the back and also said that he hoped police would shoot him, the report said.

It wasnt immediately known whether Barrios had a lawyer who could comment on his behalf. He made his initial court appearance on Friday was ordered held without bail. An initial arraignment was scheduled for Tuesday.

Barrios had an address in Los Angeles, told police that he came to Las Vegas two days earlier to move in with a friend who then refused to let him stay at the house, so he packed his things and took a bus to the Las Vegas Strip, according to the arrest report.
Proposed new legislation to over-ride sections of the Northern Ireland Protocol poses a significant threat to human rights protections, a new report has contended.

Negotiations between UK and EU officials restarted last week. However, the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill is continuing to make its way through parliament.

The Bill, which is set to be debated in the House of Lords in the coming weeks, would allow the UK Government to effectively tear up parts of the protocol.

A new report has contended the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill could threaten human rights protections (PA)

Prime Minister Liz Truss, who drafted the Bill as Foreign Secretary in May, insisted the Bill is consistent with our obligations in international law and in support of our prior obligations in the Belfast Good Friday agreement.

But this has been challenged in a joint report produced by academics at the Human Rights Centre in Queens University Belfast and the Donia Human Rights Centre at the University of Michigan.

They said that despite assurances from the Government the legislation empowers ministers to undermine hard-won human rights protections contained in the Belfast-Good Friday Agreement and protected in the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiated with the European Union (EU).

One of the authors of the report, Professor Christopher McCrudden of Queens University Belfast, urged the House of Lords to act.

The House of Lords has the opportunity to fix this unacceptable and reckless unpicking of the protections that the EU and the UK agreed in the protocol to safeguard the human rights protections in the Northern Ireland peace agreement, he said.

The Good Friday Agreement includes a section on rights, safeguards and equality of opportunity.

In the study, the academics have voiced concern that the UKs exit from the EU would weaken these existing human rights and equality mechanisms in Northern Ireland.

The report also finds that the UK Government is acting contrary to international law through the introduction of the Bill, unless it can offer a justification for this breach.

The authors contend the attempt to ground such a justification in necessity fails, providing no justification.

The report concludes: There are neither political nor legal justifications for these actions. In particular, the UK Governments claim of necessity has no legal basis in general and none in respect of Article 2 (of the European Convention on Human Rights).

Responding to the report, a UK Government spokeswoman said: The Bill is consistent with our obligations in international law  and in support of our prior obligations to the Belfast Good Friday Agreement.
On the day of the canonisation of Bishop Giovanni Battista Scalabrini and Salesian Artemide Zatti, Francis noted that not opening the doors to migrants means sending them to camps. Given the present risk of nuclear war, we should learn from history. At the end, Francis offered prayers for the victims of violence in Thailand.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis today presided over the canonisation Mass of Bishop Giovanni Battista Scalabrini (1839-1905), the bishop of migrants, and layman Artemide Zatti (1880-1951), a Salesian missionary among the poor in Argentina.

In his homily during this mornings service in St Peter's Square, the pontiff issued a new, scathing warning against the exclusion of migrants. For him, The exclusion of emigrants is scandalous. Actually, the exclusion of emigrants is criminal. They are dying right in front of us, as the Mediterranean is the largest cemetery in the world..

Not opening doors to them is revolting, sinful and criminal, he added, off the cuff. Even worse, we do not exclude them, we send them away to camps, where they are exploited and sold like slaves.

Instead, Brothers and sisters, today let us call to mind these emigrants, especially those who are dying. And those who are able to enter, do we welcome them as brothers and sisters or do we exploit them? I simply pose the question.

The passage in todays Gospel (Luke) refers to the ten lepers healed by Jesus. One of them, the only Samaritan, goes back to give thanks  this offers Francis an opportunity to reflect during the homily about walking together.

At the beginning of the account, there is no difference between the Samaritan and the other nine. We only hear that they are lepers, who together, as a group, approach Jesus.

Whenever the social disease", which leads to marginalisation, and fragility are shared, barriers fall and exclusion is overcome. What is more, We should also note that the Samaritan, although considered a heretic, a foreigner, is part of their group.

"This image is also meaningful for us: when we are honest with ourselves, we realise that we are all sick at heart, all sinners in need of the Fathers mercy. Then we stop creating divisions on the basis of merit, social position or some other superficial criterion; our interior barriers and prejudices likewise fall. In the end, we realise once more that we are brothers and sisters.

Brothers and sisters, let us reflect and see if in our lives, in our families, in the places where we daily work and spend our time, we are capable of walking together with others, listening to them, resisting the temptation to lock ourselves up in self-absorption and to think only of our own needs. To walk together  to be synodal  is also the vocation of the Church.

Let us ask ourselves if we are really communities truly open and inclusive of all; if we cooperate, as priests and laity, in the service of the Gospel; and if we show ourselves welcoming, not only in words but with concrete gestures, to those both near and far, and all those buffeted by the ups and downs of life.

I am troubled when I see Christian communities that divide the world into the good and the bad, saints and sinners: this makes them feel superior to others and exclude so many people that God wants to embrace. Please, always be inclusive: in the Church and in society, which is still marred by many forms of inequality and marginalisation.

Gratitude is the other element the pope drew from the Gospel dedicated to the ten lepers. This is a great lesson also for us, brothers and sisters, who daily benefit from the gifts of God, yet so often go our own way, failing to cultivate a living and real relationship with him. 

Artemide Zatti  with his bicycle - was a living example of gratitude. Cured of tuberculosis, he devoted his entire life to serving others, caring for the infirm with tender love.

At the Angelus, recited at the end of the service, Francis spoke about the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council on 11 October, noting, we should not forget the danger of nuclear war that menaced the world right at that time. Why dont we learn from history?

Even at that moment, there were conflicts and huge tensions, but the way of peace was chosen. It is written in the Bible: Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls (Jer 6:16).

At the end, the pontiff offered his prayers for the victims of the massacre at the Uthai Sawan childcare centre, in Thailand. "With great emotion I entrust their lives to the Father of life, especially the little children and their families, he said.
One of the Aussie brands I've covered before is AOR  Australian Off Road. The company is 100% locally owned and operated on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. It's been manufacturing reliable camper vehicles since 2000 and prides itself as a premium off-road brand. It started as a one-man operation and has grown into a full-blown business with three factories and a 120-strong workforce.I've already looked at its smallest hybrid camper, the Odyssey , but I wanted to check out its off-road caravans range. Four models are available, one of which is the Quantum FH (Full Height). I want to point out that one of the brand's award-winning hybrid campers bears the same name, and that's the one that inspired the RV we're talking about today.First of all, I'd like to mention that this caravan has a base price of A$124,000 ($79,250 or 81,306). Let's see if it's justified.The Quantum FH is designed to have the comfort of the Quantum hybrid camper, only it has a hard-top full-height roof (instead of the pop-top roof), so that also means it has better insulation. It has a tare weight of 1840 kg (4,056 lbs.), with an ATM (Aggregated Total Mass) of 2500 kg (5,511 lbs.). The fiberglass body sits on a Supergal high tensile steel chassis connected to an off-road dedicated independent twin trailing arm suspension. What helps it tackle off-the-beaten-path terrains are the 17" steel tires, with a spare in the back.The caravan sleeps two, so you can take a friend or your partner and go exploring. You'll also find that the vehicle is decently sized, with a total overall length of 6400 mm (21 feet) and a width of 1950 mm (6.4 feet).On its exterior, you'll find a well-equipped L-shaped kitchen, inviting you to spend more time outdoors. It features a full pantry, a three-burner stove, a tap with hot and cold water, storage spaces, and an 82-liter (22-gallon) fridge/freezer. There's also a tunnel boot, which can also be accessed through the front boot. Right next, you'll find jerry can holders and a diesel tank protected by a stone guard, just above the DO35-rated 3500 kg (7,716 lbs.) hitch.On the other side, you'll notice different storage compartments where upgrades, such as an A/C, can be fitted right next to the standard LPG canister space. Rest assured, you'll find all necessary utility ports and outlets around the exterior, such as connections to the two 140-liter (37-gallon) water tanks.Let's move on to the critical bit, the interior. Enter through the triple lock entry door, and you'll find a four-drawer arrangement on the right, just under a small sink, and a control panel on the left. Dead ahead, there's a tiny wet bathroom with a macerator toilet and a roof fan.The living space consists of a dinette table and two sofas. Around, you'll find a bunch of cabinets and some 12 V and USB outlets to which you can connect your gadgets. The large, tinted windows are a nice touch for the interior, letting lots of natural light shine. The bedroom comes standard with a full-size queen bed, but you can also opt for twin beds.Although the inside might not appear as much, the AOR team included utilities to make life on the go more accessible and comfortable. The Quantum FH features an internal diesel air cabin heater, a 12 V wall-mounted fan, two 150 W solar panels, a 200 Ah battery system, and a 2000 W inverter, among others.There's quite an extensive list of upgrades you can opt for, such as an anti-theft system, roof extension, additional stone guards, extra battery power, airbag self-leveling suspension, and many others.Overall, the standard Quantum FH will provide a comfortable camping experience with off-grid capabilities. Still, you might have to upgrade it further from the base package if you want a genuinely deluxe vehicle . Find out more details about this caravan on AOR's website
This is an approach that Google has been using for quite some time, and even though its not everybodys cup of tea, it makes quite a lot of sense.This is because the phased approach gives Google more time to monitor the rollout and detect any potential problems in an early stage, essentially reducing the likelihood of new app versions causing major issues on the devices where they are installed.Android Auto 8.2 is the latest version of the app that users can get right now, and fortunately, theres an easy way to download the app without waiting for it on the Google Play Store.The first thing you need to know is that this alternative method comes down to downloading Android Auto 8.2 manually on your device. To do this, you must get the stand-alone APK installer and then launch the installer on the device.First and foremost, download the Android Auto 8.2 APK installer from this page . Once the download is complete, browse to the location where you saved the file and tap it.If your Android device is configured to enable the installation of apps from third-party sources (other than the Google Play Store), you should now be ready to proceed. Otherwise, the operating system should block the installation by default, prompting you to allow the process to complete.The installation shouldnt take more than a few seconds, and when its ready, you should be able to run Android Auto normally. You do not have to remove the version currently on your device when manually installing the latest update.Given Google hasnt released a detailed changelog, very little information is available on this front. However, based on the most recent user posts on social media, it looks like Android Auto 8.2 doesnt produce any significant changes other than a glitch that most people would hate.Android Auto 8.2 seems to remove the weather and temperature icons in the status bar, but as said, this is most likely just a bug, given not everybody sees it.No workaround has been discovered, so for the time being, it looks like its a server-side glitch that Google should theoretically be able to fix without another update.Given everybody seems to be waiting for the Coolwalk overhaul in Android Auto, heres something thatll probably disappoint you: version 8.2 doesnt bring any changes on this front.In other words, if you rushed to download and install Android Auto 8.2 hoping to get your hands on Coolwalk, this UI update isnt yet available. And one thing you should be aware of is that the rollout of Coolwalk isnt tied to a specific Android Auto update , as Google will enable the new feature with a server-side switch.The code for Coolwalk is already here, at least most of it anyway, so at this point, Google is just working on last-minute polishing. This means the release of Coolwalk shouldnt be too far anyway, though no further information on the ETA is available right now.The automatic rollout of Android Auto updates typically completes in a few weeks, so if you dont want to manually install version 8.2 on your device, the wait shouldnt be too long. In other words, all Android devices running Android Auto should be provided with this most recent version of the app by the end of the month as part of the gradual rollout detailed above.
SUV

Hyundai and Kia buyers are being told to wait not six months, not twelve months, but no less than 2 years and a half to get their hands on their brand-new cars.The delays have increased substantially in the last few months, and the local media reveals that South Korean customers are increasingly frustrated with whats happening right now. As a result, some believe that Hyundai is actually favoring export markets, as many of the cars are produced and then shipped overseas to customers in other countries.But according to Hyundai, its all because of the challenges that all carmakers are currently struggling with, including the lack of semiconductors . In other words, the South Korean carmaker says its facing major shortages that disrupt its production lines, and as a result, the ordered vehicles cant be shipped to customers in a timely manner.The cited report reveals that Kia customers would have to wait for up to 9 months for certain models, while those who order a Hyundai sedan ormight have to wait for a maximum of 20 months. In some cases, the wait could be longer depending on the production challenges the carmaker ends up facing at its domestic facilities.The global chip inventory continues to be incredibly constrained right now, and carmakers across the world continue to struggle with production challenges. Many of them turn to temporary suspension halts or building cars without certain systems.The consensus right now is that the chip crisis will continue into 2023, with GM CEO Mary Barra revealing recently that her company expects the shortage to remain a problem next year and even beyond.
The PSWG reviewed the tow eye design specifications and manufacturing data on August 15th. As fate would have it, the tow eye brackets in the July 15th and July 22nd incidents failed due to inadequate adhesive properties.Lucid also discovered three other failures caused by inadequate adhesion. More specifically, a crack was discovered on a test vehicle on July 26th, and the other two failures occurred on a customer vehicle on August 18th and a test vehicle on August 24th. Lucid subsequently confirmed with the current subframe manufacturer that both the subframe and tow eye brackets exceed the design strength specification and have substation margin.Lucid called up Ethos Automation, the previous subframe manufacturer, for more information. The Newark-based automaker confirmed that Ethos was responsible for the adhesive failures mentioned earlier, then established a clean point at the plant for vehicles with build dates beginning April 21st.The PSWG and Product Safety Officer briefed the Product Safety Executive Council on their findings, concluding that subframes produced by Ethos present a safety risk. The automaker was originally aware of 304 potentially affected cars, but that number grew to 571 as the investigation carried on.Their build dates range from October 22nd, 2021, to April 20th, 2022. Following Ethos Automation, Lucid switched to Martinrea International for subframe production. Owners of the affected vehicles will be notified by first-class mail with instructions not to use the tow eye for recovery operations on November 14th. To rectify this problem, Lucid-certified service centers have been told to install two rivets to the tow eye bracket.